Keir didn’t have to be told twice. He grasped Chloë by the hand and quit the solar in a hurry, putting as much distance as he could between Anton and himself. He couldn’t stand looking at the man any longer, knowing he was keeping him from Chloë.
Chloë clung to his hand as he took her into the entry hall. She was still extremely upset, struggling to keep her emotions in check as he silently led her to the spiral staircase that ascended into the upper floors of the keep. All around them, the structure was alive with soldiers and servants, people going about their busy day, but Keir and Chloë remained quiet and somber, locked in their own little world, wondering what the future held now that everything was so uncertain.
On the third level they came to Chloë’s chamber and Keir opened the door, ushering her inside and following her in. He closed the door softly behind her, throwing the bolt, before turning to look at her. It was God’s honest truth that he didn’t know what to say to her. He was perhaps more devastated than she was.
“I am so sorry,” Chloë spoke first, her lower lip quivering. “I had no idea that my father would do such a thing. I do not know what to say to you other than I am deeply sorry.”
He went to her, shushing her softly as he pulled her into his arms. He held her close, listening to her weep softly against him.
“It is not your fault,” he whispered. “You cannot control what the man does.”
“But it is so unfair,” she sobbed. “I do not understand why he would do such a thing.”
Keir didn’t, either. “In his own mind, perhaps he believes he is truly doing what he feels is best for you.”
She pulled her face from his shoulder, gazing up at him with big, wet eyes. “You are going to return to me,” she insisted. “You are going to return and we shall be married and have a dozen children.”
He smiled faintly. “Six girls just like you and six boys just like me?”
She grinned when she thought on their previous conversation about such things. “Exactly,” she agreed, her tears fading. “I cannot wait to see your expression when presented with our first son.”
His expression grew intense. “It will be the best day of my life.”
She smiled at his vow but as he watched, her smile faded and her expression grew cloudy again. He could see the tears returning.
“I will wait for you at Pendragon for as long as it takes for you to return to me,” she murmured, her lip beginning to quiver again. “But… but if God is not merciful and all turns against us, what… what should I do if you do not come back?”
He sighed heavily and pulled her over to the bed, sitting her gently on to the mattress. He sat beside her, taking both of her hands in his. He kissed her fingers thoughtfully, gently, formulating his reply. He took her question very seriously and was impressed that she had the fortitude to ask it. He was, in fact, trying to figure out how to bring up the subject and she had saved him the trouble.
“I want you to do what makes you happy,” he explained. “What do you want to do?”
Tears were streaming down her face and she pulled one hand from his grip to wipe at her cheeks. “I do not know,” she whispered. “I only want to be with you. I want to be where your memory is strongest, where I can feel your presence. If I leave Pendragon, I am afraid I would lose that forever.”
He sighed, stroking the side of her head with a big hand. “I do not like the idea of you wasting away in an old castle, pining over a lost love. I do not think you would be happy there. It would only bring you sadness.”
She appeared genuinely torn. “Then what would you have me do?”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “You may stay at Pendragon as long as you wish,” he told her softly. “But when the time is right, it would make me happy if you went to live with Kurtis and Cassandra. My brother would take good care of you and would make sure you married a man worthy of you.”
Chloë wiped at her nose, nodding as she digested his instructions. “Do you think he will mind?”
“Of course not. You are family and he will be ferociously protective over you. I trust my brother as much as I trust myself when it comes to you, Chloë. Kurtis’ word is as good as mine.”
She nodded reluctantly. “Very well,” she agreed. “If that is what you want.”
“It is.”
She just sat there, staring at her hands as they were encased in his enormous ones. Keir could see the fog of gloom hovering around her like a cloak and he pulled her into his embrace to comfort her. They had so little time left together and he didn’t want to spend it in tears and doom. Rocking her gently as she clung to him, he eventually lay back on the bed and took her down with him.
In the bright mid-morning of the new day, Keir kissed her tenderly, tasting her sweet lips, memorizing them for the lonely times to come. Chloë wrapped her arms around his neck, responding to his kisses, and Keir’s arousal took flight.
All of the emotion, anxiety and grief they were feeling came spilling out as Keir began to undress her, kissing exposed flesh as he peeled off layers of her surcoat and shift. Chloë couldn’t stop the tears, thinking this might be the very last time she touched the man, and she wept silently as he nursed at her breasts and rained heated kisses along her belly.
Her hands were in his hair as he again put his face between her legs, his tongue on his favorite target, and Chloë moved beyond the initial embarrassment and gave in to his wicked mouth. The man’s touch was magic, and although lovemaking was still extremely new to her, something about Keir washed away her inhibitions. She gave herself over to him willingly.
Keir took a very long time with her, gently, tasting every inch of her body, flipping her over onto her stomach and feasting on the back of her thighs and her rounded buttocks. His mouth moved to her shoulder, her neck, while his hands snaked underneath her and fondled her soft breasts. Her thick mane of hair was long down her back and he gathered it up, holding it like a rope, pulling on it and biting her neck until she groaned. He covered her with his big body, memorizing the feel of her soft flesh against his, tucking it away deep so he could think of it on nights when his longing for her threatened to consume him. He knew that time would come. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life.
Rolling her onto her back, he pinned her arms above her head as he mounted her, his stiff arousal pushing into her slick body, savoring ever thrust, every withdrawal. He found himself wishing for a son, a lad that was a part of him and a part of her, with his strength and her magnificent looks. Chloë was his wife regardless of her father’s actions and he felt more married to her, more a part of her, than he had ever felt with Madeleine. It was no insult against Madeleine, of course; he simply felt deeper and more for Chloë than he ever imagined he could feel for anyone.
As his thrusts deepened, he could feel Chloë climax around him, her soft cries of pleasure filling his ear. Before he released himself deep within her, she had climaxed at least twice more and then a fourth time when he spilled himself. She was exhausted and panting by the time he finished and he lay on top of her, his mouth on her neck, his body still embedded in her. In little time, he was aroused again and he took her twice more before noon, never wanting the day to end but knowing that it must.
As he lay against her towards noon, still buried deep in her sweet body, it was Keir who shed silent tears into her dark red hair, deeply pained at the thought of leaving her. When Chloë fell into an exhausted sleep, he lay there with his hand on her breast, watching her sleep, allowing his tears to fall freely. He couldn’t help it.
He prayed this would not be the last moment they would spend together. He very nearly couldn’t live with the thought. Already, it was killing him.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Two hours before dawn on the next day, Michael of Pembury arrived from Pendragon. When he rode into Aysgarth’s bailey, it was already full of men mobilizing for the march into Wales, including Keir. Kurtis was also with his brother, helping him organize the men and pro
visions, and Lucan was suited up and prepared to go with Keir into Wales.
It made for a busy scene, the ward of the castle filled nearly to the brim with men, horses and wagons. Michael knew, from the missive he had received from Coverdale, what was happening. As soon as he arrived, he went straight to Keir.
Keir saw the big knight coming through the sea of torches and men. He was speaking to Kurtis, seeing Michael approach and wondering how Kurtis was going to react to the appearance of his arch rival for Cassandra’s attentions. Even though the competition was over, still, Keir wondered if there would be bad blood. He watched Michael’s body language as the man came upon them.
“Keir,” Michael greeted. His bright blue gaze moved to Kurtis and, after a tense moment, he bobbed his head at the man. “Kurt.”
“You are just in time,” Keir said to him, diverting Michael’s attention before he and Kurtis could glare daggers at each other. “I am to depart at dawn and I wanted to make sure I spoke to you before I left.”
Michael nodded. “As I wanted to speak with you,” he replied. “I would ask to go with you, Keir. If Kurtis is not accompanying you, then I would ask to.”
Keir shook his head. “Although I will sorely miss you, you have a more important task.”
“What?”
“Escorting Chloë back to Pendragon and guarding her until I return.”
Michael wasn’t particularly happy with that order. “De Velt can return with her,” he said. “I am more valuable at your right hand, Keir. You need me in battle.”
Keir could see this wasn’t an argument he was going to win in just a few sentences. Leaving his brother with a few softly muttered orders, he pulled Michael along with him as he moved to an area with more privacy.
“Michael, I appreciate your request,” he said steadily, “and I would be lying if I said I will not miss your strength. But I have spent the past day and night arguing, at odds with, or in just plain contention with everyone at Aysgarth and I would sincerely appreciate it if you could simply abide by my wishes without an argument. I do not know how long I will be in Wales and it would ease my mind considerably knowing that Chloë was under your protection. She is the most important thing in the world to me and if I cannot be there to protect her, then I would only trust you.”
Michael still wasn’t happy but he understood somewhat. He pursed his lips angrily but refrained from arguing as Keir had requested. Still, he couldn’t help getting the last few licks into the losing end of the battle.
“What do you mean you have been at odds with everyone?” he wanted to know.
They reached the steps leading into the keep and Keir paused, looking over the mass of men and animals in the bailey. A faint haze of smoke hung over the grounds from the heavily burning torches being used to illuminate the area.
“Chloë and I are betrothed,” he finally said. “However, when her father found out about my orders from the king, he refused to allow us to be wed before I leave for Wales. In his opinion, an unmarried daughter is worth more to a prospective groom than the widow of a knight. If I return from Wales, all well and good, and we shall be married, but if I do not, then he feels she has a better chance of attracting a prestigious husband if she has never been wed. When I have not been arguing with the man, I have been comforting Chloë. It has been chaotic and painful to say the least.”
Michael was beginning to feel bad about badgering Keir when the man had apparently suffered through a turbulent time.
“Where is Lady Chloë now?” he asked, with less force.
Keir looked to the keep. “Asleep, I hope,” he said. “She has been nearly hysterical since yesterday morning. She needs to rest.”
Michael’s gaze moved to the bailey, seeing Kurtis in the distance. “And Cassandra?”
Keir looked pointedly at him. “She and my brother were married at Vespers yesterday,” he replied. “Remove her from your mind, Michael. She and Kurtis are husband and wife, and very shortly leaving for Northumberland. Is that clear?”
Michael wasn’t particularly shocked but he was disappointed. “It is, my lord.”
“I do not want to hear of any more trouble between you and my brother. If that happens, my wrath will be swift.”
“There will be no trouble, my lord.”
“Do you swear on your oath?”
“I do.”
Keir eyed him as if he didn’t believe him but he accepted his vow. He didn’t want to out-right insult the man.
“Chloë has asked to stay at Pendragon while I am away and Coverdale has agreed,” he thought it best to focus on the subject at hand. “I do not have to tell you to treat her with all due respect until I return. Guard her with your life.”
Michael regarded him for a moment. “And what if you do not return?”
Keir drew in a long, pensive breath. “My instructions to her are to do what makes her happy,” he said quietly. “If she wants to stay at Pendragon forever, so be it. But I do not want her wasting her life. I have told her that if I do not return from Wales, it will make me happy if she would go and live with Kurtis and Cassandra at Alnwick. If it comes to that, I would ask that you escort her to Northumberland.”
Michael nodded. “Of course, my lord.”
“She means everything in the world to me and I love her deeply. Take care of her, Michael. I am depending on you.”
“I will protect her with my life, Keir. You need not worry about her in the least.”
Keir didn’t reply to that. It seemed like such a final thing to say, as if he was already gone. But the fact remained that he wasn’t gone yet and he wanted to see Chloë before he left. Leaving Michael standing on the steps to the keep, he entered the cool, quiet keep and made his way up to the third level.
Chloë’s chamber was unlocked because he had already been in and out of it a few times that night simply to check on her. Keir was a master of multi-tasking, preparing an army for departure and all of the details related to that while at the same time, making sure to check on his betrothed to ensure she was comfortable and sleeping. Truth was, he just wanted to see her, greedily sneaking in a glimpse or a touch here and there when he could. The memories would have to last for the separation to come.
The third floor landing was dark and cold. As he reached out for the door latch, the panel suddenly opened and Cassandra appeared. She nearly ran in to Keir, gasping with fright when he narrowly avoided smashing her.
“Good heavens,” she gasped. “Forgive me, Keir, I did not see you until it was nearly too late.”
He smiled at his new sister. “No harm done,” he looked into the dark room beyond. “What are you doing here?”
Cassandra glanced into the dark room also. “A servant fetched me about an hour ago,” she said. “Chloë has been ill.”
Keir was suddenly very concerned. “Ill?” he repeated, pushing in to the room. “What is wrong?”
Cassandra grabbed him by the arm as he moved past her. “Wait,” she cautioned. “Do not go in yet. She has been weeping uncontrollably and vomiting for the past hour. The closer your departure looms, the more ill she becomes. It is nerves, I am sure, and she is distraught to the point where she is making herself ill.”
Keir stared at her a moment before sighing heavily, a look of pain rippling across his face. He patted the hand on his forearm gently.
“Let me speak with her,” he said. “Let me see what comfort I can give her.”
Cassandra nodded, gripping his arm one last time. There was genuine concern and sadness in her features.
“Keir,” she whispered. “I want to say… I want to say that I am sorry for how my father has treated you. You are a good man and you have made my sister very happy. I shall pray for your safe return.”
He smiled faintly and patted her cheek before moving into the room and quietly closing the door. He could hear faint sobs from where he stood and he moved towards the bed, the curtains partially pulled back. Coming upon the mattress, he could see Chloë in the dim light, wr
apped up in the bed linens, her face turned away from him and her arm over her forehead. She was sobbing intermittently and he stood there a moment, his heart breaking to see her so upset.
Carefully, he bent over the bed and kissed her softly on the cheek. “Greetings, love,” he whispered, kissing her again. “It is time to rise and shine.”
Startled, Chloë turned to him with big eyes. “I… I thought you were down in the bailey. I could hear you shouting.”
He grinned. “That is Kurtis,” he told her, sitting on the edge of the bed. “He sounds just like me.”
She forced a smile because he was grinning. But then she sat up and threw her arms around his neck, breaking down into tears.
“Please,” she begged. “Please do not go to Wales. Let us run far, far away where the king can never catch you or punish you. Let us run far away from these wars.”
He hugged her tightly. “Sweetheart, as much as I am tempted to do exactly that, I cannot,” he told her. “My honor is at stake and so is the honor of our children. I cannot burden them with the terrible legacy of a coward for a father. It would do them, and you, a great injustice.”
She wasn’t in the mood to agree with him. “At least you would be alive,” she wept. “I would rather have you alive and dishonored than honorably dead.”
He sat back and held her face in between his big hands. His ice blue eyes glimmered warmly at her, his expression gentle and sweet.
“I will be riding from this bailey in one hour,” he told her calmly. “It is my wish that you compose yourself, get dressed, and see me off. You are a strong and remarkable woman, Chloë, and I realize that you are pushed beyond your endurance right now. I am deeply sorry for that. But I want my last glimpse of you to be as I know you to be, a strong and beautiful woman, not a quivering wreck. That is not the woman I know and love.”
She gazed into his eyes, fighting the tears, the nausea, coming to understand that it would comfort him to know she wasn’t a hysterical mess as he went about his duty. She knew that he was having as difficult a time as she was, only he was too strong to show it.
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