Moving between guests, and around a pillar, he thought he was being quite clever at avoiding Deborah or Dustin until he suddenly spied Lady Lucinda and Lady Maryann heading in his direction. Unfortunately, they saw him before he could hide himself but that didn’t stop him from seeing refuged behind a group of knights from Derby. He made no secret of running from the women. But he ran so fast that he ran headlong into young William, the Earl of Derby’s son.
“David,” William said happily, clapping him on the shoulder as they bumped into one another. “How are you faring on this fine evening? I, for one, am ready to eat and drink and not think about the fate of the country. As much as I love William Marshal, if I have to sit through another one of his meetings where half the men are sleeping and the other half are arguing, I will go out of my bloody mind.”
David grinned. “And I thought I was the only one who felt that way.”
William, who was slightly drunk, shook his head exaggeratedly. “You are not!” he said. “I do believe I will head home before the New Year to see my father. I already sent my sister and most of my retainers home, long ago. Had to, you know. We had to bury Brentford.”
David sobered. “I know,” he said. “I plan to visit his grave when we return to Lioncross.”
“When will that be?”
David shrugged. “It is up to Chris,” he said, looking around to make sure Lady Lucinda and Lady Maryann weren’t sneaking up on him. “He will be sending his wife home but I do not think we will be accompanying her. In truth, everything is so uncertain right now. I believe Chris wants to remain in London a while longer to await news about Richard.”
William sobered a bit. “I understand,” he said. “When Richard is found, will you ride to his aid?”
David suddenly caught sight of Lady Lucinda; she was fairly close, on the other side of the group of Derby knights, and he spoke quickly to the young lord.
“It is my guess that will we ride to Aquitaine to seek Eleanor and her money at some point,” he said. “Chris thinks that the king might even be ransomed, so the Marshal has intimated that we may be traveling to France soon. But I will speak to you about it later. I must go.”
With that, he dashed away, ducking behind a pillar to hide himself before slipping into the shadows at the edge of the room. He was heading in the direction of the entry, making sure he was not seen by Lady Lucinda or Lady Maryann, for he surely didn’t want to dance with either of them this night and he was positive that dancing and feasting with him, while gazing dreamily into his eyes, was on their agenda.
He spied the pair, still behind the group of Derby knights, for it seemed that they hadn’t seen him yet. Relieved, he continued to make his way towards the entry, staying in the shadowed edges of the room, beneath the lancet windows. He was nearly to the door when he caught sight of a familiar figure.
As if heaven had opened up and spit out an angel, Emilie entered the hall and David’s breath caught in his throat. She was bedecked in resplendent shades of blue, looking like a queen as she entered. David was out of her line of sight, back against the wall as he was, so he took a moment to simply watch her as she entered. She moved with the grace of a goddess and when she turned slightly, he could see her profile. Exquisite, he thought. Two months of stubborn confusion gave way to a pounding in his heart that he could hardly contain.
But his lovely vision was cut short as another familiar figure came up behind Emilie. Brickley was splendidly dressed as well, and evidently escorting Emilie, much to David’s dismay. The big knight stuck close to Emilie, pointing out the tables where Christopher was sitting, and they headed in that direction.
As David watched, Emilie and Brickley approached Christopher, who greeted Emilie gallantly and introduced her to Dustin and Deborah. David watched as Emilie removed her scarf and cloak, handing them over to Brickley, who politely took them from her and headed to a cloak room where women’s possessions were being guarded. With Brickley out of the way, David made his move. He knew he had to do it quickly before Brickley returned.
As he came upon the table, he could hear Dustin and Deborah and Emilie chatting. He was behind her, watching her, not realizing that Christopher had spied him. Christopher, too, was watching his brother’s expression as he gazed at Emilie. A smile came to his lips and he elbowed Edward, pointing to David and muttering something to the man, causing Edward to grin as well. It was Edward who then spoke loudly.
Startled by Edward’s loud voice, which was undoubtedly meant to capture Emilie’s attention, David abruptly found himself gazing into that angelic face that haunted his dreams.
Emilie….
*
“Ah, David,” Edward said loudly. “So you have decided to join us finally. Have you had enough of wandering the room? Anything interesting out there?”
Seated next to Deborah, Emilie jumped at the sound of David’s name. In truth, she had been nervous well before entering the hall, a condition that only worsened once they entered the warm, smoky structure.
Sitting at the de Lohr table had been Brickley’s idea, fortunately, and even as she sat with Christopher’s wife and sister, she was still as jumpy as a cat. She hadn’t seen David yet but she knew he was here, somewhere. At least, she hoped he was in the hall, hoping she wouldn’t have to hear that he’d ridden out of London some time ago and his whereabouts were unknown. But hearing his name made her heart lurch and she whirled around to see that he was standing a few feet behind her.
Their eyes met and Emilie felt a bolt of lightning run through her. She didn’t think her heart could pound any harder than it was, but she was wrong. For lack of a better response, she simply smiled at the man although she was trying desperately not to. She didn’t want him to think that all was forgiven between them, that she would be the one to surrender her pride first. Or maybe she really didn’t care about her pride at all, and that was the truth. Gazing into that handsome, shaved face, a face she had dreamed about for sixty-four days, she couldn’t help the smile. She simply couldn’t.
“I have found nothing interesting,” David said to Edward’s question, although his focus was on Emilie. With a look of utter adulation on his face, he spoke to her. “Good evening, my lady. I hope this day finds you in good health and spirits.”
That voice. God, she’d missed that soft, deep voice. It filled her with liquid fire, running through her veins, causing her entire body to flush with delight as she nodded to his statement.
“It does, my lord,” she said. “It is agreeable to see you this eve. I pray you recovered well from your injuries.”
David nodded as Deborah spoke. “Injuries?” she repeated, looking at David. “What injuries?”
David, so far, hadn’t taken his eyes off of Emilie. He was moving towards her now, drawn to her by those silent siren calls that were only meant for his ears. “The injuries from John’s tournament back in October,” he explained to his sister. “Lady Emilie tended me, if you recall. Had it not been for her, I am sure I would not have recovered nearly so well.”
“Sit, David,” Dustin said, indicating the seat on Emilie’s right. “I have heard of your Lady Emilie but have only just now met her. Sit and thank the woman for what she did for you.”
David was already sitting as Dustin had instructed. All of the hesitation, the frustration and confusion he’d felt over the past two months was draining away. The more he looked into that magnificent and beautiful face, the more he could feel himself succumbing to the wild attraction between them. It was stronger than it had ever been.
“Thank you,” he said as he sat next to her, his eyes boring into hers. “Thank you for what you did for me. I am in your debt.”
Emilie’s cheeks turned a sweet shade of pink as she smiled at him. “It was my honor, my lord,” she said. “You look to be in very good health.”
“I am, thanks to you.”
“Have… have you been well these past months, then? No more tournaments and no more injuries?”
He shook
his head, giving her a half-grin. “No more tournaments,” he said. Then, he took his eyes off of her long enough to look down to his tunic, digging into the pocket at his chest and pulling for a slip of white fabric. He held it up to Emilie. “I have carried your favor daily. It seems to ward off any evil that threatens to befall me.”
Emilie looked at her white silk kerchief and her heart melted away on a flood of flattery and sweetness. The man had carried it all of these months and she was deeply touched. Had he been angry with her once, accusing her of being foolish in demanding a marriage betrothal simply to kiss her? She couldn’t even remember that anger. She couldn’t even remember the hurt. Looking into his face, she couldn’t remember anything but the joy he brought her.
“It is yours,” she said softly. “It belongs to you more than it belongs to me. I would be honored if you would keep it.”
David smiled faintly as he tucked it back into his pocket. “I was not going to give it back even if you asked for it,” he said. Then, he sobered, his expression very serious. The words, when they came, all came out in a rush. “Forgive me, Emilie. Forgive me for being brash and demanding and inappropriate. You were quite right in your refusal to allow me to… well, to allow me to impress myself upon you. I became angry at you and I should not have. I hope… I hope we can be friends again.”
Emilie sighed, deeply, relief and happiness such as she had never known filling her. “There is nothing to forgive,” she said. “I was foolish and stubborn. I should never have expected so much from you after only having known you a short amount of time. You were absolutely right, in everything you said. If anyone should ask for forgiveness, it should be me.”
David was so overjoyed that he was nearly lightheaded with it. “As you said, there is nothing to forgive,” he said. “We will not speak of it any longer. In fact, I would like to ask you if I may come to call on you. You are staying at your aunt’s home in London, are you not? I would be greatly honored if you would allow me to visit you.”
Emilie was nodding her head before he even got the words out of his mouth. “Yes,” she said. “Oh, yes. I have been hoping you would come and see me.”
David chuckled. “I would have come sooner but I did not think I would be welcome.”
“You will always be welcome, wherever I am.”
“Lady Emilie?”
A deep voice came from behind and they both turned to see Brickley standing there. The big knight had made a reappearance and he looked decidedly displeased as his gaze moved between Emilie and David. Emilie could see that, already, the hostilities were there between the two men. The old jealousies had never died. After what her father told her, she could most definitely see it in Brickley’s expression and she hastened to take control of the situation before it veered out of hand.
“Greet Sir David, Brick,” she instructed. “We have been speaking about his injuries from the tournament in October. See how healthy he looks now.”
Brickley couldn’t have cared less about David’s health. He had seen the man in passing over the past couple of months but they hadn’t said more than a two words to one another. He knew David was fine after the tournament but he didn’t care. He just wanted the man out of his seat.
“I have seen David since that time,” he told Emilie, eyeing David. “I have escorted the lady to the mask tonight. You will forgive me for asking you to vacate my seat next to her.”
So the situation was clearly established. Brickley was Emilie’s escort and David was not. But before David could move, as he had been asked, Emilie put her hand on his arm.
“Nay, Brick,” she said. “I have seen you much for the past two months but I have not seen David at all. He will leave when I am finished speaking with him. Go and sit elsewhere for now.”
Brickley’s jaw ticked with great displeasure and David gave him an expression bordering on triumphant. The lady wants me to sit with her and not you, you old bear. It was the silent message from David’s expression. That fueled Brickley’s jealous rage to no end to the point where the man was clenching and unclenching his fists. Before he could throw a punch, which he was very close to doing, Christopher intervened.
The elder de Lohr brother had been carefully watching the exchange. Although no one had ever mentioned that Brickley de Dere was fond of Lady Emilie Hampton, Christopher could see, in just those brief few words exchanged, that there was a definitely rivalry between David and Brickley for the lady’s attention. Like two dogs fighting over the same bone, but in this case, it was a woman, which was even worse. Men tended to do odd things where a woman was concerned. Not wanting a brawl on his hands, and especially not in front of his wife, Christopher stepped in when Emilie essentially brushed Brickley off.
“Brick,” he said, stepping in to put himself between Brickley and David. “Come and meet my wife. I do not believe you have met her yet.”
Edward, who had been watching the exchanges as well, moved beside Christopher and together, the two of them escorted the enraged Brickley over to Dustin, where Christopher introduced the man to his new wife. As Dustin engaged the man in small talk, Emilie turned to David.
“Brick is still very protective,” she said, smiling weakly. “He thinks that every man is out to ravage me.”
David grunted, scratching at his neck. “Brick is a very smart man,” he said. “He wants you for himself and he does not want any competition. For the last few months, I would wager to say he hasn’t had any… has he?”
Emilie smiled coyly, shaking her head. “He has not.”
David was relieved. “I did not mean that as an I insult, you understand,” he said. “If any woman warranted gangs of suitors, it would be you. I simply meant… I meant that I have not been around the past couple of months.”
Emilie laughed softly. “I did not take it as an insult,” she said, sobering. “Are you telling me that you intend to come around often?”
“Every day if you will let me.”
“I will.”
David was thrilled. Reaching out, he took her hand and lifted it to his lips for a gentle kiss. Unfortunately, Brickley saw the kiss and nearly came apart. He growled menacingly and Christopher, having no idea what had the man so upset, noticed that David was holding Emilie’s hand. A bit miffed at his younger brother for doing it so openly in front of de Dere, as if to provoke the man, Christopher handed Brickley off to Edward, who shuffled the man away from the situation and towards the table with all of the wine on it. Leeton, who had been standing by watching the entire exchange, went with Edward for good measure. No one wanted a massive fight right before dinner with David provoking Brickley. Therefore, as Edward and Leeton plied Brickley with wine, Christopher forced his brother, with a mere expression, to drop Emilie’s hand, which David did.
David had seen Edward and Leeton escort Brickley to the wine table and he was glad to have the man out of the way, but he also knew he was being a bit amorous in public with a woman he was not formally betrothed to. Damn marriage! It ruined everything, a man’s ability to move spontaneously and show affection towards an unattached woman. David still wasn’t sure he wanted to marry, but he didn’t want Emilie to marry anyone else – least of all Brickley – so his quandary was still very real. He had to admit, however, that being this close to Emilie was causing him to rethink his opinion of marriage. Gazing into her lovely face, there was no way he could help but imagine being married to this exquisite creature.
So he indulged in a lengthy discussion with her as if to make up for lost time. As they lost themselves in quiet conversation, mostly about Lady Orford’s opulent home in London where Emilie had been staying, more people joined their table.
The new guests were Baron Sedgewick and his wife, Lady Anne. Lady Anne was a vivacious, petite woman who already knew Dustin and Deborah, and the three of them struck up a comfortable conversation. Sedgewick was one of Richard’s supporters and he had a good deal to say as David, now distracted from him conversation with Emilie, was lulled into a political co
nversation. As David was pulled in with the men, Emilie became introduced to Anne Sedgewick. Reluctantly separated, David and Emilie went with their respective sexes. As the men conversed, the women chattered, and Lyle and Nathalie entered the hall.
It was clear that Lyle was flustered, for his weathered face was tense. He didn’t like being late to any event but after the events with Elise and her wooden people back at Coraline’s home, he found himself running late to the mask. The horses had galloped to Windsor all the way. In the crowded, smoky hall, he spied the de Lohr table, and Emilie, and made his way to his eldest daughter with Nathalie on his arm. It was such a crowded room that Emilie only noticed the pair when Nathalie took a seat beside her.
“Where is Elise?” she asked, looking between her sister and father. “Why did she not come?”
Nathalie sighed impatiently. “She would not leave her families behind,” she said. “Aunt Coraline volunteered to stay with her.”
Emilie understood; Elise never went anywhere without those little wooden people. “And Mother?” she said, looking around. “She did not come either?”
Lyle, his annoyance evident, shook his head. “Why should she come?” he demanded. “Lillibet is a servant, not a family member. Ah, Lord Christopher!”
Lyle was off, grouping with the men in their conversation, leaving Emilie to introduce Nathalie to Dustin, Deborah, and Anne. Soon, the five of them were having a very pleasant conversation but the entire time, Emilie kept glancing over at David, who was standing with his brother and her father and the rest of the men. She was trying not to be too obvious about looking at him but she simply couldn’t help herself. Wine flowed, music played, and Emilie ignored all of it as she stole glimpses of David.
The de Lohr Dynasty: Medieval Legends: A Medieval Romance Collection Page 129
