Don't Forget to Dream (15 page)

“
Yes, please come in,
”
he said stepping aside and closing the door behind her.

She turned to face him, only a foot separating them. Seeing him now after all her deliberation and debate made any remaining uncertainty
fade. Her pounding heart resonated through her body.
Slowly she raised her eyes from his broad muscular chest to the
notch at the base of his throat.
He swallowed. S
he gasp
ed softly. All thinking faded.
Only
his
presence filled her. Looking
up sh
e watched the curve of his lips partially open.
She
longed for the feel of them upon her own. Gently R
hyla reached up.
Her fingertips brushed
his cheek as she laid a hand on his shoulder and the other on his bare chest. Fearing her resolve was about to fail she le
a
nt in, feeling the warmth of his chest through her bodice.

Stretching up
,
her lips lightly brushed his. To her surprise and delight he slowly increased the pressure and began moving his lips against hers. She responded instantly, an urgency she had never before experienced. Callum wrapped his arms about her, holding her tightly against him. She could feel every inch of her body connecting with hi
s. With each passing moment their two bodies
became more and more bre
athless. Rhyla began to tremble. Was it
out of passion or
fear?
She
could not be sure. Callum eased his hold on her, but did not let her go. The most wonderful smile she had ever seen lit
up his face.
He was so glorious.
After a moment his smile faded a little.

“
Rhyla, what is it?
”
he asked, ecstasy fading to concern.

“
Nothing, I... I just don
’
t know what to expect,
”
she said timidly, blushing to further deepen the rose in her cheeks.

“
Expect? Rhyla, what?
”
he exclaimed.
“
What are you doing here? I never ever thought to see you in my rooms. Not like this. Are you sure this is what you want?
”
he added softly, fully realising how innocent she was.

“
Yes, of course I am,
”
she replied, hurt that he could have thought otherwise.
“
Isn
’
t that what you wanted? Isn
’
t that what you paid for?
”
She pulled away a little further from him so there was a small gap between them, but she couldn
’
t bring herself to completely leave the encirclement of his arms.

“
Paid for!
What are you talking about? You aren
’
t making any sense.
”
Callum was slightly angry.
She
could see it in the tightening around his eyes.

Rhyla pushed on knowing she had to bring it all out into the open,
“
The wagers with Drake. I was the prize was I not?
”

Callum sighed deeply,
“
Yes you were, but I never placed any wager.
”

“
But you paid him.
”

“
No, no, I never,
”
he said truly shocked.
“
Who said such a thing?
”

“
Lord Tobias, earlier this evening,
”
she responded
,
confused but relieved.

“
That man is cruel and vindictive,
”
Callum paused to draw a steadying breath. He cupped Rhyla
’
s chin to draw her closer to him, his eyes looking
directly into hers.
“
I never meant for you to learn of Drake
’
s cruel plans for you. I only wanted to keep you safe.
”

Rhyla looked deep into his blue eyes and knew that he spoke only the truth.
“
So you did rescue me?
Twice.
”

“
You could say that,
”
he replied a little abashed. He released her and rubbed his hand through his hair, expelling an exasperated sigh before continuing.
“
I asked Grandmamma to take you on. I went to Bendar
in and spoke to Jacob and Tanya.
They
told me about your family and Lydia. Once I knew you could read
,
it was easy enough to c
onvince Grandmamma you were just who
she needed to help her.
”

“
You went to Bendarin?
”
Rhyla asked,
shocked he knew so much more about her than she had ever susp
ected, and pleased
that he had gone to so much trouble to find out about her.

“
Yes, after the first time you came to the Palace, to return my ring, I had to learn more about you, to find a way to get you out of there. Martin found out about Drake
’
s plans and once I learnt of the wagers I couldn
’
t leave you there.
”

“
Then you did it out of pity,
”
she said stepping back further away from his arms.
“
You don
’
t want me.
”

Callum was deeply confused and stepped towards her just as she had retreated from him.
“
Want you?
”

“
As a woman
!
I am just a servant you took pity on after all.
”
She backed away further and dropped a deep curtsy.
“
I am sorry to have disturbed you
Prince Callum. Good Night.
”
She turned and walked towards the door only to find Callum grasping her hand and pulling her back.

“
Rhyla wait. You have never been a servant to me, never. And you are wrong, so very wrong,
”
he said turning her to face him once again, his hands upon her shoulders.
“
I do want you, more than you can possibly realise.
”
His pained smile spoke of the turmoil within.
“
But I can
’
t give you what you deserve. You need a good honest man who can care for you.
”

“
But you are the most caring, honest and trustworthy man I have ever met,
”
she said gazing up into his eyes, reawakening the longing she felt for him.

“
But I cannot give you what you truly want.
”

“
And what is that?
”

“
A husband.
I cannot marry you,
”
his voice cracked.
The
intensity of his pain
was
clearly evident,
“
and I would not dishonour you by making you my mistress
. No matter how hard it is.
Every
time I see you all I can think about is holding you again, to feel you against me, to only wish that I could make you my own.
”
Callum folded his arms around her, holding her tightly against him once more. Rhyla looked deeply into his eyes, to his very soul and knew the truth of his words, of his reciprocated affection for her.

She could only find enough voice to whisper,
“
I never dreamt that you would ever feel that way about me.
”

“
You are a truly remarkable woman Rhyla. I have never met anyone like you.
”

Callum leaned down to gently kiss her one final time, a lingering kiss of goodbye before he broke the embrace and stepped back.

“
Good night Rhyla.
”

“
Good night Callum, my Prince.
”

Chapter 6

The weeks following the King
’
s birthday celebrations took on a similar routine to those of the previous weeks.
Rhyla spent most days in the sunroom dealing with
correspondences for Lady Emelia, primarily to Master Stephen, and
also
assisting with the sewing and embroidery in the women
’
s hall. They usually took their meals
in the women
’
s hall or
in Lady Emelia
’
s
chambers, rarely attending meals in the great hall. Rhyla wa
s content with this arrangement.
The
less she saw of Prince Callum the easier her days became.

There was a notable increase in activity throughout the Palace as the warm summer days approached. The Palace guards had very few hours to themselves, a point that Elsie made often to Rhyla as she spent less and less time with her Kyle. Their mounts were ridden out daily for several hours at a time to increase their stamina and strength. The forge and armoury worked from
sunup to late into the evening.
Clanging
and shouting
could be heard
constantly as the masters pushed their apprentices harder each day. The guards themselves found them
selves training with sword, bow
and javelin. The men even practised
barehanded when they were not on duty or sleeping. There was no formal announcement as to the reason for this increase in readiness, but it didn
’
t take long for the rumours
to circulate through the Palace.
The
men were gearing up for a major offensive during the summer. The only question was against whom but Rhyla was fairly certain they would be targeting the bandits.

One warm morning in late spring Lady Emelia decided she was strong enough to walk outside.

“
I wish to see the city my dear,
”
she said to Rhyla shortly after breakfast had been cleared away.

“
Yes my lady. Shall I ask for a carriage to be prepared?
”
Rhyla asked
,
rising to make preparations.

“
No my dear.
I don
’
t mean to walk about the city. I meant to look upon it,
”
Lady Emelia said offering her hand to a confused Rhyla so she could assist her in rising. Once standing she continued,
“
There
is a short walkway atop the southern wall that is accessible from the second floor. From there we can look over the city and part of the Palace grounds as well.
”

“
As you wish my lady.
I have not been along the wall,
”
Rhyla said as they made their way out of the sunroom.

“
Oh you are in for a treat
,
my dear,
”
her mistress chimed
,
patting Rhyla
’
s arm
to which she clung
.

They proceeded slowly along the hallways and up a flight of stairs, meandering past
rooms Rhyla had no knowledge of.
It
again struck her how little of the Palace she truly knew. In her weeks at the Palace she had seen only a small section of the main building, let alone any of the out buildings such as the forge, the numerous storage sheds, the granary, the stables or the barracks. Not that she had mu
ch desire to visit these places.
Just
thinking of them made her homesick.

At the end of the hallway stood a small wooden door that was heavily reinforced with iron bands and studs. There was also a heavy piece of wood leaning against the wall that could be used as a brace across two heavy iron hooks that protruded from the wall on either side of the door. The security measures reminded Rhyla that for all its grandeur the Palace was at heart a stronghold, a fortress for the Royal family and their court.

The heavy door swung open with ease exposing a broad stone walkway flanked by waist high walls and merlons behind which archers could hide as they fired on an enemy below. The clang of metal striking metal floated up from the ward below them on one side, while the clatter and rumble of the city arose from the other. The sights and sounds that surrounded her was
suddenly a harsh reminder of the threats within a fe
w days ride of where they stood. It was
not enough
of a
danger to threaten the Palace directly but still a force endangering the people and ultimately the guardsmen who were preparing to
defend
them. The thought brought into stark reality the preparations going on all around her.