Dragonblade Trilogy - 02 - Island of Glass (32 page)

“I shall go at this moment and
see what I can procure,” he said.

She yanked the covers back over
her. “I am particularly fond of bread with butter and honey.”

“Bread with butter and honey it
is,” he said as he picked up his breeches.

“And I also like candied fruits
and almond pudding.”

“I shall search for that as
well.”

“And beef or fowl. But no mutton.
It always tastes old.”

He paused as he secured his
breeches, cocking an eyebrow at her. “Anything else, my lady?”

She matched his lifted eyebrow.
“Aye, there is. I need my gown back. The innkeeper’s wife took it away and I
need some clothes. I cannot go out in public in my shift.”

“Aye, General.”

He bent down to pick up his
boots, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull them on. Wrapped in the coverlet,
Aubrielle crept over so that she was leaning up against him. It took him a
moment to notice that she was inspecting the wounds on his back.

There were tears in her eyes as
her fingers drifted over the larger of the wounds. “Oh, Kenneth,” she murmured.
“They look so… painful.”

He took her hands away, shifting
her focus to his face.  He kissed her palms. “Having you taken from me was a
thousand times more painful,” he kissed her lips. “Not to worry, love. I am
fine.”

“But….”

He kissed her again to silence
her. “If I can locate suitable clothing, would you like to come downstairs and
eat in the tavern?”

As he’d hoped, her grief was
distracted. “I would. I have always liked taverns. They are full of interesting
people.”

He grunted as he stood up. “They
are full of half-wits, thieves and murders.”

She watched him pull his tunic
over his head. “Do you suppose that Everett and the others are still here?”

“I would wager so.”

“I would like to leave for home
as soon as possible.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

“And there is another thing.”

He shook his arms as the sleeves
of the garment settled. “What is that?”

“Do you still plan to marry me?”

He stopped in his tracks, turning
to look at her. There was a queer expression on his face. “Why would you ask
that question?”

“Because… with everything that
has happened, I just want to make sure that you’ve not soured on the idea.
Kenneth, do not look at me so; it is not a foolish question. I just want to be
sure that it is what you still want.”

He came over to the bed and went
down on one knee. He took her hands in his big palms. “Aubrielle, the day we
were betrothed, I considered you my wife.  When I told you I loved you, you
became my heart. When I took you last night bodily, you became my soul. I am
incomplete without you. Aye, I still plan to marry you, as soon as possible. I
will send a messenger tonight back to Kirk and have a priest ready and waiting
when we return. Does this answer your question and ease your concerns?”

She smiled sheepishly. “It does.”

“Then I do not want to hear that
question again.”

“You will not, I promise.”

He kissed her hands and stood up.
“Good. Now, give me a few moments and I shall return.”

He winked at Aubrielle as he quit
the room. She sat there for the longest time with a smile on her face,
wondering how it was possible to be so happy. She thanked God for this moment
in time and prayed that there would be many, many more just like it.

***

Aubrielle’s yellow brocade gown
was a total loss. The innkeeper’s wife, a round woman with a red face, could
not save it as much as she had tried. After conferring with Kenneth about Aubrielle’s
need for decent clothing, she confiscated a blue broadcloth surcoat and rough
linen shift from her own daughter and altered it to fit someone of Aubrielle’s
approximate size. It took her very little time to do so and, when Kenneth
finally returned to the bed chamber, he brought with him the garments, hose
with hemp garters, and shoes that were a shade too big for Aubrielle’s feet. 
Because he really couldn’t be of much help to her in dressing,  Kenneth left
her with the innkeeper’s wife to assist her and went back down to the hall
where Reid, Bradley and Everett had been seated at a table near the hearth
since leaving Kenneth with Aubrielle twelve hours earlier.

The clothes were clean and warm,
and that was all Aubrielle cared about at the moment. She did not think about
nor did she miss her fine dresses as the innkeeper’s wife helped her cinch up
the borrowed leather girdle that emphasized her slender torso and full
breasts.   The woman brushed her long hair with her own daughter’s brush and
plaited her locks into one long braid that draped over her shoulder.

With her clean clothes and full
night and day of sleep, Aubrielle looked absolutely dazzling. Kenneth could
think of no other words to describe her when she and the innkeeper’s wife
descended the stairs into the great tavern hall.  He met her at the base of the
steps and took her hand, tucking it possessively into the crook of his elbow
and escorting her back to his table. The knights stood up as she approached,
each expression radiating approval. Everett was positively giddy about it.

“My lady,” he held out a chair
for her. “’Tis good to see you looking so well.”

Aubrielle took pity on the knight
and smiled, a departure from her normally clipped attitude with him. The man
had risked his life to save her and she would show gratitude. Besides, she was
coming to like him just the slightest.

“Thank you, Everett,” she sat
down and the knights took their seats, with Kenneth to her right. She noticed
the food on the table. “What do we have here?”

“Boiled carrots, beans and peas
along with a wild turkey and more bread and honey than you could possibly eat,”
Kenneth said.  “’Tis all for you, my lady.”

Aubrielle clapped her hands in
delight and helped herself to the fare.  The knights conversed lightly between
themselves, but they were mostly watching Aubrielle gorge herself on bread and
fowl.  She ate as if she hadn’t eaten in months, which only served to darken
Kenneth’s mood. He finally stopped talking altogether and just sat and watched
her.

The innkeeper’s wife came up
behind Aubrielle, her manner respectful and fearful at the same time. “Sorry to
interrupt, my lady,” she said. “But I have a delicious subtlety and thought you
might like some.”

Aubrielle, her mouth full, nodded
emphatically. “I would.”

“’Tis in the kitchen; I shall go
and get you some.”

Aubrielle didn’t want to wait.
She jumped up and gave the woman a shove. “I shall accompany you. I want a big
slice.”

Kenneth had to suppress his
natural instinct of following her. It was a very difficult thing to let her out
of his sight, even for a moment, but he forced himself. He could not go the
rest of his life being her shadow.

“She truly looks none the worse
for wear,” Reid said. “How are her mental faculties?”

Kenneth watched her, standing
over by the kitchens with the old woman. “Better than mine, I think. The only
thing that seems to bother her is the wounds to my back. She has said nothing
about her captors and I have not asked. She will speak of it when she is
ready.”

“Has she spoken of Lucius?”

“Not at all.” He turned slightly,
facing his knights. “But rest assured that it is not far from my thoughts.
Lucius is out there, somewhere, and I intend to find him. He’ll not get away
with any of this.”

“I will go with you, Ken,”
Everett said earnestly. “He may have tried to kill you, but he has affronted
all of us. This is our fight, too.”

“I appreciate your loyalty, but
what Lucius did, he did specifically to hurt Aubrielle. For that, I consider
the matter personal. I intend to track the man down and punish him myself.”

“When will you go?” Reid knew he
could not stop him and wasn’t naïve, like Everett was, to think that they could
accompany him.

“As soon as the lady and I are
married, which will be immediately upon our return to Kirk,” Kenneth replied.
“In fact, have a messenger sent ahead to have a priest waiting for us.”

“So you plan to leave within the
week,” Everett would not be cast aside so easily. “Where will we start looking?
Does Lucius have family or connections he would seek refuge with?”

“He is in London.”

Aubrielle’s voice came from
behind them. Kenneth turned sharply to see her standing a few feet away, a
plate with a huge slab of milk subtlety in her hand. Her expression was taut.
When she saw she had their attention, she resumed her seat beside Kenneth.

“De Gaul told me that Lucius had
fled to London,” she said steadily. “I suppose he is, even now, making a
nuisance of himself to the king and pining for another prestigious post.”

“Who is de Gaul?” Kenneth asked
softly, feeling guilty that she had heard what was not intended for her ears.

“The man who captured me, the
head of the Order of the Black Angel,” she was speaking calmly, honestly. It
was a cover for the intense emotions she was feeling. “If you are going to find
Lucius, no one is going with you but me. We must do this. I need for the
knights to stay and protect my castle.”

Kenneth’s expression was
unreadable, though inside, he was raging. He was not about to get into a battle
with her in front of his men.  He kept his cool admirably. “We can discuss that
later. For now, I would suggest that my knights get some sleep. We will depart
before dawn.”

Everett wanted to stay, but Reid
and Bradley convinced him with various expressions that Kenneth’s statement was
not a suggestion; it was a command. The three knights rose and quit the
tavern.  Kenneth sat for a long moment after they had departed, toying with his
cup, watching Aubrielle delve into her dessert.

“Aubrielle…,” he began quietly.

“You’ll not discourage me,
Kenneth,” she knew what he was thinking. “I am going with you, whether or not
you like it. If you do not let me come, I shall follow you. You know I will.”

He did not rise to her
confrontation. It was far easier to deal with her calmly. “I do not want to
endanger you.  I have no idea how long I will be gone, or what perils I will
face. I would rather know you were safe.”

“And I would rather you not face
this alone,” she swallowed the bite in her mouth. She was fully prepared for an
angry exchange but all that came forth were teary eyes. “You promised you would
never leave me, Kenneth. You promised.”

He reached out and took her hand,
kissing her fingers as he so often did. “I am not leaving you, love. But I must
do this. Lucius must pay for his sins.”

She sniffled and he took the
spoon from her hand, set it on the table, and pulled her over onto his lap. His
big arms wrapped around her.

“I cannot take another
separation,” she murmured through her tears. “Where you go, I must also go. I
cannot accept it any other way. It will surely kill me.”

He sighed heavily, deep in
thought. “Do not believe for a moment that this is easy for me,” he kissed her
ear. “But I must know that you are safe. If you come with me, I will be forever
worrying about your welfare and my focus on Lucius will be lessened. Lack of
focus in my profession is deadly.”

“I will not be any trouble, I
swear it,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. “Please
take me with you. We must find him together so that he may see the both of us,
united as one, and know that he cannot defeat us.”

“Aubrielle.…”

“I need to resolve this as much
as you do, Kenneth. He has attacked and offended both of us. You cannot deny me
my vengeance, too.”

He put his hands on her cheeks,
gazing into her sea-colored eyes.  He did not want to take her; that much was
apparent. But she was so sad, and his heart so soft for her, that he could not
deny her.  He did not want to be separated from her, either.

“Very well,” he reluctantly
conceded. “But Everett will come with us. If something happens to me, I would
have you well protected.”

“Nothing will happen to you.”

“Probably not. Even so, I want to
ensure your safety.”

“When will we leave?”

“As soon as we are married. And I
will say one more thing and speak no more of it.”

“What is that?”

“In my absence, you will obey
Everett.”

Her eyebrows flew up. “I would
rather…!”

He held up a swift finger. “Obey
him in my absence or you will not go. These are non-negotiable terms.”

“But…!”

“Non-negotiable, Aubrielle.”

Her face folded into a pout.
“Define non-negotiable.”

“The palm of my hand to your
buttocks if you disobey. Is that clear enough?”

She was about to follow her
nature and become belligerent with him. But she was learning quickly that
playing on Kenneth’s sympathies was the best way to achieve her end. She had
spent far too much time fighting him uselessly. He was too strong, too clever,
and at times far wiser than she. It was time to try different tactics in the
skirmishes against Kenneth St. Héver.