Fragments of Grace (Prequel to the Dragonblade Trilogy) (29 page)

“I will tell your sister that you
are better this morning,” he said. “She went to the kitchen to find you food
that might tempt your appetite.”

Chloë was at the wardrobe,
opening the doors as she looked at him. “I am better thanks to you,” she said
sincerely. “You have my gratitude, brother.”

Kurtis winked at her and quit the
chamber. Chloë’s gaze lingered on the shut door for a moment, thinking on the
new brother she now had and very thankful for him. Although the pain of missing
Keir was still great in her heart, Kurtis had eased it somewhat.  As she dug
through the wardrobe and pulled forth a lovely yellow linen surcoat and
matching shift, she thought that she might write to Keir today. It would make
her feel even better to communicate with the man. 

Calling for warmed water, Chloë
bathed quickly with the rose soap that she and Cassandra had purchased from
Kirkby Stephen.   She scrubbed her face until it was rosy and brushed her hair
until it glimmered.  Donning the yellow shift and surcoat, she presented a
lovely picture to her sister when the woman appeared a half-hour later with a
tray of bread, cheese and fruit. 

“Kurtis told me you had arisen
from bed but I did not believe it,” Cassandra said as she entered the room. 
“How are you feeling?”

Chloë nodded. “Well enough,” she
said, moving to take the tray from her sister. “Your husband did much to
convince me that it was not prudent to remain in bed.”

Cassandra grinned as her sister
plopped on the bed and began picking at the cheese. “He is very persuasive.”

Cheese in mouth, Chloë cast her
sister a knowing glance. “I can only imagine, but I will leave you with your
secrets.”

Cassandra laughed softly and sat
on the bed next to her sister. “It is no secret that I love him madly,” she
said.  “Even mother likes him.”

Chloë’s appetite roared to life
as she shoved bread into her mouth and sipped at the warmed wine. “As well she
should,” she replied. “And father?”

Cassandra shrugged. “It is hard
to say,” she said. “He spends much time with Lord Byron.  I think it is because
Byron is the only person who does not chastise him for not allowing you and
Keir to marry before Keir left for Wales.”

Chloë’s movements slowed and her
head came up from the tray, her brown-eyed gaze locking with her sister. “I
miss him,” she whispered.

Cassandra squeezed her sister’s
arm. “I know you do,” she replied softly, but not wanting the mood to sink, she
continued the conversation in a positive fashion. “Kurtis must return to Alnwick
Castle soon. Although I know you want to return to Pendragon, would you like to
come and stay with us at Alnwick for awhile? I could certainly use your help in
settling in to my new home.”

Chloë shrugged, unenthusiastic.
“Perhaps,” she said. “I will think on it.”

“Please do. I would like to have
the comfort of my sister in a strange place.”

Chloë merely nodded as she
continued to down the bread and cheese.  Seeing that her sister was struggling
with her depression, Cassandra rose from the bed and began to pick up the
clutter of the chamber, chattering on about anything that came to mind. She was
attempting to distract and comfort Chloë in her own way, but Chloë found the
unending talk annoying.

   Blanche soon joined her
daughters and, upon seeing Chloë out of bed, demanded her youngest daughter
accompany her on a walk about the grounds. Having no real choice in the matter,
Chloë agreed.  Swallowing the last of her meal, she followed her mother from
the chamber.

It was a sunny day, breezy, as
Blanche, Chloë, Cassandra and now Kurtis emerged from the dark and cool keep. 
Blanche took Chloë’s hand possessively as she walked, remaining silent and
composed, just as she always did while Chloë walked beside her mother and
looked at the bailey of Aysgarth with some sadness, as it was the last place
she had seen Keir before he had departed to Wales.  It was a struggle not to
allow despondent feelings overwhelm her as she kept reminding herself of
Kurtis’ words.
Wallowing like a weakling does not honor Keir
. She most
definitely wanted to honor him, whether or not he was able to see it.

The warm sunlight beat down upon
them, warmer than usual, as they neared the gatehouse.  Chloë and Blanche had
to maneuver around a few piles of dung and a big hole that was right in the
middle of the path of travel between the gatehouse and the stables, but their
walk was uneventful for the most part.  Kurtis and Cassandra followed behind
them, the newlyweds smitten with each other completely.  They whispered and
cuddled.

Michael appeared as they neared
the gatehouse.  His handsome face was relaxed into a smile as he bowed to Chloë
and Blanche.

“Ladies,” he greeted. “It is a
beautiful day today.”

Chloë nodded. “Indeed it is,” she
said, thinking of Cassandra and Kurtis behind her and hoping there would be no
awkwardness or hostility.  In fact, she thought it would be rather prudent to
separate him from her sister, at least until she could ascertain just how
Michael and Kurtis were getting along. “Sir Michael, I have a need to speak
with you. Will you walk with me?”

Before Michael could respond,
Chloë let go of her mother’s arm and latched on to Michael’s, pulling him away
from her family.  She practically yanked the man off towards the stableyard, as
far away as she could think to take him.

“Do you have specific plans on
leaving for Pendragon?” she asked the man.

Michael wasn’t oblivious to what
she was doing. He went along with her. “Nothing specific, Lady St. Hèver,” he
used the title that was not yet hers, watching her look at him with surprise.
“I have been instructed to return you to Pendragon at your pleasure. When would
you like to leave?”

She smiled somewhat shyly at him,
acknowledging the use of her future title. “I am not sure,” she shrugged. “My
sister has asked me to go with her to Alnwick for a time, to help her settle
in. What do you think about that?”

Michael wriggled his eyebrows
thoughtfully. “It is not my decision to make, my lady,” he said. “If you wish
to go to Alnwick, then I shall go with you. I was instructed to provide your
personal protection, always. Where you go, I go, until Keir returns.”

She looked at him, somewhat
hesitantly. “You do not have to go to Alnwick with me,” she said. “Kurtis will
provide ample protection.”

Michael would not be moved.  “He
will provide ample protection to his wife,” he corrected her. “You would be
secondary. Keir ordered me to provide you with my undivided attention and
protection, and I shall not shirk nor fail in my duty. If you go to Alnwick, I
will go with you.”

Chloë came to a halt, craning her
neck back to look up at the extremely tall man. “You will understand when I say
that I do not believe it would be a good idea for you to go to Alnwick in any
case,” she said frankly. “With the situation between you and Kurtis, even now
we are troubled with keeping the two of you apart. Without Keir here to break
up a confrontation, we are understandably wary.  To allow you to travel with me
to Alwick, Kurtis’ home, would be both unwise and disrespectful to Kurtis.”

Michael’s good humor seemed to be
fading. It was a struggle for him not to get emotional. “I have no issue with
Kurtis, my lady,” he said somewhat subdued. “He is married to your sister. My
pursuit of her has ended.”

“What about your animosity
towards Kurtis?”

Michael averted his gaze, no
longer able to maintain eye contact with her.  “He won the contest fairly,” he
said. “I will not maintain animosity towards him any more than if he beat me in
a joust.  It was done fairly and it is over. Kurtis is the victor.”

Her brow furrowed. “Is that all
you viewed this as? A contest and nothing more?”

He met her gaze, then. “What
would you have me say, my lady?”

She wasn’t going to put words in
the man’s mouth but she was a little taken aback at his attitude.  She shrugged
her shoulders. “I would not have you say anything that you did not mean,” she
replied. “However, it would seem to me that you would have viewed my sister as
something more than a contest.  That seems rather cold.”

Michael was guarded. “You will
forgive me, Lady St. Hèver, but that is truly none of your affair.”

Chloë’s eyes snapped to him, with
outrage at first, but when she thought on his statement, she realized that he
was right. It sincerely wasn’t any of her business. After a moment, she simply
nodded.

“You are correct,” she agreed.
“It is not.  I apologize. But the fact remains that if I go to Alnwick, you
will not accompany me.”

“The fact remains that where you
go, I go. It is Keir’s command and I will not disobey it.”

She frowned at him. “But I told
you my reasons.  I will not have you making my sister or her new husband
uneasy.”

Michael was firm. “I am a
professional, my lady. I believe I can accomplish my tasks without emotion or
bias. If Kurtis or your sister is uncomfortable, it will not be my doing.”

Her frown grew but she could see
that the man would not be moved.  He had that same set-jaw appearance that Keir
did once a decision was made, firm and unmoving.  She scowled a bit, and
postured angrily, but she knew there would be no dissuading the man unless she
left without his knowledge, and she was sure that would never happen.  After
the huffing and eye-rolling was finished, she took as firm a stance as he was.

“Then I will not go to Alnwick,”
she said flatly. “We will leave for Pendragon on the morrow.”

Michael was trying not to smile
at her antics for she was truly humorous in her tantrum. “Very well, my lady,”
he agreed smartly. “I shall prepare the escort. We will be ready to leave at
dawn.”

“I have several trunks,” she
pointed out. “Do not forget to secure a wagon.”

“I will not, my lady.”

“And it is possible I will want
to shop before we return,” she was deliberately trying to be difficult, just to
punish the man. “There is a merchant district in West Witton.  I may want to go
there tomorrow.”

“I am not sure Keir would
approve, my lady. He is uncomfortable with you outside of the walls of Aysgarth
or Pendragon and without the protection that a fortress provides.”

She jabbed a finger at him. “
You
will be my protection, will you not? Where I go, you go. You will therefore
have to protect me in whatever I wish to do.”

Michael resisted the urge to
scowl at her. “I do not think Keir would approve.”

She lifted a well-shaped eyebrow.
“He would let me do whatever I wish and you know it.”

It was the truth. Michael pursed
his lips at her in defeat.  “I will go and prepare the escort, my lady.”

“You do that.”

He could see she was being
petulant, something that didn’t entirely displease him. He liked a woman with a
little fire in her soul.  He wasn’t able to maintain his scowl for long and
turned away before she could see him break a grin. 

Chloë caught sight of the smirk,
however, and fought off a smirk of her own. If Michael of Pembury thought he
could bully her until Keir returned, then he had just learned an important
lesson. Lady Chloë would not be pushed around or denied her wishes. 

Chloë considered the battle won.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

An angel’s face
.

That was all he could see every
time he closed his eyes or every time his mind wasn’t occupied with men and
wars.  As Keir settled in to his headquarters in Chester, it was a struggle to
think of anything other than his longing for Chloë. 

Every hour, every day, saw his
longing grow worse until he could hardly breathe. He had told her once that he
knew he could love her so much that it would rip his heart and body and soul to
pieces to even be away from her for a single minute, and he had been absolutely
right.  Everything was in tatters and he struggled to keep himself together. He
knew it would be hard to be separated from her but he had no idea just how
hard.

He was secured at Beeston Castle,
a royal castle manned by five hundred royal troops and commanded by Sir Marcus
de Lara of the great marcher lordship family, House of de Lara.  Marcus was the
brother of the current Earl of Trelystan of the Trinity Lordship. He was a very
big man with dark hair, cobalt blue eyes, and was brilliant and well-spoken,
but rather mean.  Men both feared and respected Marcus de Lara.

De Lara was very cooperative with
Keir, having received directives from the King to ensure that Keir was well
supplied and well housed, and within days of Keir’s arrival, men began arriving
from all points north.

As de Lara and his men watched
the borders, Keir watched for the incoming armies and began arranging them by
size, strength and any special skills certain battalions might have.  There
were archers, foot soldiers, mounted cavalry, miners or diggers, plus a host of
valets, cooks and other servants. Men who were ready to plunge into Wales for
their king and fight to the death.  Keir was a master organizer and as armies
trickled in to the massive border bastion of Beeston Castle, he was ready and
waiting for them.