Knight Defender (Knight Chronicles) (27 page)

“I’m sorry, I did not mean to speak that thought aloud.”

“You didna.”

“Then how … ?”

“As a healer I’m familiar with the most subtle changes in a person’s body. You sighed, but you also—how can I describe this—leaned into the bed as if you needed support or help. Had you been standing, you would have leaned against a wall or sat on the nearest seat. Do no worry we sisters will help you. We already love you for who you are. And after all, you will be Raeb’s wife.”

Jessamyn held still, trying not to reveal her thoughts. Simon would take her home or to the convent if she asked, but she was not certain what she wanted.

She finally turned to find Maeve studying her face and holding a robe in her extended hand. “You may sit up now.”

Jessamyn donned the robe then sat on the edge of the bed.

“How are you feeling?”

Jessamyn was surprised to find that only a dull ache in her thigh remained. “My leg still hurts, but much less so.”

Maeve nodded as she packed her unguents and lotions back into the basket. Then she bent a serious glance on Jess. “’Twill continue to pain you, for the cut was deep and the muscle cannot heal properly until the flesh has knit together. Once the scab forms and falls off the wound, I’ll treat the entire leg again. ’Twill cause the scar to fade into a faint line, and the muscles will remain supple instead of knotting around the scar.” She set a pot and a vial on the windowsill. “The process can take a long time unless you have someone who can help you tend the wound for a short time every night before you retire. Resting the leg is necessary while that treatment is done, so application before bed is best. Perhaps Raeb can help you when you are wed. For tonight I will give you a potion to help you sleep through the remaining pain. By morning you will be good as new.”

“Thank you, Maeve, for all your kindnesses.”

“You’re welcome.” The young woman moved toward the door. “I’ll leave the maids to assist you in dressing. When you are done, supper should be ready. I’ll see you in the main hall.”

“Will my brother be there?”

Pausing in the half-open doorway, Maeve nodded. “Before we could surround Raeb, he ordered your brother given a chamber on this level. Everyone was told to treat him as a respected guest. He is recovering nicely from the wound he received earlier, and if he is feeling able, he will certainly be present at supper.”

Jessamyn slumped with relief. “Thank the Lord. I’m very eager to see Simon.”

The woman smiled. “As I would be in your situation.”

She left, closing the door behind her, and Jessamyn gave herself over to the care of the maids. She had to see Simon before Raeb did or said something foolish to her brother that would ruin both their lives.

• • •

With Simon Du Grace—his left arm in a sling—at his side, Raeb watched Jessamyn descend the stairs. Her expression was serene, but her hand as he took it was cold. When the greetings were done, Raeb escorted her to the dais. Her brother followed, escorting Neilina.

“Simon has been telling me how you came by your thorough knowledge of horses and your skills as a rider. He claims you consistently defeated all challengers, save your father, and that most of the time you and Lord Du Grace ended those challenges in a tie.”

Her smile trembled, as if she were uncertain how to respond. “My brother flatters me.”

“Not so,” Simon objected from behind. “I would never do anything as insincere as to flatter a woman.”

“So you would always tell a woman the truth?” Neilina queried.

“I would not lie,” Simon said.

Raeb pondered the question himself, for too many lies stood between him and Jessamyn. So many that he could not see his way clear to showing her his true feelings. Despite the intimacy of the past few days, she believed he didn’t want her. ’Twas nonsense of course. How could he accept the gift of her body if he didn’t want her? Yes, he’d done so with other women, but Jessamyn was not other women. How could he insist on marriage if he despised her? But no, because of words he’d uttered in haste and anger, she refused to listen to anything else. A thousand times he’d wished the words to Clarwyn unsaid, but that was impossible. It seemed changing Jessamyn’s mind was impossible too.

“Hmm,” Neilina mused. “So you are no above deceiving your love by omission?”

“Oh, no. You’ll not trap me there. We were speaking of women in general, not the woman I love,” Simon said.

“And do you love a woman?”

Raeb turned with Jessamyn to ascend the stair at the far side of the dais and did not hear Simon’s reply as he and Neilina moved to climb to the dais from the opposite side. But Raeb did look back at them. Neilina, his sober-faced champion of lost causes and defender of innocents, smiled and laughed at the English knight as if no other man had ever made a joke.

Did he need to worry about the effect of Simon Du Grace’s honeyed courtliness on his sisters? Raeb knew from speaking with Simon privately the man had a smooth tongue but, the younger man had given the impression that books and Latin attracted him more than women. Such interests indicated a leaning toward the church, and therefore Neilina’s uncharacteristic interest seemed unwise.

The man had also avowed no sworn involvement with the force Edward of England had sent to conquer Dungarob. Simon claimed he’d only been aboard the ship so he could witness his sister’s wedding and take back news of her well-being to her family.

Raeb believed him. He had not wanted to, but even in his eloquence Simon was completely open on his thoughts about King Edward’s plans to steal Dungarob from its rightful owners and the king’s use of Jessamyn plus her dowry as a lure to bait the trap.

“Raeb? Are you well?”

Jessamyn’s voice intruded on his thoughts.

“Huh,” he grunted, startled.

“I asked if you are well.”

“I’m fine.”

“’Tis good to know, since you ignored my question each of the three times I asked it.”

“I am sorry. I didna hear you. What did you ask?”

“I asked if we could meet alone later to talk. We have much to resolve before we can move forward with … um … any plans.”

Did she refer to their marriage or her wish to remain unwed? He loved her, but did she love him? ’Twas that which kept him from confessing his feelings to her. If he had doubts the least he could do would be to ask her straight out and listen to what she had to say, as he’d promised Clarwyn.

“Aye,” he responded to her request at last. “I think ’tis a good idea for us to talk. But I have much to attend to before we may speak undisturbed.”

“Very well. I shall meet you in the herb garden after compline.”

“Sister,” Raeb addressed Neilina. “Tell us how you managed to overcome the English without a single life lost.”

“Oh, ho,” Simon remarked. “You have not yet heard the tale of the feast of prisoners?”

“There were no prisoners at the feast,” objected Bridghe from farther down the table.

“When they accepted the invitation to the MacKai table, those warriors simply did not yet know they’d place themselves in chains,” Simon said.

“Enough.” Raeb thumped his fist on the table for emphasis and to call for silence. “Let Neilina tell us the tale. ’Tis she I asked.”

Bridghe subsided, and all at the table turned to Neilina.

She swallowed. “Well, ’twas Artis’s idea, really.”

The youngest MacKai blushed. “When we saw all those ships and men in the harbor, I only said to Maeve that ’twas too bad we couldna have a party instead of a war.”

Maeve smiled. “I know of an herb that increases the effect of ale and wine on the hardiest of men, so I went to Neilina with the idea to invite our visitors into the keep for a feast.”

“I thought the idea a fine one,” Neilina said. “Especially if our garrison drank only water, and the English had all the ale and wine. But Dougal was reluctant to open the gates to so many soldiers on the thin promise of excessive drunkenness. He told me the English were no here to visit but to conquer us. He also said that other clans were supposed to help with the fighting, but that only MacTavish had arrived.”

“MacTavish brought only eighty warriors,” Dougal supplied. “But even they would no have defeated the English without help. I spoke with him of Neilina’s idea, and the baron thought it a fine plan, especially if his warriors joined in after the English had begun drinking. Drunken men are easily defeated with little bloodshed.”

“So to reduce the numbers inside the keep I had the idea,” Neilina resumed, “of having all the families in the village invite the sailors and foot soldiers while we only asked the knights to feast in the hall. Maeve had enough of the herb to share with all. Dougal suggested that once the English in the village were too drunk to fight, the MacKai men there should board the ships and conquer any guards. Then all of us would work together—MacKai, MacTavish, warriors, men, women, old and young, in village and keep—to restrain and imprison the drunkards.”

Raeb slapped the table and roared with laughter then nodded at the captain of his guard. He’d known his sisters were more dangerous than they appeared. “Dougal told me that more than 600 English had come on those ships. ’Twas a massive thing to organize an attack on so many fronts and to do it with ale.”

“’Tis a good thing there are six of us,” Neilina said, smiling beneath his praise. “We shared the work. Artis led the keep children in gathering the herbs needed—once Maeve showed her what to find. Maeve supervised the mixing of the ales and wines. Bridghe was our messenger. She either carried messages herself or found those who could carry them for her. Seona organized the extra spaces to secure our prisoners, for the dungeons would no hold them all. Keeva managed the gathering of all the food cook said she would need to prepare the feast.”

“And what did you do, Neilina?” Jessamyn asked.

His betrothed had been silent for so long. Why speak up now? He found her leaning forward, as if eager to hear the rest of the story.

“I directed setting up the trestles in the bailey—for as great as this hall is, it would no hold the MacKai clan, our garrison, the MacTavish warriors, and close on a hundred English knights.”

“Lady Neilina is being modest,” Dougal said. “She worded the message sent to the English commander that brought him and his lieutenants to speak with her. She dressed in her best gown, knowing the knight would be impressed with the respect she showed him and believe that he had naught but a vain, foolish woman to deal with. She catered to his self-importance in her speech and led him to think that she would like to celebrate turning the keep over to him, for she was weary of having to take her brother’s place when he could no be bothered to remain at home and guard his clan himself. The commander left, promising to allow his foot soldiers and sailors to celebrate in the village and to return by evening with his knights for the feast.”

“We counted on him and his men being hungry and weary after a sea voyage. I well know how little good food can be had during days at sea. That plus a bit of flattery was all the man needed to walk straight into the web we’d cast for him and his men,” Neilina said.

“An amazing tale,” Jessamyn remarked.

“Aye,” Raeb said then asked the question he knew she wished answered. “How did Dougal and Simon come by their wounds?”

Neilina stammered, so Maeve spoke up. “Some of the English had much harder heads than even my herb-infused ale could conquer.”

Neilina finally found her voice. “When the commander noticed his men were disappearing, he went in search of them. Dougal was forced to draw his sword to try to stop the man. Simon, who had no imbibed as much as we thought, joined the fight, but we’d no idea he wanted to help Dougal. A few of the other English were still sober enough to leap to their leader’s defense. Our garrison joined the skirmish. Fortunately, at that moment, they outnumbered the English and were able to subdue the attackers. Dougal was knocked out, or he would have told us that Simon fought to aid him. By the time … ” She paused, a blush flooding her face. “By the time Dougal regained his senses, I’d already ordered Simon locked in the tower room, for I could no trust his word that he was Jessamyn’s brother and no part of the planned attack on Dungarob. Dougal dinna ask after the man who’d aided him.”

Dougal hung his head. “I’d no memory of Simon until I saw his face, and that was after he’d been released from the tower.”

“The tower was quite comfortable as prisons go.”

Raeb narrowed his gaze at Simon’s words. The man’s mouth lifted in a small smile. At the same time the flush on Neilina’s cheeks deepened. There was more to this tale than was being told. However, getting to the bottom of that mystery would have to wait.

Raeb raised his goblet. “Sisters, I thank you all for your spirited and inventive defense of our home.”

All shared the toast and conversation became more general.

Raeb turned to Jessamyn with a tidbit from his trencher, but she turned her head away.

“Thank you. I’ve had enough.”

Enough of what? Food or his company?

“’Tis too cruel and vastly unjust for a king to act so. And any father who trades his children’s lives for royal favor should be boiled in oil.” Neilina’s voice rose in ire from two seats away where she spoke with Simon.

Jessamyn shifted her gaze to the couple and Raeb followed her glance.

Simon looked at Neilina with leashed patience. “You must understand that our father sought to benefit his children by seeking Edward’s favor. He believed my sister’s match with your brother would be good for her and our family. Do you tell me you think your brother is not a fit husband for a young noblewoman?

Jessamyn frowned. “You are right, brother. Our father always has an eye to our family’s advancement. But he does not see any difference between that and his children’s happiness.”

Neilina snorted. “My brother is the best of men, and any woman would be lucky to be his wife. Notheless, ’twas cruel of your father no to at least consult you, Lady Jessamyn. Since your father’s first concern is advancement, are you no certain he didna claim he wished you to witness the wedding in order to get you on board the ships King Edward sent? Thus when the soldiers looked to you for leadership, you would be forced to lead the attack on Dungarob.”