The Defiant Bride (10 page)

Evan squinted down. Then his breath exploded in an audible gasp. “My lady, oh, my lady. Is it true? For it would indeed be a miracle.” Then, louder, “Open the gates. It is our lady. It is truly our lady.” The joy in his voice was evident.

The gates swung wide as word spread throughout the manor. William tensed as people appeared and gawked at the entrance of their lady. Some certainly feared they were seeing a ghost. They surrounded her horse. The entire procession moved into the outer court, kissing the hem of her gown and making sounds of awe and welcome. William relaxed, pleased that she was being welcomed so warmly. It spoke of the devotion of her household.

The group edged into the inner court and then a voice rang out above the sounds of welcome. “Dariana?” The voice was softened with disbelief. “Dariana?”

Dariana raised her head at the sound and she slid from the back of her horse and ran to the one who called her name. He was huge and she disappeared into his bearlike embrace. William watched this scene, his blood burning. He, too, dismounted and
strode to his wife unintimidated. However, before he could make a word of protest, the large man put Dariana away from himself and gazed at her, head to toes and back, shaking his head in disbelief. Then he quickly hugged her to him again very tightly. There was something in his manner of treatment that told William to hold his objections. So, trusting his instincts and attempting to quell the jealous poisons circulating in his blood, he stood quietly by until Dariana was released. She brushed the tears from her cheeks.

“And who might this be?” the man asked Dariana.

“Thomas, this is William Redfield, the Earl of Dansworth and—my husband. William, this is Thomas Corley, my friend and protector all my life.” The warmth in her voice was evident.

Thomas eyed William, his look none too friendly. It took a moment, but suddenly the realization struck. “Husband?” Thomas boomed. “This is indeed a strange turn of events. I never really believed you dead, but hoped you had gone to seek your freedom. Your headstrong ways were not unknown to me. In my darkest forebodings, I feared you indeed might be caught in the eternal sleep. But never did I imagine you married and returning with a husband.”

Dariana laughed out loud and the sound was music. “Truly, that was not my intent when I left here, dear Thomas. But it is now the way of things.” There was resignation in her tone and Thomas reacted instantly. Putting her behind his considerable bulk, he faced William directly. “Well, if you are not happy with him, my lady, I can certainly see to his removal.”

William laid his hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing for a fight, but it was stayed by two guards. He realized that all the men who were armed had drawn their swords. The others stood strong in their stance, the message clear. Any movement would certainly prove fatal.

“Thomas, call of your men. William is my husband and is due respect. I am not unhappy. You must trust me in this.”

Thomas nodded and the men lowered their weapons and backed away. “I thought only to protect my lady,” Thomas said to William. “There was no offense meant to you, my lord.”

William was in fact very pleased that Dariana had not disclosed the facts of their hasty union. He held out a hand to Thomas. “It pleases me my wife has such loyal defenders.”

Dariana turned to Thomas. “My father? Is he well? May I go to him?”

“Alas, my lady, he has taken quite ill. I fear he shall not last this week. But seeing you can only serve to give him renewed strength. You have been greatly missed.”

Dariana turned and hurried toward the castle, William right behind. He caught up and took hold of her elbow. “Why did you not betray me?”

“Just because I do not wish to see your flesh stripped from your bones does not mean I intend to be your devoted wife,” she declared, although some of the force of her words seemed to have ebbed. “I wish to see my father now—alone.” She swept away and into the cool darkness of the main hall.

Thomas stepped up and clamped a heavy hand on William’s shoulder. William turned to him. “She’s upset by her father’s illness. Before the unpleasantness over the king’s decree, they were very close. It nearly killed him when word came of her death. But, truth be told, we never really believed it. I helped raise her and there was too much fight in her to merely have succumbed. I have no idea what has occurred this last year, or where she was hidden, but I take it you know.”

“Aye, I know. But knowing doesn’t make it easier to believe,” William replied.

“Well, then, come inside and I’ll get you something to wash the dust of travel from your throat so you can tell me the tale.”

C
HAPTER
8

D
ariana walked slowly
up the curving stone staircase, a rush of memories flooding her thoughts. She ran her fingers lightly along the coarse stone walls, feeling their strong solidity. Light flooded through glass windows. She reached the top and looked into the solar. It was lit by huge bay windows, the edges of which glittered with colored glass, casting rainbows across the stone floor. She thought of herself as a small child, tearing up and down this very stair and hallway, hiding in darkened corners only to spring forth to surprise her mother with a hug.

Sadness suddenly overwhelmed her as she thought of her mother, remembering her warmth and sweetness and how she filled the house with laughter. But when Dariana was but six summers old, her mother had taken the fever from some peasants she had been tending and succumbed to its painful clutches. Dariana had grown even closer to her father after that, but there was no way to truly fill the void of her mother’s loss.

Her childhood, with the exception of her mother’s death, had been happy and carefree and fulfilling. She had been taught to read and write and make decisions and grow strong. It saddened her that she had been forced to leave her father rather than face an unholy union with some disgusting creature the king had named. After all, if the man had been appealing, he would have managed to woo a bride rather than have one chosen for him.

As she paused outside her father’s chamber, she prayed he would understand her actions and forgive her. Dariana pushed aside the heavy wooden door and was momentarily shocked to see how unkindly the year had treated her father. Time had ravaged his features and drained the color from his thick, heavy hair. He had lost much weight and now looked small in the huge carved oak bed that dominated the room.

“Sir? Father?” The old man’s eyes opened and he looked dreamily in the direction of the sound.

“Dariana, my darling girl,” he croaked. “Is it truly you? So the time has come at last and I have passed over to the other side. I knew we would meet again one day.” There was resignation and a hint of pleasure in his voice.

“Oh, no, my lord!” Dariana reached the bed and knelt beside it. “I am alive. Can you ever forgive me for leaving as I did? I know I caused you pain. “Her voice dissolved into sobs. She reached for her father’s hand, pressing the pale, dry flesh against her lips.

Somehow new life was breathed into his withered body. The man sat up, color flooding his cheeks. His eyes opened wider, filled with disbelief. He shook his head to clear it, then refocused his gaze on the woman before him.

“Is it you, child? Come closer, as my eyes are as old as I am.”

She leaned in and he reached his hand up to stroke her cheek, testing to see if she was merely an apparition that would dissolve at this contact. When his hand did not pass through it, a smile lit his features and he sank back into his pillows. “Is it you? Truly? You are warm to the touch and clearly not from the other world.”

“Yes, my lord, I am here. And I beg you to forgive me.”

Her father smiled. “Forgive you? For being the daughter I raised. For not bending to the will of another, even if he be king. I am so joyful that you still breathe. So, dry your tears. This is not a day for sorrow.”

“Oh, Father, I cry not for sorrow but for the joy of seeing you again. I am so very sorry for any ill I caused.”

“Well, you should be sorry, although I cannot say as I blame you. I would probably have done the same as you and I know your dear mother would have been delighted at your rebellion.”

“Then you forgive me?”

“Truth be told, I should be the one asking forgiveness. I was very wrong, child. I know that now. These weeks in this bed have given me nothing but time to ponder my life. At first, I did not believe you were dead. I blamed your stubborn ways and I was furious. But I realized I had given you no choice. I forced you from here as surely as if I had thrown you from the very walls with my own hands. Time passed and I was bereft, thinking you must certainly be dead or you would have returned. Why did you not come back sooner, daughter? I would have done anything to protect you. To my shame, you didn’t know that. But, praise the Lord, I have been given another chance.”

“My lord—”

Her father interrupted. “No more apologies. Just tell me where you have been and of your adventures. Start at the beginning and leave out no small detail.”

So Dariana poured out the tale. She spoke of how she survived in the forest. She told of experiences and joys and pain and she left out no small detail, just as he had requested. She concluded with meeting William, although this was the one thing she left incomplete. She omitted that she was tricked into matrimony. There seemed no need to mention the resentment. For some unknown reason, she had no wish to turn her father’s heart against William. It would be unfair.

“Are you happy with him, child?”

Dariana dropped her gaze from her father’s face, but not quickly enough.

“All right, my girl. You shall tell me all of it in your own time. I have interfered enough already. Or allowed the monarch to do so. I assume you know he rescinded his order for your bethrothal. Just let me ask you this. Did you come to me for aid?”

“I did hear of the king’s change of heart with regard to the alliance. And, nay, Father. I came to you because I missed you terribly. I desire to reassure you that you will not suffer the consequences of my actions. William will go directly to the new king to gain his forgiveness and his blessing for our union. He is certain you will not be deprived of either your home or your
lands. William says our new King Henry will not look to punish either of us because of my—small rebellion.”

“Yes, I have heard similar stories of our new monarch. It seems he strives to restore joy to us in place of the period of mourning imposed by his father. A return to Camelot that his father originally had dreamed, before his life turned biter. I so hope this to be true, for your sake. For now I know that it is you, above all, who matters. No land or wealth or manor walls would I ever exchange for you, daughter.”

“I love you, my lord.”

He squeezed her arm and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Now, where is this husband of yours? Probably in Thomas’s clutches. You had best rescue him lest Thomas’s influence ruin him forever.”

“Yes, I will find him and bring him to you.” Dariana felt better than she had in a very long time. She ran from the chamber and skipped down the steps in search of William.

While William talked with her father, she returned to the main hall to wait, where a familiar voice warmed her heart. “When was the last you ate, my girl? You won’t get any meat on your bones if you don’t eat.”

Dariana spun, delighted to see Wendy, that sweet lady who had been like a second mother to her all her life. Dariana threw her arms around the small woman and hugged her tightly. Wendy did not even try to conceal her tears of joy, but let them flow down her cheeks. Dariana cried with her and they held onto each other for a time.

Dariana spoke first. “I missed you much.”

“Hah. More than that ugly horse of yours?”

“Well, mayhap not that much. But then, he does not scold me so.”

“That proves he is a dumb animal, as you deserve scolding. You have been a worthless child to frighten us all so.” Wendy did not manage to hide the pain she had suffered. “I could not even do my work properly and I fear the manor suffered. I did not believe my ears when they said you were here.”

“Forgive me?”

“Mayhaps, but only because I missed your irksome company. But enough of wasting time. There is much to be done and I need to be about it, now that you have returned to us. However, do not
think this will protect you from relating every detail of your time away when you settle in.”

Megan rushed into the hall and held out her arms. Dariana ran to her. “Not too much the worse for wear, child,” she stated in her creaky voice. “And who was it tended you this last year? I know you could not care for yourself, so tell me no tales.”

Dariana giggled, her laughter filling the air. “If the truth be told, the last one to tend me was your very own cousin, Hildy.”

“That old hag? How came you to be under her care?” There was no denying the tinge of jealousy that colored her tone.

“She is at the castle of my new husband.”

“Husband? We heard nothing of a husband. You fled to escape a husband and it was all for naught?” This last was from Wendy, who had paused in her retreat.

“Nay. I indeed escaped the wretched betrothal to the Spaniard, but I fear I have indeed been wed to another.”

“Fear you have been wed to another?” Wendy’s eyebrows rose.

“Worry not, my girl,” Megan said with some glee. “I’ll make a potion and he’ll die.”

The thought of William’s death sent a terrible shudder through Dariana’s very being. “No, Megan. Do not kill him. I have already fought for his life once and do not wish his end.”

“Then what, my girl?” asked Wendy.

Unshed tears burned behind Dariana’s eyes. “I know not and that is all I know.”