To Capture Her Heart (11 page)

By the time they reached the gardens, Talbot was ready to once more curl up into a ball and fall asleep, and this time Gavin let him. Looking around for a comfortable place to sit, Gavin settled on an inviting patch of grass under a large oak tree. He propped his back up against the ancient trunk, crossing his legs out in front of him.

Closing his eyes, a vision in white assaulted him. He wasn't surprised at the intrusion, for it was not the first time that the girl had invaded his thoughts. In his mind, she was dressed in her entrance gown, her dark hair billowing out around her shoulders, long and sleek, much like her graceful neck. He didn't know why he was torturing himself with thoughts of the troublesome imp. She clearly didn't like him, and it wouldn't have mattered if she did, for he wasn't interested in a relationship. Not after Clarice, at least.

But he couldn't stop thinking of her, no matter how much he wished it were so. He had been acutely disappointed that he hadn't been able to watch her perform the Saylatee, for he was sure she was a spirited and graceful dancer and that watching her perform would have been a true delight.

The cracking of a twig caused his head to snap up as his eyes narrowed in the darkness. His eyes darted to where Talbot still lay, unaware of the noise that had snatched him out of his musings. He tuned his ears towards any unfamiliar noise and waited. He heard another crunching noise at the same time a young lad came bounding through the shrubbery, almost skipping as if in delight.

Gavin looked curiously at the lad, noting the odd sway of his hips. What was he doing in the garden in the middle of the night? He was about to call out to the boy when the child suddenly halted and turned his face up to the moon. Silver rays of light illuminated the profile of a delicate featured face, while one dark lock of hair escaped the boy's hat, springing down his back, reaching nearly to his waist.

Gavin gasped. That was definitely not a lad. As the person turned, unaware that they were being watched, he caught a full on glimpse of the girl's face—Gwendolyn's face to be exact.

What in the devil was the imp up to now? It soon became apparent as a lanky lad approached, reaching for her hand. The girl was running away with her lover! Anger burst forth from his chest as he sprang to action. He leaped over the still sleeping Talbot and pounced, taking the boy to the ground without much effort.

He heard Gwendolyn scream in surprise as she helplessly watched her lover being pummeled. When Gavin was sure he had the lad under control, he glanced up into Gwendolyn's worried face and said, “Don't worry, I haven't hurt your lover. Yet. But I cannot promise that your brother won't when he finds out.”

“Gavin?” she questioned in alarm. “I promise it's not what you think.” Her voice was desperate, pleading.

“Really?” he drawled.

Unwilling to listen to any of her excuses, he continued, “I find it highly ironic that the very day after becoming a woman, you find the need to dress as a lad. Don't you find that odd? Or,” he said, looking insolently at the young man beneath him, “mayhap your lover has...unique preferences.”

Before he could blink, Gwendolyn had thrown herself atop his back, bludgeoning into his sides, his shoulders, anywhere she could reach, with her tiny fists. If he wasn't so blasted irritated at finding her sneaking off with her lover in the middle of the night, he would have found her attempts at beating him highly entertaining. Instead, her defense of the lad just roused his anger further. Keeping his body weight firmly pressed into his prisoner beneath him, he reached up with one hand and flung Gwendolyn from him, flipping her gently to the ground, careful not to hurt her.

Even in the dark, he could tell she was shooting him daggers with her eyes.

“Stop being a brute and let me explain myself. Tell him, Jarin. Tell him we are not lovers.”

Gavin waited with bated breath to hear what the young lad's response would be. He realized that he was desperately hoping that the boy would deny his accusations. The boy's lips quivered as he mouthed several words before any sound would come out. Gavin was unimpressed with the fear he could see dancing in the boys eyes.

When he finally could speak he said, “We aren't exactly lovers...at least not yet.”

Gwendolyn reached out and socked the boy. “Jarin! We are not lovers and never will be. Tell him.”

Gavin actually felt a twinge of sympathy for the lad as he watched his face crumple in disappointment.

“Gwendolyn, I thought that...well now that you have been granted your entrance...we talked about how this could change things. I was going to speak with your brother when we got back. Remember?”

“Well,” Gavin cut his pathetic speech off. “Now you don't have to wait; you can speak with him tonight.” He deftly rose, bringing his captives with him, holding on tightly lest either one of them attempted to run. “I'm taking you both to King Terric.”

“Nay!” Gwendolyn wailed, trying to break free from his unyielding grip. “Please, Gavin. I can face my brother's wrath, but please let Jarin go. Don't make him go through that.”

“Trying to protect your lover, are you? Hoping I will let him go so that you can attempt to flee with him some other time?” he snarled.

“He. Is. Not. My. Lover,” she enunciated each word slowly, angrily as her slight frame stiffened with rage.

“Try convincing the king.”

With that, he angrily forced the pair back to the castle, leaving Talbot to his own defenses.

Chapter 14

Permission Granted

Gwendolyn was angry and humiliated as Gavin forced her and Jarin into Rosalind and Terric's bedchamber. She felt horribly intrusive as they stumbled into the dark and private quarters. Terric bolted up in his bed, throwing his body protectively across Rosalind who was struggling to see past him to what was going on.

“I'm sorry to interrupt you, Your Highness, but I have a matter of utmost importance that needs to be resolved straightaway.”

“Gavin, is that you?” Terric asked.

“Aye, 'tis I.” After a brief pause he added, “And your sister and her lover.”

Terric bolted from the bed and was at once standing in front of the trio in nothing but a tan pair of hose. “Gwendolyn, is it true?”

“Nay, Terric, 'tis not,” she said insolently.

Like a panther, Terric stalked to the dying embers in the fireplace and bent to light a torch, setting it in the sconce on the wall, bathing the room in a soft, golden light. Turning, he gasped as he took in Gwendolyn's appearance, ignoring, for the moment, the boy standing next to her.

“What in tarnation are you doing dressed like a, like a...” one hand was flailing wildly in front of him. “A boy,” he finally finished, lamely.

Gwendolyn felt her cheeks begin to burn. She wasn't sure what to say exactly. Never in her wildest imaginations had she envisioned this uncomfortable encounter as part of her plans. Never.

“Explain yourself at once,” Terric growled impatiently when his question was met with only silence.

Rosalind pulled the sheets tightly up to her chin as she sat, her back leaning against the intricately carved headboard. “Terric, keep your voice down lest you wake the entire keep. I'm sure Gwendolyn has a reasonable explanation.”

All eyes turned to her, waiting. She felt immense guilt flood her at Rosalind's defense of her actions. She hated to disappoint her. Looking down at her boot-clad feet she began twisting her hands nervously into the front of her shirt. “Nay, I don't have a reasonable explanation.”

Before she knew what was happening, Terric had Jarin pinned up against the wall, his face looking more furious than she had ever seen it. “If you tell me you are my sister's lover, I will kill you on the spot.”

Both Gwendolyn and Rosalind gasped in unison, equally shocked by her brother's wrath. He had always been so level headed, so in control of his emotions. Neither one of them had ever seen this side of him.

Jarin began trembling, shaking his head back and forth violently. His eyes were wide with fear, but he couldn't seem to make a single word escape from his trembling lips. Gwendolyn couldn't let Terric frighten him so, after all it was her fault that he was in this position in the first place.

Stepping forth, she placed a trembling hand on Terric's arm, hoping to calm him. “Terric, he is not my lover. Please, this is all my fault. He had nothing to do with it.”

Terric kept his grip firmly on Jarin as he turned steely eyes on her. “Pray tell how he had nothing to do with it, yet is standing with you in my bedchamber right now.”

“I can explain.”

“Then do it and do it now,” he barked.

“Terric please, don't be angry,” she pleaded, unaccustomed to seeing him so.

“Oh my darling Gwen, I'm beyond angry at this point.” His voice went deadly calm, “You have thirty seconds to explain yourself before I am tempted to kill you both.”

He couldn't be serious, Gwendolyn thought, but she wasn't dumb enough to find out. “Jarin isn't my lover, he is just my friend. He found out about a magic festival being held in the forest near here and I persuaded him to take me. I knew that neither you nor mother would ever allow me to go, and so I devised a plan for Jarin and I to go.” Her explanation sounded feeble, pathetic, even to her own ears. She chanced a quick glance at Rosalind, then Gavin to gauge their reactions. Neither of them looked pleased, but then she hadn't expected they would be.

Slowly she turned her eyes to Terric, knowing he held her fate in his hands. She was hoping to see that his blue eyes had softened in understanding, but she knew it was all wishful thinking. His eyes were as dark and menacing as they had been before, mayhap even more so.

“Gwendolyn, you mean to tell me that you planned to run away with this boy so you could attend a magic festival? Pray tell what you planned to gain by this little excursion—a loss of honor and your reputation?”

“Nay, I hadn't planned anything of the sort,” she retorted, offended he would suggest such a thing.

“Well, surely running off with a lad, unchaperoned for heaven knows how long, would warrant it, don't you think?”

“I hadn't thought that through entirely.”

“Clearly,” Terric said flatly. “What did you think about then? Tell me exactly what was going on in that foolish head of yours, because I'm having a blasted hard time understanding why in the hell you would find any part of this brainless plan sensible.”

Feeling the overpowering need to defend herself lest she weep, Gwendolyn found the courage to speak. “You know how badly I want a gift, Terric. You know how much it galls me that I am ordinary. Jarin knew this as well, so when he overheard some traveling gypsies talking about the festival, he told me all about it. I knew I had to go. This could be my only chance to discover what my gift could be. There's supposed to be countless number of gifted people at the gathering, people who may be able to help me discover my own gift, or at the very least, help me to learn a magical skill.”

“Give it up Gwen,” Terric said impatiently, running a hand angrily through his already messed hair.

“I can't, Terric,” she screeched. “You do not understand this burning need I feel within me to possess a gift. You don't understand because you don't value such things, as was made clear by you so willingly giving your gift away.”

Then, knowing she was being completely unfair, she turned on Rosalind as well. “And you couldn't possibly understand because you are in possession of Terric's squandered gift, a gift you never sought out in the first place.”

In an attempt to ignore the pained look on Rosalind's face, Gwendolyn turned to Gavin and gave him a smoldering look. “And you are an oaf, insistent on ruining my life. I rue the day I ever met you. If it weren't for you, I'd be happily on my way to the festival right now.” It seemed the only person in the room she didn't resent in that moment was Jarin.

“Enough!” Terric bellowed so loudly his voice echoed off the cold stone walls. “You are done insulting all of us. You sound like a spoiled child right now, a very selfish, spoiled child.”

She refused to let him know how much his comments hurt her. “Well, fortunately for me, I am no longer a child. You yourself granted me my entrance just the evening prior, or have you already forgotten? Let me inform you that now that I am of age, nothing you say will prevent me from going.”

“I can have every defender in the Kingdom prevent you from going if I so wish,” Terric said haughtily.

“Well you can certainly try, but I refuse to let that keep me from attempting to go to that festival.”

“Gwendolyn, let's be rational,” Rosalind pleaded. “I may not fully understand how important obtaining a gift is to you, but it's clear that it means a lot to you if you are willing to risk your reputation and put your life at risk to attend a festival in the unsafe region of the forest. Not to mention the fact that you are willing to defy your brother, the king might I add, to do so.”

“He's only a lesser king,” Gwendolyn mumbled.

“Aye,” Rosalind snapped at her sharply. “But he is a king nonetheless, and I suggest you respect his power and authority.”

Gwendolyn felt properly chastised, if not humbled by her reminder, but she was unwilling to back down. “I will find a way to get there. Send Jarin back to the village, punish him if you must, but I will find a way to go, with or without his help.”

“Gwendolyn, I will not let them stop me from helping you,” Jarin hollered at her. Gwendolyn cringed at Jarin's attempt at bravery. The shaking in his voice betrayed his confidence.

“I love you, Gwendolyn, they can't keep us apart.” In that moment, Gwendolyn was sorely tempted to wring Jarin's neck, if only to get him to stop speaking. Fortunately Terric's icy glare silenced him.

“Your Highness, my I request your permission to retire from this conversation? I need to see to Talbot.” Gavin's deep voice was laced with irritation, and Gwendolyn couldn't fault him for wanting to leave, she did too.

“Permission denied,” Terric said, much to everyone's surprise. “I'm willing to make a bargain, against my better judgment. With all of you. Jarin, you will return immediately to your home. I have half a mind to send you to the dungeon and lock you away from my sister forever, but I can see that you can't be faulted for being duped by her charms. You will go back to your life as if none of this has ever happened and leave Gwendolyn alone forever. Do I make myself clear?”