The Whispering Night (35 page)

Keller had never bought
jewelry in his life and had gone over the top with his first purchase. Either
the silversmith had been very persuasive, or Keller had been very weak to
resist the sales pitch. At any rate, there were three brooches with different
colored semi-precious stones, one necklace with Citrine stone and one with
Garnet stone, each necklace with a matching ring, and finally a filigree belt
inlaid with pale purple stones that he had sewn into a gown of heavy lavender
brocade.

On the guise that they
were wedding gifts to his bride, Keller had delivered everything to Derica
after sup one evening.  He’d simply thrown all of the gowns on the bed and then
handed her the jewelry in a great awkward bunch.  While Derica stood there with
her hands overflowing with silver and stones, Keller gave the children little
trinkets he had also picked up on his shopping tour.  Sian had a wooden horse
and cart and a tiny sword, while Aneirin had a doll. Before they could properly
thank him, Keller predictably fled the room.

Stunned with the gifts
and his fast disappearance, Derica put the jewelry on the table against the
wall and went through the pieces one at a time.  Aneirin came to stand beside
her, inspecting each item carefully.  The little girl had never seen such
things.  She put one of the necklaces around the doll’s neck and Derica smiled
her approval.  The jewelry was finely made, Derica knew; she had possessed a
great deal of it, left behind at Framlingham. This small horde must have cost
Keller a sizable amount of money.

She turned to the gowns,
lying in a heap upon the bed. She could see at least five different colors of
garments. There was a lavender, a pale blue, a deep green, a rich yellow, and a
soft red.  While Sian crawled on the ground alternately playing with his cart
and his wonderful sword, Derica and Aneirin inspected the clothes. They were
well made.  Since she had come to Pembroke in nothing but peasant rags, Keller
had been more than thoughtful to her needs. More than that, he had gone out his
way to be kind to her and the children. 

Derica fingered the
gowns, feeling guilty for the way she was behaving towards him, but she didn’t
want to give the man any encouragement. Her heart forever belonged to Garren.
But that should not prevent her from being nice to Keller, who was doing all he
could to make her life comfortable.

It was late when Derica
finally put the children to sleep. Sian liked to fall asleep in her arms, so
disengaging herself from him when he was finally asleep was something of a
tricky effort.  She managed to do so without rousing him. The fire in the
chamber burned low, giving off a good deal of heat as she silently changed into
one of the new gowns Keller had given her. 

The soft red surcoat
made from finely polished cotton fit her very well over a delicate linen
long-sleeved sheath. To it, Derica attached one of the brooches Keller had
given her, a silver piece worked into the shape of a flower with a large garnet
set deep into it.  She then brushed her hair and plaited a long braid, which fell
luxuriously down her back. 

Looking at herself in
the polished bronze mirror, she didn’t see the same woman she had known once,
the young girl who had run away from Framlingham into the arms of the man she
loved. Gazing back at her was someone with the sad maturity to have loved and
lost at a young age. If she looked long enough, she could see her broken heart
bleeding out all over herself. It was a sobering moment in a week that had been
full of them.  Depressed, she quit the room.

It occurred to her half
way down the hall that she hadn’t left her room since her arrival and was
somewhat lost in the vast labyrinth of Pembroke. It was a massive place that
smelt of dampness. She found the stairs and ended up on the living level, which
held the great hall. There was some light and voices coming from the great
room, drawing her into it.

Keller was standing by a
hearth that was taller than he was. A fire blazed brightly in it. There was a
cup in his hand as he spoke softly to a shorter man next to him, his strong
features silhouetted by the light.  When Keller looked over and saw her
standing in the doorway, he nearly dropped his cup.

“My lady,” there was
concern in his voice as he walked towards her. “Is something the matter?”

“Nay,” Derica shook her
head. “The children are asleep and I wish to speak with you.”

He couldn’t set the cup
down fast enough or walk quickly enough to her side. “Of course,” he gestured
to the small room across from the great hall. “We may speak in the solar.”

The solar was dark, no fire
in the hearth. Keller quickly set to lighting a blaze, but Derica stopped him.
“There is no need for that,” she said. “I will only take a moment.”

“Very well,” he stood
up, too fast, and dropped the kindling on his boot.  Rather than look the fool
and reach down to pick it up, he simply kicked it away and pretended not to
care. “What did you wish to speak to me about?”

“About your gifts.”

“The gowns? Are they not
to your liking?”

“They’re fine.”

“Then the jewelry. You’d
rather pick out your own? The silversmith said that garnet and citrine were of
the latest fashion. I bought what he suggested.”

He was turning into that
nervous boy again. Derica put her hands up to stop his chatter.

“The jewelry is lovely,
Sir Keller. Absolutely lovely.”

He looked confused and
relieved at the same time. “I see.” He started popping his knuckles again.
“Then what did you wish…?”

“If you’d let me get a
word in, I simply wanted to thank you for your generosity. You left the chamber
so quickly that we did not get the chance.”

A twinkle came to his
brown eyes. “Oh,” he said. “I left because I did not want to intrude. I feel as
if I intrude far too much on your time as it is.”

It was rather humorous
watching the seasoned knight pop his knuckles and shift around nervously. “May
I ask you a question, Sir Keller?” she finally said.

“Of course.”

“Do I frighten you?”

The twinkle in his eyes
grew. “Aye.”

“I thought so. But why?”

The man shrugged his big
shoulders and stopped cracking his knuckles.  “Because… because you’re so
beautiful, I suppose.”

“But why does that scare
you?”

He pursed his lips. “I
didn’t say I was scared. Merely terrified. There is a difference.”

He was trying to make a
smooth explanation, but it wasn’t conveying what he hoped. He was looking
befuddled and Derica couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“Sir Keller,” she
reached out and put a hand on his arm. “I do not wish to terrify you. I am not
the sort to terrify anyone, truly. I am quite approachable under normal
circumstances, but this week has not seen normal circumstances. If I have been
distant, or even rude, then I am sorry. But my mind is elsewhere. Much has
happened.”

He was gazing at her
with a look on his face like the man who had just been given the greatest gift
of his life. “There’s no need to apologize, my lady,” he said softly. “’Tis
only that it seems to me that you and I find ourselves in an unexpected
situation and I am simply trying to make it easier for the both of us.”

She removed her hand
from his arm.  The cold of the solar was getting to her as she turned away from
him, shivering, and sat in the nearest chair.

“I know you are,” she
said after a moment.  “And I suppose my attitude should be the same.  But I am
still very much married to my husband, in heart and mind and body, and I cannot
give that up.”

Keller didn’t say
anything. After a moment, he left the room, leaving Derica sitting in the cold
darkness. She thought she had offended him. Just as she was preparing to leave
herself, Keller returned with a heavy woolen blanket and swung it over her
shoulders.

“’Tis cold in here and
since you will not let me start a fire, perhaps you will let me bring you a
blanket.”

Derica was touched by
his gesture.  “You really are too kind, Sir Keller.”

He sat on a stool
opposite her, his rugged face barely visible in the darkness. “I would be
honored if you would simply call me Keller.”

That was not too much to
ask, and Derica nodded her head in agreement.  The silence grew heavy and
Keller began popping his knuckles again.

“Is your chamber
comfortable?” he began with the idle chatter again because he didn’t know what
else to talk about. “Should we move the children to their own chamber now?”

Derica shook her head.
“I still prefer them with me, thank you.” She fell silent again, watching the
knight fidget. “Keller?”

His head snapped up as
if she had ordered him to attention. “My lady?”

“There is something you
can do for me, if you would be so inclined.”

“Name it and it shall be
done.”

“You can find where my
husband’s body is buried and bring it back to me.”

He paused, indecision on
his features. But he was a man sworn to obedience and his word was his bond.
“If that is your wish, my lady.”

Indescribable relief
swept over Derica.  She hadn’t realized what that gesture would mean to her. 
The thought of Garren’s precious remains being within her grasp, something she
could reconcile herself to, was almost too much to take. She simply wanted to
see him one last time, to say a proper good bye to the man who meant everything
to her.  Before she could thank Keller, the tears came and she was unable to
speak.

He was stricken with her
soft sobs. “Have no fear,” he attempted to comfort her. “I shall find him. I
shall go tonight.”

Derica could only reach
out and touch his arm again, silent thanks for a deeply meaningful promise.
Keller dared to put his big hand over hers in comfort and, feeling that her
hand was like ice, took it into his big, warm palm.  She was freezing and he
gently coaxed her other hand away from her. When he had both of them in his
grasp, he rubbed briskly to warm her.

“Do not weep,” he
murmured. “I will not return until I find him.”

She sniffled, her big
green eyes overflowing at him. “But how will you do this?”

“I will go to Chepstow.
The Marshall will know where he is.”

“I do not know how to
repay your kindness to me.”

He was in deep territory
and unsure how to navigate. “Our marriage will be repayment enough. And perhaps
a strong son or two.”

Derica’s smile faded and
Keller knew he had said something terribly wrong. “I didn’t mean….” he
stammered.

She pulled her hands
away from him. “I know you did not.  Your statement was not unreasonable.”

“But I did not mean
to.…”

“You did not.” She stood
up, abruptly, and the blanket fell away from her. “I will bid you a good eve,
then. And I thank you again for your kindness.”

She was to the door
before he could stop her. “My lady,” he said, almost pleading. “Please do not
leave. I did not mean to offend you. I would never knowingly do that.”

Derica paused, feeling
foolish, feeling overwhelmed. The thought of bearing another man’s children had
not yet occurred to her. To let this man, no matter how kind he had been to
her, touch her in such an intimate fashion made her sick to her stomach. The
only man she would ever want to touch her in that manner was dead.  She forced
herself to look at him, smiling weakly.

“There may be days when
I behave abruptly, for reasons I can hardly explain at the moment,” she said
quietly. “You did not offend me. It is just difficult for me to think of
another marriage right now, much less children.”

Keller was relieved he
had not insulted her. He gave her a lopsided smile. “And you have to ask me why
you make me nervous? I live in constant fear to say something that will upset
you, and I do not want to do that.”

“I realize that, and I
am sorry. I shall try to do better.”

He looked at her a
moment. “I should not want you to do better.”

“Why not?”

He tried to put his
thoughts into words. “Because if you were grieving for me, I should want the
same devotion. I shall not take any measure of loyalty away from Garren le
Mon.”

Derica thought on that.
“Sir Keller, I suspect that you are a truly remarkable man somewhere underneath
all of that knightly solemnity.”

He smiled, embarrassed.
“I cannot say, my lady.”

“I can.” She flashed him
a genuine smile. “Good night to you.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“If she fell into the
river, there is no knowing how far down stream she is drifted,” Emyl said
quietly. “You must face facts, Garren. Your wife is dead.”

Garren’s jaw flexed
dangerously. In the great hall of Cilgarren, he stood his ground, unwilling to
give in to the resignation the others had. It had been nearly four weeks since
Derica’s disappearance and, for as much as they had searched, they were
convinced she had drowned in the river and her body would not be found. It had
been a painful realization for Offa and Emyl, a devastating one for David.
Their world had been a dark and dreary place as of late.