Dark Warrior (23 page)

I
n public Mary played the obedient wife to Decimus extremely well, and the heartbroken wife to Michael, often appearing tearful over their eventual parting. Her true self was the scheming, independent woman who intended to have things her way, and she was proud of her.

Mary had asked for a note to be sent to Reena and had written it in a Celtic script that few could read or write, though she knew Reena would understand the words. Her message, she hoped, would bring a visit from Reena and Brigid and, of course, their husbands since the men would not allow their wives to travel alone.

The visit would give her time to confide the Dark One's identity in the two women and formulate escape plans. She was taking a chance, a dangerous one, but then her husband was worth the danger.

She sat on a narrow wooden bench in a small flower garden behind the fortress. Loving hands tended this garden, forcing a tiny bit of beauty to grow in hell. Summer was but a week away and many flowers were in full bloom while others abounded with ripe buds aching to burst open.

“My lady,” a servant girl gasped, coming to an abrupt halt after rounding the corner of the fortress.

Mary smiled hoping to calm her unease. The girl appeared worn out, her brown hair hanging limply around her pretty oval face. Her hands, which she hugged in front of her were red and raw, perhaps from too much scrubbing in hot water. She was reed-thin and had the loveliest pale blue eyes.

“Is this your garden?” Mary asked.

The girl looked on the verge of tears and Mary hurried to assuage her concern.

“It is beautiful. You tend it with great care.”

“I—I—” she stumbled nervously over her words. “No one kn-knows of it.”

“A secret garden, how wonderful. May I share in it with you?”

The girl looked stunned, and at a loss for words, she nodded.

“Your name?” Mary asked.

“Jenna, my lady.”

Mary was not accustomed to being referred to as “my lady.” She did not feel the title appropriate or necessary. She would have much preferred for Jenna to know her as Mary.

“Jenna, a lovely name. Will you not sit with me and tell me about your garden?” With so much chaos of late it would be nice to talk of so simple a thing as a garden.

Soon Mary found herself on her knees weeding the flower patch with Jenna, who was surprised that a lady knew so much about plants.

“What are you doing?”

The harsh voice startled them both and when Mary looked upon Decimus, for an instant, she forgot he was Michael and cringed at the sight of him.

He was dressed completely in black except for a touch of gold trim. The furious glare in his dark eyes and his hands planted firmly on his hips almost made her tremble in fear. That is until she looked over at Jenna. The poor lass looked absolutely terrified.

Mary immediately sought to defend the cowering girl. “My lord, Jenna was nice enough to let me help her with this beautiful garden she planted for your pleasure.”

Jenna's trembling did not cease, though her hand inched closer to Mary's and rested against hers as if in appreciation and protection.

Decimus took a sharp step forward and Mary grabbed Jenna's hand, holding her firm before she could fall back in fright.

“My wife will not tend a garden. That duty is meant for a servant.”

“And Jenna does her duty well, which I was thinking . . .” Though the thought had just come to her. “You promised me a personal servant to tend to my needs.”

He looked about to strangle her.

Mary smiled. “You are so very generous to me, my lord, and I would appreciate it if Jenna could be made my servant and
mine alone
.”

For a brief instant she recognized a glint of Michael in his dark eyes, and her heart filled with joy. She did so love that man and immediately felt guilty for toying with him.

“I would be most grateful, my lord,” she said with a bow of her head.

“You would serve my wife well?”

“Yes, my lord,” Jenna answered, though her voice trembled. “It would be an honor to serve your wife. There is nothing she would want for. I would see to her every need.”

“And not let her tend this garden?”

Mary was quick to catch his eye and saw his own teasing nature surface.

“My lady may enjoy the garden while I do the work. She will not toil in the soil; it is unbefitting to her station.”

“Good, then as of this moment you are my wife's personal servant. You will answer to me or my wife and no one else. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You will be given a room near our bedchamber. Go gather your belongings.”

Jenna bowed her head and jumped up, then stopped abruptly and extended her hand to Mary. “My lady.”

Mary smiled and took her hand but when she stood, her head suddenly turned light, her stomach grew nauseous, and the world around her dimmed.

“My lady, are you all right?”

Mary was unable to answer, and with panic in her eyes looked to her husband.

Decimus caught her in his arms before she collapsed.

It was a strange sight, and all who saw it stopped and stared. The man who ordered tortures and condemned many to death rushed through the fortress with his wife cradled in his arms.

A young servant girl followed in his wake.

Whispers followed the trio and then tongues began to wag.

“A wet cloth,” Decimus said to Jenna as he laid his wife on the bed in their bedchamber.

Jenna was a step ahead of him, rinsing a cloth she had dipped in the water bucket and hurrying to his side.

Decimus applied the wet cloth to Mary's face and worried over her, especially if she should call him anything other then Decimus. It would be better if Jenna were not here.

“My wife may need sustenance. I do not think she has eaten at all today. Go and get her food and drink.”

“Aye, my lord,” Jenna said and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.

He pressed the cloth gently to her pale face. “Wake up, Mary. You are safe. I am here with you.” He kept repeating the reassuring words to her until they turned more forceful and became a demand. “You must wake up now, I insist. Do not frighten me like this.”

To his relief her eyes fluttered open.

“What happened?” she asked in a bare whisper.

“You fainted.” He patted her face with the cloth until her eyes were open wide, then laid it aside and took her hands in his. “Do you feel all right now?”

“I am a bit nauseous,” she admitted. “And my head fuzzy.”

“Did you eat this morning?”

She frowned. “I was so eager to seek the outdoors, the day so beautiful, that I gave no thought to food.”

“I thought that, plus the babe, might be the reason for your faint. I sent Jenna for food.”

Mary realized she was on her bed. “You carried me to our bedchamber?”

He nodded. “To everyone's surprise.”

“Oh dear,” she sighed. “Tongues surely must be wagging now, and with us being here only three weeks there will be talk that I was with child before we arrived.”

“No one would even dare voice the thought and chance sending Decimus into a fury. Your faint actually works well for our plans. If you appear sick throughout your pregnancy then your death will be easily accepted.”

Mary had thought differently and another plan began forming in her mind, one she would share with Reena and Brigid when they arrived. It was a plan that would benefit all.

“Are you suggesting I faint more often?” she asked with a giggle.

“Absolutely not,” he said adamantly. “I forbid you from ever fainting again.”

“I do not think the choice will be mine.”

“Then the babe better listen to me well,” he said smiling.

Mary loved seeing him smile. It was so very rare to see him do so, and it never failed to fill her heart with joy.

Decimus splayed his hand on her stomach. “You will not faint again.”

The door opened and a wide-eyed Jenna stood balancing a platter in one hand. From her horrified expression she must have heard Decimus's order and thought he was issuing it to his wife.

Decimus quickly stood and followed through on keeping his image of a wicked and uncaring soul.

“I do not expect my wife to be an ill and weak-willed woman. See that you remain strong so that you will give me fine sons.” He turned to Jenna. “Make certain she eats and rests and takes walks. I hold you responsible for her well-being.”

Without another word to Mary, he stormed out of the room.

Jenna hurried to her side, her eyes filled with tears. “My lady, you must stay well or he will surely send me to the dungeons for torture.”

“Do not worry, all will be well,” Mary said. She would have no choice but to see Jenna free. If her plan succeeded and Jenna was left behind, she could possibly be made to suffer. So although Jenna did not know it, in a few months time she would be starting a new life.

The days passed pleasantly enough, at least when she was alone with Decimus. He remained a strict, heartless man in front of others. No one dared to question his orders, any directive from him met not an ounce of opposition.

She watched people tremble with fear when confronted by Decimus. And she attempted to listen to the gossip that circulated throughout the fortress, but whispers turned to murmurs in her presence. Everyone feared she would confide in her husband what she had heard and punishment would follow.

Jenna was careful with her remarks, always praising Decimus and reminding Mary of her husband's orders.

Mary continued to play her part well and to plan. She had hope of their successful escape and she intended to hold that hope strong in her heart and see that it became reality.

Decimus was roused from bed late one evening by one of the guards. He tucked the blanket around Mary and told her to sleep, he would return when he could.

He returned angry, several hours later, bolting the door behind him.

Mary shook away the sleep and sat up to see her husband pacing in front of the fireplace. “What is wrong?”

“Jenna was caught stealing food.”

Mary jumped out of bed and hurried to her husband's side. “Stealing food?”

He stopped pacing and slipped his arm around her waist. “She was caught taking the leftover food from your tray and giving it to her younger brother, who waited in the woods.”

“What is wrong with that?”

“It is not permitted. It is considered stealing and punishable by severe torture.”

Mary's legs grew weak. “You cannot be serious.”

He shook his head. “I issued the orders myself when I first came here. I had to make certain they all feared me beyond reason, so that none would question me. I needed complete obedience if I was to be able to come and go from the fortress without question.”

“No one has ever stolen?”

“No one has ever been caught.”

“Except Jenna.”

He nodded. “I found out that Jenna had been sharing her own food with her younger brother who lives in the woods. When she became your personal servant, she began giving him your leftovers. The boy is just as thin as his sister. They were orphaned a few months ago and Jenna had no way to feed them, so she came here to work.”

“Is that how you get most of your servants; they have a choice of either starving or working here?” Mary asked.

“I suppose working in hell at least allows for a chance of an everlasting life in heaven.”

Though fearful, Mary asked, “Are Jenna and her brother now prisoners?”

“They huddle in a cell together. I knew they needed each other's strength so I made it appear as if they would suffer their fate together. The young lad appears maybe six years, though Jenna claims his age is eight.”

Mary grabbed her husband's arm. “What will you do? Everyone will expect you to punish them.” Tears clouded her eyes. “Can the Dark One save them?”

Decimus stepped away from her, the look of anguish in his eyes tearing at Mary's heart. “I would need Roarke's assistance.”

“You have me.”

He raked his hair with his fingers in frustration. “I cannot risk your safety.”

“Is that not my choice?”

He looked at her as if she were daft. “I will not place you and my child in danger.”

She walked over to him, her blue eyes pleading. “They are two innocents, Jenna and her brother. Why should they suffer for being hungry? Roarke is not here; I am. I can help, just tell me what to do.”

He shook his head and walked away from her, turning back with angry eyes that had her recoiling. “How do I justify involving you? I wanted to keep you as far from harm as possible.”

“I understand, but right now two innocent children are our concern. There must be something we can do.”

He marched over to her and grabbed her by the arms. “I have no choice if I want Jenna and her brother to survive.”

“Then let us not waste another minute.”

His hands turned gentle and he drew her slowly to him. “You promise me you will be careful?”

“I will take no unnecessary chances.”

He hesitated, then nodded his consent. “The Dark One cannot be involved in this escape. I will need to keep the men distracted while you free Jenna and her brother. You will then need to take them to safety. Do you feel well enough to walk a distance?”

“I am fine and Jenna will be with me.”

“And your return?” he asked with concern. “I cannot venture out and bring you back. I must convince everyone here that you are ill and must remain in bed, and that only I will tend to you.”

“Will men search for us?”

“I will keep them away as long as possible, but eventually there will be a search. There are other men—men to be trusted, once prisoners themselves who now help in freeing others. They will guide Jenna, her brother, and you, and will show you a return route that is safer, accompanying you a short distance. But there will be at least half a day that you will be on your own.” He shook his head. “This is madness; you cannot be walking the woods alone.”