Debra Kay Leland (31 page)

She felt his hands go around her softly and come to rest on the child within her and she froze wanting to be angry
, and yet she was not.  She stood there for a long moment, her heart racing at his gentle embrace, his strong arms around her, his long tanned hands splayed on her rounded belly.  She closed her eyes wishing it didn’t feel so right to have him so near…  His lips murmured softly in her ear.  “The child is restless tonight…”

She opened her eyes and looked down at his hands knowing he was feeling what she was feeling, and knowing how wonderful it felt to be embraced, to feel cared for…  She drew a quick breath at the thought and slowly
moved away from him knowing he had purposely avoided the words she’d just spoken and had played on her vulnerabilities instead.

He straightened and watched her with gentle eyes
, but made no move to touch her again.

She turned away from him, and finally found her voice.  “Ye act as if ye di
d not hear my words and confuse me with yur soft touches, but I shall not be treated as a pawn, Lord Farrington!  If ye want answers about all that has happened, I assure ye I have told ye all, for indeed I meant only to protect my bother…  And in truth, there is nothing more to add!”

He watched her carefully knowing he had not mistaken her response to him as he held her, nor the pounding of her heart that he could still feel against his own chest
, even now.  And truly, it had been such a long time since he had held a woman—felt one soft and sweet in his embrace, and smelled the fragrance lavender in their hair…  “I am a man of honor, lady Miranda.  I did not bring ye here to try to coerce answers from thee, nor to toy with thee.  I enjoy thy company and had hoped that ye too enjoyed mine. ”

She nodded just once, her back still to him.  “But I am a widow—and ye know well how they are treated by men.  I saw it in my own village, and I shall not let any man treat me as such, not even ye!”

He nodded solemnly.  “I meant no dishonor to thee, and I have never been anything more than what I am with thee, a friend.”

She stepped back; her thoughts still of Lydan and his hurtful words.  She knew she ought to be offended with this man too, but in truth she wasn’t.  Though
in the end, she owed her husband’s name more of a care than her own feeling for this man, feeling that she wished she didn’t have.  “Fair enough.  But my husband is only in the grave nigh three months, I am with child, my father-in-law lies in his bed above us and the servants need nothing more to gossip about…”

He nodded as he watched her.  “Aye, ‘tis true,” he paused and lifted his dark eyes to gaze at her softly, lowering his voice to a gentle murmur as he continued, “… but, ye are also a woman who lacks a friend to confide in, and a companion to share the wonder of William’s child with.  Yet, I am a gentleman and a friend to thee; I hope I have shown thee thus and earned thy trust.”

She turned away from him at the truth in his words though she would not let him know how true they were, and again she pushed him away.   “Ye over step yur bounds, m’lord.”

He laughed softly. 
“Do I?  Or is it the truth that makes thee so uncomfortable?”

He held out his hand to her.  “Come now, m’lady, and I shall see thee to thy room again.  I have no wish to make thee angry or weary this night, for indeed I had only hoped that coming here
would ease thy burden a bit.”

She turned but did not take his hand, half wishing she was able to just walk through the castle gates and leave this place—if only to find Turin, and because she didn’t want to be here with any of them any longer, not even him though he had tried to be a friend.  And yet to leave would b
e impossible, and she knew it.

He smiled at her grudging response and dropped his hand.  “Very well, come.”  He motioned her towards the door and to the stairway.  She lifted her skirt and stepped steadily upward.  He took her arm half way up noticing her fau
lted steps.  “Can ye make it?”

She nodded, even though she wasn
’t sure if she actually could.

He noticed her unsteady steps and stopped her abruptly, wordlessly lifting her into his arms despite her gasp of alarm.  He smiled down into her flushed face, her small mouth in a soft o.  “It would be best not to struggle, m’lady, I would not want to embarrass myself by dropping thee before I make it to the top.”

She froze at his words picturing just that happening.  “I—I can walk.”

“Nay, m’lady, ye cannot.”  He took the stairs effortlessly like a man who was used to exerting himself.  On the landing he righted her again, and took her arm as the guards opened the door before them.  She tensed and lowered her eyes as they watched her, wishing all the while she was able
to push away from him, and leave all that was happening to her here out of mere anger!  Yet instead, he led her to her chamber where her maid who had been waiting turned and step out discreetly.

Miranda blushed nervously, never before had she been so concerned with
his nearness as she was right then; for in truth, he was slowly tearing down the walls that she had erected to protect herself with and it unnerved her even more!  He stopped beside the table his hands clasped behind his back as he stared at her from across the room.  He looked down and sighed, then lifted his head.  “I want thee to know I shall do my best to see that thy brother is caught; but also, that he is not falsely accused for thy sake.”

Her gasp was audible.  “Then they are looking for him?”

“Aye, and for the others also.  I hope for thy sake the lad is as innocent as ye say he is.”

She didn’t know what to say in reply, her only thought was to somehow help Turin. 
“What does innocent have to do with it when the boy cannot prove such to thee?!”

“Ye know me better than that, Miranda, if I find truth in the boy, I shall stand behind him.”  He looked up at her again.  “I shall leave thee now, m’lady…”  He hesitated, then stepped closer stopping in front of her, his voice low and soft as he spoke, yet she looked away.  “But… but I shall leave thee with this…  Goodnight, m’lady.”  Without waiting for a reply he tipped his head and brushed his lips against hers softly but once, then lifted his head with a soft smile as he turned and left; leaving her standing
there frozen, and speechless…

Her maid came in then and eyed her curiously, but Miranda turned away to ready herself for bed wordlessly, though her mind was yet on Garrick and the gentle kiss he had left her with.  She touched her soft lips in the darkened room that still tingled from his kiss, knowing that if Lydan had done such she would have struck him.  And yet with Garrick it had been so very different, she wasn’t sure what made it different, for in truth, one man repelled her and yet the other did not; but yet, somehow it was different.

She laid awake thinking of Garrick instead of William and it bothered her, and so did the fact that she had enjoyed his kiss and his embraces, though she had not dared to say so.  But it been enough, that she promised herself that on the morrow she would set things between them straight and not allow herself to be coerced by his gentle touches again.  He had said he wanted to be her friend, but his actions said more than that, and she knew it needed to stop here!

Garrick laid in bed that night with nothing on his mind but the young girl he had yet to convince to be his bride.  He had decided to press her a little to see how she would react to him, and if indeed he was sensing what he thought she was feeling too.  He had been right, she had not resisted and despite her wary words he knew she had wanted him near to her.  She felt as good in his arms as he thought she would, and it felt so natural to touch her child.  And the good Lord knew, that he was falling in love with the girl, though he had not planned it to be such.  He may be older, but he would be a good husband to her, and her child would be well protected by his name as well as by his guards.  He himself was not without title and holding, Claymore was large and formidable… and empty.  He imagined taking her back with him when he went, imagined the look of surprise on her lovely face when she first saw it looming over the rocky cliffs by the sea…  And the look of pleasure on her lovely face when she saw the beauty of it within.   It was a beautiful place, with gardens that Sarah had tended—
Sarah
…  His heart sank in his chest at her name.  He would always love her…
always
…  Yet now, he was thinking of taking a mere girl as his wife.  He sighed, and flung a strong arm over his eyes at the thought, reassuring himself that Sarah would have not wanted him to go on alone.

The next day news reached Edmund of the trouble in one of his holdings as he lay in his bed, his nephew at his side.  The two men looked at one another and worried.  A barn had burned to the ground that stored a winters worth of grain, and it seemed too much a coincidence to let pass.

“I shall have the guard dispensed, uncle.  Until we locate whoever is responsible for thy attack it would be well for thee to re
main safely within thy walls.”

He agreed and t
old him to double the patrols.

Garrick nodded.  “I sent word yesterday for a regimen of one hundred men to atte
nd me here from Claymore.”

“Is that wise?”

“I have an army of nigh three hundred; they shall not be missed when they are needed here more.”

His uncle nodded appreciatively before he sighed and settled back again
, wincing as he did so.  “And how is the girl faring?”

Garrick couldn’t help bu
t smile at the mention of her.

“Ah, does that sm
ile mean that she fairs well?”

“It does.  I believe I shall have no trouble pressing my suit with the girl, though the recent situation with her brother has overly taxed her I am afraid
, and she has not been herself.”

Edmund nodded.  “’Tis a difficult time for us all, but soon the truth shall be known
and all shall be well again.”

A frown creased the man’s forehead.  “I only hope for her sake that ‘tis not her brother who has caused such havoc, I do not think she would forgive us if anything happened to the boy.”

Edmund nodded.  “I fear ye are right, but I am still hoping for a peaceful end to this.  Though even if there is none, the lady shall know none of it, there is no reason to stress her or her child when the situation is out of her hands.”

Garrick agreed, though it was a hurtful thing to do, it was for the best.

The search for the men who had shot the Earl and set fire to the barn—and for Miranda’s brother continued, though all concerned believed that in the end it would be found that they were one and the same, and it worried Garrick.  The efforts doubled with the hundred men from Claymore, and yet somehow despite it all, the men still managed to evade them.  As if they knew where his men would be beforehand...  He decided not to tell anyone of his plans save his captain; not trusting that word had not gotten out somehow.

Miranda stood at her window watching the commotion below as the men were dispatched hastily and the drawbridge was raised again.  The threat was real and all knew it, even her.  She could not see far towards the courtyard, but the number of men on patrol were enough that they spilled around the side of the castle below her window and it worried her.  She drew a long breath and scanned the meadow where Turin had meant to meet her, though he had left there days ago, she still was afraid for him.  If he was the one who had shot her father-in-law he would be in grave danger, and she wasn’t sure if she would even be able to help him!  And if he wasn’t—she could only hope he was not falsely accused of the deed in the end!

If only she could have found a way to get to word to him without being found out, but that was impossible; unless—unless she could somehow convince Garrick to release her.  But she had yet to see him since he’d taken her to the garden, a
nd that had been two days ago.

She sighed as she felt the child move within her again knowing that even if she did find a way to escape she was in no condition to travel far.  She sat down and glanced at the older woman who had hardly spoken two words to her all day.  She didn’t want it to be true, but yet Lydan’s words haunted her more and more.  She felt as if all here had already turned their backs on her, for it had been nigh a week since she had even heard a word from her father-in-law and though she had asked to attend him, yet he had not agreed..
.  Is this how it would be after she had the child?  Would he lock her in her chamber or the tower—or see that an accident befell her?
  She cringed at the idea, and yet it would not leave her. 

The draw bridge was lowered and she closed her eyes and prayed for Turin
yet again…

“What now?”

“Another storehouse.”

“Whoever it is wants to ruin my holding and bait me into showing myself!”

“They shall be caught, I give thee my words, ‘tis only a matter of time now.”

“I trust thee Garrick.  But when they are found I want to question them myself as to their motives!”

I
t was late in the day when he arrived with her tray and dismissed her maid.  He smiled and set it down at the table already sensing her wary mood as he watched her, knowing that it would be difficult to win her over this night.  “Hungry?”