Gem of Gravane (The Northern Knights) (17 page)

Danielle felt someone coming behind
her and she went in the opposite direction of the hall. She slid into one of
the many secret passages her ancestors had built long ago and in which she had
played many times as a child.  The ancient torches lined the stone walls
unlit.  

She didn’t need the light for
passage. 

She knew the passages, four in all,
like the back of her hand.  She didn’t want light for it would only make
everything real and she could not handle that right now. 

She soon found a hidden corner and
sat down breathless on the stone bench. Energy drained from her body and hot tears
ran unchecked down her cheeks.  Her heart was broken. 

As she sat there sobbing and
choking, the memory of Edie’s words came back to her.  

Edie had said she’d recognize lust
when she saw it and surely she just had.  Only problem was it was not lust
in Aric’s eyes which he held for her.  Nay.  It had been stark and
painfully readable on his face for his
mistress
.  Edie had told her
many things, but failed to tell her about the unbearable ache in her chest that
she was feeling now. 

Danielle did not need anyone to
tell her how to recognize this one for she already knew.  She’d done the
unthinkable.  She’d fallen in love with her husband.

Aric was like a berserker in full
rage still hours later when no one claimed to know where Danielle was.  He
tore into servants, Gravane’s men, and his men like a raging ox until Balwain
brought a sleepy eyed Edie before him.
“If you lie for her your last night will be tonight, no matter how much you
mean to her.”  Aric’s words were clipped.
Balwain stiffened and stood at the shaky maid’s side, but said nothing. 

Edie came fully awake taking in her
lord’s dark face of rage.  “Milord. I- I have not seen milady since
she sent me away earlier. She said she needed me not this eve. I
swear to you.” 

The worry in her tone cut some into
his anger.    “Where would she go?”

“Go? I don’t know what has happened
milord. Why would she go? For what reason?”  Her suspicious
gaze went from him to Bawain then back to him again.   

 “You forget yourself. Matters
not the reason my wife is not present. What matters is where she
is
,
Edie.”  The finality for any more than that was in his tone.  Surely,
this maid as close as she was to his wife, knew something.  Aric wanted to
shout at someone.

Edie hesitated.  Something was
afoot.  She wanted no harm to come to her mistress and without knowing why
her lady had her husband looking for her and with such a fierce look as the one
he wore.   Why, she had to be sure.  Even if it might cause her
to be let her go from Gravane or worse. Her lady’s safety was
everything.  Lifting her chin, Edie swallowed a lump of fear and met her
lord’s dark gaze. 

“You have every right not to tell
me the reason she’s gone. You can send me away or punish me, milord for
'tis your right for my boldness.   However I will not tell you where
she is unless you promise me that no harm will come to her if you find
her.”  Edie held her breath. 

Balwain saw murder enter his lord’s
eyes but knew he would not strike a woman.  But Aric did step a hair’s
breadth to the maid and Balwain could feel her body trembling and heard the
hard swallow she took.    No matter what tendre he felt for
Edie, she was still a servant and had stepped out of her place speaking to her
lord in such a way. Still, he stood by her side.

Aric’s response took long in coming
as he breathed fire down on the little woman.  “You dare much to make such
demands of your lord, woman. Know this, if you dare ever do such again,
your time here will cease regardless of your closeness to my wife and my man’s
liking for you. Understood?”  

Her nod came quickly and Aric
continued after a moment.  He had to admit he was glad Danielle had such a
forthright protector. She would suit Balwain well.

“Now,
where is she
?”  
he bit out through clenched teeth.

Edie exhaled a pent up breath. “I
must take you to her.”

Her words brought frowns of
suspicion from both men.

Edie straightened her
back. “'Tis easier to show you than tell you.”  Aric stepped
back.  Edie continued on hurriedly.  “Milord, I swear on
milady’s life, ‘tis no trick. ‘Twill be faster for me to show
you. Please.”

Genuine concern and truth reflected
in the maid’s teary gaze spurred Aric into action.  He and Balwain
shared a knowing look and followed her. 

Danielle had cried herself to sleep
on the stone bench, her body curled up into a ball.  Her nose was red, her
eyes and lips swollen from her hard cry.  That’s how Aric saw her
when Edie had cast the light of the lit torch over her shivering form. 
The dark passage had a wind chill and combined with the wet, the dampness clung
within and to her thin gown.  It was not enough to shield her body from
the coldness of the stone. 

Aric’s heart thudded loudly in his
chest as he gazed down at her for a long silent moment. Light snores
reached his ears.  Her nose was stuffed from her sobs.  Something
tore inside his chest and he had trouble swallowing the ache of the emotion
down.  He leaned down over her and with little effort, lifted her
sleeping form into his arms, pressing her head tenderly against his chest.
 She did not move or wake.   

Balwain took the torch from Edie
and pulled her into his arms to keep her warm.  Turning he led all back
out of the dark passage.

Aric tore his gaze away from
Danielle’s face and looked at Edie for a silent moment.  He could not
speak.   

 The maid gave him a nod of
understanding in return. “Milord.”

Aric turned
and went above stairs with Danielle in his arms

Chapter 19

Danielle woke to a
sore throat and achy muscles.  She felt as if she’d been trampled by a
horse.  She was in their chamber and in the bed.  A low fire burned
in the hearth. A platter of food and drink sat on a nearby
table. Morning light cast its rays through the half open window.  She
squinted and turned to the other side of the bed. 

Aric was not there. 

He sat in a chair next to the
bed.  A shadow of a beard on his handsome face.  Danielle
frowned.  Where had that come from?  His clothing was disheveled and
his hair, loose, lay unkempt around his broad shoulders. 

She tried to rise and pain shot
through her from head to toe. She groaned.  Blast, she was achy. 

Taking in a slow breath, she tried
to stand on her shaky legs and reached out to touch him. But before her fingers
could connect, his eyes shot open and she froze with a gasp. 

“You are awake.”  His deep
voice was raspy. 

Was that concern in his tone that
she heard?  Nay.  

Danielle stretched her limbs. 
Memory slammed her. Last eventide.  The garden.

Him. Lady Ella. 

Fresh heartache and pain came
roaring back with the image. 

Aric stood and Danielle wrinkled
her nose.  He did not smell pleasant. Was that Lady Ella’s scent on
him? 

“Yea, I am awake.”  She
answered, frowning at his odd question and look of surprise on his face. Her
throat hurt and clearing it, tightness filled her chest. It felt like a
stone was sitting on it.  She rubbed her fingers over her breastbone. She
swallowed back a sob. She could not stop the words tumbling from her mouth.  “You
sit here with her smell on you to further humiliate me?” 
Aric looked confused for a moment, then wiped a large hand down over his face,
and shook his head to wipe the last vestiges of sleep away. 

“What you smell, Danielle, I am
ashamed to admit is a body unwashed for a few days. Not a
woman.”  He saw the puzzled look now in her eyes.  “As thrilled
as I am to see you are awake, you still need to remain abed. Come.”

He reached out for her elbow and
Danielle pulled away. She stumbled backwards and would have fallen if not for
his quick reflexes.  He steadied her.

“Nay.” Danielle whispered. 
She did not want him to touch her. 

“You are still weak. It will
be just a day or two more. Then you should be able to get up and
around more easily.” He pulled back the coverlets on the bed and patted
the soft mattress.  “In, Danielle.”

Danielle reluctantly sat, then a
moment later she pulled her legs up at his expression and he tucked her in.
 His touch did things to her she did not want to think about. 

“I am only sore from the bench and
cold. The passage and bench are made of stone, you know.”

“I know what it’s made of.” 

He stood in stood in front of
her.  He needed a bath in the worse way.  She could not help but rub
a finger under her nose.  

Aric went on, “Aye. I will
remedy that soon enough, but first tell me.  What all do you remember,
Danielle?”  His handsome face leaned down to her.

Danielle stared up at him and
scoffed.  “
Everything
.”  Her words came out angry and she
crossed her arms over her breasts.

“Oh, is that so? Are you sure you
remember everything?”

“Yea.”  She gave him a
meaningful look.  “You will not make me out to be the fool any longer.
‘Tis gone on long enough.  I remember the garden, Aric. And you and
your-your…” she leaned up to him and Aric raised his brows at that as she
finished, “your mistress. Bah! 
Guests.
”

“And what else?”

Danielle’s cheeks reddened. 
She was thoroughly exasperated at his audacity and her chest was really
starting to smart now. “I will not repeat what I saw. You were
there. You know damn well what else.”   She let loose a litany
of curses as she reminded him colorfully and pointed out his unfaithfulness.

Aric could only stare at
her. Where was his timid wife now?  He was going to have to work with
her on that blasphemous mouth. “I did not mean that. Tell
me. What do you remember up to, Danielle?” He folded his arms. 

That only made him look bigger and
Danielle wanted to slap that arrogant look from his face.  Blast it all.
Where had that thought come from?  Only he seemed to have this effect on
her.  She searched her memory another moment, then blushed with
embarrassment.  

“I went to a safe place
to…” she swallowed. “To work things out and fell asleep, I suppose.”

“Ah, I see.”  He sat back down
in the chair and leaned forward. “Well, your guess is right. You fell
asleep and have been so most of the time for over a sennight with fever from
the chill of nigh death in your bones.”

Danielle sat up quickly and back
down again just as quickly from the wave of dizziness. “Nay! That cannot
be.”  She exclaimed.

“Aye, ‘tis true. You had to be
purged so cold and fever did not win and get the best of you.”

 “But how? I don’t
remember. Wait…how did I get out of the passage then?”

“I carried you out.”

“But how? How did you know where
I’d…”  Danielle’s face dawned with knowing as she held his gaze. 
“Edie. Oh.” 

Aric grinned.  “She only
showed me which one you were in. I was well aware of the other three.
 But I fear I must admit that fourth one escaped me.  She will be
glad to see that you’re finally awake. She has been hovering over you like
a mother to a newborn babe. The bond you have with this woman is quite
deep, I see.” She did not question him, but the flash of warmth in her eyes and
her nod were enough.  He rose and checked to make sure she was securely
tucked in.  “Now, stay abed.” 

She didn’t want to stay in
bed.  Had she said that aloud?  By his wrinkled brow and hint of
a smile on his lips, yea, she had. 

 “You will not be going
anywhere until you are fully recovered and that includes your night wanderings,
Danielle.”

Danielle could only stare open
mouthed at him.  She shut and closed her mouth.  He couldn’t
know!  Could he?  Nay, he did not know.  

“I know all of it, Danielle.”

Danielle scoffed.  Damn! 
She had to learn to stop saying things out loud.  She peeked over at
him.  He said nothing.  Good.  She would start now. 

“You know?”  Her words were
more of a statement than a question.  She glanced at him sheepishly from
the corner of her eyes.

“Aye, Danielle, I know and when I
return from a quick visit to Egway and Gent, I will have the whole of it,
understood.”   He saw by the look in her eyes that she wanted to
interrupt, but she thought better of it and gave him a weak smile
instead.  Aric was not so sure he liked the smile on her face and he added
in a warning tone. “Another guard will be added to the one you already have and
if you choose to think otherwise about my order, Danielle, one will be posted
directly to you.”

Danielle gasped. “You would
not dare!”  She knew as soon as the words were out of her mouth that he
would. 

Aric stood, a dark look on his face
as he gazed down at her. “I would. And Danielle, I told you once before,
never question my orders.”

She was so mad she would have
slapped him if he’d not moved away to the door.  “Aric!”  She
shouted.  “I am not a child. I need no one to watch over me.”

“This past week has proven that to
be an untruth.”  He spoke right over the string of curses that left
her mouth, and he bellowed.  “Leave that bed while I am gone and
I will have ten men watching you. Understood, Danielle?” 

She let out a scream.  Anger
filled him and Aric quit the chamber.  He took in a deep breath as he
descended the stairs.  He was more exasperated than he was angry.  
He almost wished that she still slept.  She had no patience.

 Danielle thought over the
events.  He had said naught of Lady Ella. Yea, he’d downright skirted her
inquiry.  His disheveled appearance was not that look he’d had after being
intimate with her.  Danielle grew warm at the memory.