Rowena Through the Wall: Expanded Edition (18 page)

Well, not for presidents, anyway.

He smiled. "As you please, m'lady. Would you like me to saddle Lightning?"

"Yes, please. Do you know of a wood carver who would take on a small commission for me? A fellow who can do fine work?"

"Of course. I will send for him this morning."

Avery brought Lightning from her stall. I sensed that she already knew I was there. She whinnied as she pranced up to me.

Happy, I inhaled. "How I love the smell of hay and horses. It's like a drug for me, signaling that all is right with the world."

"Me also, m'lady."

We shared a companionable moment.

"Avery, do you know of a quiet field where I could do some training with her? Close by so the king doesn't have a fit."

He held back a chuckle. "Yes."

"And do you have a long rope? Not too heavy, but the longest you can find."

He scratched his chin, baffled by that request. But he was quick to do my bidding. As I mounted Lightning, he returned with a coil of rope.

Avery's directions were good. The field I rode to was south of the castle, but still within sight. And it was unoccupied. The men practiced their weaponry to the east and north, where the grass had be
en cleared for games.

I don't think I had ever seen a sweeter day in Land's End. The sun shone orange―I was getting used to that―and the air was warm. The seasons followed the same as those at home. I wondered if the days did too, if one day here was the s
ame as one day there.

I dismounted and removed my dress. Under it, I wore the pink t-shirt and my blue jeans. A brilliant move, I thought. No one had known. I folded the dress and set it next to my bag.

Lightning was frisky, so I started her with easy stuff. She needed to learn to obey my commands at an instant. I moved her into a gallop, then signaled her to turn. She seemed confused at first, but after a few tries she caught on. I ran her around in a circle. Man, she was quick. Then I began to teach her the cutting moves.

After a long while, I let her rest. Sliding from her back, I went over to my bag. The rope was inside. I touched it.

"Not as pliable as I'd like." But that could be fixed.

The pounding of hooves signaled an approaching rider.

Sargon rode into the pasture. "What are you doing?"

"I'm training Lightning." I shaded my eyes with a hand. "I can do it best when wearing my riding gear. That's why I came here where no one can see me."

"Not so. The lookouts can see you from the parapet. One came to find me."

Rats. There was no privacy here at all.

"I'm sorry if I alarmed you," I said with a tentative smile. "As you can see, we were taking a break before going back."

Sargon dismounted and took in my ponytail, jeans and t-shirt.

"What is this you are wearing? And where is your dress?"

"I put it over there." I pointed. "Of course, I'll wear it back to the castle. And these are jeans." I patted my legs.

"These jeans you wear are obscene, woman. But I like this soft thing." He touched my T-shirt. "It shows your breasts, but not fully, if you understand me." He moved his hands down to demonstrate and I hissed in air.

"So tell me," I said, trying to be calm. "How is it there are no women here and yet you know so much?"

He didn't pretend to misinterpret me. "There has always been a shortage of women in this land because so many died during childbirth. Until the war four years ago, there were some women here. The youngest would have been your mother's age. Older women can teach a lot."

Ah, so that was it. How nice for the older women to have young lovers. I was careful not to ask what had become of these women. Whenever I had shown curiosity about this, no one would speak of it.

"Is this writing on your shirt?" he asked.

I nodded.

"What does it say?"

I hesitated. "Cowgirls do it sitting astride."

"What does that mean? What is a cowgirl?"

Without waiting for an answer, his hands moved down to my bottom. He drew me closer and his mouth found mine. I clung to him and we were off on that raging sea of longing, riding the rolling surf until he pulled back and cursed.

"We can't do this here. They can see from the battlements."

I trembled. Amazing how my mind got muddled so quickly.

He went to get my dress. Silent, I slipped into it and we mounted our horses and headed for the castle.

"I don't mind you coming here," Sargon said, "but tell me when you intend to, and go no further. I'll make sure someone keeps an eye on you from afar."

"Thank you."

Funny how I felt the need to thank him for giving me any freedom at all. This irked me.

"You wanted to give me a wedding present," I reminded him. "I've thought of something."

"Tell me."

"I'd like a puppy. At home, I have a little white terrier. I miss him. Also, I had to leave Duke, an Irish wolfhound, behind at Huel."

Sargon's expression shifted to rage and he almost growled. "I hate dogs. I won't have them in the castle. Pick something else."

I was so shocked, I could scarcely breathe. It was as if the sun had suddenly turned to gray stone and had no warmth at all.

Was it the word
wolfhound
? Had that been the trigger?

Obviously, he didn't know about Ralph, the kitchen mutt. But then, what reason would Sargon ever have to visit the kitchen?

It seemed safer to change the subject.

"Well, perhaps I could have a new saddle," I said. "One that fits me well and is more styled the way I am accustomed."

He nodded, satisfied. "That is a perfect gift. I will speak to Avery immediately."

He eyed me with curiosity. "Only one in a million women―if that―would ever ask for a saddle. How different you are."

Damn straight, I thought.

At least I had gotten my way on one thing. I could train in the field and hopefully regain my former skills as a
horsewoman.

Sargon led me to the stables.

"This interlude has interrupted my own training," he said before leaving. "I'll join you at dinner."

As soon as he was gone, Avery arrived with a message. "I have the carver here, m'lady. You can meet with him in the back."

"Thank you."

He introduced me to an elderly man with no front teeth. The man gave me a shy nod and I explained what I wanted. He seemed quite bright and anxious to get started, but I wondered if he would get the instructions right. He didn't write anything down. He couldn't. Most of these men were illiterate.

I thought about the library full of books and Thane's love of them.

"What would you like in a saddle?" Avery asked.

I explained the difficulty of getting up and down, and the fact that a horn
―I described it―would be of much help as I would have something to hold on to.

When I got back to the castle, I went straight to the royal suite. I heard a sound in the room next door, so I peeked around the corner.

Thane sat in a chair, reading a book.

Fo
r some reason, my heart felt lighter.

"Hello," I said. "May I come in?"

He jumped to his feet. "Of course, Lady."

There was an awkward silence.

I turned to the shelf beside me and read the book spines.

Thane watched me, saying nothing.

"What are you reading?" I asked.

"It's about the Gods."

When I looked up, he passed the book to me.

"You have Hesiod's
Theogony
." I opened it. "But it's in Greek."

He nodded.

"I don't read Greek," I said with a sad sigh.

"You don't?"

"No. Only English, Spanish and some Latin.
I can recognize ancient Greek when I see it, but that's about it."

"You read three languages?"

"But not Greek."

He smiled and it reached his eyes, which were that startling blue―so unlike his brother's.

"Most of the books in the library are Greek," he sai
d. "I can teach you."

"Would you?" I could hardly contain my excitement.

"It can be my wedding present to you."

"When can we start?"

He thought a moment. "After the tournament."

I must have looked disappointed because Thane hurried to explain. "I don't think Sargon would appreciate me taking your time in these early days. It would not be…wise."

I felt that little heart tug again. There was always something dark about my time with Sargon. Yet, here in the library, I felt quiet joy.

I touched his hand. "Thank you."

I heard his sharp intake of breath. He pulled his hand away and stepped back. I felt an inexplicable loss and turned away, embarrassed.

Why did I long for Thane's company so much?

"At first, I thought you looked exactly like your brother," I said. "But your eyes are different."

"I have my mother's eyes."

"So your father's eyes were black?"

"No, blue as well, but lighter."

I was struck still. Very carefully, I worded the next bit.

"Did you both have the same parents?"

"Yes. Mother died when I was born. Father never quite got over that, I think. He loved her dearly."

"That's sad. I am so sorry."

A young page knocked on the open door.

"Excuse me, Lady," Thane said.

My mind was elsewhere.

Sargon's mother had blue eyes. So did his father. Yet Sargon had black eyes. This was so improbable it could only mean one thing. But they wouldn't know that here. They wouldn't know about genetics. Or that it was very rare for two blue-eyed parents to produce a child with black eyes.

Sargon had inherited his father's eyes, all right.

And I'd bet my last dollar his father hadn't been the king.

Chapter 21

The next morning, Richard found me in the stables.

"Rowena, can you come now? Your grandfather wants you."

"Of course," I said. "Kendra?"

She shook her head. "I'm meeting Logan for training, so I'll see you at dinner. I'm showing him how to fight with sticks."

I grinned and followed Richard into the castle.

"Cedric is here," he said. "He's come to meet with the king to officially establish his claim to Huel Castle. Or so he says."

This was disturbing news. Grandfather wasn't dead yet, so wasn't this premature? I wondered if the eldest male in the family automatically took control when the existing earl could no longer fight with his men.

Grandfather met me at the door to his room. He wasn't smiling.

"Go speak with Cedric," he told me. "I'll be in the courtyard."

Cedric was sitting on the chair by the window. His feet were propped up on the bed. I could see him clearly now, unlike that first time in the church when things were so rushed. He appeared to be about thirty, although his face seemed older. His tunic was dusty from riding. A Roman coin hung from a silver chain around his neck. His arms were huge, banded with muscle, and the gold hair on them bothered me.

So this was
my eldest second cousin―or was it third?

"Ah, cousin," he said in a tenor voice. "Come sit here on the bed."

I didn't see any good reason not to. "Choose your battles" is my motto.

Cedric leaned forward. "So my worthless brother lost the most important ba
ttle of his life and now you sleep with Sargon. How does he treat you?"

Before I could answer, he was on his feet. He yanked my hair back and stared at my throat. "Richard was right. I see that it is true then. Sargon is part wolf."

I pulled back, startled.

Cedric's red-gold hair swung in front of me. "Did you not know that some beasts bite the female, to hold her in place for mating?"

A cold wind crept down my spine.

"It is rumored that Sargon's mother was a witch, who slept with wolves," Cedric said, sneering. "Or at least one wolf-god. And so she called him Wolf."

"Take care," I warned. "Do not try to say this to him."

He snorted. "I'm not a fool." He pointed to the bruise. "This angers me. Do you want me to do something about it? I will if you say so."

"No!" I cried.

I hardly knew what to think. Cedric was protecting me?

He frowned. "You know I have been preparing for war. I am pondering which path to take. The old man is finished. He'll stay here with you and young Richard for now. I have command of Huel and all the men. We'll attend this tournament. Then I will decide my course of action."