The Dark Knight (37 page)

The stiff set of his shoulders relaxed. “When I heard Segrave reveal my deception and saw that you believed him, I was certain you would never again look at me the way you are looking at me right now. I should have known your reaction would be the exact opposite of what I expected.” He reached out to brush the backs of his fingers across her cheek. “There really is something wrong with you,
cara
. Whatever it is, I pray that you are never cured.”

“You truly do not care that I am legally bound to another man?”

“Words on paper mean nothing,” he told her. “You will be mine in every other way.”

Whatever he saw in her face made him release a sigh of resignation.

“I cannot promise that Segrave will break your betrothal,” he said, “but I will do everything in my power to ensure he renounces you before we leave England. I want you for my wife, Avalene.”

Hope and happiness bloomed inside her, even though the doubts were still there. She had never met another man who appealed to her in so many ways. Was it truly possible that he viewed her the same way? She bit her lower lip and tried to imagine a lifetime with Dante.

“Oh, you should not have done that.”

Before she could think to ask what he meant, before she could think at all, he reached over and plucked her from her saddle. When she was settled on his lap, he turned her face to his and kissed her, not a gentle kiss this time, but one that spoke of possession. She gave herself over to the moment and this time her thoughts were silenced. There was nothing inside her that said this was wrong. Some elemental part of her knew it was right, that he was the right man for her. The only man for her.

She drew back just enough to look into his eyes. “Do you really think I will be allowed to go to Italy?”

“No matter what happens, I am not leaving England without you.” Something dark flickered in his gaze. Determination. “This I promise.”

He was telling her the truth. The longer she looked into his eyes, the more she could feel it in her very soul. No matter what else he had lied to her about in the past, this much was true. This amazing man loved her.

She leaned forward and touched her lips to his, surrendering at last without hesitation. His mouth slanted over hers with a fierceness that sent heat racing through her and she looped her arms around his neck to hold him closer. The kiss never seemed to end, but the edge of hunger gradually eased and his hold on her gentled. She didn’t think it possible, but his slow, deep kisses turned more erotic. He did things to her mouth that made her whole body tremble.

Just when she began to wonder how far he intended to take their kisses, she felt his body go suddenly rigid and he lifted his head. She smiled up at him but the smile faded as she heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats. The haze of lust disappeared entirely as Armand rode alongside them and then paced his horse to theirs.

“There is a rider on the ridge to our right, my lord. He has followed us for most of an hour.”

She started to look toward the ridge but Dante placed his hand along the side of her face in what probably looked like a casual caress. He made certain she could not turn her head and neither man looked toward the potential danger.

“There were no reports of bandits in this area,” Dante said to Armand, although his gaze remained on Avalene.

“He carries a shield with no markings and looks well armed.” Armand shook his head. “ ’Tis near impossible the Segraves could have caught up with us this quickly. My guess is mercenaries, likely between postings and looking for opportunity. The valley narrows ahead and we will be forced to ride single file. The passage would be an ideal place for a larger force to lie in wait.”

Tension radiated from Dante’s body but he said nothing more. Armand continued to ride alongside them, also silent. She could almost hear the men thinking through plans and strategies.

“We will set camp beneath the trees ahead,” Dante said at last. “Make certain Rami knows he must act as if nothing is amiss.”

Armand spurred his horse forward to where Rami rode point and then slowed again to talk to the boy. She realized with a jolt of surprise that Rami led her horse by the reins and wondered when that had happened. She had been so lost in Dante’s kisses that she’d forgotten all about her horse, and hadn’t given a thought to the spectacle she made of herself. In different circumstances she would have been mortified. Now her embarrassment seemed irrelevant. Her gaze moved past Armand to the only trees of any size in the grassy valley, a clump of a half-dozen elm trees surrounded by smaller
saplings. Rami was already turning his horse toward the elms.

“It appears my levelheadedness where your safety is concerned will be put to the test sooner rather than later.” Dante did not sound happy.

She felt helpless. “What can I do?”

“You can do exactly as I tell you,” he quipped. He even managed a crooked smile. “Armand could be mistaken about the man’s intent. He could be alone, perhaps a knight or soldier from a nearby keep who simply happened upon us and is watching to make sure we pass through his lord’s lands without incident.”

“You do not really believe that is the case.”

“I would rather prepare for the worst possibility and be relieved if it does not come to pass.” He glanced at the sun, and then startled her by brushing his mouth across hers in another brief kiss. His lips moved in a purposeful line along her jaw to her ear and he spoke in a quiet tone. “We still have four or five more hours until dark. It will look unusual if we stop this early for no reason. The lie will be made more believable if I appear to be so overcome with lust that I ordered the camp set so I could be with you.” His teeth nipped painlessly at her earlobe. “Indeed, it will not be much of a lie.”

“How can you—”

“Shhh.”

The hushing sound made her teeth clench together as his breath tickled her ear and scattered her thoughts. Oh, good Lord, that felt wicked, almost as if he were somehow inside her head.

“I will make certain you are safe,” he murmured. “Their lookout will have to ride ahead to let the others know we have set camp. We will have plenty of time to prepare for them. If they do not appear by nightfall, I
will send Armand to find their camp and learn more of their intentions. Now, remember to cling to me.”

Before she could think to ask what he meant, he dismounted. She looked around, startled to realize they had reached the stand of elms. Dante put his hands on her waist and gave a small squeeze to remind her of her role, and then he lifted her to the ground. Well, eventually he let her feet touch the ground, but only after he deliberately slid most of her weight down the front of his chest as slowly as possible. He was right. If not for the way her pulse raced from panic, this pretense would not be much of a lie.

He took her hand and walked to where the brush around the trees thinned a little and then he led her to the base of the largest tree. It also happened to have the widest trunk and there were fewer saplings growing in its shade, just sparse grass and wildflowers. The saplings that surrounded them would slow down any attackers, but the horses would never fit within this confined space. That meant some or all of them would have to remain in the open to guard the horses.

“Stay here,” Dante murmured, and then he wound his way back out of the saplings.

She could see the men and horses quite clearly through the leafy greenery and suspected her red cloak was just as visible from the road, but probably not from the ridge. The wide trunk sheltered her from that side.

Oliver, Armand, and Rami were already engaged in some of the usual activity associated with setting up camp for the night, unsaddling and hobbling the horses, unloading the packs. They began to haul the gear and saddles to where Avalene stood. Dante knelt down next to one of the packs and pulled out the chain mail he had worn as Sir Percival.

“Take off your cloak,” he said, as he draped the chain mail over one arm.

She shed her cloak and then her eyes widened as he held out the chain mail and his intent became obvious. “I cannot wear that.”

“You will not have to stand in it,” he said, thinking she was worried about the weight of the garment. Thousands of intricate metal links formed the fabric, a sleeveless garment fashioned to cover a man from his neck to his knees. On her it would fall near her ankles. He nodded toward the growing mounds of saddles and packs that surrounded her. “I want you to lie on the ground behind the gear to stay out of sight, but they might have an archer or crossbows. The mail will protect you from any stray arrows or bolts.”

“What will protect you?” That was her main concern with taking his armor. He would be left defenseless. Well, less defended. “You should wear the mail.”

“I have no need of it.” He shook his head at whatever he saw in her face. “Armor is for knightly combat, Avalene. I do not fight fair.”

“Good. But I will be safe behind this pile of baggage while you will be an easy target for an arrow or bolt. Surely it could help protect you.”

He actually smiled. “The garment would likely prove more hindrance than help, and knowing you wear it will help me stay focused. Now, lean forward so I can get this over your head.”

She reluctantly obeyed. After endless days of wearing heavy, rain-drenched clothing the mail was not the burden she feared it would be, but she thought of another worry as Dante adjusted the mail to hang evenly. “Rami will stay here with me?”

“Rami’s job is to help tend the horses.”

“But he is just a boy!”

“Exactly. They will expect to see him tending the horses.” He framed her face between his palms. “Calm down, Avalene. I will not let any harm come to Rami.”

She took an unsteady breath, but his touch did calm her a little. “I do not like this.”

“Nor do I.”

“Perhaps if you gave me a weapon, I could—”

“No.”

“What if we are outnumbered? What if—”

This time he silenced her with a kiss. He kept kissing her until she began to relax in his arms and somehow she ended up seated in his lap at the base of the elm. His hands gently rubbed her arms. “I know what I am doing, Avalene.”

It took her a moment to gather her wits enough to realize he was talking about the preparations they were making for an attack, although he could have been talking about kissing and she would have agreed on that score as well.

“I will send Rami to you as soon as they begin to move in,” he went on. “Oliver and Armand know what to do in this sort of situation. Rami will only be in the way, another distraction we cannot afford. ’Tis your job to make sure the boy stays with you once we send him in. I suspect he will feel as strongly as you do about the need to help us. Without question, you can help us best by making certain you both remain protected behind the baggage. Will you promise to obey me in this matter?”

She bit her lower lip as she considered the request. Once she had promised to obey Sir Percival without question. That seemed a lifetime ago. Could she cower in safety if Dante and his men were threatened, if there were something she might be able to do to swing a fight in their favor?

She couldn’t think of anything she could do that
would make a difference. Her experience with weapons came solely from watching Lord Brunor’s knights on the practice fields. The odds seemed more favorable that she would distract Dante at a moment that could prove fatal. She looked into his eyes and saw the tension there. He was already distracted by the thought that she might do something foolish. She placed her palms on each side of his face, as he had done earlier to calm her. “I promise.”

He breathed a deep sigh of relief. “The wait will be the hardest part. If they did, indeed, intend to attack us in the pass, it will take them time to discuss this change in circumstances and devise a new plan.”

She wondered how many men were in the band of mercenaries. If they had a force even half as large as the Segraves, they would be in dire straits. If there even was a band. All of this alarm could be over nothing. “So they are probably discussing their plan as we speak?”

“Aye. Armand is keeping an eye out for their spy. He disappeared soon after it became obvious we were making camp here. He has not reappeared.”

So there
was
ample cause for alarm.

“I must make preparations before they return,” he said in a quiet voice. “Will you be all right by yourself?”

Translation: Can I trust you to stay put? She could read that worry easily enough in his eyes. “I will be fine. Please, do not worry that I will do something foolish. I trust you to do what is right.”

He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her wrist. His mouth turned upward in a wry smile. “In this instance, your trust is exceptionally well placed.”

Over the next quarter hour she tried to look satisfied with the arrangement as he helped pile more baggage around her until she felt cocooned against the tree. She made a few adjustments to the saddles to make sure
there was enough room for Rami in their lair, but that was the extent of the help she could provide. Weighed down by the chain mail, there was no way she could lug saddlebags or gear from the horses. Besides which, she felt ridiculous in the garment. Women did not wear chain mail. She looked down at the gray metal links. Well, most women.

The limited view of the men frustrated her most. She could see them fairly well through the branches, but not when the wind stirred through the saplings. It was at a point when the breeze blew particularly hard that Dante disappeared entirely from the road. Oliver and Armand were still there, now pretending to play a game of dice. She caught an occasional glimpse of Rami as he moved from one horse to the next, brushing down each animal. She would like to be with them, even if it meant pretending to do something. Instead she sat alone in her armor, helpless to contribute anything useful, more of a liability. What had Dante said? Ah, yes, more hindrance than help.

It seemed like a whole day had passed by the time she stretched out on her cloak and stared up at the leaves, watching the play of sunlight and shadows, but the sun had not moved more than an hour or so across the sky. Bored and anxious, it was a strange combination of feelings that made her long to close her eyes for a nap that would make the time pass more quickly. That was out of the question, of course. She was so nervous that she was almost afraid to blink.