The Dark Lady (33 page)

“
It is the way things are done. He is my Lord—”

She waved his words away. “He should not be.” She jerked her head up, glancing in his eyes, then away. “I cannot marry you, unless you ask the permission to marry from Lady Vanessa.”

“
That is not the way things are done. Why would I ask a woman?” Devon was drawn to the lady as well as the other men were, but to treat her like the lord of the manor would be unheard of. What would Peter say?

Amy looked to be almost into a panic. He tried to draw her close to him once again, but she pulled away. “Would you not ask my father if he were alive?”

“
Of course,” he said humorously.

“
And if my father were dead, would you not ask my mother if she were alive?” Her voice was still low, but had taken on a desperate tone.

“
Yes.” He knew where she was leading, and if it were that important to her, he would do it. He would probably do anything she asked of him, reasons or not.

“
They are both gone,” Amy said. “Please, you have to ask her. Van is all I have.”

Devon wondered for a moment about the name, but let it go as a stutter in her fear and excitement.

“
Please, Devon. She is all there is for me, and she is responsible for me, not Lord Peter. She is the one who promised to take care of me.”

“
All right.”

“
All right what?”

He pulled her close. “The sun shall rise soon, and if I am to talk to Lady Vanessa in the morning, I should get some sleep.”

Amy jumped to her feet and all the horses whinnied in response to her cries of joy.

Flying up, he threw his hand over her mouth. “If you scream, everyone will know we are out here, and if Lady Vanessa kills me, it will be difficult to marry you.”

CHAPTER 15

Verges stood in the early morning shadows off the side of the road and watched a large group of boys marching toward Grayweist Castle. The boys trudging along the dusty road were still too far away for him to see individual faces. The sun had not deemed to show her head over the horizon and only sent teasing lights up to color the clouds and to whisper promises of the warmth it would bring.

He could tell by the way they walked that they were all mere children, fresh from plowing the small plots of land allotted them. He hoped there was a boy among them that he could use.

For his purposes, or more for the purposes of The Knight of Fear, a weak, pliable man was useless. A man who was too strong would be just as worthless. He would recognize the type he needed, of that he was sure. He had used many a boy and they all were the same.

Eolian’s first instinct when he had learned that the King was sending these men to Grayweist for training had been to send his men to kill them before they arrived. Then he had thought about it for moment and grinned. He had told Verges he had a better plan. To find a man or a couple of men who would be willing to spy for him.

This worked well for Verges. It gave him reason to be close to the castle and to keep an eye on Van.

Verges leaned against one of the stout trees. Van had always been an enigma to him and now it was much more so. He tried to picture her in a gown and proper settings, but his mind could not form the image, even though he had seen it over the last few days. He laughed lightly and shook his head.

He had not yet sent her a missive, letting her have time to come to terms with her new surroundings and to make some decisions. Today, he would send her a message to let her know that he had found her.

He would do whatever was necessary to help her. He had told her little maid Amy that he had pledged his life to her and he had. It was not something he took lightly. Van had been the first thing in his life that had been good and decent and he intended to keep her safe.

Pain and persecution were all he had known as he grew up. An outcast, abandoned by his parents, he was beaten and abused for his grotesque appearance. He had become full of rage and had used all his intelligence to take revenge on those who had scorned him. Murder and rape had come as second nature to him and he felt no remorse for his actions, believing all people were the same and deserved whatever punishment he doled out.

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. His life had been full of strife. He had thought that over the years all the decency within him had been lost. That had changed when Van had saved him.

For reasons that he still could not comprehend, she had risked her life for him, throwing herself in a raging, flood-engorged river.

He opened his eyes, but he could still see her face shimmering before him. He chuckled deeply and thought that her risking her life was not the oddest part to him. The oddest thing was that this beautiful woman had shown him trust and caring, even after she had seen him up close. At that time he had pledged his life and his loyalty to her, and only to her.

Loud arguments drew his attention back to the soon to be warriors. Two boys were being obnoxious, speaking of rank and crude things, pushing and shoving. They were bigger than the others. These were boys who had seen the end of a whip many a time. Not weak, but maybe a little on the stupid side. The kind he could use.

As the others began to walk faster, the two boys, brothers from the looks of them, began to fall behind. They watched the group walk away from them. Verges watched the group as well, pleased that not one of them looked back.

He pulled his hood tighter around his head and stepped into their path. He didn’t say a word as they stopped and regarded him warily.

“
Why, we have no coin if that is what you are after.” The older of the two boys was the first to speak up. His large eyes betraying the fear he was trying hard to hide.

Verges smiled beneath the dark hood that shadowed his face as he regarded them closely for a moment. He took in the way they shifted uncomfortably and eyed the direction where the group had disappeared. They were probably wondering if it had been wise to fall behind, after all.

The younger boy slipped behind his brother. Verges smiled wider. The older boy was the one to use. The other would just go along with whatever his older brother said to do. It is always the same, Verges thought.

He chuckled and the boys both jumped and took a step back. Deciding they had stewed in their fear long enough, he asked in an amused voice, “Would you like some?”

“
Some what?” the older boy spat out, raising his fists.

Verges shook his head in aggravation and deadly humor. “Coin, you said you had none.”

They looked confused for a moment and the older of the two dropped his hands. Verges patiently waited for them to figure it out on their own and nodded when they seemed to grasp what he was saying.

“
If I like what you have to say you will have plenty of coin, enough never to return to the rear of a plow.” He waited patiently for them to talk. If he had judged them correctly, and he thought he had, then they would agree.

“
What do you want from us?” The fear was still evident, but now greed had overcome it as he knew it would. He really liked predictable people. He almost laughed as he realized that was why Van confused him so often. She was anything but predictable.

He pushed her from his mind and focused on the task at hand. “Nothing but a moment of your time. I will tell you what is expected of you and you will agree. If not, you will go on your way.” That they would die right here in the road if they declined was information he thought best kept to himself, at least for now.

The boy’s eyes darted around him, but neither made a move. “We will be late. We are supposed to be with that group.”

“
Go then.” Verges turned away and made it to the trees before the two boys caught up with him.

“
Wait.” There was a desperate note in the boy’s trembling voice.

“
Wait for what?” He turned back to them quickly and his hood slipped back. The night air felt cool against his heated skin.

The boys almost fell over themselves as they stepped back quickly. “Are you going to kill us?”

“
Nay, at least I am not planning to. What tomorrow brings, no one knows.” He shrugged. “Does this mean you are willing to talk to me?”

The older one nodded. The younger just stood staring.

“
You are going to the Grayweist manor to train for the King.” It was not a question and Verges did not wait for an answer. “What I want from you is to watch, that is all. Watch and tell me anything you see, that you think I want to know.”

“
How are we supposed to know that?” the young one said from behind his brother’s shoulder.

“
What are your names?” Verges wanted to be done with these two. He was tired and still needed to send a message to Van.

“
I am Edward Hurtado and this is my younger brother Harry.”

“
Edward and Harry, you will use your judgment. If you think I want to know then I probably will. If you need to get in touch with me you can find me at the Doveslane Inn.” He pointed to the east where the inn sat not more than a mile down the road.

“
If I am not there leave a message with Annette.” Verges was sure they were going to say yes, but a little incentive always helped, so he added for good measure. “She is the small red head that takes the boys upstairs for half a bit.” Edward’s eyes lit up at that little piece of encouragement and Verges held out a small pouch that jingled of coin. “Are you interested?”

Without a word, Edward reached out and snatched the coins. Verges’s smile widened and he walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the woods.

“
Now do we go to the castle?” Harry looked at his older brother. He was unsure if this was a good idea or not, but he would not argue with Edward. He had looked up to Edward all his life. He may not be the best at the things he did, and he certainly wasn’t a nice boy, but Edward was his brother and he loved him.

“
Not just yet. Just to be safe I think we should acquaint ourselves with the location of the inn. And get to know Annette a little more on the personal side.” He laughed as he shook the hefty sack.

CHAPTER 16

Peter felt his head pounding before he was even fully awake. He rolled on his side without opening his eyes. The smell of Vanessa’s face powder wafted up from the pillow beside him. He slid his hand across the wrinkled sheet, but found nothing.

“
Damn,” he muttered and the soft sound echoed through his head. He opened his eyes to bright sunlight streaming into the room and sharp pain stabbed his pounding head.

He clenched his eyes shut for a moment then opened them a little at a time, until he could peer around the room. It looked to be well into the morning. He could not remember the last time he had not risen before the sun.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. A wave of nausea crashed over him and he closed his eyes, breathing slowly and deeply. Several shallow breaths seemed to calm his irritated stomach and he opened his eyes cautiously. He had not drunk so much in a very long time. He was not accustomed to it as he had been when he was seventeen. Age was catching up to him, at thirty two he felt like an old man.

He dressed as quickly as he could manage and made his way through Vanessa’s empty chambers. His first stop would be the kitchen. Coffee and a bit to eat should settle both his head and his stomach.

The cook, who had been with his father since Peter was a child, brought him food to break his fast with a sweet and almost toothless grin. “Good morrow, milord.”

“
Good morrow, Cook. Have you, by any chance, seen my bride? She is probably with Joseph.” He was already beginning to feel better. Being up and about limbered up his stiff muscles and joints. The smells of sweet rolls and meats eased his stomach and the thought of seeing his new bride relaxed his heart.

“
Aye, milord. Lady Vanessa broke her fast early, the sweet boy with her, Miss Amy and Miss Anna, too. The four of them are rapidly becoming friends. They were together almost all of yesterday.” Cook rushed through her words and darted quick nervous looks around the kitchen.

Peter’s stomach twisted in concern. He shook his head to clear the doubt and decided the cook was just anxious to return to work.

“
Where have they run off to today?” He thought he might find her before he went to see what kind of men the King had sent him to work with. Just to make sure she was behaving.

When Cook looked quickly down to her feet, Peter felt his stomach knot. So, he thought, she wasn’t just anxious to complete her work. Once again his head began to pound and his stomach rolled.

“
Where are they?” He pushed back his chair and the screech of the legs jolted through the bottom of his feet and seemed to explode out his head.

“
Amy and Anna took little Joseph to the stream to fish before his studies. He is becoming quite the charming young man, my lord.” Without meeting his gaze she busied herself straightening the large overly bright kitchen.

Two long strides were all it took to reach her. He grasped her chubby arm and spun her to face him. She kept her eyes straight forward and seemed intent on the rise and fall of his chest.

His face became hot with the anger that wormed its way through his aching head. “Where is my wife?”