The Gorgon (38 page)

"Tell me of your new wife,
Bose," Dag could hardly contain himself as he poured his cousin a hefty
draught of sour wine. "From where does she come?"

"Dorset," Bose took a
long, healthy swallow of the foul wine before tearing into a hunk of the coarse
brown bread.

Dag scratched at his shaved head
before following his cousin's dining actions. "How did you come to meet
her?"

"At her brother's
tournament."

"And when was that?"

"Three days ago."

Dag stopped eating. "Three
days
ago?" he swallowed the lump of bread in his throat. "God's Blood,
Bose, three days ago? What... what of her family? Do they know..?"

Bose put up a silencing hand as
his loud cousin worked himself into a fit of disbelief. "Calm yourself,
Dag," his tone was quiet yet firm. "I apologize that I did not
explain myself clearly when I first arrived, but it was imperative that the
lady and I be married immediately. When you hear my explanation, you will agree
with my reasoning."

"God's Blood!" Dag
hissed, throwing his mauled bread to the plate. "You stole her! Or... Christ,
even worse, you've bedded her already and must make amends to her enraged
father!"

Bose shook his head in a quieting
gesture. "Hush yourself, man. You are exactly as Uncle Rickard used to be,
quick to the temper and emotion before you've been dealt the gist of the
information."

"My father was a wise,
controlled man and I'll not hear you say otherwise. Simply because your father,
Uncle Garret, was as cold as a new snow, you have no right to accuse my father
of erupting emotions like a foolish woman."

Bose emitted a weary, grumbling
sigh. "My father wasn't cold; he simply controlled his emotions better
than most men. And I did not come here to argue with you over our fathers'
distinctive personality traits. I have come for your help and counsel, Dag. You
more than anyone have understood my feelings and emotions over the years and I
need your wisdom now more than ever."

Dag cooled with amazing speed,
his expression a mixture of uncertainty and sympathy. After a moment, he sighed
heavily. "I have not always understood you, though I have tried,"
even his tone was considerably softer. "Very well, cousin. Tell me what
you've done and I shall remain calm. At least, I'll try."

"Promise me."

"A tentative pledge is the
best I can do."

Bose took a mouthful of bread, chewing
thoughtfully as he spoke. "When I first saw the Lady Summer du Bonne, I
thought her to be the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. And in my
attraction to her, I felt extremely guilty in that I believed myself to have
somehow betrayed my feelings for Lora. But as time passed, I came to realize
that I needed to live life for the present, not allow myself to exist in the
grief and remorse that had consumed me for four long years. Therefore, with a
great deal of thought, I pursued the lovely young lady and eventually, her
father verbally sanctioned my plea for her hand."

Dag had resumed his meal as well,
listening intently. "Then why did you come to Salisbury in the dead of
night, demanding I wed you and your lady immediately?"

"Because a young knight, an
unscrupulous warrior who has been a nemesis upon the tournament circuit, also
had his attention drawn to my lady. Somehow, he managed to convince her father
that the rumors regarding my murderous reputation were true, which turned the
tides of marriage in his favor. Summer's father broke his word to me and
officially betrothed her to my competition."

Dag swallowed the bite in his
mouth, setting his chunk of bread to his coarse wooden plate. His movements
were slow, pensive. "The rumors Margot spread? The hearsay meant to ruin
you?"

"The same."

"So you decided to force the
father to his honor his vow," again, Dag sighed heavily with confusion and
wonder. "Bose, I have never known you to act foolishly or rashly. Why must
you start now with the abduction of a woman who does not belong to you?"

Bose's onyx-black eyes glittered
in the weak torchlight. "Because I love her. And because I need her."

Dag realized he had lost his
appetite and pushed his plate away, meeting his cousin's gaze. "Enough to
risk potentially severe repercussions for your actions?"

"All that and more."

After a moment, Dag looked away,
shaking his head slowly. Bose leaned forward on the table, resting his elbows
on the scrubbed top and resting his chin on his folded hands.

"You do not agree with
me?"

"I did not say that,"
Dag's voice was soft. Scratching his shaved head yet again, he met his cousin's
searching expression. "I remember at Lora's funeral, how you spent hours
kneeling beside her crypt while your mother-in-law hurled curses at you the
likes of which I have never heard before," again, he shook his head out of
pure bafflement. "What of the old woman, Bose? Does she still live with
you? Will she continue to live with you and your new wife, providing of course
that her legal betrothed does not have you executed for stealing his woman?"

Bose shrugged faintly.
"Margot will not live with us. Out of respect for Lora, I will purchase
her mother a manse in London where she can live peaceably. Had I not loved her
daughter so, I would just as soon see the woman cast to the streets."

"And what of your wife's
betrothed?"

For the first time, Bose's
expression hardened. "After tonight, there is nothing he can do. The
church will not annul our marriage no matter if Breck Kerry is Summer's legal
betrothed or not. Once the union is sealed, they cannot interfere."

"Breck Kerry? God's Bones,
Asa Kerry's son?"

"The same. He's nothing like
his father, God rest his soul. A more vicious, petty lad you will never meet.
Which is why it was imperative Summer and I be married immediately, before
Breck could legally wrangle her from me."

Dag sighed slowly, a fatigued
gesture. "So you took advantage of my position. You used me to sustain
your improperly acquired ends."

"I needed you."

The priest did not reply for a
moment, eyeing his cousin with disapproval. "Had I known this information
upon your arrival, I would never have married you. You cannot use the church as
a weapon against those who will not obey your bidding, or a safe haven in which
to hide from those intent to prosecute you. Have you for one moment considered
what affect this will have upon your wife? You have forced her into facing a
great danger all because of your reckless action."

"There will be no danger
once we reach Ravendark."

"And what do you plan to do?
Barricade yourselves within your fortress for the rest of your lives? A foolish
plan."

Bose's composure was slowly
weakening. Dag had always been exceedingly wise and forthright, and he suddenly
found himself wondering if his cousin wasn't correct. Had he acted impulsively?
Of course he had. But for Summer's sake, the action was necessary.

"I would rather live
isolated at Ravendark with my wife than pursue a life a freedom with only my
guilt and loneliness to keep me company," he leaned forward, fixing his
uneasy cousin in the eye. "Being celibate, I do not expect you to
understand my motives where it pertains to a woman. But know this; I love
Summer with everything that I am and I will continue to love her until the end
of time. There is not a man or god in Heaven and Earth that will separate us,
her father and Breck Kerry included. Do you understand my words?"

Slowly, Dag nodded. "I
do."

"Then know that I have never
been more serious about anything in my life," Bose sat back, moving to stand.
His appetite was vanished as well and he felt a tremendous need to hold Summer
in his arms. "You have done me a great service this night, cousin, and I
shall be ever grateful. If you will prepare the necessary documentation, I
should like to take it with me when I depart. Good eve to you."

"Bose," Dag stood up
quickly as his cousin sought to vacate the small, smoky room. "Please... I
did not mean to sound condescending. If you are truly happy, then I suppose
that is the only matter of import. But you must agree that the circumstances
surrounding this happenstance are a bit... shocking."

Bose paused, the shadows from the
dank room enveloping his massive form and creating an even more imposing aura
about him. Piercing black eyes met with those of the same obsidian shade.

"Nonetheless, what I have
presented to you is the path I have chosen to take. Whatever has occurred and
whatever is yet to be, there is no stopping the chain of events I have created.
Your support in the matter is welcome. Your cynicism is not."

"I did not mean to be
cynical. Incredulous is a more apt term."

Bose continued to linger in the
shadowy doorway, the sanctuary beyond dark and foreboding. Beyond the chapel
lay the narrow corridor, and within that corridor resided his wife. After a moment,
he scratched his dark head and looked away from his cousin's inquisitive,
concerned expression.

"Be incredulous if you must.
Be awed still. But do not fault me my emotions, Dag. That which I thought I had
lost was returned to me by the beautiful woman you saw standing beside me this
eve and I swear to you that I will die before relinquishing her."

Dag moved toward his massive
cousin, knowing the man well enough to know that he did not profess his
emotions easily. With a heavy sigh, he lay a meaty hand upon the knight's
armored shoulder.

"Then I am please you have
found love again," he said softly. "Pray forgive the unthinking words
of a man who has never before known the pleasure. It was not my intention to be
judgmental, Bose. Merely unbiased."

"I realize that," Bose
replied, his hard stance softening. "But to hear your reasoning merely
confirmed the knowledge I had so attempted to ignore. I have little doubt that
Edward du Bonne and Breck Kerry will come for me, and I have little doubt that
I will know minimal peace from this day forward."

"What of Henry?" Dag
asked softly. "He is extremely fond of you. Surely he can intervene
somehow."

"Mayhap," Bose
shrugged, his thoughts once again drifting to his ill wife. "I should not
like to burden him with my self-invited troubles."

"He will be angry if you do
not."

Again, Bose shrugged weakly. If
only for Summer's sake, he had indeed considered the possibility of contacting
the king purely for the fact that the man could force Baron Lulworth and Breck
Kerry to cease their pursuit of the stolen couple. If, indeed, the two slighted
men chose to harass the newlyweds, and Bose had no reason to believe that they
would not. Still, until such a time approached that royal intervention might be
necessary, Bose was determined to handle the situation himself. For certain, he
would endeavor to try.

"Mayhap," he repeated
belatedly. "In any case, my wife awaits me. Thank you again, Dag, for your
services and support this eve. I knew I could depend on you to aid me."

A measure of Dag's normal
overbearing character returned and he snorted loudly. "Aid you in what?
Ruining that beautiful girl's life? Out of my sight, Bose, before my superiors
discover what I have done. After I am defrocked, I shall be forced to come and
live with you and your beautiful bride and that shall be your punishment for
your impetuousness."

Bose scratched his chin,
grinning. "Summer's eldest brother made the very same threat as he covered
our escape from Chaldon Castle. 'Twould seem my fortress is to become a haven
for disgraced relatives."

"It is your own fault,"
Dag gave him a shove into the dim chapel beyond. "Go to your wife, Bose.
Go to her and pray that she never comes to resent you for forcing her to marry
you."

Bose's smile faded as he took his
cousin's advice seriously. "I already have."

Dag watched his mighty cousin as
the man approached the mouth of the narrowed corridor. Before the knight could
disappear completely, he called softly to him.

"Bose?"

Bose paused in the open portal,
his face barely visible in the weak light. "What is it?"

Dag did not reply for a moment.
"Your wife... I meant what I said. She is the most beautiful woman I have
ever seen and I find that in spite of the circumstances, I envy you your
fortune."

Bose nodded faintly. "She is
all my dreams and more."

Dag listened to the bootfalls
fade down the hallway. For an endless amount of time he continued to stare at
the dim corridor, his mind a vortex of thought and emotion. For all he had
discovered this night, he found himself extremely apprehensive.

In the alcove off the sanctuary
was a small room laden with various supplies dispensed to worn and weary
travelers. Grabbing a heavy, beaten cloak, he set it aside and clutched torn,
disheveled satchel. Making sure there was no one to observe his actions, he set
out for the kitchens to collect a few supplies.

To the Devil with his cousin's
stubborn pride; if he would not ask for Henry's divine assistance, then most
certainly Dag would. He had known Henry once, too, when the lad was very young
and Dag was still a knight in training.  They had bonded and been friends,
once.