Hallam held her tightly.
“All is well,” he whispered quickly. “Everything is well. I have you, Alice. He cannot harm you any longer.”
Alice sobbed as she threw her arms around him, coughing intermittently because Covington had choked her.
“What… what happened?” she wept, pulling away from him to see Covington lying face-down on the floor. “Hallam! What happened?”
Since Alice was essentially unharmed, Hallam forced himself to calm. He took the time to look at the body of his liege but as he looked at the man, he felt absolutely nothing other than hatred and rage. In fact, he lashed out an angry booted foot and caught Covington in the hip.
“Bastard,” he grunted. “Bloody goddamn bastard. He was trying to kill you, Alice. I was content to remain quiet in that alcove through the insults and the demands, but when he touched you… I could not let him kill you. You know that.”
Alice was struggling to compose herself, wiping the tears off her face, still rubbing at her throat where Covington had grabbed her.
“But… what will you do?” she gasped. “He will awaken and he will want to know what happened. What shall I tell him?”
Hallam looked at her. “He will not awaken,” he said. “He is dead.”
Alice’s eyes widened and she gripped Hallam, clinging to him. “God’s Bones,” she hissed. “You killed him?”
Hallam nodded stoically. “I told you that I could not let him kill you,” he said. “Alice, if that shocks you, I am sorry. But when I saw him grab you, I had to act. For everything he has done, for the sins he has committed against you and everyone else, he deserves this. Mayhap it is wrong of me to feel so liberated and satisfied at his moment, but I do. And I am not sorry in the least. I feel more relieved than I have ever felt in my life.”
Alice looked at him. His jaw was set, his features emotionless, and she could see he meant every word. She knew that Hallam was a knight, and a very good one, but he’d killed with shocking ease when she was in danger.
It was at that moment she began to realize the depths of his feelings for her.
Taking a deep breath, Alice looked down at Covington’s body again and realized she felt relieved, too. So deeply, deeply relieved. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she turned to Hallam again, the shock and awe of the situation written all over her face.
“You saved me,” she said softly.
“I had to.”
“I know,” she said, reaching up to gently touch his face. “I know, my darling. I am not angry, of course. I completely understand and I am infinitely grateful for your intervention. But we have a problem now. What will we do? Covington’s body must not be discovered here.”
Hallam nodded faintly, feeling incredibly cold as he looked at Covington again. Cold in the sense that he felt no more for the man than he did for a dead animal. Covington was an animal as far as Hallam was concerned. He’d always known it, but now he could admit it. Damn the man to hell for touching Alice.
He’d deserved what he’d gotten.
But Alice was correct – they had a problem.
He struggled to move past the emotions of the situation and focus on what needed to be done.
“Marius is here,” he said. “As much as I abhor lying, if he discovers what I have done, my life is over. Everything is over.”
“I know.”
Hallam released her, moving to crouch down next to Covington’s body. He rolled the man onto his back, inspecting him from head to toe without touching him. Specifically, he was looking at Covington’s neck to see if there was any visible damage.
He could see nothing.
That gave him an idea.
“When last I saw Covington and Marius, they were drinking heavily in Covington’s solar,” he said, standing up. “I must find out where Marius is.”
“Why?”
“Because I must move Covington’s body out of here and I do not want him to see,” he said. “Wait for me here. Do not leave and lock the door after I have gone.”
“But where are you going?”
“Please, love. Just do as I say.”
Alice nodded anxiously, following him to the door and doing as she was told once he departed. As she waited with the cooling body of her husband, Hallam escaped down the stairs to the entry level. Pausing at the bottom of the stairwell, he listened for any signs of life and activity, but heard nothing.
With stealth, he made his way towards the solar door, which was open. Peering inside, he could see that it was empty. In fact, the entire keep seemed to be empty, which led him to believe that Marius was in the hall, feasting. It was time for the evening meal and he could smell the cooking meat. Peering from the solar window that faced the great hall, he could see the dirty, melting snow drifts surrounding the hall and men milling in and out.
It was time to move.
Quickly, he made his way up the stairs, knocking softly on Alice’s door. She opened it swiftly and he pushed his way in.
“Help me,” he told her. “I am going to move Covington’s body down to his solar and leave him there. We will make it look like an accident, as if he fell while drunk.”
Alice nodded quickly, watching as he rolled Covington onto his side and lifted the man into his arms. Covington wasn’t particularly heavy, but Hallam was strong. He carried the man out of Alice’s chamber as she followed close behind.
The stairs, being narrow, were a little difficult to maneuver, but Hallam managed to get them both down without falling and breaking his own neck. He could feel Alice holding on to his tunic as he dashed into the solar.
“Close that door,” he whispered loudly.
Alice shut the door, watching anxiously as Hallam dumped Covington on the floor. Literally, he dumped the man so he fell in a heap, so he appeared as if he had naturally fallen that way. Then, he looked around and, spying the wine pitcher, he poured a little on to the sole of Covington’s shoes before throwing the pitcher to the ground at his feet so it looked as if it had been dropped in a fall.
In fact, it looked exactly as Hallam had planned it. Covington appeared as if he had slipped on a dropped pitcher of wine and had fallen awkwardly. Hallam stood there a moment, surveying his handiwork, before finally shaking his head.
“This is a lie, all of it,” he muttered. “I am not a man given to lying, but in this situation, there is no choice. Marius would execute me if I told him the truth. Worse still, I have no way of knowing what he would do to you. He might even blame you. Please do not think deception comes easily to me, Alice. It does not. But in this case, it is… necessary.”
Alice came beside him, putting her arm around him as she lay her cheek on his arm. “You were protecting me,” she whispered. “But Marius would not understand that, and neither would anyone else. As the man’s wife, he can do with me as he wishes, including strangle me should he so choose. We can never tell anyone what has happened.”
Hallam sighed faintly. “I know.”
“Come,” Alice said, tugging on him. “We must go before we are discovered.”
Hallam nodded, following her to the solar door. They exited silently, shutting the door behind them. Alice headed for the stairs, but Hallam did not. She paused, puzzled.
“What is it?” she asked.
He tipped his head in the direction of the great hall. “I must go to the hall and eat as if nothing is amiss,” he said. “I always eat in the hall and if I do not show my face, it will look strange. You retreat to your chamber. I will come to you later.”
Alice nodded, forcing a smile at him. “All will be well,” she murmured. “I love you, my darling. For what you have done for me… I love you with all my heart.”
Hallam smiled weakly, waiting until she headed up the stairs before quitting the keep and heading for the great hall, which was full of soldiers on this freezing night. He took his usual seat at the dais and even asked Marius where his father was. Marius, who was exceedingly drunk, simply shrugged.
<
br /> Hallam didn’t press him.
As he sat down two chairs down from Marius and began his meal, he started to think that the position with Caius looked better and better.
He had to get out of this place before all hell broke loose.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Covington’s body was discovered.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Whitchurch
By Caius’ best guess, they had been asleep for nearly twelve hours.
Shocked, he opened his eyes to a dark room and a hearth that was barely flickering. He could hear some bustle on the street outside which told him it was close to dawn. The farmers were up, pulling their wagons into town to sell their wares when the market opened, and Caius rubbed his eyes orienting himself, before looking to the woman burrowed in his arms.
Emelisse was sleeping like the dead, pressed up against him as if she had been sleeping that way her entire life. His arms were around her, as if he, too, had been sleeping that way his entire life.
It was the most natural thing he’d ever experienced.
His gaze drifted over her in the early morning light, and he could see fine details of her features as she slept peacefully. He found himself looking at the shape of her face, the adorable pert curve of her nose, and the way her lush lips were delightfully parted in sleep.
Everything about her was delightful.
And the reality was that she was now Lady d’Avignon.
My wife.
Even as he said it to himself, he could hardly believe it. The events from the day before seemed like a blur but, in the same breath, he could see it all very clearly. He clearly remembered arriving at Hawkstone and discovering that Caspian had died on the same day his father had. He remembered clearly that Emelisse was determined to take her brother’s place and maintain the integrity of the keep until death – hers.
That had distressed him. Women weren’t meant to die a prolonged death like that. Had he proposed marriage simply to get her out of that keep? The truth was that he hadn’t, but the missive from Lady de Wrenville had certainly given him the excuse to get Emelisse out of the keep by proposing marriage.
But he didn’t regret it.
He had slept better last night than he had ever slept in his entire life, wrapped up snugly with Emelisse as if it were always meant to be. It was strange how he couldn’t seem to remember his life before he met her. Oh, there were things he did remember. He had always had a very sharp memory, so he wasn’t literal in the sense that he couldn’t remember his life before her. It was simply that he couldn’t remember how he had ever breathed without her by his side.
A smile came to his lips as he imagined Maxton’s face when he told him all of this. Strangely enough, he wanted to speak of it. He was eager to, happy to. Caius had always scoffed at Maxton and the other close friends who had married for love, and now he seemed to be in that same brotherhood.
… love?
He found himself looking at Emelisse again, wondering if love was what he felt for her. He had only known the woman for just a couple of days, so surely, it was impossible for him to have fallen in love with her.
… wasn’t it?
He simply did not know. All he knew was that he felt warm and happy and fulfilled but, in the same breath, he felt confusion and chagrin and possibly embarrassment. He’d spent so much time laughing at those who succumbed to the weakness of love that he was going to have to swallow his pride and admit that he had probably succumbed, too.
But it was pride that he would gladly swallow.
Lost to his revelry, he had to force himself to focus on the moment at hand. A new day was dawning and they needed to get moving. Very carefully, he disengaged himself from Emelisse and climbed out of the bed. He had no idea what had happened to William, but assumed the young man was somewhere down in the common room, waiting for him. He felt rather bad that he had left the squire to fend for himself and then he looked over at Emelisse.
He didn’t feel too bad.
It was worth it.
He went on the hunt for his clothing, noticing that he had tossed it off in all directions when passion had struck. He found his breaches by the bed, his boots somewhere near the end of the bed, and his tunic against the wall. Over on a small table was a basin of freezing cold water that had been brought up the night before specifically for Emelisse to wash in, but she had never used it. It smelled like roses, but Caius splashed it all over his face and hair, washing his hands in it, before he found his breeches and pulled them on. The tunic and the boots went on, as well.
He thought he should go on the hunt for a particular squire, just to make sure he survived the night on his own, and departed the room in silence. He made his way down the rickety stairs into a common room that was still packed with people. Some were stirring in this early hour and the smell of baking bread was heavy in the air as the serving wenches began to stoke both hearths, one at each end of the room.
Caius looked around the room, hunting for William’s dark head. He had no sooner stepped down into the sunken portion of the common room that had no tables when someone came up behind him and touched him on the arm.
“My lord?”
He whirled around to see William standing there. The lad appeared sleepy, and a bit disheveled, but he was in one piece. Caius looked him over.
“Do you have a report for me?” he asked.
William nodded. “A report and a ring,” he said, holding up a small, gold band. “I got a merchant out of bed for this and gave him some of the coins you gave me to pay the livery. It should fit your wife.”
Caius grinned as he looked at the ring. It was a delicate dark yellow band, perfect for a lady’s finger. “Excellent,” he said. “Well done. Now, give me your report.”
William did. “I have been out most of the night and I have not seen any Winterhold men,” he said. “Everything is as it should be.”
Caius lifted his eyebrows. “You have been out all night?”
William nodded. “Aye, my lord,” he said. “Someone had to patrol while you were with your lady wife.”
That was a very adult and responsible attitude. Caius put a hand on William’s shoulder. “Good, young man,” he said. “Have you slept at all?”
William looked sheepish. “Just a little,” he said. “I kept waking up, thinking I heard men coming.”
A smile tugged at Caius’ lips. “A good knight always sleeps with one eye open,” he said. “Get used to it. That is the way you will sleep for the rest of your life.”
“Is that how you sleep, my lord?”
Caius immediately thought of the very peaceful, very solid sleep he’d had last night, but he nodded his head, anyway.
“Always,” he said. Then, he looked around, spying a serving wench. “Go tell that woman we want enough food to feed three people. Bring it up to my chamber. It is up those stairs, the last door on the left.”
William nodded, yawned, and then stifled it. Caius chuckled at the young man as he headed back up to his chamber.
He was coming to like William de Wolfe.
As he approached his room, he could hear hissing and hooting coming from his chamber. At least, he thought it might have been his chamber. He might have even heard yelping. Concerned, he threw open the door to find Emelisse standing in front of the rose water basin, washing her face and making noise because it was so cold. Relieved, Caius grinned as he shut the door.
“I can send for warmed water, you know,” he said. “You do not have to wash in freezing water.”
She had slimy soap on her face, courtesy of a small bar of rose-smelling soap given to her by Lady de Wrenville. Splashing clean, she opened her eyes to see Caius standing there, smiling at her. She laughed softly as she reached for the drying cloth next to the basin.
“Please do not bother,” she said. “I will dress quickly and we shall be on our way.”
He waved at her. “Do not rush,” he said. “I have ordered food to break our fast, but William will b
e joining us, so I would dress in something other than a shift if I were you.”
She looked down at herself in the thin shift she’d picked up off the floor, simply to cover herself. “I will,” she said, quickly using the soap and water to wash her arms and neck. “Did you sleep well?”
Caius came up behind her, wrapping his big arms around her and pulling her close. He went in to kiss her neck but got a mouthful of froth instead. He sputtered it out as she laughed, holding up the drying cloth so he could wipe it off his lips.
“Better than I have slept nearly my entire life,” he said, pressing his face into the back of her head instead. “And you?”
Emelisse was trying to wash up but his heat, his embrace, had her collapsing against him instead. “I do not know when I have ever slept so well,” she said, turning to kiss him on the lips, sweet and warm and lingering. “Two days ago, I was in a battle for my life. This morning, I am happier than I have ever been and I do not quite know how to feel about it.”
He kissed her on the mouth again, feeling that familiar lightning, but given that she needed to dress, he refrained from exploring it further. Instead, he kissed her nose and released her so she could finish.
“What do you mean?” he said, leaning against the wall next to the basin so he could look her in the eyes. “What are you thinking, sweetheart?”
Her motions slowed as she looked at him. “My father is dead,” she said. “My brother is dead. I hurt for them so badly that I can hardly stand it, yet I have married a man who, in two days, has made me feel like the most protected and respected woman in England. I look at you and everything about me turns warm and trembling. Last night was supposed to be a somber introduction into my life as a married woman and it was glorious. I am not ashamed to say that I liked it. So much within me is conflicted, Cai. I simply do not know what to feel, about anything.”
Winter of Solace (The Executioner Knights Book 5) Page 28