The Knight and the Dove

by Lori Wick

  Megan did a lot of smiling and nodding, but because she was not comfortable with the way they mentioned different people who were not in attendance and systematically tore them apart, she didn’t have much to say. It was one of the longest meals of her life. An hour after the meal ended, she had still not seen Bracken.

  But God was taking care of her. Two older women had come to speak with her. They were not among the women she had dined with, and Megan found real companionship with them. One was Lady Noella, who was Viscountess Dinsmore, and the other was Lady Evadne, wife of the Duke of Ellsworth.

  They seemed genuinely interested in her, and within moments Megan was confidently sharing with them. She soon learned that both were old enough to be her mother, but it didn’t seem to matter. They chatted freely and without restraint, and Megan detected no malicious intent in either woman.

  Some 20 minutes later the threesome, who had been speaking near one of the hearths, moved from the heat. That was when Megan heard the voice. Her footsteps lagged, and she finally came to a halt.

  “Megan?” Lady Noella spoke. “What is it?”

  “That voice,” Megan said.

  Both women stared at her. The room was so noisy that it was barely possible to make out any one voice, but Megan looked certain.

  “What voice?” Lady Evadne asked.

  Megan’s head turned slowly until she spotted a tall, well-built, dark-haired man just a few feet away. Megan stared at him, listening to his every word as though mesmerized. She was suddenly back in the forest on that awful night she had been ambushed.

  We lost men tonight over a trunk full of homespun rags! There’s nothing here but some good horseflesh. Let’s ride.

  “That’s him,” Megan said, her voice still soft.

  “Who, Megan?”

  “He’s the one.” Megan’s voice was louder now. “The man who helped kill my father’s men and steal my father’s horses.”

  Everyone within ten feet of Megan stopped and stared. Megan took no notice. She was still watching the young lord when he turned cold eyes in her direction and stared at her. A shudder ran all over Megan. She wanted to cry Bracken’s name, but she was too frightened to move or speak.

  The crowd that had grown so silent all began to speak at once. The noise was so overwhelming that Megan began to tremble from head to foot. A moment passed, or maybe an hour, Megan couldn’t tell. She felt a hand on her arm and someone calling her name, but everything was receding.

  Megan slid into unconsciousness long before she realized that the hand holding her, and the voice calling her name, belonged to the one she had wanted to call for just moments before.

  Twenty-Nine

  MEGAN MOVED HER HEAD TO THE SIDE to avoid the smell that burned her nose, but still it persisted. She gasped and tried to speak, and suddenly the air cleared. With her head pounding, she attempted to open her eyes. They drifted open very slowly and she took a moment to focus. When she did, she found Bracken leaning over her, his face harsh with concern.

  “Bracken!” Megan gasped weakly, her small hands fisted into the front of his shirt. “He’s here! The man who attacked us in the forest. He’s in the dining hall.”

  “Hush, Megan,” his voice soothed. “You’ve had a long day.”

  “No, Bracken, no.” Megan’s voice was turning desperate. “I swear to you, it’s him. He’s here.”

  “Megan, Megan.” Bracken’s voice was pained. “You’re overly tired. Now try to rest; try to calm yourself.”

  He didn’t believe her… wouldn’t even listen to her. Megan began to cry, and Bracken, feeling very helpless, gathered her against him and let her sob. Megan continued to try to reason with Bracken but didn’t realize that she was speaking only in her mind. He didn’t answer her because he couldn’t hear her, and Megan was growing weaker and more lethargic by the minute.

  She was nearly asleep when she heard Bracken talking to Lyndon.

  “What is it?”

  “Henry wishes to see you.”

  “Now?”

  Bracken placed Megan gently against the pillows and began to rise, but she suddenly gripped him with a strength he didn’t know she possessed.

  “Don’t leave me, Bracken. Please, don’t leave me. That man is here, and I beg you not to leave me.”

  Bracken hesitated. He’d never seen her like this and was seriously considering refusing Henry.

  “I’ll stay with her, Bracken.” Lyndon’s voice came low to his ears, and Bracken knew he could trust none better.

  “I must go, Megan, but Lyndon will be with you all the time.”

  “Bracken.”

  “Shh,” he hushed her again. “I will return as soon as I am able and come directly to you.”

  Miraculously Megan calmed. She knew in her panic she had not been trusting God, but now it was time. Megan wished Bracken did not have to leave, but she would accept the situation.

  Bracken saw the acquiescence on her face and rose. Megan sat up, and although still shaking, walked with him to the door. They did not exchange words before he left, but Bracken looked deeply into her eyes before opening the door and stepping without.

  “Tell me about the incident of which your wife speaks.”

  Bracken answered his king quietly, telling him in detail of the attack in the forest, as well as the report that the same attackers had been seen near the home of Black Francesca.

  James Nayland was nearby, taking in every word as well, but neither he nor Henry gave a flicker of recognition. They had been given secondhand news of all these events, and some that Bracken was not aware of, but neither man let on.

  “Young Kirkpatrick denied ever seeing your wife and has now left. He was very insulted,” Henry said at last.

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Can you control your wife or not, Bracken of Hawkings Crest?”

  “Yes, your grace, I can. I am most sorry for the incident.”

  Henry stared at him, his expression giving nothing away.

  “We will not meet later today as planned.” They stood now in the wee hours of the morning. “Come to my chambers tomorrow morning. Ten o’clock.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Bracken was shown out, but neither Henry nor James Nayland made a move to retire.

  “He tells the truth,” Henry stated. “I believe you are right, my lord.”

  “The girl, Megan. Is she all right?”

  “She is resting but very upset.”

  Henry nodded. “For a time I thought she might be of her sister’s ilk, but I think not.”

  “I quite agree with you, my king. I believe Megan sincere in her outburst.”

  “I hate to do it, but if there is one more charge against young Kirk-patrick, I’ll give him the boot, his father’s connections or no.”

  James nodded. “I can’t see as you have any choice.”

  “I thought you would see it that way. Go to bed, James. I’ll see you at noon.”

  “Goodnight, Henry. Sleep well.”

  The faithful servant and friend left on silent feet, but even if he’d stomped away, Henry would not have heard. He was deep in thought with the task of weighing two men in the balance, and it was nearly an hour later before Henry made his choice and sought his own bed.

  “I wish to try to explain to you.”

  “There is no need,” Bracken told Megan the next day as they sat together for their noon meal in the private salon in their suite.

  “Yes, Bracken, there is. I am calm now, but I don’t think you understood.”

  “Megan,” Bracken jumped in, “I understood everything. You saw the man that attacked you in the forest and stole your father’s horses.”

  Megan could only stare at him. “If you understood, then why didn’t—”

  “Because you were my only concern at the moment. You were hysterical. There was nothing I could do about Roland Kirkpatrick, so I just—”

  “Is that his name?”

  “Yes, but as I stated, you were my concern
. I also knew it was only a matter of time before Henry would wish to see me.”

  “What did he say?” Megan looked uncertain for the first time.

  “He wanted to know what you were talking about and then asked me if I could indeed control my wife.”

  Megan’s eyes dropped, and she blushed to the roots of her hair. Bracken didn’t try to lessen her embarrassment but let the full import of her actions sink in.

  “Kirkpatrick was highly insulted, and Henry did not seem overly pleased with the whole incident,” Bracken told her softly. “I understand you’re upset, Megan, but it seems nearly everyone in the room heard you accuse the man.”

  “But he did it.” Megan thought this explained all.

  “Be that as it may, you insulted the man. I believe you, and somehow I think Henry does as well, but what if you’d been wrong? Think of the shame. We’ve drawn enough attention to ourselves as it is.”

  Bracken’s last words were voiced in irritation, and Megan became a bit testy herself. They continued to eat, but now there was a strained silence between them. After a time, Megan spoke up, telling Bracken in very few words that she wanted to be alone.

  “You’d best ready yourself for your meeting with Henry.”

  “That meeting is canceled. I am to see him tomorrow morning.”

  Megan looked as frustrated as she felt. “What are we to do around here until tomorrow?”

  Feeling put out with his wife, Bracken stood. “I don’t know about you, but I am going to the archery butts. Windsor’s targets are some of the finest in the land.”

  “And what of me?”

  Bracken speared her with a glance, knowing he was being ruthless. “We are delayed here, Megan, because of your outburst. Do not vent your wrath on me for something you have done.”

  Megan knew he was right, but her pride rushed to the fore.

  “Very well, I shall take a walk on my own.”

  “I shouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  “Why? Is Lord Kirkpatrick still here?” Megan’s face had become fearful, but Bracken hardened his heart against all compassion.

  “No, but the entire castle is talking of you, and I should think you would want to lie low, as it were.”

  Knowing he was being unfair but feeling very frustrated in the whole ordeal, Bracken turned away. It was amazing how easy it was to take things out on his wife. Had he been home, he would have pursued Roland Kirkpatrick to the ends of the earth seeking answers, but this was Henry’s domain, and he was not at liberty to take the law into his hands or even to begin an investigation.

  Of course, one could learn many things just by walking the hall-ways and grounds of Windsor Castle. Bracken had spoken the truth to Megan about visiting the archery fields, but he did not intend to take a direct path there.

  Megan retired to her room and spent the next hour in prayer. Bracken’s words had been right, but his delivery of the message was one of the harshest she had ever received. Megan was wrapped in pity for some time.

  Many minutes passed before Megan realized the embarrassment she had caused her spouse. They had been invited as guests of the king, and Megan had spouted off after dinner like a servant girl.

  Hot tears filled her eyes as she confessed her sins to God and made an effort to give the whole ordeal over to His care. Megan longed for her copy of the Psalms and Proverbs, but she had feared bringing it from her room at Hawkings Crest. Instead, she stopped and dwelt on a few of the many verses she had already taken into her heart. She found the most comfort in the first few verses of Psalm 27.

  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident… For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion; in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”

  Megan asked God to score these verses into her heart so that her words and actions would be changed forever. She so wanted to leave a godly impression with those watching her in this place, and even though she knew they thought her a hysterical young female, she determined to leave a better last impression than she had a first.

  Megan had just come to this resolve when Helga asked if she would see Lady Evadne, the Duchess of Ellsworth.

  “Of course, Helga. Please show her into the salon.”

  Megan took a moment to check her appearance and then worked at not showing her embarrassment as she joined the duchess.

  “How are you, Megan?”

  “I am doing well, my lady; thank you for asking.” Megan’s cheeks were slightly pink, but the other woman didn’t seem to notice.

  The duchess laughed softly “Please call me Evadne. I tell you, Megan, sometimes I am very dull.”

  The younger girl stared at her.

  “I just figured out that you are Megan—Louisa’s Megan!”

  “You know Aunt Louisa?”

  “We’ve been friends for years. She could hardly wait to tell me of her conversion. Had I realized it last night, I’d have told Noella. She would have been thrilled as well.”

  Again, Megan could only stare. They had both been so kind last night, but it had never once occurred to Megan that they shared a faith in Christ.

  “I didn’t realize,” Megan finally said. “I’m sorry to say that Louisa never mentioned you.”

  Evadne smiled. “She never said anything about Elly?”

  “Why, yes, she did.”

  “That’s me. She’s never called me Evadne. We met shortly after I became the Duchess of Ellsworth, and the name Elly started as a joke. Now it’s all she ever calls me.”

  “You’re Elly?”

  “Yes.”

  Megan couldn’t stop her smile. “She’s talked of you repeatedly, telling me how thrilled you were going to be when she told you of both her and Derek.”

  “And I was thrilled, as you can well imagine, but right now, my feet hurt.”

  Megan gawked at her.

  “Oh!” the younger woman finally cried. “Where are my manners? Please sit down.”

  They both landed on the settee in a gale of laughter and talked for the next two hours. Megan had never met such a woman. She reminded her greatly of her mother-in-law, and Megan was like a sponge whenever the older woman talked. At one point Evadne questioned her about the night before, and Megan felt free to explain. Evadne promised to pray that God’s will would be done.

  The time was growing late when Evadne asked Megan how she enjoyed marriage. Megan did not take offense; she was glad to share with someone.

  “We had words this morning over the incident last night, but most often Bracken and I get on very well. We have our times of trouble, but in truth I love being married to Bracken. He is beyond kindness to me.”

  The duchess studied her face. Uncertainty appeared momentarily in Megan’s eyes.

  “There is something you don’t like, isn’t there, Megan?”

  Megan’s face flamed, and her eyes dropped. “I can’t speak of it, Evadne. It’s a sin for me not to be content with my lot.”

  Silent for some moments, the older woman placed her long, tapered fingers beneath Megan’s chin and raised the girl’s eyes to her own.

  “I will not press you to explain, Megan, but if it’s what I’m thinking of, you’re wrong. There is no sin in such pleasure. Do not settle for endurance. ’Tis something to be enjoyed.”

  Megan’s blush only deepened, and Evadne could tell that her words had not been taken to heart. The older woman determined to pray.

  “I really must be going.”

  They both stood.

  “I can’t wait to see Louisa and tell her of your visit. I am sure Bracken plans for us to go there.”

  “Oh, Megan.” Evadne’s voice held regret. “Louisa and Derek left just last week for
Joyce’s home in the north. I know she planned to stay for a time.”

  Megan surprised her with a smile. “Then I am especially glad that God gave me this time with you. It was just what I needed.”

  The two embraced.

  “Take care, Megan, and go with God.”

  “Thank you, Evadne. You will never know how you have blessed my heart.”

  They parted then, and when Bracken returned an hour later Megan was still on a cloud. She told him of their meeting, and Bracken was truly pleased for his wife. Still, he knew that the news he must share would remove some of the sparkle from her eye.

  Just before he’d returned to their room, a missive had been delivered to him from James Nayland. It seemed that Megan was expected to attend Bracken’s meeting with the king as well.

  Thirty

  MEGAN COULD EAT NOTHING the following morning, but she felt no hunger, only fear, when she eventually stood outside Henry’s chambers. When they had left their rooms, Megan found dozens of speculative eyes resting on them. It was almost more than the young countess could take.

  She had tried to give herself and the situation to God, but still her stomach clenched. The apprehension was not just for herself, but Bracken. He had proven himself a loyal lord, and now Megan, in a moment’s time, had evidently ruined his reputation. She felt more grief for that than anything else she’d ever done.

  Bracken had not laid such a claim at her door, but it was the truth. He had been very kind to her when he’d returned yesterday, and they had spent a pleasant evening in their own rooms, but Megan knew well what she had done.

  “His royal highness, King Henry, will see you now.”

  The footman seemed pompous enough to be a king himself, but Megan took little notice. Bracken stepped back to let her precede him and within seconds they stood before England’s king.

  “Come forward.”

  The two approached, and Megan found herself under Henry’s close-eyed scrutiny.