“Come on!” he called.
Sean spurred his horse forward, plowing through the stream as he followed their guide. Chadwick was a little slower; he cast Teodora a very disapproving look.
“Teddy,” he scolded. “What in the hell are you doing?”
Teodora faced him as bravely as she could. “I had to come,” she said. “I must see if it is really true… if Cullen is really alive.”
Chadwick didn’t want to hear that from her; God, he didn’t want to hear it. He’d been fighting off the realization that Cullen was the mysterious lover Teodora kept so close to her heart. It was true that Chadwick had known that Teodora’s love belonged to another, but that man was dead. Allegedly. But that mystery man was Cullen de Nerra, who wasn’t dead after all. There was no way for Chadwick to have known it was Cullen since Teodora had never given him a name.
But now, he had a name.
He’d never felt such disappointment in his life.
“Does he mean so much to you?” he asked. “He was your husband’s champion.”
“And mine.”
Chadwick paused before asking the obvious question, the one he already knew the answer to. “Is this your love, the one you thought was dead?”
Teodora had tears in her eyes. “Aye,” she whispered.
So the woman had fallen for her husband’s champion. Not that he blamed her; Chadwick had been working in royal circles enough to know what a ghastly individual Preston de Lacy was. Poor Teodora had married a man with no soul. So perhaps it was natural that she’d fallen for a strong young knight who had paid polite attention to her. She’d fallen for a handsome face and big dimples, much as any woman would have.
And, clearly, Cullen had fallen for her, as well.
“Then get going,” he said after a moment, slapping her horse on the rump to get it moving. “Do not keep the man waiting.”
Teodora and Chadwick splashed through the water and began to pursue Sean through the trees. As Teodora rode and tried to ignore the discomfort, her thoughts turned to Chadwick and the disappointment she’d seen in his face when he realized that Cullen was the man she’d been grieving. Rather than ignore his feelings, because she genuinely felt badly for him, she knew she had to address them, if only to make the situation plain between them. She didn’t want to lose a friend who had been very dear to her during a terrible time in her life. She respected Chadwick too much to simply let things go.
They continued on through the forest for another half-hour or so before finally seeing a clearing up ahead. In the trees overhead, they could hear bird cries going around as the sentries announced visitors into the village. Teodora found herself looking up at the trees as men climbed in the branches.
She slowed her horse down, getting a good look at the spread before her. It was astonishing to her that Cullen had been here all along. How he came here, she didn’t know, but as she entered the clearing behind Chadwick, one of the first things she saw was her father standing in the distance with a tiny figure by his side. When Teodora realized it was Regal, the tears came. Spurring her horse in their direction, she rode as fast as she could.
The horse kicked up dirt and mud as she pulled it to a halt and slid off, immediately rushing to Regal and throwing her arms around the woman. Sobs of relief came freely as she held on to the tiny figure.
“Grandmere,” she whispered. “You are safe. Praise God, you are safe!”
Regal had known Teodora had arrived because Bradford had told her, but the pleasure of feeling her alive and warm in her arms was almost more than her old heart could bear.
“I am safe,” she said, releasing the woman and putting her hands on her face so that she could see her through her touch. “It is you, sweetheart. Like an angel, you are. I thought we would never see you again.”
Teodora hugged the woman again, weeping. “And I did not know what had become of you,” she said. “I was so afraid for you, but no one could tell me anything.”
Regal smiled. She looked older, and more haggard, but she was quite healthy these days. Living with Cullen in the outlaw’s lair had been one of her better adventures and she had enjoyed every minute of it. But deep in her heart, there had always been the longing for her Teodora, and her family, something that neither Cullen nor the outlaws could provide her. But she’d never spoken of it, at least not until Bradford suddenly appeared in the small hut she shared with Cullen.
Then, it became the most joyous of days, more joyful still because Teodora had been found, alive and well, and would soon be on her way for a reunion. The only thing to dampen the mood, of course, was that Cullen was gravely injured, and Regal’s heart hurt for the strong, young knight who had tried so hard to find a place in the world without his great reputation or the lady he loved.
It was a tragic tale, indeed.
“Your beloved Cullen took me from Rodstone House before Preston could vent his anger upon me,” Regal explained to Teodora. “He took me to safety first and then returned to Westminster for you, but he was told you had died whilst in the custody of the king’s men.”
Teodora’s tears abruptly faded as she looked at her grandmother in shock. “He was told I was dead?” she gasped. “God’s Bones… who told him such things?”
Regal shook her head. “Never did he say,” she said. “He had only told me that he’d been informed of your death and then we came north, away from the memories of London. Away from men who were hunting him.”
Teodora was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “The king was hunting him,” she sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “He was hunting him because the man tried to assault me and Cullen stopped him. He wounded Barric Fitz Hammond in the process, and I was given over to Barric as an attendant to help the man heal. That was my punishment for resisting the king’s lust.”
Standing next to Regal, Bradford grunted in disgust. For a father to hear those words again were a painful and deeply disturbing thing, but more than that, Bradford was wallowing in a sea of regret for ever having pledged his daughter into the House of de Lacy. The first time he’d heard his daughter tell him what had happened, it had been a shock. Now, it was like a dagger to his heart. To know what he’d done cut him more deeply than any weapon could have. With a heavy sigh, he reached out and put a hand on Theodora’s shoulder.
“I told her what you told me,” he muttered. “Teddy, if it takes the rest of my life, I shall make amends to you. For you to have been put through this hell is inexcusable. Forgive me, lass. For what I did to you, forgive me.”
Teodora took her father’s hand and squeezed it. “Father, as terrible as it has been, you may find it strange to hear me say that I do not regret it,” she said. “Had I not married Preston, I would never have met Cullen. And I would not have missed that experience for anything in the world.”
Bradford simply nodded his head, still regretful, perhaps afraid to say anything more because of the emotions he was feeling. But Regal patted her cheek, comforting the young woman who had been through so much. As the old woman put her arms around Teodora once more, a few people timidly approached.
Teodora looked over the top of Regal’s head to see a nice-looking man approaching her with a pair of women behind him, and even more men trailing further behind. When they saw they had her attention, the man in the lead smiled hesitantly.
“My name is Owen,” he said politely. “Are… are you the woman we have heard talk of? Monty’s lady returned from the dead?”
Teodora looked at him curiously. “Monty? Who is that?”
Owen chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. “I have only known him by Monty,” he said. “When I first met him, I said he was as big as a mountain and, somehow, Monty became his name. I did not even know his real name until today.”
Teodora fixed on the man as she let go of Regal. There was fascination in her gaze as she looked at him, curiously. “Owen,” she repeated. “You are Owen the Black.”
Owen nodded without hesitation. “I am.”
&nbs
p; Teodora continued to look him over as if astonished by what she saw. “In truth, I expected you to be ten feet tall,” she admitted. “You have given us a mighty chase these many months.”
Owen cleared his throat softly, a modest gesture, before turning to the auburn-haired woman next to him. “My wife, Lady de Mora,” he said, and then turned to the other woman standing a few feet behind him. “My wife’s sister, Lady Dessa. Monty has become our close friend and you will understand our concern for him now.”
It was then that Teodora seemed to realize that Cullen was somewhere nearby, gravely wounded. She forgot about Regal, and her father, and even Owen and his polite introductions. At the moment, all she could seem to think, see, or feel was Cullen and his close proximity.
“Please,” she begged softly. “Take me to him.”
Owen motioned her to follow. Teodora was right on his heels as he led her back into the trees, toward a small hut where there were a few people gathered outside. She didn’t recognize any of them but, then again, she wasn’t looking at them, nor did she care. She was solely focused on Cullen and his whereabouts.
Owen stopped just shy of going into the small hut, but extended his arm in an invitation for Teodora to enter. Quickly, she did, nearly running straight into the back of Sean, who was standing just inside the door.
Moving around the man, Teodora could see a supine figure on the floor with Chadwick on his knees beside it. Teodora moved a little further around Sean, crowding into the very tiny hut, and found herself looking down at a very large, very familiar figure. At least, for the most part, but the beard was new. She’d never seen that on Cullen before. But lying on the ground at her feet was most definitely Cullen.
He was alive.
Teodora had to slap two hands over her mouth to keep the sobs from bursting forth as she gazed down upon the man. She started to weep so hard that she was nearly bent over in the middle, trying so very hard to keep from screaming out loud. It was the shock of seeing a man she had been told was dead, but it was also the shock of seeing two spiny arrows sticking out of his filthy, muddy body.
She went down on her knees beside him.
“Cullen?” she whispered, sobbing. Reaching out, she timidly touched his bearded cheek as if to convince herself that he was alive. Once she felt him, warm and firm beneath her fingers, she collapsed forward on him, her lips on his bearded face. “Oh, Cullen… can you hear me? I am here, my love. I am here.”
Cullen was pasty-pale, unconscious, and breathing heavily. He didn’t even twitch when Teodora spoke to him; not that she had expected him to, but she would have sold her soul to the devil to hear the man’s voice at that moment.
“Be strong for me, Cullen,” she murmured. “Be strong for me and for our child. There is so much to tell you I do not even know where to begin, but let me say that every day of our separation has been a hell I never thought I could live through. Mayhap there were times when I hoped I wouldn’t, but seeing you now, I am glad that I did. So very glad. Amor super omnia.”
Love above all.
Still, Cullen remained silent. Teodora continued to touch his face, feeling as if she were seeing a ghost but in the same breath, feeling as if she’d been given the renewed will to live. Across from her, Chadwick was inspecting the arrow near Cullen’s groin.
“I must remove these immediately,” he muttered, turning to Sean. “I’ll need your help removing these heads.”
“I will help,” Teodora said quickly, looking anxiously at Chadwick. “I will help you with him.”
Chadwick looked at her, but it took all of his strength to do it. She’d rammed a knife into his heart and cut it out when he’d heard her call Cullen her love. If he’d ever had any doubt as to the relationship between Teodora and Cullen, that doubt had just been smashed. He felt as if he’d been gutted and it was a struggle not to lash out.
“Nay,” he said firmly. “You will get out of here and let me do what needs to be done.”
“Is it so terrible that you feel I will falter? I will not, you know. I swear it.”
Chadwick could see the anxiety in her expression but, along with it, there was also trust. She trusted him. For a split second, he softened. “It is not as terrible as it looks, fortunately,” he said. “The arrow near the kidney seems to not have imbedded itself too deep, and the one near his groin has mostly hit the bone of his pelvis. He has lost a good deal of blood, but I believe he can recover. I simply don’t want you in here when I remove the arrows.”
“But…”
His patience evaporated at the desperate look on her face. Her love for another man. Chadwick reached across Cullen’s body and grabbed her by the wrist, practically yanking her to her feet.
“Get out,” he said harshly. “You should not even be here. You should be lying in bed, resting, but foolishly, you are not. Get out of here and let de Lara help me. Go out there and sit down somewhere. Lay down if you can. But get out of my sight.”
He pulled her right to the door, shoving her out. Teodora nearly tripped but Bradford happened to be there, having followed her over to the hut, and he caught her as she stumbled out of the hut. When both Teodora and Bradford looked at Chadwick rather questioningly, miffed that he had been so rough, Chadwick pointed a finger at Bradford.
“Your daughter gave birth to your granddaughter this morning,” he said in an uncharacteristic show of anger. “She should not even be on her feet, much less traipsing into the forest. Find her a place to lie down or I will have yet another critical patient on my hands.”
With that, he ducked back into the hut and slammed the door. As he moved to Cullen’s side once more, Sean was watching him carefully. He was coming to see that what had been rumored around Rockingham for months was evidently true.
The physic had feelings for Lady Barklestone.
But it didn’t change facts.
“Chad,” he said quietly. “It is not her fault.”
Chadwick’s jaw was ticking as he yanked open his medicament bag in search of a razor-sharp knife. “What is not her fault?” he said. “That she is stupid to have come here?”
Sean had never been in love with a woman, so he truly didn’t know the pain, but he could imagine. “Nay,” he muttered. “It is not her fault that she loves another.”
Chadwick’s head jerked up to him, looking at him as if outraged by his words. But just as quickly, he knew Sean was right. The man saw his anger and he was scolding him for it, as much as he could. But that didn’t ease the ache in Chadwick’s heart. Taking a deep breath, he struggled to calm himself.
“I know,” he said, embarrassed. Not wanting to elaborate, he quickly shifted the subject. “I need ale or wine, any kind of alcohol, and I need it quickly. Once I have that, I can make the necessary incisions so we can remove these arrows. Hurry, now. We have no time to waste.”
As Sean moved for the hut door, asking those outside to provide him with wine or ale, Chadwick bent over and took a much closer look at the arrows and how they had entered Cullen’s body so he could determine the best way to remove them. But all the while, he was thinking about a certain blonde-haired lady that he would not be running away with.
Instead, he had to save her lover.
God help him.
He was dreaming.
He wasn’t quite sure of what at first; it was more of a feeling than a true dream. Then the images became clearer and he dreamed that he was in a cave, a dark and dreary place with great fangs of rock hanging from the ceiling. He heard a voice calling him. He knew Teodora’s voice immediately and called her by name, shouting so loud that the cave shuddered. He began to run, searching for her, racing down avenues that led nowhere and then having to turn about and start all over again.
Anxiety overwhelmed him.
He was sweating profusely, for the cave was clammy and he was heated from running. The voice kept calling him and he heard mumbled words, as if she were carrying on a conversation far away but he couldn’t quite catch what she was saying.
He shouted at her, screaming himself hoarse, but she seemed not to hear him. He kept working his way deeper and deeper into the cave, until he could barely hear her voice at all. But then he stopped, listened carefully, and turned about. This time, he knew he was gaining ground; Teodora’s voice was coming closer.
There was a light, bright and radiant and blinding. He was still running in his dream, though he realized through his haze that he was becoming conscious. Consciousness, however, was a painful thing; his entire body ached and he felt as if his limbs weighed hundreds of pounds. To lift a finger was a supreme effort, and to open an eye was the most tremendous task he could manage. But he managed to pry open one eye, then the other, and saw Chadwick, kneeling beside him and examining his wounds. The pain from the physic’s touch was almost unbearable and he closed his eyes to it.
His mouth worked slowly. “Chad…” he breathed. “I… C-Christ, I thought, for a moment, that I heard…”
He trailed off because he had no more strength to speak. But a familiar voice suddenly gasped in his ear.
“Cullen?” Teodora cried. “Cullen, can you hear me?”
He knew that voice. Oh, God in Heaven, he knew that voice! The heavy lids opened and he stared into a face that he had only seen in his dreams as of late, looking more beautiful and sweeter than he had ever remembered. His gaze was unfocused and he struggled to gain clarity, more fiercely than he had struggled for anything in his life.
“No…” he gasped. “Christ, it can’t… be! Teddy?”
Teodora was inches from his face, tears in her eyes. She kissed him and as he felt her flesh, alive and warm, a bolt of shock surged through his body, so great that he groaned from the pain of it. He tried to lift his hands, tried to touch her to see for himself just how real she was, but he was desperately weak. All he managed to do was flail about.
“I am here, my love, rest easy,” she wept, her lips against his fuzzy cheek. “Dear God, I thought you were dead!”
Noble Line of de Nerra Complete Set: A Medieval Romance Bundle Page 42