He took a step closer to her, trying to come to terms with the frozen child he remembered holding in his arms and the stunning woman who stood before him now. Perchance if he squinted and erased everything but her eyes… But no matter how hard he squinted, her full lips continued to distract him. She was no child. “Little Evie?” he asked in disbelief.
She grinned. “I haven’t heard that name in years.”
He mentally shook himself. The child. His gaze swept her face, from the wisps of dark hair that hung over her forehead to her startling blue eyes past her pert nose to her bowed full lips. Not a child. Not the girl he remembered. “I remember…” Holding her in his arms, carrying her to the castle. He shook himself. “The last time I saw you… it was a long time ago.”
“Aye. I believe the last time I saw you was…when I was very young. You never visited with your father and brother.”
“No,” he agreed. “I was sent away to squire with my uncle. Michael must have explained all of this to you.”
She remained silent, staring at him with an intensity that unnerved him.
He had purposely stayed away. Away from Michael, but he had no intention of telling her that.
“And yet you returned now.”
“My brother is getting married. There was no excuse for me not to come.”
“Were you looking for an excuse not to come?”
Definitely. He opened his mouth to respond and then closed it. How could he tell her that he and his brother were not on the best terms? “Not an excuse. There are many reasons I haven’t returned.” The furrow of concern in her brow caused him to pause. This was a mistake. He was not looking forward to seeing Michael. Then why had he come?
“Gabe!”
The voice broke the strained silence like glass shattering.
Gabriel stepped away from Eve, eyeing her apprehensively. “Here!”
A moment later, Henry crashed through the brush. He wasn’t as quiet or as used to forests as Gabriel was. He grew up in the city of Cambridge. “God’s blood!” he exclaimed, fighting his arm free of a branch. “What sort of witchcraft surrounds this place?”
Eve gasped. “Henry?”
Henry turned to her. His gaze swept her appreciatively and a slow welcoming smile spread over his lips. “And who do I have the pleasure –”
He never finished the sentence. Eve raced forward, throwing her arms around him. “It’s me, Henry! It’s Eve!”
Henry jerked back to look down at Eve. Startled shock raced through him.
Gabriel had the pleasure to watch his friend struggling with recognition. She certainly was not the child they both remembered.
“Little Evie?” Henry asked.
Eve smiled, and Gabriel’s heart did a little jump of excitement at the radiance.
“God’s blood!” Henry grabbed her in a tight embrace and lifted her off her feet to swing her around in a circle.
Her laughter echoed through the glade.
A happier tune, Gabriel didn’t know.
Henry set her on her feet. He ruffled her hair, causing strands to come free from the braid she wore down her back. “Little Evie is getting married.”
“I’m so glad you came,” she said and included Gabriel with a happy look. “Both of you.” She held Henry’s hand tightly and looked at Gabriel. “I am glad you accepted our invitation. Michael was certain you would not come.”
The joy of the moment filtered from Gabe and he narrowed his eyes slightly. Of course he was. After what Michael had done to Gabe. Gabriel suddenly felt the old feeling of betrayal rise within him. He glanced at Henry.
Eve put a long-sleeved covered hand on his arm. “I am delighted you came.”
Suddenly, as Gabe locked eyes with Eve, nothing else seemed important. Only making her happy. And as he realized what he was thinking, he knew the mistake he had made. He shouldn’t be here.
Chapter Two
“And a beautiful angel appeared to Mary,” Eve said to the circle of wide-eyed children sitting on the stone floor before her. “The angel said to her, ‘do not be afraid’.”
“Was she afraid?” a small girl with dark brown hair asked.
“No. It was an angel of God. There was nothing to be afraid of.”
“Were you afraid when you saw the angel?” another child with freckles asked.
Caught off guard, Eve glanced over the small group of children collected before her. The children were silent, staring raptly at her, waiting for an answer. “I never saw an angel and even if I did, I would not be afraid,” she admitted honestly.
The children exploded with questions and talking. “I would have been afraid.” “Was the angel flying?” “Did she have wings?”
“Eve.” The voice boomed through the small room.
Eve saw her father standing in the doorway. She quickly stood, apologizing to the groaning children, and made her way to her father. He was a tall, battle hardened man. His dark hair was graying at the sides and his mustache was completely gray. “I’m sorry, Father,” she said softly. “I promised them a tale and –”
“You should not speak of the incident.”
Eve stuttered for a moment, knowing how he disliked when she spoke of it. “They asked. I couldn’t –”
“You fill their heads with fancy and the next thing you know they will all be out looking for angels.”
Eve bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Father.”
“They should be preparing for their station in life. Many of them will not survive winter if we do not have enough food.”
“We were granted fields full of healthy crops this year. We have more than enough food.”
He stopped and faced her. “You misunderstand. They are children from lesser families. You should not be wasting your time with them.”
Eve’s mouth dropped. Her mother always had time for the children, making certain that as a child she played with all of them. Her father had grown cynical and pompous after her mother passed. Eve closed her mouth. “Yes, Father.” But she had no intention of following his advice.
“You have guests waiting in the Great Hall to celebrate your marriage. Spend your time with the nobles.” He strolled down the hallway.
Eve watched him go, longing for a different time. Longing for the time when he would look at her with tenderness, when he would carry she and Eden on his shoulders, proudly. She longed for that father. “Father!”
He paused and turned to her.
She wanted… what? What did she want from him? To tell him to love her again? To tell him about Eden, that she was happy, that she visited with her sister? He would only become angry. She shook her head. “I was thinking of mother is all.”
His lips pursed. “We don’t have time to remember her. There is always work to do.” He turned and continued down the hallway toward his solar. “Sir Michael is awaiting you in the Great Hall’s antechamber.”
Eve watched her father leave. She had learned to live with his coldness. She had learned to live without his love. But it never stopped hurting. She wet her lips and waved goodbye to the children before moving down the hallway to the antechamber. As she neared, she heard voices. She recognized one as Michael’s.
“She isn’t perfect.”
She froze, unable to continue. Some sick part of her echoed the words she had tried to suppress.
“Perfect?” Another man’s voice echoed. “You can’t tell me you love her.”
“Love? No. I love her lands.”
Eve knew Michael didn’t love her. Many marriages began as a loveless union. She had to remember that he had saved her. She was his property.
“Ahh! Yes. Her lands are prosperous and vast.”
She inhaled and prepared to enter the room.
“There’s only one thing I find repugnant about her,” Michael continued. “That hand.”
Eve almost tripped and pulled back, holding her marred hand to her chest, cradling it.
“Understandable.”
“It is a disability.
It prevents her from doing her duties. She can’t embroider.”
Eve felt her heart hammering in her chest. She felt despair settle around her. She knew her limitations, but to hear them spoken aloud on the lips of her betrothed made them seem… made her seem… incomplete.
“She can’t write.”
“Perhaps that is for the best,” the other man said.
“Every noble woman should be able to keep tallies of the crops,” Michael objected. “She can’t ride a horse.”
Eve pressed her good hand to her mouth as tears began to gather in her eyes.
“She can barely feed herself at table. How can I sit beside her when she can’t even lift a trencher to her lips? It is repulsive. She is repulsive.”
A sob tore from her throat. She turned away from the room to run straight into a wall of solid flesh.
Gabriel had stood beside her, hearing the callous words, as he approached. His brother was a cad. But when Eve lifted her tear ringed eyes to him, Gabriel felt his stomach drop. All he wanted to do was go into the room and bash his brother in the face.
Instead, he hooked an arm around her shoulders and guided her away, down the hall, away from the Great Hall, away from the room with his brother.
He felt a hitch in her breathing as they walked and squeezed her tight. “Do not waste your tears on such hateful words,” he whispered. “You are far from repulsive.”
“He’s right,” she whispered, her voice thick with agony. “I’m useless to him. What kind of wife will I make?”
Gabriel steered her into a darkened room he believed was used as a judgement room. It would be empty now. He opened the door and guided her inside. The large room was dark. He left the door open slightly so he could see her in the light from the flickering torchlight in the sconces in the hallway. “You will make a better wife than he deserves.”
She shook her head, bowing her head to her chest. “I will embarrass him. I will –”
“No, Eve. You are far from an embarrassment. You –”
Her small body shook with a tremor of tears. “I don’t want to marry him,” she whispered.
The words echoed through the room and even though they did, Gabriel wasn’t certain he had heard her correctly. He stood, unsure. He should confront Michael about the way he treated her. He should take her far away from this place. But he wasn’t certain that was what she wanted. He wasn’t certain it was just a moment of weakness.
She wiped at her eyes and sniffled. “I’m sorry.” She lifted her gaze to him. “I didn’t mean that.”
Gabriel’s heart broke at her misery, at the tears that streaked her cheeks, her clumped lashes. And he knew with certainty that if she married Michael her life of misery would have only just begin.
“I’m certain that when I get to know him… when we are man and wife –”
But there was no excusing what Michael had said. No true man spoke that way about his wife-to-be. Definitely not to others. Gabriel lifted his chin. “Eve.” He took her hand into his. She tried to pull away, but he held it firmly, allowing the sleeve to cover it so she felt better. “This is not what will make you a good wife.”
Eve stared at him with tender eyes, eyes that sparkled gratitude in the torchlight from the hallway.
“Would you like to ride a horse?”
She straightened in fear. “I can’t.”
“Can’t? Have you tried?”
“Once when I was young. I was thrown because I couldn’t control him.” She looked down at her hand. “I couldn’t hold the reins correctly.”
Gabriel shook his head. “There are other ways to control a horse. Were you sitting side saddle?”
“Of course.”
Gabriel’s gaze swept her. “Do you dare not sit side saddle?”
“You mean… like a man?”
Gabriel grinned. “It will give you more control.”
“Really?” she asked with excitement. Then, she shook her head. “No. I couldn’t.”
“I will help you learn. I’m an excellent horseman.” He smiled at her. “I daresay there is none better.”
She answered with a smile of her own.
His heart leapt at seeing her joy.
“I don’t know…”
“We can do it in private. Remember that pond where I met you? There is plenty of room to learn there.”
Eve considered for a moment. Then, she nodded. “I would like that.”
Gabriel was proud of her. “In the morn?”
She nodded.
Gabriel lounged near the large doors that led to the Great Hall. He had escorted Eve to dinner and then decided to greet his brother. It had been many years since he had seen Michael. Many years filled with anxiety that had slowly given way to rage. He wasn’t certain he was ready to see Michael. He wasn’t certain what he would say. But it was time. Michael was his brother, his only living family. It was well past time.
He heard Michael’s laughter echoing through the hallway long before he saw him. His laughter had not changed. It was still rich and rolling and deep. Gabe lifted his head.
Michael appeared, strolling down the corridor, surrounded by a group of young nobles who all hoped to gain favor with him.
As they started into the Great Hall, Gabe called, “Michael.”
The group halted as one, all turning their gazes to Gabriel.
Gabe pushed himself from the wall, rising to his full height.
Michael stepped forward from the cluster, his eyes narrowed for a moment until recognition washed over him. “Gabriel.”
Whispers erupted from the men behind Michael.
“I’m glad to see you remember me, brother,” Gabriel said with cynicism.
Michael’s lips thinned. “I didn’t think you’d come.” He turned toward the group of men. “Go. I will join you shortly.”
After a moment of hesitation, the group continued into the Great Hall.
Gabriel watched two of the younger men hesitate in the entrance, either to hear what Michael said or to help if Michael needed them. Gabe wanted to laugh. He had no intention of starting a fight with his brother. At least, not now.
“Why are you here?” Michael asked, stopping just before Gabe.
Gabe’s gaze swept him. He was older, taller than he remembered, yet still inches shorter than Gabe was. His hair was cut in the latest courtly fashion and his cortehardie was impeccable. He had turned into a noble. Their father would have been proud of him. “I wouldn’t miss your marriage.”
“You missed father’s burial.”
“I received your missive too late. I was in Salisbury. Do not cast judgement on me, brother.”
Michael leaned in. “Is that why you’ve come? To cast judgement on me.”
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve come for your marriage, as I’ve said. Any other reason is guilt on your conscious.”
Michael straightened and stood quietly before him for a long moment. Finally, he nodded and turned away.
Gabe watched him enter the Great Hall, satisfied and a little bit happy about his brother’s trepidation.
The next morning, Michael walked across the walkways of the castle wall, inspecting the guards and their positions. The castle was fully secured, its men trained excellently. The sound of a galloping horse caught his attention and he looked out one of the crenels over the drawbridge. Gabriel was riding toward the road that led into town.
Michael grinned. Maybe he was leaving. He shouldn’t think like that. Gabe was the only family he had left. He should get to know his brother better. But that night twelve years ago stood between them like an unforgiving wall. He watched Gabe follow the curving road. He saw what he had not before.
Gabe was not alone. Eve sat before him.
Tingles of unease and anger danced across Michael’s neck. Where were they going? His teeth slowly clenched as a realization crested inside of him. He did not like having Gabriel here. He didn’t trust his motives for returning. He didn’t trust him. He had to find out what he wa
s up to.
Chapter Three
The sun was warm on Eve’s shoulders, despite the cool air. Birds chirped and soared in the sky with purpose. Sitting before Gabriel on his brown palfrey, Eve watched the way Gabe’s hands clutched the reins of the horse as he walked the animal back and forth across the clearing before the pond. She could easily hold the reins the same way with her left hand, but not her right.
“Do you feel the rhythm of the horse?” Gabriel asked.
Eve had noticed that. Side to side, side to side. “Like a heartbeat.”
Gabe smiled. “A heartbeat that changes with different steps.”
Eve stared down at Gabe’s hands, the way the reins wrapped between his fingers, the way he tugged on them to get the horse to turn. He was a natural, so at ease maneuvering the horse.
“Do you want to try it?” Gabriel asked softly.
“No,” she answered quickly.
“As much as I like having you this close to me, the purpose of this trip was to help you learn to ride a horse.” He pulled the reins back and the horse came to a stop. “I will stay on the horse, but I want you to steer her.”
Eve nodded hesitantly. “Do I sit like you?”
“Yes. Can you swing one leg over the other side?”
Eve leaned back into Gabriel’s strong chest and lifted her leg over the horse’s neck. Her skirt came up to her knee and she quickly adjusted it.
“You would put your feet in the stirrups, but they will need to be adjusted so we’ll save that for next time.”
She nodded.
“Hold the reins like I do.” He opened his hand so she could see.
She opened her left hand and threaded the reins around her first three fingers, just like he had.
“Good,” Gabriel said. “Now the other hand.”
Eve hesitated, her heart dropped with disappointment. “It won’t work,” she whispered.
“Eve,” he sighed against her ear. “It will work if you want it to.” He reached for her hand.
“No,” she said and pulled it away from him with such violence that she almost toppled from the horse.
He righted her with a strong grip around her waist. “Alright. Alright. It’s okay. Let’s do it a different way.” He held up his right hand. “Show me which of your fingers are missing.”
A Knight Before Christmas: Historical Romance Novella Page 3