Margaretha was good at choosing other people’s perfect match. A few weeks ago she had noticed her maidservant, Britta, and one of the guards, Gustaf, eyeing each other. Margaretha inquired about the guard, discovering that Gustaf used his wages to help his sickly mother and two sisters. So Margaretha managed to arrange for the guard to accompany her, her sisters, and Britta on a picnic. Margaretha and her sisters went to pick flowers, leaving Britta and Gustaf alone together to guard the food. Later, she sent the two of them to pick apples. Soon her matchmaking was rewarded with seeing them smiling at each other and talking quietly.
Lord Claybrook seemed kind, and he wouldn’t force her to go back to England with him. He had said he wanted to stay within the Holy Roman Empire, as he would inherit the nearby estate of his uncle, the Earl of Keiterhafen. If she married Lord Claybrook, she could stay close to her family.
As a duke’s daughter, it was her duty to marry as advantageously as possible. How spoiled she would seem if she ignored her parents’ wishes by refusing to accept a suitor who would advance their family’s holdings and bring about peace and harmony to the people whose lives depended upon it.
She had already delayed the process so long, her younger sister was now of age to marry. It didn’t seem too much to ask, however, that she be allowed enough time to get to know him. She must first believe she could love him and that he loved her. But if she could not find a good reason not to accept Lord Claybrook, he seemed her best choice.
Lord Claybrook, she realized with a guilty feeling, had stopped talking and was staring at her with a look of frustration on his face. Oh dear. She had insulted him by not listening to his long diatribe on hunting.
“Forgive me, Lord Claybrook. My mind wandered. What were you saying?”
“I was telling you about my hunting dogs. I thought you were interested in learning about me, Lady Margaretha. But I shall not bore you any longer.”
“Oh no! You mustn’t think — ” That she wasn’t interested in his hunting exploits? She couldn’t lie. “I was rude, and I hope you will forgive me. I do want to learn more about you. Most people complain that I talk too much, and I didn’t want to annoy you with too much chatter.” She smiled, hoping to return him to a good humor.
Lord Claybrook smiled back and reached out a hand to her. Straight white teeth shone among his good-looking features — hard-planed chin and cheekbones, a prominent brow, and dark brown eyes that were perfectly spaced. Her maids all told her he was her most handsome suitor yet.
Margaretha allowed him to take her hand, and he raised it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “You are much too beautiful to offend, Lady Margaretha. Of course, I must not expect a gentle lady to be interested in hunting. Although many ladies do go out hunting with their men. But your delicate nature becomes you.” Still holding her hand, he bent to kiss it again.
Perhaps she should be moved, at least a little, by his gesture, but it didn’t make her heart flutter in the least, the way Britta said hers did when Gustaf smiled at her. But perhaps it wasn’t Margaretha’s way to be moved to flutterings of the heart by a man’s smile or kiss. Her mother said love grew out of mutual respect and friendship. So far, Lord Claybrook hadn’t given her any reason to not respect him. Unless she considered his irrational choices in clothing.
Just then her father, Duke Wilhelm, and her eldest brother, Lord Valten, came into the Great Hall wearing leather tunics, leather breeches, and shoulder capes — their usual riding attire.
“Shall we hunt?” Lord Claybrook asked them, an eager glint in his eyes.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” her father answered him. “I shall ask my falconer and the dogs’ handler to be ready in the morning. For now, I thought we could take a ride around the town.”
“It would be my pleasure, your Grace. Do I have time to change my hat?”
“Of course,” her father said, as a flicker of amusement crossed his face. Her brother Valten’s expression, on the other hand, was openly scornful.
Lord Claybrook made an elegant bow to his host and then turned to Margaretha. “Will you join us, my lady?”
“No, I thank you.” She knew her father was still trying to make out the man’s character, and he could do it better without her along. “Enjoy your ride. I will be here when you get back.” She smiled, trying to seem amenable and friendly.
Lord Claybrook’s gaze lingered on her before he bowed and strode away.
Her father smiled at her, looking pleased. Valten just scowled.
“How is my beautiful daughter this morning?”
“Very well, Father.” Margaretha went forward and embraced him. If only she could find someone as perfect as her father. He made every other man she’d ever met seem unworthy.
Perhaps this was the reason she’d never found a suitor very appealing; she always compared him to her father.
She pressed her cheek against his shoulder. He would never force her to marry, but she also felt he had been a little disappointed that she had rejected the Duke of Beimerberg last fall, and the Earl of Rimmel last summer, both within the first week of meeting them.
Some others hadn’t even lasted that long. Would he ask her how things were progressing with Lord Claybrook?
When she pulled away, he looked into her eyes. His knuckles grazed her chin and jawline, and he winked. Then he and Valten left.
Margaretha wandered through the castle, trying to imagine herself married with two children, like her brother Gabe’s wife, Sophie. Or pregnant with her first child, like Valten’s wife, Gisela. Her sisters-in-law both seemed content. Gabe and Sophie were perfect for each other, and Valten and Gisela were also well-matched and in love. But Margaretha didn’t think she would be pleased with a man like either of her brothers. She wanted someone extraordinary, a man who was bold, fearless, and impulsive, yet humble, kind, and gentle. He should be intelligent and confident in his ability to love her and make her happy. He had to be passionate about right and wrong, and passionately in love with her, not her father’s title and wealth.
All Lord Claybrook seemed passionate about was hunting . . . and hats.
But after all, she barely knew him. Did she want him to behave unseemly, attacking her in his ardor?
She didn’t know what she wanted.
She wandered through the outside door and into the courtyard, which was surrounded on three sides by the castle walls. To her right was the blacksmith’s stall, which was always busy with people bringing work or retrieving mended tools and horseshoes. Straight ahead, three maids stood at the well, talking as they waited their turn to draw water.
To her left was the open door to the healer’s chambers. Frau Lena left the door open in good weather to let out the bad humors. Margaretha could hear her singing, her clear voice carrying into the courtyard.
The early spring sun was more than halfway up the sky, but it was pleasantly cool, as the weather had turned mild. Only a few white clouds dotted the blue sky, but three vultures, circling lazily overhead, marred the perfection of her view. What were they doing here? Vultures only came around when something was dead — or dying.
A cart, pulled by a gray mule, rolled through the castle gate from the Marktplatz and headed toward Frau Lena’s tower chambers. A long bundle lay on the otherwise empty cart. She stared absentmindedly at it, until she began to notice the angles and bulges of the cloth. Then, as it drew near the healer’s open door, Margaretha realized — those were feet dangling off the end of the cart.
The motionless heap was a person.
Chapter
2
Margaretha crept closer to the cart, trying to look inconspicuous. At any moment Frau Lena might notice her and warn her away.
The boy who had been leading the mule and potter’s cart must be the potter’s apprentice. He peeked into the open doorway of the healer’s chambers in the southwest tower, then called, “Frau Lena? Are you here?”
Margaretha peered over the side at the unconscious body.
A young man, p
erhaps a little older than her own age of eighteen, lay motionless, his eyes closed. His black hair was plastered to his head above his right eye with what looked like dried blood, and dead leaves were tangled up in his thick, wavy locks. He had been beaten, as there were bruises over his face and on his collarbone, which she could see because his shirt was ripped and lay open, exposing his chest. In spite of the smudges of dust and grime on his face, his bleeding, swollen lips, and the dark circles under his eyes, he had noble features and might be considered handsome if he were cleaned up. His fine linen clothes were dirty and torn, his feet bare. Although he was thin, his chest and shoulders were broad. He must be cold, lying there with nothing warm to cover him.
She stared, trying to tell if he was breathing. Was he dead? Her heart squeezed painfully, as if trying to beat for him.
Frau Lena came out of the tower door and walked to the other side of the cart. She bent her face close to the unconscious man’s.
“My master and I found him on the south road to Hagenheim.” The lad who had brought him followed Frau Lena and stood beside her, staring down at the dark-haired man.
Frau Lena pressed two fingers to the side of his neck. She glanced up and her eyes locked on Margaretha, then widened, as though she was startled to see her.
“Is he alive?”
Frau Lena nodded. “He is breathing. I’ll need help carrying him inside.”
Margaretha turned and hailed one of her father’s knights, who was strolling through the courtyard. “Sir Bezilo! Kommen Sie hier, bitte! Over here, please.”
Sir Bezilo strode forward and slipped his massive arms underneath the body and picked him up.
The unconscious man opened his eyes — they were a stunning dark blue — and began trying to speak, but his voice was so hoarse and cracked that he sounded more as if he was croaking than speaking words. But even in his weak state, he struggled against the larger knight.
“Sei still,” Sir Bezilo told him. “You are safe now.”
But the poor man continued to struggle and try to speak as the knight carried him inside.
She asked the boy who had brought the stranger, “Did he tell you anything?”
“He never awakened until now. Did you understand what he was saying?”
“No. But now that I think about it, perhaps he was speaking another language.”
The boy raised his brows. “No one around here knows how to speak other languages, only a few words of Latin or French. No one except some of the duke’s family.” His eyes fixed on her for the first time and his mouth fell open. “Oh. Begging your pardon, Lady Margaretha.” He bowed to her, his ears turning bright red.
“Nothing to pardon,” Margaretha said gently. “And thank you for being so kind as to bring the poor man to our healer. You saved his life, I am sure. Please inform the potter of my family’s gratitude.”
“Of course, my lady.” He bowed again, then took his mule and led him away, the cart wheels rattling over the cobblestones.
Margaretha turned back to the open doorway. Frau Lena was rummaging through a basket by the sick bed, while her patient lay motionless and quiet once again, his eyes closed.
Margaretha stepped inside, not sure what she intended to do. She’d never entered the healer’s chambers before, as Frau Lena always came to Margaretha’s own chamber when she was ill. She was certain her mother and father wouldn’t like her being here — she might see things a duke’s daughter ought not to see. But curiosity compelled her.
Frau Lena pulled a cloth from the basket and glanced up. “Lady Margaretha.” She seemed about to say something, then turned and dipped some water from the kettle over the fire in the fireplace into a bowl.
Margaretha took a deep breath, then said, “Please, Frau Lena, may I stay, only until I can see if the young man will recover?”
“Yes, you may stay and help me, if you wish. My apprentice has gone to the market and may not be back for a while.”
Margaretha stepped closer. “Oh, thank you, Frau Lena. I would like to help. The poor man looks as if he was beset by robbers and left for dead. What should I do? Do you think he will live?”
She was asking questions faster than Frau Lena could answer them. She literally bit her tongue to stop herself.
“I think he will live.” Frau Lena smiled as she handed Margaretha a wet cloth and the bowl of warm water. “Bathe his face with this while I make him a special herbal drink.”
Margaretha sat on a stool by the narrow bed and began gently washing his face, which was so dirty she had to continually rinse out her cloth. “What do you think is wrong with him?” she whispered.
“He has gone too long without water and food. He also has had a nasty blow to the head, which is probably affecting his mind.”
Frau Lena went inside the storage room and came back out with some flasks of herbs. She placed some of the dried leaves in a small, porous piece of cloth, brought the corners up and twisted it closed, tying it with thread. She then dropped the herb ball into a cup and poured hot water over it. Frau Lena had often made tea for Margaretha’s sicknesses and minor ailments in the same way.
The longer Margaretha leaned over the young man, cleaning the blood and dirt from his face, the more she noticed his features, his long, sooty-black eyelashes, and his thick black brows. She cleaned his square chin and stubbly jaw. His cheeks were hollow, but he had strong cheekbones.
After cleaning most of the dust and dirt from his face, she found the dried blood that was matted in his hair a bit harder to remove. She dabbed at it over and over with the wet cloth, but gently, trying not to cause him pain or wake him.
When Frau Lena turned away and went back into the storage room, Margaretha worked up enough courage to wipe the dust from the man’s poor, cracked lips.
She dipped the cloth into the pan of water and went back to work on his bloody hair. Slowly, the blood disappeared and she could see the deep gash extending from his hairline to about three inches into his hair.
He moaned and turned his head slightly, as if trying to get away from her ministrations. Margaretha drew back and looked to Frau Lena, who had reentered the room.
“Let me see if I can get him to drink a bit.”
Margaretha stood, and Frau Lena took her place on the stool at the young man’s shoulder. Frau Lena leaned over him and spoke gently. “Can you hear me?”
He didn’t move or speak, his eyes still closed.
Frau Lena slipped a hand under his head and lifted him while putting the cup to his lips.
Margaretha watched the steam rising from the cup. She hoped Frau Lena’s drink would rouse him. She was curious to know where he came from and who he was.
As Frau Lena let a bit of the drink dribble out onto his lips, his eyes flew open and he began to speak. At least, it seemed as though he was speaking, but his voice was hoarse and the sounds he was emitting seemed fragmented, as his voice was cracking. His eyes were wide and wild as he seemed to rant at Frau Lena. His manner matched the intensity in his bright blue eyes.
“Do you think he’s lost his mind because of his injuries?” Margaretha whispered, keeping out of the young man’s line of vision.
“It seems likely,” Frau Lena whispered back.
Margaretha glanced toward the open door. If she needed to, she could run fetch help and be back within a few moments. She didn’t want the young madman hurting Frau Lena.
Colin felt something hot burning the cracked places on his lips, and opened his eyes, ready to fight. But it was only a woman before him, holding a cup.
“What is this place? Where am I?” He stopped speaking, realizing from the look on the woman’s face that she didn’t mean him any harm — and that she didn’t understand a word he was saying.
His head throbbed and his thoughts were hazy, like clouds he couldn’t grab hold of. His face felt hot . . . so hot . . . but his feet were cold. The pain in his head made him want to go back to sleep. He heard himself moan.
The red-haired woman turne
d and began whispering to someone behind her. By the voice that whispered back, it became evident there was another woman in the room.
The redhead turned back to him and held the cup of hot liquid to his lips again. Her words were foreign. He concentrated, trying to make them out.
“Trink.”
He hoped she wasn’t trying to scald him. She looked kind, so he let her pour a bit of the hot liquid into his mouth. It burned not only his lips, but his parched throat as well, yet he drank another gulp, then another. Suddenly, the liquid seemed to go down the wrong way and he started coughing, which made his head throb even more.
He finally stopped coughing and sank back onto the bed.
The red-haired woman spoke again. The first word sounded like “Trink,” but the rest was gibberish to him. She held the cup to his lips and he drank some more. The liquid — whatever it was — was starting to feel good going down his throat. He reached up and took the cup in his own hand.
“Trink langsamer,” she said, wrinkling her freckled forehead, concern in her voice.
Colin drank the rest of what was in the cup in two big swallows. He handed the cup back to the woman. He didn’t understand a word she was saying, but if she didn’t just poison him, she probably saved his life.
He lay back against the pillow and closed his eyes. The woman began to whisper again to her friend.
God, why didn’t I listen to my mother and learn to speak German? He hoped someone here spoke English, the only language he was fluent in. He knew a bit of Latin, but not enough to communicate what he needed to say.
He opened his eyes again. The redhead who had given him the drink was staring at him. At her left shoulder stood a beautiful young lady dressed in a gown of purple silk. Her eyes were also fastened on him.
The beautiful girl moved toward him. “Do you speak English?”
Praise God! “Yes! Do you?”
“Where do you come from? Are you from England?” she asked in English. Her brown eyes sparked with intelligence, and her full, perfect lips turned up at the corners. She spoke with a heavy accent, but she enunciated clearly. As she moved in front of the window, the light streaming in created a warm glow around her fair face, setting the rich brown of her hair on fire.
Fairy Tale Romance Collection Page 109