“Oh… goodness,” Emllyn muttered, looking at Devlin, horrified. “I completely forgotten she was here.”
Devlin looked at her, giving her a resigned expression. “Hopefully she will not talk and spread rumors about what she saw.”
The humor in that statement was obvious and Emllyn giggled. “She will sing out the praises of Black Sword’s prowess as he bedded the English maiden,” she said. Then her giggling increased. “She was here one day when de Noble came to call. Like a wraith, she came out of the shadows and snuck up behind him with a dirk in her hand and surely would have stabbed him had I not called her off. Truthfully, Dev, I’ve heard of protectors and guards, but I have never heard of an old woman who goes around protecting young women as Eefha does.”
He grinned, glancing affectionately over at the old woman who acted as if she had no idea that anyone else was in the room. She was truly in her own world.
“She is the best protection there is,” he said. “I am not surprised she chose to follow you here. When I returned to Black Castle and she was nowhere to be found, I suppose I always knew that she had come to Glenteige to be with you. It brought me some comfort to hope for that.”
“She has been my protector since the beginning.”
“So she has. Mayhap… mayhap she sees a bit of herself in you as she was when she was young. She was quite beautiful, I was told. Mayhap she simply wants to take care of you.”
“And so she has,” Emllyn said softly, arching her head up to kiss Devlin’s cheek. “But so have you. Now, about tomorrow; we should make our plans now because we may not have the opportunity later.”
Devlin nodded, thinking on the course that the morrow would take. “It should be simple enough,” he said. “Does this complex have a postern gate? I am not yet familiar with it enough to know.”
Emllyn thought on the layout of the inner wall and the keep. After a moment, she nodded “There is a small man gate near the kitchen,” she said. “I have seen servants passing between it.”
“It would more than likely be locked in the morning.”
She shook her head. “That may be, but I know the cook,” she insisted. “I am sure she will open it for me.”
“Good,” Devlin said, relieved that he had one less detail to worry over. “I will leave through the main gate and meet you somewhere outside. There is a well towards the center of town.”
“I know it.”
“You will meet me there just before sunrise.”
Emllyn grinned. “I will be there.”
“Swear it?”
“Of course. But if I am not, know that somehow I was detained. Wait for me, however; I may have to climb the inner walls to get out of this place, but know I will be there.”
“I will wait as long as it takes for you to join me.”
Emllyn knew he would. But as she thought on that, another idea struck her. “What about Eefha?” she wanted to know. “Should I bring her with me?”
He shook his head. “Do not worry over her,” he said, glancing over at the old woman. “Eefha does as Eefha wants. If she wants to come with us back to Black Castle, she will.”
Emllyn smiled in agreement. She’d heard that from him many times before. Yet there was one more thing on her mind, something she was hesitant to bring up but something that had to be spoken of. It was important to them both.
“And… Victor,” she finally said. “If we are to marry, then….”
“He has already given his consent.”
Her eyes widened. “He has?”
“Aye.”
“Even though he knows who you are?”
“Even though.”
Emllyn was surprised. Pleased, but surprised. As she mulled over what surely must have been Victor’s reaction to Black Sword’s proposal of marriage, Devlin interrupted her thoughts.
“There is something more you should know,” he said quietly. “Trevor le Mon is among the prisoners. I am sure he will be at the feast tonight. I did not want you to be surprised.”
Emllyn’s eyes widened. “Trevor?” she gasped. “He… he survived after all?”
Devlin nodded, watching her reaction. She was surprised but that was all. He saw no longing nor pleasure in her expression. Simply surprise. “Well and good for him,” she said. She meant it. “But I suppose I should thank him.”
“For what?”
She grinned. “For rejecting me,” she said, rather exaggeratedly. “If he had not rejected me, I would have never followed him aboard ship. Had I not followed him, I would have never had the joy of knowing you. We both owe him our thanks.”
Devlin grinned, thinking of the last thing le Mon said to him – you are the bravest man I know! He shook his head and kissed the tip of her nose.
“Indeed we do,” he said. “But I will do whatever thanking needs to be done. If I see you anywhere near him, I will kill him. Remember that. You belong to me now and I will not tolerate competition of any kind.”
Emllyn snorted; she wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t serious so she thought it would be the safe thing to obey him. Even though her feelings for Trevor were long gone, still, she didn’t want to cause the death of the man. So she giggled and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
Devlin squeezed in return. She felt so soft and warm against him that he could feel his loins grow hard almost instantly. As he began to nibble her silky white shoulder, there was a loud knock at the door.
Emllyn and Devlin froze, staring at the panel with apprehension. Emllyn called out.
“Who comes?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound breathless.
“Sir Raymond, my lady,” de Noble said, his voice muffled through the door. “May I have a word?”
Emllyn looked at Devlin with complete, utter fear. He was quite calm and nodded at her, encouraging her to respond. As he bolted off the bed in silence and went for his clothing, Emllyn sat up.
“Of course,” she called in return, accepting the surcoat that Devlin handed her. “A moment, please. I was resting.”
“At your leisure, my lady,” de Noble replied.
She knew he didn’t mean it. He wasn’t a patient man in the least. In a panic, she threw on the surcoat and had Devlin fasten her up the back. The bed was a mess and her shift was still on the floor; she’d dressed without it. As Devlin finished dressing, Emllyn pulled on her slippers and straightened her hair as she headed for the door. She eyed Devlin as the man came up behind her, to be positioned behind the door should she open it. Taking a deep breath, she struggled for calm.
“Are you alone, my lord?” she asked politely.
“I am, my lady.”
“Then you know it is not proper for me to open my door to you without a chaperone or an escort to stand with me,” she said firmly. “What did you wish to speak to me of?”
De Noble went from sounding polite to sounding frustrated. “I came to ask you if you would grace us with your presence at sup tonight,” he said. “We are having a rather large meal in honor of our English prisoners. De Ferrer and his men went hunting this morning and killed a three point buck. I know that you usually take your meals in your room, but I am asking if you will attend us as a special favor.”
Emllyn leaned up against the door, her hand on the iron bolt. She was very thankful that Eefha had locked the door once Devlin had entered the chamber.
“Aye,” she said. “I would be happy to attend.”
De Noble’s tone went back to a pleasant cast. “Thank you, my lady,” he said. “We are most honored. May… may I escort you to the meal?”
Emllyn turned to look at Devlin, who looked mightily displeased. After a moment, however, he reluctantly nodded. Emllyn looked at him with great disappointment but obeyed.
“You may,” she said, making a face at Devlin as she did so. “I will be ready at the appropriate time.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
They could hear the man’s footfalls fade away. Emllyn looked at Devlin with disgust. “I do
not want to touch the man,” she said petulantly. “Why did you tell me to allow him to escort me to the meal?”
Devlin was patient with her, rather amused at her tantrum. “Because it will keep his mind off of me and any thoughts of attraction between you and I,” he said. “A spurned suitor is not what you want tonight. You want a man who is not suspicious and therefore will more than likely let his guard down, allowing you more freedom of movement.”
She paused over by the wardrobe, fumbling with the stays on her dress. “You mean more freedom when I flee the keep tomorrow morning?”
“Exactly. Mayhap he will not be watching you so closely, making it easier for you to get away.”
It made sense. Pacified, Emllyn opened up the wardrobe to a gallery of borrowed dresses from Elyse; the woman had so many clothes that to loan several to Emllyn had been no hardship at all. Consequently, she had inherited a beautiful new wardrobe.
Devlin watched her as she began to rummage through the clothing, pulling out belts and surcoats and girdles. He had all of his clothes on but not his shoes. As he finished pulling on his worn peasant boots, Emllyn turned around holding up a pink satin surcoat in front of her.
“What do you think?” she asked. “Would you like to help me dress?”
He grinned as he went over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and kissing her on the forehead.
“If I have anything to do with touching your body, even if it is to fasten a surcoat, the garment will more than likely come off than stay on,” he said, releasing her. “Surprise me with what you wear. I would have my breath taken away when I see you.”
It was a sweet thing to say and Emllyn smiled dreamily at him. “Are you leaving now?”
He nodded. “It is probably for the best,” he said. “I should not stay here any longer than I have. I will go find Victor and the others, and then see you at sup tonight.”
Emllyn curtsied deeply for him. “I am looking forward to it, my lord.”
Devlin’s response was to wrap her up in a crushing embrace and kiss her until she gasped. It was such a sweet kiss, one of great longing and passion. When he finally released her, it was with a wink. Then, he quietly opened the door, checked the dim corridor outside to make sure it was clear, before silently slipping into the shadows. Eefha rose from her seat by the door and dutifully shut the door behind him.
Heart swelling with love and adoration for the massive Irish knight, Emllyn went about dressing with great eagerness. Tonight, she would have the opportunity to look beautiful for him as she never had. Up until today, the man had only seen her in dirt and rags and borrowed clothing that did not fit her. Tonight, she would change all of that. The man had already fallen in love with her beauty; now, she would show him what it was like to shine. His unconditional love had made it possible.
She would make it an evening worth remembering.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Glenteige’s great hall had been made into a massive place of warmth and food and great pungent smells. As Emllyn entered the hall on de Noble’s arm, her eyes were wide at the extraordinary setting.
The hall was built from the same fieldstone that the keep was constructed from, a very long room with an open fire pit in the center of it. Smoke escaped through a series of vents in the thatched roof, which had also been coated with mud to prevent the thatch from catching sparks.
Two long tables flanked either side of the fire pit, worn tables that had seen their fair share of feasting. One had a broken leg that was propped up by rocks. Even now, both tables were burdened with food, more food that Emllyn had seen in a very long time. Both tables held huge flanks of the buck that de Ferrer had killed and men helped themselves to the meat. The room was a busy, noisy place filled with the hungry and the drunk.
Dressed in a pale green silk surcoat with a beautiful white shift underneath that fit her figure to perfection, Emllyn had taken great care with her appearance. Her hair had been carefully brushed and braided, knotted into an intricate bun at the nape of her neck and anchored with big iron pins, and Elyse had even shared some of her cosmetics with her. She wore a dusting of ocher on her cheeks and beeswax mixed with the same ocher on her lips, giving her a lush and rosy glow. To finish off the look, Elyse’s maid had dusted her neck and shoulders with a fine powder mixed with gold dust. Literally, the woman was shining.
It was an effort that was not missed by de Noble when he came to collect her for the meal. He’d never seen anything so lovely, and it was a proud man who entered the hall with Emllyn on his arm. She was glorious. He took her around the feasting English and scavenging dogs to deposit her at one of the tables. The moment Emllyn sat, servants appeared with a trencher and drink. She didn’t even have to say a word as food was instantly being heaped onto her trencher.
Elyse was there with Connaught, both of them sitting conspicuously close in conversation until Emllyn sat down. Then, Elyse’s focus shifted to her friend.
“You look so beautiful!” Elyse gasped, visually inspecting her. “That dress never looked so good on me.”
Emllyn smiled as she collected her pewter cup of wine. “I am sure that is not true, but it is kind of you to say so,” she said, sipping her wine. “You look stunning, darling. Yellow becomes you.”
Elyse smiled demurely. “It is a gift from Christopher.”
Emllyn wasn’t surprised because the neckline of the garment was rather low and daring. “It is perfect,” she said. “He has wonderful taste.”
As Christopher dipped his head in thanks, Elyse grasped Emllyn’s hand and began perusing the room. Together, the women looked curiously at the crowd of diners.
“Where is Merradoc?” Emllyn asked. “Have you seen him?”
Elyse made a face. “Not since this afternoon,” she said, evidently displeased. “He made some comment about a two-headed baby so I chased him away. I am sure he will be here later.”
Emllyn fought off a grin at the physic’s comment and changed the subject. “It feels like a party, doesn’t it?”
Elyse nodded fervently as she surveyed the room. “So many unfamiliar faces,” she said. “These are your brother’s men; do you know many of them?”
Emllyn looked at the men congregated around the tables, eating and drinking, and throwing scraps to the hungry dogs. After a moment, she nodded.
“A few,” she said, suddenly spying Victor seated at the end of the other table. It took her a moment to realize that Trevor was seated across from him; she recognized the back of his head. Even though Devlin had told her he had survived, she still felt a jolt of surprise to see him. “I… I know the knights. There are at least two that I see.”
Elyse was trying to see what she was seeing. “Which ones?”
Emllyn pointed to the end of the opposite table. “Over there,” she said. “The bald man. That is Sir Victor St. John.”
Elyse’s focus settled on Victor. “Him?” she said as she pointed. When Emllyn nodded, she smiled. “Oh, he is handsome, is he not? But what of the dark –haired man sitting across from him? He does not look like a mere soldier. Is he a knight, also?”
She meant Trevor; the man was very handsome and well-formed, and he certainly didn’t look like a common man. Emllyn nodded. “He is indeed a knight.”
Elyse leaned in close to her, whispering in her ear. “Your friend John is here also,” she said. “He left the room a few minutes ago, probably to use the privy. I should have followed him to see how big his member was.”
Emllyn looked at her in shock before breaking down into a grin. “Elyse,” she hissed. “Christopher is sitting next to you and still you speak of other men?”
Elyse giggled. “Have you ever seen horses mate?” she asked. “Have you see how big and long their male members become?”
Emllyn shook her head reproachfully. “This is hardly appetizing dinner conversation.”
Elyse laughed. “That is what I tell Christopher he looks like,” she murmured. “He believes me. The truth is that it is not nea
rly so long and hard, unfortunately. I wonder if the farmer’s is?”
Emllyn laughed softly as she took a bite of bread, listening to Elyse prattle on about men and their manhoods. She had just reached for her wine cup again when she caught sight of Devlin entering the room.
Her heart leapt at the sight of him coming in through the main entry. Surprisingly, he looked quite different from the way she had seen him lately; he was dressed very simply in clean linen breeches, the worn peasant boots, and a clean tunic that was not torn or shabby. It was obviously borrowed because it strained against his broad chest, revealing his magnificent physique, as he headed to the table where Victor was sitting. He sat down beside the man and reached for a cup, leaning over as Victor said something to him. As the man spoke, Devlin’s eyes moved with great speed to the other table where Emllyn was sitting. She’s here, Devlin!
His gaze found her in a room filled with dozens of noisy, feasting people. There were several feet between them, smoke and servants and dogs, but he looked at her as if she were the only thing in that entire room. Their eyes locked and Emllyn smiled faintly at him. Through the haze and crowd, he smiled back.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Emllyn said softly.
She stood up just as de Noble was sitting down. He looked at her with curiosity and concern, but she waved him off politely. In her pale green gown that made her look like a goddess, she made her way over to the table where Victor and Trevor and Devlin sat. She smiled as she came upon them and, noticing that she was approaching, the three men rose to their feet politely.
“Greetings, good men,” Emllyn said, speaking to the group even though her gaze was on Devlin. “Is the feast to your liking?”
Devlin literally could not take his eyes from her; she looked like an angel. “It is, my lady,” he said as evenly as he could. “Everything is quite delicious.”
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