Raven’s Rise

by Cole, Elizabeth

  He stroked her head, marveling again at the light, almost silvery strands. He wondered if her son had her hair.

  “Where is your son now?” he asked.

  “He’s being fostered with another family that holds an alliance with Otto.” Angelet raised her head, and she looked a little more present than she had a moment ago. “Otto sent Henry there when he was only eight, and he did it partly to keep me biddable. He dangled a visit like bait. Whenever something happened that made me think I could change my life at all, there it was: Do you want to return home, or see your child again? Do you want to meet a new suitor, or keep your only boy?” Her tone turned harsh as she mimicked Otto’s questions. “He knew me. He knew I’d always bow down, because he had the one thing I loved most in the world.”

  Rafe didn’t know what to say to that. He’d never loved anyone that much, or been loved that much.

  “All I have of my boy is a lock of his hair,” Angelet whispered. “I look at it every day, instead of his face. How is that just? I told Otto whatever I had to tell him, just for the chance to get to see my Henry again.”

  Rafe went utterly still. Her son didn’t have her hair—because it was her son’s lock of brown hair in that little box. Not her husband’s. He sighed, relief coursing through him. All this time, he had thought he was pushing Angelet to betray the memory of her first love. But it was her child she thought of, not her late husband.

  “What is it?” Angelet was looking at him, having sensed his shift in mood.

  “Nothing,” he said. “Just…hearing you speak of a child makes things clearer now.”

  “Otto warned me not to tell you the truth before. If I told anyone that the nunnery wasn’t my choice, or if I revealed the true reason why I agreed to take vows, then he’d punish me by withholding access to Henry for the rest of my life. I couldn’t take that chance. Until chance threw everything aside with that attack that separated us from the rest.”

  Rafe held her close, kissing her forehead. “I can see why you thought that way.”

  “That’s not all,” she said, sounding nervous.

  “Go on.”

  “The family he’s living with is in Dorset.” Angelet looked nervous, and he understood why.

  Rafe shook his head. “We’re not going to France, are we? You want to get your son back.”

  She nodded.

  “Do you have a plan for that, my lady? The family won’t just let you walk out the gate with him.”

  “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

  “Why did you lie about heading to Anjou? Why not just tell me?”

  “Because I didn’t think you’d agree! And because I don’t have the means to pay you for anything. Well, there’s the moonstones. The necklace is worth something.”

  “I don’t want your necklace.”

  “You need to be paid. That’s why I mentioned my family. I’m certain they have the means to pay you…I just couldn’t be sure I’d ever actually reach Anjou if I tried to get Henry first. But I knew you’d tell me it was hopeless, or you wouldn’t take me anywhere at all—”

  Rafe sighed. “Angelet. From now on, you need to tell me the truth. If you want to get your child back, we definitely need to devise some plan to do it safely. If we’re lucky, we can come up with something before we reach Dorset. And afterward…actually, we may have to cross the Channel. If you can reach your family, then both you and your son will be safe.”

  Her eyes widened as he spoke. “You think that’s possible? We could all reach Anjou together?”

  “It’s possible. But it will take some work.”

  “You’re not angry that I lied to you?”

  “I’ve no standing to take offense at anything you’ve done, Angelet.” He kissed her again. “Remember, I’m only here to serve you.”

  “Oh, hush.” She gave a little laugh, tinged with sadness. “You make it sound as though I own you.”

  “You do tonight.”

  Rafe made her lie down again, and stretched out beside her on the bed.

  She took a deep breath then let it out in a whoosh. “Oh, I don’t know what to do.”

  “Then do nothing,” he said, laying a hand on her skin, feeling how perfectly smooth she was. “At least until tomorrow. We have some time to plan this out.”

  He couldn’t seem to stop touching her, though at the moment, he was satisfied by running his fingers up and down the side of her body, from her shoulder down to her waist, over her hip, and down her thighs. Then he’d reverse course, and repeat.

  “You’re so lovely,” he said quietly.

  “I’d say you’re rather handsome yourself,” Angelet returned, “but I wouldn’t dare feed your pride.”

  “Too late,” he said. “As we both know, I’m already as arrogant as they come.”

  “It’s earned.” She tipped her head back, offering an invitation for another kiss. He took it, enjoying the sweetness of the gesture.

  Then he found the place at her throat where her pulse beat and licked her skin. Her sigh was gold.

  “Rafe,” she murmured. “Go on. With your tongue. Just like that.”

  “As you command.”

  Several moments later, she melted against him in an entirely new way, moaning his name, and he loved every moment.

  In the morning, Rafe woke up to find Angelet curled up against him, her breathing slow and soft. For all the times he took a woman to bed, it was rare for him to wake up with one. And waking up to Angelet felt far better than waking up alone.

  He almost kissed her, then drew himself up short. She wasn’t seeking affection from him, and the last thing he needed was to complicate a very simple arrangement with any suggestion that he wanted more from her than what she’d already offered.

  Rafe was content with enjoying her in bed, and only in bed, and only for the short time they’d be together. Angelet was an intelligent woman, and though she wasn’t sure of her future, she obviously knew that permanently attaching herself to a bastard knight would do nothing for her own security. No, what she needed was to retrieve Henry, and then get safely to Anjou. After that, Rafe had no role in her life.

  And he didn’t want any role. Rafe could go anywhere once he was on the continent. He could offer his professional services to any lord or king who could pay. Or hell, he could journey to all the great cities of the known world. In a few weeks, he’d deliver Angelet to her home, and he’d be free forever.

  Beside him, Angelet stirred and stretched, then opened her eyes. When she smiled at him, Rafe momentarily lost his highly rational line of thought.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Morning, my lady.” As he spoke, he brushed some hair from her face. She would age well. Angelet would be as lovely in thirty years as she was now, with a head of silvery hair and those same clear green eyes. Too bad he wouldn’t be around to see it.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked, looking at him curiously.

  “Nothing,” he said, with an easy smile. “Nothing important. We should get moving. The faster we’re away from here, the safer you’ll be.”

  She nodded, and her playful, sunny expression faded. “Do you think someone is still following us?”

  “If someone is, let’s make their task more difficult.”

  Chapter 18

  Leaving the village, Rafe and Angelet took the south road. They now had a destination, and Rafe said he wanted to make as much progress toward Dorset as they could. The weather favored them at first. It was a fine spring day, the air soft and warm, and the sky clear. Angelet delighted in the scene passing by. Even in the worst situations, it was difficult to be downcast on a spring day.

  Rafe wasn’t quite as at ease. He kept looking over his shoulder, though he tried to conceal his concern from her for most of the morning.

  “Perhaps they’ve given up altogether,” Angelet suggested at last. “You’ve seen no signs of pursuit.”

  “No,” Rafe said, but he sounded uncertain.

  “Hav
e you seen any signs?” she asked. “You don’t have to shield me, you know. I won’t faint…not from hearing bad news, anyway.” Was Rafe keeping information from her in some sort of attempt to keep her affliction from recurring?

  “I haven’t,” he said, more firmly. “Nothing definite. But there’s a feeling I can’t shake, and when you’ve been followed as much as I have, it’s wise to heed that feeling.”

  “Excuse me, but who’s been following you?” she asked.

  “Never mind.”

  Angelet nudged her horse with an ankle to bring her closer to where he rode. “Rafe, what aren’t you telling me? Why would someone be following you?”

  He weighed his next words. “I’ve annoyed a number of people in the past few years.”

  “Annoyed? You annoyed them enough to warrant being physically pursued? What did you do? Does this involve a woman?” Lord, maybe Rafe made a practice of seducing all the ladies he escorted from place to place. Though he did once mention that he usually didn’t do this sort of work. Still, he could have seduced some lady, and now her family was chasing him down to seek retribution.

  “There’s no woman,” Rafe said. “This is entirely different.”

  “Does it have to do with your competing in all those tourneys? Did you kill the wrong opponent?”

  “No.”

  “Is it a mistake of some kind? A misunderstanding or…”

  “No, they understood perfectly what I did,” Rafe said, with a bitter laugh. “And so did I. But I did it anyway. Which is why I started competing in tourneys in the first place. It pays me and it gives me a reason to keep moving.”

  “Moving away from Shropshire?” she guessed. “That’s why you didn’t want to go this way. You’re worried you’ll meet someone you wish to avoid. Who?”

  “It doesn’t matter who,” he said. “And I won’t be interrogated by you. Just because you’ve seen more of me than most people, it doesn’t grant you any special rights to my past.” He nudged his horse to advance a few lengths ahead of hers.

  Angelet didn’t try to catch up. The last thing she wanted was to anger the one person she was traveling with. If Rafe decided she wasn’t worth the effort, he could leave her right on the road. Who would ever know?

  And in a way, he was right. Angelet and Rafe’s new intimacy didn’t come with any promises—just the opposite. The reason she accepted his offer was that it came with no hitches. The less she learned about him, the better. For both of them.

  After a little while, Rafe looked over his shoulder, in that same gesture he’d done all morning, scanning the road behind them. But this time, he wheeled his horse around, and rode back. Angelet turned too, thinking he’d seen something. But there was no hint of anyone.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Rafe looped around and came up to match her pace. “Nothing. But it was stupid of me to ride ahead of you when the danger is behind us.” He was once again the soldier, speaking of tactics, keeping all emotion out of his voice. “I won’t do it again.”

  “I won’t ask you more about your past,” she said, hoping to soothe him. “It’s not as if I could alter it, so there’s no benefit in my knowing.”

  Still, she was curious. What could Rafe possibly have done that angered someone enough to chase down and presumably drag him back to…wherever? Granted, Rafe showed a blatant disregard for the state of his soul when it came to certain sins, namely lust. But he also displayed an incredible amount of bravery and intelligence, and he never once hesitated when he needed to protect Angelet or anyone else in their party. And even his sinful side was actually rather chivalrous—he made his offer and then left it to her to accept it. He flirted and teased, but never took advantage of her. To Angelet, he seemed like a perfect knight.

  “May I ask just one thing?” she said hesitantly.

  “What?”

  “The people who might be following you…do you think they’d hurt me?”

  Rafe’s brow furrowed. Then, “No. I’d expect that they’d only want to get me. And not to kill. They’d take me back to—” He broke off, but his point was made. “You would be safe from them.”

  “That’s good news, yes?”

  “Yes.” Rafe fell silent for a few minutes. Then he said, “I’m sorry. I should have told you about…that complication.”

  “You should have,” she agreed. “Though I suppose you knew it would have cost you the job. Otto never would have hired you and the others if he knew.”

  “I was confident that whoever was after me would be deterred by the greater numbers of the escort. Overconfident,” he amended.

  “Rafe, remember that those men who attacked us did mention taking me. And someone shot at me. So our first guess is still more likely.”

  He nodded, but didn’t add anything.

  “I truly didn’t mean to anger you,” she said. “Please don’t leave me.”

  “Leave you?”

  “You could. At the next town, or even here. I know that you’d prefer to be on your own, and now I understand a little better why that is.”

  Rafe stared at her. “You think I’d leave you somewhere? As if you were a sack of onions?”

  “Well, you could. It’s possible.”

  “It’s impossible. You asked me to take you to your son, and then Anjou. I’ll do that unless one of us dies on the way.”

  “Truly?”

  “Yes, Angelet.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s what I’m supposed to do! That’s what a knight is.”

  “Oh.” She smiled tremulously. “Then I’m glad I hired you to be my knight.”

  He stared at her for a moment more, then laughed. “I hope so.”

  They rode on, having restored their alliance.

  But their luck with the weather did not hold. A cold wind from the west started to blow in the early afternoon, bringing heavy, blue-grey clouds along. Rafe kept a wary eye on the western horizon, and judged their few periods of rest very carefully. He was too well-trained a soldier to ride their horses to exhaustion, but they also needed to reach some shelter before the rain came.

  However, the road was taking them through a particularly desolate patch of countryside. They saw no farms or homes, and the nearest village could be around the next curve in the road…or hours away.

  Angelet kept quiet for the most part. Rafe was obviously on edge, and she could offer nothing to help them on the journey. The clouds grew darker and seemed to undulate, as if a huge wind stirred them from above.

  When a few fat drops of rain spattered on the ground, Rafe cursed under his breath. Angelet winced when the rain hit her face, pulling her cloak more tightly around her.

  “Rafe? What should we do?” she asked.

  He looked at the horses, patting the neck of Philon. “We’re going to hurry,” he announced. “Match my pace. If we find a town before the horses tire, then good. If not, it won’t matter what shape the horses are in.”

  Within moments, they were moving at a steady gallop. Angelet kept pace with Rafe. The horses began to kick up mud as the road grew wetter. They raced past trees and meadows and more trees, the rain always chasing them.

  But the horses, however fast, could not outrun a storm, and soon the rain pelted down more fiercely.

  After they’d covered perhaps two miles, Rafe called out for her to bring her horse to a halt. He did the same. The beasts slowed to a walk, panting heavily.

  Angelet sighed. There was still no sign of civilization. And the rain still came down.

  “What now?” she asked.

  Rafe shook his head in frustration. “I don’t know. I’m afraid to press the horses when—” He stopped talking, and tilted his head up. The rain fell onto his face and his closed eyes. But then he smiled.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Can you smell that?”

  She smelled only rain and wet earth.

  “Smoke,” he said. “There’s some shelter along this road and it can’t be tha
t far. Come on. I think we’ll be out of the rain soon.”

  The time couldn’t come soon enough for Angelet. The rain never let up. By the time they reached the source of the smoke, which turned out to be a little town, Angelet was sopping wet and miserable. Rafe took one look at her and abruptly told her he’d take care of everything.

  Indeed, within a quarter hour, she found herself in a small, warm, dry room with—praise Mary—a crackling fire. Rafe lost no time in stripping her of her wet clothes, then wrapping her up in a thick wool blanket from the bed. He sat her directly in front of the fire.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Lord, yes. This is heaven.”

  “The place looks a little humble for heaven,” Rafe said, bending over to kiss her. She was already warming up from the heat of the flames, and Rafe’s mouth was cool. His stubble scratched her.

  “You need to shave,” she noted.

  “Is that an order?”

  “It wasn’t meant to be.”

  Rafe stood up. “Listen, I’ve got to take care of a few things, but I’ll be back shortly. Stay there and warm up.”

  He left the room, and only after the door closed did Angelet realize that he was still in his dripping wet clothes. He must be freezing.

  She leaned closer to the fire, letting the warmth soak into her bones. How bizarre that she was here, in a town whose name she didn’t even know. She should be at Basingwerke by now, handing off a chest of gold and an embroidered cloth in order to beg the abbey’s physicians to heal her.

  Angelet hadn’t thought of her affliction much over the past several days, even though it was the whole reason she started on the journey. True, she’d been rather distracted, and she had so much more to think of. At Dryton, she’d spend most of her days confined in a room, worrying about when the next vision would come and how much the aftermath would hurt. Now she thought about the road, and the weather, and who was trying to catch her, and who was trying to catch Rafe, and why Rafe wouldn’t tell her about his past, and why she wanted to know about his past in the first place.

  But before she could fall too deeply into her thoughts, the door opened again. A maid entered, with a big clay pitcher of water. She was about twelve years old and wore her long dark hair in plaits. She put it carefully on the floor, then curtseyed awkwardly and gave a beaming smile to Angelet. “Welcome, m’lady. You can call for me if you need anything. I’m Martha.”