Garek shook his head slowly. “I would never have believed it. The beast is a monstrous size!”
His eyes found Brianna’s and they were alight with humor. “It would seem he has become your protector.”
Brianna didn’t smile. “Do I need protecting, milord?”
The laughter fled from his eyes. “Nay, Brianna. I only came to see if you are well. I. . .”
He stopped. What could he say?
“She is very beautiful,” Brianna told him.
He took a long time answering. “Aye.”
Garek realized there was nothing more to be said, but he was loath to leave without some explanation, though why he should have to explain to a servant was unclear to him. He only knew that Brianna was hurt, and he wanted to comfort her.
Brianna, in turn, studied Garek’s face. He looked tired, though he was as handsome as ever. There was no happiness in his visage as should have befitted an engaged man. She wondered what the story was behind this marriage.
Garek came and stood before her and Loup’s growling increased. Brianna clung to the dog as though her life depended on it.
“Brianna, I am sorry if I have hurt you.”
She could tell he meant it. Had he surmised her feelings? She knew her open face was often her worse enemy. Burying her face in the pup’s fur, she tried to get her thoughts together.
Finally, she looked up at him, her eyes clear. “I will get over it, milord. A foolish girl’s infatuation with a handsome man, no more. It will soon pass.”
Garek frowned, not liking what she had to say. “Brianna. . .”
She whirled, retreating farther into the shadows. She still cuddled the pup, who was watching Garek with a leery eye.
“If that is all, milord, I must prepare for bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”
Garek watched her a long time before he turned abruptly on his heels and left, leaving the kitchen door open behind him.
Releasing her breath slowly, Brianna dropped the puppy to the ground. Rubbing her throbbing temples with her fingers, she tried to decide what to do.
She couldn’t stay here, but neither could she leave. It was forbidden for villeins to leave the manor without the lord’s permission. Would Garek give her that permission?
Slowly she returned to the keep, but instead of going to the great hall, she climbed the back stairs to her room.
Taking off her gunna, she folded it neatly and lay it on the chest at the foot of her bed. She climbed under the furs, her teeth chattering with cold.
Loup jumped up on the bed beside her, curling against her legs. She welcomed his warmth, though in the summer she would probably regret that she had allowed him to sleep on her bed.
Soon the warmth and her own tired thoughts lulled her into a restless sleep.
❧
Bolson glared at the man before him. “I want no part of your crazy shenanigans! Keep your land!”
Garek stared at his friend in astonishment. “What ails you, man? You did not feel this way before when I offered to make you a vassal of my fief.”
Bolson was at a loss to explain his feelings. He only knew that this big oaf standing before him had hurt Brianna, and it angered him beyond reason. Well he could remember times when the gentle maid had talked with him about his feelings and thoughts, especially regarding Mary. She was kind to a fault, inspiring his own urge to protect her.
“And what of the wench?”
Confused, Garek studied his friend through narrowed eyes. “What wench?”
“Brianna. What of her?”
“What of her?” The ominous tone of Garek’s voice should have warned the young knight, but he was past heeding.
“She is not like others, Garek. She is kind and sensitive. She should not be hurt.”
“And what would you have me do?” he asked softly.
Bolson threw his hands in the air. “Do? It is beyond my ken, but you must do something!”
“Perhaps you have feelings for the wench?”
Something in Garek’s voice finally got through to Bolson. His eyes went wide at the look on Garek’s face and he swallowed hard.
“Nay, Garek. It is only that the girl has been kind to me. I hate to see her hurt.”
Garek relaxed slightly, though his anger was far from spent. “You are getting soft in your old age, my friend. It is not like you to be so concerned with a woman’s feelings.”
“This one is different,” he insisted, and Garek felt his anger rise again.
“If you do not wish to have a manor on this fief, then what do you wish?”
Bolson turned from him, studying the kitchen door. “Of late I have been thinking of returning to Normandy.”
Garek was so surprised, he could only stare. What would he do without his best friend and longtime confidante? Things were happening too quickly. He felt himself out of control, unable to command events happening around him.
“Etienne, this makes no sense.”
“Aye, Garek. Nothing seems to make sense anymore.” He turned to his friend and ventured the question others were too afraid to ask.
“What did William offer you in exchange for this marriage?”
If not for their longtime friendship, Garek would have knocked Bolson into the rushes.
“Things are not always what they seem,” Garek told him quietly. “But if I were you, I would not venture forth to London at this particular time or you might find yourself in a similar position.”
Bolson sighed. “I am sorry, Garek. Perhaps I am envious. My mind grows weary of warring and never having a place to call home.”
“Then make your home here. Put down roots and raise a family.”
“Is that what you plan to do? With Marie Waverly?”
Garek’s mind rebelled at the thought.
“You do not answer. It is as I thought,” he told Garek smugly.
“Tell me your thoughts,” Garek commanded, his voice like soft velvet.
“It is not a green-eyed vixen that has won your heart, Garek, but a blue-eyed angel.”
Eyes flashing fire, Garek scowled at his friend. “You missed your calling, my friend. You should be a wandering minstrel singing songs of love and spouting foolish poetry.”
Mary entered the room, stopping short on seeing the two men in the hall so late in the day. “Pardon, my lord.” She exited as rapidly as she had entered.
Garek smiled wryly. “Perhaps you should turn your prose upon another.”
Bolson’s eyes grew cold. “I am a man, not a boy. I gave up childish games long ago and have no desire to embark upon them again. Perhaps Sir Hormis finds them more to his liking.”
With that, the young knight left the room, leaving Garek staring dumbfounded after him.
That evening, Brianna found herself serving the soon-to-be lady of the manor. The girl’s brilliant green eyes held a sadness in their depths that Brianna found herself responding to.
Marie said very little, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, but her beauty alone would not permit it. Many eyes wandered her way through the evening. Earl Waverly watched proceedings in the great hall without appearing to do so. As yet, no one could decide whether or not the two would be a welcome addition.
Mary let her feelings be known in no uncertain terms. At first, Brianna was afraid it was due to jealousy over Marie’s beauty, but she soon came to realize that Mary considered the earl a traitor to his country, and no doubt there were others who would feel the same.
Since the earl had sided with William, many Englishmen would not take kindly to his presence. Brianna feared there would be trouble, although she knew the manor was well protected.
Brianna watched Garek when he was around the girl, and though he treated her with the utmost courtesy, he showed none of the signs of being in love.
At the same time, Mary seemed to take great pleasure in flirting with Sir Hormis. At every opportunity she made it known that she found him more than interesting.
In turn, S
ir Bolson developed a liking for Brianna’s company. He would quickly come to her side when he thought she needed help, laughing at her teasing and playing the part of suitor.
Two pairs of eyes followed their play. Garek felt rage begin to churn inside him. Hadn’t the girl said she felt a mere infatuation and that she would soon be over it? Well, it seemed she had. He began to doubt Bolson’s claim that there was nothing between them.
Mary, on the other hand, had no idea what Bolson was about. She grew irritable with Brianna and chided her on any and every occasion. Though Brianna suspected the young knight’s motives, she kept her thoughts to herself. Bolson’s play provided Brianna with the opportunity to let Garek know that he need not concern himself with her.
In time, Brianna’s gentle answers to Mary’s barbs soon had the other girl begging pardon for her treatment of Brianna.
All in all, it was a turbulent time for Brianna and, she suspected, for others as well.
Lying awake in her chamber several nights later, Brianna heard loud voices in the courtyard outside. Crossing quickly to the window, she could barely make out the shapes of two men, one smaller than the other. The larger of the two was easily recognizable. Garek was in a fine temper, and though his rage flowed all around the smaller man, still the smaller held his ground.
When he stepped into the moonlight, Brianna could make out Bolson’s fine features, and he seemed in as great a rage as the man he was arguing with.
The two stood thus for several minutes before Bolson turned quickly on his heel and strode away. Garek stood staring after him, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. His glance came up to Brianna’s window and she hastily moved back out of sight, although she doubted he could see her from this distance.
In the morning, Sir Bolson was gone.
eight
The next several days were trying for Brianna. Mary moped around the keep, ill of temper. She began to ruin the food she was preparing, and those around her began to grumble.
Garek nearly drove his men and his servants to distraction. Relentlessly he pushed his men—sword practice, jousting, hand-to-hand combat—until Brianna thought they would revolt.
During this stormy time Brianna came to know Marie Waverly better, for it was her duty to help the maid while she was at the keep. At first the young girl seemed sullen and remote, but Brianna soon found that was Marie’s way of disguising her true feelings.
Marie was in awe of Garek. It didn’t take Brianna long to discover that Marie lived in fear of the day she would become mistress of his manor. Lately, with Garek perpetually in a fit of anger, the girl positively quaked when he entered the room.
Earl Waverly seemed to watch Garek closely, and it was easy to see he worried that he might not have chosen wisely for his only child.
Brianna had decided that whatever the circumstances, Garek had made a vow to this girl, and she would do all in her power to see things made right. She loved Garek, true, but hers was an unselfish love. She would rather see him happy than watch him make himself, and those around him, miserable.
To this end she tried to get to know Marie and better help her understand the man who would one day become her husband. She knew Garek sometimes raged, but she also knew that he could be kindness itself.
What had provoked this current attitude of his was not of her understanding. She feared it had something to do with Sir Bolson, but she didn’t know what to do about it.
Each day, Brianna took Loup for a walk along the marsh paths, sometimes with Marie, other times not, and this day was no exception. Breathing in deeply of the rich air, Brianna felt the exhilaration of the season. Spring had burst forth in all its glory, the wildflowers peeking through the dark soil.
The warmth of the sun encouraged her to go farther than she had before, Loup trotting contentedly at her side. From time to time the pup would rush ahead to investigate something only he could sense, and then he would quickly return to her side.
Grinning at his playfulness, Brianna almost tripped over the man lying in her path. Pulling back in fright, she stared in horror at the motionless figure before her.
Loup was instantly at her side, his ears cocked forward as he investigated the inert figure. At his prodding, the man moaned, rolling to his back. Brianna gasped as she recognized the young stable lad who had ridden out only that morning with Sir Hormis and Earl Waverly.
She quickly knelt beside him, searching for signs of injury. As her hand passed over his back, it came away red with the boy’s blood.
Knowing it was futile for her to try to move the lad, Brianna decided to go for help. She only hoped she would be in time. She hated to leave him there, but she had no other choice.
Lifting her gunna, she ripped a piece from her garment beneath, placing it against the wound on the boy’s back. She tied it in place tightly, hoping it would stem the flow of blood.
Getting quickly to her feet, she commanded Loup to stay. She turned and ran toward the keep. She was out of breath by the time she reached the courtyard.
Already Garek’s men were rushing to her side, having been warned by the watchman. Garek came striding out of the keep, quickly descending the stone steps, and Brianna collapsed in his arms.
“Brianna?”
The blood on her gunna drained Garek’s face of color. He lifted her in his arms and was about to carry her inside when Brianna began to struggle.
“Nay, not me, Garek.” Her breathing came torn and ragged and she had a hard time making herself clear. “Put me down.”
He stopped in his tracks but refused to release her.
“You are hurt!”
“Nay, I tell you. In the marsh. . .it is the lad George.”
Garek slowly returned her to her feet, his arm still holding her close.
“What say you?”
Brianna pushed out of his hold and pointed frantically back the way she had come. “It is George. I found him on the path. He has been wounded.”
Already several of the men had started out in the direction she indicated. Garek shoved her gently toward the keep steps.
“Stay here.”
Turning, he ran after his men, his long legs closing the distance between them. Before long he returned, the young lad in his arms and Loup running beside him.
Brianna hadn’t moved. Now she flew to Garek’s side.
“Get Alfred,” Garek commanded.
Brianna hastened to obey. When she returned, she found Garek and his men, in full battle gear, mounting their horses. Brianna’s questioning eyes sought an answer from Garek’s grim visage.
“Sir Hormis and Earl Waverly have been attacked. The boy managed to make it back here, but we know not if he will survive the day. As for the earl and Sir Hormis. . .”
The gleam in his eyes told Brianna that Garek’s revenge would be swift and final, should he find the perpetrators of this deed.
Brianna went back inside where she found a distraught Marie crying faintly by the fire. Brianna went to her, pulling a stool to her side.
“What will I do?” she questioned Brianna, who wasn’t sure how to answer her.
“Shall we pray, my lady?”
Marie sniffed into her handkerchief, which she clutched as though it were a lifeline. She turned wet green eyes on Brianna. Slowly she nodded her head.
Softly, Brianna began to talk with the Lord. She prayed for the lives of those involved, and she asked for courage, should there be unfortunate news. Brianna could feel Marie start to relax. As she finished her petition, she rose to her feet, smiling down at the younger girl.
“It is in God’s hands now,” she told her.
The waiting seemed an eternity, but finally they heard the watchman cry from the tower. Moments later, Garek and his men rode into the courtyard.
One knight trailed another horse behind his, on which was tied a bundled form that Brianna could see was a man. Her heart dropped, for the figure was swathed from head to foot and draped across the saddle.
A
nother horse being led held its rider upright, though just barely. As they drew closer, Brianna could see that it was Sir Hormis, blood flowing from a gash in his side.
The men lifted him gently from his saddle, carrying him into the keep. As they passed Marie, who stood at the threshold, they averted their eyes.
Brianna turned to Marie, her compassion reaching out to the other. As the truth dawned, the girl crumpled slowly to the ground.
Garek caught her before she hit the stone steps, lifting her gently in his arms. Brianna followed as he carried her up the stairs to her room. He lay her on the bed, his sympathetic look passing over the girl before he turned to Brianna.
“Tell me when she awakens.”
Nodding, Brianna passed him to sit on the edge of the bed. As Garek left the room he could hear Brianna’s soft voice gently coaxing the girl to awaken. Lips pressed tightly together, he went to deal with things below.
When Marie came down the stairs later, helped by Brianna’s supporting arm, her beautiful green eyes were rimmed in red. Though her face was slightly puffy from crying, that did not detract from her appearance. Her hair, freed from its normal confinement, flowed in bright disarray about her shoulders and down her back, its dark auburn color giving color to her otherwise pale face.
Brianna had wanted her to remain in her room, but the girl was anxious to find out what had happened to her father.
Garek’s eyes flicked from one to the other before he went and helped Marie into a chair by the fire. She smiled her appreciation, and Brianna dropped her eyes as a jealous pain pierced her own heart.
Telling Marie the story as gently as possible, Garek watched the girl for some sign of returning hysteria. Instead, her large green eyes regarded him with a wisdom he hadn’t known she possessed.
“What will happen now?” she asked.
“If it is to your agreement, I will bury your father on the hill alongside others from this manor who have been laid to rest there.”
She nodded her head in agreement.
“The priest will come in the morning to bless the grave,” he told her.
“Many thanks, milord,” she answered softly.
A Light Within Page 9