by Hannah West
He stood stiffly in the hall, his expression growing darker as each one of her screams grew fainter with time. By time they had stopped hours had passed and the sky grown day with night.
Cesare was ready to punch someone by time the healer came out covered in blood and sweat.
The grim look on the man’s face sent a chill down Cesare’s spine.
“I have done all I can. We will know if she is strong enough to survive in the next few days. She will need continuous care for the days to come. Now if you don’t mind I am off to home,” the healer grumbled as he pushed past his lord.
Left with those instruction he went into the room and sat in the chair next to the bed looking her over. She was covered up to under her chin, but he could tell her arm was heavily bandaged.
He sighed and rubbed his face with a hand and sat back in the chair, wary and beyond tired.
He had a girl on her deathbed due to his actions, her foolishness, and he had no idea who the gel was. Or what to do with her.
Chapter Seven
Evelyn woke groaning at the burning pain in her arm and the stinging pain in her head. Her vision was blurred and her mind clouded in cobwebs. She wasn’t aware enough to gathering her surrounds or knew where she was, much less divine what had happened to her. The door to the chamber she was in opened carefully and silently as someone entered.
A sudden flashback of a man raising a sword and sudden pain blooming in her arm made her scream in fear. The face of this man was the same as the man from the forest!
She scrambled backward on the bed from where she was seated, careful of her arm until she reached nothing but air at the end of the bed and tumbled sideways. The pain that shot up her arm when she landed on it made her cry out. Evelyn rocked on her side cradling her arm, willing the pains to go away, her eyes closed to the tears.
When she felt hands trying to help her out she tried to fight those hands, but couldn’t tangled up in the blankets.
…
Much to Cesare’s astonishment as he went into his chamber’s to check on the ailing girl and see how she fared; she was awake and screamed at the mere sight of him. Upon her screaming and haste to get away from him she scrambled away from him until there was no more space to scramble.
She fell off his bed crying out in pain as she fell upon her injured arm. He cursed at her muffled cry of pain and quickly made for the side of the bed to help her up.
Cesare was gentle yet firm as he took hold of her and tried to help her up, but she fought him. All she did was entangle herself more.
He was getting under the impression that she must be daft or mad for twice injuring herself do to simply seeing him.
“Hold still you daft, wench,” he growled finally getting a solid hold on her and lifting her up carefully to place her back on his bed.
…
Her mind was still hazy and she was still groggy and in more pain then she had ever been, but she snapped, “You are the daft one, not I!”
She winced as her arm began a painful throbbing. She glared at the man while he leaned against one of the bed posts.
“Where have you taken me?” she demanded, “How long have I been here?”
Evelyn panicked that was she not in a place she called home and Mags wasn’t near her.
She looked over the tall, powerful built of the brutish man and the intriguing plains of his hard face. His too long black hair was worn in a braid to mid back and his green eyes watched her like a hawk. It was those green eyes of his however that made her calm down; there was something…enchanting about them.
…
“You are at Norfolk Castle and have lain in my very own bed for over a sennights now. No thanks to your own foolishness with that wolf.” He quirked a brow as she looked him over until he reached her arm that was heavily padded with bandages and spotted with blood.
No small bit of shame ate at him for that even if she had lunged at the wolf. He had hurt a woman, and she would be scared for the rest of her life and her arm may never work the same again.
He was also haunted by the things she screamed at night dealing with her night terrors. She had screamed at people who weren’t there and beg for people to come to her.
But now he could find out where she haled from and send her home with his apologies. If she was the daughter of a fellow noble as he thought she was, he would have to pay a price for what had happened to her, scarring her.
He watched as the beautiful girl looked down at her injured arm and saw her eyes glaze over with unshed tears. She sat in silence for a long moment before she wiped her eyes and sat back in the bed looking wary, almost reserved.
“I am within the new walls of Norfolk?” she asked a bit stunned. She was shocked the she had ended up on this cursed land, a place she hadn’t been for years. She would need to leave as soon as may be.
“I need to leave here. You never should have brought me back here.” She looked around the chamber and noted how masculine it was. Her panic increased tenfold. “I must go back! They shall be besides themselves with worry over where I have gone.”
He needed to know where she came from if only she would tell him. Needed to know who would be looking for her.
“Where must you go? You are injured and should not travel until you are better healed. They can be sent for.”
He listened as she looked down and almost whispered her answer, as if she didn’t want him to hear it. But he had heard.
“The abbey,” she said softly.
He felt as if the ground was moving out from underneath him. The abbey…he was surely going to burn in hell. She might be a nun or a novice. He had injured a woman of God and he would face troubles untold now.
He rubbed a wary hand over his face and faced what he had done to her. He had injured her, almost killed her and subjected her to his baser thoughts and his course language.
“A-abbey?” he questioned again, unsure.
She nodded, still looking down.
“As in nun?”
Another nod.
He felt lightheaded with surprise, realizing why she had behaved as if she had never seen a man before. She might never have before.
“I will send out a messenger right away. Who shall I send for?”
He could see sleep was pulling her under, making her eyes droop.
“Mags, I want my Mags.” Before she knew it she had fallen asleep. Her last thoughts were about how disappointed Mags would be in her and how they would punish her. She didn’t care as long as she could go home.
Chapter Eight
The world as Evelyn knew it was ending. It took Mags and the head abbess two days to make it to the keep. She was lectured by both for her shameful behaviour, but it was the abbess who broke her heart. Do to her actions she could not return to the abbey, she could not take her vows and now she had no place to call home.
She would have to find her own way in the world, a fate she was unprepared for. She knew nothing about the world beyond the abbey walls; she hadn’t been in this world in over ten years.
The abbess had tried to be kind but there was nothing she could do.
“You broke the contract your father had with us when we took you in. You left and now you cannot come back to us. I am sorry, my child.” She had said.
Evelyn was left alone in a winged back chair in a solar after they left. She felt small tears trail down her face and land on her folded hands in her lap.
She felt empty, hollow inside as if the light within had been put out.
Evelyn looked out of the singular window in the room and watched as she was left behind.
She had never even been given the chance to say good bye to the one person she had loved like a mother. Mags had left without looking at her, without saying one last fair thee well.
~~~
Cesare stood in stunned silence as he watched the abbess and the nun known as Mags leave without taking the girl them. A monk came up last behind him and spoke to him softly.
“
She cannot come back with us. The abbess requests that you let her stay here until the new king comes. She is now his ward as she is no longer a ward of the church.”
Without waiting for more than a nod the man followed the abbess and nun to help them into the cart that had brought them to his castle.
King’s ward? What was he going to do with her and the question of who she really was begged an answer he did not have.
He shook his head. This was something he did not need. He was going to be filled to the brim with nobles and their expectant unwed daughters soon enough.
He sighed heavily. She would have to stay until William arrived for the events, but he could get a missive to the king before that happened to confirm plans for the girl. For the moment he had a girl to search for within his walls and ask her some questions.
With one last look at the departing party he went back inside the main hall, he had a few ideas of where she might have hid away in, to curl up and lock the world outside the door.
It took him almost an hour to locate her and when he did it was in one of the spare solars marker for storage. She was curled up in a plush winged back chair, knees to chest with her injured arm cradled to her chest, as silent tears still fell from slumbering eyes.
Sorrow and pity well for her briefly within his chest as he knew she no longer had a place to call home.
Once like he had been.
Her long mahogany hair covered part of her face and he reached out with hesitant fingers to gently tuck it behind one small, delicate ear.
Cesare debated about moving her and what would happen if she woke up to seeing him. He ended up deciding to put her back to bed for rest.
Gently he lifted her into his arms careful of her wounded arm and headed back down the stone hallway to his chambers. She ought to be moved to a chamber just for her use.
He looked down at her pale face and his grip tightened on her of its own accord.
She had been put through too much too soon. He could speak to her of it on the morrow.
Chapter Nine
Cesare was shocked as he watched the abbess and a nun know as Mags leave without taking the girl with them. A monk came up last behind him and spoke to him quietly.
“She cannot come back with us. The abbess requests that you let her stay here until the new king comes. She is his ward now.” Without waiting for more than a nod the man followed the abbess and helped her into the cart that had brought them to the castle.
King’s ward? What was he going to do with her and let alone who was she really?
He shook his head. This was the only thing he did not need. He was going to be filled to the brim with a host of nobles and their unwed daughters.
He shook his head again. She would have to stay until the king arrived, but he could get a missive to the king before then to confirm. For now he had a girl to find within his castle and ask her some questions.
With one last look of the departing party he went back inside his hall, he had a few good ideas of where to look for where she might have curled up.
It took him almost an hour to locate her and when he did it was in a spare solar. She was curled up in a plush winged back chair, knees to chest her injured arm cradled her chest, with silent tears still falling from her closed eyes. He felt sorry for the girl; she now had no place to call home. Once much like he had. Her long mahogany hair covered part of her face and he reached out and tucked it behind her small, delicate ear.
He debated about moving her and what would happen if woke up. He ended up deciding to put her back to bed. He gently lifted her into his arms, mindful of her wounded arm and head down the hall to the east wing to his bed chambers. She had been put through so much to soon.
He would speak with her on the morrow.
…
She holed up in the chamber room she had awakened in once more and spent the next two days staring blankly at the tapestries next to the bed. But upon waking on the third days she felt dirty and she probably did not smell well either.
Careful of her arm she got out of the bed and opened the door to the hallway hoping to see a passing servant. Instead she was met with an armed guard.
Upon seeing her, the guard stood up straighter, standing at attention. “How may I help you, my lady?”
Flushing with discomfort she asked, “May I have water brought up for a bath? And mayhap a bar of soap?”
The burly guard nodded his head. “As you will, my lady.” He paused and then added, “My lord would like to speak with you after.”
She nodded once more and closed the door quietly behind her.
A short while later a large wooden bathing tub was brought to her room and filled almost to the brim with sweet steaming water. The also left an extra bucket for rinsing and a bar of lye soap infused with lavender.
She held it to her nose taking in a breath, it smelled sweet and she had never had so fine a soap before. She truly was within the castle.
In truth she had never bathed so finely before. However with her arm bandaged as it was she wondered how difficult it was going to be, but she was determined. She could figure it out as she went along.
She undressed and used her good arm to untangle knots that ad formed in her long hair. She sank carefully into the steam hot water, avoiding getting her other arm wet in the process. With slow movements she washed her body until she was pink, then she sank down into the water to wet her hair before coming back up. She worked the soap into her hair from root to tip. The task was a long and tiresome one and she had to take a moments rest before ducking under the water once more to rinse it out.
Evelyn rested back in the tub as the water cooled and glanced down at her arm. It hurt like the devil and her bandages were soiled, needing to be changed anyway. Evelyn however was not sure she could stomach seeing her wound. But it must be done sooner than later.
She untied the ends and slowly began to unwrap the dingy thin cloth spotted with crusted blood and ooze. Evelyn bit her lip as a hiss escaped her as the cloth was pulled off burned skin. As soon as air hit the wound she hissed another breath, eyes tears as the wounded was set afire with new burning pain. As she looked over her wound she felt sick to her stomach. They must have had to cauterized it for indeed the flesh was angry, oozing a clear liquid. Tiny blisters surrounded the wound and she thought about putting herself through the pain of cleaning it. Or at least attempting too.
There was a light knock at the door before it was opened to admit a tiny serving maid with her arms full of cloths and a little grey clay pot.
Shock at someone seeing her bathing Evelyn tried to cover herself with her arms and hair.
The maid was quick about setting stuff down and coming over to help. “Oh, my lady!” she gasped upon seeing Evelyn’s arm. She looked sickened over it.
“It looks that bad then,” Evelyn asked solemnly. “I thought mayhap I was making it out worse than it was.”
“I truly am sorry, my lady. But it does indeed look very bad,” the girl said with a wince.
“Did you happen to bring more bandages? I will need to clean it but will need help rebinding it.”
The maid nodded her head, biting a lip.
“I am so sorry I was late to assist you while bathing,” the maid said, “but I was serving some of the lord’s men in the great hall.” She had a distasteful look on her face.
“I take it that the lord’s men are no kind to you?” Evelyn asked the girl. The maid shook her head.
“Nay. They are not. They are swine, my lady, and I shall not say more on the matter. We need to you the rest of you cleaned then dressed in some warm clothing.” She smiled at Evelyn, drying cloth in hand. “The lord requests your presents when you are ready. He may be a hard man, but he is fair.” She nodded to herself and set to work.
Evelyn was embarrassed but thankful for the help. She was not sure if she was ready for the talk that would come from the man that now called himself lord over what once had been meant for her.
Chapter
Ten
He knocked back the rest of his wine and grimaced at its gritty taste. The wine of England left a lot to be desired. Cesare almost had to strain it through his teeth. He missed his sweet wine left behind in Normandy that had been a gift from his king and cousin.
He glared at the archway once again willing the girl to appear from his chambers above the stairs. He had been informed that she had finally awakened and requested a bath. He had made sure his wish to see her afterward was made clear. He had conflicting feelings about the girl and there were things to settle before he sent off a missive to the king about her.
A passing servant wench asked if he needed anything and before thinking better of it ordered an ale to be brought to him. When he finished that he was glowering at the entrance as if he could will her to suddenly be there. Just when he was to get up and find her himself, slowly she descended the stairs into the archway. She held onto her skirts with her good hand so she could walk while she held the injured one to her chest.
He felt his chest tighten at the site of her. But by all that was good and holy she was breath takingly fair of face and form. She cleaned up well and even injured and in a plain dove grey gown she was a sight to behold.
Cesare shook his head free of such thoughts and stood for her as she came forward. She looked up at him in the face and offered a tentative smile. That smile left him feeling momentarily witless.
…
“You asked for me, my lord?” Evelyn queried of the man who was now Norfolk’s new lord.