I felt hot, I was sweating and there was something hard behind me in my bed. I opened my eyes and looked at the fire in the hearth. My bedroom? How did I get here? Had Gustaf brought me home?
“Good, you’re awake finally,” Hadyn said behind me.
I turned over and screamed when I found him lying next to me. I scrambled back and fell off the bed and onto the floor.
“Serra,” he said with worry and rushed around to pick me up and put me on the bed. “Calm down.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Why are you in my bed?”
“I brought you home after Barnaby attacked you and you were cold and shivering, so after I started the fire I laid down next to you to help you warm up,” he explained.
Barnaby had attacked me.
“Where is he?” I asked him.
“Dead.”
“What!” I gasped. I looked down and noticed that I was in new clothes. “Did you…”
He raised his hands. “Easy. Let me tell you what happened.”
I was so close to going crazy.
“I found him choking you and knocked him off of you. He challenged me to a duel and he lost. I killed him. You weren’t moving and were hardly breathing so I grabbed you and rushed you home, since your home is closer than mine, and your maids changed you into new clothes and then I dismissed them.”
“Why?”
“What?” he asked.
“Why did you do all of this?”
“He had no right to hurt you. I knew that you were having nightmares about him. You did not want to be with him. You said he hadn’t hurt you, but…”
“He hadn’t before,” I answered.
“Why would you want to be married to him?” he asked before he continued.
“I didn’t want any of this. My parents had planned all of this out when they found out Mother was pregnant.”
“Did you tell them you didn’t want to marry him?”
“I don’t have a say. I tried to tell you before. My fate is to be married to whomever they want and be their child maker. There isn’t a choice in the matter.”
“That’s why you blew up at me the other day,” he whispered.
“No life would have been better than a life forced to sleep with him.”
He shook his head, disgusted. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t telling me to just accept it since it’s my lot in life. That’s what everyone else would say.”
“I was away too long,” he whispered.
“What?”
He did not answer.
“Hadyn, you didn’t answer me about why you did this. What could you possibly gain from this?”
“I don’t gain anything,” he replied with a pained expression. “I hated seeing you like that. You stopped smiling. I went to the ball to try to see you smile and then I saw him touching you like that and saw him slap you and I lost it.”
He was a good person, a really good person. I was sure he would have done the same for any other girl.
“Thank you,” I whispered and then I was crying again. “Thank you. I owe you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I’ll have to find a way,” I whispered, “I’ll probably turn into a spinster, but I’ll find a way to repay you.” He laughed softly and I looked at him in disbelief. “You’re mocking my pain?”
His smile disappeared and he said, “Of course not. I am laughing because you are not going to be a spinster. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”
“They all must think I’m crazy by now. Word will have spread and by tomorrow I will be the girl who struck her betrothed and started a fight that cost him his life.” Hadyn kissed my cheek and it shocked me out of my stupor. “What was that for?”
“Will you be my friend, Serra?”
His friend? What? “Uh…” Maybe this was a way to repay him. “Yes.”
“Good, I’ve been in need of a friend.”
“Hadyn, what did you say to Barnaby that scared him so much on the balcony? And what did you mean about being able to strip his title?”
“Those are topics for another night.”
“But…”
He looked at me sternly and said, “We will discuss it another night.”
I looked down and whispered, “Yes, milord.”
He sighed and cupped my chin as he lifted it. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. I am sorry. Forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive,” I whispered.
He was a strange man.
A carriage pulled up to the front of the house, no doubt Mother, and Hadyn stood. “May I come see you tomorrow?”
“You may do as you wish,” I said.
“I’m asking you, as a friend, if I may visit you tomorrow.”
Could I say no? Not that I wanted to, but… “Of course.”
He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it gently. “Until tomorrow, milady.”
He left my room and I heard him speaking to Mother a moment later. Their voices faded down the hallway and I crawled back under the covers. I needed to find out who he was.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Good morning,” Mother greeted me with a wide smile as I sat down across from her at breakfast.
“Morning,” I replied and waited for her to discuss last night.
The servants delivered the food and we ate it in silence.
Was she giving me the silent treatment?
“About last night,” I whispered.
“We are not discussing it,” she told me adamantly, “He was lucky that your father was not present or his death would not have been as swift as Lord Hadyn gave him.”
“Who is he?” I asked her. “What is his title?”
Her eyes sparkled and she whispered, “I cannot tell you.”
“Why not?” I asked angrily. “If you know, tell me.”
“I cannot,” she said and then stood. “Your maids have drawn you a bath. Take it and get ready for Lord Hadyn’s visit.”
“He’s clearly a higher title than Barnaby was. Is he an Earl?” He had to be. Anything higher would make him a prince or king.
“Your water is getting cold,” she said as she continued to walk away from me.
“I’m sorry that I tarnished our name,” I told her.
She spun around on one heel and marched back to me. “You did nothing. That man is the villain here. You are the victim and have no blame on you.”
“I’ll be a spinster,” I told her softly.
“We’ve already received three requests for your hand,” she told me with a smirk, “You will not be a spinster.”
“Three? From who?” I asked loudly.
“Your Father and I will discuss them when he returns and we will make our choice then,” she told me. “End of discussion.”
Three requests? Who could they possibly be from?
I took my bath and it felt amazing. A nurse used some magic on my cheek and then the maids dressed me. I was brushing my hair for the fifth time when I heard a horse trotting up the drive. The maids rushed to the window and peeked through the curtains discreetly.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“The gentleman who brought you last night,” Margery said with a giddy expression. “He’s lovely.”
I laughed and she put her hands over her mouth. “He is rather lovely. Especially his eyes,” I agreed.
She relaxed and smiled with me.
I laced my boots and stared at my reflection. The bruises on my cheek were gone thanks to the healer, but I had phantom pains from the memory.
“Milady, he has requested your presence,” Margery said with a blush.
I stood up and walked to the entryway where he stood in black riding breeches and a white shirt that did nothing to hide his muscles. He was drool worthy.
I curtsied to him and bowed my head. “Milord.”
He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it. “Milady. Would you escort me on a walk?�
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I slipped my arm through his and smiled. “Gladly.”
We walked out of the house and as soon as we were out of the sight of everyone, I pulled away from him and kicked a rock with the toe of my boot.
“You seem to be in a cheerful mood,” he noted.
I nodded.
“Are you going to tell me why?” he asked and then kicked the rock I had just kicked farther down the trail towards the lake.
“I was terrified that you were wrong and that I was going to never find a husband, but Mother informed me that they’ve received three requests for my hand.” I blurted it out so fast that he stopped and stared at me with a stunned expression.
“What did you say?” he asked again.
“I said that three men have requested my hand in marriage. Mother told me today. She’s going to wait until Father returns, but they’ll decided then.”
We continued walking and he scowled. “Did she say who they were?”
I shook my head. “She refused to tell me.”
“Three?” he asked softly.
“Why do you look mad now?” I asked. “Aren’t you happy for me?”
“I thought you wanted more than this life?” he asked.
I sighed. “Of course I do, but I can’t just run away and hope to run into my true love.”
“You never know,” he whispered.
“Oh, are you a true romantic?” I asked him. “I never would have guessed,” I teased.
“I don’t know that I believe in true love, but I believe in love.”
“The lower classes have the luxury of love, not us.”
“You could,” he whispered.
“I could turn into a purple unicorn too,” I huffed and felt my mood sour.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you and ruin your happy mood.”
“Why did you then?” I asked him.
“My heart hurts that you weren’t happy to see me,” he said with a teasing smirk.
I linked my arm through his and said, “Friends are always happy to see each other.”
“Are they?” he asked.
“Well, most of the time. I am happy to see you. I didn’t think you would actually come back,” I admitted.
“I would never lie to you,” he told me.
“You won’t lie, but you also won’t tell me who you really are. My Mother won’t even tell me,” I complained.
“You will find out eventually,” he promised.
“Why are you hiding it from me? I do not care if you are a stable boy or a King. We’re friends and that’s all that matters.”
“So, if I told you that I was a stable boy you would still be my friend?” he asked with a smirk.
“First, I would love to know how a stable boy was allowed to enter Brevard,” I said.
He laughed and my breath caught. There was that laugh again.
We sat down at the edge of the lake and I found a small smooth rock and threw it so that it skipped across the water.
“I like it out here,” he whispered. “It’s calm and sort of secluded.”
I nodded. “It’s my personal oasis. They can’t see me from the mansion here and the servants only come out if I’ve told them to bring me lunch or something beforehand.”
The wind blew my hair forward and he tucked it behind my ear. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Any man would be lucky to have you for his wife.”
I blushed and said, “Thank you.”
He looked shocked a moment and then grabbed a rock and tossed it. I stared in disbelief as it continued to skip until I could not see it anymore. “Wow.”
“I know, I’m impressive,” he said with a laugh.
“Do you really have to excel at everything?” I groaned.
“It’s not my fault that I’m perfect.”
I scoffed. “Perfect? A perfect man wouldn’t have a head quite as large as you.”
He frowned. “My head is perfectly proportioned to my body.”
“Not your metaphorical head though. Your ego is as large as this lake.”
“It’s not, if I can back it up,” he told me and tossed another rock.
I threw the one in my hand so that it knocked his down after three skips and his mouth dropped open.
“Whoops,” I said with a smile.
“You scoundrel,” he whispered.
He threw another and I knocked it down too.
He spun around, his fingers grabbed my sides, and I screamed and laughed as he tickled me.
“Say you’re sorry,” he ordered as he continued his tickle assault.
“I’m not sorry,” I gasped and struggled against his hold.
He gripped me tighter and I froze as last night’s events replayed in my head.
“Serra,” I heard someone say from far away.
He would have taken me on that balcony. He would have beaten me.
“Serra,” the voice grew louder.
Warmth encircled me and I came back to the present to find myself in Hadyn’s arms.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“It’s okay,” I lied and stood up.
“Maybe I should leave,” he suggested and stood up as well.
I grabbed his hand and stopped him. “No! Please, don’t leave.”
He looked at me a moment and then nodded. “If you want me to stay, I will.”
Despite hardly knowing him, he had saved me last night and I did enjoy his company. “Please.”
We sat back down, our hips touching as we watched the lake ripple in front of us.
“Have you ever been away from this city?” he asked me.
I shook my head. “Father visits the Capitol, but I’ve never been even to there.”
“Would you like to see it?” he asked.
“The Capitol?”
“Yes.”
“Yes. I want to see the Capitol and everywhere else that I can. I wish that I could travel the world,” I said dreamily. I snapped back to reality and said, “I’ve always wanted to see the Capitol during the winter festival. Have you seen it?”
He nodded. “A few times.”
I looked up at the blue sky and said, “I bet it’s gorgeous.”
“What else do you dream about?” he asked.
“Having magic and being able to protect myself. I dream of falling in love or at least finding a man who loves me and not just because of my appearance. I can only hope that the man my parents choose next will not be half as bad as Barnaby. It would be nice to know that I have a betrothed who would protect me, not hurt me. It would be nice to have a man that I could be myself around and not have to pretend to be a Lady all of the time.” I admitted all of this to him and then felt like a stupid girl. “It sounds terribly naïve of me, but I assure you that I don’t hold false hopes of these coming true. I know the truth of the world and my place.”
He was staring at the ground with a scowl on his face, but did not respond.
“What about you?” I asked softly. “What do you dream about?”
“I dream of finding love too and finding a wife who would accept me as I am and not try to change me.”
“Well, if you are a stable boy then you have that choice,” I teased him.
He laughed and it brought a smile to my face.
“I don’t think that it’s stupid or naïve to dream of those things,” he said softly to me as he drew designs in the sand.
“Thank you,” I replied. He was so sincere and so kind that I wondered why he had secluded himself for so long.
He lay down on his back and looked up at the clouds passing overhead. I joined him and pointed at one of the clouds. “Dragon.”
“That looks more like a cow.”
“Okay, a fat dragon.”
He laughed and pointed to another. “Horse.”
“That looks like a cow for sure.”
We spent hours calling out cloud shapes and teasing each other and for once, I was happy. I still knew very
little about him, but I felt comfortable around him.
As we walked back to the mansion, arm in arm as protocol demanded, I stopped him on the side where there were no windows and stood on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered, “for everything. You’ve saved me, comforted me, and protected me more in this past week than I deserved in my lifetime. Someday, I will repay you.”
He pulled a flower from behind his back and tucked it above my ear. “I should be thanking you,” he whispered. “You’re the first friend that I’ve had since returning here a year ago.”
My heart was beating as fast as a humming bird’s wings. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t scowl so much and people would try to be friends with you.”
He smirked and said, “I’ll try that.”
We resumed walking and my cheeks burned in embarrassment. I thought he would leave me at the entrance, but he told me that he had business to discuss with my mother and followed the maid away. I was curious what he could be discussing with her, but since I still did not know his title, I doubted he would tell me whatever this was about.
Mother was practically skipping around the house the rest of the day. At dinner she looked at me very seriously a moment and said, “Do not take Lord Hadyn’s friendship for granted. And for me and your father, please don’t ruin your good standing with him.”
I gaped at her. “My good standing with him? What is his title! Clearly he is important if you’re telling me this.”
“He’s very important. Please, just heed my words.”
“Won’t you at least tell me the three names of those who requested my hand?” I begged.
“Four.”
“What?”
“You have four now.”
“Who!” I demanded.
She tsked. “A Lady does not raise her voice at the table.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I know it’s hard to wait and you’re nervous about our choice. Especially since our last one was so wretched, but I promise this time, we will pick the perfect match. I cannot tell you the names because I want to discuss them with your father first. He would be furious if he found out that I discussed them with you before him.”
She was right. “Okay,” I agreed. “Just please don’t pick another ugly man.”
She laughed and then corrected herself. “I’ll keep that in mind without mentioning it to your father.”
Lady Serra and the Draconian Page 4