by Nicole Locke
At his nod of agreement, Reynold guided his horse to the stables.
* * *
Feeding Julianna in the wee hours, in her bedroom, Matilda heard horses and tackle and the low murmurs of men. Holding her child, she glanced out of the window. Reynold and his men were fully dressed, fully packed, and looked ready to leave.
There were a few tenants milling about, and one of Nicholas’s men at the gates, but the sun’s light hadn’t crested the horizon, which was still black. She heard nothing next door, and knew Nicholas slept.
Unlatching her baby, she adjusted her gown and rushed to his room. ‘Wake up!’
Leaping from the bed completely naked, except for the sword at his side, Nicholas swept the room and then shoved her aside to scan the corridor.
‘Well done for protecting me from me. I’m the one who woke you!’
With a question in his eyes, he turned to her. ‘What is it?’
She didn’t know whether to be amused or alarmed. Amusement won.
‘What’s funny?’ he growled, as he set his sword on the bed and pulled on his tunic.
‘Nothing, but you—’ She pointed at him, then reined in her laughter. ‘Reynold’s leaving.
Nicholas grabbed his braies. ‘It’s only been four days.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘I’ll find out.’ He shoved on his breeches and boots and strode out to the hall.
Matilda clutched Julianna. She knew Reynold was leaving—what she didn’t know was why he would leave without Nicholas. Nicholas had looked just as surprised as she. But that meant nothing.
Matilda returned to her room to stare out of the window. Bouncing Julianna on her hip, she watched the men in the courtyard below. The dim light and the distance prevented her from knowing what was being said or understanding anything of what was happening.
She knew nothing except that Nicholas was now fully dressed and talking with Reynold. From around the corner she could see Louve pulling two horses towards them. One was saddled, the other burdened with satchels.
‘So this is it,’ she said to Julianna. ‘This is how he leaves. In the early morning, without saying goodbye. At least that is consistent. He didn’t say goodbye last time either.’
Tears pricked her eyes and she dipped her head into Julianna’s warm neck and inhaled her daughter’s sweet scent. It didn’t calm her heart.
His leaving was different this time. It hurt more and he hadn’t yet walked out through the gates. Maybe it was worse because now she knew what it meant to miss Nicholas. Or maybe it was because she knew the cruelty of time and what it could take away.
Nicholas’s eye. Roger’s life.
Maybe it was because she loved him. Not with the carelessness of a girl who didn’t know the cost of a broken heart and betrayed trust. She loved him as a woman who knew what it meant to love through birth and death, through storms and warm rains.
When he walked through those gates again, to continue his mercenary life, she knew she wouldn’t be able to weather it this time around. There would be no coming back.
All her fault. None of this would be unfolding before her if not for her misunderstanding. Her lack of trust in him.
Tucking Julianna under her neck, to feel her baby’s soft breath and tender fingers against her skin, Matilda pulled in a ragged breath. She tried to remember that they had resolved their mistrust. It was true. Their trust was tentative, but it was there.
However, trust, unfortunately, didn’t solve Nicholas’s innate restlessness. Didn’t change the fact that he didn’t belong at Mei Solis and she did. The fact that she hadn’t been enough to hold him here before, and she knew there was no guarantee now.
Pivoting away from the window, she marched to the bed. She was no girl, but a woman who knew what she wanted. This time she wouldn’t let him leave without saying goodbye.
Gently prying Julianna’s fingers from her gown, she stopped. What would happen if she flew down the stairs and out through the door with Julianna in her arms? There would be no one to take her. She’d have her precious baby with her as she faced a man whom she knew was dangerous and Nicholas, who might reject her.
Fighting with herself, she hesitated. The old Matilda would have flown down the steps and disregarded the danger. However, her years apart from Nicholas, the confidence she’d gained with settling disputes and her marriage to Roger had taught her other ways of confrontation.
There would be consequences to rushing into that courtyard. If Nicholas left now, because of threat or because of restlessness, she couldn’t risk Julianna. She must stay here. And when Nicholas walked out through that gate she’d stand here while her heart broke, knowing she hadn’t told him she loved him.
* * *
Four days. That was the thought that pounded through him as Nicholas took the stairs two at a time. Four days and Reynold had given no clue as to why he’d come or why he’d stayed. Why he and his men had walked the land as if they surveyed it.
There had been no threats. All had been cordial—almost friendly. Reynold’s entire demeanour had been that of a visiting relative. Which went against him now slinking off in the early hours.
Murmurs, the creak of leather and the sound of horses pawing the ground reached him as he rushed through the Great Hall. There was no commotion nor swords being drawn. His own men hadn’t raised the alarm. Which meant Reynold’s leaving was as cordial as his arrival.
So why this early departure in the middle of the night? Three days short of his intended stay?
He turned the corner and there they were. Reynold already mounted, pointing his horse’s hooves as he pulled his horse in circles.
Reynold really was leaving. He’d almost missed him—and if not for Matilda he would have.
Reynold turned fully then. For a moment he looked weary, and then his face assumed the genial mask it had worn for days.
‘How polite that you are here to see us off.’
Reynold’s men were all mounted, and they circled their leader. Their eyes were still scanning their surroundings, as they had been for days now. This time, however, most of them had had their hands on their sword pommels.
All was quiet. Not even Louve was up and about. This departure was early even by farming standards.
Something was wrong.
When he was almost beside Reynold, he stopped. He was definitely within striking distance. A swift kick from Reynold would hurt him. He didn’t expect one. Physical retribution wasn’t Reynold’s style.
To prove that point Reynold kept his eerie calm. It infuriated Nicholas, especially since it appeared as if he was skulking off in the middle of the night like a man who had committed a crime.
‘Has harm come to my manor?’ he demanded.
‘Not now that—’ Reynold stopped. ‘It’s far too early for attacks—as you know. I wouldn’t wish this hour on my enemy.’
Nicholas kept his gaze steady and Reynold matched him. He’d expected to see the usual amused light in Reynold’s eyes, but there was none.
Nicholas believed him. Reynold’s departure and his men’s alertness meant something—and he intended to find out what. This was his land, and these were his people. This was the life he had chosen for himself. He didn’t care how dangerous Reynold was or how powerful his family. If there was a threat here, he must know about it and eliminate it.
‘Has harm come to you?’ he asked.
Surprise flashed, then was quickly gone. ‘No. I’ve simply been informed that my visit must be cut short.’
If harm was to come to Reynold it would be coming to Matilda and Julianna as well. And yet Nicholas knew he asked not only wanting the safety of his family, but for Reynold as well. If it was true, he wasn’t going to let Reynold evade his questioning.
‘Who informed you?’
‘You are one of the most intelligent m
en I’ve ever known—and yet you ask this question?’
Reynold had other men. Spies scouring the country and coming and going to his manor. It was a suspicion now confirmed, but he needed more answers without the games. Because more spies exchanging information meant more threat.
He grabbed Reynold’s bridle and lethal eyes met his. He knew his gaze matched them. ‘What do I have to prepare for, Reynold. What are you to drop on my lands and people?’
Reynold sighed. ‘Whatever you need to know has been left in my comfortable rooms.’
Nicholas tossed the reins back. ‘What have you left me? What trouble is coming here?’
Reynold looked at his men, heard the stirrings at the gate. ‘Have you no sense of circumspection?’
‘I blocked a sword with my face and body—and yet you ask that question?’ He mocked Reynold’s own words. His scar was blatant evidence of his lack of caution. His words were blunt, his actions sharper yet. ‘This is my home,’ he said. ‘I will not allow secrets here.’
Reynold’s mask slipped. ‘I envy you your home and your honesty—but, alas, I must take advantage of it.’
Nicholas heard familiar footsteps and Louve stepped into his peripheral vision. He led two horses: his own, fully saddled, and another that carried satchels.
He eyed Louve, but then returned his attention to Reynold. ‘It looks like you’re taking advantage of my friends as well.’
Reynold leaned over his horse. It was a casual movement, but one that afforded them more privacy from over-eager ears. Nicholas didn’t wonder why Reynold hadn’t simply dismounted to talk to him. Reynold was a tactician, and on his horse he had the upper hand.
‘I take advantage of no man—only of circumstances. You and Louve will have a chat before I go. I left a letter along with some satchels of coin in my rooms. My coin. More than King Edward knows I have, but not as much as I’ve left in other locations.’
Of all threats, this wasn’t one he’d ever guessed at. ‘You left your silver here?’
‘And gold...gems. There might be a crown or two as well.’
‘Why?’
Reynold’s expression grew hard. ‘You owe me a debt.’
Nicholas wasn’t a man to be intimidated by a mere gaze. ‘I didn’t kill your brother.’
‘You aided it.’
True.
‘Rhain owes me much more. I only ask you to keep my coins safe, well hidden and secret.’
Nicholas had believed Reynold when he’d said he’d left a king’s ransom in his home. The man didn’t say much, and his words could often be construed in unusual ways, yet when he did say something directly it was the truth. For example when he said he’d kill you...or you owed him a debt.
Reynold wanted Nicholas to protect some of his wealth, which meant he had to hide it from someone. But Mei Solis had no advantage in hiding such wealth.
‘My home isn’t a fortress. There are no trained men here to protect such an amount. And you and I are enemies.’
Reynold smiled. ‘Exactly.’
It was a simple request, and too easy in payment for the death of a brother. Reynold truly hadn’t loved his brother. So he demanded this for a tactical reason. If examined from that angle, the request was brilliant and risky. No one would suspect such an amount here.
An easy request, a brilliant idea...but still a threat. ‘Who will be looking for it?’
‘No one now—but that is why I leave earlier than I wanted.’
Nicholas looked pointedly to Louve, who kept his gaze steady. His friend was leaving with Reynold. He pulled his thoughts back to the man staring down at him. His mask had returned.
‘I can’t guarantee there won’t be trouble in the future, though,’ Reynold continued.
‘Is it the King?’
No amount of cunning or begging would be enough if King Edward stormed his land.
Reynold’s eyes turned distant. ‘It could be anyone.’
‘Anyone’ was a dangerous word and held too much trouble. Nicholas’s only sane option would be to decline—but what would happen then? He still owed this dangerous man a debt—not to mention whoever backed the Warstone family. And that included the King.
He didn’t know what the punishment would be. Reynold wasn’t the type simply to kill him. Rumours abounded concerning Reynold’s calculating cruelty. And now that he’d spent time with him, Nicholas believed the rumours. But if he had to accept, he’d have one caveat.
‘Whatever this is, I won’t risk Matilda.’
Reynold’s brows rose. ‘I wouldn’t either.’
Nicholas paused. Did Reynold mean literally that he wouldn’t risk Matilda, or only if he was in Nicholas’s place? It didn’t matter. The outcome was the same. But Nicholas believed the bastard that Matilda wouldn’t be at risk. Still...
‘I won’t leave the treasures where they are. I don’t have funds to build a fortress, but I have an idea to hide it that may suffice.’
‘Don’t tell me.’
‘I wasn’t intending to.’
‘You’re not keeping it either.’
Nicholas almost laughed. ‘I intend to live like the next man—and I also pay my debts. Will this be enough to release me from mine to you?’
It would be a relief not to look over his shoulder any more.
Reynold’s brows drew in. ‘I can’t guarantee that either. I do take advantage of circumstances. And if not me, others might.’
There might still be danger at Mei Solis that threatened Matilda and Julianna. Reynold offered him no guarantees at all. Yet Nicholas’s options were limited. He’d simply have to do everything in his power to protect them. Changes would have to be made—subtle ones, so no one was any the wiser.
Reynold canted his head. ‘You’ll do it?’
‘Yes.’
‘For me?’
‘For Rhain.’
‘Ah, loyalty and friendship. I envy you that as well.’ Then Reynold chuckled. ‘Your home now has secrets.’
It did. ‘When will you return?’ he bit out.
He didn’t like secrets, and he didn’t like this payment of his debt. No guarantees...the debt not truly paid off. Nothing but obligations and too much risk. No other options but to accept it.
Reynold’s brother Guy had deserved to die. Matilda and Julianna didn’t.
No one at Mei Solis did.
‘I may never return,’ Reynold said.
Nicholas didn’t hide his surprise. Reynold never admitted to weakness, but he just had.
He was dividing his wealth and distributing it without the King’s knowledge. He was doing it to protect it, so that he could keep it. If he didn’t return for it, it meant he was incapable of doing so. Because he’d be dead.
Whatever he was doing was dangerous, and he was depending on the men around him...and now on him. The man who’d helped kill his brother. Was Reynold desperate? Or truly clever? It didn’t matter. At the heart of the action was the truth.
‘You’re trusting me with this?’
‘Of course. I know where you live, and...’
Reynold glanced up, and Nicholas followed his gaze. Matilda, holding Julianna, was standing at the window, watching them. At that distance she wouldn’t hear them, and she had to be weary. He should have told her to sleep, that he’d tell her about this exchange in the morning.
Reynold returned his gaze. ‘And because of her I know you intend to stay here.’
It was a threat, but Nicholas felt that wasn’t the reason why Reynold was doing this. After four days, was he now this enigmatic man’s friend? If so, he couldn’t have very many. And a friendship with Reynold was something he’d never confess to.
More secrets.
Louve appeared to have some as well.
Nicholas glanced at his oldest friend. There was no smirk nor any concern
in his expression. Nothing to indicate why he stood there, intending to leave. Had he been threatened?
Reynold straightened and shook his head. ‘I can see you worry for him. Rest assured, he leaves a free man. His coming with me has nothing to do with my full coffers.’
Somehow Nicholas believed that, too. ‘Are we finished?’
‘As you wish.’
Reynold pulled his horse closer to the gates and his guardsmen followed. Louve slowly walked up and took his place, in front of Nicholas.
‘You told me I should leave here,’ Louve said, his voice low.
Reckless words. ‘Tell me why now.’
Louve shrugged. ‘It’s time. You and I both know that.
‘If that is true, why have you always argued with me and told me to stay?’
‘That’s just in my nature.’ Louve smirked. ‘Otherwise it is too boring around here.’
Nicholas’s hand curled into a fist. He was certain he’d strike him for answers.
Louve took in that fist as he raised a brow. ‘Again?’
‘If I have to.’
Louve gave a curt nod. ‘I have no desire to leave my home for ever with a bruise marring my beauty.’
‘So...?’
‘I didn’t leave before. I couldn’t leave because you, Nicholas, Lord of Mei Solis, were intending to go. Despite your recent return. Despite your saying it was your home, I knew you never intended to stay here. Until I was certain you’d stay I couldn’t go.’
‘I never said I wanted to leave.’
Louve grunted. ‘In your every action and every carefully spoken word, you did.’
Was he so transparent? After all this time? That didn’t bode well if he was to hide a fortune’s worth of coin against Reynold’s unknown enemy. He hoped it wasn’t the King.
‘You know me too well,’ he said.
‘I also knew when you’d decided to stay before you did. I am glad you discovered that.’
‘I haven’t told her.’
‘You’d better hurry. She’s no longer at the window, and who knows what conclusions she’s drawn?’
‘You could have left alone.’
‘But where would be the fun in that?’