Border Brides

by Kathryn Le Veque

  She was going to go with him.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  An hour before dawn, she was back.

  Cortez had just managed to fall into a fitful sleep when Merlin was back in his tent, telling him that Lady Edlington was asking to see him again. Afraid that something was amiss, or perhaps she had even decided to go against their bargain once she’d had time to reflect, Cortez was just sitting up as Diamantha entered. It was very dark in the tent since the fire in the brazier had been reduced to glowing embers, making it difficult to see clearly. Merlin went to hunt down a taper as Diamantha approached Cortez.

  “I am sorry to wake you,” she said, sounding anxious, “but I must speak with you. It is very important.”

  Exhausted but alert, Cortez was concerned by the tone of her voice. Rising wearily to his feet, he reached out and gently grasped her shoulders.

  “What is it?” he demanded softly. “What has happened?”

  His grip burned her tender flesh like red-hot irons. His hands were enormous and powerful, nearly causing her to forget what she needed to say. But not quite; with her last shred of reasoning before his heated grasp burned holes through her sanity, she pulled back, out of his reach.

  “Nothing has happened,” she said, trying to shake off the memory of his touch. “I have come to tell you that I have made an important decision.”

  He blinked at her, wondering what she could possibly mean. “What decision?”

  I had much more courage when I practiced this speech in front of my serving women, Diamantha thought ironically as she gazed into his dark eyes. But she had come this far and would not back down. With a deep breath, she continued.

  “I have done a good deal of thinking since last we spoke,” she said. “I fear I have bestowed upon you a heavy burden by asking you to locate Robert’s body and return him home. Mayhap it will be a burden that, in time, you decide is too great to bear. Mayhap you will decide you no longer wish to bear it.”

  He listened to her carefully although he did not quite understand what point she was attempting to convey. He rested his hands on his slender hips as he eyed her.

  “Are you afraid I will give up the search?” he finally asked. “Lady, I can assure you that I will not. I told you that I would find Robert and return him to you, and I meant it.”

  Diamantha nodded shortly as if she believed him, but by her sheer expression, it was clear that she was uncertain. She began to wring her hands. “Sir, I am trying desperately not to offend you, for that is certainly not my intention,” she said. “I know you understand how important this is to me and because it is so important, I fear that I cannot allow you alone to bear the burden. I must bear it with you. I must ensure that Robert’s body is located and properly buried. This is my task. In hindsight, I should not have delegated it to you. I should not have made you feel responsible for it. I suppose it was my grief that prompted me to do so. Therefore, I was hoping… nay, I am asking that you escort me to the fields of Falkirk where I may find my husband’s body and ensure he has a property burial.”

  Cortez stared at her. It was then he noticed that she was wearing what looked like traveling clothes. He hadn’t noticed right away because the tent had been so dim, but now, he could clearly see that she was wearing a heavy woolen dress, dark blue in color, with a matching cloak. She had gloves on her small hands and her hair, that glorious mass of color, was secured in a braid that was pinned to the nape of her neck. He’d been so stupid not to notice before, but now he could see everything. The woman was dressed for travel. So she wanted to go with him? He could feel his outrage rise.

  “Absolutely not,” he said flatly. “You will remain here. I will bring Robert’s body to you. I told you I would. Do you doubt my word of honor, Lady Edlington?”

  Diamantha shook her head. She could tell by his manner that she had indeed offended him. “Of course not,” she assured him. “I told you that it was not my intention to insult your word, but you must understand… I cannot wait here for the months or years it might take for you to return with Robert. I would go mad with the worry, wondering if or when you were going to return. What if you are set upon by bandits? What if you somehow die in this great questing to find Robert’s body? What if you never returned? Do you not understand, sir? I would be wracked with guilt and anxiety wondering what happened. I would go to my grave as restless as my husband’s spirit. Surely I could never rest in peace.”

  He was looking at her with a furrowed brow. “Is that what this is all about?” he demanded. “You would feel guilty if I never returned? If that is the case, then I absolve you of this guilt. It is my choice to go. You did not force me into it.”

  She averted her gaze. “I did, in a sense,” she said softly. “I… I have been resistant to your proposal of marriage. I believe you made this bargain so that I would agree to marry you in the end. ’Tis a sincere man who will go on such a quest for a woman he wishes to marry.”

  Cortez eyed her, hearing his own words reflected in her statement. His irritation was cooling. “I made the bargain to show you that I was indeed sincere,” he said. “Never did you push me into it.”

  Diamantha watched him as he turned for a small, portable table that contained a wooden basin upon it. He splashed icy water on his face and neck as she stood behind him, watching his big form in the weak light. When Merlin emerged from the dim recess of the tent with a small lit taper, hardly enough light against the darkness of the tent, she lowered her gaze and kept silent until the red-headed sergeant quit the tent and shut the flap. Not knowing the sergeant, she was afraid she had already said too much in front of the man. She did not want her business with Cortez to become fodder for soldier’s gossip.

  “I am afraid I must make an amendment to our bargain,” she said quietly after Merlin had left the tent.

  Cortez stood up, drying his neck with a linen rag. “You may not,” he told her. “The bargain has been struck. I leave for the north this morning.”

  Diamantha watched him as he moved to a small leather satchel and began pulling items out of it. “Will you not even hear me before you deny me?” she asked.

  He looked at her, then, but there was impatience in his expression. “What is it, then?”

  She cocked her head. “Sir, you must learn to be more patient when dealing with me,” she said as if she was scolding him. “I do not react well to harsh tones or annoyed manners.”

  He lifted his eyebrows at her and his impatience increased. “You woke me out of a sound sleep to tell me that you are coming with me to Scotland and expect me not to become irritated?” When she nodded once, firmly, he shook his head with exasperation and returned to his satchel. “Once you make a bargain, lady, you keep to it. I know that Robert was a man of great patience but unfortunately, I am not. Mayhap he allowed you to go back on your word, but I will not. I do not tolerate foolishness.”

  Diamantha’s brow furrowed. “It is not foolishness I give you,” she said, feeling her ire rise. “I came to speak to you on a matter of great importance to me but mayhap the only importance you will allow is a matter of your own. If that is the case, then I suppose we are in for a turbulent marriage because any matter of importance to me should be a matter of importance to you as well. As my husband, you should be greatly concerned for anything I deem significant.”

  Cortez had seen this agitated manner from her once before in George’s solar and he was coming to quickly realize that he didn’t like to see her upset. It made him feel anxious and edgy. Nay, he didn’t like that feeling at all, especially when he was trying to establish a relationship with her. They didn’t need this kind of disruption to their already tenuous association but he knew that she was reacting to his agitation. Evidently, his irritation didn’t force her into submission as it used to do with Helene. It only seemed to aggravate her. Therefore, he took a deep breath and struggled to calm himself because it wouldn’t do either one of them any good if they were both angry.

  “Anything that is of great i
mportance to you is naturally of great importance to me,” he said, sounding much more patient than he had moments earlier. “You came to discuss your thoughts with me and I rudely cut you short. Forgive me. Please tell me everything that is concerning you.”

  She crossed her arms stubbornly. “You do not care to hear it.”

  “I do, I swear.”

  She scowled. “Tell me you are sorry for saying I was foolish.”

  His irritation threatened to return but he fought it. She was, if nothing else, a plucky creature. “I never said you were foolish,” he said steadily. “I simply said I do not tolerate foolishness. Now, will you please tell me what you wished to discuss? I would very much like to hear it.”

  She wasn’t ready to forgive him yet but softened out of necessity. They hadn’t much time. “I will tell you, but you must swear to me that you will not become angry with me.”

  He grunted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “I swear.”

  Diamantha eyed him as if she did not believe him but dutifully continued. “Very well,” she said. “As I was saying, I fear I have placed a terrible burden on you by making you responsible for returning Robert to me for a proper burial. It was wrong of me to do that and since we are to be married, it is a burden you should not assume alone. I must assume it with you. Therefore, I will be riding with you to Falkirk to help you retrieve Robert’s body and I thought… well, as a show of good faith, I thought that we should be wed before we go.”

  Cortez stared at her a moment, struggling not to openly react. “Before we go?”

  She nodded. “We cannot travel together as an unmarried couple,” she said as if it was a terrible thing. “Therefore, we must marry out of necessity.”

  She made it sound rather cold, but he didn’t care. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. “Before we go?” he said again, just to make sure he heard right. “Today?”

  Diamantha nodded again, even before the words had completely left his mouth. “We can be married at St. Edward’s,” she said. “It is the church in the town. The priests will be happy to conduct the ceremony.”

  Cortez wasn’t hard pressed to admit that he was stunned. This was something he had not expected to hear, not in the least. He tried not to sound too excited or enthusiastic about it, fearful that it might frighten or upset her. He didn’t want her to see the joy of victory in his eyes. Truthfully, all he could think of was marrying her quickly so she could never refuse or deny him again because it meant that once they were married, she would have to do what he said and he could tell her that she could not accompany him north. It was an outlandish idea, anyway. As her husband, he would demand she remain behind and she would be forced to obey. Or so he thought.

  “When did you think to do this?” he asked, rather neutrally.

  Diamantha fidgeted with her hands as if she wasn’t fully convinced her decision was sound. Still, she was determined.

  “Now, I would think,” she said. “The priests are preparing for Matins, so I am sure they would not be opposed to performing the marriage mass afterwards. That way, we can be on our way this morning without too much delay.”

  Cortez didn’t delay another second. He quickly tossed the rag aside and went about dressing in a heavy woolen tunic over the lighter one he already wore. “Very well, Lady Edlington,” he said, rushed, as he pulled the tunic over his head. “I accept your proposal. We shall be married immediately. Is there anything else you wished to speak to me about?”

  Diamantha opened her mouth but was cut short as the tent flap suddenly snapped back and a tall young man entered. She stepped back, out of the lad’s way, as he fell to his knees next to Cortez and began collecting pieces of armor that had been stacked next to the cot. As Cortez’s squire went to work, interrupting a rather personal conversation, she frowned.

  “Even if there were, I could not speak of it now,” she said, eyeing the big red-haired youth on the ground. “I will wait for you outside.”

  Cortez held out a hand to her to prevent her from leaving. “Nay,” he said quickly. “Remain where you are. My squire will be finished in a moment and we can go together to the church. Please do not leave.”

  Diamantha pulled her cloak more tightly about her in the chill of the tent but she said nothing, easing back into the shadows and watching the squire work quickly and efficiently. The lad couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen years of age, with a crown of glorious red hair and very big hands, and when he stood up he was taller than Cortez. He moved like lightning, confident in the knowledge of his job. When he moved to collect the mail coat, which was strung over a frame that was behind Diamantha, she quickly moved out of the lad’s way to give him a wide berth.

  Cortez was alternately watching her movements and his tasks as he dressed. She seemed very quiet now and he knew she was irritated with him. She’d had more to say but his squire had prevented it, which he was fairly certain was a good thing. All he wanted to do now was get the woman to the church and legally marry her. Then, whatever came after that would be dealt with, including her unreasonable demands. In all things, and especially this marriage, his wants would take precedence. In their brief association he could already see that she was a spoiled creature and used to getting her own way. It was a lesson she would have to quickly learn.

  “I will introduce you to my men today, men who will be serving you,” he said, simply to make conversation so they weren’t hanging about in awkward silence. “I may as well start with my squire. Peter Summerlin is from a fine family in Norfolk. His father is Sir Alec Summerlin, who was known in his youth as The Legend. No finer swordsman has ever existed and his son seems to have taken after him. Although Peter is young, I expect to knight him myself next year.”

  Diamantha looked at the big youth when the young man eyed her with some embarrassment. His cheeks were nearly as ruddy as his hair. He bowed swiftly to her even as he finished pulling the mail coat over Cortez’s head.

  “He seems very efficient,” she commented, her attention returning to Cortez. “I have not seen any other de Bretagne knights since you have been here.”

  Cortez lifted his arms as Peter began to secure his heavy leather scabbard, crafted in Rouen by a master tanner. The de Bretagne crest was emblazoned upon it, discreetly, a three-point shield with a bird of prey upon it, and the tip of the scabbard was protected by a riveted steel tip. Cortez glanced down at his beloved scabbard as Peter gave it a final adjustment.

  “That is because they have remained in camp,” he told her. “I only brought two with me. The others are at Sherborne Castle, including my brother.”

  Peter swept from the tent and they were alone again. Diamantha could hear the camp outside as men began to rouse and go about their tasks, but she found herself somewhat interested in her conversation with Cortez. She was still irritated with him for his attitude towards her concerns, that was true, but she could feel the mood of the conversation shifting to something casual and she was willing to go with it.

  “I was not aware you had a brother,” she said. “Helene never mentioned him.”

  Cortez strapped his purse onto his scabbard. “That is because my brother has been in the north, serving with my father,” he replied. “My father is the garrison commander at Sandal Castle for the Earl of Surrey, and Andres is two years younger than I am. He came to serve with me at Sherborne right after Helene died. My father sent him to tend me, I suspect, fearful of what I might do in my grief, but instead, Andres has given me something else to focus on because I am constantly having to bail the man out of trouble.”

  Diamantha cocked her head. “Trouble?” she repeated. “What kind of trouble?”

  Cortez fidgeted with the collar of his tunic where it chaffed him. “The man has an eye for women and a taste for alcohol, and the two do not often mix well,” he said before he could think about who he was speaking to. “In fact, there have been times when I have had to pull my brother out of the gutter and drown him in the nearest trough to… forgive m
e, but I probably should not be telling you this, should I?”

  He appeared rather chagrined and Diamantha fought off a smile. “Probably not,” she said. “But tell me anyway. I would know what character of my new brother awaits me.”

  Cortez could see that she was trying very hard not to smile and he grinned. “Andres is a good man and an excellent knight,” he told her firmly. “But there will be times that you may have to throw a bucket of water on him to revive him.”

  “Or drown him.”

  He laughed softly. “Truer words were never spoken,” he said, his gaze lingering on her and seeing a flicker of a lovely smile. It was glorious. “I would imagine that my brother will not be able to get away with his usual foolery with you around. I suspect you would not tolerate it.”

  “You would suspect correctly.”

  His warm gaze lingered on her, hoping against hope that they were overcoming their turmoil and soon to embark on a new chapter in their association. Nay, relationship. He wanted more than an association with her. He wanted the same thing he’d had with Helene, a warm and gentle relationship that gave him comfort. He prayed Diamantha would see reason and understand that her role in his life would be one of thoughtfulness and obedience. With a faint sigh, perhaps one to summon his courage, he approached her.

  “May I be honest with you, Lady Edlington?” he asked softly.

  There was something in the expression on his face that made Diamantha feel weak in the knees. It was a warm and giddy sensation, something she had experienced with Robert back when they had been courting, but it wasn’t something she’d been familiar with much since that time. This was an incredibly electrifying sensation, as if invisible rivers were flowing from his dark eyes and enveloping her in their liquid exhilaration. It was enough to cause her some unsteadiness.