Diamantha was quite fascinated by his family lineage. “How sorrowful,” she said. “Where is your father now?”
“In Shropshire along the Marches,” he replied. “He inherited a castle from the de Bretagne side of the family, Coven Castle, and he has lived there for quite some time. Edward keeps men stationed there and my father keeps peace on that section of the border.”
She cocked her head. “But your father is Welsh.”
Cortez lifted his eyebrows thoughtfully. “He is Welsh on his mother’s side and English on his father’s,” he said. “He is mostly English. The only thing Welsh about him is the name. Edward made sure of that; he has conditioned my father well.”
Diamantha digested the information. “I would say that you have a very complex family history,” she said. “Mine is not so complex. I come from a long line of English, back to the time of the Conqueror. In fact, I just discovered that I am related by blood to your knight, James de Lohr. Our grandparents were siblings, children of the great Christopher de Lohr.”
Cortez bobbed his head with interest. “Is that so?” he said. “He has served me for a couple of years. He lives here with his wife and three small boys.”
Diamantha smiled. “I should like to meet them,” she said. “Mayhap they can be playmates for Sophie.”
Cortez looked over at the little girl playing happily with the kitten. “It is possible,” he said, then turned his attention to Diamantha. “But I plan to leave tomorrow morning for the north. If you want Sophie to come, she will not be here long enough to need playmates. In fact, the first thing I did when we reached Sherborne was hand-pick an escort to accompany us to Falkirk. I cannot make this trip with a big army and it is too dangerous for just the three of us to go, as my wife and daughter must have protection. Therefore, the escort is currently preparing and before dawn tomorrow, we depart. I would suggest that you and your daughter eat and rest as much as possible tonight because it is going to be a very long and very exhausting journey.”
He said it in a way that was rather serious, hoping she might actually back down from wanting to accompany him. He was hoping against hope that, after a day’s long and rainy ride, she might reconsider her desire to ride all the way to Falkirk with her young daughter in tow. The reality of being on the road with a small child was much different than merely talking about it. Practicality might win out. Or, at least he hoped it would.
Unfortunately for him, Diamantha didn’t back down. She didn’t even hint at backing down. Instead, she nodded obediently. “We will get as much rest as we can tonight,” she said. “How many men will be coming with us?”
His lips twisted wryly when he realized she wasn’t going to reconsider her position. Thwarted for the moment, he scratched his head pensively.
“We do not want to be so big that we attract attention,” he said, “but if we encounter trouble, I want to be sure we can defend ourselves. I have selected twenty-five men to accompany us, including a wagon with which to carry Robert’s remains, and four knights including my brother. That should be sufficient. But I may have to arm you as well because the open road can be a deadly place. Dangers abound everywhere. There’s no telling when a crazed assassin might come flying out at you. Can you use a dagger?”
It was a question he once again hoped would deter her. He was trying to make it all sound so terrible. Instead, she nodded bravely. “I can,” she said. “My father taught me.”
He sat back and rolled his eyes, defeated. So much for her changing her mind. After a moment, he nodded in resignation.
“Good,” he muttered. “I will give you a dagger, then. But God help the man who truly tangles with you.”
Diamantha wasn’t quite sure what had him so discouraged, but she thought it was perhaps because it was costing him a great deal of money to make this trek north. It was the only reason she could think of. The quest was turning into a rather large production that would undoubtedly be expensive. All of those men would need to be fed and housed, and their horses fed and housed. Aye, it was coming to be expensive. But no matter; she had some wealth of her own. She would make it up to Cortez somehow. This trip was her idea, after all. She needed to take some financial responsibility for it. She needed to show Cortez that she wasn’t a complete and utter burden, making demands and expecting him to make all of the sacrifices.
“Then Sophie and I should eat and retire,” she said softly. “If you would show us where we are to sleep, I would be grateful.”
Sleep. Cortez looked at her with only one thought on his mind; it is our wedding night, lady. Marrying her was one thing, and that had been difficult enough, but consummating the marriage… he knew she wasn’t ready for that. If he were to try, the consequences could be disastrous. He could take her body, but her mind was something completely different. He didn’t want their first intimate encounter to be wretched and painful for them both. He wanted it to be the most beautiful thing they’d ever experienced.
God, he was so impatient. He didn’t like waiting for anything, and especially not something that rightfully belonged to him. So much of this situation was unpalatable to him and had been from the start. Had he known then what he knew now, he might not have agreed to Robert Edlington’s deathbed plea. He might have told the man to take a flying leap.
But no, he thought to himself. Looking at Diamantha as she turned her kitten over to her daughter, and then watching Sophie’s utter joy, he knew his answer would have still been the same. Once the turbulence settled and once they came to know one another, and became comfortable with one another, the situation would improve. At least, that’s what he hoped for. He had to keep telling himself that, ’else the temptation would have been great for him to march back to St. Edward’s Church and demand an annulment. He had to have faith that this would all work out in the end.
But he was positive the wait was going to kill him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
It was raining when twenty five men-at-arms, five knights, and two ladies departed a water-logged Sherborne Castle in the early pre-dawn hours. After a night that saw her getting very little sleep, Diamantha was introduced to the knights who would be escorting her north; Sir Andres de Bretagne, Sir James de Lohr, Sir Drake de Winter, and Sir Oliver St. John.
De Winter was a big man with big hands, very handsome, while St. John was tall and sinewy and blond. Andres looked a good deal like his brother except he was taller and thinner, and he seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. He had winked at her a couple of times, too. He thought he was being quite flirtatious but she thought he was being a fool and already she wasn’t sure if she liked him. She wondered if Cortez had even noticed.
She politely acknowledged these men clad in full armor, with rain dripping off their faces, looking as if they were heading into battle. They were well armed and well supplied with their massive war horses, animals that were muzzled in the bailey because they were so ferocious. Diamantha would learn later that each man personally owned several horses, from palfreys to the more durable coursers or rounceys, but they had, in fact, chosen to take the expensive destriers on the trip north. Being a long and perhaps dangerous journey, they wanted the stability and viciousness of the destriers. Diamantha thought it felt a bit like a battle march.
After Diamantha and Sophie had retired the night before in Cortez’s rather large and comfortable chamber, Cortez had spent most of the night making sure all of the details were settled for their journey on the morrow. Men were prepared, horses were readied, and he had taken a section of one of the provisions wagons and turned it into a comfortable little nest for Sophie. He figured the girl wouldn’t want to ride all of the time, so he and James had fashioned a padded pallet. He had even put some pillows around the sides, pillows that James’ wife had given them.
Suspecting that Sophie might also want to take her kittens along, Cortez confiscated one of the wooden cages in the kitchen yard used for the chicks and put straw at the bottom of it, putting it next to Sophie’s pallet. He m
ade sure to put a small wooden bowl in it for water, and part of an old horse blanket for warmth. When he was finished primping the entire section of the wagon for the child, he had his quartermaster sling oiled cloth over the back of the wagon for protection, making a cozy little hovel. When all was said and done, he was rather proud of it. It was a nice little place for his new daughter.
It was into this warm haven that Cortez deposited Sophie, who was thrilled with her comfortable little space. Bundled up against the weather, she had her two kittens underneath her cloak and happily put them into their little cage. She was also still rather sleepy so after her mother bundled her up in a heavy blanket beneath the oiled tarp, Sophie lay down on her pillows and promptly fell asleep. In the pre-dawn hours, she wasn’t ready yet to face the world.
But Diamantha was. After tending her daughter, she allowed Cortez to escort her to her palfrey, a rather big-boned mare that Robert had given her. It was a gray horse, with black speckles, and she mounted silently, gathering her reins as Cortez and one of his knights covered her with an oiled cloth to protect her from the rain. Cortez was polite, as he had been the night before, and Diamantha again felt a jolt when their eyes met. He smiled faintly at her, which made her heart leap strangely. He was, indeed, a devilishly handsome man, and perhaps for the first time since he appeared in George’s solar, she allowed herself to feel it. She didn’t try to chase it away or talk herself out of it. For once, she allowed herself to feel the thrill of his smile. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, the man was starting to grow on her.
Diamantha watched him make his way to his big black and white charger. When he mounted, someone gave a shout and the entire party began to move. The great gatehouse of Sherborne Castle was open and men on horseback began to trickle out, heading out into the land that was brilliant green and wet with rain. Diamantha rode beside the wagon where her daughter was sleeping peacefully, hardly believing that they were finally on their way. It seemed dream-like and surreal.
The great questing to locate Robert Edlington’s body had begun.
*
No glory, no great triumph. No inspiring thoughts or words. No great shouts of encouragement or great blessings from God.
In all, the trek north out of Sherborne was nothing that Diamantha thought it would be. It was, in truth, a monotonous march through horrible weather, sloppy roads, and whipping winds. The storm that had crept upon them yesterday as they’d made their way from Corfe was now a part of their very fabric, a constant travel companion with seemingly no end. It was wretched and vicious as the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. Everyone in the party was beyond miserable but had the sense not to show it. It was simply the way of things and the men were used to it. The only person that was seemingly comfortable was Sophie.
As the procession moved north through the small and flooded village of Kington, the fields were so saturated with water that the soldiers were coming across groups of wet rabbits and foxes who had been flooded out of their dens. Most of them ran off when the troops moved through, but a tiny little bunny and a small fox kit didn’t move fast enough and were picked up by a couple of the men so they wouldn’t get stepped on. They were too small to eat so the men took them back to the little girl in the wagon.
Sophie, of course, was thrilled with a baby bunny and a fox kit, and she put them in her little cage where they could dry off and warm up. The kittens were too young to care that there were intruders in their cage, and after the rabbit and the fox dried off, they snuggled up with the kittens and fell asleep. Sophie was very proud to show off her growing collection to anyone who came near the wagon, including Cortez. He had been riding at the head of the column but had come back to see how Sophie and Diamantha were faring in the terrible weather. One look at the four small animals cuddled up in the cage, and Sophie’s joyous features, and the rain and storm suddenly didn’t seem so bad. There was sun, somewhere, and he had found it unexpectedly in the back of his provisions wagon. It was enough to make him forget his misery.
As Sophie fed her animals with some apples and jerky procured from the quartermaster, Cortez walked alongside the wagon, watching her tend the hungry creatures. He was surprised by how gentle she was with them, considering most children her age didn’t have a strong concept of being gentle with smaller creatures. It was sweet to watch, inevitably reminding him of the little girl he lost and wondering if she would have been like Sophie. He would have liked to have believed so. As he observed the child, he very much wanted to look at Diamantha but kept his eyes away from her deliberately. He was, in fact, working on a theory.
For the past hour, riding alone up at the head of the column, he was starting to wonder if backing away from her might do some good. After all, he’d chased her relentlessly so he thought perhaps backing off might make her more receptive to him. He really didn’t know what else to do because nothing he’d done up to this point had worked. Women who were chased usually ran, but women who were quietly wooed were usually much more amenable. It went against his nature to do anything quietly, but he had to admit that in this case, he might have to. Therefore, he essentially ignored her. It wasn’t long before he heard a soft voice behind him.
“How far do you plan to travel today?”
Diamantha had reined her horse up behind him and he turned to see her beautiful face gazing down at him from beneath the hood of her cloak. As he’d hoped, limiting his attention to her had garnered a positive reaction. She had approached him instead of the other way around. He wiped water out of his eyes before replying.
“Shaftesbury, I hope,” he said, glancing up at the sky. “Even at this pace, we should reach it by sundown. I have sent some men ahead to secure rooms at the first available inn.”
Diamantha cocked her head. “Why?” she said, indicating the second provisions wagon behind them that was stuffed with rolled canvas. “You have brought shelter. Why the expense of an inn when we can stay in your shelters?”
He looked at her. “Because these shelters are damp at best and it would not do for you or your daughter to become ill this early on in the journey,” he said. “It is worth the cost to pay for a dry chamber and a warm meal. Wouldn’t you rather see your daughter in a dry bed as opposed to a damp tent?”
She was forced to agree. “I would,” she said. “Sophie is usually a very healthy child and I would like to keep it that way.”
Cortez nodded to agree with her, glancing at Sophie and her pets one last time before politely excusing himself and making his way back to the front of the column. He’d decided that he wasn’t going to say anything more to Diamantha since ignoring the woman had seemed to make her marginally more sociable. Perhaps that was the way to handle her and he had been doing it wrong all along. In any case, he was willing to make an experiment out of it. He left the woman without so much as a hind glance.
Diamantha watched him go, her gaze lingering on the man who was now her husband. The more she reminded herself of the fact, the more accustomed she was becoming to it. As he walked away, she found her attention lingering on his rather large form. For such a big man, he moved quite gracefully and had an easy gait about him. As he moved through his men, he gave them a word here and there. She could see that his men were pleased with the attention. That was an important attribute of a knight as far as she was concerned, whether or not he showed interest in those he commanded. Compassion was a rare and valuable trait in a fighting man.
He’s a good man. James’ words ran through her head again as she lost sight of Cortez in a group of soldiers up towards the front of the column. She was coming to think that perhaps James might be right. For all she’d put Cortez through, his attitude towards her hadn’t changed. He was still polite, and still very kind to Sophie. A good man, indeed.
As she plodded along next to the wagon, lost in thoughts of Cortez, her horse suddenly slipped on the soft shoulder of the road and tumbled down a small incline, sending Diamantha flying. She went face-first into the wet grass, landing heavily
on her left wrist. She could hear the shouts of the men on the road and as she was shaking off the ringing in her ears, hands were reaching down to help her.
“I am fine, truly,” she insisted to those trying to assist her.
“Stay down, lady,” someone said to her. “Do not try to rise. Just sit a moment and gain your bearings.”
Diamantha lifted her right hand to wipe the wet and grass from her eyes, looking up into the concerned faces of two of Cortez’s knights. She recognized Drake de Winter first.
“My horse?” she asked, straining to look about. “Is she well?”
Drake, crouched down beside her in full armor, looked over to see someone tending to the now standing horse. “She looks well enough for the most part,” he said, returning his attention to her. “And you? Did you hit your head?”
Diamantha lifted her left arm, moving to put a hand to her head, but she winced when pain shot through her wrist. Instinctively, she gasped and grabbed it. “God’s Bones,” she hissed, realizing she had hurt her arm. “Now, that is not a good sign, is it?”
It was a rhetorical question. But there was a second knight with de Winter and he, too, crouched down next to her. Oliver St. John was a very tall man with piercing blue eyes. He had heard her comment and his expression was one of concern.
“May I see, my lady?” he asked, holding out a hand. “Mayhap it is not broken.”
Timidly, Diamantha extended her hand about the time Cortez came thundering up on his big hairy war horse. The entire column had come to a halt by now and he bailed off his charger as he hurried to her side. St. John was just starting to examine the wrist when he came up.
“What happened?” he demanded, looking rather frightened. “My lady, are you well? Did you hurt yourself?”
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