by Ria Cantrell
Bronwyn felt the floodgate of emotions burst within her; as well as all the loneliness, all the heartache. It was too much and she could no longer be strong. Tears seeped from under her lashes and she bit back a sob. Drew had bedded another woman and it was her own fault.
It was because of her betrayal that led him to it. She had no one to blame but herself. She had lost him. There was nothing left for her now. She knew she had to return to Scotland, shamed and alone, but what else could she do? When she had cried her fill, she removed herself from the comforting hold of her beautiful friend. She sniffled her thanks to Dana and took her leave.
Daria had to hold herself back from actually skipping out into the bailey. Yes, the damage had been complete! Gullible little fool! No matter. Drew would be back in her bed soon enough. When he was, Daria would finish it by having the dog find her writhing beneath him; or for that matter, on top of him. Daria fairly clapped with the absolute joy of it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When Rhianna got back to the keep, she was fairly exhausted. So many children had succumbed to sour bellies this past week. If she wasn’t plagued with nausea in the morning, she was sure she would believe herself sickened too, but hers passed after rising, while the children seemed to be wracked with wave after wave of it. They had gotten rid of the bread because the cook had found weevils in the flour and she thought that perhaps that was what was causing all the children to get sick. They could ill afford to lose so much flour, but if it sickened people, it was of no use anyway.
Rhianna knew she needed to rest, but being the lady of the keep kept her busy. Her skills with healing herbs added to her duties when there were sick to be tended to. As she made her way up to her apartments, she passed Drew’s quarters. The unmistakable sounds of sobs drifted from behind the door and she knew that Bronwyn was weeping. Though she was bone achingly weary, she needed to see what was wrong.
Tapping on the door gently, Rhianna let herself into the rooms that once belonged to her husband’s guard. Rhianna missed her friend. In the months she had gotten to know Drew, she had learned that he had a similar gift as she did. Rhianna was helping him to develop those skills that came from long ago. Rhianna had thought that after Drew had time to think about and miss his Bronwyn, he would return, but it had been more than a week and he still was absent. She had tried to sense him but every time Rhianna reached out to him, she was assailed with a horrible wave of heat and pain.
Something was wrong, but she could not tell that to Bronwyn. Rhianna was not certain that this reaction was a true premonition or the reaction of her body to the little babe inside of her and therefore, she could not worry Bronwyn needlessly. As she entered the rooms, she found Bronwyn sobbing, face down on the bed. Placing a hand to Bronwyn’s back, Rhianna asked, “What has happened? Are you unwell?”
Bronwyn sobbed and shook her head. Through her tears she said, “Drew has…found another and I have no one to blame but myself. He doesna’ want me.”
That admission caused Bronwyn to weep all the more bitterly.
“Nay…Bronwyn, he is in love with you. I know that.”
Bronwyn shook her head. “He has found another lover.”
Rhianna thought about Drew’s past before he had met Bronwyn, and how he had never opened his heart the way he obviously had with Bronwyn. She was certain he could not change his heart so quickly. The love he felt for this woman was undeniable. Rhianna soothed, “Nay, I do not think that is so. Drew had led a more free life before, t’is true, but it was so apparent that once and for all he had given that path up. He loves you.”
“He has gone back to his previous lover.”
Rhianna started at that statement. While that affair had been tempestuous, Rhianna was certain Drew would never go back to Daria. Shaking her head, Rhianna said, “Drew would not do that. Look, there was a woman, before he met you, but that relationship ended months before he even saw you. It was not one that Drew would want again.”
Rhianna did not even want to think about Daria. She was a spiteful venomous bitch and Drew had seen her in her true state. Rhianna was glad to see the woman gone from Drew’s life. She sighed and said, “He is not with that woman, I would stake my life on it.”
Bronwyn sniffed back her tears and she said, “Dana wouldna’ be mistaken about it, I am certain.”
“Dana? I am afraid I don’t know who you mean.”
“She works in the kitchens. Ye’ know her. She told me ye’ had asked her to help me when I was ill. She has been friendly….”
Rhianna tried to think of someone in the kitchens named Dana. She did not remember asking any of the kitchen maids to look in on Bronwyn. She knew she had been busy lately and sometimes Cook would bring girls into the scullery to aid in the preparations, but she could honestly not think she had seen any new girls lately in the keep. Still, she had been quite detained with all the ill children.
“Well, what is it that this Dana said?”
“She said that Drew had been involved with her friend some time ago and that he had returned to her the past couple of nights.”
Rhianna knew that had to be untrue. She did not want to bring her concerns to Bronwyn, but she was certain that he wasn’t dallying with some woman. The only woman that Drew had been involved with was that horrible Daria. No, she was certain that whoever this Dana was had been mistaken. Rhianna tried to reassure Bronwyn about Drew’s love.
“Drew just needs time. He will come back, I am certain of it.”
Rhianna thought about how Drew had been carefree with the ladies. She was certain it was because of that Gift that Drew had tried to hide. It was why he had kept his heart guarded. It was as if he opened that part of himself, the other would surface. She tried to help him understand that the Gift was just that…a precious gift.
It did not make him less of a warrior. In fact, it enhanced his warrior instincts. Rhianna was certain it was Drew’s Gift that had helped him track Bronwyn so easily on the night that she had left. He was so natural at it; he went on instinct. For that reason alone, Rhianna knew that Bronwyn was the girl who would nurture that aspect in Drew. When Rhianna saw Drew and Bronwyn together, their auras were interwoven. Rhianna knew he had finally met his match.
Rhianna knew that Bronwyn made Drew feel vulnerable; even to the point of physical harm. Rhianna tried to reach out for Drew again, and she tried to feel even the tiniest wisp of a hint of his return, but she was once again overtaken by the overwhelming sense of heat. It was so intense, that it made her head spin. She sat down and realized it may be difficult to tap into her own Gift now that she was pregnant. Bronwyn wiped her tears away as she noticed that her friend looked unwell. She was being insensitive. She said, “Are ye’ alright? Ye’ dunna’ look well.”
“I am just tired, I suppose. T’is from the babe.”
Bronwyn felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Her friend needed to rest. She said, “Ye’ have been working so many hours with the children of late. Ye’ need to have a care for yerself.”
“I just need to sit a while. I am fine. I want to talk more about Drew with you.” Bronwyn shook her head. “Nay, I think t’is best to….”
“It is just his silly pride that is keeping him from you.”
“It doesna’ matter. I want to go home to my own people. Whatever Drew and I shared is lost now. Now that I am hale, t’is time I return to my own land.”
“We shall not keep you against your will, but I am glad you are here. I had thought that perhaps you could help me with the sick now that I am with child. I will need your help and it will take your mind off of your troubles. However, if you really wish to leave, I can’t blame you. Erik will see you home in a couple of weeks. He is needed here now to ready for the spring planting. Once that is done, he will take you back to Scotland.”
Rhianna hoped that by stalling for a few weeks, would give Drew time he needed to return.
Bronwyn lowered her head and she softly said, “I…I miss him so much. I feel like my hear
t will stop, but it doesna’ stop. It continues to beat and it continues to break. When Dana told me she had seen him in the village, I had hoped he would come back…but he did not. Then when she told me that he had….”
Dana--Daria--no, it was not possible was it? Suddenly a realization hit Rhianna. “This Dana. Is she tall and….”
“Beautiful. Aye. She seems to have a bearing about her that does not fit as a scullery servant.”
Daria was quite a pretty woman, who stood tall and proud. Rhianna always felt that she imagined herself to be above her station and when a Captain of the Elite Guard was her lover, Daria believed herself to be raised and elevated. She had an overly sensuous presence and she was certain that had aided in attracting Drew.
“No, I suppose it would not,” Rhianna said, absently. She would have to check into who this new servant was and see if her fears were founded. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Dana was Daria! That viper! Rhianna was furious. She would find out if it was so and then she would expose her for the liar she was.
“And this Dana told you that Drew had been with his previous lover?”
“Aye, she dinna’ want to tell me, but she….”
“Nay, I am sure she did not,” Rhianna said with growing suspicion. “I don’t know why Drew has not returned except that his silly pride is keeping him away, but I am certain he has not gone back to his previous lover. Trust me on this.”
“I thought to write him a letter to tell him…but nay, I remember how angry he was. I have no one to blame but myself.”
“Perhaps you should do just that.”
Bronwyn shook her head. “I think perhaps I should send word to my clan and notify them of my return. Shamed or no, I just need to go home.”
Rhianna knew it had been hard to be in a strange land with few friends or allies. She could not fault the girl for wanting to go home. She remembered when she had thought about how it felt to lose Erik or to think he did not love her and she was sure it was a heartache not to be borne. Her heart went out to this young woman.
Oh, she could just throttle Drew for his stupid brooding pride. Even as she thought this, Rhianna once again felt that heat and sensed something was truly wrong with Drew. She would try to send word to Brandham Manor to learn what was amiss.
In the meantime, she would try to keep Bronwyn busy in order to keep her thoughts from greater heartache. She would also try to keep a closer eye on her in case Daria was back causing mischief.
There was a storm brewing, of that Rhianna was certain. If Daria was at the heart of it, Rhianna silently vowed to put an end to it. Erik would accuse her of meddling, but the silly pride of these two people was getting in the way of their future and happiness.
~~~~~~~~
Daria had slipped out just before Rhianna had returned. It had been a close call, but it was worth it. She left the Scottish slut crying her eyes out and the sound of her sobs was a comforting salve to her own wounded pride. Imagine being put aside to be replaced by a savage barbarian? Why, she was more of an insipid child than a woman!
Daria never believed her station was just. She was not baseborn. She had been forced to bear the stigma of her beginnings. She was the bastard daughter of an Earl, but she had been raised in privilege. When she was Drew’s lover, Daria thought once and for all, she could gain the status that her meager beginnings had denied her. She and Drew were good together. The passion they shared was wild and uninhibited. While he never decreed his love or troth to her, Daria thought that eventually he would declare his intentions.
Perhaps she would have to devise a plan to snare Drew once and for all. It had to be more than a simple seduction. She had no doubt she could coax Drew back into her bed, but he would need something to bind him to her. He prided himself on honor and his knightly code. Yes, she knew just what she could do. By the time he realized the truth, she would be safely elevated as his wife. This could be the best plan yet.
Daria would just have to bide her time. She made her way to back to her home, relieved to have not been discovered by that raven haired bitch. She warmed herself with her plans.
Chapter Thirty
Drew’s recovery was slow and painful. He still was plagued with the lung sickness and though his ribs seemed healed, it still was painful when the coughing spasms took hold of him. It took another two weeks before he was well enough to leave his bed for longer periods of time. The pain in his leg was nothing more than a dull and constant ache.
By the end of those weeks in bed, Drew was filled with a restless energy. He was impatient to hurry back to Ragnorsen Keep. He needed to see Bronwyn, and discover once and for all if she still loved him. The words of Llerwyn rang over and over in his mind and gave him hope that he had not lost her forever.
Drew made himself two promises. He would lay his heart before her and if she rejected him, he would let her go. If she wanted to be returned to her homeland, he would see her home safely. If that happened, he would leave Ragnorsen completely and seek his future abroad. He would need to put whatever few memories that they had shared to rest and he would find his destiny without her. But first, he would let her know how much he loved her; how he had made the worst mistake of his life in leaving her.
The morning finally arrived when Drew was well enough to travel. He went to the stables to pack up his horse and ready himself for the journey back to Ragnorsen. His parents were there to meet him. He smiled sheepishly and said, “I would not have left without saying goodbye.”
They knew of his plans and knew if Bronwyn returned to Scotland, it would be sometime before they saw each other again.
“We know, son. We have decided to join you in this journey.”
Drew’s head dropped and he sighed sadly. “Mother, Father, this may not end…happily. I would rather you not be witness to my shame and humiliation.”
“You have been very sick. We would see you safely to Ragnorsen. The weather is mild. The fields are tended and planted. What better time to make a trip?”
Drew nodded, grateful for their support and love. Once the traveling party was on its way, Drew stated, “I need to make one stop along the way.”
“Where, Son?”
“I need to see Llerwyn the harper.”
Drew’s parents just shrugged and agreed to whatever he wanted to do. They waited astride their mounts while Drew visited with Llerwyn’s thatched little cottage on the outskirts of the wooded forest, which bordered Brandham lands. When Drew left the cottage, he was carrying a beautifully carved harp. He wrapped it up in a silken swath of fabric and secured it to his horse. If they rode steadily, they would still be able to make Ragnorsen by nightfall.
During the ride, Drew spoke very little. His parents could see the varied emotions warring within him. The worst of these was fear. Elizabeth believed that Drew would find that Bronwyn loved him still. She hoped that this journey would end with the planning of the wedding of her middle born son.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rhianna was sitting in her solar relaxing with some needlework. It had been a long day. Bronwyn had aided her with the birth of a babe in the village. The past few weeks, she had worked with Rhianna caring for the sick, learning the mixing of herbs to aid in healing.
Bronwyn had felt the ties to the Old Ways and frequently thought of all Morag had tried to teach her. She had thwarted those teachings time and again, thinking them to be silly and outmoded, but when she worked with Rhianna and saw the compassion and the good that came out of her work, Bronwyn realized she had wasted those lessons throughout her life.
Now, Bronwyn was packed and ready to return to Scotland. She vowed that she would take the lessons to heart and embrace her heritage. Since Drew had not returned, she would go home and heal her wounds. Working with Rhianna, Bronwyn’s hours were filled and it kept the pain and heartache at bay. While she loved Rhianna and had forged a wonderful friendship with her, she realized that she needed to return home.
She would devote herself to learning a
ll Morag could pass to her and maybe in time, she would be able to think about Drew without the searing pain that followed in her heart that thoughts of him brought her. In the morning, Erik was going to begin the journey with Bronwyn to bring her back to her native land. While she did not relish his company, they had forged a tolerated peace for Rhianna’s sake.
Rhianna hated that it had come to this. She knew Bronwyn was finishing her preparations to leave on the morrow. She looked out the solar window and said out loud to no one in particular, “Ah Drew…what happened to you? Why haven’t you come back for your Bronwyn?”
As if her words had magically conjured him, Drew and a riding party were steadily approaching on the horizon. Rhianna could not see his face from this distance, but she recognized his standard. Rhianna mouthed a silent prayer, “Thank you, God. It is about time this is made right.”
She put down her sewing and decided to assure the reconciliation of this headstrong couple. Rhianna quickly ordered a hot bath to be brought up to the solar. Without telling Bronwyn why, Rhianna told her she had had the bath prepared for her to relax on her final night at Ragnorsen. The journey would be arduous and a comforting bath would be just what Bronwyn needed. Rhianna had laid out heather scented soap and fresh drying linens for Bronwyn’s bath.
Bronwyn hugged her friend in gratitude. She had felt tired from their day’s work with the laboring mother. Helping birth that babe had been rewarding and wonderful. It made her ache to carry a babe of her own. She pushed the ache away as she thought it would not be Drew’s babe if she did. She forced that sad thought back. It was decided now. She was going home on the morrow and so she gratefully stepped into the hot bath, allowing the hot waters to wash away her sadness and regret.
Rhianna hurried to welcome the riding party to her home. Erik saw his pregnant wife rushing down the stairs and he caught her in his arms. “Have a care, wife. Where are you off to? This is my last night before I leave for that God forsaken country. I thought tonight we could…” Rhianna squirmed out of his hold and said, “You may not have to take that trip after all.”