by Wood, Lynn
After an exhilarating chase, he watched his defiant bride return to the gates of their home, dismiss the stallion she rode on with an affectionate gesture, then hurry in the direction of the keep. If he’d been close enough for his command to reach her he would have reminded her to slow down and take a care of her delicate condition. He couldn’t help but notice his wife lately always seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. Unfortunately, she was usually hastening in a direction that would take her away from her husband.
He went over in his head their earlier conversation and conceded there was some justification for Rhiann to hide Melissa’s intent from him. Had he been unable to prevent Melissa from leaving the protection of the keep, his new sister-in-law would very likely have left alone and been faced with the same dangers that almost killed her the first time. Rhiann knew her sister better than he did, and clearly knew all the ways her sister could have left the keep without his knowledge. But even if she confided in him, even if she showed him every hidden entrance and exit to and from the keep, could he have guaranteed her sister’s safety? Wasn’t that why Luke placed Melissa under his guardianship in the first place, because he feared, even with his father’s protection, he would be unable to prevent Melissa from slipping past his father’s guard and setting off alone on a perilous journey to find her brother?
Rhiann obviously came to the same conclusion and did what she could to minimize the dangers her sister would meet on such a journey by summoning an escort. He was willing to concede she would have been equally pleased if her husband had been willing to provide such an escort for her sister but she guessed correctly he would refuse to do so. His refusal to listen to his wife’s concerns about her sister was responsible for her defiance. He could still recall her white face and the very real fear in her eyes when he berated her in the hall upon learning of Melissa’s escape and the shock and confused sadness in them when he brushed past her upon his return from his search and his refusal to share their bedroom.
Without his injured pride clouding his thoughts Nathan was able to conclude his wife’s point of view was not completely without merit. He also recognized the very real damage his unbending attitude had caused his marriage. Now the challenge confronting him was how to undo it. He slowed his pace to give himself time to mull over the problem and found himself wading through a field of wildflowers that grew so abundantly around his new estate. Remembering the joy Rhiann took in their beauty and the fresh scent of them in the vases she kept filled around the keep, he thought of one tactic he could immediately employ to turn her heart back to him. A small gesture, perhaps, but he hoped his wife would take it in the spirit it was intended.
Dismounting, he bent to retrieve a large selection of the colorful flowers. Using his cloak he harvested enough to fill every vase in the keep. When he rode through the gates, he did not blame his men for their surprise and quickly doused amusement at his expense. In their shoes he would have found it equally amusing to see their previously ruthless lord reduced to gathering flowers to atone for his sins in his wife’s eyes. Fortunately Michel was no longer at the stables to add to his discomfort when he returned his new brother’s mare to Sam’s competent care.
Eyeing the fragrant display, the old man remarked with a pleased look in his eyes, “You chose well, baron. Lady Rhiann has a special fondness for the blue ones.”
When Rhiann opened her eyes from the nap she took refuge in after her argument with Nathan she found herself face to face with a huge bouquet of flowers tied together with one of her own ribbons. With tears in her eyes she struggled to sit up in bed and then scooped the entire enormous bouquet into her arms, burying her face in their fresh fragrance. Jumping up from the bed, she hurried over to the window to discern her husband’s whereabouts so she could thank him properly for his lovely gift. She didn’t see his intimidating presence brandishing a sword while he trained with his men. Nor could she catch a glimpse of him near the new stables he was intent on building to house the additional horses he and his men brought with them from London. Her eyes swept past the courtyard and beyond the chapel where her family’s graves were, then puzzled, returned there. She decided her eyes must be playing tricks on her, because she thought she saw her husband seated in the middle of her family’s graves with his back resting against her father’s grave marker. If she didn’t know better she would swear her very rational husband was in the midst of a conversation with her very dead father.
Shaking her head in confusion, Rhiann turned from the window and hurried along the hall, down the stairs, and without bothering to collect her cloak from the hook on the door to ward off the still chill air, she rushed out the door and ran all the way up the hill to the chapel.
“Nathan, is everything all right? What are you doing here?” She demanded in a voice both breathless from her hurry and confused at the sight greeting her.
When Nathan just sat there staring at her with a tender smile on his face, Rhiann knelt down beside him, letting go of the flowers in her hand to reach out and feel his forehead. Nathan watched as his colorful peace offering settled in the folds of his wife’s skirts giving the impression she just sprouted up from the ground around them, bringing a grin to his lips at the whimsical thought.
“Nathan?”
Nathan caught his wife’s hand and brought it away from his forehead to place a tender kiss in her soft palm. “I meant to instruct you earlier, you should be more careful about rushing around from place to place. You could have broken your neck on those tower stairs.”
Rhiann wondered if she should be checking the heat on her own forehead since she appeared to be having difficulty keeping up with her husband’s moods. Did she miss something? Had they spoken to each other when he brought her the flowers, and she couldn’t recall it? Shaking her head, she agreed in a placating tone, “All right, I will try to be more careful in the future.” When he just smiled at her easy agreement, she asked again. “Nathan, why are you sitting on my father’s grave?”
He used his hold on her hand to pull her closer until she tumbled into his lap, and then admitted humbly. “I was asking my predecessor for his advice on how to get along with his daughter.”
Rhiann pushed against his chest so she could peer into his face. “That’s ridiculous!” She exclaimed, then added curiously, “What did he say?”
“He told me not to make the same mistakes he did.”
At her husband’s confession, Rhiann burst into chaotic tears. “Oh, Nathan, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about Melissa…I wanted to…It was not my intention to betray you…I was so confused…I didn’t know what to do…I was afraid she would run off again, and this time I wouldn’t get her back…”
Nathan stopped the outpouring of regret with a finger on his wife’s trembling lips. “Rhiann, I don’t want you to be afraid to confide your secrets to me for fear of my reaction. In the future we will discuss what is to be done together.”
Rhiann lifted hesitant eyes to his face. “The kind of discussion where your opinion is always right and mine is always wrong?”
He grinned at her impudence. “No, the kind of discussion where we each voice our opinions and then we decide together what is to be done, as equal partners do.”
“You will consider my opinion?”
He sighed. “I always consider your opinion, Rhiann, but I must also weigh your feelings against my broader experience of the world. I am responsible for not only your safety but the welfare of all of those under my protection. Someone has to be in charge, wife. But whenever possible I will include you in any decision that affects you and your family.”
Rhiann considered his offer, realized Nathan believed he was granting her a large concession in making it, and decided she was not likely to get a better one, at least right away. Sighing, she leaned into his embrace and confided against his neck, “I am very happy to have your protection husband. I did not mean to imply I wished to be consulted on those matters. What could I possibly know about such things?”
“Nathan?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“If you are quite finished your discussion with my father, do you think we can go back to the keep now? I haven’t eaten this morning and I’m starving.”
Nathan laughed and in one quick movement regained his feet with his wife still in his arms. He ignored her protests, grinned at the blush staining her cheeks and relented enough to bend down with her clasped against his chest so she could retrieve the flowers he picked for her. Then he strode off at a brisk pace towards the keep.
“Nathan, please put me down. I am quite capable of walking.”
Nathan merely grinned at her embarrassment. “Thank you for your input, wife. I have decided however to exercise my husbandly prerogative to overrule your opinion in this matter.”
Rhiann looked into her husband’s grinning face, uncertain whether or not he was teasing her, and decided it would do no harm to let him have his way. When they arrived back at the keep they found her husband’s soldiers gathered for the morning meal waiting for their lord. Seeing his men, Nathan waved them all into their seats. “Please proceed. The lord and the lady of the keep will be taking their meal in their room this morning.”
Nathan only laughed at his wife’s mortified gasp at his announcement and took the stairs two at a time in his hurry to end his long fast.
Chapter twenty four
Luke wasn’t sure what to expect when he was escorted to the entrance of Melissa’s grandmother’s tent. Would his wife be there? Would she refuse his authority over her? Would he be forced to do battle for her? His mind filled with unwelcome pictures of the outcome of such a contest. Even if he and his men could win such a struggle, (an unlikely outcome given the numbers against them), he would still lose any hope of gaining his wife’s trust by killing her friends and extended family in such a fight. As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, Amele sent a sympathetic grin in his direction and then announced their presence a moment before he threw back the opening of the large tent.
“Lord Luke, my queen, the new Michaels heir.”
When Amele stepped aside Luke preceded him through the opening. Whatever picture he formed in his head of Melissa’s grandmother, whatever exaggerated legends he heard as a child about the Salusian queen, they failed to live up to the experience of actually being in her presence and meeting her probing, violet eyes. Was it possible this striking woman was Melissa’s grandmother? He would have guessed he was regarding his wife’s mother, and even that he would have concluded only because of the similarities in their appearance and the deep knowingness reflected in the glance she leveled in his direction. Though her hair remained a true rich brown, and her face unlined, there was a wealth of experience, not all of it gentle, in the eyes regarding him so intently.
“Your highness,” he offered with a bow, unsure of the appropriateness of his greeting, but not wishing to offend his hostess by being remiss in adhering to the niceties.
A both amused and friendly smile lit her eyes and curved her lips as she approached him, holding out both hands. “Please, I am Alyssa, and you are young Luke. Let me look at you. My Rebecca would be so proud of the man you’ve grown into.”
He was thrown off-guard by her warm welcome. Rebecca was his mother’s name. “I’m sorry? Your Rebecca?”
Laughter sparkled in her eyes. “Did your father never tell you? Your mother was the daughter of my closest friend. In fact, Rebecca was my goddaughter.”
“My mother was your goddaughter?” Luke was certain he heard the words escape his lips, but he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around their portent. “My mother was Salusian?”
Seeing his astonishment, Alyssa squeezed his hands and drew him to sit down on one of the large cushions in the center of the tent. He shook his head at her offer of wine, thinking it would behoove him to retain a clear head, while he tried to remember everything his father ever revealed to him about his mother. There was precious little. Not surprisingly, it was Rafe’s father who took pity on his boyhood confusion and offered an explanation for Luke’s father’s unwillingness to speak about his second wife.
“He loved her, Luke, the way a man only loves once in his life. He still grieves her loss and is forced to confront her memory each time he looks at your face and sees her eyes in yours.” That was all he knew, all he’d ever been told. Luke always assumed his mother had been the daughter of a Norman nobleman, one who somehow managed to offend her family as there was never any discussion of maternal relatives.
“Your father never gave you the gift I sent at your birth?” Alyssa asked, interrupting his memories.
Luke dragged his eyes back to her face and still dazed, shook his head. “No, no he didn’t.”
Understanding lit her eyes. “He probably did not wish his son to take it into his head to run off to a wanderer’s life.”
Luke’s thoughts were still swirling at the repercussions of his companion’s revelations about his past. Had his mother lived he thought it likely he would have spent his summers among her people, the way his wife had. They likely would have known each other as children, watched each other grow up. Would they have fallen in love? Would she still be his wife, or would she have looked upon him as an annoying older brother always telling her what to do? “Melissa?”
Alyssa shook her head. “My granddaughter doesn’t know. Since it was obvious you had not confided in her, I didn’t believe it was my place to tell her the truth.”
“I wasn’t intentionally keeping such knowledge a secret. I never knew. I never knew my mother. I’m sure you are aware she died when I was a young child.”
“Yes. You were too young to remember but I attended her burial in my friend’s place since she was too ill to make the journey herself.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Alyssa nodded, aware of his disorientation. “There is no need for you to say anything. You did not come here today to discover your past, but to capture your future. I believed it was time you knew the truth and I suspected you were never told.”
Capture his future. Luke brushed aside the dozens of questions floating through his mind about his past and focused on the phrase. Yes, he thought Alyssa summed his reason for being in her tent today perfectly. He was here to capture his future. “Yes, is she still here?”
Alyssa laughed at the resignation he was unable to hide in his voice, as if he half expected her to reveal to him Melissa had taken off on yet another jaunt across the country. “Yes, my granddaughter is waiting for you near the stream where the women bathe. Just follow the path at the entrance to the forest in the rear of my tent and branch off to the right at the fork.”
That was it? His wife was waiting for him to come to her? As much as he found Alyssa’s pronouncement difficult to believe, he wasn’t going to question his good fortune. He jumped up off the cushion, bowed again in the queen’s direction, then hurried off in pursuit of his errant wife.
He followed Alyssa’s directions, aware of the eyes of her people following his progress. Through the hushed whisper of overhanging trees, birds chirped in the air and small animals scurried in the brush. The sun pierced the bough of trees and engulfed the path in an almost ethereal glow. The same glow surrounded the clearing where he found his wife sitting beneath the outstretched limbs of an ancient tree, the sun exactly the right angle to warm her. Her face was lifted to its rays and her eyes were closed as if in prayer.
He paused at the entrance to the small clearing while his heart soaked in the fact he was with her again, his mate, his beloved. He couldn’t be certain if his eyes saw her clearly or if he saw her only with the fullness of his love for her. He didn’t think he was capable any longer of separating the two. The sunlight danced off her long hair, falling in midnight waves down her back. Her gown was s
imply cut, and he could see no evidence of the heavy ties in the back, or layers of underthings a woman traditionally wore beneath her gowns. No, here at the edge of the forest it was almost as if he had come upon a wood nymph sunning itself by the stream.
He was momentarily afraid she would disappear at the sight of him the way fairies were rumored to do when confronted with the evidence of humans. So even acknowledging the foolishness of his fear he approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle her into running from him.
The slightest movement on his part turned her lovely face in his direction and her deep blue eyes probed his. Neither spoke until he stood right in front of her and even then she offered him no greeting. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable at their extended silence, Luke offered weakly, “I found Michel. He’s waiting for you at Heaven’s Crest.”
She nodded, as if his words were no great revelation to her, and dropped her hooded gaze beneath his. “So you’ve come to demand I honor our agreement?”
“No.”
His response apparently surprised her. Her head shot up. “You’re here to tell me you’ve come to your senses then? You wish to be free of your commitment to me even though you found Michel?”
“No.” He could smile now at her anxiety. Why did he never notice it before? Why had he never understood it was his reassurance Melissa sought from him, not her freedom.
“I don’t understand.”
He crouched down beside her and reached out a gentle hand to cup her chin and lift her face to his so she could not continue to avoid meeting his glance. “I came to retrieve my wife and take her home with me where she belongs.”
“But…”
Luke bent and kissed her open lips. When she just sat staring up at him in wide-eyed confusion, he deepened the kiss, then drew back and met her wary, tearful glance. “How many times must I say it before you believe my pledge? I love you, Melissa. I’ll never love another. If you were to run from me again, I would never stop searching for you. I will never let you leave me.”