A Knight's Desire--World of de Wolfe Pack

by Catherine Kean

  After rising early and tying the dagger to her left wrist as Ash had done, Rosetta had donned her garments and ring and asked for a walk so she could enjoy some fresh morning air. Herta had brought her to the garden. Wandering through the beautiful roses—some of the blooms were larger than her hand—was already helping to lighten her mood.

  The crunch of stones sounded behind her on the path, and excitement made her pulse quicken. Had Ash come to see her? She quickly turned, her fingers brushing a blood-red rose that was ready to drop its petals. Justin strode toward her, carrying his bow, his quiver slung over his shoulder. The boy appeared as unkempt as ever, but seemed happier than he’d been yesterday.

  “Good day, milady.”

  “Good day to you, Justin.”

  “Herta told me you were in the garden.”

  Gesturing to the bow, Rosetta asked, “Are you on your way to practice your archery?”

  “Nay, milady. I thought I would see if you are ready for another session.”

  Astonishment flitted through her, but she pretended to be distracted by a bird darting through the rose bushes.

  “You seemed to enjoy yesterday’s lesson, so I thought we should continue today.” The boy hesitated. “You do still want to know how to use a bow and arrows, in case you are trapped in a siege, do you not?”

  “I most certainly do.”

  “I thought so.” Justin’s freckled face lit with a grin. “Yesterday, I told my uncle that I was teaching you. He did not seem to mind.”

  “I am glad.” Indeed, she was most relieved. Justin had seemed quite concerned that he didn’t fail the man, whoever he was. She also didn’t want the boy to be punished for being in the garden with her, when he might be expected to complete chores or other duties elsewhere. She had already resolved that if the boy got into trouble, she would speak to the uncle on the lad’s behalf.

  His eyes sparkling, Justin said, “Uncle even said he was proud of me.”

  Rosetta smiled. “I am, too. After all, your quest—to teach me how to use the weapon—is very noble.”

  The lad nodded. A secretive smile touched his lips, as if he was thinking back to a recent situation or conversation, mayhap one involving his uncle. Then he scratched his head, causing his hair to be even more untidy. “Before we start, I was wondering… Do you like puppies?”

  “Of course. Do you?”

  “Aye. Would you like to see the one that I am going to have? ’Tis not old enough to leave its mother yet, but will be in a few sennights.”

  “I would love to.”

  “Follow me then.” He turned on his heel and marched off toward the garden gate. She smothered a laugh, because in that moment, for some reason, he reminded her of a younger Ash. A foolish thought, though, for Ash didn’t have children; he would have told her if he had.

  Ever gallant, Justin held the gate for her as she stepped through, and he led her to the stable. The grooms seemed surprised to see her, but bowed respectfully as she passed by them and went with the boy to the end stall.

  “Oh, look at them!” Rosetta whispered, kneeling beside Justin on the straw. The puppies made the most adorable whimpering sounds as they suckled their mother.

  Justin set aside his bow and quiver. “This one is mine,” he said, pointing to the smallest one.

  “Is it a he or a she?” Rosetta asked.

  Justin frowned. “A boy, I think. I am not certain, though. I will look and see if it has a—”

  “Do not bother it right now,” Rosetta said quickly, “since ’tis busy eating.” Mercy, but she didn’t want to be drawn into an awkward discussion about the difference between boy and girl puppies.

  “All right.” The boy smiled up at her. “Do you like the one I chose?”

  “I do. It has very nice coloring.”

  A metallic groaning noise carried from outside: the sound of the portcullis rising. Men’s voices also drifted in from the bailey.

  Rosetta curled her hand into the prickly straw. Had her father and Edric come to collect her? Last night, Ash had said her sire would likely arrive today. Part of her longed to jump up and run to the doorway of the stable to see what was happening. Another part of her was reluctant to have to leave the castle and be separated from Ash.

  Drawing in a steadying breath, she decided to stay with Justin. Her sire and Edric might not have arrived; the portcullis could have been raised to let in a merchant delivering goods. If her sire had come for her, Ash would find her.

  “My puppy is lucky,” Justin said, shifting on his knees beside her.

  “Why is that?” she asked, noting the sudden sadness in the boy’s expression.

  “It has a mother.” He toyed with a bit of straw. “My mother is dead.”

  “I am sorry to hear that,” Rosetta murmured.

  “She died when I was little. My father is dead, too. He passed on over a month ago.”

  Tears pricked Rosetta’s eyes. She couldn’t imagine being so young and having lost both parents. That must be why the uncle had taken Justin into his care. She slid her arm around the boy’s shoulders, noting how scrawny he seemed beneath his tunic.

  “Do you have a mother and a father?” he asked, peering up at her.

  “I do. They live in a castle not far from Damsley Keep.”

  Justin swallowed hard. His voice wavering, he said, “I miss my parents.”

  “I am sure you do,” she said gently.

  “I have nightmares. Sometimes, I am so afraid of having a bad dream that I cannot sleep. My uncle stays in my room at night now, in case I get frightened.”

  This poor boy had endured so much. Rosetta drew him in closer, and without hesitation, he rested his head on her shoulder. Over his sniffles, she said, “I vow that your mother and father are watching over you every day.”

  “Really? How do you know?” Justin wiped his eyes.

  “I just do.” She hugged him tighter. “Ladies know such things.”

  Justin chuckled and then sniffled again. “What about knights?”

  “Some of them, I am sure, know such things too.”

  “What about my uncle? Does he know that my parents are watching over me?”

  “I expect he does. ’Tis why he is taking extra special care of you. Your parents are no doubt very proud of both him and you.”

  ***

  “Milord.”

  Standing near the chopping block in the kitchens, Ash glanced up from where he’d been consulting with the cook about dried beans, lentils, spices, almonds, and other foods that needed to be restocked in the keep’s pantry—a mundane task that had kept his mind somewhat distracted. From the moment he had woken, he hadn’t been able to ward off the acute sense of unease that had rooted within him, a feeling that something life-changing and important was about to happen. When he saw the armed guard standing in the kitchen doorway, Ash knew the moment of reckoning was upon him.

  “Riders at the gates?” Ash asked.

  “Lords Montgomery and Sherborne, milord. You asked to be informed immediately if they arrived.”

  “So I did.” Ash marveled at the steadiness of his voice; a ghastly coldness had gripped his innards. He was about to lose Rosetta. Again. He’d sacrifice his very soul to keep her at Damsley Keep, but she’d been right that she might be able to find information at Wallensford Keep that would incriminate Edric. How damned ironic that to earn the chance to love her forever, Ash had to let her go.

  “Raise the portcullis and let our guests in,” Ash said to the guard. “I will be there in a moment.” As the man headed back to his post, Ash turned to the cook. “We will finish our discussion another day.”

  The plump woman curtsied, stowed the parchment on a shelf, and headed off to check on the pottage bubbling in large pots hung over the cooking fires.

  Ash strode out into the bright sunlight and headed for the garden. Herta had told him that Rosetta had requested a morning walk, and she might still be strolling along the paths.

  Amongst the women drawing
water from the well, he spied Herta. Crossing to her, he said, “Lady Montgomery. Is she still in the garden?”

  The young woman shook her head. “My betrothed just told me that she is in the stable.”

  Ash frowned. “Why did she go there?”

  “Justin was with her. I think he wanted to show her the puppies.”

  “Ah. Thank you.” Ash went to the stables. When he entered the shadowed building, he recognized Rosetta’s voice, hushed as though she was offering comfort. He softened his strides, muffling the crackle of straw beneath his boots. Justin spoke next, his words indistinct, but the wobble in his voice was clear. He was upset.

  Ash forced down a dismayed sigh. He had tried every means he could think of to help ease the boy’s grief, and yet, it seemed as if Ash’s efforts hadn’t made one whit of difference. He couldn’t blame Justin for wanting to confide in someone else.

  Ash neared the doorway to the stable where the wolfhound and her pups lay. He halted and peered in, and his breath froze in his chest. Rosetta knelt with her arm around Justin, her fine gown and cloak pooling on the straw. The lad, pressed against her, seemed to be soaking in her tender words.

  They looked as if they could be mother and son.

  A molten rush of pride and longing filled Ash. He didn’t move from the doorway, for he didn’t want to interrupt the poignant moment. If he had run away with Rosetta and married her years ago, he’d have seen her like this often, comforting their children.

  “What about my uncle?” Justin was saying. “Does he know that my parents are watching over me?”

  Rosetta smiled, her lovely features softened with compassion. “I expect he does. ’Tis why he is taking extra special care of you. Your parents are no doubt very proud of both him and you.”

  Ah, God. Tears burned Ash’s eyes. He didn’t want to let her go. If there was any way of stopping her from leaving…

  He must have made some small sound, for Rosetta glanced over her shoulder and saw him. Uncertainty flickered across her features as she loosened her hold on Justin.

  “Look who has found us,” she said.

  Scrubbing at his eyes with a grubby hand, Justin glanced at Ash. The boy’s face reddened, as though he was embarrassed to have been caught crying. “Uncle.”

  “Uncle?” Rosetta sounded shocked.

  Ash nodded. “I am Justin’s guardian. He is my late brother’s son.”

  Brushing off her cloak, she rose. “I…did not realize.”

  As Ash met her gaze, he longed to answer the questions he saw in her eyes, but that conversation would have to wait; there were more pressing matters now. “I am sorry to have had to interrupt,” Ash said to her, “but Edric and your sire are here.”

  Grumbling, Justin picked up his bow and arrows. “Are the visitors important? I was going to help Lady Montgomery use the bow again this morning.”

  “I am afraid that will not be possible,” Ash said gently. “Her ladyship will be leaving us.”

  Justin’s face crumpled with dismay. “Nay! Why?”

  “Her father and betrothed have come to take her home.”

  The boy frowned, and then resolve touched his gaze. “But, I thought… Last night, Uncle, when we talked—”

  “We will discuss that later. Come,” Ash said. “They are waiting.” He escorted Rosetta and Justin back through the stable to the bailey.

  A short distance inside the gatehouse, two riders had halted, along with their escort of six armed guards. A stocky, broad-shouldered man with gray hair sat astride a chestnut destrier: Rosetta’s father. Next to him, on a dappled gray, was a younger lord with shoulder-length, light brown hair: Edric.

  The bastard looked exactly as he had done months ago, the last time Ash had seen him. Fighting for consciousness, lying on a stretcher and due to be taken to the Knights Hospitaller, Ash had looked at Edric and told his superiors that Edric was the man who had cut his face and hands—not the Saracen they had slain. Edric, without the slightest trace of guilt, had denied all, and the others had believed him. The whoreson had even had the gall to tuck the blanket more closely around Ash.

  Hot, blistering rage had boiled within Ash then, as it did now. He’d vowed never to speak to Edric again; regrettably, he might have to break that vow today.

  “Rosetta!” Edric dismounted and hurried to her.

  Ash met Edric’s gaze for the barest moment—a lethal glare that would have quelled most men—and then pointedly snapped his gaze away. He continued walking toward Rosetta’s father, Justin close behind him.

  “Lord Montgomery.” Ash bowed to Rosetta’s sire, who had also dismounted. Ash hadn’t lived at Millenstowe Keep for many years now, but he still felt in awe of the great man he had once served.

  “Ash.” Rosetta’s father bowed in return. As he straightened, his attention shifted to Ash’s scar. He swiftly looked away, but not before Ash had seen the regret in his lordship’s eyes that were the same blue as Rosetta’s.

  “I realize I look a little different than the last time you saw me,” Ash said. “I have several permanent reminders of my days on Crusade.”

  “Marks of honor, then.”

  Rosetta had said the same thing, but there was no honor in wounds delivered by a fellow soldier who had once been a best friend. However, Ash chose not to correct his lordship; there would be a better moment for such a discussion.

  “Is this your son?” Lord Montgomery asked, gesturing to Justin, who stood holding his bow.

  “This is my nephew, Justin. I do not have any children of my own.”

  “Ah,” his lordship said. “I thought mayhap you had married in the past few years and I was unaware of your nuptials.”

  “Nay, milord.” No other woman could ever compare to Rosetta. She is the only one I want to be my wife.

  Lord Montgomery smiled at the boy. “Good day to you, Justin.”

  “Good day.” The lad executed an awkward bow that almost had him falling face first on the ground. Ash would have to help Justin master the art of the courtly bow.

  Footfalls approached, and Ash’s shoulders instinctively tensed. Edric was drawing near. Ash balled his hands into fists and struggled to control his fury. How he longed to lunge at Edric, wrestle him down to the dirt, and pummel him until he bloody well admitted what he’d done that day in the East.

  Such an attack in front of witnesses, though—as Rosetta had warned him—might not coerce Edric into confessing. Since only Rosetta knew the truth of Ash’s scars, the others might think Ash’s attack was unprovoked and rush to Edric’s rescue. The last thing Ash wanted was to give the conniving bastard an opportunity to earn undeserved sympathy, especially from Rosetta’s father.

  Nay. For Ash’s magnificent Briar Rose, for the love they fought to keep, he must be patient and do as they had agreed last night.

  Ah, God, but he could not wait for Edric to leave.

  “Ash.” Edric halted a few paces away, his arm around Rosetta’s waist. “’Tis good to see you again.”

  You ruthless, lying whoreson. Ash’s rage flared at the sight of Edric touching Rosetta, but he forced the emotion back down. “There has been much to do in the weeks since I returned to England. Otherwise, I might have paid you a visit.”

  Wariness flickered in Edric’s eyes, before it vanished and his gaze dropped to Justin. “Did you say this lad is your nephew?”

  “He is. When my brother died, the crown appointed me Justin’s guardian.”

  “You are not just a lord, then, but a father.”

  “I do not regret being either.”

  Ash sensed Rosetta’s gaze upon him. He glanced at her, acknowledging the compassion in her expression, and then looked back at her father. Dark smudges under his lordship’s eyes indicated he had spent sleepless nights worrying about his beloved daughter. Ash suppressed a pang of guilt; once he had explained all to Lord Montgomery in private, he hoped the man would understand the reasons for Ash’s actions.

  “I am curious as to how Rosetta ca
me to be at your castle.” Edric’s tone was pleasant enough, but Ash caught the animosity weaving through the words. “Would you care to explain?”

  Not to you, you bastard.

  “There were reports of a rider on a black steed in Clipston,” Lord Montgomery said. “He was wearing a helm to conceal his face. We believe Rosetta was kidnapped by that man.”

  “Indeed I was, Father.”

  Ash’s heart jolted. He hadn’t expected Rosetta to answer, especially in that manner. Surely she wasn’t going to betray him to her sire and Edric? He glanced at her, but her expression remained calm. Trust her, his conscience urged. Whatever she intends, you know she loves you and will never forsake you.

  “Do you own a black horse, Ash?” Edric asked.

  Smug triumph warmed Ash’s gut. “I do.”

  Edric’s lip curled. “I knew it.

  “You knew that I owned a black steed?” Ash asked politely. “How clever of you, since to my knowledge, you have never seen my horses.”

  His face reddening with anger, Edric dropped his arm from Rosetta’s waist. “You abducted Rosetta. You stopped our wedding.”

  Ash clenched his fists so hard, pain shot through his fingers. He couldn’t wait to see Edric’s face when he admitted he had stopped the nuptials. Ash drew in a harsh breath, the force of his rage tempting him to admit to the truth right here, right now, regardless of the consequences. “Indeed, I—

  “Enough,” Rosetta cut in sharply. “Ash did not abduct me.”

  Astonishment shocked some of the fury from Ash’s veins.

  “You were right about me being abducted,” Rosetta said, her expression unyielding as she stared at Ash, then Edric, and then her father. “The horseman—whoever he was; I never saw his face—pursued me into an alley. During my attempt to escape him, I fell off my mare; ’tis why my gown and cloak are stained. I hit my head and was rendered unconscious—”

  “God’s blood!” Lord Montgomery said, clearly appalled.

  “—so the rider put me on his horse and rode off. I woke some moments later to find myself in his arms. I struggled, managed to break free, and ran into the nearby woods, where I hid. The rider searched for me, but not long after, Ash rode by. You told me you had gone to Clipston, Ash, but the shop you intended to visit was closed because of the wedding?”