Super Summer Set of Historical Shorts

by Laurel O'Donnell

  Quickly removing her hands from his shoulders, she stepped back, biting her lip and looking at the ground. “Thank you,” she said in a breathy whisper, barely able to talk.

  “Of course,” he mumbled. She thought he would leave her then but, instead, he stayed with her. Her eyes lifted in question.

  “Was there something you wanted to say, my lord?” she asked, wondering why he hadn’t walked away.

  He hesitated before he answered. “Nay. It’s just that you have a piece of straw in your hair.” He reached out and plucked the straw from her unbound hair. The ride in the back of the wagon had been windy and she had lost her wimple. Then, the ribbon holding back her hair came untied, and she lost that during the ride, too. “That’s better,” he said, showing her the piece of straw and dropping it to the ground. The wind picked up and blew her hair across her eyes. To her surprise, he brushed the hair from her face, gently tucking a strand behind her ear.

  Their eyes interlocked and at that moment, the world stood still. As she stared into his eyes, her heart beat faster. He was looking at her like a lover, not like a man who didn’t want her in his bed. Perhaps, he had lied yesterday when he turned her away. But his eyes didn’t lie now. What she saw was a man’s interest in a woman, and it wasn’t Rose. It was her this time. He skimmed his fingers lightly across her cheek as he moved his hand away.

  “My lord,” interrupted his squire, suddenly standing at their side. With the squire’s presence, the moment was gone. “Lady Rose said to hurry before the ants figure out we have food.”

  “Aye,” said Claude, clearing his throat and taking a step backward. “Tend to the horse, Felix. And if you want any food you’d better not tarry. After all, I’ve worked up quite an appetite and might eat it all myself.” He hustled across the grass, making a beeline toward Rose.

  “Aye, my lord,” answered Felix, talking to Claude’s back as he hurried away.

  Evelina stood frozen for a moment, trying to decipher what just happened. Had she imagined that they’d shared an intimate moment? And why had she enjoyed it so much? She didn’t even like Claude. He was an arrogant, pig-headed, ridiculous boy trapped in a man’s body refusing to live in anything but the past.

  She straightened her gown, brushed back her hair and pinched her cheeks for color. It never hurt to look good, even around wretched curs like Claude.

  * * *

  Claude tended to Rose’s every need as they ate their food sitting on a blanket on the ground. Felix and Evelina sat on the edge of the cart, chatting as they had their meal. Claude poured some wine into a cup, bringing it to his mouth as his eyes focused on Evelina. With her long, oaken hair loose and flowing in the breeze, she reminded him of a fae.

  He hadn’t wanted to help her from the wagon, but when he touched her body, something odd happened that he couldn’t explain. That damned rosewater drifted from her body again, filling his head with thoughts of sensual pleasures like kissing her neck or possibly her lips. He had almost kissed her last night. When he stood so close to her and gazed into her beautiful eyes, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and feeling her silken hair as well as her skin. Thank goodness, she believed he was only brushing the hair from her eyes.

  “Claude? Claude?” Rose leaned forward and pushed her face up to his.

  “My lady?” It took him a moment to realize he had poured the wine for Rose and was drinking it instead of giving it to her. “Oh, the wine. I’m sorry.” He handed her the cup. She took a sip, smiling all the while.

  “Why are you smiling so much?” he asked. He heard Evelina giggle and his eyes darted back to the cart. He wondered what Felix had said to her to make her laugh.

  “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

  “Pretty?” His eyes shot back to Rose. “Who?”

  “Well, I’m not talking about Felix.” Rose laughed this time, putting down the cup and reaching for her feet. “Claude, I want to walk in the water barefooted.”

  “Aye,” he answered. He picked up the cup and drank the rest of the wine, sneaking a peek at Evelina again.

  “I am having a problem reaching my feet.”

  “My lady?” He looked back at Rose, realizing she needed his help in removing her shoes. “Oh, I’m sorry, Rose. Let me help you.” He reached out and slipped the shoes from Rose’s feet.

  “I’m glad you came to England because you are my good friend and I really missed you.”

  “Aye. I’ve missed you, too.”

  “I’m worried about you, Claude. Why aren’t you married by now?”

  “Me?” He looked up, holding her shoe in his hand. “I’ll get married. Someday. When I find the right woman to be my wife.”

  “I had the feeling you left England because you were in love with me while I was in love with Toft.”

  He cradled the shoe in his hand, examining the stitches in the leather rather than looking at her when he lied.

  “Nay, that’s not why. My grandfather left me his castle and estate when he died. I had to go back to France.”

  “When you first returned, I thought, perhaps, you were hoping we could be together. But now I see that I was wrong.”

  “Rose, I have no idea what you mean.”

  “I think you do.” She held out her arms. “Help me up, Claude. I feel like a whale.”

  He helped her to stand.

  “Rose, I am here because you asked me to be. I want to help you any way I can.”

  “I saw the way you’ve been watching Evelina.” Rose smiled a wide smile. “Perhaps, she is the one.”

  “The one? For what? The girl is a common servant with a brash disposition. I was only watching her because I thought someone should reprimand her before she gets out of control.”

  “Sure you were. Don’t forget, now that the hair no longer hides your eyes, I can tell when you’re lying.”

  “You and Toft asked me to stay and watch over you until his return.”

  “Aye. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We are good friends, and that is the way I always want it to be.”

  “What are you trying to say, Rose?”

  “I’m saying that I’m in love with Toft and have always been. He is my husband, and we will soon have a baby together. I hope to have many more babies with him.”

  “Why are you telling me this? I don’t understand.”

  There was an awkward silence between them and then she shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose I am rambling on because I miss Toft and wish he were here with me when I give birth. But you are here, and that is the next best thing. Now, carry me down to the water because I should have waited to remove my shoes until after we were on the shore. I don’t want to step on a stick or rock and stumble along the way.”

  “Yes, my lady,” said Claude, scooping her up into his arms. He let out an involuntary groan, and that made them both laugh.

  “Claude de Bar Montague, if I hear you groan again I am going to think you are telling me I’ve grown fat.”

  “Never, my lady,” said Claude, carrying her down to the water.

  “Where are they going?” Felix asked Evelina, causing her to look across the grass only to see Rose in Claude’s arms. They were laughing as he carried her to the shore. Evelina had been having a pleasant conversation with Felix and enjoying herself. But now, all she wanted to do was go back to the castle.

  “It looks like they are going to walk along the shore,” she answered.

  “That looks like fun. Let’s go join them.” Felix jumped off the wagon.

  “Nay,” she said, feeling her stomach form into a knot. “I’ll stay here. I don’t think I am up for a stroll along the beach.”

  Now, she realized she must have imagined that Claude was interested in her. He still loved Rose, and it was obvious. Never would she be fooled by him again.

  Chapter 7

  Claude tossed and turned all night long not able to sleep because of all the turmoil in his brain. First, he dreamed of Rose. He was her husband, and she birthed a b
aby boy that looked just like him. But in the dream, everyone kept thinking the boy was a girl.

  After that, he dreamed that Evelina was in his bed and they were making love. Just as he reached his climax, her eyes lit up with fire and she slapped him hard, telling him he was naught but the court fool.

  Finally, he had a dream about his grandfather. Claude was in the tower of Castle Hastings in the midst of a storm. His grandfather was there, telling him that he had to choose. He held up Rose by the hair in one hand and Evelina by the hair in his other hand. They dangled like limp rag dolls, and both of them looked blue in the face as if they were being hung by a noose. Claude stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Then the floor of the tower gave way under him, and he fell into a dark, long tunnel. He screamed out. But before he hit the bottom, someone’s shout woke him from his sleep.

  “My lord, wake up!” came his squire’s voice. “You were crying out in your sleep.”

  Claude’s eyes sprang open. He shot up to a sitting position in bed, gasping for air. Standing at the side of the bed were his squire and his mother.

  “Claude, mon fils. Qu’est-ce qu’il y a?” His mother asked him what was the matter. She sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Claude’s.

  “Ma mère, j’ai eu un rêve horrible.” He told her that he’d had a bad dream.

  “I had a vision that you were in trouble, that is why I came to your room,” said Celestine. “I didn’t expect to hear you crying out in your sleep the way your father used to do with his nightmare.” His mother often had visions and was very seldom wrong. She used her Tarot cards to tell the future but, to Claude, that was being a witch, and he wanted nothing to do with it anymore.

  “It was just a dream,” he said, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and rubbing his hands over his face.

  “Felix, will you leave the room so I can talk to my son in private?” asked Celestine.

  “Aye, my lady.” Felix left the room and closed the door.

  “Mother, if this is about my dream, you don’t need to talk to me. I will be fine.”

  “Don’t forget the dream your father kept having for years and what happened to him.”

  “I am not my father.” He got out of bed and pulled a tunic over his head.

  “Let me read the cards for you, Claude.”

  “Nay! I don’t want anything to do with that type of witchery. Mother, it has only brought strife and turmoil into our lives.”

  “I suppose you are right.” Sadness swept over Celestine’s face. There was no doubt she was thinking about her parents and the horrible memories of her past. “You are acting strangely. Is something the matter? Does this have anything to do with your feelings for Rose?”

  “Why does everyone keep saying that to me?” He continued to dress as he talked.

  “Who else said it?”

  “That nursemaid.”

  “Evelina? She knows you still have feelings for Rose as well?”

  “I don’t have feelings for Rose,” he ground out, picking up his weapon belt and fastening it around his waist.

  “Are you sure? Because you know she is in love with Toft, not you.”

  “Why does everyone have to keep reminding me?” He yanked his boots on and then headed for the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I am going to take Lady Rose to chapel for the morning mass and then to the great hall for a meal. And after that, I will rub her feet or brush her hair or do anything else she wants me to do, and no one is going to tell me otherwise.”

  “Why are you doing all this, Claude?”

  “I am taking care of her until Toft returns, just as I promised.”

  “Are you sure that is the only reason?”

  He stopped in his tracks and spoke without turning around. “I owe it to her, Mother. She brought me out of a dark place I was in many years ago. I owe everything to her. If she hadn’t been there for me, I might be dead right now.”

  “It sounds as if you are placing too much importance on her random act of kindness. After all, your father is the one who saved your life and yet you very rarely spend any time with him.”

  His father. As much as Claude loved him, he still had a hard time accepting the fact at one time long ago his father left his mother and she had to raise Claude by herself. He barely knew his father since he hadn’t met him until he was five and ten years of age. A father should be there for their children from the day they are born. He needed a father growing up and never had one until eight years ago.

  “I am grateful Father saved my life. But remember, I haven’t known him any longer than I’ve known Rose,” he replied and headed out the door.

  * * *

  “My lady, I don’t understand why you called me to your chamber,” said Evelina. “I should be taking care of the children and getting them ready for mass.”

  “Evelina, you won’t have to worry about the children anymore,” said Rose, struggling to get out of bed. Her late stages of pregnancy made it hard for her to move. Evelina hurried to her side to help her.

  “What do you mean? And why don’t you have a handmaid?” she asked.

  “I sent my handmaiden home to tend to her ill mother a fortnight ago. Isobel has been helping me, but I think it is time for that to stop. You will be my handmaiden now.”

  “Me?” Evelina didn’t want to do it. She was hoping to be able to make distance between her and Rose after yesterday. She didn’t want to be around Rose or Claude because, for some reason, it bothered her to see them together. “I don’t know anything about being a handmaid.”

  “There is nothing to know. I just need you here to help me dress. I can no longer reach behind my back, and it has been a long time since I have been able to touch my toes. I hope this baby comes soon because I’ve been getting fatigued. This will only be a temporary position until my handmaid returns in a week or two.”

  “That long?” asked Evelina, not even knowing if she was going to be in England for another two weeks. Any day now, her father could send a ship full of soldiers to look for her and then she would have no choice but to return to France.

  There was a knock at the door, and Claude called out from the other side. “My lady, I am here to take you to mass.”

  “Hurry, Evelina,” said Rose. “Please, help me dress. I don’t want Claude to have to wait.”

  “Of course,” she said, hurrying to help her while Claude continued to pound on the door.

  “Please, tell him we are going as fast as we can,” said Rose.

  “Aye, my lady.” She pulled the gown over Rose’s head and crossed the room to open the door.

  Evelina didn’t like being treated like a servant. She was a lady and should have servants waiting on her instead. Sadly, it was because of her own deception that she was in this position, and she tired of it quickly. She ripped open the door to find Claude with one fist raised, ready to knock again. His other hand was behind his back.

  “We are going as fast as we can, now please stop the obnoxious pounding on the door,” she grumbled.

  “Evelina?” Claude raised a brow. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with the children?”

  “Not anymore. Lady Rose has made me her handmaid.”

  “Oh,” he said, bringing his other hand from behind his back. He held up a bouquet of fresh wildflowers.

  “What is that?” she asked. Her eyes focused on the beautiful flowers. The heavenly sweet scent filled the air.

  “Flowers,” he said, holding them out to her. “Here, take them.”

  Her hand shook as she collected the flowers from him, feeling her heart swell. No man had ever given her flowers before. She could barely believe it. Perhaps he was attracted to her after all.

  “Put them in water for Lady Rose,” he commanded. Stepping around her, Claude headed into the solar leaving her feeling, once more, like a fool.

  * * *

  By the time the morning meal ended, Evelina was so tired of watching Claude
treat Rose like a goddess that all she wanted was to get far away from both of them.

  He had brought Rose flowers this morning, stayed by her side during mass, and even cut her meat for her while sitting up on the dais with the rest of the nobles. She highly expected him to start kissing Rose’s feet next.

  The musicians in the gallery started playing dancing music. She looked up to see Augustin across the hall trying to get her attention.

  After a quick glance around her to make sure no one was watching, she hurried across the hall to join him. Taking Augustin by the elbow, Evelina led him away from the crowd. She stopped in the foyer area leading to the outside.

  “What is it, Augustin?” she asked. “I told you never to bother me in the great hall.”

  “I wanted to tell you I am boarding a ship back to France in the next hour. I found a merchant ship that is going that way, and I’ve secured passage for both of us.”

  “What? Nay,” she said. “We can’t leave now.” Her thoughts went to Claude. She didn’t want to leave yet. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, and she had even been dreaming about kissing him. Even though she had been feeling as if she wanted to distance herself from him, France was a little too far away. If she left now, her life would be over. As soon as she returned to France, her father would make her marry Lord Onfroi, and she would never have a chance to find love. She would also never know how it felt to kiss Sir Claude Montague.

  “We must hurry because the ship won’t wait,” he told her.

  “Augustin, I don’t know.”

  “What don’t you know?” asked Claude, showing up behind her. He must have seen her leave the room and followed her. “Mayhap I can help you decide.”