“Then it is a good thing you are not tempted by me,” she snapped.
He ripped another good length of linen and wrapped it tightly around his leg.
“Hopefully it is only the outer layer of sutures and this will stop the bleeding.”
“What do we do now?” she asked as she looked about them.
“We must make camp for the night and pray they send searchers for us quickly. I suspect your maid will realize first.”
“If only my maid were so astute.”
Major Knight pulled himself to his feet and began to walk along the road, looking, Catalina assumed, for a place to make camp. She stood up and followed him, carrying the haversacks in her uninjured hand. She wondered what there might be in them of use.
After walking a few hundred feet, she saw he had found a stream and a small cave-like hollow in the side of the mountain. She also noticed he was gathering sticks along the way, presumably to build a fire. Hopefully it would serve to guide any rescuers towards them and keep predators away.
She walked to the stream and splashed water in her face. Tidying herself as best she could, she tried not to think about being all alone with a virtual stranger. It was not that she was afraid of him harming her, but when it was discovered they had been stranded alone together, she did not know what might be the outcome. Naturally, she had never been completely alone with a man, let alone in such a situation, but she did understand men quite well having followed the drum for so long.
Major Knight had a fire started by the time she walked back to their makeshift camp. He had even set out a few of his rations of bread and apples for a small dinner. Now she understood why he had brought the haversacks. The rations would not last long. With good fortune, however, they would be rescued soon. Catalina did not know the details of Wellington’s intended attack, but she knew something large was being planned. The commander and his officers would not be pleased with having to spare men for a rescue mission. Catalina sat near the fire, enjoying its warmth. Major Knight poked at the logs and branches, seeming lost in his thoughts. She stared into the glowing flames for a few minutes before speaking.
“Was Dion badly mangled?” she finally found the courage to ask.
He shook his head. “Dion was not in the carriage.”
Chapter Eight
Felix could feel Lady Catalina tense. “Dion was not in the carriage?” she asked slowly and quietly. “Do you think he has fallen out or escaped?”
“I could not say. He was bound, and I do not believe in coincidences. I believe the driver planned for the carriage to wreck, but I could not say if Dion managed to come out of his bindings or if he flew from the carriage when it struck the ground.”
“So he might be waiting to kill us while we sleep,” she said calmly.
“I will take watch while you sleep.”
“That is hardly fair. Your injury is far worse than mine. At least I can walk,” she argued.
“Then we shall take turns. I will wake you in a few hours.” He had no intention of doing so, but it seemed to pacify her.
“Very well. Should we put the fire out? It signals exactly where we are.”
“No, because it signals where we are. Let Dion come if he is alive and able. I strongly doubt he survived that fall without severe injuries.”
The lady seemed somewhat reassured by his words, but Felix was concerned. He doubted a sorcerer could have escaped that carriage under the circumstances, but he could only hazard guesses at this point. He said a silent prayer that Mendoza would quickly realize his daughter and carriage were missing and send out a party to search for them.
“How far behind do you think we are?” Lady Catalina asked.
Felix was wondering the same thing himself. “We have been halted for close to two hours. Perhaps they could have been ten miles ahead if they made good time. I know the final push towards Vitoria was to be on the morrow.”
“Is that where Wellington wishes to rout the French?” she asked as she settled one of the haversacks on the ground to make a pillow and began to untie her bonnet. She struggled with one hand, but having succeeded, pulled the pins from her hair, releasing a long cascade of silken black hair.
Felix was mesmerized but looked away, trying to recall what she had asked him. Oh yes, the French. He did not see any harm in telling her the plan now.
“He has divided the allied forces into four parts and intends to surround the French there.”
Lady Catalina nodded her head as she combed her hair with her fingers. “I assumed he was planning something clever like that. Indeed, I an anxious for this war to be over.”
“As am I.”
She looked as though she was trying to plait her hair with one hand, so he moved behind her and took over the task.
“Sometimes it is useful to have a younger sister,” he muttered, by way of explanation, trying to think of her as a sister, but failing. Her scent of roses still lingered faintly and he was unsettled by how natural it felt to be doing such a thing for the lady. Despite their tenuous start, they had settled into a comfortable amity.
“Who do you think Dion was working for? Nothing makes sense when I think back. I can picture him talking to almost every officer in every battalion!” she blurted out.
“You will run yourself mad approaching the problem like that. You must look for patterns.” He took a ribbon from her and tied off the end of the plait.
“When did your first discover information was being leaked?” she turned to ask.
“Six months past, I believe. I have only just returned to Spain, so cannot tell you the exact moment.”
The lady lay back and closed her eyes. Felix thought she was asleep. “Six months ago we were at Palencia. Dion was given leave, I assumed to visit family. If I am honest, I was glad to be rid of him and did not pay too much attention.”
“We may ask your father about it tomorrow. You should try to sleep.”
“My mind is loath to be quiet when there is a problem to solve,” she said wearily.
“Give your mind permission to rest. Sometimes the best solutions happen in your sleep.”
She inhaled deeply, then her breathing gradually changed to a slow, rhythmic cadence.
Felix began to ponder their next course of action, determined not to allow himself to think of the woman lying next to him. He firmly believed Mendoza would soon be on his way back to search for them, but knew he must be prepared for the worst. He would wake Lady Catalina at dawn and they would begin to walk towards the next camp. Hopefully, there would be a small village at no great distance where they could find help.
When the first lightning of the sky happened, Felix was ready to start walking. There had been no hint of any other sign of life bar the few animals he had heard in the distance. Lady Catalina had nuzzled close to him for warmth as the fire had died out and the chill of the night had settled over the valley below. They were above a layer of cloud, which gave him the sense of being separated from the rest of the world.
Felix gently nudged Lady Catalina over and brought himself slowly to his feet, trying to ignore the pain and stiffness. Perhaps it would have been better to continue on last night before the soreness of their injuries had had time to settle into their bones, but they had both been exhausted.
He stood tall and stretched his arms to the sky, hoping a little movement would help his willingness to begin the day. He walked away to survey the surroundings, hoping to see some other sign of life – smoke from chimneys or lights off in the distance. The clouds made that impossible. He knelt down to splash his face and clean his leg in the stream and then went back to wake Lady Catalina. She was already sitting upright, though looking deliciously rumpled with her hair askew and her eyes full of sleep.
“Good morning,” he said when she looked at him.
“For a moment, I thought you had left me,” she said with the petulance of a small child.
He raised one brow and gave her the haughty Knighton look, which always amused hi
m when his brother employed it.
“You really do think highly of me.”
She gave a little shrug and he noticed she was holding her arm. “How do you feel this morning?”
“As though I jumped out of a carriage and then slept on a rock,” she muttered. “I imagine I feel much the same as you.”
He held out his hand and helped her to her feet.
“The water is quite refreshing,” he remarked, looking down into her wide eyes while still holding her close. For an instant he allowed himself to be weak and held her there. The simplicity of the morning was his favorite time. He had known from their first meeting he would prefer her like this. She was not immune to him, either, but it would be a mistake to take advantage of this situation.
He stepped back and let her go, chiding himself for allowing a lapse in control of his emotions. He—they—had a job to do.
“We had better be on our way. With any luck, we will find a village somewhere along the road.”
“My, you are optimistic this morning. I know of no villages on the mountain pass, but perhaps we might meet a farmer.”
She turned and walked off to the stream to wash while Felix packed up the bags and cleaned up the site.
*
Catalina walked down to the stream, trying not to think of the aches and pains in her body, and also trying not to think about what had just happened with Major Knight. Not only had she sensed a change in him, but she could feel a weakness in herself. It had felt perfectly natural to be held in his arms. She had needed him last night and had clung to him for comfort and safety. Never before would she have thought herself so weak. It was shameful. Kneeling down, she splashed her face with the water that, at this hour, felt like ice. It was a stark reminder of what was yet to come that day. As she returned to the small camp, she determined to keep her emotions in check and spend her time trying to solve the mystery of Dion.
Major Knight was ready to begin walking as soon as she rejoined him. They scrambled through the shrub back down to the road and resumed the journey again. One foot in front of the other, she told herself. Never had she taken for granted the foot soldiers who walked everywhere, but she could now sympathize. At first, it was not so bad, but after hours of tramping along with blisters on one’s feet, it could be numbing to the soul. Catalina knew many people would disagree with her entirely, but she had the most respect for those soldiers who could march in such discomfort day in and day out.
“You look very serious,” he said, matching his stride to hers. His legs were much longer, and she wondered if he must be doing it intentionally. Although, she mused, his leg was injured and perhaps he could not stride as normal.
“There is a great deal on my mind,” she replied. “How is your leg?”
“The bleeding seems to have stopped. I believe I was fortunate and only the superficial sutures were opened.”
“I should have made them tighter.” She frowned.
“Then I could well have been dealing with infection by now. Who could have predicted such a fate for us?” He shrugged.
“Not I,” she agreed.” I for one am glad we were not murdered in our sleep.”
“Yes, the plot thickens. I cannot think what could have happened to Dion. I do not think he could have escaped without help.”
Catalina did not know either. They lapsed into silence for a while, the only sound the path crunching beneath their boots as they fell into a rhythm. They continued to climb for a while before Major Knight stopped at a clearing beneath some stunted trees where there were some large boulders on which to sit.
“This spot looks like it was made for a rest.”
“I am afraid I will not get up again if I stop,” she said cautiously. Nevertheless, she sat down and relaxed with the bliss of such a simple thing. Her arm was throbbing even though she had tried not to let it swing, and she could feel it swelling with displeasure. Major Knight held out his canteen to her and the cool water tasted like the nectar of God.
“Water never tasted so good?” Major Knight asked as he watched her.
“Indeed.” She handed it back to him and he drank with equal appreciation.
As she gazed down the mountain at the path they had climbed, the cloud lifted from the valley and revealed the sun above the horizon.
“Most people never get to see something like this,” he remarked.
“No, there are blessings to be found in nature that only the few who exert themselves discover. I only wish the circumstances were less dire, that I might fully appreciate them.”
He laughed. She looked up to view this rare sight and immediately had to ignore the effect it had on her. There were crinkles around his eyes and the harshness was erased. She smiled back, then forced herself to look away.
He rummaged through one of the sacks and, after a few moments, offered her a piece of bread that he had torn in two.
“Thin pickings this morning, I am afraid, but I have hope that we will soon be found.”
“I wish I shared your optimism.”
“Perhaps I would not be so confident were you not with me,” he replied.
“How far do you think we have come?” she asked, avoiding the obvious meaning behind his words.
“Two or three miles, perhaps. If you look in that direction, I believe there is a sign of life in the distance.”
“Our camp?” she asked hopefully.
“Or a small village.”
“I believe it is!” she agreed after squinting hard and seeing something in the distance. “Perhaps it is just an optical illusion, but it is quite astounding how my spirits have lifted. I believe I can go on now.” She laughed.
They gathered the packs and walked on again, soon growing hot and dusty with the warmth of the sun directly on them. Once more, they settled into a monotonous rhythm; Catalina was lost in her thoughts and it seemed the major was too.
“I hear something,” Major Knight said some time later, abruptly halting and holding out his arms for her to do the same.
“Horses!” Catalina agreed, feeling ridiculous amounts of excitement.
“We should wait in those trees at the side of the path,” he directed, “in case of brigands.”
“There are several,” Catalina remarked as the hoof beats grew louder, but it was still several minutes before they could see anything.
“Thank God!” Major Knight exclaimed when half a dozen riders came into view.
“Papa!” Catalina cried, recognizing her father leading the group.
Major Knight stepped forward to the road and waved.
Catalina threw herself into her father’s arms the moment he stopped his horse and dismounted.
He hugged her and frantically kissed her head. “I knew you could not be dead! I knew I would feel it in my heart had I lost you.”
“It was horrible, Papa!”
“The driver arrived in camp with only the horses and said there had been an accident and all of you were dead.” He shook his head. “It has been the longest night of my life.”
“Thank you for not believing him.” Catalina shook her head and her father crushed her against him. She winced in pain when he squashed her arm between them.
“You are hurt! I should have asked this first, yet I was so relieved to see you alive! Do you know what it does to a father to think he has foolishly risked his daughter’s life?”
“I am well enough, Papa. I am so grateful Major Knight was with me.”
Her father had not even noticed the major. He looked at him and gave him a grateful nod. “I thank you for protecting my daughter,” he said humbly.
“She gives me too much credit. She took care of herself.”
Catalina shook her head. “He is too modest. He kept watch while I slept.”
“And Dion perished?” her father asked in a choked voice. He was evidently still very hurt by his lieutenant’s betrayal.
Knight held out a hand, as if searching for the right words. “I suspect Dion was thrown from the carriage
, but I did not search for the body.”
Her father gave a brusque nod. “You are also hurt. Come, let us return to camp and you may tell me the story on the way.” They had brought three horses, but of course, Dion was not with them. “How far back along the road was the wreck?” her father asked.
“Between four and five miles, is my best guess,” Knight replied. “There is a sharp turn which the carriage could not negotiate. It fell about twenty feet and landed on a slight ledge.”
Her father turned to the men who had come with him. “Go and search the area for Dion, but do not put your own lives at risk,” he ordered.
“You are able to ride?” he asked them both.
“I will ride with more pleasure than I can express,” Catalina agreed emphatically.
She was lifted on to Luna and Major Knight mounted his sleek white Andalusian. They rode slowly, just the three of them since she could not manage more with her broken arm. She and the Englishman told her father the fantastical story of their adventure the day before as they went. It was more a tale of horror, Catalina reflected to herself as she listened to Major Knight recount what had happened.
“And where did you spend the night?” her father asked in a mildly accusatory tone.
“Papa!” Catalina scolded. “Major Knight protected me; you should be grateful to him. We are both injured. I assure you, nothing but survival and sleep were on our minds!” Catalina hoped her cheeks were not red from having to say such a thing, and thereby betray her true thoughts besides.
“Forgive me. The fears of a doting father, you know—I do, most sincerely, beg your pardon,” he said to the major, who cast an amused glance at her.
“There is nothing to forgive, sir. I am certain I would be the same with my own daughter, if I had one.”
They rode for a few minutes in silence. “Were you able to discover anything from Dion?” he asked them both.
“Very little. He seemed as shocked by the events as we were,” Knight answered.
“I have gone over every possible moment in my mind,” her father admitted. “I can think of nothing out of the ordinary.”
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