“You are the best friend I have ever had,” he murmured.
She smiled. “And you are the best friend I have ever had,” she said. “If it is within my power, I will always ensure you have the best of everything. When you came back to Edenthorpe wounded, Amata wanted to assist me but Edie would not let her. Amata is not very good with the ill or wounded. She would have caused… problems.”
“Who is Edie?”
“My maid,” she said. “The only maid that really matters to me. She is very protective of me and she has always disliked Amata intensely.”
He chuckled. “I like her already,” he said. “I shall have to thank her for not letting Amata into this chamber. Where is she, anyway?”
Dacia shrugged. “I was told she left the morning after the battle,” she said. “She has gone home and I hope she stays there. I am not sure if I can explain this to you, but I will try. Until you came to Edenthorpe, I clung to Amata as the only friend I had. Edie had often tried to tell me what a petty soul Amata was, but I ignored it. I’m sure you heard that on the evening she arrived, when we were arguing outside of my chamber. It was Amata who would tell me that the girls in the village were gossiping about me, saying terrible things about me, but Edie always told me that Amata was the one saying those things. I didn’t really believe her until you came to Edenthorpe.”
He squeezed her hand. “How did I change your mind?”
She looked down at his enormous hand as he held hers. “Because you told me something she never did,” she said quietly. “You told me I was beautiful. No one has ever told me that in my entire life. Oh, Amata is not entirely to blame. My nurse, Mother Mary, shoulders most of that responsibility, but Amata was not much better. And then you came. You were a stranger, yet you told me something I didn’t realize I needed to hear. You made me think that everything I’d ever been told about my appearance was wrong.”
He tugged on her gently, pulling her closer. “It was wrong,” he said. “If your cousin told you that you were ugly, then she was lying. Ask Rhori or Bose. Ask any man who has not lived and served at Doncaster and has been poisoned by these lies. They will tell you that you are quite beautiful, but you’ve been surrounded by idiots who look at your freckles and think the devil is trying to mark you. Those are ridiculous, lying fools. And I think your cousin told you all of those things because she was jealous of you. She didn’t want the competition.”
Dacia smiled timidly. “That is why you are my dear friend,” she said. “You make me believe that mayhap I am not as bad as everyone says I am.”
Cassius rolled his eyes before tugging on her a final time so she was sitting on the bed next to him. She was sitting on his wounded side and when she accidentally bumped into his left arm, jostling the shoulder, she quickly put her hands on him in an apologetic gesture. But to Cassius, her touch was worth a thousand such jostles. He held her hand against his chest, tightly.
“Dacia, I want you to listen to me and listen carefully,” he said. “What I am about to say may mean something to you, or it may not. Only you can be the judge. But I think it is important.”
He sounded serious and she nodded. “Of course, Cassius,” she said. “What is it?”
He gazed up into her magnificent eyes. “Would you say that I am a comely man?”
She nodded without hesitation. “The most handsome man I have ever seen,” she said. “In fact, my maids have been buzzing about it. Evidently, every woman at Edenthorpe thinks the same thing.”
He gave her a look that suggested he was quite pleased and also not surprised, which caused her to chuckle. But he reached up, capturing her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him.
“This is going to sound quite arrogant of me, but it is the truth,” he said. “They are not alone. When I said I had armies of women following me around, it was the truth. The king has long suspected that he will not die in battle, but trampled by a stampede of women in their haste to get to me. It is, therefore, fair to say that I have seen many, many beautiful women.”
Her smile faded. “And you’ve not yet found a wife in that horde?”
He shook his head, releasing her chin but reclaiming her hand. “Nay,” he said. “Not to say that there haven’t been a few viable candidates but, in the end, it would be unfair to take a wife because of my position with the king. I would be with him more than I would ever be with my wife and that is not fair to her.”
Her smile vanished completely at that point. “That is understandable,” she said. “No one would blame you.”
His big fingers began to caress her soft flesh. “You are the only female who sees it that way,” he said. “I have been sent gifts, expensive gifts, and plied with money and wine from rich women who thought I would drop everything to lay down by their side.”
“But you did not?”
“I did not.”
She cocked her head in a gesture of understanding. “I do not blame you,” she said. “You have a great position that is very important to you. You should not give it up for a woman.”
He cleared his throat softly. “That is where you would be wrong,” he said. “There is a woman I am considering giving it up for.”
She looked at him and he could see the light go out of her eyes. All of the warmth she had in her face was gone, replaced by something cold and sorrowful as much as she tried to hide it.
“I… I am happy for you, then,” she said, averting her gaze and pretending to focus on his shoulder wound. “I shall do my best to heal you so that you may return to her. Would you like me to send her a missive telling her of your injury? Mayhap she would like to come to Edenthorpe and tend you herself.”
He was back to rolling his eyes. “Christ,” he muttered. “You do not understand, do you?”
“Understand what?”
He fixed on her. “Dacia, what I was trying to tell you, though not so eloquently, was that I have seen many women in my life,” he said. “Too many women to count, so I know a beautiful woman when I see one. I also know a good heart when I see one, but it is rare to find both a beautiful woman and a good heart together. I’d have better luck looking for a unicorn. But I have found one such woman, the rarest find of all. I have found you.”
She was still puzzled; he could see it. “But what about the woman you are considering giving everything up for? Surely she is beautiful with a good heart.”
He groaned, putting a hand up to cup her face. “Are you truly so dense?” he said. “You are the woman I am considering giving everything up for, silly wench.”
Dacia stared at him. For a long, uncertain moment, she simply looked at him. Then, she bolted off the bed, bewildered and overwhelmed, and ended up sitting in a chair over against the wall. About as far away from him as she could get. She sat there, staring at him as he gazed back steadily.
“Can you hear me from over there?” he asked, touched and amused by her response.
She nodded stiffly. He chuckled.
“Are you happy sitting over there?” he asked wryly.
Again, she nodded. He tried to shift his body so he could get a better look at her.
“Dacia, this is not helping my pride,” he said. “I have just bared my soul to you. The least you could do is say something. Tell me you feel the same way. Or tell me to go outside and throw myself into the river. Say what you will, but say something.”
Truth be told, Dacia was stunned. She didn’t know what to say. She stared at the man, gorgeous and glistening, bandages over his damaged body, and she could only think of one thing.
It was on her tongue before she could stop it.
“I love you,” she said, barely audible. Then, she slapped her hands over her mouth. “God’s Bones, I cannot believe I said that.”
He laughed, low in his throat. “Did you mean it, lass?”
She hesitated before nodding, so firmly that her hair came out of its braid. It was waving all around her face. “I do,” she whispered. “I do mean it, but I should no
t have said it like that. No one has ever said such things to me, Cassius, so I have never had any practice on how to respond. I may have impeccable manners, but sometimes my social graces are raw and honest. I should have at least told you how I felt before telling you that I loved you. But… it simply came out. It is the truth.”
He crooked his finger at her, beckoning her to come near. She shook her head, staying planted in the chair. Cassius started to laugh, a joyful and giddy sound.
“So you do not intend to come near me, ever again?”
“Nay.”
He laughed harder, then suddenly put a hand over the wound in his torso as if the movement hurt. “Damnation,” he said. “I think I felt something snap.”
Dacia was off her chair, running over to the bed to check the bandages. But the moment she drew near, a massive hand shot out and grabbed her. Before she realized it, she was on the bed, laying half on him. She was laying over the bandaged left arm and shoulder, but Cassius was so strong that he didn’t need two arms to hold her with.
Just one.
She was trapped.
“When one is trying to catch the elusive Dacia, one must use the right bait,” he murmured, his face very close to hers. “The right bait is evidently a Cassius.”
Dacia tried to pull away, briefly, but she quickly gave up. “You are a trickster, Cassius de Wolfe,” she said, feigned disapproval in her tone. “I shall remember this.”
He pulled her closer, his lips seeking hers. “I hope you do,” he purred. “Tell me again that you love me.”
She could feel his hot breath on her face and it made her feel weak all over. “Why?”
“Because I want to know that I mean something to you.”
“You mean everything to me.”
His mouth slanted over hers hungrily. After the first small kiss before Rhori had arrived, Dacia was more than willing to explore a deeper and more passionate kiss as her emotions swept her away. She welcomed it, in fact, knowing that Cassius was feeling something more for her than simple friendship.
You are the woman I am considering giving everything up for.
It was too good to believe.
But surely… it was impossible. They had only known each other a matter of days. But, oh, what days they were! Dacia had never known such monumental days and even though they’d only known each other a short period of time, she felt as if she’d known him forever. As his hand wound itself in her hair and his lips suckled hers, she felt as if she’d always known him. As if she had always been meant to be here, in his arms. By his side.
Loving him.
But things were getting heated. He had positioned her so that she was across his body and he was cradling her against him. She was somewhat trapped by his right arm as his mouth did wicked things to her neck, suckling on a little earlobe and making her gasp. The moment she opened her mouth, he was on her again, his tongue licking at her, demanding entry. The thrill of his tongue licking at her, of his lips suckling on her tongue when she finally opened her mouth, was nearly too much for her to bear.
She was starting to feel faint.
“Cassius,” she whispered in between his heated kisses. “You must let me up. Someone might come in and see us.”
He slowed his pace, eventually pulling back to look at her with smoldering eyes. “You are correct, of course,” he said, carefully pushing her up so she could find her feet on the floor. “Forgive me, angel. I could not help myself.”
She wiped his saliva off her mouth, grinning sheepishly. “I seem to have suffered a lack of control myself,” she said. “But… but it was worth it.”
He smiled broadly, reaching out to touch her cheek. “It was,” he agreed softly. “Will you let me court you, then?”
She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Was your kiss part of your scheme to coerce me into agreeing?”
“Of course.”
She burst out laughing. “Well, at least you are honest about it,” she said. As she looked at him, her smile faded. “Truly, Cassius, that is all I shall ever ask of you. Honesty.”
“And that is what you shall have,” he murmured. “That… and my heart.”
He said it so sweetly that, this time, she reached out to grasp his hand. “And you shall have mine,” she murmured. “And if you wake up tomorrow and still wish to court me, I will not resist.”
“I must wait until tomorrow?”
She nodded. “Sleep on it,” she said. “Make sure it is what you wish to do, for once you have me, you shall have all of me. I shall never love another, Cass. If I give you my heart, it belongs to you forever. It will not be mine to give again.”
He squeezed her hand, kissing it before releasing it. “Thank you, my lady,” he said quietly. “Then let me sleep now. The sooner I sleep, the sooner I shall awaken and speak with your grandfather.”
“As you wish,” she said. “Would you like something to eat before you do? You’ve not eaten in two days.”
He shook his head. “Not now,” he said wearily. “When I awaken, mayhap.”
Dacia touched his cheek softly before helping him get comfortable in the bed once more. She put her hand on his forehead, realizing that he still felt hot to the touch. But she didn’t say anything to him, not wanting to plant that seed that might worry him. He wanted to sleep and she would let him, but she was most certainly not going to sleep.
She had to remain vigilant.
All she could do now was pray.
“My lady, you really should sleep,” Rhori said quietly. “You have been at this for three days now. If you become ill, you’ll not do him any good.”
Dacia could hear the knight’s concern, but she couldn’t give in to it. Not tonight.
Cassius’ fever had worsened.
Throughout the day, he’d grown hotter and she gave him willow potion regularly. But by nightfall, he was shivering with chill while perspiration beaded on his forehead. He slept heavily but awoke on occasion so she could ply him with more willow potion. She had all but given up on Emmeric, knowing she was Cassius’ only hope. She stuck to the belief that she could heal him.
She wasn’t going to give up.
“I will not become ill,” she said, putting a cool cloth on Cassius’ forehead. “I am weary, but not terribly so. I am well enough, so please do not worry for me.”
Rhori wasn’t so sure. He looked over at Bose, who simply shook his head sadly. The maid that was known to help Dacia, a woman she’d called Edie, was busy brewing something over the fire while more maids brought the buckets of fresh, cold water. Dacia was working as hard as they’d ever seen anyone work.
Still, the knights felt as if they were entering into a death watch. They’d both seen this kind of thing before, puncture wounds that festered until the man eventually passed away from a fever that shut down all bodily functions. But there were also times when there would be a small fever for a day or two and then the man would recover completely. At the moment, it was difficult to know which way Cassius was going to go, but Dacia was doing everything she could to help him.
Rhori made his way over to Bose.
“Thank God we sent that missive to his family,” he muttered to the man. “I’m wondering if we should not send them another one and tell them to come immediately.”
Bose’s dark gaze was on Cassius. “Nay,” he said quietly. “By the time they receive it, he will already be gone, if it is God’s will that he passes. If the fever grows worse, it will take him quickly. He is already weak.”
Rhori, too, looked at Cassius, laying pasty upon the bed, shivering beneath the heavy blankets that Dacia had put on him.
“I’ve seen worse,” he said after a moment. “He is weak for Cassius, but given that he is the strongest man I know, he’s not too terribly weak. If the lady has anything to say about it, he will pull through.”
They both looked at Dacia, sitting at Cassius’ bedside, bathing his torso and arms with cool water to help the fever. Bose scratched his head wearily.
Rhori glanced at him, knowing exactly what he meant. “You saw that, too, did you?” he asked. “The night of the feast?”
Bose nodded. “I have never seen Cassius look at a woman like that, and God knows, he has looked at plenty of women.”
Rhori’s focus returned to Dacia. “She’s a beauty,” he said. “I do not blame him. But I also received the impression that de Lohr was… fond of her, shall we say.”
Bose simply lifted his eyebrows. “No man can compete with Cassius de Wolfe,” he said. “If de Lohr was fond of her, then he has waited too long to declare his interest. I suspect she is already spoken for.”
Their conversation was cleaved when someone knocked on the door. Bose opened it to reveal Darian standing in the doorway. The knight greeted Bose and Rhori with a nod.
“The duke is on his way to see Cassius,” he said. “How is he?”
All three knights looked over to the body on the bed as Bose answered. “He is feverish,” he said. “Lady Dacia is doing all she can for him. Have you managed to locate that physic you were looking for?”
Darian’s gaze was on Dacia, not Cassius. “Aye,” he said quietly. “We found his burned body in some of the rubble on the south side of the village about an hour ago. As near as we can determine, he was tending to a patient when the roof burned over his head and caved in. I’ve got my men bringing in what they could collect of his medicament bag. Mayhap Lady Dacia can use some of it.”
That changed the situation somewhat. They all knew that Dacia had been hoping for the physic to join her. Bose turned to say something to Darian, but he caught sight of the duke on the landing outside and he pulled on Darian to move the man out of the way.
“Your grace,” Bose greeted.
Doncaster moved into the doorway, his gaze immediately finding Cassius lying supine on the bed in the corner with Dacia bent over him, swabbing him with cool water.
“I came to see how Cassius is faring,” he said. “Is he better?”
WolfeSword: de Wolfe Pack Generations Page 20