Then why do you come here?
“I come here to visit you!”
You come here to see if you can find the angel.
Eve shook her head. She no longer believed she had seen an angel.
Eden clucked her tongue.
“Father said it was probably a shooting star,” Eve said, looking at the grey sky.
Eden grimaced. What does Father know?
Eve looked at Eden with longing in her soul. Her father still blamed her for Eden’s death, for taking her into the cold that night.
It wasn’t your fault.
Eve didn’t want to talk about it. Not ever. She carried the guilt of her twin’s death heavily on her shoulders.
Fine. Eden sat down in the grass. Then tell me of Michael.
Eve shrugged her shoulders. She bent and picked up a fallen leaf. “What is there to tell?”
He didn’t like the tapestry.
Eve knew that Eden was with her always, even though she only saw her here. Eden knew everything she knew and there was no use hiding anything from her. “No. But it was beautiful.”
He doesn’t see beauty.
“He is a practical man. He will make a good husband.” She crumpled the fragile leaf in her hand.
When the incident had happened, and her father told her that Michael had saved her, she had been excited to see him. But they wouldn’t let her because she was so weak. They told her when she was stronger she could thank him. And she had held on, wanting to see her angel again. She held on that horrible day when they removed her thumb and part of her forefinger. Frostbite had killed them, they told her. She had cried. But now, she saw it as her penance, for Eden.
Part of you is with the angel.
Eve didn’t reply. She had grown used to Eden knowing her thoughts. She hung on then to see her angel, and she grew stronger. And then she had learned that her father had betrothed her to Michael. She was his, after all, he had saved her. And still, she was excited. Then, they let her meet him.
She would never forget that day. Ever. He didn’t have the blue eyes of her angel. He had brown eyes. She had screamed and cried. Her father chastised her. But it was her mother who told her that she must be mistaken. Michael had brought her back. Michael had saved her.
Over time, she had come to terms with marrying him. He would visit every summer and sometimes more. And it was only occasionally that she saw his repulsion with her hand. Usually, she could keep it tucked beneath her sleeve, hidden from all.
I don’t like Michael.
Eve looked at Eden, shocked. “Why? He is kind to me. He –”
Because he looks at you as if you are not whole.
“Eden, please. He is right.”
Show it to me.
Repulsed and horrified, Eve shook her head and tucked her hand behind her back. “No.”
There’s nothing wrong with it. You are whole, Eve.
Eve slowly moved her hand in front of her and looked down at the green velvet sleeve covering her hand. She insisted that all her dresses be made with a very long sleeve to cover her hand. She wasn’t whole. People looked at her differently.
That is in your head. Let me see how ugly it is.
Eve hesitated a moment, but she knew Eden would continue to ask until she showed her. Slowly, she pushed her arm forward, out of the sleeve and lifted the stump before her. Her thumb was gone, as was part of her first finger. It was horrible, a deformity. Ugly.
You can still wear a ring.
“Never. I would never call attention to it. It’s monstrous.”
No. It’s a battle scar. You should be proud of it.
“What?!”
You had the courage to track an angel. And all you lost was a thumb.
Courage? Foolishness. She looked at Eden. She had lost so much more than just a thumb. She had lost her best friend.
Eve tucked her hand back inside the sleeve and quickly approached her tree. The branches were barren of its leaves which had fallen to the ground and lay scattered beneath it. Her slippered feet crunched on them as she drew near. She ran her hand against the bark in greeting and sat, leaning against the trunk. The snow would be here soon. She always imagined that the tree was going to sleep to keep warm in the winter.
I know. It’s going to get cold. You will come to visit me for as long as you can.
“I don’t like to leave you alone.”
Eden smiled. I’ve told you before. I’m always with you.
Eve was so afraid that one day she would come to the pond and Eden would not be here.
I’ll be here with you until you find your angel.
Good. Since she no longer believed in angels, that should be forever. And then, she heard a musical whistling. It was so off key that it made her smile.
Eden giggled.
At first, Eve thought it might be someone strolling by, cutting through the forest on the way home from the castle. A merchant perchance, or a farmer. “Shh,” she told Eden.
As they listened, the off-key whistling continued. Eden’s twittering was contagious. Eve pressed her fingers to her lips to try to stay silent.
Instead of moving away, the whistling came closer. Humor left her. She straightened away from the tree; her gaze swept the clearing, searching for the intruder.
As the whistling grew closer, she heard the crunch of footsteps echoing across the lake and she couldn’t tell where the intruder was coming from. She slowly rose, glancing at Eden to find her sister had vanished. That was not a good sign. Eve pressed her back against the tree, waiting.
And then, he emerged from the forest, onto the grass, to her right. He wore the clothing of a traveler, a brown cloak and hood which he dusted from his head to reveal shoulder length dark hair. He wore black boots that were soundless as he crossed the grass to the bank of the pond. From the back, the sword he wore in a sheath at his side was very apparent. He wore it beneath his cloak, which she imagined was open in front, tied at the neck.
He stood for a moment, staring out over the pond, much the same way she had. His hands were on hips when a gentle breeze fluttered by rippling though his hair and cloak.
Eve gasped at the teasing glimpse of power she spied beneath his cloak. She could gaze at him all day. He was mysterious and gorgeous. But, she didn’t know this man and it was dangerous. She was going to sneak away, better to be safe than sorry.
“Are you lost?” His thick, deep voice echoed through the air.
She turned back to him. Was he speaking to her? Maybe if she stayed silent he would not know she was there.
“I grow weary of rescuing maidens in this spot, so I hope you are not lost.”
She swallowed. He was speaking to her. He must be. There was no one else here! She lifted her chin. “You rescue maidens here often?”
He dropped his head and turned toward her. “Every time I visit, it appears.”
He was still too far away for her to clearly see his features. But she wanted to see him. “How did you know I was here?”
“It is almost winter, and I smelled roses. I also saw your footprints.” He signaled the ground.
Ahh. That made sense. Come closer, she silently willed. “And why would a knight come to this spot?”
He came toward her. “Perchance to meet a maiden. Why would a maiden come to this spot alone?”
His walk was confident, the air about him more so. Tingles danced through her body, but she was not cold. “It’s peaceful,” she admitted.
“Dangerous.”
“Never in all my years have I felt danger here. Are you threatening me?”
“I do not threaten maidens. I was only pointing out the obvious. I could be a robber or a brigand.”
“There is nothing to steal here.”
He stopped before her. His gaze moved slowly over her. “I would dispute that.”
The way he looked at her sent tremors through her body. She scowled. There was something about him. She peered closer. His strong chin, aquiline nose. He was like a Gr
eek statue, carved to perfection. “Do I know you?”
“I would remember if we met before.”
His eyes. So blue. Like the painting of oceans. Her mouth dropped open and she inhaled. She knew those eyes! She recognized them. It seemed so long ago, in a dream. “Who are you?”
“Sir Gabriel Bedford.”
Her heart did a little drop as she realized why she must recognize his eyes. It wasn’t as she thought. It had been no dream, no angel. She had met him before. He was her betrothed’s brother.
A crest-fallen look claimed her bright eyes before she looked away. “That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“I am Lady Eve. Betrothed to your brother, Michael.”
He took a step closer to her, trying to come to terms with the frozen child he remembered holding in his arms and the stunning woman who stood before him now. Perchance if he squinted and erased everything but her eyes… But no matter how hard he squinted, her full lips continued to distract him. She was no child. “Little Evie?” he asked in disbelief.
She grinned. “I haven’t heard that name in years.”
He mentally shook himself. The child. His gaze swept her face, from the wisps of dark hair that hung over her forehead to her startling blue eyes past her pert nose to her bowed full lips. Not a child. Not the girl he remembered. “I remember…” Holding her in his arms, carrying her to the castle. He shook himself. “The last time I saw you… it was a long time ago.”
“Aye. I believe the last time I saw you was…when I was very young. You never visited with your father and brother.”
“No,” he agreed. “I was sent away to squire with my uncle. Michael must have explained all of this to you.”
She remained silent, staring at him with an intensity that unnerved him.
He had purposely stayed away. Away from Michael, but he had no intention of telling her that.
“And yet you returned now.”
“My brother is getting married. There was no excuse for me not to come.”
“Were you looking for an excuse not to come?”
Definitely. He opened his mouth to respond and then closed it. How could he tell her that he and his brother were not on the best terms? “Not an excuse. There are many reasons I haven’t returned.” The furrow of concern in her brow caused him to pause. This was a mistake. He was not looking forward to seeing Michael. Then why had he come?
“Gabe!”
The voice broke the strained silence like glass shattering.
Gabriel stepped away from Eve, eyeing her apprehensively. “Here!”
A moment later, Henry crashed through the brush. He wasn’t as quiet or as used to forests as Gabriel was. He grew up in the city of Cambridge. “God’s blood!” he exclaimed, fighting his arm free of a branch. “What sort of witchcraft surrounds this place?”
Eve gasped. “Henry?”
Henry turned to her. His gaze swept her appreciatively and a slow welcoming smile spread over his lips. “And who do I have the pleasure –”
He never finished the sentence. Eve raced forward, throwing her arms around him. “It’s me, Henry! It’s Eve!”
Henry jerked back to look down at Eve. Startled shock raced through him.
Gabriel had the pleasure to watch his friend struggling with recognition. She certainly was not the child they both remembered.
“Little Evie?” Henry asked.
Eve smiled, and Gabriel’s heart did a little jump of excitement at the radiance.
“God’s blood!” Henry grabbed her in a tight embrace and lifted her off her feet to swing her around in a circle.
Her laughter echoed through the glade.
A happier tune, Gabriel didn’t know.
Henry set her on her feet. He ruffled her hair, causing strands to come free from the braid she wore down her back. “Little Evie is getting married.”
“I’m so glad you came,” she said and included Gabriel with a happy look. “Both of you.” She held Henry’s hand tightly and looked at Gabriel. “I am glad you accepted our invitation. Michael was certain you would not come.”
The joy of the moment filtered from Gabe and he narrowed his eyes slightly. Of course he was. After what Michael had done to Gabe. Gabriel suddenly felt the old feeling of betrayal rise within him. He glanced at Henry.
Eve put a long-sleeved covered hand on his arm. “I am delighted you came.”
Suddenly, as Gabe locked eyes with Eve, nothing else seemed important. Only making her happy. And as he realized what he was thinking, he knew the mistake he had made. He shouldn’t be here.
Chapter Two
“And a beautiful angel appeared to Mary,” Eve said to the circle of wide-eyed children sitting on the stone floor before her. “The angel said to her, ‘do not be afraid’.”
“Was she afraid?” a small girl with dark brown hair asked.
“No. It was an angel of God. There was nothing to be afraid of.”
“Were you afraid when you saw the angel?” another child with freckles asked.
Caught off guard, Eve glanced over the small group of children collected before her. The children were silent, staring raptly at her, waiting for an answer. “I never saw an angel and even if I did, I would not be afraid,” she admitted honestly.
The children exploded with questions and talking. “I would have been afraid.” “Was the angel flying?” “Did she have wings?”
“Eve.” The voice boomed through the small room.
Eve saw her father standing in the doorway. She quickly stood, apologizing to the groaning children, and made her way to her father. He was a tall, battle hardened man. His dark hair was graying at the sides and his mustache was completely gray. “I’m sorry, Father,” she said softly. “I promised them a tale and –”
“You should not speak of the incident.”
Eve stuttered for a moment, knowing how he disliked when she spoke of it. “They asked. I couldn’t –”
“You fill their heads with fancy and the next thing you know they will all be out looking for angels.”
Eve bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Father.”
“They should be preparing for their station in life. Many of them will not survive winter if we do not have enough food.”
“We were granted fields full of healthy crops this year. We have more than enough food.”
He stopped and faced her. “You misunderstand. They are children from lesser families. You should not be wasting your time with them.”
Eve’s mouth dropped. Her mother always had time for the children, making certain that as a child she played with all of them. Her father had grown cynical and pompous after her mother passed. Eve closed her mouth. “Yes, Father.” But she had no intention of following his advice.
“You have guests waiting in the Great Hall to celebrate your marriage. Spend your time with the nobles.” He strolled down the hallway.
Eve watched him go, longing for a different time. Longing for the time when he would look at her with tenderness, when he would carry she and Eden on his shoulders, proudly. She longed for that father. “Father!”
He paused and turned to her.
She wanted… what? What did she want from him? To tell him to love her again? To tell him about Eden, that she was happy, that she visited with her sister? He would only become angry. She shook her head. “I was thinking of mother is all.”
His lips pursed. “We don’t have time to remember her. There is always work to do.” He turned and continued down the hallway toward his solar. “Sir Michael is awaiting you in the Great Hall’s antechamber.”
Eve watched her father leave. She had learned to live with his coldness. She had learned to live without his love. But it never stopped hurting. She wet her lips and waved goodbye to the children before moving down the hallway to the antechamber. As she neared, she heard voices. She recognized one as Michael’s.
“She isn’t perfect.”
She froze, unable to continue. Some sick part o
f her echoed the words she had tried to suppress.
“Perfect?” Another man’s voice echoed. “You can’t tell me you love her.”
“Love? No. I love her lands.”
Eve knew Michael didn’t love her. Many marriages began as a loveless union. She had to remember that he had saved her. She was his property.
“Ahh! Yes. Her lands are prosperous and vast.”
She inhaled and prepared to enter the room.
“There’s only one thing I find repugnant about her,” Michael continued. “That hand.”
Eve almost tripped and pulled back, holding her marred hand to her chest, cradling it.
“Understandable.”
“It is a disability. It prevents her from doing her duties. She can’t embroider.”
Eve felt her heart hammering in her chest. She felt despair settle around her. She knew her limitations, but to hear them spoken aloud on the lips of her betrothed made them seem… made her seem… incomplete.
“She can’t write.”
“Perhaps that is for the best,” the other man said.
“Every noble woman should be able to keep tallies of the crops,” Michael objected. “She can’t ride a horse.”
Eve pressed her good hand to her mouth as tears began to gather in her eyes.
“She can barely feed herself at table. How can I sit beside her when she can’t even lift a trencher to her lips? It is repulsive. She is repulsive.”
A sob tore from her throat. She turned away from the room to run straight into a wall of solid flesh.
Gabriel had stood beside her, hearing the callous words, as he approached. His brother was a cad. But when Eve lifted her tear ringed eyes to him, Gabriel felt his stomach drop. All he wanted to do was go into the room and bash his brother in the face.
Instead, he hooked an arm around her shoulders and guided her away, down the hall, away from the Great Hall, away from the room with his brother.
He felt a hitch in her breathing as they walked and squeezed her tight. “Do not waste your tears on such hateful words,” he whispered. “You are far from repulsive.”
“He’s right,” she whispered, her voice thick with agony. “I’m useless to him. What kind of wife will I make?”
Timeless Christmas Romance: Historical Romance Holiday Collection Page 19