A Warrior's Promise (25 page)

Chapter 31

C
harlotte hurried into the keep and found Mara busy getting the last of the morning meal on the table. She gave no thought to manners, interrupting Mara as she spoke with one of the servants.

“Where are the clothes I wore?”

Mara turned a smile though cold eyes on her. “I am busy with—”

“My clothes,” Charlotte demanded.

“I had them burned. They were too filthy to ever get clean again.”

“That was not a choice for you to make,” Charlotte said, and turned and hurried out of the keep.

Odin kept up with her as they made their way back to Neil, who hadn't moved off the bench.

“I need a favor,” Charlotte said.

“Anything to help Idris's daughter.”

Charlotte emerged from Neil's cottage wearing a freshly washed brown shirt and beige linen tunic, belted at the waist with a leather strip, and a brown wool vest on top. Her worn leather knee-high boots remained.

She couldn't thank Neil enough, and he couldn't express how much it pleased him to help in finding Idris. As strange as it seemed, she felt her old self once again and, with confidence, rushed off to find Duncan.

He was where she expected to find him, with his wife Mercy in their bedchamber. Odin sneaked in alongside Charlotte and trotted over to the fireplace and plopped down.

“How are you faring?” Charlotte asked, approaching the bed.

“I'm fine.” Mercy sighed. “Just a bit tired.”

“She's needs to rest,” Duncan insisted.

“I need for you to leave me alone,” Mercy shot back.

Duncan look stricken, and Mercy breathed a heavier sigh.

“Where is Tara?” Charlotte asked, thinking a change of subject would be good.

“She went to see about getting me breakfast,” Mercy said.

“Why don't you just join everyone at the table?” Charlotte asked.

Mercy threw back the covers. “A good suggestion.”

Duncan blocked her from going anywhere, and Mercy's shoulders slumped in frustration.

Charlotte took hold of Duncan's arm and gently tugged him away from Mercy. “I need to talk with you.”

Mercy grinned with appreciation and hurried into her clothes.

“Where is John, the man who arrived here and sought solitude from others?” Charlotte asked.

Duncan's brow furrowed in thought for a moment, then answered, “I don't know exactly. He didn't want anyone to know his exact location so I left him in the woods to make his choice.”

“Can you give me a general location?”

Duncan nodded. “I can, but why?”

“He knows where the prison is where my da was taken.”

Duncan's eyes turned wide. “He escaped from the supposed secret prison?”

“It seems that way, and since he escaped, he can tell me where it is and how to get in and out.”

Duncan shook his head. “I wouldn't count on his being forthcoming with the information.”

Charlotte remained strong in her convictions. “I have no doubt he'll be only too glad to tell me.”

“Sounds like you have a plan brewing,” Mercy said, joining them.

“It is nothing for you to concern yourself with,” Duncan said.

Mercy poked Duncan in the chest. “You forget I jumped off a cliff with you not once but twice. The second time fresh with your babe inside me.”

“You did?” Charlotte asked, amazed. “You must tell me the tale.”

Duncan reached out and grabbed his wife, hugging her to him. “You're right. I have forgotten how brave you are.”

“Then you will leave me be?” she asked with a kiss.

“I'll never leave you be. I love you too much.”

Charlotte watched them kiss and thought how lovely love could be. And at that moment she missed Bryce more than she ever had.

“Let's go eat,” Duncan said.

“I need to know about John,” Charlotte said, not the least hungry for food but starving to find him.

“I'll tell you and Bryce all I know over the morning meal,” Duncan said, his arm firm around his wife's waist.

“I have no stomach for food,” Charlotte said sharply. “I want to know where I can start my search for John.”

“Bryce wouldn't want you going off on your own,” Duncan said.

“I started off on my own,” she protested.

“Perhaps, but you're not on your own now. You're Bryce's woman, and that makes a big difference,” Duncan said. “We'll discuss it with him over the morning meal.”

Charlotte didn't want to wait and was ready to argue with him when Mercy placed a hand on her husband's arm and smiled.

“This is all new to Charlotte. Why don't you go and see that Tara knows I won't need my meal brought here. And that I'll be joining everyone, while I have a word with Charlotte.”

Duncan seemed only too glad to leave the women to themselves, and when he leaned down to kiss his wife, Charlotte heard him whisper, “Bryce has enough to burden him.”

Did Duncan believe like Mara that she was a burden Bryce could do without?

“Pay him no mind,” Mercy said, when the door closed behind her husband. “He feels guilty that Bryce has been doing more than his share of missions while he remains close to home because of me and the babe. I've assured him it isn't necessary for him to remain behind though I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that I'm glad he is here.” She shrugged. “I feel safe when he is close by. I suppose I think he can rescue me from anything, even a difficult birth, if necessary.”

“I understand though it would have been difficult for me to comprehend if I hadn't fallen in love with Bryce. Now I find myself wanting to be with him more often than not.”

“Then why go in search of your da alone?”

“Bryce has his own mission that needs his attention. While I fear for my da's safety the longer he remains a prisoner of the king.”

“Yes, that could prove a problem,” Mercy said. “The king is not a tolerant man, especially when he sets his mind on something.”

“You speak as if you know the king.”

“Unfortunately, I do. He's my father.”

Charlotte's eyes rounded like full moons.

“My mum was his mistress, and he paid me little heed.”

“I'm sorry for you. My da has been very good to me, and I miss him greatly,” Charlotte said, and didn't hesitate to ask the question that she hoped could finally be answered. “Is there any chance you would know about this prison?”

Mercy shook her head. “No, he never discussed anything of importance in front of me.” She smiled. “But I did hear Duncan discussing where he intended to take Old John.”

Charlotte's grin spread from ear to ear.

B
ryce couldn't stop thinking about Charlotte and how she had woken him this morning. The vivid memories filled his every thought no matter how much he tried to rid himself of them. He finally finished helping Reeve with settling some of the new arrivals in safe shelters since a storm brewed overhead.

He was looking forward to joining Charlotte at the morning meal, then retreating to his bedchamber to finish what she had started. It was all he could think about, and that disturbed him, since plans needed to be made not only to find Charlotte's da but the spy, who held important information to the mission. That was where his mind should be focused, and it would as soon as he finished this dream that haunted the hell out of him.

He stopped abruptly when he saw that Charlotte was not among his family gathered around the table in front of the hearth. He told himself that something no doubt had delayed her, and she would arrive soon.

When he reached the table, though, he had to ask, “Where is Charlotte?”

Each mentioned a place they had last seen her.

Duncan glanced down at his wife beside him. “She was with you last I saw her.”

Mercy smiled sweetly at Bryce. “She told me to let you know that she goes in search of Old John.”

“But she doesn't know where I settled him,” Duncan said. “And I explicitly told her that we would discuss this with Bryce.”

“Old John is here?” Bryce asked.

Duncan and Reeve shared the telling of the tale of the man's arrival and his need for solitary shelter and how Duncan had taken him to a remote area to live. Then everyone looked at Mercy.

“I overheard you speak of the area,” Mercy explained with a shrug. “And everyone heard Charlotte's tale about her da and all she has gone through to find him. I would do the same if I had a loving da like hers.”

“I would too,” Tara agreed.

Reeve slipped his arm around his wife. “I would help you.”

“And no doubt, Charlotte knows the same of Bryce,” Tara said, snuggling closer to her husband.

Mara spoke up. “Bryce has more important things to see to, and Charlotte has proven she can well take care of herself.”

Bryce looked at his mum, surprised by her remark, as was everyone else. Mara was the first to offer a helping hand and to protect when necessary. Yet she extended no such offer to Charlotte, and he wondered why.

“I'll not leave her to wander the land alone,” Bryce said, sending a stern look to his mum. “Also finding Old John could aid us in our own search. As we discussed, I believe the person I search for could well be held at the same prison as Charlotte's da. Her search is also my search, and I will not leave her to do my chore.”

Reeve and Duncan stood ready to help him.

“No,” Bryce said, shaking his head. “I need no help with this.”

“Do what you must,” Duncan said. “Reeve and I will work on plans to continue the search.”

Bryce confirmed with a nod and turned to leave.

His mum grabbed hold of his arm. “Let me get you some food in case you're delayed in returning home.”

He smiled, pleased that she finally offered help, and told her he'd meet her outside.

Bryce went to his bedchamber, grabbed what few things he needed, and was outside in minutes, impatiently waiting for his mum. He thought of taking his horse, but with Charlotte not having much of a head start, he'd no doubt catch up with her in no time.

When his mum finally appeared, he took the sack, eager to be on his way, but her hand to his arm stopped him.

“Make sure this is what you want,” she said, patted his arm, and hurried inside.

He stared after her a few moments, surprised that she hadn't embraced his choice in a woman as easily as she had his brothers'. He shook his head, deciding not to let it worry him; she would come around to liking Charlotte. With the thought, he took off.

C
harlotte made her way through the woods, happy to once again be exploring. Mercy had told her that the area was fairly safe from soldiers. It was mostly woods and rocky terrain, not good for farming, so not inhabitable.

Habitable or not, she found the area rich with things to investigate, examine, and collect. Her da would love it here. She certainly did, and she wished she was free to take time to explore. She missed the days she had spent in the woods looking for specimens for her da or working together with him.

She disliked being confined indoors; even in the winter, she would pile garments one on top of another and venture out in the cold. Not that she hadn't attended to daily chores first, she just had been quick about them so that her time could be her own.

Her da had taught her to cook, and, though she wasn't fond of the task, she was good at it, like most things she did. It was her way—once she learned how to do something, she wanted to do it well. Even the things she wasn't fond of doing, like stitching. She found it tedious but necessary, and so became proficient at it.

But it was exploring that brought her the most joy, and she would find it most difficult if she was unable to explore at will.

Charlotte's musings often consumed her, but she always managed to keep alert in spite of them. So when Odin stopped dead in his tracks, so did she. She waited and watched while he sniffed the air, and as soon as his tail started wagging, she knew whose scent he had picked up. Her trail certainly wasn't difficult to find or follow. She hadn't meant it to be. She had assumed and correctly that Bryce would soon be after her. And perhaps she wanted him to.

“I expected you sooner,” she said, turning, as Odin ran past her, his tail wagging.

She smiled at the sight of him emerging from the woods and her heart quickened its pace. Her stomach gave a flutter, and she almost laughed. She had never imagined that love could feel so wonderful. Tall and broad and swathed in his plaid, he was ever the mighty Highlander.

“I saw by your tracks that you were in no hurry and knew I would catch up with you soon enough,” he said, and held up the sack. “Hungry?”

“Yes,” she said, and hurried to him, throwing her arms around him and kissing him as if they hadn't kissed in forever.

His arm wrapped around her, and his hand roamed down along her back and over her backside to cup a firm cheek. “You've missed me that much?” he asked, after ending the kiss with much reluctance.

She had no trouble admitting the truth to him. “It is quite startling how much I miss you. It hasn't been all that long that we have known each other, and yet I feel as if we have not only been friends for many years but have been in love forever.”

He stepped away from her and looked as if he collected his thoughts, and so she waited. Though love was new to her, she had no trouble admitting how she felt about it. It seemed easy since it made her feel so very good; so, regardless of what the future might bring, why not speak how she felt?

When still he said nothing, she spoke. “You once told me that love robs your sanity and interferes with everything. So have you gone quite mad yet?”

A slow smile spread across his face, and he stepped toward her. “I'm about to.”

Chapter 32

B
ryce never got the chance. Odin's sharp bark separated them before they got close. Their backs quickly connected in a protective stance, and they surveyed the area with vigilant eyes. Odin did the same, standing near them and looking about.

“He's watching us,” Bryce said. “Whether he was lucky or stumbled across our tracks, he knows we came in search of him and now will make certain to hide.”

Charlotte spoke up. “Old John, please, I need your help. I must know where that prison is. I must rescue my da.”

He responded, his voice echoing from all directions at once. “There is nothing you can do for him. He is as good as dead.”

“I don't believe that,” she shouted back. “If you escaped, so can he.”

“No! He'll never be free. There is nothing you can do,” he cried out. “Now go and bother me no more.”

“No!” she shouted frantic. “I will not stop searching for you. I will give you no peace until you tell me what I want to know.” When there was no response she yelled, “Do you hear me? Never will I stop. Never!”

Silence filled the air, and Odin walked over and gave her hand a consoling lick.

Thunder erupted so suddenly that she and Bryce both jumped, and Odin whimpered and leaned against Charlotte's leg, shivering.

“We need to return to the keep,” Bryce said. “A good storm is brewing, and I'll not be searching into the night out in such weather.”

“The weather will not stop me from searching,” Charlotte said adamantly.

“I know,” Bryce said, reaching for her hand. “And I will help you, but not in a raging storm when we can be dry, warm, and snug in a bed.”

She looked ready to argue.

“Don't make me carry you,” he warned. “You know it's an easy task for me, no burden at all. And I want you tucked snug beneath me in my bed tonight.”

She grinned with such a suggestively wicked grin that he grew hard.

“I'd prefer to finish what I started earlier this morning.”

His hand rushed out and snatched hers. “Let's hurry.”

She locked her fingers around his, and, as they ran off, he couldn't help but notice that sorrow lingered in her eyes.

A darkening sky, rumbling thunder, and flashes of lightning followed them all the way back to the keep. The rain just started to fall as they rushed up the steps and through the door.

The great hall was quiet, only servants stirred. Bryce was glad, he wanted no interruptions. He snuck away to his bedchamber with Charlotte to spend the rest of the day with her and her alone.

He was reminded of Odin when the dog sprinted past him to plop down in front of the hearth. He thought about ordering him downstairs but knew it wouldn't sit well with Charlotte, and he was not about to upset her.

He didn't like it when she was upset, it ripped at his gut and made him feel like he wanted to tear apart anyone who caused her worry. It had disturbed him when she had pleaded with Old John for help and the man ignored her.

He had felt her pain, her disappointment, and her sorrow, and it had made him want to tear out the man's throat.

He went to her then, needing to take her into his arms and comfort her, and he knew that the best way to do that was to make love to her. He had thought to give her free rein to continue what she had started that morning, but that had changed when he had seen that she had tried to keep the sorrow from her eyes.

She needed him to love her, to take away her worry, if only for a few hours, and allow her some peace.

She turned to him with a smile she tried hard to maintain.

He reached out and took hold of her waist. “I'm going to love you.”

“It's for me to finish what I started,” she said.

“Not now,” he said with a shake of his head. “Now is for me to show you how much I love you.”

Her dark eyes turned wide, and her mouth dropped open as if she intended to speak, but no words spilled forth.

He took advantage and kissed her, his tongue darting in to lovingly tease hers. She melted against him, and he felt, then, her first teardrop. He didn't stop kissing her even when he felt her tears against his cheek. She needed this kiss from him; she needed it to linger, to sustain her.

And he didn't fail her. He kissed her with an intensity that was meant to drive her pain away. When her tears wouldn't stop, he raised her just enough to walk her to the bed. Once there, he striped himself while continuing their kiss; and then he striped her, stopping only long enough to rid her of her clothes.

He lowered her to the bed, covering her with the length of him and knowing instinctively that she was as ready for him as he was for her; he nudged her legs apart and slipped between them.

She welcomed his quick, deep entrance, tossing her head back with a sharp yelp and a breathless sigh that fired his already burning need. Soon they were lost in the fury of the lovemaking. It knew no sense or reason and needed none. It was just the two of them, lost not just in depths of passion but in the depths of love.

Tears lingered on her cheeks after their fiery climax, but none spilled. He kissed the few away and rolled off her, quickly cuddling her close against him. With a teasing laugh, he asked, “Was my lovemaking that disappointing?”

She smiled and looked up at him. “My tears were ones of joy.”

“I was that good, was I?”

She gave him a playful poke. “I cried because I was overwhelmed with joy hearing that you love me.”

“My heart would not allow me to restrain the words any longer.”

“Then you are ready to give your heart to me?”

“
Give
my heart to you?” he laughed. “You
stole
it from me shortly after I discovered you were a woman.”

“Then I shall keep it safe forever and ever.”

He kissed her. “Make sure that you do, for it belongs only to you.”

A single tear trickled down her cheek as they kissed again.

T
hey spent the rest of the day in Bryce's bedchamber, talking, eating, teasing, and making love. He refused to allow anyone to disturb them, even chasing his mum away when she insisted an important matter needed to be discussed.

He had asked if it was a life-or-death matter, and when she admitted it wasn't, he told her he would speak with her tomorrow.

Charlotte worried that Mara would blame her for Bryce's not seeing to his duties, and while she certainly didn't want to be a deterrent, she wanted this time alone with Bryce. He might have admitted his love for her, and she had been more than open about her love for him, but that didn't mean that their future was sealed. They still both needed to attend to their missions. And though Bryce would attempt to leave her behind in the safety of his home when he went in search of her da, she had other plans.

Not one to sit and stitch or do womanly things, though she was not averse to them, she planned to get an early start on the morrow and once again attempt to find Old John. He could tell her where her da was, and she intended to see that he did just that.

And though it would be nice to have Bryce with her, he had his duties to attend to, and she was certain Mara would see that he did. Besides, she needed Bryce to understand that she could not wait around for him to tend to her problems. She was used to tending to her own though it was good that he cared and would always be there to help her.

T
ired from a night of endless lovemaking, she forced herself out of bed just before dawn, hoping to sneak out of the keep and be on her way when the sun peeked on the horizon. She also didn't want to run into Mara. While she knew the woman would no doubt have something to say to her, and she herself intended to learn more about Bryce's mum, today was not that day.

She hurried quietly into the garments Neil had lent her, thinking she truly had to see about stitching her own. She and Odin slipped out the door and down to the great hall, planning on heading through the kitchen to swipe some food for their day's trek.

She was surprised and a bit disappointed to find Mara there alone.

“You shouldn't be going off on your own,” Mara scolded as she kneaded a mound of dough.

“How do you know I am?”

“It is what I would do.”

“We are more alike than you care to admit?”

Mara didn't answer. Instead, she said, “You should be more concerned about Bryce than chasing after this man in hopes of finding your da. He will worry when he discovers you gone and go after you instead of seeing to his own duty.”

“Until he realizes that chasing after me will serve no purpose and let me do what I must.” Charlotte quickly changed the subject with her next question. “Why do you keep the truth from Bryce about his mum?”

“When the time is right—”

“And who are you to judge that?” Charlotte asked with more curiosity than malice.

“It is for the best.”

“Is it, or is it that your secret has grown far heavier than you had expected it to?”

Mara's stunned reaction proved that her assumption was correct, and suddenly Charlotte felt for the woman.

“Some burdens are easier when shared,” Charlotte said. “If ever you wish to ease that burden, I don't mind carrying some of it for you.”

Mara raised her chin, tears pooled in her eyes, and she battered the dough on the table.

“No one will eat that bread the way you pummel it,” Charlotte said.

“No one will eat it anyway.” Mara sighed. “Try as I might, I can cook nothing eatable. And I know my husband and sons fear each time I try.”

Charlotte walked to the door, let an anxious Odin out, then returned to Mara, pushing up the sleeves of her shirt. “Before I go, let me show you the secret to making tasty bread.”

M
ara was just finishing stuffing a sack full of far too much food for Charlotte and Odin to take when Tara entered the kitchen.

“You're off again on your own, aren't you?” Tara asked Charlotte while pointing to the sack. And before Charlotte could respond, Tara asked, “Can I come with you?”

Again, Charlotte had no time to respond.

“Once I spent much time on my own, and I so enjoyed my walks in the woods. It would be nice to do that again though with someone, having spent more than my share of time alone.”

Mara was the one to answer. “It is a good idea for Tara to go with you. Bryce would then know you are not alone. There is a shirt and tunic in my sewing room that you can use, and there should be a pair of boots here somewhere that should fit.”

Tara grinned. “I'll be only a second.” And she sped out of the room.

“What of Reeve?” Charlotte asked.

Mara grinned. “It will do him good to know that the world won't crumble around him if his wife is not here safe beside him.”

Charlotte smiled and pointed to the first loaf of bread that had just finished baking. “Let me take some of that with me. The delicious scent will surely be good bait.”

“But once he tastes it—” Mara shook her head.

Charlotte grinned and broke a piece off then split it in two popping one in her mouth and handing the other to Mara.

The woman hesitantly put it to her lips, then did as Charlotte and popped it into her mouth. “That's delicious,” she said, astonished.

“It's all a matter of kneading and coating the bread with the mixture of herbs that I showed you.”

“No one will believe I made this bread,” Mara said, as if she didn't believe it herself.

“Don't tell anyone until after they have eaten it,” Charlotte advised.

“Don't tell anyone what?” Tara asked returning.

Charlotte handed her a piece of the bread.

“That's delicious,” Tara said, and reached for more. “Bryce will be pleased that his woman is such a good cook.”

“Mara made the bread,” Charlotte said.

Tara almost choked. “Truly.”

Mara beamed with pride.

“Don't dare tell anyone,” Tara insisted. “Not until I'm here and can see their faces. Promise?”

Mara nodded.

“Oh, I can't wait for this,” Tara said, and gave Mara a quick kiss on the cheek. “I never thought I would say this, but that was delicious bread you made, Mara.”

The two women left a happy Mara busily making more bread.