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Authors: Kathryn le Veque

Kingdom Come (8 page)

BOOK: Kingdom Come
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“I’m sure.”

He smiled faintly at her and turned back to the carnage of the room.  It was then that Rory realized there were two dead men on the floor of the room and, having never seen a dead body in her life, she suddenly gasped and turned away. Too much blood and gore made her physically ill.  The nausea she had been experiencing since awakening on the beach suddenly returned full-force.

Kieran heard her gasp and turned to her just in time to see her shove her face into the wall.

“What is wrong?” he asked, concerned.

She couldn’t speak.  All she could do was point to the bloodied mess on the floor.  As Kieran realized her delicate senses were not dealing well with something he hardly raised an eyebrow at, a swarthy old woman with a caved-in mouth appeared at the door.  She was little and dirty.  Hut was right behind her and together, they stared wide-eyed at the destroyed room.

“We heard the commotion, my lord,” Hut said. “Are ye well?”

Kieran glanced at Rory with her face still pressed into the wall. “Well enough,” he motioned at the old woman. “What is this?”

The old woman held the wad of material aloft as Hut spoke. “The garments ye requested for yer lady,” he said. “It is all I could find.”

“Where did you get it?”

“From one of the serving wenches; she is about the size of yer lady.”

Kieran nodded. “Do you have another room where she can dress?” he glanced back at the carnage in the room. “This chamber is… unacceptable.”

Hut nodded, motioning eagerly to Kieran. “Across the hall, m’lord. ‘Tis a small room where the serving wenches sleep but it should serve well enough.”

Kieran reached out and gently pulled Rory away from the wall. She came away stiffly, almost tripping over her feet because she was afraid to open her eyes and see all of the blood and guts again.  He put his big arm around her shoulders, putting his lips against her ear as he guided her from the room.

“They have located you some suitable clothing,” he said softly. “You will go with this woman and allow her to assist you.”

Rory had opened her eyes by now and held an odd wide-eyed look. “Oh, God,” she hissed. “What if it’s crawling with bugs?”

“You will have to endure.”

She shook her head and began to drag her feet but he pulled her along insistently.

“I won’t wear it if it’s crawling with bugs,” she insisted as he pulled her through the door.  “I told you that, Kieran. No bugs.”

“You will wear it,” he said, more firmly. “Tomorrow I will buy new clothing for you that will be to your liking. But for tonight, you have no choice.”

“But, Kieran….”

“Go.” It was a command in a tone she’d never heard from him before. “Enough complaining. I know you are upset and I know you are fearful, but the time has come for you to put this foolishness aside and accept the situation for what it is. Are you truly a weak-souled complainer or are you the strong woman I believe you are?”

Her back stiffened indignantly. “Don’t you dare accuse me of being weak.”

“Then stop behaving like it. Time is wasting and there is no more tolerance for your idiocy, Rory. Do what you are told and do it immediately.”

She was out of his embrace, looking at him as he gazed impassively at her.
Rory
. He rarely, if ever, called her by her given name because he felt it didn’t suit her. He called her Libby, a nickname for her middle name, Elizabeth, because he liked it better. But he used her given name now and it sounded harsh from his lips. For the first time since she’d known the man, he was giving her a command. His knightly instincts were taking control and he was becoming what he had been trained for; hard, calculating, cold.  He had become the warrior.

 The fact that she’d been through a harrowing experience over the past hour had her emotions surging like a roller coaster; she didn’t like his tone or the expression on his face. It was hard, ungiving and completely unlike the man she loved. 

Furious, sick, she snatched the clothing out of the old woman’s arms and charged into the room that Hut was indicating. She slammed the door in the old woman’s face when the little woman tried to follow her.  Kieran heard her throw the bolt.

He sighed faintly as Hut and the old woman looked at him questioningly; he simply waved them away.  After a moment’s pause lingering on the locked door, he went back into his chamber and collected his satchel and scattered possessions.  There were dead men bleeding all over the floor but he stepped over them, not giving the carnage a second thought. Such was the norm of his world. One of the dead men still had the stolen coinage and Kieran collected his money from the man’s pockets. Securing his satchel, he went back out into the hall and set everything against the wall, waiting for Rory to emerge from the room.

He leaned against the wall, staring at his feet thoughtfully. He shouldn’t have been so harsh with her but she seemed to be lacking focus at what he was attempting to accomplish. Simon and his men were coming for him; that much he knew. Perhaps they were already on their way; he simply couldn’t gage the time well enough and that worried him. He was trying to get clear of the inn and Rory wasn’t helping the situation. He knew she was disoriented and frightened; God only knew, he realized that more than she probably did. But she needed to understand that he was trying to save both of their lives right now. He was in survival mode. He needed her cooperation and if he had to take a firm stance in order to achieve that, then so be it.

On the other side of the wall, Rory was in tears again as she laid out the garments she was given. Her biggest fear was that they were crawling with vermin; she was obsessed with it. But much to her relief, she couldn’t see any visible bugs in the rough linen surcoat.  When she got over the fact that it was bug-less, she noticed that it was a lovely pale yellow shade. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a rag. There was a shift also, of a finer linen and unexpectedly soft. 

Nothing was hemmed; the garments looked like they were simply basted together. She wondered if the stitching would hold.  Throwing whatever reserve she had remaining to the wind, she pulled off her shirt and khaki jeans and pulled on the linen shift, acquainting herself with the feel of unprocessed material.  It was raw and primitive, but it wasn’t too bad. She left her bra and panties on so she didn’t feel quite so exposed to the unfamiliar fabric. The surcoat went over her head and she was surprised at how well it fit; the sleeves were long and without much shape, but the neckline was a deep “V” and emphasized her full bosom beautifully.  On the sides of the garment were strips of material and she tied them into small bows, which only further accentuated her shapely figure by tightening her waistline.  All in all, she wasn’t too displeased with the fit or the look. 

But that was until she noticed her feet; the surcoat was far too long. All she had was her boots, looking rather stupid with the rough yet surprisingly lovely surcoat. Yet it was all she had. She hoped she didn’t trip on the long garment and break her neck.

As she fussed with the ties on her waist, she looked around the room and realized that she was in a room that belonged to a woman. There were two small beds and a very rough, unsteady table with a thick-toothed comb on it and what looked to be shoelaces scattered about. Closer examination showed that they were strips of cloth cut finely, like ribbons. Borrowing the comb, but not before she inspected it thoroughly for vermin, she divided her long hair into two long braids and tied them off with two strips of the material.  She tied them into big bows, having no idea how very sweet and lovely she looked. On a peg near the door was a large unbleached linen cloak that was relatively clean except for the dark dirt stains around the bottom. She peered at it closely, not seeing any vermin on it.  She suspected it was something she might need, considering she had absolutely nothing. As she unbolted the door, she swiped it.

When she emerged into the hall, Kieran was leaning up against the wall staring at his feet. His head came up and his first look of her, in clothes he was familiar with, had him giddy with pleasure. Even in simple peasant wear, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  Her long chestnut-colored hair was braided and her sweet oval face had regained some of its color. Her luminous hazel eyes gazed steadily at him from their fringes of thick lashes.  When he reached out to take her hand, however, she deliberately pulled away and swung the cloak over her shoulders.

“You wanted to leave, so let’s leave.”

She turned away from him and headed towards the rickety stairs that led to the common room below. Kieran eyed her as she moved to the stairs, collecting his satchel and following.  He caught up to her by the time she had taken the top two steps and he reached out, grasping her by the arm.

“Nay, lady,” he rumbled, eyeing the room full of rabble below. “You will stay with me for your own safety.”

Rory kept her mouth shut as he preceded her down the stairs.  Hand still on her arm, he took her out the rear of the inn.  It was a dusty, smelly yard that stood between them and a structure that apparently served as the stable. It looked like a condemned building. He started to guide her across the yard, towards the livery, but she pulled free of his grip.

“We’re out of the inn,” she fussed with the ties on the cloak. “You don’t have to hold me with a death grip.”

Kieran’s temper was doing a slow build. Foremost, he wanted to get them the hell away from the inn, and then he would deal with her insolent attitude - she was an aggressive, willful woman under normal circumstances but he wasn’t about to let her get out of hand. Still, he didn’t like it when she was upset with him. They rarely fought and when they had, he couldn’t seem to focus on anything else. As they reached the stable, he sent the boy for his charger and turned to her.

“Lib, I am sorry if you are upset with me,” he said in a low voice. “But you must understand that there are priorities greater than you at the moment. I have no idea when Simon and his men are going to come for me and we must get clear of this place before they do. Every time you drag your feet or argue with me, you are jeopardizing both of us. Is that what you want? My death?”

As she gazed up at him, she lost some of her taut expression.  After a moment, she lowered her gaze and shook her head. He watched her lovely face as she struggled.  But she kept her mouth shut.

“Is that it?” he asked softly. “Do you have nothing to say to me?”

She lifted her slender shoulders. “What do you want me to say?”

“That you love me and will obey me without argument from now on.”

She turned her head so she was looking away from him completely. He heard her sigh faintly.

“I don’t like it when you order me around,” she said quietly. “I know you’re used to ordering people around, but I’m not one of them. You don’t have to be so mean about it. Everything about this is new and weird and scary, so you’re just going to have to be patient with me. I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances.”

He grunted softly, perhaps in resignation, and moved closer to her. He knew he was about to fold completely. Bending over, he put his lips on her cheek and suckled gently.

“I know you are,” he whispered. “But so am I. As I listened to your advice in your time, you must listen to me in mine. Everything I do, I do to keep you safe. There are dangers awaiting us right now that you can’t possibly comprehend. Do you understand that?”

She nodded, closing her eyes when he kissed her ear. “Yes.”

“The next time I tell you to do something, will you do it without question or hesitation?”

“Maybe.”

The way she said it was fairly dramatic and he knew that she was folding, too. He grinned, kissing her ear again, then her neck. He could feel her shiver beneath him.

BOOK: Kingdom Come
11.08Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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