One True Knight (The Knights of Honor Trilogy) (24 page)

“Well, you won’t have much time to think, sire,” Ava said in a huff. “Know this — Sir Philip shall hear about this,” she waved her hand at the pallet, “and he will demand that you do the honorable thing.” She pulled at Rowena’s cold hands. “Come along, child.”

Rowena allowed herself to be led away although her legs moved woodenly. How did she ever get into this mess?

CHAPTER 21

Jonathan watched as Rowena disappeared from his sight. It was a long time that he met anyone who was as sweetly innocent as Rowena. Her shy caresses made him — a seasoned warrior — shudder with unrelenting want and desire. And when she kissed him, the shy maiden disappeared and in her place was a temptress so full of hot passion that she could put the most experienced courtesan to shame.

He gave his head a quick shake. It was clear all that he witnessed and believed was a sham. He sat on the table and took another swig from the flagon. How could his judgment of Rowena’s character be so off? And why couldn’t he get the witch out of his mind?

“Damnation!” he cried furiously, and slammed the container on the table. He buried his heads in his hand as if all his troubles were weighing it down.

“Tell me that the wine here is not that bad,” a voice said.

Jonathan turned around and saw his old friend at the entrance. Seeing the look on Gareth’s face, he braced himself for more bad news. “I see that you’ve come to make my life more difficult.”

“Aye,” Gareth said, sighing. He walked over and took the flagon from Jonathan’s grip.

“The bastard escaped again, didn’t he?” Jonathan said, frowning.

Gareth tipped the vessel to his lips and took a long swig before answering. “The one we caught last night was a fraud. He admitted as much,” he said. “The real Grey Knight,” he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “that bastard, is gone. We were gaining on him — he didn’t have that much of a lead — yet somehow he escaped.” He made a sound of disgust. “I simply don’t understand how he does it, disappearing like that every time we come close.”

“This I will never know.” Jonathan took the flagon back and tipped it in his mouth. He twisted his mouth in distaste. “Perhaps my father is correct. Chasing that bastard for these many years was a fool’s quest,” he said, his voice filled with bitterness. He stared at the canvas flap where Rowena had disappeared a moment ago.

Gareth gazed at him for a long time. “You are not yourself,” he said finally. “For as long as I’ve known you I have never seen your passion for the Grey Knight wane. There must be something else on your mind.” He gave him a speculative look. “Or perhaps ‘tis
someone
else?”

Jonathan snorted. “‘Tis obvious, isn’t it?”

“I saw Albert escorting Lady Rowena and her nursemaid out of your tent. Everyone in that company looked as if they were in a foul mood, a mood by the way in which you share.” He peered into Jonathan’s face. “What happened, my friend?”

Jonathan shook his head in disgust. “I was manipulated,” he said. “The vixen arrived in my tent and persuaded me to bed her.”

“Persuaded?” Gareth said, unable to hide his mirth. “I didn’t know you could be
persuaded
so easily. Besides, I had no indication that you had a liking for the lady.”

“‘Twould seem I liked her too much, and now they’re making plans to have us wed.”

“Wed?” Gareth stared at him as if he misheard what Jonathan had said. “I don’t think that is a wise thing to do with the Grey Knight still at large.”

“Believe me,” Jonathan said, clenching his teeth. “I know full well that getting married is the last thing I need right now.”

CHAPTER 22

Rowena stood at her narrow window, staring out at the open field. The cheerful spectacle down below seemed quite at odds with her own reality.

One day had passed and there was still no summons from her father.

Perhaps God listened to her pleas and decided to ignore her indiscretion, she thought.

Unfortunately any hope she felt was short-lived when she head a knock on the door. Ava arose from her stool and opened the door to find a servant there. “Sir Philip wants to see Lady Rowena in the chapel,” he said.

The chapel was an odd place to summon her. Rowena chewed on her lip. The priest would be there, and he probably wanted to extract a confession from her.

She walked over to the door. “Can we wait until later?” she said. “I am tired from the day’s activities…”

The servant shook his head. “Nay, I —”

“Come, child,” Ava said in clipped tones, interrupting the man. She waved at the door. “You know why your father has summoned you. Let us not delay the inevitable.”

With reluctance, Rowena followed the servant, although her feet dragged as if she was being led to the gallows.

All too soon Rowena found herself in the small chapel. However her father and the priest were not there.

She got up and paced around on the tiled floor, her anxiety increasing with every minute that passed. Ava sat at the front stone pew, her back as straight as a rod.

She cast an anxious glance at her nursemaid, who had her eyes trained on the heavy wooden door. “Your silence is driving me mad, Ava! You have been ignoring me all day. I cannot stand it any longer. Talk to me!” she pleaded. She sat down next to her. “What have you told my father?”

“I told him what I witnessed,” she answered shortly, still not looking at Rowena. “And what I witnessed was neither good nor proper. Your reputation was compromised, and you do this with hundreds of people in attendance.” She shook her head in disgust, and her gaze finally settled onto her. Disappointment and anger reflected in their depths. “What were you thinking, child? Your mother gave you a gift, a gift of truly finding happiness in a marriage, yet you gave away your virtue without thought. Did I not instill the importance of your virtue?” She looked away again, blinking back her tears. Shaking her head, she continued, “Nay, obviously not. I have failed you. I have failed your mother,” she said. “You no longer have the freedom to choose a husband. As far as I can see, marriage to Sir Jonathan is the one solution to rectify this transgression.”

Rowena listened to Ava, a wave of guilt washing over her as she tried hard to hold back her own tears.

Ava might have said more, but at that moment, her father chose to walk into the chapel with Jonathan and Lorena on either side of him. The castle priest and a man wearing the red and purple royal colors trailed behind them.

Rowena stood up before they reached the sitting area. “Father,” she said. “I —”

But whatever she planned to say was cut off. It was as if the sight of her caused her father’s temper to explode, and all the anger he felt was directed at her, blinding him to whoever else was in the room with them. “Didn’t I tell you that I detest being made a fool? Yet every time I turn around, you make me into an even bigger fool.” He glared furiously at her. “I learn that you were in a knight’s tent without a chaperone,” he then flicked a hard glance at Ava before turning his attention back to Rowena. “And that you have been compromised. Compromised! It was for your benefit that I held this tournament. Now what will I tell the hundreds of knights out there jousting on your behalf?”

“I still intend to choose a husband among the many knights here,” Rowena said, lowering her eyes to the ground.

“‘Tis too late, you no longer have the right to choose,” her father said. “I don’t know what possessed me to allow you to —”

“There is no need to continue with this pretense,” Jonathan said in cool voice, effectively ending her father’s tirade. “I said I will marry her.”

Rowena closed her eyes, swallowing back a lump in her throat. She looked at him now. “What if I do not wish to marry you, Sir Jonathan?”

“Then you shouldn’t have come to my pavilion and coerce me into marriage,” he said, his voice cold.

His words sunk into her heart like a stone. She avoided Lorena’s sympathetic gaze, and looked at Jonathan imploringly. “Sir Jonathan,” she said in a whisper. Her hand reached out and touched his arm. She could feel his muscle twitch slightly at her touch but he didn’t draw away. “I never had any intentions to trick you into marriage. I do not think that you even like me. Surely you would not want to tie your life with mine. Do you not have a say in this matter?”

His eyes stared at her hand, and when he raised his dark eyes to hers, Rowena took an involuntary step back.

“Your father has called upon King Edward to ensure that I agree to his terms.” He looked from her father to her with unconcealed loathing. “‘Twould seem that the two of you are willing to go through great lengths to entrap me. But the jest is on you. You will share my bed and my name in marriage, but heed my words — I am not willing to play domestic games while I have other, more important things to attend.”

The priest cleared his throat uncomfortably. “We should perform the marriage as soon as possible.”

“How soon can we do it?” Jonathan asked the king’s messenger.

“You are well favored by King Edward, and he has already procured the Pope’s blessing, granting you a dispensation,” he said. “If you wish, you can marry today. The requirement is that you have enough witnesses to this union, and I see that there is more than enough here today.”

“Then let us get this over with,” Jonathan said.

Rowena looked at the king’s messenger, then at Jonathan, speechless. He stared back at her, his face as hard as granite. This was the Hawk that everyone feared. This was the man she was going to marry.

The man that she knew at the pavilion no longer existed.

She watched her own marriage ceremony in a state of disbelief and shock. And when the priest completed the sacred rituals, she felt as if a door closed onto her face, her life forever sealed and bound to a man that hated her.

“‘Tis done,” her father said, this time sounding pleased with himself. “Send King Edward our undying gratitude for responding so quickly to this matter. I know how busy he is.”

“I am certain that with time you will find happiness in this union,” Lorena said.

Jonathan gave a curt nod. “If you don’t need me for anything further, sire,” he said to her father, his voice as cool as ever. “I shall take my leave.”

Then without waiting for an answer, Jonathan stalked out the door without a backward glance.

CHAPTER 23

A warm wind blew over the lists as if it was reminding everyone that summer was almost upon them. The flags flapped in unison, welcoming another day of jousting. Rowena settled in her seat next to Ava.

Rowena passed a hand over her forehead, feeling tired from lack of sleep. She was a married woman now. Her predicament occupied her mind all night, but what burned in her memory was the incident in the pavilion, of Jonathan, of his searing mouth touching her lips, her body… And her traitorous body continued to yearn for his touch, ever knowing that he despised her. She was such a fool.

She dropped her hand to her lap and gazed around while she waited for the games to begin. Today was the final day of the tournament, and she knew that Jonathan was scheduled to joust. She wanted to catch a glimpse of him before his match, to see his familiar dark hair, even knowing instinctively that the sight of him would break her heart all over again. How could a man who touched and kissed her with such tenderness turn and look at her with hatred the next day?

The sound of laughter broke into her thoughts. She turned and saw her father throw back his head and laughed again at what Lorena said. They sat in their usual chairs, their heads bent toward each other, unmindful of the people around them. Ever since Rowena’s hasty marriage, her father seemed in relative good spirits.

At the last supper, he announced that Rowena was no longer accepting suitors from tournament contestants. And when several knights expressed their disappointment, her father mollified them with a promise of a bigger and better prize for the winner.

Still, Rowena could see the speculation in the people’s eyes as they wondered at the reasoning behind the sudden change.

Ava followed Rowena’s gaze and rested on the couple. “Sir Philip seems to have recovered well from his earlier mishap,” she said. “I do not think he was very happy to have his match end so prematurely.”

“Nay, he was not,” Rowena said, her tone listless.

“I think he is trying to impress Lady Lorena,” her nursemaid continued, ignoring the lack of enthusiasm from her response. “I would not have thought that it was in his character. However Lady Lorena has a calming effect on him and seems to have the ability to distract him from his injury.”

Rowena shrugged but didn’t provide any further comment, and Ava fell silent. She cast a worried glance every now and then. Finally she said, “What possessed you to go into Sir Jonathan’s tent, child?” She heaved a sigh when the question brought unshed tears to Rowena’s eyes. “You are the daughter of a respectable nobleman, and searching for a match no less. Why would you risk your reputation and your prospects? It was not as if you did not have any choice in finding a suitable husband.”

“He was hurt,” Rowena whispered. “I went there to offer him my help. I took him the special ointment that you prepared to help ease his pain. I did not go there to trap him into marriage. Now he hates me.”

She watched as a juggler tossed rings in the air while the spectators clapped their hands at the skillful display. Somehow seeing the joyful faces of the crowd made her feel more sorry for herself.

“I am sorry that I told your father,” Ava said, her voice filled of regret. “But understand you left me no choice. I owe much to your mother, and could not allow her only daughter to ruin her life and end her prospects of a good marriage. Your happiness above all else is what she wanted for you. You must realize that no man will marry you — at least not by choice — especially if he discovered that you went to Sir Jonathan’s pavilion without a companion. I would hate for you to be at the mercy of your father or even King Edward. As you know, a union chosen by them would not be of romance or love, which you are so fond of, but of political advantage and personal gain.”

Rowena stared unhappily at her lap.