Ruby - Book 1 (Daughters of the Dagger Series) (12 page)

Sir Godin arrived at the door just then and
together he and Sir Elwood removed the dead man from the chamber.
The women left as well, and Ruby felt a little apprehensive to be
left alone with her husband when he seemed so angry. She wanted to
trust him, and did in a way, as he had saved her life. Still, she
couldn’t really trust him completely. He wasn’t being honest with
her and telling her everything she needed to know.

“So what did you want to speak to me about?”
She walked over to one of her trunks and pulled out an oversized
tunic and donned it. Today she would be comfortable while working
with her weapons in the practice yard, and she wasn’t going to wear
a restrictive gown. Besides, she needed to be prepared and able to
move quickly should another murderer come after her.

He looked at her and shook his head at her
choice of apparel. Then he walked over to her trunk, opening it,
and chose a gown for her to wear. “Put this on instead.”

“That’s not proper attire for practicing
with my weapons.”

“You won’t be practicing with weapons today,
because we have to meet someone at the crossroads at daybreak.”

“Whom are we meeting?” she asked.

“It doesn’t matter, now just get dressed,
please.” He opened a trunk of his and pulled out fresh clothes and
dressed quickly.

“I think there are things you are keeping
from me that I need to know.”

“Such as what?” He sat on the edge of the
bed and donned his hose and shoes.

“Such as the fact you have a child.” She
blurted it out, not knowing if it were true, but wanted to see by
his reaction.

“What would give you an idea like that?” He
stopped what he was doing and his eyes fastened to her.

“I . . . heard it,” she said, not wanting to
mention the handmaiden right now. She wanted to get more
information out of the woman and if Nyle thought Ascilia was
spilling his secrets he may just remove her from Ruby’s
service.

“Has Ascilia been filling your ears with
lies about me again?”

Too late. He knew.

“Again?” She ran a hand over her tunic as
she spoke. “Are you saying there are other things she’s lied
about?” She didn’t want to bring up Jocelyn after he’d been so
adamant that she didn’t mention the woman’s name ever again. Still,
she wanted to know more.

He stood and grabbed his belt and weapons,
fastening them on as he spoke.

“I don’t want that woman near you again.
There is something about her I just don’t trust. I will find a
replacement for you today.”

“Ascilia will do fine,” she said.

“Nay. She is my sister’s handmaid anyway.
Now ready yourself quickly, or do you perhaps need my help?”

She thought about them making love last
night. She’d hoped they would have had the chance to do it once
again this morning. But instead, he seemed in a hurry to be on with
his plans for the day, as if the intimacy they’d shared last night
no longer meant anything.

“Nay, I need no help. But I would like to
know about your lover, Jocelyn.”

His head snapped up and his eyes grew darker
than a moonless night. She saw him biting the inside of his cheek
and he looked as if he were going to explode with anger. Mayhap she
shouldn’t have mentioned the girl’s name after all.

“I told you to never mention that name
again. Now ready yourself and meet me in the stable as we are
departing anon.”

Before she had a chance to answer, he was
out the door and slamming it behind him. She would get the answers
she needed, and no one - not even her husband - was going to stop
her. She donned her gown quickly, wondering where to find
Ascilia.

Nyle paced back and forth just outside the
stable, wondering what was taking his wife so long. It was almost
daybreak and he was to meet the king at the crossroads with his new
wife in tow, and he mustn’t be late.

He’d felt bad for not answering Ruby’s
questions about Jocelyn, but he didn’t have time for it this
morning. He’d tell her everything in due time, but right now he had
other obligations to fulfill. The king would not be forgiving if he
were not there to meet him as planned.

“Locke,” he called to his squire who had
just readied a second horse for Ruby. “Go to the solar anon and see
what is keeping my wife.”

“Aye, my lord.” The boy took two steps and
then stopped in his tracks. “I think I see her coming now,” he
said. “However, I don’t think you’ll be happy.”

“Why the hell not?” He looked in the
distance and saw Ruby escorted by that damned busy body old
handmaiden and his sister. And to his horror, his wife had not
donned a gown as he’d instructed, but ’twas wearing exactly what
he’d ordered her not to - a man’s oversized tunic instead. She had
it belted at the waist with hose and short boots instead of a
lady’s pair of soft shoes. Her hair was long and loose instead of
braided, and while it looked beautiful and very alluring as it
lifted gently in the breeze, it was not proper of a married woman
to wear her hair unbound. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she had
weapons sheathed in her belt. Her dagger, a small dirk and a man’s
sword were all lined up as if they were her soldiers and she was
headed to war.

“What the hell are you doing?” he ground
out, meeting her halfway across the courtyard.

“Why, I’m doing exactly what you instructed,
husband. I’m joining you at the stables so we can meet your secret
liaison at the crossroads.”

Damn, why’d she say that in front of the
handmaid? He wanted to leave in secret, with just her and his
squire, but now she’d leaked the information to the odd handmaiden
and his sister as well. And with the wagging tongue of not one
woman but three, the rest of the castle would be privy to this fact
before he even returned. Not to mention, Locke was not the best at
keeping a secret. He was only too glad now that he’d not told his
wife whom they were meeting.

“I thought I told you to wear the gown,” he
said in aggravation.

“I was going to, but Ascilia convinced me
that I needed to be comfortable if we were going to be riding.”

“She did, did she?” He found himself hating
the handmaiden more and more every day. He’d have to talk to his
sister about dismissing her as soon as he returned with the
boy.

“And Ascilia will be accompanying me on our
journey today.”

“And I’d like to come as well,” said his
sister.

“Nay, neither of you will be accompanying
me,” he said adamantly, and would do whatever it took to stop them.
There was no way in hell he’d let all these people traipse along
with him to join in a secret liaison with the king. He dismissed
them, and when they’d left he turned to his wife. “And you, my wife
need to get back to the solar and change at once.”

“My lord,” interrupted Locke. “’Tis already
daybreak. As it is we’ll never make it there by the time the sun
rises.”

“God’s eyes, I don’t need this,” he said. He
reached out and grabbed Ruby by the arm and dragged her over to the
horse. “There’s no damned time for you to change, now get on the
horse and be prepared to ride hard as we are late.”

She pulled out of his grip and looked at the
horse. “But this is a saddle for a lady. I don’t need that, dressed
as I am. Besides, I can ride faster on a saddle made for a
man.”

“You’ll ride this horse that Locke has
prepared for you and like it, do you hear me?”

“I would prefer a different horse with
another saddle.”

“We have no time for that, now are you
getting on the horse or do I need to put you there myself?”

“Lord Sheffield,” interrupted Locke. “She
can take my horse and I’ll follow you with another, but the sun
rises quickly and you really need to be going.”

“Fine,” he said, going over to his own horse
and mounting. “But I warn you, wife, you’d better be able to keep
up.”

“Nay, husband. I think you are the one who
will be left in the dust.” She mounted Locke’s horse so quickly
that he hadn’t even seen her do it. And then she was kicking her
heels into the sides of the horse and heading out the castle gate
before he even had a chance to move.

“Follow us to the crossroads quickly,” he
told his squire. “I have a feeling I’m going to need you. As now
I’ll have not only one child to watch over, but a wife acting like
a child as well.” And with that, he headed out the gate after her,
thinking he’d gotten more than he’d bargained for by marrying such
an untamed woman.

Ruby rode like the wind with Nyle right
behind her. Every time he got close she’d urge her horse faster and
once again leave him in her dust. She prided herself for being able
to outride any man. She also prided herself in her ability to
handle a weapon and only hoped someday she’d get to show her
husband her skills, though she knew he’d never condone it.

She’d made it almost all the way to the
crossroads, but what she saw ahead of her made her slow her horse,
allowing Nyle to catch up. An entourage sat waiting on the road
just ahead of them. Not one person as she’d assumed by what he’d
said, but a good dozen soldiers as well as a cart attached to a
horse.

This took her by surprise, but not half as
much as the fact that she recognized the banner of the coat of arms
flying from the pole held by the squire. ’Twas the royal quartered
shield of red and blue with the golden lions of England mixed with
the fleur-de-lys of France. It was none other than the man who’d
claimed both thrones as his own, but King Edward III himself.

Nyle shot by her on his horse and she urged
her steed forward to catch up with him.

“Why didn’t you tell me we were meeting the
king?” she asked, feeling ever so nervous.

“I didn’t think I needed to announce my
every plan to you.” He slowed his horse and so did she as they
approached the gathering in the road ahead of them.

“If I had known,” she said softer and from
the side of her mouth, “I would have worn the gown.”

“Well a little late for that, isn’t it?” he
replied. “Mayhap next time you’ll just trust me.”

“And mayhap next time you’ll confide in me
as I am your wife.”

“Please refrain yourself from embarrassing
me in front of the king.” He looked at her attire and shook his
head in disgust. “Too late for that,” he muttered, riding forward
to greet his sovereign.

“Sheffield, I thought you weren’t going to
show.” The fair-haired king sat tall atop his steed looking so
regal that Ruby wanted to crawl under a rock for the way she was
dressed. Though her father fought for this man many times, she had
never seen the king so close-up before. He was of tall stature, and
had a long nose. His beard and hair were fair of color and his eyes
a pale blue. He was adorned with the fine clothes of nobles, with
an ermined lined cape and a golden jeweled crown as well. On almost
every finger he wore a ring, and around his waist he had an array
of very ornate and expensive looking blades.

Ruby looked back to her husband who didn’t
seem to like a showy composure. He wore a simple black tunic and
beige hose with short boots upon his feet. Besides his sword
strapped on his waist the only other adornment he had was his
signet ring made of gold and with an etched griffon which was his
coat of arms.

She hadn’t meant to embarrass Nyle – or had
she, she wondered. Either way, if he had told her they were meeting
with the king she would have dressed presentable.

“Sire,” said Nyle jumping off his horse and
bowing in front of the mounted man. “I can never apologize enough
for being late.”

“Aye, why were you late, Sheffield?” he
asked, not even acknowledging Ruby.

Ruby half expected Nyle to blame it on her
and rightly so, but instead he put the blame on himself, surprising
her immensely.

“I apologize once again, Sire, ’tis my
fault, as I’d made merry late into the night yesterday at my
wedding and was moving slowly this morning.”

“Good, good,” the king chuckled. “Then you
have taken a wife as I’ve instructed?”

“I have,” he assured him.

Ruby found it interesting that the king had
ordered him to marry and wondered why. She would have to ask Nyle
later.

“Well, where is she?” The king looked up and
down the road, never once looking at Ruby. “You know I need to meet
and approve of your wife before I hand over the child.”

So there was a child, Ruby realized. But
what was this whole connection, and with the king, she
wondered.

“Sweetheart,” he said, reaching up his hand
to help her from the horse. “Please dismount and greet the king
properly.”

“Sheffield, you’ve got to be jesting,”
growled the king. “This is your wife? I thought she was naught more
than a servant.”

“I’m pleased to have the opportunity to meet
you, Sire,” she said, curtseying in front of him though she wore
the clothes of a man.

“King Edward, I can explain,” said Nyle, his
words sounding more stressed than ever.

“Nay, let me explain,” said Ruby which only
earned her a frown and eyes of fire from her husband. “Please,” she
added, trying to sound soft and sweet like a good wife should.

“Nay,” said Nyle, but the king
interrupted.

“Aye,” he said looking down at them both,
never dismounting his horse as he spoke. “I’d like to hear this
explanation. Lady . . .?” he asked.

“Ruby,” she answered and reached to adjust
her sword which was disheveled from her journey. The sound of a
dozen scraping swords being unsheathed and the sudden enclosure of
twelve knights on horseback closing in around her made her stop in
mid-motion.

“What the hell are you thinking?” whispered
Nyle.

“Sorry,” she said. “I was just adjusting my
sword.”

“Well, do us both a favor and keep your
hands off your weapons unless you want to die after all,” warned
her husband.