The Dark One: Dark Knight (64 page)

     They walked hand in hand down the corridor
until they reached the main stairs, listening to the sounds of revelry floating
up from the grand hall.  There, he released her hand, but his gaze was soft on
her face.

     “And by the way,” he said, a bit of
reproval in his tone.  “You told your sister of your condition, did not you?”

     She looked a bit stunned, trying to play
off her surprise but not succeeding.  “What... why do you say that?”

     He tapped her under the chin.  “Because I
know.  What did you tell her?” 

     There was no use in denying it.  However, she
put her hands on her hips and turned it around. “And do you know what else?”
she said sternly.  “It seems that we were not the only ones who couldn't keep
our hands off each other.  Jasmine is pregnant, too.”

     He did not look surprised.  “Antonius will
marry her.”

     “And so is Skye.”

     He raised his eyebrows slightly.  “Ah.
Well, Nicolas might be another matter.  He may have to be convinced.”

     “He does not know.  Skye is afraid to tell
him.”

     He nodded faintly, turning for the stairs
and taking her elbow.  “Mayhap I should speak with him.”

     Aye, mayhap you should,” she insisted,
relieved he wasn't angry with her for spilling their 'news'. Even if he was, he
had not admonished her.

     The hall was still in full swing, Gaston's
knights loud and boisterous with their games and songs. He kissed her hand and
left her at the door, entering the room while Remington frantically beckoned
her sisters to join her.

***

It was to be Remington's
last day at Mt. Holyoak before traveling to London. Gaston had told the priest
they would leave in two days to allow him time to make preparations for his
trainees, and further to allow Remington to take care of any final details.

     Oleg followed her through the castle,
listening to her rattle off instructions.  She most likely would not be
returned by September, when the sheep would be shorn, and she made sure that
Oleg understood to proceed without her.  Grain stores needed replenishing and
the fact that the providence had had a good season promised to fill the stores
to capacity.  No one would go hungry in Boroughbridge, or the neighboring towns
of Helperby and Brafferton.  With winter on the approach, food was of a primary
concern.

     She and Gaston had exchanged heated words
this morning.  Unsure of how long they would be in London, Remington wanted him
to convince Antonius and Nicolas to marry her sisters before she left.  To
think of her sisters unwed and pregnant left her feeling hollow with pity, and
she felt it Gaston's duty, as their liege, to convince the knights to do the right
thing. Gaston replied, patiently, that he could not force his men into
matrimony before they were ready.

     Angrily, Remington had turned her back on
him and left to go about her duties.  Even as she went over the kitchen stock
with Oleg, she was still angry with him.  Aye, she knew she was being somewhat
unreasonable, but she couldn't fathom the knight's reluctance to do the right
thing. But the most maddening thing was when Gaston had told her frankly the
whole situation between her sisters and their prospective husbands was none of
her business.

    
None of her business!
  The words
still riled her, even as Oleg went over the inventory of stored vegetables. 
Remington ordered a vegetable soup for the nooning meal from his tally and left
him to sort out the rest of the kitchen supplies.  Eudora was packing for her
and she wanted to check up on the woman.

     She passed into the grand hall and came
face to face with Dane and another young page, laden down with stock for the
kitchens.  Her first reaction was to hug him, and she could see the light in
his eyes as well, but just as quickly she averted her gaze and walked past
him.  Dane, with a sad face, passed into the kitchens behind the other boy.

     Her anger at Gaston and her sadness for her
son brought tears to her eyes as she made her way down the corridor.  She was
leaving on the morrow and not even allowed to say good-bye to her son.  Her
sisters were pregnant and unwed, and she was faced with an uncertain future.
When did her life become so miserable?

     As soon as she reached the narrow stairs,
Gaston and Antonius entered the castle and nearly ran her over.  She looked up
to snap at them, but then noticed that they were in full battle armor.

     “What's wrong?” she demanded warily,
forgetting she was mad at him.

     “Brimley is under siege!” he said.  “It
would seem that Lord Botmore heard of Brimley's meeting with me and decided to
pay him a visit.  Brimley told Botmore that he was planning to support the
crown and Botmore went wild.  His troops were already inside the keep and from
what I understand have managed to fairly wreak havoc.  I must go and do what I
can.”

     “Botmore!” she hissed.  “He destroyed
Crayke?”

     “I do not know.  But I intend to find out
and make restitution to Brimley.”

     The day that had started out bad had just
gotten worse.  She sank down on the steps and shook her head.  “Gaston, Derek
was betrothed to Catherine Brimley, Lord Brimley's youngest daughter.  Botmore
was so proud of the alliance.  I cannot understand why he would do this.”

     Gaston jerked his head at Antonius, who
discreetly vacated.  He gazed down on Remington's puzzled, sad face.

     “Nor I, angel,” he said softly.  “Except to
say that Botmore is seeking revenge on me and he knows it would be foolish to
attack Mt. Holyoak with all of the troops I have here.  Suffice it to say he
intends to cause me a great deal of trouble.”

     She gazed up at him, her anger completely
gone.  How could she be angry at that beautiful, masculine face?  “So you go to
fight again?”

     He smiled wryly, sitting heavily on the
stair next to her. With all of his armor, he nearly squashed her into the
wall.  “I am afraid so.  But I am leaving Arik behind, to guard you.”

     “Arik?” she was surprised.  “Why would you
leave your second in command behind to baby sit?”

     He looked at her, his gaze tender as it
lingered on her face.  “Nothing is more important than you,” he said softly. 
“I would stay behind if I could, but I must lead my troops.  Besides, if this
is a ruse, then I want Arik in charge of the fortress.”

     “But I thought you said Lord Botmore would
not attack Mt. Holyoak?” she said, concerned.

     “He would not do it while I was within the
walls because he knows it would be futile.  But he may try while I am off on
some dandy pretense.  I am not at all sure that this is not some sort of ploy
to lure me away from my keep.”

     Her face went white.  “My God, Gaston,
could Botmore be luring you into an ambush?”

     “Nay, I do not believe so,” he assured
her.  “The messenger who brought the news was one of Brimley's men.  But Botmore
could have planned it this way to remove me from Mt. Holyoak while an army of
Yorkists await at a distance to regain my seat.”

     Not only was she depressed, she was now
completely frightened at that thought.  Slowly, she wound her arms around his
massive left arm and lay her cheek on his cold, hard armor.  As she was
thinking of something encouraging to say, tears suddenly found their way from
her eyes and onto his armor.

     “Why do you cry, angel?  I did not mean to
frighten you,” he said tenderly.

     She batted her eyes, trying to chase away
her tears.  “It’s not that. It's just...why does everything have to be so
bloody complex?  Why can't everyone just leave us alone?  I do not want to be
involved in all of this intrigue and hatred; I do not want you to be involved
in it.”

     He kissed the top of her head.  “This has
been my whole life, angel.  I am used to it.”

     Her head came up, her eyes glittering like
the rarest of jewels.  She traced shaking fingers across his sensuous lips. 
“After we're married... promise me we will remove ourselves from all of this. 
I want us to live peacefully, Gaston.”

     “We will, love,” he kissed her fingers,
wanting to reassure her.  “Do not worry so.”

     From down the hall they heard rapidly
running footsteps.  Small and quick, it could either be a child or a woman and
they both turned as the footsteps came upon them. Dane suddenly appeared, his
eyes wide and his face streaked with tears.

     “Dane!”  Remington knew she wasn't supposed
to speak with him, but she couldn't help herself when she saw her son.

     “You can't fight!” Dane blurted to Gaston,
all but ignoring his mother.

     “What's wrong, Dane?” Gaston was genuinely
concerned.  Dane’s eyes were wide with fright and his little face pale.  “I...
I had a dream.  I saw armor, your armor, and I saw an arrow through your
heart.  You were dead.  We buried you in your armor.”

     Remington went to pieces.  Her hands flew
to her mouth and she moaned softly as Gaston got a grip on her.  He never gave
any stock in prophetic dreams, but he knew Remington did.  She said that her
son had predicted many things through his young dreams.

     “’Twas only a dream, Dane,” he said evenly,
feeling Remington shaking violently.  “If a dream comes true, it is only
coincidence.  Mayhap dreams are the only things in life we can change; we can
choose to believe them or we can choose not to.”

     Dane wiped at his eyes, looking a bit
embarrassed.  “I fell asleep in the kitchen because I did not sleep very well
last night.  I dreamt you were killed. You can't go.”

     Gaston smiled and put his hand on the boy's
head.  “Are you a gloom-and-doom prophet, lad? Did you actually see my face?”

     “Nay, I did not see your face.  But it was
your armor, the armor you wear right now.” Dane insisted, glancing at his
mother for the first time. “And I dreamed last night that my mother had a big
stomach, like Aunt Jasmine did a couple of years ago.  What does that mean?”

     Remington's eyes widened at her son a split
second before she turned to Gaston, grabbing him by his armor.  “You cannot go!”

     She was verging on panic; he could see it
in her eyes.  He gathered her gently against him and waved Dane off.  “I
appreciate your concern, lad.  I am sure you have assigned duties, do you not?”

     Dane nodded weakly, not wanting to disobey
his liege.  He turned hesitantly, his steps down the hall much slower upon
returning.

     “Come on,” Gaston stood up with Remington
in his arms, sweeping her up the stairs.

     Eudora was finishing packing when Gaston
brought her into the bedchamber, shaking and weeping. The old woman's eyes
widened.

     “What's happened to her?” she asked
urgently. 

     Gaston lay her down on the bed.   “She's
simply overwrought.  Fetch her a wine brew, Eudora, to calm her nerves.”

     The old woman fled as Remington struggled
to a sitting position on the bed.  Gaston removed his gauntlets and helm before
sitting heavily on the mattress.  Remington was still sobbing weakly and he
took her hands between his own.

     “Remi, get hold of yourself.  You cannot
put any stock in a young boy's dreams.”

     “But you heard him,” she insisted loudly. 
“He dreamt of our child, Gaston, and I have not told him anything.  Something
awful is going to happen to you.”

     “Nonsense.” he shushed her gently.  “The
heat and your condition has you overwrought.  Remi, hordes of England's finest
knights have been unable to kill me. What makes you think a minor skirmish will
do me in?”

     “Dane's dreams do not lie.” Her crying had
lessened, but she was shaking terribly.

     As much as he wanted to stay and comfort
her, he had a battle to fight.  He couldn't give in to her son's telltale
dreams, no matter if she believed them or not.  There was always a logical
explanation
.  Black and white
.  There was nothing unexplainable.

     “I want you to rest until I return, angel,”
he said softly.  “I shan't be long.”

     He had said that before, when he left to
assist Templehurst, and he had been true to his word. But Dane's dream rang in
Remington's ears and she couldn't shake the feeling.

     “Promise me you shall take great care?''
she whispered, knowing it futile to beg him to stay. “I will promise you that,
madam,” he said, pulling his gauntlets back on.  “I will take great, great care
with myself so that I may return to the woman I love.”

     She watched the gloves go on.  She would
have to believe in him, and she would have to believe that whatever fate
brought them together would return him safely to her.  There was nothing she
could do or say to make him remain behind and she resigned herself to the fact.

     He gathered his helm and kissed her sweetly
on the lips.  Thinking her to taste most delightful, he kissed her again and
grinned broadly as his second kiss had brought a smile to her lips.