The Darkland (14 page)

Mara was lost to their
meaning as Johanne latched on to her brother again, rubbing against him in a
manner that made Mara's skin crawl. "She's simply inexperienced," she
murmured, loud enough for Mara to hear. "Time will improve her
performance. And I will teach her what she needs to know in order to please
you."

Mara stared at them,
baffled and nauseated.  "How... how can you teach... those things? How
would you know...?"

Johanne laughed, looking
at Mara as if she were the most foolish creature on the face of the earth. 
"Ask your sister what I know, Mara. If she's brave enough to tell
you."

They turned away from
the perplexed young lady in a snickering pair, continuing their walk of Anchorsholme's
grounds. Mara was about to follow them to demand clarification when a rumbling
male voice caught her attention.

"Let them go,
love."

She turned to see Niles
standing next to her. The bright blue eyes were filled with distress. "But...."

He shook his head
firmly. "Not those two, Mara. You would do well to stay far, far away from
them."

Mara passed a lingering
glance at the pair, sighing with frustration. "But they spoke so
strangely, Niles. I do not think I like their inference at all."

Niles' gaze was fixed on
the couple as they disappeared into the kitchen yard. "And what inference
was that?"

Mara thought a moment.
Then, she shook her head. "Truly, I do not know. But I must find my sister
and make sure she is unharmed."

Niles took her arm,
gently, before she could dash away. "That will not be necessary, I am
sure," he said quietly, putting her hand on his elbow. "Kirk will see
to your sister and she is in far better hands than if God himself was watching
over her."

Hesitantly, Mara allowed
Niles to lead her at a leisurely pace toward the keep. "Niles?" she
asked softly.

"What is it, my
lady?"

"Why... why does Johanne
tend her brother as if he were her lover? Are they so close?"

Niles did not reply for
a moment. "'Tis their way, Mara. Never ask more than that."

She was more puzzled
than ever. "But Johanne said she would teach my sister what she needed to
know in order to please Edmund." She came to a halt under the bright
winter sky, looking to the tall knight. "What on earth did she mean by
that? How could she possibly know?"

Niles sighed.
"Trust me, Mara, you would not like the answer," he said, resuming
their walk. "Have you spoken with Kirk this morn?"

Mara knew he was
attempting to change the subject. "Nay, I have not. And I have no
intention of speaking with him ever again." She cast the knight a long
look. "Why won't you tell me what Johanne meant by her strange words? And
why wouldn't I like the answer?"

Niles sighed again, heavily.
He did not like the determined look in her eye.

***

The kitchen yards
vacated, not strangely, the moment Edmund and Johanne entered. Edmund kicked at
a dog that came too close as they moved for the postern gate cut into the
fortified wall.

"Why did not you
simply tell her the truth?" Johanne asked as the passageway enveloped her.

Edmund followed behind.
"Because it is none of her affair. Moreover, I do not believe we will have
to worry over the Lady Mara much longer."

"She does not worry
me," Johanne snorted, casting her brother a long look. "Even so, you
sound rather sure of yourself. What did you have in mind?"

Edmund smiled as they
emerged into the knee-high grass beyond the wall. "I have been considering
the situation and I do believe I have come up with a brilliant plan." He
took his sister's hand again. "Kirk is traveling to Quernmore Castle
tomorrow, is he not?"

Johanne nodded. "He
is. And I am rather displeased with the fact that he will be seeing Lady Lily
again. You know how infatuated she is with him."

"Never mind about
Lady Lily. She is already pledged and certainly no threat to you," Edmund
grasped her by the shoulders, returning the subject to its original course.
"As I was saying, Kirk will be meeting with Lord le Vay. A widower, is he
not?"

A flicker of
understanding glimmered in his sister's eyes. "You do not mean to
suggest...?"

"Of course I
do."

"Oh, Edmund,"
she gasped. "Of course! How perfectly convenient!"

Edmund nodded smugly.
"Kirk will carry not only a request for military assistance for my Wicklow
holdings, but he will also carry a sealed missive proposing a betrothal."

Johanne threw her arms
around him and they giggled happily. "Le Vay has expressed the desire to
wed again, especially after his son died of the fever two years ago and left
him without an heir," Johanne kissed her brother loudly on the cheek.
"He'll wed the little chit and we shall be done with her."

Edmund patted her on the
cheek. "Mayhap we shall even send her along with Kirk for the baron's
inspection."

Johanne giggled again
and Edmund was relieved that she had agreed to sending the woman away rather than
wishing her away. That was what she called it;
wishing,
as in wishing
for death. But Johanne's mood was particularly good today and Edmund was
thankful; with Kirk's interest in the girl, arranging her disappearance would
have been difficult enough, if not impossible. Even so, he suspected the
betrothal to Lord le Vay, once revealed, would not be well met and he realized
he walked a fine line between keeping Johanne happy and avoiding Kirk's wrath.

But family came first, and
his sister's delighted expression was an indication of his supreme devotion.
"Now you will not have to wish her away," he said. "Save your
powers for something worthwhile."

"Like what?"

Edmund shrugged as they
headed down the hill toward the grove of gnarled oak. "My wife, of
course," he snorted. "While the sister's at Quernmore, mayhap we
shall have a chance to see if she will fit well into our lifestyle. If
not..."

"If not, she'll
vanish like all the rest."

"Precisely."

The birdsong was sweet
overhead as the shielding branches of the old oaks swallowed them. "Let's
take her to bed with us tonight," Johanne grasped her brother's hand
affectionately, savoring the power she commanded over Life and Death.
"Mayhap she'll be more... cooperative."

Edmund lifted an
eyebrow. "For her sake, I hope so," his voice was serious as well as
frightening. "Indeed, I do."

CHAPTER NINE

The nooning meal was
less than an hour away. Kirk sat in the chilly solar, going over the maps of Edmund’s
Wicklow holdings and struggling to keep his thoughts from lingering on Mara. He
was faced with a very important task and was in desperate need of his mental
facilities, even those that would rather seek out the little hellion and
apologize rather than focus on the task at hand.

He convinced himself he
could not spare the time to apologize to her. He had more pressing duties and
his personal feelings for Mara would simply have to wait. So he had planted
himself in Edmund’s dimly-lit solar, refusing to cower at Mara's feet simply to
ease the tension between them. He had hoped she had learned something from
their negative encounter, although he would have been truly surprised if she
had. All he had learned was that he missed her terribly.

Time passed at a painful
pace as he endeavored to lay out a plan of containment against the Wicklow
estates. Having no knowledge of the true scope of the revolt, a general course
of action was the best he could do at the moment. And in the interim, he
realized he had managed to quell his surging emotions somewhat and was pleased
with his self-control. Self-control against a woman who inflamed and entranced
him at the same time.

Hunched over the map
table, sturdy boot falls approached from the foyer and he glanced up as Niles
entered the room. The expression on the man's features was enough to distract
Kirk from his turbulent thoughts.

"What's the
matter?" he demanded. "Why do you look like that?"

Niles was beyond grim.
He was miserable, actually. "Kirk, I have done a terrible thing, I
think."

Kirk cocked a droll
eyebrow. "Pray tell, lad."

Niles shook his head.
"This is serious, Kirk. I have just come from Mara and...."

The mention of her name stirred
Kirk intensely, dashing his recently-managed emotions. "What about Mara?
Is she well?"

Niles nodded quickly,
seeing the urgency in Kirk's eyes. "She is fine, Kirk. But we had a long
conversation today and somehow I managed to tell her of Johanne and Edmund’s
relationship. Christ, I have no idea how it slipped out, but it did. She
badgered me and badgered me and before I realized what had happened, she knew
the truth of it."

Kirk looked at the man
as if he wanted to strangle him. "Damnation," he hissed. "How
could you, Niles? Mara, of all people, should know nothing!"

Niles wished the earth
would open up and swallow him. Surely it would be less painful than Kirk's
wrath. "I do not know, I tell you. She pestered me until I was crazy!"

Kirk shook his head, the
veins in his temples pulsing. "Where is she now?"

"She ran to her
chamber. I can only imagine she's with Micheline."

Kirk's face paled.
"Oh... Christ!" he bolted past Niles, heading for the foyer. The
knight raced after him.

"What's wrong,
Kirk?" Niles was having difficulty keeping pace. "I thought you would
be pleased to know she was with her sister. Surely Micheline will calm
her!"

Kirk mounted the stairs
three at a time, hardly pausing to reply. "Under normal circumstances, I would,"
he breathed as they topped the landing and headed down the corridor.
"However, Micheline’s first experience with Edmund’s husbandly attentions
was not a pleasant one. If Mara forces her sister to tell her...."

They rounded a corner,
picking up speed. "Tell her what?" Niles demanded.

Kirk did not reply until
they reached the ladies' chamber. Scarcely stopping, he cast Niles a long look
as he grasped the latch.  "Johanne was a participant, Niles. Out of
respect for Lady Micheline, I shall not tell you more than that."

As Niles struggled to
overcome his shock, Kirk was already into the chamber, his eyes searching for
Mara. But the only face he came into contact with was Micheline's.

"Where's
Mara?" he demanded.

Micheline's eyes were
wide. Accusing, he thought. "What did you tell her, Kirk?"

Kirk shook his head.
"Nothing, my lady. I have not seen her. What hap..?"

Micheline cut him off,
as livid as he had ever seen her. "Some fool told her of Edmund and Johanne.
After she realized I was not going to tell her all that had transpired in my
wedding bed, she ran from here like a madwoman. I have no idea where she might
have gone."

Niles, lingering by the
chamber door, cleared his throat guiltily. Kirk glanced at him, a look of pure
exasperation on his face before returning his focus to Micheline. "When
did she leave?"

"A minute or so
before you arrived. I was just coming to find you myself."

"Did she say
anything that might lend clue to where she was heading? Anything at all?"

Micheline shook her
head. "Nothing. I tried to keep her here, but she shoved me to the
ground," she sighed, her anger replaced by a genuine fear. "I am
worried for her, Kirk. There's no knowing what she might do."

Kirk scratched his head,
a nervous gesture. "Why are we so sure she is going to do anything,"
the itching hand dropped to his side. "I came up here merely to prevent
her from forcing the truth from you and thereby preclude a hysterical
situation. Since you refrained from telling her anything, mayhap she's simply
run off to sulk."

Micheline shook her
head. "Even if I did not tell her, it was evident that she suspected...
something," she kept her voice low lest Niles hear of her shame.
"Mara is not stupid, Kirk. She suspects something humiliating happened.
But she does not know what."

Kirk stared at the woman
a long, long moment. "And the only other person capable of telling
her..."

"And gladly, I
would think."

"…would be Edmund."

Kirk was already moving
for the door, a sense of urgency filling him like nothing before. Micheline ran
after him, her chest swelling with terror.

"She is capable of
using a dagger," she gasped. "I have seen her!"

Kirk paused long enough
to cast her a disturbed expression. "You have
seen
her?"

Micheline nodded, pale
and trembling where she had been furious not moments before. "When... when
she was young, nine or ten years of age. She defended me in a tavern against a
zealous soldier. She was forced to stab the man while our father stood by,
drunk and inactive and involved in his dice game. There was no choice, mind
you; if she hadn't stabbed the man, he would have done unspeakable things to
me."

Kirk stared at Micheline
before letting out a sharp, ragged sigh. "Christ," he muttered.
"Has she always been defending you so, Micheline?"

"Always,"
Micheline whispered in reply. "She will do what she feels necessary."

Kirk did not like the
sound of that at all.

***

Mara hadn't been hard to
follow. There were very few raven-haired ladies running about Anchorsholme with
murder in their eye. Kirk and Niles tracked her to the kitchen yard, helped
along by four children who indicated that Lady Mara had left the enclosure
through the tunnel in the wall. Emerging into the tall grass, the knights
continued their pursuit.

The children in the yard
were chatty enough to inform Kirk that Edmund and Johanne were also beyond the
walls, feeding Kirk's anxiety that Mara was either intent to do them great
bodily harm or that, in doing so, she had been overcome and now lay dead or
dying. Either scenario was terrifying and as he entered the cool grove of oak,
he found himself praying for Mara's safety. Fervent prayer that hadn't touched
his lips since his knighting ceremony.

He and Niles quieted as
they reached the shielding trees, alert for any sounds or movements. Kirk split
away from the knight, taking a path through the heavy foliage, hoping he could
find Mara before it was too late. Knowing that, in spite of her hasty judgment
and foolish nature, her true motivation was the protection of her sister. In
however form that protection might come.

Aye, the woman had a
heart of gold. And the mind of an imbecile at times. Kirk shook his head even
as he moved silently among the trees, thinking that mayhap he should spank her
again for being foolish enough to take the offensive against Edmund and Johanne.
And after he spanked her, he would plead forgiveness for his harsh words and
beg her to marry him once again. He simply couldn't stand to be away from her,
not even for a few lonely hours.

Twisting his way along a
holly bush, Kirk suddenly came to a halt. In the distance, he could hear the
faint rumble of conversation and immediately recognized Edmund and Johanne
through the trees. Crouching low so they would not see him, he saw Niles do the
same from the corner of his eye. If Mara was after the pair, then she had to be
close. Very close.

And he wanted to get to
her first.

                              
***

The bark of the tree was
scratchy. As Mara pressed herself against the bark, bright blue eyes watched Edmund
and Johanne as they moved through the dense brush, holding hands and giggling
softly. And the more Mara observed, the more sickened she became.

To have an intimate
relationship with one's own sibling was beyond her comprehension. Niles had
been delicate when had explained their association, but even so the pure
wickedness of their actions was more than she could bear. And poor Micheline
had been thrust into the middle of it, unknowingly.

There had been a time
when Mara had cursed Kirk violently for not having had the courtesy to inform
Micheline of the situation; but the truth was, there was nothing any of them
could have done even if Micheline had known. And Mara accepted the truth, even
though her anger had not yet abated. Anger now directed at the two twisted
siblings strolling through the trees.

Their taunts in the
kitchen yard had upset her. Niles' reluctant explanation had upset her further.
But the final straw had been Micheline's staunch refusal to tell her anything
more. Even when she could look into the woman's eyes and see what her lips were
incapable of bringing forth.

Therefore, she was
determined to find her own truth. Out in the wood, where no one could hear the
vile conversation. Aye, she was determined to learn the truth of whatever
Micheline was in the middle of. To learn the truth and then protect her sister
as best she was able.

Edmund and Johanne
paused in a small clearing, kissing and fondling one another until Mara thought
she truly might become ill. But it only served to reinforce her conviction to
clarify the situation and she stepped away from the tree, completely focused on
the two wicked participants of incest. Taking a step in their direction, she
made her advance.

Until a hand clamped
over her mouth. A huge arm went about her waist, hoisting her into the dense
trees before she could utter a sound. But the shock quickly wore off, turning
into an explosion of panic and she kicked violently, struggling to free
herself. Deeper and deeper she was dragged, the canopy above blocking out the
sun, until her attacker suddenly dropped to his knees and took her down with
him.

"Not a word,
Mara." It was Kirk, hot on her ear.

Shaken and disoriented,
Mara tried to twist away from him. But he held her tight, grasping her wrists
when she tried to hit him. In their battle, Mara ended up on the carpet of
leaves and Kirk was pressed atop her, his stone-gray eyes blazing.

"Enough!" he
hissed.

Chest heaving with
exertion and fright, Mara met his intense gaze with her usual defiance.
"Let me go!"

He shifted his weight in
response, nearly crushing her. "Do you have a dagger somewhere on your
person that I should be aware of?"

She grunted as his body
smashed her, finding it difficult to breathe in more ways than one. "A...
a dagger? Of course not! Where would I get one?"

He shushed her sternly,
glancing over his shoulder to see where Edmund and Johanne were. He caught
sight of Niles, watching him from several yards away, and nodded his head
curtly at the man. Niles took the hint and disappeared in the direction of the Castle.

Kirk remained silent as Edmund
and Johanne, completely oblivious to the chaos going on around them, continued
their walk and faded into the distance. Then, and only then, did Kirk rise and
haul Mara to her feet.

"What are you doing
out here?" his tone was not kind.

She brushed off her bum,
rubbing her ribs where his torso had bruised her. "Looking for
answers," she said boldly. "If no one will tell me what I wish to
know, then I shall find out for myself."

"By attacking Edmund
and Johanne?"

"I wasn't going to
attack them. I was going to speak with them and demand they tell me the
truth."

Kirk's expression was
stern. "It's none of your affair, Mara. Micheline told you as much and you
would do well to heed her."