The Whispering Night (37 page)

Keller was far too close
to slicing through Fergus’ neck. He almost nicked him in his haste to stop the
blade.  Fergus, however, was unaware of anything other than Derica in his arms.
He held her out at arm’s length, his joyful gaze drinking in every feature.

“Sweet Jesus, it is
you,” he murmured. “Are you truly alive or am I seeing a delicious spirit, sent
to assault my weary senses?”

Derica was weeping with
happiness. “I am alive, truly I am.”

He looked her up and
down, still unbelieving. “You look real enough, I shall grant you,” he said
joyfully. “You look… wonderful, my lady, just wonderful. But you look so slim.
The last I saw you, you had.…”

He froze, realizing he
was babbling, suddenly aware that the last time he saw her she had the rounded
belly of a pregnant woman. He paled as Derica caught his meaning.

“It was not meant to be,
not this time,” she murmured. Her grip on Fergus tightened. “But they told me
of Garren. Dear God, they told me.”

Fergus shook off the
shock of the lost baby, trying to focus on what she was saying. “They told you
of…?”

She nodded before he
could finish his sentence. “Did you see for yourself? Did you see him? Is that
what you have come to tell me?”

“Tell you…?” Fergus
noticed the big knight in his peripheral vision; the man didn’t look happy. He
struggled not to say too much. “What have you been told?”

“That he is dead.”
Derica burst into soft sobs. “Oh, Fergus… I simply don’t want to live any
longer….”

She fell against him for
comfort. Fergus could see the big knight turn away as she did so. He had no
idea how jealous Keller was, or how hurt, watching Fergus comfort her the way
he had wanted to.

She was crying as if her
heart was broken into a million fragile pieces. Fergus held her gently. “Take
heed, my lady,” he murmured in her ear. “All will be well, have no fear.”

Derica sobbed. “This
damnable war,” she suddenly grew angry and pulled herself from his comforting
embrace. “This is all William Marshall’s fault. He murdered Garren as if he had
taken the sword to him personally. And to grant me titles and land in
compensation for Garren’s loss is… is an insult. It is worse. It is an affront
to all that Garren stood for. I would rather have my husband than a bunch of
dirt and a pile of cold, heartless rocks.”

Fergus was hearing a
good deal of overwhelming information, struggling to maintain his composure and
piece the puzzle together. So the Marshall knew of Garren’s death, as they’d
planned. But what the old man did was unexpected if what Derica said was true. 
There was more going on here than Fergus, or Garren for that matter, could have
anticipated.

“But the lowest blow of
all is the betrothal,” Derica was wiping her nose and eyes. “My feelings are in
no way reflective of Sir Keller’s worthiness, but I am apparently to become a
pawn in William Marshall’s game for some inconceivable reason. Why on earth
should he…?”

Fergus cut her off then.
He had to. Taking her firmly by the arm, he turned her in the direction of the
keep. “Perhaps we should speak of this inside, so that all the world cannot
hear us.” He glanced at the big knight. “My apologies for my dramatic entrance,
sir knight. I am Sir Fergus de Edwin, a friend of the lady’s husband. Up until
a moment ago, I believed the lady dead. You will understand my astonished
reaction to her.”

It didn’t make any sense
to Keller, but at the moment, he didn’t much care. He was more concerned with
Derica’s emotional outburst with the blond knight and struggling with the envy
it provoked. He tried to be civil.

“I am Keller de Poyer,
garrison commander of Pembroke Castle,” he said. “You seem to have caught us at
an awkward moment, as I was just on my way to fulfill a promise to my lady.”

Derica spoke before
Fergus could ask. “He is going to find Garren’s body, Fergus. He promised me
that he would.”

Fergus just looked at
her, trying to conceal his reaction to two very startling points; the big
knight had the same name as the man Derica had mentioned in the same breath as
her betrothal. Furthermore, he wasn’t at all sure what promise the knight was
planning to fulfill, but Derica’s statement had answered that. There were
wheels in motion here that he was adamant to stop.

“That will not be
necessary,” Fergus said quietly.

Derica searched his
eyes, her tears renewing. “You know where he is, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Oh… Fergus,” she began
to sob again. “Where is he? I must go to him.”

Fergus was pleased that
he didn’t have to lie to her. “I brought him back to Cilgarren.”

“Sweet Jesus!” Derica
gasped. “I must go there at once, do you hear? At once!”

“You shall,” Fergus
soothed her. “I shall return you today.”

Keller let out a
piercing whistle. Fergus looked over to see that he was hailing some
men-at-arms in the bailey. Keller quickly issued some orders to them, his
intentions obvious.

“There is no need for
your escort, sir knight,” Fergus said steadily. “I shall escort the lady to
Cilgarren myself.”

Keller cast him a long
look. “Though I thank you for your offer, you will not be offended if I insist
on personally escorting my betrothed.”

Fergus stood his ground.
“I am not offended in the least. But I assure you that I am quite trustworthy
and capable of protecting my lady. There is no need to pull you from your
duties here at Pembroke.”

“I have no other duties
as important as my lady’s wishes.”

Fergus didn’t know what
to do.  Quickly, he ran all avenues in his mind and kept coming back to the
same one. He had to tell them both the truth before this grew out of hand.  The
Marshall be damned; he could see a very bad situation rising.  For Garren’s
sake, he had to spill the truth.

“May we speak inside,
privately?”

It was a question
directed at both Keller and Derica. Keller’s reply was to cast him another long
look before turning to lead them inside the keep. Fergus had hold of Derica as
they entered the enormous structure. To the right, they entered the solar and
Keller closed the doors. It was cold, like a tomb, but Keller didn’t light a
fire, not even for Derica. He didn’t want Fergus to get too comfortable.

Fergus had been given
little time to think of what he was about to say, but he knew for certain that
he had to be clear. Keller de Poyer was in the more powerful position to refuse
him everything. He wisely surmised that he had to plead to Derica; it was the
only hope they would have of being allowed to leave Pembroke.

He therefore focused on
her. Putting both hands on her arms, he physically braced her for what he was
about to say.

“There is something you
must know,” he said softly, glancing at Keller as he spoke. “Something you both
should know.”

“What, Fergus?” Derica
asked earnestly. “Is it something about Garren?”

Fergus nodded, somewhat
ironically. “Yes, love.” He could feel Keller tense as he used the affectionate
term, but he paid it no heed. He focused deeply into Derica’s eyes. “I want you
to listen to me and understand every word I say.”

“Of course, Fergus.”

“What were you told of
Garren’s death?”

She wasn’t sure how to
answer. “Simply that he gave his life in the service of the king.”

“Nothing else?”

“No,” she shook her
head, sudden fear in her eyes. “Why? Did something awful happen to him?”

Before Fergus could
answer, Keller spoke. “Don’t frighten her, de Edwin,” he growled. “There are
things she does not need to hear.”

“I realize that,” Fergus
said patiently. “I would not dream of frightening or horrifying her. But I must
tell you both the truth.”

“Truth of what?” Derica
insisted.

Fergus chose his words
carefully. He pulled Derica to sit in the nearest chair, kneeling before her,
his hands holding hers.

“The Marshall was
mistaken, love,” he said quietly, steadily. “Garren is at Cilgarren Castle. He
is very much alive and in excellent health. He has come home to you.”

Slowly, Derica’s eyes
widened. Then they widened more. It seemed to be the only reaction she was capable
of. Suddenly, she bolted out of the chair, screaming at the top of her lungs.
It startled Keller. Fergus had hold of her hands; otherwise, she would have
surely bolted away.

“He is alive?” she
cried.

“The ibis has returned.
The alligators could not keep him from you, no matter what you have been told.”

“The ibis… my God, the
ibis!” The old reference sang in her ears once again. “Fergus, take me to him
now!”

She was like a wild
horse as he tried to keep hold of her. “I will, love, I will. We’ll go this instant.”

“Alive?” Keller
repeated, both confused and stunned. “I don’t understand. How could the
Marshall have been mistaken?”

Fergus thought to lie at
this point, if only to gain Garren and Derica sometime before word reached the
Marshall and the man sent his troops after them.

“Garren sustained a
flesh wound during the battle of Lincoln,” he said. “Whilst having the wound
tended, someone stole his armor. We never did find it. It is quite possible
that the thief was killed in battle and mistaken for Garren.”

Clearly, Keller was
shocked. Fergus couldn’t tell if he believed him or not. But the more pressing
issue was Derica as she continued to shriek. She was pulling him out of the
room, insisting that they would leave this very second for Cilgarren. Her face
was a mixture of madness and euphoria.  But Keller was firmly in the way.

“I don’t understand any
of this,” he persisted, more strongly. “How did you know to find the lady here?
Did the Marshall tell Sir Garren she would be with me?”

“Nay,” Fergus was being
yanked from the solar. “The lady went missing weeks ago. Even now, her husband
and others are searching for her. ‘Twas Sir Garren who asked me to ride to
Pembroke and ask for assistance in our search for her. But, as I discovered,
you had already found her.”

“Missing?” Keller looked
at Derica. “I found her wandering on a road not far from here.  She would not
tell me what she was doing there.”

Through the chaos of
Derica’s mind, she understood the crux of the conversation. For the moment, it
diverted her thoughts of a living Garren. “I fell into the river and nearly
killed myself in the process. A peasant woman and her children found me and
nursed me back to health. That is why Sir Keller found me wandering on the
road.” She looked stricken. “The children! Keller, get the children, please!”

Keller started to move,
as was natural when doing her bidding, but he just as quickly stopped himself.

“Wait,” his voice had
returned to a growl. “No one is going anywhere at the moment. Not to Cilgarren,
or to heaven or hell until I have satisfactory answers. How do I know this
isn’t some ploy to abduct my lady? I don’t know you, de Edwin. You could be a
murderer and thief for all I know.”

“But I know him,” Derica
countered. “I know him well, and he has risked his life for me on many
occasions. I have faith in him completely and you will do me the courtesy of
trusting my judgment.”

Keller was torn, that
much was obvious. “You are my betrothed, my lady, and my responsibility until
God himself deems otherwise.”

“My husband is alive,
Sir Keller,” she whispered urgently. “God has spoken, can you not understand?
He had returned him to me. I am no longer your concern.”

Keller’s confusion in
the entire situation was quickly being overtaken by fury and disappointment. 
He could hardly believe the devastation he felt. “Not until I see Sir Garren
myself,” he said quietly, “will I relinquish you.”

“Then come and see him,”
Derica growled. “And bring the children.”

Derica matched his stony
demeanor; Fergus knew she was determined enough to kill should Keller try to
stand in her way.  Perhaps the knight sensed that, for he did not stand in her
path. He simply stared at her, matching her gaze, feeling emotions he had no
right to feel. After what seemed like a small eternity, Derica tore her eyes
from Keller and quit the solar, taking Fergus with her.  Keller dutifully went
in search of children he instinctively knew he was about to lose.

Sian and Aneirin each
held a hand when Keller finally returned to the bailey.  The children were dressed
against the chill, their eyes wide at the commotion of the courtyard.  The two
severe women had accompanied them, bringing a heavy wrap for Derica.  She was
already mounted on a small gray palfrey and they fussed over her, making sure
she stayed bundled against the cold.  Derica took Sian on the horse with her
and Keller took Aneirin.

Keller tried not to
think about what was happening as he adjusted his reins around the little girl
and glanced up at the sky. It looked like it would rain. He wouldn’t look at
Derica, and she had no interest in looking at him. She never had. She had been
kind, as much as she could, but he knew she had never truly been his, betrothal
or no. He felt cheated by Garren’s appearance, if it was true.  He couldn’t
help wonder if he was riding in to some sort of trap set up by de Edwin and
made sure to arm them dozen soldiers accompanying them. A couple of knights
were also suited up for the ride. He didn’t want to take any chances.