Unbidden (The Evolution Series) (18 page)

She nodded slowly
. “Will you sleep now?”

“Perhaps.”

“You should.”  And she found that, frighteningly, she cared about him.

Rochelle woke at her usual early hour, not immediately recalling the harrowing event of the previous night. As she stretched, the muscles in her back and neck protested, and a yawn made her throat scratchy. The memory of Sewell and Fardulf’s attack swept over her like cold water. She pulled the blankets up tight under her chin to lie still for several minutes, sorting through what had happened, asking herself the questions that could not yet be answered, and realizing there was at least one important question that should be asked.

As she played the chronological memories of the previous night
, she finally came to her goodnight to David at the bottom of the steps. She smiled. They had conversed in a comforting way, both reassured by the solidity of the other. It was a different, soothing kind of intimacy. He’d never even kissed her, except for that warm touch to her palm.

She rose from the bed,
eager to dress against the chilly air. She looked across the hall from the gallery, not seeing the form she sought. Instead, Theo sat at the table, deeply engrossed in a plate heaped with breakfast. He pushed back from the table when she approached, his face etched with concern.

“You h
ave a bruise on your cheek,” he observed. “How do you feel?”

“I am fine.”

He pointed to the far end of the table. “David left your things there for you.”

Rochelle saw her girdle
neatly coiled. Next to it lay her dagger, cleaned, oiled, and sharpened to a keen edge. She walked over to stare at the blade, not sure she wanted to pick it up. She could feel the slickness of the blood on its handle and see the unconscious form of the young man on the ground near her gate.

“It is just a dagger,” Theo intoned
. He watched her carefully, his bread-filled hand poised midair.

She decided to focus on the girdle instead
. “Where was this?  I had not even realized I lost it.”

“Samuel said he found it near the stable
. David pieced it together. Might be a few links missing, he said. He will look for them.”

“Where is he now?”

“Outside, figuring out how to make this place a fortress.”

“And Doeg?
”

“Sleeping.”

Remembering Doeg brought to mind her suspicions from the night before. “Can I ask you something, Theo?” 

“Of course.”

“Do you trust Doeg?”

He choked on his bread, beating his chest as he straightened in the chair
.

“I know it sounds terrible,” she said, fingering the heavy gold ovals shining on the table
. Then she pinned him with her eyes, wordlessly demanding the truth.

Theo pushed his plate away
. “No, I do not trust him. He acted very strangely last night.”

She slid onto the bench across from him, riveted by his statement
.

“What has raised your suspicions of him?”  Theo asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Doeg met Sewell at the palace, so he knows him and of his interest in me. He was in the area for a day or more before Mother and I returned, doing I do not know what.”

“How do you know this?”

“He was seen. Many of my people were worried enough to mention a stranger on a brown horse. It
had
to be him, and he all but admitted it to me when I asked him.”

Theo nodded, as if what she said made sense to him somehow
. “What else?”

“He learned from me when David was expected to come here, then disappeared on his own again for that whole day of the…attack.”

He stared. “You think he convinced Sewell to come for you last night.”

“You sound doubtful.”

“I have known Doeg for years. Until recently, I would have told you
you
are crazy. Unfortunately this sort of distant deceit suits him of late.”

“Is he really that evil?”

“Doeg is not evil. There was a time when I felt almost as much kinship with Doeg as I do with David. Fought many battles together.”

“What changed?”

“Doeg changed. At first, when David and I were green soldiers, Doeg took us under his protection, so to speak. David became more successful, Doeg was the proud older brother, still able to claim some notoriety by association.”

“But?” Rochelle encouraged, when Theo paused.

“A few years ago, David became recognized as one of our best in his own right. Young men idolize him. Experienced men want to fight near him. He has surpassed his older brother monumentally in the arena of war."

“But Doeg should not expect to compete with that!”

“No one should expect to. David has lightning reflexes and an uncanny ability to quickly assess a situation.”

“Yes, I witnessed that last night.”

“Doeg is good too, do not get me wrong. His arm is bent, not weak. He has learned to compensate and is a good fighter.”

“N
ot good enough to be noticed next to his younger brother.”

Theo sighed
. “That is the crux of it, I think. The shame is that Doeg would never have been his brother’s match, even with two good arms. Some men are just built to be warriors. David is one of them.”

Rochelle leaned forward with her forearms braced on the table
. “What has all this to do with me?”

“I am not sure
. It all works back to David somehow, I would guess. David told you about his head wound?”

“Yes.”

“That was the first time I began to suspect Doeg of something less than brotherly devotion. He and I spent hours together searching that battlefield for David. I couldn’t believe David could be dead. Doeg, in those hours, became first resigned to the idea, then perhaps began to feel how freeing it might be.”

“That is horrible!”

Theo shrugged. “When we found David, well, I thought he was dead. And Doeg stood back, without even touching him, and declared that he was. When I knelt down to roll him over, David cursed me with the foulest language!  Not ashamed to admit I was crying like a babe, both happy that he was alive and sad to see him laid so low. I looked up at Doeg and the expression on his face was…disappointed.”

“Have you told David this?”

“Not that particular story. I have tried to talk to him about other things. Talked to him last night about how Doeg shut those boys up so they could not talk. David will not hear a word against his brother. And you should not try.”  Theo gave her a hard look. “Known David for over a decade and he barely tolerates me when I speak of it. He will dismiss you out of hand.”

They sat silent for a few minutes
. “He certainly has not enjoyed much familial warmth, has he?”  Rochelle asked.

Theo laughed bitterly
. “Honestly, neither of them has.”

Rochelle continued, thoughtful
. “Perhaps that is why David is so blind to his brother’s faults. Attachment to something flawed is better than no attachment at all?”

Theo studied her
. “Imagine how he might cleave to a family such as you offer him. You, your mother, your people. His loyalty to something worthwhile could be profound.”

Rochelle scowled, not yet ready to yield to his persuasion
. “Ah, how gracefully you weave the hopes of your emperor into the conversation. Will you stoop to any level to complete the task of seeing me married to your friend?”

“Slay me with cruel words!”  Theo protested.

They laughed companionably, and were still smiling when David entered through the front door.

He quirked an eyebrow as he approached, his mouth set in a tense line
. He extended a hand to drop two open links of gold wire on the table. “This is all I found. You will have to take it to a goldsmith when you are next in town.”

“There is a good one in Ribeauville,” Theo suggested as he
pulled his breakfast plate in front of him again.

Rochelle looked up at David and would not allow herself to be intimidated by the harsh planes of his face
. She wanted to recapture some of their closeness from the previous night. The openness of her gaze was enough. His eyes warmed and softened, his lips curved in gratification at her tender glance. The change was subtle, but she knew she hadn’t imagined it.

“I thank you,” she said
. “I did not even know I had lost my chain, and here you have already found it for me. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

She rose from the table. “I will see if Theo has left anything in the kitchen.”

She returned with one heaping plate and one normal serving of breakfast
. David and she settled in side by side, and if their legs were pressed together unnecessarily, what of it?

When David noticed her picking at a chunk of pork with her fingers he leaned across her, grabbed her dagger and speared it into the meat
. “It is just a dagger,” he said definitively. “Do not give it more authority than it deserves.”  He kept eating.

She knew he was speaking of something other than the dagger, of not giving the memories of last night power over her mind
. She worked at the pork. The tearing of the flesh felt a little too similar to Fardulf’s thigh and made her queasy. She ate a few bits before cleaning the blade and tucking it in the sheath on her belt.

“You are going out on the estate today?” he asked as he pushed his empty plate away.

“Yes,” she replied. “And, if you would like,” she added nervously, “you could ride out with me.”

He laughed without mirth
. “I am afraid that after last night’s escapade you will be hard-pressed to get out of my sight in the near future. I would prefer to keep you in the house, but there are already tenants lurking around outside, hoping for a glimpse of you no doubt.”

She leapt
to her feet. “I must go out to them. They do not have time to waste worrying about me!”  She dashed upstairs to grab her heavy cloak, then into the kitchen for some food, stuffing the bag to capacity. She was happy to see David ready and waiting by the door, his fingers absently rubbing Magnus’s ear.

As she walked onto the porch, a communal sigh of relief emanated from the small cluster of tenants huddled in the courtyard
. Her overseer rushed forward, nearly overcome with concern. “Lady Rochelle, this is terrible!  Look at your face!  How could such a thing happen here?  To you?”

“I am fine except for my cheek, Ardo, as you can see.”

“Tell me you will not go riding out today!”

“Why would I not?  Our unwelcome visitors were apprehended and sent away
. And here is David who has agreed to accompany me, although I am sure there is no danger.”

Ardo gave David a short bow
. “Thanks be to God for you, sir.”  He gestured to the group behind him and raised his voice so they could hear. “We know it was you who saved her. We will all serve you to our last breath.”  Small outcries of agreement could be heard from the others.

“Ardo,” Rochelle said firmly
. “There is much to do. Please, you must make sure that all the people continue to prepare for winter. I am worried about the firewood. That is what I want you to do today. Begin to check with each household that they have adequate supplies of wood.” 

She moved toward her people and mingled among them for a few minutes
. David stayed on the porch, noting how they pressed her hands and drank in her reassurances. Though obviously of the lower class, they each had decent clothing and most even wore shoes. None had the sallow, sunken-cheeked countenance of abject poverty. He guessed that Rochelle concerned herself with more than just the basic supplies for survival. The tenants hazarded shy glances at him, quick to drop their eyes submissively if he happened to notice them.

“Now go,” she finally ordered
. “You must all see to your duties. Winter will be fast upon us.”

They reluctantly left, all but Ardo moving in a knot to the gate where they dispersed in different directions
. The overseer reluctantly approached David. “Will those men be punished, sir?” 

Rochelle scowled at David over Ardo’s shoulder
. David was not sure if she was annoyed that Ardo had not hastened to do her bidding, or that he addressed his question to him instead of her.

“They wi
ll. Theophilus is here, Lord of Ribeauville. He has determined their fine and will handle the matter.”

Ardo pursed his thick lips.

“You are not satisfied?” David asked warningly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It is not my place to have an opinion on it, sir,” Ardo said, though his nex
t words showed he certainly did. “Money hardly seems enough after they tried to take our lady away. Grabbed her person, or so I heard.”

David rocked on the balls of his feet
. “I am sure you will hear in time that the two scoundrels were not in the fittest physical condition when they left Alda.”