Vengeance 02 - Trust In Me (5 page)

Chapter Five

Nicholas rubbed his hand over his face as he waited for dawn to arrive, still fully dressed on his pallet in the hall. Another sleepless night was not what he needed after he’d already passed two nights running about the countryside.

He hoped exhaustion was the cause of feeling as though he’d lost his mind.

How could bare toes and bread have brought him to this? He shook his head. He’d touched Elizabeth as planned, but rather than bringing forth a vision, her proximity had brought forth desire.

Just the memory of her features bathed in soft light, her large brown eyes looking up at him, and their too-brief kiss, were enough for his mouth to go dry, for longing to course through him. His attraction to her was unwise, ludicrous in fact. His attempts to charm her had failed utterly, for she’d charmed him instead.

He needed to concentrate on the task at hand, the first of which was a delay in their departure from Amberley.

At first light, he woke Brom, speaking quietly so as not to disturb the other occupants slumbering in the hall. “I want another day here. We’ll tell them you’re still unwell.”

Brom nodded. “What should I say is wrong if asked?”

“Lay the blame on your stomach.”

Stephen woke as well, and Nicholas informed him of the plan.

“We didn’t discover much of anything last night,” Brom told him. “If your brother was here, no one is talking about it.”

“Mayhap it was kept a secret,” Stephen suggested. “I’ll visit with the men-at-arms again to see if I can loosen anyone’s tongue.”

“Do so with care,” Nicholas warned him. “We don’t want to rouse suspicion. Keep your distance from Sir Kenneth as he acts suspicious of us already. We must all watch for Lord Crefton and Lady Elizabeth.”

“Shall I stay in the hall?” Brom asked.

“It would be easier to feign illness in privacy,” Nicholas advised as he thought it over. “Seek the stables. Find an empty stall in which you can rest.”

“I’ll bring food to you,” Stephen offered. “Then I’ll see if the men are training in the bailey.”

The morning passed slowly for Nicholas as he lingered in the hall, listening to the servants chatter when he could. From what he could garner, Lady Elizabeth remained in her solar. He couldn’t decide if he was pleased or disappointed.

Lord Crefton didn’t make an appearance, either. Robert seemed to keep the whereabouts of Nicholas, Brom, and Stephen closely noted as he went about his duties. Nicholas could hardly fault the steward for that. If three strange men were at Staverton, Nicholas would have someone watch them as well.

When Lady Elizabeth and Lord Crefton both failed to attend the mid-day meal, Nicholas knew he could wait no longer. He needed answers so he could return to William.

“I’d best go see how Brom fares,” he told the ever present Robert as soon as they finished eating. Stephen hadn’t appeared at the meal either, so as Nicholas crossed the bailey to the stables, he kept a look out for the man-at-arms.

Brom was resting comfortably, if rather bored, in a stall in the corner.

“How are you feeling?”

Brom grinned. “I don’t know. Am I still ill?”

“For a bit longer,” Nicholas answered. “Did Stephen bring you food?”

“Not since this morning. I haven’t seen him.”

Puzzled, Nicholas said, “I’ll have him fetch you something as soon as I find him.”

He paused at the entrance to the stable, scanning the bailey. Men trained near the garrison, their swords clanging in the air, but even from this distance he saw Stephen was not among them. Sir Kenneth directed the men, his orders booming across the bailey.

Nicholas decided Stephen would not have remained there long with Kenneth staring him down, so he headed in the opposite direction, passing the open door of the chandler’s hut. The small man inside twisted hemp into wicks for candles.

The potter’s was next door, a stack of plates on the table inside. “Not like that, you oaf!” The sound of breaking pottery filled the air.

Still no sign of Stephen.

The spring sun felt warm on Nicholas’s face as he searched, the sky a deep blue. He wondered what occupied Elizabeth this day. Perhaps she was weaving one of those beautiful tapestries. The thought of her elegant fingers working a loom made him grit his teeth. He had to stop thinking about her like that.

Nicholas rounded the corner of a cottage in the lower bailey when he heard peals of laughter. He paused, realizing how long it had been since he’d last heard such joyful mirth. He walked toward it, unable to resist finding the source.

As though he’d conjured her out of thin air, Elizabeth sat on a low bench outside one of the cottages surrounded by several children. This time, it was Elizabeth’s laughter that filled the air. She clapped her hands, apparently delighted at one child’s antics.

Nicholas stopped where he was, observing her, his fascination with her growing. This was not the reserved woman he’d met yesterday, nor the appealing woman of last night.

She wore a simple kirtle of golden yellow that reflected the spring sunshine. Her brown eyes were warm and inviting. Her smile begged to be returned. He could feel his mood lightening even as he watched her. She kept her gaze on the little girl before her as she reached to cuddle a small boy who’d sidled up next to her.

“That’s wonderful, Sarah,” she told the girl before turning to the boy. “What songs do you know, Edmund?” She glanced up, startling as she caught sight of him. “Lord Trisbane?”

Nicholas hadn’t realized he’d walked closer. “Good day, my lady.”

“I thought you were leaving.” She bolted upright, nearly toppling over the little boy. Her face flooded with color as her gaze darted everywhere except at him.

She was embarrassed? At being caught playing with the children? Confused, he watched her. “We were delayed as my man-at-arms still feels poorly.”

“Oh? I’m sorry to hear that.” Her hands fluttered, touching the boy’s head then smoothing her gown.

The little girl stepped forward to stand in front of Nicholas. “Are you a knight, sir?”

Nicholas looked down at the child and smiled. “Aye, but I’m a lord as well.”

“A lord? Truly?”

Her doubtful expression made Nicholas chuckle. He squatted down so he could look her in the eyes. “Don’t I look like a lord?”

“Nay, sir. All the lords I’ve seen are old and ugly.”

“Sarah,” Elizabeth admonished her.

“’Tis all right,” Nicholas said. “I think Sarah has a valid point.” He winked at Elizabeth, who blushed an even deeper shade.

“My lady?” a woman’s voice called from inside the cottage. “May I ask your assistance?”

“A moment, Edith,” Elizabeth answered. “Was there something you needed, Lord Trisbane?”

“Aye. You.”

Her mouth opened, and she stared down at him, eyes round, clearly shocked by his answer.

Their surroundings narrowed until all he saw was her. He slowly stood, ignoring the wide-eyed girl between them. Lord, he did need her. Though he’d been watching for her most of the day, now that he had her, he couldn’t think of what he was supposed to do.

He smiled, trying to ease the sudden tension in the air. “I was hoping to speak with you again.”

“Oh.” She looked down at the girl and to the other children standing nearby. “I need to help Edith and then I suppose I’ll have a bit of time.”

“I’ll wait.”

Her expression turned doubtful. “Here? With the children? Perhaps you should return to the hall,” she suggested.

She could not lose him that easily, not after he’d waited most of the day to find her. “Aye. Here. With the children.”

“Lady Elizabeth?” the woman in the cottage called again.

“Children, be on your best behavior with Lord Trisbane, please. I’ll return shortly.” She gave each of them a stern look then shot him one last glance before entering the cottage.

He waited, hands on hips, wishing he’d asked how long she’d be. A giggle sounded, bringing Nicholas’s attention back to the children. They stared as though waiting for him to do something.

Was he supposed to entertain them? Perhaps meeting Elizabeth in the hall would’ve been a better choice.

But no. He could do this. They were children after all. How hard could it be?

*

“We’ll need more birch leaves come summer for the yellow colors and juniper berries for certain, don’t you agree, my lady?” Edith, the dyer, sorted through a basket of thread, her stout form bent with age.

“Ah...indeed. That would do nicely.” Elizabeth couldn’t keep her mind on the task before her. Selecting the proper colors with the dyer was an important job, especially for the threads for her tapestries, but her mind wandered outside.

“Is something wrong?” Edith peered up at Elizabeth with a concerned frown on her wrinkled face.

“Actually, I need to tend to another matter. Could we finish this later?”

“Certainly. Were those children bothering you?”

“Nay. Nothing like that.”

“
Oh
.” The emphasis the dyer put on the word made Elizabeth follow the old woman’s gaze outside.

“Ohhh,” Elizabeth repeated in a sigh, her heart melting at the sight before her.

Lord Trisbane sat on the ground, Sarah’s small form cuddled in his lap. Edmund stood before him with a stick in his hand. The lord seemed to be instructing the boy on the proper way to wield a sword.

“That man would be a good one to hold on to, my lady.”

“What?” So enthralled by the sight of the powerful lord entertaining the children, it took Elizabeth a moment to realize what Edith meant. She shook her head. “He’s just passing through.”

“Mark my words; he’ll be back.” She gave Elizabeth a pat on the arm. “Go on with you now. ’Tis a fine afternoon for a little romance. Moments such as these should be seized, my lady, for they are rare indeed.” She laughed and nudged Elizabeth out the door.

Rather than trying to explain this was not one of those moments, Elizabeth conceded. “Good day to you, Edith. I’ll return soon.” She stepped out of the dark cottage and shaded her eyes from the afternoon sun.

And sighed again.

Sarah leaned back against Lord Trisbane, the warmth of the sun obviously making her tired. He adjusted his arm to make her more comfortable and smiled down at her when she looked up at him with a sleepy smile.

With more patience than she would’ve expected, he spoke to Edmund again. “Straighten your arm. That’s it. Now turn sideways so you make less of a target. Don’t hold it so tight. Handle the weapon as though it’s part of you.”

For a man with no plans to have a family of his own, he had a way with children. Seeing him like this made her long for far more from him than a brief kiss. His black hair glinted in the sunlight. His expression was warm and relaxed, as though he were truly enjoying the moment.

He glanced up and caught her staring, much to her dismay. “Are you finished?”

“Aye.”

He rose, picking up Sarah as he stood. He gave her a little tickle under her chin before setting her down. “Well done, Edmund. You have a fine sword arm already. Keep practicing.”

The boy smiled shyly, gave a quick bow, and ran off to do battle with a nearby tree.

“And good day to you, Lady Sarah.” He bowed low, making the girl burst into giggles.

“How do you know just the right thing to say?” Elizabeth asked. “They adore you.”

He shrugged and moved toward her with a wicked smile. “I have a way with ladies.”

She laughed, for his words held more truth than he knew.

He stepped closer, smelling of sunshine, fresh and clean. His blue tunic was several shades darker than his eyes and made his chest appear even broader.

Elizabeth forgot to breathe as he lifted her hand and tucked it beneath his elbow. He drew her forward, setting a leisurely pace through the village.

She longed to jerk her hand away from him, to step back and clear her head. Breathing might be difficult when she was this close to him, but thinking was impossible.

He looked down and smiled at her, his mouth directly in her line of vision. Oh, those lips. How she wished she could lift her face to his and capture them. She didn’t want the memory of her first kiss to be the tentative brush of lips they’d shared the previous night. She wasn’t a young girl, she was a woman grown.

Grown women deserved real kisses. Didn’t they?

Edith was right.

Some moments were meant to be seized.

Before she could think through her impulse, she drew to a stop as they reached the back of a cottage, well protected from anyone’s view.

“I wondered – that is to say – do you suppose you could...” Oh, heavens, what was she thinking? What if he rejected her? What if he didn’t? Her mind tumbled. Never before had she met a man who made her willing to take such a risk.

“What is it?” He stood beside her, his gaze searching hers, her hand still encompassed within his warm one.

“Would you consider granting me a small favor?” She bowed her head, needing a respite from those eyes so she could think of how to form her question. A deep breath did little to ease her nerves. She glanced around to make certain this secluded spot held no witnesses for her desperate behavior.