Page 12 of Beholden
“My lord.” I let him know he couldn’t hide his nobility from me any more than I could mine from him.
I thought I detected his lips quirking up into the semblance of a smile, even as he peered past the shadows of my hood as though curious to discern more about my reason for requesting the meeting.
I pushed the hood away, letting it drop to my back and giving him full view of my countenance—or at least as much of it as was possible to see in the darkness.
I was still struck by the beauty of his eyes, so intense and yet tender. They were the kind of eyes that spoke of both pain and joy, of tribulation and laughter, of past sorrows yet promises for tomorrow.
At this close range, his strength and his power were more imposing. And yet, somehow I sensed I was as safe with him as I was with Curly.
Though he was nobility, I’d never met him in any of the social circles I was a part of when my father was alive. Of course, I’d still been too young at that time to participate fully in court life, and I’d been content to remain at home.
After Father died and the Duchess of Burgundy took over managing Rockland, I’d attended a few social events until I garnered more attention than her daughters and the duchess insisted on my absence. Even at those rare opportunities, I’d never seen him. Of that I was certain. He had a face a person would never forget.
“So, my lady.” His gaze roamed languidly, making me suddenly forget about the cold. “Ty said your request was urgent.”
As I’d climbed to the surface yesterday with our heavy loads of rocks, I managed to fall into step next to Ty during one wider stretch. I whispered to him that I needed to meet with Vilmar outside the infirmary right before the break of day. But now, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the request.
“Well?” His voice hinted at a smile. From his tone and the ease with which he spoke, he was clearly practiced around women.
I scrambled to come up with something. “I have not had the opportunity to thank you yet.”
“Yes, that is very urgent. I can see why you needed to meet so secretly for it.”
“It is urgent. Especially since you have chosen to ignore me at every turn.”
“I’ve chosen to keep my fingers and hands from being severed by your lover.”
“Lover?” The word came out on a note of horror.
“Curly.”
“Curly is not my lover,” I hissed. “He has gallantly taken it upon himself to act as my protector. That is all.”
“He fancies himself in love with you.”
“He is no more than a friend and brother. He cares about Molly.”
“I haven’t seen him with any other woman but you.”
“Molly is still in the infirmary.”
At the rumble of voices nearby, he stiffened.
I sensed we had little time remaining, and I forced my thoughts into a semblance of coherency. “In addition to thanking you for saving me on the bridge as well as rushing to aid us yesterday, I would be grateful if you would instruct me how to... kill with a knife.”
His lips stalled around his response, and his eyes widened.
“I need to begin training immediately.” I swallowed the bile that formed at the thought of taking a life and forced myself to focus on the plan I’d formulated before falling asleep last night. “Today when you see me leave the main drift, you must wait two minutes and then follow.”
He shook his head, his jaw tightening.
His protest matched the protest my father would have offered if he’d been alive. In fact, my father’s voice rebuked me as it had been for the past hour:“If you give way to violence and hatred, you will only breed bitterness.”But there was no other way to eliminate Grendel. “We shall not have long to train, but every little bit will help—”
“No.” His whisper was harsh. “I refuse to train anyone to kill—”
“Would you have me remain defenseless?”
My question gave him pause. As I’d anticipated, he was an empathetic man who could be moved by plight and pity. Although I had no intention of sharing my true plans, I needed to reveal enough to convince him. “I must learn how to slay my enemy, or I myself shall most certainly perish.”
