Page 33 of Beholden
I fixed my attention on the path that led down the mountain, and I went back over everything that had happened since Sir Lucan had come for her. He was an honorable man. I’d seen that from the first moment I’d met him. He and his men were well armed and certainly wouldn’t allow any danger to befall her during the journey ahead.
“Is she in peril?” I asked.
“It is not for me to say.” Of course, Ty was refraining from involving himself, the way he was supposed to. Only this time I didn’t want him to refrain.
“You sense something bad will happen to her.”
“You know I must not influence you.”
“This is different, Ty.” My voice dropped low even as my anger rose. “Her safety is more important than the Testing.”
He shifted to look at me and arched his brow.
“I care about her.” I admitted to something he already knew, especially since he’d witnessed our kiss. “I will put my Testing on hold if need be to ensure she makes it back to her home.”
He studied my face, then shook his head. “I have already done and said too much, and I must not interfere any further.”
With that he limped away. I watched him, my frustration building with each step he took. Gabriella would be fine. Even if the duchess made life difficult, at least she’d be free, and I’d no longer need to worry about her facing danger and death at every turn.
I would have to be satisfied with that.
Chapter
11
Gabriella
By dusk wedescended into the foothills of the Gemstone Mountain range. After the hours of traversing the narrow mountain trails, I was weary. I could only guess how exhausted Alice was as she slumped forward in the saddle in front of Benedict. The old manservant struggled to keep her from sliding off, but he was weak himself from the months of malnourishment.
A short while later, we entered a small town, and I insisted we stop for a meal at the tavern. Alice roused enough to eat but then fell asleep the moment she finished. Benedict began nodding off too.
At their exhaustion, I knew it was time to part ways and so secured a private room above the tavern for them. As soon as Alice and Benedict were slumbering, I slipped down the narrow stairway and approached the table where Sir Lucan and several other knights were sipping ale. The proprietor and his wife sat at another table with a few other customers, their loud chatter and laughter a welcome sound.
The room was dark with a cozy feel, lit only by the hearth fire and low candle stubs on each of the tables. The remnants of roasted game and rye lingered in the air. I could still taste the greasy pheasant leg and the thick, soft bread—a feast after the simple fare of hard rolls and fish we’d had the past months.
“My lady.” Sir Lucan smiled and rose, as did the other knights, who were familiar but whose names escaped my memory. Their faces were flushed from the heat inside the tavern, though a cool breeze wafted in from the open doorway.
“I am ready to leave. With all haste.”
As though sensing my resolve, he placed his mug on the table. “Tonight, my lady?”
“Now.”
“I thought you wanted to give Alice and Benedict the chance to rest.”
“They will rest, and I shall move on without them.” During the long hours of riding away from Slave Town, I’d had time to consider all the options, and as difficult as it would be, I had to leave Alice and Benedict behind. “Would you be so kind as to have one of your men guide them to Deerborne to live with my aunt’s family? There they will be safe from the wiles of the duchess.”
And they would also be far away from me and unable to interfere with my dangerous mission. For if they had the least indication of what I planned to do, they would lock me away and keep me from it.
Sir Lucan’s brow creased into worried lines. “Perhaps you should go to your aunt’s household as well, my lady.”
“Perhaps in time.” I doubted that would ever happen, but I couldn’t say so. “For now, I must make haste to Rockland.”
Midsummer’s Eve was only two days away. We had at least a full night’s hard ride ahead to reach Rockland. Once there, I would need hours to prepare for the ball, as well as time to travel to the royal residence in Kensington. We had not a minute to waste.
“If you’re sure, my lady.”
My thoughts returned to Vilmar and the picture of him watching me ride away. He’d stood so regally, his head held high, his shoulders straight, his bearing so bold and strong. Even though I sensed his relief in my leaving, I also noticed sadness in his countenance, a sadness that pierced my heart with the knowledge we would likely never see each other again.
