Page 6 of Always
“The princesses are gone,” she said. But even as she motioned at me to leave, one of the satchels on the floor echoed with a tiny cry.
In two strides, I was beside the bag, staring down at a tiny swaddled infant tucked securely inside amidst a bed of soft blankets and clothing. Her red face contorted with what appeared to be anger. Could a babe be angry? About what?
The infant gave another squall louder than the last.
I stepped back, uneasiness swirling around my gut. I could handle the most vicious of Saracens and the toughest Dane. But manage a newborn babe? What had I gotten myself into?
“You must be away,” Baldric urged behind me. “Before you’re discovered.”
Once again, my training overrode my emotions. I grabbed the satchel, but before my fingers could close around the handles, the young noblewoman unsheathed a knife from under her cloak and pointed it at me. “Unhand the bag and I will do you no harm.”
Her fingers trembled, a clear sign she’d never had to use a knife before, that she wouldn’t know how to hurt me with it even if she tried. And she apparently didn’t know I could have knocked it out of her hand the moment she unsheathed it and slit her throat in the same motion.
“Your ladyship,” I said, trying to keep the irritation from my voice. “Before his death, the king tasked me with taking the princesses to safety.”
“And the queen tasked me likewise.”
“Now that I’m here, I release you from your duty.”
“I release you from yours.” Her tone turned to iron. She had authority over me, and I had none over her. And we both knew it.
I couldn’t stop myself from lifting my gaze to hers, even though such direct eye contact was disrespectful. Perhaps my defiance came from having already dismissed etiquette with the king. Whatever the case, I found myself peering into a pair of stunning eyes—a striking green that rivaled pure emeralds. They were arresting, almost mesmerizing in their beauty. But there was something deeper lurking beneath the surface, something that told me this woman wouldn’t be easily swayed from her mission.
Chapter
3
Felicia
The young knightstared at me much too boldly. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time a king’s guard or any servant had ever dared to look at me. I ought to rebuke him, perhaps even report him. But at the cry that came from the satchel, I shifted my attention.
“How long before the sleeping tonic takes effect?” I asked as I took several more bottles of milk from the wet nurse. I’d already packed half a dozen into the bottom of one satchel and needed a supply for the other princess.
“A few more minutes, your ladyship,” answered the maidservant who’d administered the sleeping aid. “Already the older princess is asleep. The younger princess will be soon enough.”
The queen had previously chosen several names in preparation for either a boy or girl. I’d taken the top two girl names from her list. I’d decided to call the firstborn Maribel and the other twin Emmeline. Then I’d burned the list and decided I would tell no one the names, at least until I knew the princesses were safe.
I’d had to push aside my feelings of guilt for naming them without a priest and without the proper ceremony. But I was rushed to ensure I left with the necessities, much less the proprieties. Thankfully, the male servant I’d called had been able to take two rubies from the queen’s crown, and I’d tucked them away in my pocket.
“I’ve no time to wait for medicine to set in,” the knight said with a sharp glance at his companion, who was taller and wider. The two wore long hauberks as well as hoods and mantles of the same tightly riveted metal rings. Bright crimson splatters mingled with darker brown, adding to the filth that coated them and lined their faces. Only then did I notice their drawn swords slathered in fresh blood. I’d heard the screams within the castle and had prayed the enemy wasn’t already inside. Had I finally run out of time?
My heartbeat pattered with the same apprehension that had been my companion since the queen garnered my vow.
“Retrieve the rest of the bottles,” I ordered the nearest servant, who rushed into the antechamber where the wet nurse had been busy pouring milk into the bottles as rapidly as she could. “I need more blankets,” I said to another maid.
Before I could stop the knight, he picked up both satchels. “I’m taking the babies now.” Then without waiting for my approval, he stalked from the room, his companion following him.
“Halt this instant,” I called after him in what I hoped was my most severe and haughty tone. But he kept going, speeding his pace into a jog.
I grabbed the remaining blankets and bottles from the servants, wrapped them together, and then dashed to catch up with the knights. They were in the hallway and had started running.
“Stop!” I called, my voice echoing in the eerily empty passageway.
The first of the young knights—the one carrying the satchels—tossed a glance over his shoulder. It was filled with irritation, the same I’d witnessed before. “Stay in the queen’s chambers. You’ll be safest there.”
“I shall not abandon my vow.”
“You’ll only slow my efforts to save the princesses.”
