Page 27 of Historical Hotties
The cottage was in view of Edenthorpe Castle, the massive-walled bastion to the south, the white stones gleaming silvery beneath the moonglow. It sat on an elevated position, with forests to the east and west of it, but from the cottage, there was a clear field of vision across a wide-open meadow. With torches burning on the walls against the dark night, it made for an awesome sight.
Cassius was in full battle gear, lingering on the edge of the line of men around the cottage. Every now and then, the cold breeze would bring a scent of the pine trees that grew heavily in these parts. A nightbird would call, the screech filling the air, but that was nearly the only sound.
Cassius was starting to think that Darian had been wrong about Hagg.
He walked along the road, passing the line of Doncaster soldiers, as Argos plodded alongside him. The dog went everywhere he went, even to battle. In fact, the dog was a seasoned veteran as well as any old soldier. He may have been silly and clumsy, but he was smart when it came to sensing trouble. He’d also been known to sniff out an attack or ambush before it happened, and Cassius trusted the dog’s instincts. But even Argos was calm on this night.
Darian was standing at the mouth of the path that led to the front door of the cottage. He, too, was looking south at the great fortress of Edenthorpe in the distance, but he turned his attention to Cassius as the man came near.
“It is a cold night,” Cassius commented. “Men tend to stay close to their hearth and bed on nights like this.”
Darian’s blue eyes glimmered. “What you mean to say is that I was mad to think this was a ruse.”
Cassius fought off a grin. “You were simply being prudent,” he said. Then, he gestured to the cottage. “Does this kind of thing happen often?”
Darian turned to look at the small, neat home. “You mean illness at this house?”
“I mean Lady Dacia being called forth to tend the sick.”
Darian nodded. “As she said, it is expected of her,” he said. “She was being humble when she said she only knew a little about healing. The truth is that she knows a great deal. She had a teacher for years, a former priest from Rome, who taughther many things, a knowledge of healing potions included. She knows more than most physics.”
Cassius looked at him. “Impressive,” he said. “Then she is a lady of skill.”
Darian snorted softly. “Skill is where she begins,” he said. “Where she ends, it is not yet known.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that she speaks several languages,” Darian said, leaning against the stone wall that surrounded the cottage. “She can do mathematics better than I can. She sews, manages the household efficiently, paints beautifully, and can debate the bible and philosophy with the greatest scholars in England. Intelligent doesn’t even begin to describe her.”
Cassius stared at him. “And she is not yet married?” he asked, incredulous. “Why in the hell not? With talents like those, and the Doncaster dukedom, she should be the most sought-after bride in the country.”
Darian shrugged. “You would think so,” he said. “But… well, there are a few dynamics in play that prevent it.”
“Like what?”
Darian turned his attention back to the fortress in the distance, crossing his big arms thoughtfully. “When she was a young girl, she had a nurse who was convinced she was being marked by the devil because of the freckles across her face,” he said. “I know it sounds silly but, in these parts, the fear of Satan is a real thing. The freckles became more plentiful as Lady Dacia grew up and the nurse was convinced that she was just this side of being possessed. When that gets into a young girl’s mind, it is difficult to get it out.”
Cassius frowned. “Doesshethink she’s possessed?”
Darian shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “She never speaks of it. But she keeps herself covered. She has no real friends except for a petty cousin because when she was young, the girls fromthe village would whisper behind her back about the freckles on her face. Witch’s marks, they would call them. Truthfully, I think her cousin started those rumors, but it does not matter now. Thanks to that radical nurse and her cruel friends, she has learned to cover herself up, convinced she is just as ugly as they have said.”
Cassius grunted, shaking his head in disgust. “And she refuses suitors because of that?”
“Refuses them, rejects them, all of that,” Darian said. “It wasn’t as if she really had any, but anyone who has come to her grandfather with marital interest is sent away. The duke will not entertain any suitors for her.”
Cassius eyed him. “Don’t tell me that he thinks she is ugly,” he said. “She’s his heiress, for Christ’s sake. You would think he would simply select the best husband for her and force her to wed.”
Darian couldn’t disagree. “You would think so, except he doesn’t,” he said. “She refuses and he listens to her. He will not force her.”
“Does he not care?”
“I am not entirely certain,” Darian said pensively. “He loves her, but it is almost as if he has lost his will to do anything about her. The older he becomes, the most distant he becomes. I have not yet figured out why.”
“Resentment, mayhap?”
“It could be.”
Cassius scratched his neck, thinking on the lovely Dacia. While the situation shouldn’t concern him in the least, he found that it did. She was beautiful and witty. At least, he thought so. Hearing how educated and bright she was from Darian, he wasn’t surprised. It made her much more alluring to him. She seemed to be quite the perfect lady except for the fact thatin her childhood, someone had planted the seed that she was unattractive because of her freckles.
