Page 101 of Historical Hotties
“They say that everything happens as it should,” Father Lazarus said quietly. “God has a plan for us all, my son. I think that mayhap Lady Dacia’s life happened the way it should because all of it seems to point to a great reward.”
Cassius looked at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Father Lazarus walked to the foot of the bed, his gaze moving to Dacia. “She was born with a face that some consider less than perfect,” he said. “I had a sister who had freckles like Lady Dacia, so I never saw anything strange in them. My sister was a beautiful woman, I think, and so did her husband. But she had to find the man who saw that beauty in her. It took time and tribulations for that to happen.”
A thought occurred to Cassius. “Then that is why you have been sympathetic to Dacia.”
Father Lazarus shrugged. “In a way,” he said. “I understand what a woman like her must suffer. I feel that it is the same with Lady Dacia as it was with my sister– she has been through tribulations. She has never had a suitor as far as I know. I heard she chased them all away, and it is a good thing, too. She would have never met you had she not, a man who sees the beauty in her. That is God’s plan for her, my son–youare her great reward.”
Cassius hadn’t thought of it that way. A smile creased his lips as he turned his attention back to Dacia, his hand on her forehead.
“As I told her, she is one of God’s most magnificent creatures,” he said. “I suppose she wore the veils for a reason.”
“She did. So she could reveal herself only to you.”
Cassius continued to look at her, kissing her hand. “I am the most fortunate man in England,” he said. “And you, Father… thank you for being her ally. She hasn’t had many.”
Father Lazarus nodded. “I know,” he said. “People can be cruel… and superstitious. But Dacia never failed to rise above it. She never lost her dignity.”
Cassius glanced at him. “Did Amata’s confession have the desired results, then?” he asked. “Do the villagers seem forgiving? Dacia loves Doncaster, you know. Even when the villagers turned against her, she would not leave. She has more loyalty to them than they have to her.”
Father Lazarus lifted his eyebrows as he averted his gaze. “I am afraid I was harsher with Lady Amata than I should have been,” he said. “That young woman has been wicked since she was a girl. There are many of us who could see what she was doing, but I am sorry to say that many of the villagers are weak-willed and easily swayed. Lady Amata could be persuasive.When her father finally forced her to confess her lies, Lady Amata told those attending vespers. When she came to matins this morning, her penitence was to stand in front of the church and tell everyone who passed that she had lied about Lady Dacia. She stood out there for two hours before I allowed her father to take her home.”
Cassius couldn’t even muster the strength to find that humorous. He saw it as a small bit of penitence in what should be a lifetime of penitence for Amata.
“For the pain she has caused, that is little comfort, but at least it is a start,” he said. “I do not think you were harsh at all, Father.”
“I’ve told her she must do it for the next month,” Father Lazarus said. “Every morning, she is to spend two hours in front of the church, telling everyone how she lied about Lady Dacia. If she does not, I will take a switch and beat her.”
“That sounds much better,” Cassius said firmly. “Next time, the people will not be so foolish as to believe her.Ifthere is a next time.”
Father Lazarus nodded. With someone like Amata de Branton, it was difficult to know what the future would bring. He almost didn’t care because, at the moment, there was a sick woman in front of him that he was concerned about.
A young woman that Amata had tried to destroy.
“I would like to pray for Lady Dacia now, if you will allow it,” he said. “May I?”
Cassius nodded, sitting against the bed in a way that had him leaning against the wall, but still holding Dacia’s hand. He had no intention of letting her go.
“Please,” he said. “But no last rites, Father. She is not dying.”
“Of course not, my lord.”
Cassius listened to the droning prayers for a few minutes before they lulled him into a deep, dreamless sleep.
*
Someone was snoring.
Loudly.
Dacia wasn’t sure how long she had been awake. She wasn’t even sure when she began to hear the snoring in her ear, louder than anything she had ever heard in her life. She lay there, eyes half-open, seeing her familiar chamber but hearing sounds that she had never heard coming from that chamber.
It took her a moment to realize there was more than one person snoring.
There were a few.
Blinking her crusty eyes, she opened them wider, turning her head slightly to look at her surroundings and immediately spied Argos sleeping next to her. In truth, he was partially sleeping on her, his legs on her torso as he burrowed against her.
