Page 329 of Historical Hotties
“Go and find Lady Gisella and Gannon,” he directed. “Bring them here now.”
Lucas nodded, eyeing his clearly unhappy cousin. “You are still to marry her?” he asked quietly.
Bastian nodded, realizing he was struggling against a full-blown temper tantrum. “Aye,” he grumbled. “Hurry and bring them here. I want to get this over with. I have more important duties to attend to.”
Lucas nodded once more and turned on his heel, heading down the lavish corridor they had traveled a few minutes earlier. At the end of the corridor was the great hall where the duchess’ decadent banquet was taking place. The closer he came, the more he realized that it was not laughter he heard but screaming, and he was startled as a white horse in yards of silver fabric bolted through the door and ran straight for him. Lucas was fast and able to corral the horse, a beautiful animal, but he could still hear screams from the banquet hall and drunken, disheveled people began spilling through the door.
Taking the horse to the front entry of the palace, he handed it off to a pair of startled servants before turning his attention back to the banquet hall, rather curious as to what he would find. As he appeared in the large doorway that led into the hall, all he could see was shambles and horse shite all over the golden, tiled floor, and somewhere in the center of the room he could clearly see the big form of Gannon.
And he had Gisella in his arms.
*
She hadn’t actuallybeen knocked unconscious but she was rather dazed, the wind having been knocked out of her when she fell and then aggravated when fat King Richard fell atop her. The next thing Gisella realized, Gannon was pulling her up off the floor.
“Gigi,” he gasped, his voice full of concern. “Are you injured?”
Gisella was hearing bells and the world rocked unsteadily. “I… I believe so,” she said, rubbing the bump on her head where it had hit the floor. Her careful hairstyle was unraveling. “What happened?”
Gannon was very careful with her as she tried to sit up. “The horse bolted,” he said, not wanting to admit he might have had something to do with it. “Can you walk?”
Gisella blinked, trying to stop the heaving room. “I think so,” she said. “Where is the horse?”
Gannon looked around the room. “I do not see it,” he said, reaching down to collect his sister in his arms. “Let me get you out of here.”
Gisella grasped him around the neck as he picked her up. “But that ismyhorse,” she said. “Where is he? I want my horse!”
Gannon wasn’t too concerned about the horse. He was more concerned with removing his sister from the mayhem. “I will find him,” he assured her, remembering the pristine white stallion. It was a magnificent beast. “Where did you get a horse like that?”
Gisella was looking around the room, too, trying to spy her animal. “He was a gift,” she said. Then, she noticed that therewas horse dung on her arms and hands. “I have horse droppings all over me!”
Gannon was trying not to slip on the floor as he made his way through the performers who were milling about, trying to help their injured comrades. “It never used to bother you when you were a child,” he teased her. “In fact, I remember quite clearly a young girl in the middle of the bailey of our family home, building castles with mud and horse dung.”
Gisella scowled at him, distracted from rubbing the bump on her head. “I was five years old and didn’t know any better,” she said. “Are you going to bring that up?”
Gannon grinned. “You were five years old, building great castles in the bailey of Lydford Castle with horse shite because it was steamy and warm,” he said. “Father let you do it and Mother had fits. Do you remember that part of it? Mother was so angry that she made Father bathe you even though he had business with a royal messenger from London. She made the messenger wait.”
Gisella was trying not to smile. “I do not remember that part,” she said, her hand still on the bump on her skull. “But I do know that the real power in our family is from Mama, not Papa.”
Gannon snorted in agreement. He was nearly to the hall doorway that led out into the corridors beyond when Lucas suddenly appeared, looking rather concerned by the state of the room.
“God’s Beard,” Lucas exclaimed. “What goes on here?”
Gannon shook his head. “Drunken guests and a runaway horse,” he said. “The combination can come to no good so I am, therefore, removing my sister. She is injured.”
Lucas’ attention immediately turned to Gisella, who looked a bit pale. She was also covered in horse droppings. “Why does she have shite all over her?” he asked.
Gannon rolled his eyes at the man’s blunt question. “Because she was nearly killed,” he said. “Ask no more, for it does not matter. What matters is that I will take her back to her chamber where she can rest. I will also summon a physic to tend her head.”
Lucas grasped his arm before he could walk away. “You are taking her to Gloucester’s solar,” he informed him. “You have both been summoned.”
This time, Gisella spoke before Gannon could. “Why?” she demanded. “Did de Russe speak with him? Does he have something to say about our betrothal?”
Lucas nodded. “I would assume so,” he said. “You had better not keep Gloucester waiting.”
Gisella looked at her brother. “Put me down,” she told him. “I can walk. In fact, I would walk to the gates of Hell if it meant a reprieve from my betrothal to that man. Hurry, let us see what Gloucester has to say about it.”
Gannon carefully lowered her to the ground, holding on to her until she regained her balance. “I can attend for you,” he told her. “You have suffered a nasty fall. Why not retreat to your chamber? I will come and tell you what was said.”
