Page 96 of Historical Hotties
Darian shook him to shut him up. “Nay,” he said. “Cassius,listen. Amata’s father, Sir Hugh, forced Amata to confess the lies she told about Dacia. Amata confessed it to the priests at St. George’s and to most of the village when they came to mass.They all know that the rumors against Dacia are untrue. Cass, her reputation is restored. Amata confessedeverything.”
Cassius just stared at him, his sotted mind trying to process everything. That was most definitely not what he had expected to hear.
“No more rumors that she stole me away from Amata?” he asked.
“Nay.”
“No rumors of a dead baby?”
“No more rumors.”
“Amata told the truth?”
“She did.”
Cassius blinked, appearing more sober than he had in days. “Then why did Dacia not send word to me?” he said. “I would have come back. I swear, I would have come back to her. All I want is to come back to her.”
“It only happened yesterday,” Darian said. “I came as soon as I could.”
“But… but you said Dacia may be dying? What happened?”
Darian sighed again, this time with pain in his expression. “It was an accident,” he said, squeezing Cassius’ arm in sympathy. “Her maid was supposed to give her sleeping powders but accidentally gave her a poison. You must come back to Edenthorpe, Cass. Dacia needs you.”
Coming from the man who had hoped to marry Dacia, once, it was a bittersweet moment for Darian as well as for Cassius. In fact, Cassius put his hand on Darian’s cheek, perhaps a silent acknowledgement of Darian’s selflessness in the situation. Even through his drunken haze, he knew that. He could see a brave man before him. But that was as much as Cassius could do before he was on his feet.
“I am going now,” he said. “Rhori, have the tavernkeeper bring back that putrid boiled juice. Anything to help flush the ale out of my veins. And get the horses saddled.”
Rhori was moving for the chamber where Bose had just finished having his way with the serving wench. He threw open the door, startling them both.
“Bose,” he barked. “On your feet. We are returning to Doncaster immediately.”
Bose was laying in the bed, fully dressed with the exception of his breeches being around his knees.
“Why?” he demanded. “What is happening?”
“De Lohr is here.”
Bose’s expression darkened. “Cass does not need to return, Rhori. He’ll only find heartache there.”
Rhori’s gaze lingered on him. “More than you know,” he said. “De Lohr says Lady Dacia may be dying. We must go.”
He didn’t need to say another word. Bose was already flying into action.
Within the hour, they were heading for Doncaster.
CHAPTER TWENTY
It was abouttwenty miles from Pontefract to Doncaster, so not a terribly long distance in the grand scheme of things. But to Cassius, it seemed like a lifetime.
Time was moving so very slowly.
They’d departed Pontefract in the early afternoon, riding hard south, but not hard enough because the horses from Doncaster had already made that trek and were tired, so the men didn’t push them too much.
Cassius couldn’t push too much, either– Old Man was fat and lazy from having spent over a week eating and sleeping, and Argos was running alongside, which wasn’t something the dog normally did. About halfway into their ride, Cassius had to stop and pick the dog up. He handed the animal over to Rhori, who kept the dog in front of him as they continued down the road.
But exhausted horses, and fat horses, made for a slower journey then Cassius had hoped for.
It was late afternoon when the lands of Doncaster began to come into view. The meadows were green, the trees tall and proud and fresh, and Cassius had a strange feeling that he was coming home again. In just the few days he had been atDoncaster, less than two weeks to be truthful, he felt something for the place because it belonged to Dacia. As she had said, shewasDoncaster.
