Immortal Love (17 page)

“This isn’t going to work,” Eleanor shouted.
“Go back and find Dominick.”

The woman nodded. Ethan moved closer to
Eleanor. “I will stay here Mama and watch Lady Eleanor.”

“No, Ethan! You will be more help to me if
you go and tell Lord Dominick where I am. You’re the oldest. You
can tell him how to get here directly. That way he will find me
faster.” She took Ethan’s hand. “I need you to do this for me.”

His lips quivered. “I will not let you down,
my lady.”

Eleanor felt both grateful and humbled by the
boy’s loyalty. “I know you won’t.”

He kissed her hand then took off leading his
mother and his siblings toward Godwin Castle.

Eleanor didn’t think it possible, but the
rain came down harder. It pelted her like shards of glass. She
struggled against the tree trunk, but the more she struggled, the
more trapped she became. She shivered from the cold. No longer
could she feel her hands and feet. Her hair clung to her face.

She prayed Dominick
would find her soon, because the water was rising higher, and the
strain of keeping her head out of the mud and rising puddles was
exhausting her. If she didn't keep struggling, however, she knew
she would drown.

D
ominick felt
Isolde’s presence before he saw her. He had been putting a final
board across a shuttered window when he turned and saw the
apparition that had become so familiar. The bottom dropped out of
his stomach, for the last two times Isolde had visite, he found
Eleanor in trouble.

This time the ghost didn’t disappear right
away. Worry lines creased her eyes as she reached out her hand. He
resisted the urge to step back as she floated toward him. Her icy
touch sent a chill down his spine, and an image came into his mind.
Eleanor was near the stream, and trapped by a fallen tree. His eyes
opened in alarm. The apparition was gone.

Just then he heard a child call to him.

“My lord . . . My lord!” Ethan ran to him,
out of breath. “My lord, Lady Eleanor, she’s trapped beside the
stream.” He pulled on Dominick’s arm. “Come, we have to save
her.”

Ruth and her other two children caught up
with them. “My lord, we tried to help her but the tree was too
heavy, and she’s stuck deeply in the mud.” Panic filled him, but he
kept it contained and focused on what he had to do to save his
wife. He bent down to Ethan. ”Where exactly is she?”

“Just past where the stream bends away from
the castle.”

The winds were getting even stronger, and
Dominick had to shout his orders to the boy and his mother. “Find
my brother and Lord Erik. Tell them exactly where Eleanor can be
found and have them meet me there. Then go inside and wait until I
return.”

The boy turned and headed toward the castle
to find Randolf and Erik. His mother and the other two children
followed.

Dominick ran to the stables. He didn’t bother
to saddle Aries. Riding bareback he headed out the castle gates
toward the forest. The wind howled around him, and the rain pelted
his body, but horse and rider moved forward. All the while, the
image of Eleanor trapped under the tree terrified him. His heart
hammered with fear that he might be too late.

The mud made a sucking sound as his horse’s
hooves sank into the ground. Water dripped down his face. Dominick
barely felt the cold wind as it beat at his back. The weather was
becoming increasingly violent, yet Aries never wavered, even when
lightning lit up the sky and thunder roared. He, like his master,
had known many battles. They made their way across the field and
into the forest.

Aries slipped on the wet leaf-covered ground
from time to time threatening to topple them over. They descended
the hill toward the stream. Progress toward Eleanor was
excruciatingly slow. Dominick’s knees clenched tight on the horse’s
flanks. He shouted Eleanor’s name, but the wind’s fury sucked his
shouts into oblivion. It was getting darker, making it difficult to
see.

The gown she wore would make her blend with
the surroundings. It would be difficult to find her. Lightning
flashed again and he caught sight of Eleanor’s alabaster skin.

Quickly, he moved Aries across the stream. As
he jumped down, she reached out for him. Her hands were alarmingly
cold.

“Y—you f—found me.” Her words came out in
sobbed relief between chattering teeth. Her whole body shook from
the cold.

“Thanks to Ethan,” he shouted above the
storm. He knew if he didn’t get her out soon, she would drown or
die from exposure. "Are you injured? “When she shook her head "no",
the knot in his chest loosened, and he put his hands underneath her
arms and tried to pull her out.

She let out a loud yelp. “Dominick, it’s not
working you’re going to pull me in half!”

He released her immediately then looked down
at the trunk of the tree. “I will lift this log, and you can push
your way out from under it.”

She nodded.

His great arms circled the large limb. But
when he lifted it, he sank deeper in the mud and the trunk rose
only slightly. Even if the tree could be raised, he was sure she
didn’t have the strength to get out of the sucking mud.

“Damnation!” he shouted.

Eleanor held up her hands to keep the rain
from pelting her face. Leaning over her, he shielded her from the
assault. “Randolf should be here soon.” His heart beat frantically
in his chest, as he hoped it would be soon enough.

Taking her shivering hands, he placed them
under his tunic against his chest to warm them. The frozen fingers
reminded him of Isolde’s ghostly touch.

"Turn your head sideways," he said, and then
let the side of her face rest in his palm, which he used to keep
her head out of the mud and water. Over the roar of the storm he
heard Randolf’s call, and overwhelming relief rushed through
him.

He shouted back, then looked at Eleanor. “We
will have you out of here soon.” Continuing to shield her from the
rain, Randolf and Erik made their way toward them.

His brother kneeled over her. “How on earth
did this happen?”

Eleanor’s teeth chattered. “L—lightning
sp—split the tree.”

Dominick quickly moved into action. “Erik, I
think if you and I lifted the trunk, Randolf could pull her out of
the mud.

Without a word Erik crossed to the other side
of the trunk, positioning himself on the opposite side of Dominick.
Randolf wrapped his arms around Eleanor, readying himself to drag
her out as soon as the log was lifted.

With both arms around the tree, Dominick
braced himself. “On the count of three. One . . . two . . .
three.”

The trunk slowly lifted off Eleanor’s middle.
Randolf pulled her from under it, then Dominick and Erik let
go.

Dominick leapt over to her, taking her hands.
“We have to get you back to the castle.” Dominick whistled to his
horse, and mounted when Aries walked over to them. Randolf lifted
Eleanor into his arms. He placed her in front of him, holding her
tight, hoping his warmth would penetrate the chill.

Randolf and Erik led the way back to Godwin.
The storm had gotten stronger by the time they reached the castle
gate. Once inside, Martha and Zenon met them with blankets,
wrapping them tightly around the rescue party.

“A warm bath has been sent up to your
chambers,” Martha said.

“Thank you.” Dominick carried Eleanor
upstairs. A fire glowed brightly in the hearth, and the bed robes
had been turned down.

He started to unlace her mud-soaked gown when
she began to protest. “Dominick, I’m not a child. I can undress
myself.” She raised her shaking hands to the laces, but her fingers
were too numb to untie them.

Impatiently, Dominick pushed her hands away.
“You’re half frozen to death. It will be quicker if I help.”

She stilled her resistance. Her body shook
violently.

He no longer had the patience to unravel the
complicated lacing. “Eleanor, your gown is too wet to come undone.”
With that he tore it down the back and unwrapped the cold rag from
her.

Eleanor let out a small yelp but felt
relieved the garment was finally off. What was left was her
chemise. Its saturated material clung to her like a second skin.
When Dominick bent to pull the garment off her, she said,
“Dominick, no,” in protest.

He ignored her and slipped the soggy gown
over her head. Her hands quickly covered her breasts. Picking her
up, he lowered her into the tub. While she settled into the warm
water, he added more logs to the fire. Her shaking stopped, and her
body began to relax. Gently, he washed the mud out of her hair.

“Let’s get you to bed.” He wrapped her in the
sable mantle, then carried her to the bed, pulling the robes over
her and tucked them in tight.

There was a knock at the door. Dominick
opened it to Martha, who carried a pot of hot cider and two bowls
of steaming stew.

“I thought the two of you could use some nice
hot food to warm you up.”

“Thank you, Martha,” he said.

“It’s I that should be thankin',” the older
woman stated, moving directly to Eleanor.

She touched her mistress’s face to check for
fever then took one of the drying cloths from the back of a chair
sitting near the hearth and wrapped it around Eleanor’s wet
hair.

“You have a spot of cider and food to warm up
your insides, and you will be good as new.”

“I will. I just need to get a little warmer
before I move.” Eleanor said, her teeth still clenched.

Martha turned toward Dominick. “You better
get yourself out of those wet clothes, my lord, before you catch
yer death.”

Dominick appreciated that the elder woman’s
protectiveness for Eleanor had spread to him. “I will. I’m just
going to make sure Eleanor is settled.”

“A lot of good yer going to do for her. Cold
and dripping all over.” She pointed toward a bundle of clothes
folded near the hearth. “There is a warm tunic and breeches over
there. I suggest the next thing you do is change your clothes and
eat that stew before it gets cold.” She started out. “I will check
on you later this evening.” Then she closed the door behind
her.

After she was gone, Dominick gave in to the
cold that seeped through his skin. He quickly peeled his wet
clothes off, used a drying cloth, and dressed in the warm clothing.
Once dry and warm he poured both of them cider. Carrying the mugs
to the bed, he helped Eleanor to sit and take a cup.

Gratefully, she sipped the steamy liquid. Her
eyes glowed with appreciation. “Thank you.” She looked at him in a
way that he could feel in the pit of his stomach. “Thank you for
coming after me. If you hadn’t found me, I would have
perished.”

As if to emphasize her point the wind rattled
the shuttered windows.

“You’re most welcome. Why were you out there
in the forest anyway?”

“Ruth’s children managed to get themselves
lost. I went with her to help find them.” She took another sip of
her cider. “When we found them the storm was getting worse. And you
know the rest.”

“I swear I’m going to tie those children to
their mother so they never get lost again.”

“It wasn’t her fault. They were supposed to
be taking a nap, not exploring the stream.”

“Curiosity that nearly got you killed.”

“I’m sure that wasn’t their plan.”

He said with some frustration. “I’m going to
have to make those boys pages just to keep them where they can be
seen,”

“Oh Dominick, that would be wonderful. They
need a man to guide them.”

“That leaves little Abigail. Hopefully Ruth
will be able to keep an eye on her.”

“That girl won’t keep herself out of trouble.
As long as I can remember, she has always been up to mischief. I’ve
seen her run Ruth ragged.”

“Well, together we should be able to think of
something.” He strode to the table and brought back the stew.
“Here, eat this. It might put some color back into your
cheeks.”

“Do I look that appalling?”

“You could never look anything but beautiful
to me, but I’m afraid the cold has robbed you of your pallor.”

Eleanor smiled and looked down into her stew.
He watched her as she began delicately eating. He knew he was
making her self-conscious but he had to reassure himself that she
was well.

After a while she said, “Dominick, thank you
again for coming after me.”

Dominick looked puzzled “What else would I
have done?"

She stirred her stew thoughtfully. “Many
noblemen consider their horses more important than their wives. If
a cow or a sheep were to wonder off in a storm, the master would go
after it. Not so with their wife.”

“I don’t consider you cattle, and I would
leave no one behind in a storm, especially my wife. Besides, I have
acted only as nobly as you have. You ran out into a storm to save
three children. Would you not consider that an act of bravery?”

“It’s not the same.”

“It’s exactly the same. Most noblewomen would
not have done what you did. You have a great heart.”

She reached out and touched his arm. “Thank
you for saying such a thing.”

His hand covered hers. “I only speak the
truth. “ He saw her lids droop slightly as she stifled a yawn. The
hot food and warm fire were working their magic and making her
drowsy. “Are you finished with this?” he said, as she handed him
the bowl.

He helped her lie down and tucked her back
into bed. Soon she was sound asleep.

The weight of the day and the fright of
nearly losing her to the storm were taking its toll.
Exhausted he
climbed underneath the bed robes beside
her. He tried not to think further about her being trapped in the
storm, but the images of her lying underneath the tree kept coming
to the forefront of his mind, twisting his insides. Isolde had
warned him a third time. He prayed he would not see her apparition
again, but as long as McPhearson and his spies were out there he
hoped Eleanor’s mother would stay close.