The Lady of Fairhaven (17 page)

As she neared the top she heard a ruffling noise. One quick look down reassured her that her wolf was still standing guard below. As her hands reached out she saw a blur and pulled her hand back. A snarling set of fangs snapped, almost catching her hands in its grasp. But because of the straps, Gillian was unable to grasp the rock. She immediately fell the five feet to the ledge below letting out a terrified scream as she went. Because of the ledges size, Gillian was able to land and stop herself from rolling off.

Too tired and sore to move, Gillian covered her body with her blankets and prepared to wait out the wolves and fall asleep. Although her bruises were troubling she was still alive and for that she would remain thankful. If she lived through the cold on the unprotected side of a mountain without food and water this night she could survive.

The rush of energy and fear supplied from escaping the wolf released her from the pain of stretching and pulling herself up the cliff. Once settled equidistant between rim and base, her exhaustion, pain, and fear flooded back nearly overwhelming her.

Dog heard the hint of a cry that had traveled through the clear evening air. He sat up and growled. Luke sensed the Dog’s unease. “What is it Dog?” The animal barked and moved north toward the source of the sound.

Luke was convinced he too had heard something far off in the distance. But he attributed it to wishful thinking. Could he jeopardize Gillian’s welfare by wishing too hard? Hearing noises and seeing tracks that were not there could be as dangerous as missing a sign.

Dog had run off into the night barking and growling. Impossible to follow the animal in such poor light, he was forced to hope that Dog would find the lady and return to get help for her. There was a subtle relief in knowing Dog might be able to provide some comfort. The animal could be heard for a long time. It was difficult to determine how far away he was since the clear air seemed to magnify the sounds in the night.

By morning the frustration that had settled over Luke had only managed to multiply. It was a good thing that he was not plagued by Lady Katherine, for he wished to severely hurt the woman for causing Gillian to be caught out like this.

In the middle of the night, Luke felt the chill of the evening creep around him. It was very cold. He put additional wood onto the fire to build it up. The warmth of the higher flames kept the discomfort of the cold away. The simple act of tending the fire made him realize how vulnerable Gillian would be to the weather on a night like this. At least he could be glad she was not sitting in the rain.

Dog at first ran in the direction of his mistress’ scream. Her scent was strong and it was easy to track her path. He ran as fast as he could to reach her. Before he located her he picked up another scent, one that smelled dangerous.

When the scent of his mistress was the strongest, another smell mingled with hers. He could smell her fear and it put him on alert. Sitting waiting in the dark was a large animal. Not his size but large enough to put up a good fight.

Dog seemed ready for a fight. Every time there was trouble, he was called off. Hunting was what he loved, and what he was good at. Tonight he would hunt and win.

By the time the sun rose over the horizon an injured but victorious Dog made his way back to Luke’s camp. Each step hurt on his front left paw.

Luke saw Dog enter the encampment as they were ready to mount up and continue on their quest at dawn.

“
God’s wounds Dog, what have you been up to?” Luke said as he bent over the injured animal. “Something got you pretty good boy. Let me wrap it up and don’t bite. I know you’ll want to. You found her, didn’t you?”

Dog licked Luke’s hand once, then put his head down while his bad leg was tended. It took only a few minutes to apply cloth strips to the animal’s leg. And then as if satisfied with his situation, Dog barked once and limped back out the way he had come.

In no time, the animal had covered the distance back to his mistress and the scene of the bloody fight. On the ground lay two large dead wolves. Each were ripped open and bloody. Nearby were the pups that had been killed as well. Dog had removed all possible threat before returning for help.

Luke knew Dog wasn’t human in his thinking but his sense of protectiveness for the Lady Gillian almost seemed that way. Dog barked up at his mistress, but she did not move.

“
Lady Gillian, wake up,” Luke called out as he climbed up the few feet to the ledge.

She made no sign of moving, in fact she appeared to be dead. Luke’s fear took on unnatural proportions, but he had to reach her. He had to hold her. With one touch Gillian stirred. It wasn’t a large movement at first but it signaled that she was still responsive. At last she sat on the ledge and eased herself off into the arms of two knights waiting below. Before traveling on, she had to be tended.

Touching the soft skin on her neck, Luke felt her heartbeat keeping her alive, if only barely. He snapped orders to his men. Simon started a fire and John gathered forest litter for a bed, and Gerhard fetched water. Everyone took on a task to help the lady.

“
I’m so cold,” she whispered. Then the slight shivers she fought off increased. Luke wrapped the blankets, he found on the ledge, around her, and gathered a few more from the men’s packs.

Within a few minutes the men had made a weak warm broth of boiled dried meat. They added a touch of wine that would warm her from the inside out and provide some nourishment. Dog snuggled next to her legs warming them.

The knight bent his head and buried it next to her sleeping face. He kissed the soft flesh of her cheek, thankful to have found her alive. He had no idea how much the thought of losing her might affect him. He had never needed anyone this much.

After some time, Gillian was roused awake and made to take in some more sustenance. She was feeling much stronger after having been warmed and fed. She had no lasting injuries from the past days.

The combination of all the ministrations calmed the severe shivering and teeth chattering. And before midday, Luke had lifted Gillian into the saddle in front of him and they were swiftly making their way back to Fairhaven.

Gillian snuggled against Luke on the trip back. Her blanket hid the way she held his hands holding the reins against her stomach. She nuzzled the top of her head against the soft hollow of his neck. Sitting together, with the gentle rocking of the destrier’s gait, felt so right.

The men were on their guard. Gillian had become the object of a plot and as her abductor had said, many men might be looking for the chance to collect the money. Once back at the original camp the men collected the brigand responsible for the kidnapping. He was shivering with cold, and hungry. Luke and the men had no care for his problems. They offered him the warmth of the fire but gave Gillian all the extra blankets.

As they made camp for the night, Luke fed her bread soaked in beef broth. It was the first real meal she had attempted and slowly she forced it all down. She had gone long enough without food that her body no longer cared about it, but Luke had coaxed down every bite.

The hardest part was sleeping in the dark. A fear of the dark had developed and the prospect of sleeping alone in the outdoors was mind freezing. She scolded herself for her stupid childish insecurities, but in the end could not overcome them.

Luke moved away to make his bed and her body trembled with the fear that engulfed her. A sense of loss clawed at her insides. Her mouth opened to speak but no words would come out. She watched him from a distance. For a moment the panic of losing the closeness of him and the enveloping blackness of night bubbled up in her throat.

Gillian cried out. “Luke, please I know it isn’t right, nor proper, but the darkness closes in around me and I find myself so frightened of it. Please stay close to me tonight. Please I don’t think I could bear another night alone.” There had been only a small slice of moon for the previous nights and this evening, the moon must have already set. The sky was bright only with the tiny dots of far away stars.

There was no way Luke could deny such a request. Simon only smiled. He knew the inquiry was innocently made, but he could also see that Luke was responding like a man, and it would prove difficult for him to sleep. Gillian patted the ground on her far side, moving Dog from where she would have Luke set his bed. Dog licked her hand.

Gillian was placed near the fire, with a promise that it would be tended all night long. She didn’t know that a guard was posted as well. Having the brigands roaming about that was part of the kidnapping plot was not assuring. He would hold her close and keep her secure and warm.

The night was as long as he knew it would be. Holding her near was more strain than a man should have to bear. It seemed his lust forced his entire blood supply to his loins. God how he wanted her, but she was promised to another, to his father. His honor and hers were assured.

Gillian clutched at Luke’s wide shoulders and drew him close. Burying her head under his chin, she breathed in the smell of him. Her need to feel safe and loved in his embrace was overpowering all reason she might possess to protect her heart.

Unable to dismiss his feelings for her, the knight clung to his lady. If only she could be his. Finally the stark reality of their relationship tunneled through his raw emotions and forced him to reluctantly withdraw from her embrace. It was clear to him that his lust and bitter disappointment at not having her would endure.

Gillian leaned into Luke’s body. Although his leather armor was cold and hard, the protection provided a sense of security and safety she had grown to love as much as the man that inspired it. As the two jostled together to the cadence of the horse, she found herself wishing Luke was the man with whom she would raise a family.

The match with his father had already been made, but she dreamed fanciful dreams of being held in Luke’s arms. This feeling of vulnerability made it difficult for Gillian to imagine a life without Luke by her side. In order to rid herself of these misplaced yearnings, Gillian dwelt only on the facts at hand. She was being chased by men who wanted to kill her and this young night was only here to protect her. Having warded off the guilt of loving her future husband’s son, Gillian enjoyed the few hours in the saddle before the group stopped for the noonday meal. Lush patches of grass in the open areas had grown knee high. It was a comfortable afternoon with the sun breaking through the limbs of the trees. The giant tree trunks stood thick and tall as though preserved in stone throughout time. Deeper into the woods the shadows blocked most of the sunlight, creating a dark world. Gillian started off in the direction of one of the streams that seemed to crisscross every mile of this country. Determined to provide protection, Luke followed along.

“
I am sorry for not bringing Buttercup to fetch you home, Gill,” Luke said as he caught up to her. “I believe she would have enjoyed the exercise.”

“
Yes, I believe she might at that, but I am surprised you would suggest you might possess some small measure of trust in me where she is concerned. She had been so badly frightened when I last rode her.”

There was a mild irritation in Luke’s voice as he said, “That of course was not of your doing. If she had been hurt, it would not have been at your hands, and I believe you must understand that. I insist that you rest easy on that account.” Luke was amazed how this woman could hold onto the guilt when it was clearly the work of some passing outlaw band.

As they walked in silence, Luke shuddered at his recollection of how he worried over her disappearance. Finally, unable to hold in his feelings any longer, he said, “I must confess, I was sufficiently worried about your current well being that I merely overlooked bringing Buttercup for you to ride.”

“
Indeed I had my own misgivings that I would be recovered. In truth, when I awoke alone in the woods, I had doubts that I had survived. The pain from the drugged tea and the total darkness convinced me I had died and was in some hellish residence.”

Relieved by her humor, Luke chuckled at her words and then said, “My dearest Gill, however did you come to think you could ever deserve hell as your fate?”

“
I’m afraid I have many faults, Sir. I should have thought they have become quite apparent, as you have known me. As the days have passed I have worried that you would convince your father that I am not a suitable match.”

“
And those faults would include what? Perhaps you killed a spider on your last walk through the woods,” Luke said jokingly. He had never seen such a sweet and gentle spirit embodied in one person before, and here she was confessing as if she had sins weighing her down. “Let me see, your sin could be your failure to pray as faithfully for your uncle as you might think necessary to absolve him of his wicked ways.”

Gillian’s spine stiffened in response to his teasing. Sins to her were serious faults; faults that required patient correction and prayer. In her heart she knew she clung to sin without any intention of correcting her ways. And those remained unpardonable when she held repentance at bay.

“
I have my share of sins, Luke,” she reminded him. “I am, after all, human.”

“
And here I believed you to be an angel,” Luke whispered.

“
You tease me.”

Gently turning her to him, his eyes held hers. “I assure you I was most serious,” Luke said.