When Lightning Strikes (16 page)

She nodded and he stepped out of the wagon leaving her alone. She swallowed back the lump in her throat when she realized that it was the last time she would see him. No long drawn out goodbyes. No passionate kiss. Just a sweet grazing of the fingertips with his soft lips and he was gone. She would have time to cry later when she was safely away.

She quickly got dressed and looked around the wagon for any supplies she could take with her. She found a large knife hanging in one corner, one of his spare shirts and an empty water skin that she could fill when she went to the river…and of course, she held tight to the precious galbi that would take her home. This would have to do because she couldn’t carry much and make a hasty escape.

She parted the canvas and looked out. Dominic was nowhere to be seen. It was still very early and not many were
awake right now. Indiri and Marco maybe.

She slipped out of the wagon and began to slowly walk up to the top of the hill. A bath in the river would be a welcome relief. She hadn’t bathed in the two days since she got here! Hopefully, there would be no one at the river and she could get finished quickly and be on her way. It would have been nice to have a horse, but that was impossible.

Where would she go? She didn’t know but if she could make her way a few miles from here to a place where she could think and figure out what to do in safety, that would be fine.

She bathed quickly…the water was so cold she could hardly stand it, but she had to in order to get clean. She rinsed her hair over and over in the cold, clear water before running quickly to the shore to dry off and dress in the clothes Indiri had given her. Not the greatest walking attire, but it would have to do. God she was shivering! Thank God she also had Dominic’s shirt to try to help her keep warm. She would be counting the minutes until the sun was high enough in the sky to offer some warmth.

She would have to get far enough away to be able to build a fire tonight too. 
Groan.
How was she going
to start a fire?
They made it look easy in the movies, but starting a fire from scratch was almost impossible for the average person to do without a lot of training and practice. Maybe she would get lucky and come across some travelers who would allow her to make a torch to take with her or something. It wasn’t very practical, but it was a possibility to keep in mind.  She quickly filled the water skin before she began walking down the first of many hills through the long, tall grass towards…somewhere.

She took a long last look at the gypsy camp and at his wagon. Fresh tears threatened to spill from her lashes as she thought of his smile….his shining, raven hair and dark, smooth skin. That dimple in his cheek that made her
want to slap him. His lust for life and his sense of humor. His promise to keep her safe no matter what….and to love her. And those beautiful, crystal blue eyes that she would never look into again.

She began to run hoping her exertion would somehow ease her misery.Perhaps she would forget all of this when she
was safely back home in her own house and in her own bed. Not likely. She knew that of all the things that she had forgotten in her lifetime, this place, this time and Dominic wouldn’t be among them.

Chapter Seventeen

She was tired now. She had been walking for most of the morning and into the early afternoon before stopping very briefly to rest. At least she was warmer now. Her hair had dried and the sun had come out, driving away the chill of the morning air to the point where now she was a bit sweaty from the heat
.. But now the urgency to find a safe place later on when it got dark drove her on and she gathered up her things and began to walk once more.

On and off during her long trek she wondered where she should go and what she would do when she got there. She was afraid to go too far. Supposing the tree had something to do with what had brought her here? She knew for certain the galbi did. But what if she needed to be in the exact same location to return to her own time? She hoped that wasn’t the case.

There were some wooded areas not far ahead and she would stop there. There was plenty of shade, lots of greenery and hopefully a nearby source of water. No one could find her there with all the trees and underbrush. There had to be some kind of berries or plants that were edible and there certainly would be some kind of small game in there. The thought of killing something with nothing more than Dominic’s knife kind of made her sick, but she knew it was going to be necessary in order to survive this ordeal. If worse came to worse maybe she could find some kind of grubs to eat. The thought made her stomach turn.

She figured by her own estimation now that it must be around 3pm. She walked into the woods and felt instant relief from the heat of the sun burning down on her skin. It was lush and cool beneath the canopy of trees.

She opened the water skin and drank deeply then surveyed the area for some kind of edible bush. She hadn’t eaten anything since last night and after all that walking she felt like she would pass out! She spied a blackberry bush finally. She double and triple checked to make sure it looked exactly like the one that was in their backyard back home in Michigan before they moved to France. It definitely was. The berries were ripe and tasted so good she must have eaten half of the bush before she sat down to rest! At least it would sustain her until she could figure out what else she could eat.

God what she wouldn’t give for a hamburger right about now!
Or a nice bowl of Indiri’s stew.

Her stomach groaned
, reminding her of the delicious soup she had eaten last night. This was not going to be easy.

Well, she would just have to learn how to survive out here until she could figure out what to do. Perhaps it would start raining soon and she could go out and hope for lightning to strike her again! It wasn’t pleasant thinking of that searing pain, but if that’s what it took to get home, she was going to have to endure it.

She took another drink from the water skin and decided to find a safe place beneath a tree or bush to lie down and rest. She had gotten up so early this morning and she was feeling the fatigue now after all that walking in the sun. She spied a small hill that seemed to be made of rocks with an overhang. It looked safe and well-hidden. A short nap would ease her tiredness so she could think.

She walked over cautiously and after carefully checking for snakes and any large spiders, she threw down large handfuls of pine needles to
lay on. They were softer than laying on the hard ground. She covered up with Dominic’s shirt and within moments she was fast asleep.

Just a short distance away in the de Lyonne keep, Navarre awoke from his sleep. He had been dreaming a wonderful dream in which he had just killed Thomas and inherited his estate. He was rich beyond imagination. He was rid of Melissande and was figuring out a way to get rid of his mother too! Everything was his. In the not too distant future it would no longer be a dream, but a reality. Navarre smiled.

A knock at his door roused him from his fantasy world.

“Navarre? May I come in?”

It was Thomas no doubt returning with the sad news that the lady in Dominic’s camp was nothing more than some peasant or some maiden that du Barbaronne had lured to his camp to ravish.

“Navarre! The men have returned from the village once more. I sent them back out to find out if anyone knew what the lady in Dominic’s camp looks like.”

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the sides with his joy.

“The lady in the gypsy camp is tall with long golden tresses and golden eyes as well. It must be her! There is no other with eyes like that.”

Navarre’s face remained an emotionless mask though he felt as though he was losing his mind. This was some imposter. Was she a spy? Had someone seen him kill his wife and now found a look-alike to threaten him in some way? Or, what if it was witchcraft of some kind?

“Are you well? You look quite pallid. You have had no sign of fever and I presumed you were ready to go and retrieve her.” A look of concern crossed his face as he spoke.

“I am fine. I just cannot believe that they have found her.” His jaw twitched as he straightened his shirt and recomposed himself. “Actually, I am quite well and believe me…I am ready to see her.”

That was no lie. Now his interest was piqued to the degree of madness. Who was this woman pretending to be Melissande and what was she up to? He would indeed find out and he would make her pay for ruining his beautiful plan to inherit Melissande’s money and land. He would of course have to bide his time as too many little mishaps in succession would look suspicious. But time was on his side. He would wait and when the time was right she would pay just as the real Melissande had.

This might even prove to be a fun little game. Bring her here and torture her before her next unfortunate ‘accident’.

“I am going back downstairs,” Thomas said enthusiastically. “Meet me in the solar when you are ready to take leave.” He paused for a moment.

“You will take care not to be rough on her this eve as she has been through much. I know how it can be when feelings of the heart and body take over…especially after thinking you had lost her.”

“Yes! Yes, of course, father. I will go gently with her. Why would you even suggest otherwise?”

Thomas nodded before leaving the room and heading for the stairs.

Navarre slammed his fist down on the bed. He got up and dressed himself in one of his finer shirts. He needed to look his best after all, when he retrieved his ‘wife’ now wouldn’t he?

He grabbed his sword and sheathed it in its scabbard before walking out of the heavy oak door and slamming it behind him.

The men were already assembled in the courtyard ready to ride out, and after a brief greeting, Navarre mounted his black horse and they headed out of the gates towards the camp of Dominic du Barbaronne.

Chapter Eighteen

Sarah awoke from her fitful sleep. The temperature was already dropping rapidly even though it was not completely dark yet.

Dear God, she wished she had a blanket! The sun would eventually dip below the horizon and she had no fire, no way to build one and there would be no hunting for food now. She was going to just have to lie down here and try to keep from freezing until morning.

She shivered with the cold as tiredness began to set in again. She wondered if she was suffering from slight hypothermia. It was spring, and the days were warm, but the temperatures at night dropped without warning to a very uncomfortable low. Maybe she should get up and move around to keep her circulation going. She got up, relieved herself in the bushes and began jogging around until her fingers no longer felt icy. But she was still starving. And she knew she couldn’t just run around in circles all night.

Then there were predators that came out after dark to worry about…particularly wolves. She didn’t know what else would be lurking around out here, but the thought scared the shit out of her.

She sat down as a single tear escaped and fell down her cheek. She angrily wiped it away…she couldn’t let her emotions take over because she needed to be clear headed if she was going to survive out here. But this was not working out the way she had hoped. She wished now that she had just stayed back in the camp where it was at least warm and there was food. She had no useful weapons, no blankets…not even the barest of necessities to get by on.

She plunked back down on the ground on her bed of pine needles and before long succumbed to the sleep that beckoned afraid that she may not wake up, but unable to fight it off any longer.

In her dream, she was walking down the aisle…in her wedding dress. The music was playing and it was warm and beautiful outside she walked with David, side by side. She reached out to touch his arm, but David’s face had changed and she was staring up at Dominic. She could barely remember what David even looked like. Then the dream began to change…it was warm and the air smelled so fresh and clean. The pillow beneath her head was soft and she was back in Dominic’s wagon wrapped in his embrace. She could smell Indiri’s stew cooking over the fire and it felt so like…home.

She was jolted fully wake when she realized
she was in fact warm and there was a fire!
The sky was pink with the first light of the morning, and a pretty brown mare was tied to a nearby bush happily grazing. A familiar arm was wrapped around her.

Oh, my God. Am I still dreaming?
She sat up with a start. This was no dream. She was no longer freezing and Dominic was lying beside her beneath a warm, woven blanket.

“What are you doing here?!” She yelled at him in a voice loud enough to wake the dead. “How did you find me?”

She wanted to kick him hard. She wanted to kick herself even harder.

“You have ruined everything!”

She really didn’t know what else to say to him which made her feel like a total idiot. She hated him for wrecking her plan and yet she wanted to kiss his lips long and hard and to tell him she loved him and never let him go. Not to mention faint with relief that he had somehow built a fire and brought blankets!
How in God’s name did he build a fire?
She would have to have him show her. She hoped he had some food.

Dominic opened his tired blue eyes and looked up at the face of the woman he loved.
The woman who was now screaming at the top of her lungs with an expression like she wished he were dead.

He sat up slowly and without a word, pulled her into his arms. She stopped yelling a moment later and began sobbing. He pulled her back from him and wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb and kissed her swollen lips before pulling her back to his chest. He held her there in silence for a long time

Finally she pushed back from him a little bit before she spoke. “How did you find me? Why did you come here?”

His brow wrinkled. “Is that all you can say? Are you not even glad to see me?” His voice was very quiet and yet he sounded slightly amused…and tired.

“Of course I’m happy to see you, you idiot! I think I am falling in love with you.” The words came in a whisper. There. So she said it. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and stared at the ground.

“Was that so awful to say? Sarah…..Melissande, I love you as well, though this was not the way I had hoped to exchange the words.” His gaze never left hers. “Why did you run from me?”

“Once and for all, I am NOT Melissande, dammit! I am Sarah. Sarah Douglas.” God it felt good to just spill her guts to him. She wanted to yell the words SARAH DOUGLAS from the highest hilltop right about now. She didn’t know how this was going to affect things, or even if he was going to believe her at this point. She did know that she was going to have to eventually tell him the entire truth and pray that he or his people or that scum Navarre wouldn’t have her burned at the stake.

His eyes never left hers. “Ah, well. I see your memory is returning to you then. Or is that some make believe surname you have conjured to try to protect yourself from being taken back into Navarre’s custody?”

“No, it is not some make believe name. It is the truth. How did you find me? Were you spying on me?”

“Spying? What is “spy-ing”?

She sighed sounding almost exasperated.

“You know…what’s the damned word? Espionage! That’s French…that’s it.”

He nodded in understanding.

“Espionage?
No. Looking out for you? Oui.”

He paused for moment and stretched casually as if the whole thing were commonplace.

“I was watching you this morn as you left the wagon with my knife.” He pulled it from beneath the blanket roll under his head and waved it in front of her face. “I knew you were up to something. I suspected you were going to try to run. And I was correct.” He put the knife back under the blanket and looked back up at her. “I simply returned to camp, retrieved my horse and told Marco to look after things until I returned with you.”

He cringed remembering the look on Marco’s face this morning when he told him that Melissande had fled their camp.

Marco’s brows had knit together and then although he felt guilty that she wanted to go back to her own people…and that his friend had lost the woman he loved, he also could not help but feel a small sense of relief.

“Ami, I am sorry for your loss, but at least
we no longer need to worry that Navarre will come causing trouble. And as for her wishing to stay at your side, well, surely you can see she was lying to you. She does not wish to be here,” he had said.

Dominic wanted to hit Marco at that moment because he was probably right. Melissande was headed right towards the estate de Lyonne! But something inside of him refused to let him believe she didn’t love him. No. She was scared. She was afraid they were going to come and take her back. She ran to escape and he knew it. Somehow he just knew it,

His mind snapped back to the present and he spoke.

“Running back to that dog Navarre is not going to save your neck or mine. He is going to punish you for whatever he believes you have done, whether you have done it or not. And the same goes for me. Oh, he will put on the public show of ‘all is forgotten’. But it will not be so. So, why do you not just give in to what your heart tells you and stay with me? We can keep moving and even leave France for a time if necessary until I can find a way for us to be together within the law. And this I will do, even if I must make you a widow.”

“That is murder!!”

“If you knew of the crimes that Navarre has committed, you would think simple murder was a merciful end for him. He is wrought through and through with evil. I have seen it myself. I have watched him in action. He was that way even as a child.”

Dominic closed his eyes and remembered a time when he and Navarre had seen but ten winters.

Navarre would come into the village on occasion with Thomas and Marie. He met Dominic that spring and had simply said to him, “I know who you are du Barbaronne. My father is your father you know. But I am his heir. I have everything and you will have nothing.”

“Navarre,” Dominic had said back to him, “you may think you have everything. But you do not. Father has told me of the life you all lead.  It doesn’t have to be that way. I have heard that your mama does not treat him well. It does neither of us any good to feel bitterness over the mistakes of our sire. Let it pass. We can be brothers in secret if you would only allow it. I can meet you here in the village whenever you want!”

Navarre’s face had twisted into a sneer.
“With you? A filthy gypsien? I think not.” He laughed sarcastically.

Dominic heard a sound and looked down to see a tiny stray kitten at his feet. Thinking to make some kind of gesture to this boy who lived in a house full of wealth but no love he picked it up and offered it to him.

“Navarre, I have nothing to give you. You know I possess no wealth to offer you any gifts in truth except my friendship. But take this little creature as a token of my offer. And if you ever change your mind, I will be here.”

Navarre looked down at the small animal and took it from Dominic’s hands. He
pet it softly for a few moments and smiled at him and he smiled back. It was a start. But a second later, Navarre took the animal’s head in his hands and cleanly snapped its tiny neck in two. He threw the dead creature at Domnic’s feet.

“That is what I think of your gift, gypsien. I will never be your brother. I will never be anything except your worst nightmare. Never forget it.” He kicked the dead animal. “That will be you someday, filth. I will see to it.” He turned on his heel and marched away without looking back.

Dominic had picked up the tiny creature as the tears spilled from his long black lashes. He buried it and placed flowers on its little grave. And he would from that moment on know what the face of evil looked like. It was Navarre.

As he told Sarah of the memory he watched as her hands came up to her lips and she shook her head in disbelief.

He put his arms around her again as he spoke. “I did not want to upset you, but what I say is true. I have not seen him since we were youths. The last time I saw him, he had taken the life of a young village girl. I knew he did it although he did his best to make it look like an accident of course. She came to him for money for food when she found out she was carrying his child. He promised her he would take care of her in secret of course, as he could not have lowborn bastards running around in public. He lured her to his bed one last time to satisfy his carnal needs and she was found torn to pieces the next day, supposedly attacked by wolves not far from her home.”

“My God.
Did you see him do this? How can you be sure?”

“She was the daughter of one of the women in my troupe. That is how I can be sure.” He looked away from her for a moment and then lay back down on the blankets.

“I’m sorry. I am so sorry.”

“Why would you feel sorrow? It is no fault of yours. Or is it because you are wed to the bastard and you somehow feel responsible?”

“I am not going to tell you again. I am not Melissande de Lyonne. My name is Sarah Douglas. My mother’s name is Ariana and my father’s name is Spencer.”

“You remember them?”

Perhaps the time had finally come for some answers. Maybe she was going to tell him the whole truth at last.

“Yes. In fact…” she dragged in a deep breath. How was she going to tell him this? She had to start slowly and she would just tell him what was necessary as she went along.

“The fact is that I never lost my memory. I told you that because I was afraid.” Her breathing was coming faster now as she waited for his reaction.

His expression hardened slightly.

“So then. You have been lying to me this whole time. Who exactly are you, lady, and from whence have you come?”

She swallowed hard. “I cannot tell you everything. You would not believe me if I did.”

“How do you know I would not believe you?” His expression was growing darker by the minute.

“Sarah…if that is truly your name….I have risked my life for you, placed your welfare above that of others, offered you my heart, my love, my body and my protection. And you have given me nothing in return except lies. To make matters worse, you ran from me and then when I ask you to tell me the simple truth, you say that you cannot.” He started to get up picking up the blanket beneath him and the one rolled up for a pillow.

“Where are you going?”

“I am leaving.”

She stood up quickly taking his large hands in her own smaller ones. “Please. Please do not go. I will tell you everything because I meant the part when I said that I loved you.”

He looked at her for a moment and sat back down. She sat with him.

“You have to promise me that you will not become angry or frightened or…God, how do I put this? I am afraid. It is as you said. But what has happened to me is…is too unreal to believe.”

He looked at her like she was crazy. And she felt that way right about now.

“Okay. Here goes.”

There was that word again
, he thought to himself. Oh-kay.
What does it mean?