Dark Destroyer (13 page)

She was beginning to rattle on nervously and Gates smiled, putting up his hands to stop her as he took a step or two in her direction. Truthfully, he just wanted to get a closer look at the beauty he was facing.

“Your hair is beautiful,” he assured her. “There is no finer woman in all of England at this moment. The clothing and your hair… you look magnificent, truly. You are truly an earl’s daughter now.”

Flattery.
Kathalin had never been given any flattery – of course, it was wicked and vain, so Mother Benedicta never flattered and she rarely gave praise. Therefore, the kind words coming from Gates were causing Kathalin’s heart to race and her cheeks to flush. She felt like turning away from the man and grinning at him all at the same time. Having no idea what to say or how to react, she simply opened up the cloak to show him the dress beneath.

“The garment fits,” she told him nervously. “The servant was able to cinch it up but it is too long. I will have to hem the bottom unless you do not want me to. Mayhap you want to take this back to the seamstress after I have had my use of it.”

Gates didn’t really hear much after
the garment fits
and she opened up her cloak to show him. After that, it was all a blur. To the strains of her voice saying nonsensical words in the background (although she was making sense; he simply wasn’t hearing what she was saying), what he saw before him was a glorious figure of a slender waist, full breasts, and a luscious neck. He had never seen finer, and he’d seen many a woman in his time. But Kathalin…  surely God had meant her for something greater in this life because she wasn’t like any other woman, ever. She was exquisite and unique unto herself.

Something changed inside of Gates at that moment as he envisioned Kathalin’s grandeur; he could feel it. He’d declared the woman off-limits for conquest but, in viewing that spectacular figure, he found his willpower wavering. But it was more than that; clearly, she was a beauty, but there was something very naïve yet strong about her, something he’d notice from the onset. He rather liked the fact that she wasn’t jaded and that she had lived a sheltered life. It meant that she was a woman in her truest form, untouched and uninfluenced.

And then there was him.

Cynical, predatory, and selfish. Those words described him when it came to women. For the first time in his life, he was coming to wish he’d been a bit more careful and thoughtful with his private life. Surely a man like him… and a woman like her… nay, it was too foolish to even consider.

She is not to be toyed with
! He told himself sharply.
Your lustful urges are not meant for her, you fool!

“Did you want to take the dress back to the seamstress when I am finished with it?” Kathalin asked again, cutting into his thoughts. “I will not hem it if you wish to sell it back to her.”

Gates quickly shook his head. “I will do no such thing,” he said. “The garment is yours. It was made with only you in mind. Surely no other woman could wear it after you and do it justice.”

More flattery
. Kathalin’s cheeks flushed again just when they were starting to ease. She thought that perhaps she should thank him for his kind words but that was rather embarrassing, as if thanking him would acknowledge that she appreciated his flattery. Well, she did, but she wasn’t sure she wanted him to know that.

“The servant packed everything back into the basket,” she said. “I am ready to depart when you are.”

Gates smiled at her as he bent over to collect the rather large basket. It was clear that Kathalin was nervous around him, especially in matters she was uncertain with like fine clothing and conversation, so he simply picked the basket up and opened the chamber door.

“My lady,” he said, indicating for her to exit. “We may proceed.”

With her new slippers and fine cloak and beautiful hair, Kathalin left the room timidly, with Gates right behind her, walking slowly and uncertainly until Gates finally took her elbow to help her along. She was shocked at the physical contact at first, wondering why he was touching her, but then she realized he was simply being polite. Or perhaps he was being possessive. Unused to the behavior between men and women, she really didn’t know. All of this was a new world to her.

Down in the common room, Stephan was rallying the troops, forcing everyone outside into the new morning. The front door to the inn was open and beyond they could see a winter wonderland of white snow and blue skies. The storm that had whipped them most of the night had moved on, leaving brilliance in its wake. It also left extreme cold and as Gates took Kathalin outside, their breaths hung heavy in the morning air.

Kathalin pulled the warm and soft cloak tightly around her body as she stood on the step of the inn, watching the soldiers bring the horses around from the livery where they had been lodged overnight. Men were preparing their mounts, heaving their rucksacks over their shoulders, and generally preparing to depart. Gates handed the basket of items over to a soldier to either carry or fasten onto the back of a horse, since they had no wagon, and once he was free of the basket, he turned to Kathalin.

“At least the snow isn’t blowing sideways today,” he commented as he extended his hand to her. “Come along, my lady.”

Kathalin started to take a step but suddenly came to a halt, looking at the muddy, wet ground. “These shoes…,” she said hesitantly. “I fear they will be ruined if I walk on this ground.”

Gates looked down to the sopping ground and, without a word, reached out and swept Kathalin into his big arms. She gasped at the unexpected action, quickly gripping his neck as he picked her up. He slogged across the horrible muddy road with the big ruts in it until he came to his steed, being held steady by a soldier. Gates swung Kathalin easily up into the saddle.

She was sitting sideways, holding the saddle for support, as he mounted behind her, lifted her up, and then placed her across his thighs. Kathalin felt rather like she was being manhandled as he moved her around to find a comfortable position and the soldier who had been holding the horse now tucked the cloak in around her feet so it wouldn’t be muddied.

Meanwhile, Gates was tending to her like a father. He made sure she was sitting properly, fully cover, and put the hood of the cloak over her head for both protection against the cold and modesty. Kathalin simply sat there and let him fuss, oddly enough, thinking she rather liked a man fussing over her. She’d never had such a thing before. When Gates was finally satisfied, he lifted a gloved hand in the air and made a forward motion. The group of men began to move.

With the bright blue sky above and the snow-white blanket below, it made for enchanting scenery as they traveled north. In the fields, they could see tracks from foraging creatures who had dared to venture out into the snow and about an hour into their ride, they saw a herd of deer off to the east and Gates gave the order for some of his men to go hunting for meat for sup. Kathalin watched as the men rode off, pursuing the deer that were beginning to run.

“It is so beautiful out here,” she said, her gaze on the white and blue horizon. “I cannot recall the last time I was out of St. Milburga’s. It was so long ago that I have forgotten.”

Gates, whose attention had also been on his men as they took off after the deer, glanced down at Kathalin. With the hood covering her head, all he could see were her nose and lips.
Such lovely lips….

“Aye, ‘tis beautiful,” he said, but not with the awe that she had use. “And cold. And wet. I will be happy when we reach Hyssington.”

Kathalin looked up at him, brushing the fur of her hood against his chin. “When will we be there?”

Gates glanced up at the sun’s position in the sky. “Another few hours,” he said. “We should be there well before sunset.”

Kathalin fell silent as her gaze once again moved over the snowy landscape. “May… may I ask you a question, Sir Gates?”

“Of course, my lady.”

“Will you tell me the truth as to why my father wishes for me to return home?” she asked. “I realize you are only the messenger and I respect that position, but will you not at least tell me what you know so that I am prepared? I feel as if I am about to face the executioner and it would help me tremendously if I knew what was in store for me.”

Gates hesitated before answering. “My lady, I truly do not know what your father has in mind for you,” he said, “and even if I did, it would not be my place to tell you. I hope you understand that.”

Kathalin did but she was still disappointed. “I do not wish for my father to become angry with you,” she said. “’Tis only that he has not recalled me home in the fourteen years I have been at St. Milburga’s. Only after the missive was sent requesting permission for me to take my vows did he send for me, so that leads me to believe that he does not wish for me to take my vows.”

Gates truly felt some pity for the woman facing an uncertain future. “If I were you, that would be a logical assumption for me as well,” he said softly.

Kathalin looked at him, those bright blue eyes sucking him in. “But what else is there for me?” she asked, a hint of distress in her tone. “Am I to go home and be a companion to my mother in her old age, a woman who clearly had no use for me as a child? Is that what my life is to entail? Uselessness and boredom?”

Gates didn’t have an answer for her. “We will be there in a few hours and then you shall know,” he said. “Until then, it is a waste of time to think on it. Enjoy the ride and enjoy the scenery. As for your future… you will know soon enough.”

Kathalin thought on his advice. “Your words are wise,” she said. “But I cannot help the apprehension I feel. I want to go home.”

Gates knew that but he was fairly certain he would not be escorting her back to St. Milburga’s any time soon.

“Mayhap at some later date,” he said, trying not to give her too much hope. “Meanwhile, I should think you would at least be agreeable to seeing your parents once again. They are, after all, your parents. Times change. People change. You should not fear seeing them again.”

Kathalin shrugged, not having much of an answer for that. “Are your parents still living?”

Gates nodded. “My father is still alive,” he said. “My mother passed away some years ago.”

Kathalin turned to look at him, hitting him yet again with her big, furry hood. “Do you see your father often?”

Gates lifted his eyebrows thoughtfully, trying to remember the last time he saw his father. “Not as often as I would like,” he said. “He lives far to the north at a place called Castle Questing. He is the Earl of Warenton.”

Kathalin smiled with some understanding. “Then you are the offspring of an earl just as I am,” she said. “That did not matter at St. Milburga’s, but I suppose it matters in the world a great deal. Do you find that it has given you position and power?”

He shrugged. “My family name has most certainly allowed me privilege,” he said. “Being the second son of the earl, however, I have had to work hard for everything I have.”

“What do you have?”

It was a perfectly innocent question but as Gates thought on it, he realized he didn’t have much other than military might and a great family name.
What do you have
? Not as much as he would have liked. He frowned as he thought on his answer.

“I have earned wealth as a knight,” he told her. “I have four hundred men that are personally sworn to me. I feed them and clothe them and keep them supplied even though I am personally sworn to your father. He pays me well for my strength and skill.”

Kathalin listened with interest. “No wife or home?” she asked. “No children?”

He shook his head, now becoming uncomfortable with the turn of conversation even though he knew she wasn’t deliberately trying to harass him. “Nay,” he replied. “Not at this time.”

Kathalin cocked her head curiously. “Would you not like a home and sons to carry on your name?” she asked. “I thought that was what most men wanted.”

He found those bright blue eyes most unnerving as he looked at her, a smirk on his face. “Are you offering to provide me with sons, my lady?” he asked, teasing, watching her grin and avert her gaze. “This is so suddenly. I do not know what to say. We have not even had our first kiss yet and now you offer to provide me with sons. How shocking.”

Kathalin could tell he was jesting at her and she giggled, embarrassed. “I did not mean it the way it sounded.”

He was glad the focus was off of him and his lack of sons, now on to her and her curious questions. He rather liked watching her squirm.

“What’s this?” he demanded lightly. “Now you are rescinding your offer? I am crushed. Deeply crushed. How could you hurt me so?”

He was being quite charming and overly dramatic, but it had worked the desired effect and deflected the conversation away from his lack of a wife and children. Even though Kathalin wasn’t at all versed in the flirtations between a man and a woman, it seemed to come naturally to her and she responded to his charm. She had a natural sense of humor, much like Gates did, and she sought to give the man a dose of his own medicine.

“Very well, if you insist,” she said. “But we must be married before I provide any children. I want a very big wedding that costs a great deal of money. And… and more of these soft garments. And I want golden rings on my fingers and peacock feathers in my hair. Will that cost terribly much?”