Kiss of the Dragon (11 page)

Bianca could not help but agree with her opinion of
diamonds, but she was not thinking of the Spaniard. She had a darker, more
perplexing individual in mind and she was unaware until it was too late that
she had agreed to let Duke Rodolfo stay for a few more days.

“You have made an excellent decision, Bianca. His Grace will
make an excellent husband for you. He is very rich and looking to marry a young
wife to give him sons.”

“Do not misunderstand me, stepmother. I have made no choice
as of yet. Maybe in a few days I will be able to give my father an answer, but
not just yet. I need time.”

Trying to ease by the stalwart matron was not an easy task
and Bianca was forced to stay and endure more of the older woman’s commentary.

“Are you going to retire so early, my dear?”

“Yea, stepmother. I am weary and I thought to have an early
night.”

“But I thought with the entertainment your father
thoughtfully provided, you would be comfortable in your milieu.” The sly smirk
on Duchess Heloise’s painted face showed Bianca that her stepmother meant to
hurt her by the remark.

A strained smile touched her lips as Bianca replied, “Why
would I be enthralled by a mere band of Rom? Perhaps you should debate the
matter with my father. I am certain that he will disagree with my opinion. He
seems to be enjoying himself if you had not noticed.”

The loud gasp of outrage that whooshed from the older woman
echoed off the stone walls of the long corridor. It was evident that Heloise
had not expected to have her own venomous remarks turned back on her with such
civility. Her husband’s association with the band of gypsies was a very
sensitive area in her relationship with him and she did not need this little
chit reminding her of it. In her clumsy endeavor to use Bianca’s fear of the
Rom as a convenient weapon, she had over looked the obvious. Heloise’s latest
attempt at cruelty had backfired. Not even bothering to excuse herself, she
turned on her heels and flounced away, making her way toward the head table and
her husband.

For a moment Bianca felt a bit guilty that her father would
have to listen to Heloise’s insecurities, but then she reasoned that he was the
one who married the woman. Let him deal with her bitter carping.

It was bad enough that Bianca had not yet overcome her
uncommon fear of Rom, but knowing that she had gypsy blood in her cut like a
knife. Her dear, sweet mother had come from this band of Rom and to feel such
fear of her own people, made Bianca feel like a traitor to her mother’s memory.

With a sadness of heart, Bianca made her way up to her tower
chamber, where she went to sit at her small writing desk, a small, solitary figure.
She shivered as she opened the precious well of ink and picked up a long,
sharpened quill. What she wished for above all else was to be held in the warm
embrace of a certain magnificent warlord. It was the memory of their time
together in his chambers that inspired her writing this night. With all her
emotion running high, her quill glided across the parchment and her story built
on itself until she had covered several pages. Her hopes and dreams came alive
with the story of a magnificent knight in shining armor who rescued his
ladylove from the horrible fire-breathing beast and in the end pledged his
undying love for her, before carrying her away on his mighty black stallion to
live happily ever after.

When her candle had burned down to a nub and began to
sputter, Bianca doused it and climbed into her cold, empty bed. As she lay in
the dark, her mind was filled with thoughts of the man who was so close and yet
so far away from being exactly what she had dreamed of her whole life. A deep
craving for someone to love and cherish her filled her with such anguish that
she could actually feel pain in her chest as if her heart were breaking. Tears
squeezed their way from the corners of her closed eyes and trailed down her
cheeks, as she lay alone in her bed. She took a deep, shuddering breath and
turned on her side, determined to lose herself in sleep. Her last conscious
thought was a prayer asking for the morrow to dawn bringing a better, brighter
day.

It took most of the morning for Bianca to catch up to Lord
Draco. Although she did not think that he deliberately hid from her, it seemed
that he had numerous duties that kept him always a few steps ahead of her. As
she searched the castle, then the courtyard and the bailey, she found to her
consternation that, though he had been in each place, she managed to miss him
by just moments.

It was Sir Renaldo who pointed her in the direction of the
stables. He assured her that Lord Draco had gone in that direction to check on
the care of his famous war horse, Inferno. It was not until after he had
confided this information to her that the good knight realized his error. He
had no notion that the lady intended to follow the warlord to the stables
without an escort until she thanked him and turned to walk across the bailey in
that direction. Sir Renaldo tried to use his usually glib tongue to dissuade
her. But when he realized he was not going to change her mind, he came right
out and suggested it might be in her best interest to find her way to the
Lady’s Garden. There she could visit with the rest of the fair young ladies
this morning. But she stubbornly ignored his suggestion and scooted around him
to walk swiftly away, pretending that she could not hear him calling after her.

In addition to Sir Renaldo, Bianca had no patience this
morning to put up with the nonsense of her father’s chatelain and his
disapproving sighs and suggestions. He was forever interfering with her
freedom, suggesting to her where she could go and where she should not. The man
considered it his duty to her father to enforce the rules of decorum befitting
the daughter of a duke. Rules that the young lady was expected to live by. But
this morning, Bianca was in too much of a hurry, and had no intention of
allowing anything to deter her from her purpose. Her future happiness was at
stake, after all.

With that conviction firmly in mind, Bianca had taken
special care with her toilette this morning, wanting to look her best when she
presented herself to her future husband. She had selected a gown of soft
lavender wool with long, flowing sleeves and a skirt that rippled gracefully
about her ankles as she walked. Over the kirtle of deep violet velvet, she wore
a gold link belt that hugged her hips, emphasizing her slim figure.

Bianca entered the stable but found only several of the
stable boys, who were busy cleaning the stalls and feeding the livestock for
which they were responsible. As she moved down the middle of the dusty aisle,
the idle banter that had been going on between the lads ceased as they turned
to gawk at the young woman walking through their domain. She nodded at each of
them in turn as she walked through the stable. But to her disappointment, Lord
Draco was nowhere in sight.

When she reached the last stall Bianca noticed the huge
black-as-sin stallion housed there and stopped in front of the stall gate to
admire him. He was a truly magnificent animal and by the way he stomped and
snorted, he had a vicious temperament. As she stepped closer to his stall, the
steed tried to rear up and kick the gate. Bianca jumped back and gasped in
shock. This was one stallion that would take a heavy hand to handle. His master
must be a magnificent horseman to sit such a beast.

As she looked him over, she somehow knew that the black
belonged to the Black Dragon. Who else could ride such an animal? She decided
to try to make friends with him. If she could tame this ill-tempered beast, she
would certainly tame his master. She picked up an apple from one of the baskets
near the opposite wall of the aisle and held out her hand as she approached the
black stallion. He glared at her with wide, wild eyes and neighed loudly,
stamping the floor with his mighty hooves warning her off.

“Whoa, boy, whoa! Look want I have for you. Come, come here
to me. Yes, that’s right. Come on. Oh, you are a great beauty, are you not?
Come, I have a treat for you.” She eased her hand through the slats in the
gate, praying that the beast would not bite her hand off with his big teeth.

The giant black devil proved to be as stubborn as his huge,
dark master. He danced about the stall, throwing his head back and forth as he
snorted nastily at her gift. But her low, beguiling voice soothed him somewhat
and he finally reached out and took the apple from her outstretched palm. In
two chomps, the fruit was gone and the stallion nuzzled her hand, demanding
more.

“Why you greedy boy! Here.” She retrieved a second apple and
offered it to him. He demolished it with as much gusto as he had the first.
This time when he drew near, she offered only her open hand so that he could
sniff it and become acquainted with her scent. Behind her Bianca heard the
shuffling of feet and whispered argument of the stable boys and then one of
them appeared at her side.

“My lady, please come away from there.” She turned to find
that several of the older stable boys stood behind the younger one who looked
close to tears as he stood before her, wringing his hands in agitation. “That
great black beast will take your hand off in one bite. Please, my lady, come
away!” It touched her that the lad was concerned about her well-being even if
he worried unnecessarily. The great black beast did no more than snuffle her
hand looking for more fruit. But to appease the boy she withdrew her hand and
moved away from the stall.

“I am looking for Lord Draco. Have you seen him of late?”

“Yea, my lady. His lordship came by to check on Inferno
earlier. He went to the armory a while ago. He warned us to be careful when we
get near that stall. Inferno has been known to stomp small boys into the dirt
if he takes a mind to do so. That is why his lordship insists on caring for his
own mount. Be warned, my lady, his lordship would be very unhappy if you came
to harm when we could have prevented it. Please, come away from that stall.”

“I concede to your knowledge in this instance, but I find it
hard to believe the stallion is all that malicious. Oh, he stomps and snorts
most violently, but he took the apples I offered as pleasant as you please. No,
I refuse to believe that this beauty would hurt a fly. But I have no wish to
upset anyone, therefore, I shall do as you suggest.” With those parting words,
she left the stables, her hunt once again resuming.

But Bianca missed him once again. This time when she reached
the armory where he was supposed to have been, it was to learn that he had
finished his business with the smith and moved on.

“His lordship was here earlier, my lady, but he is gone
now.” Albern, the smithy, scratched his head with one of his large, blackened
hands as he paused in his task of flattening a white-hot piece of metal with
his enormous hammer. “Yea, he stopped by for a moment to order a new dagger
made. He left his design and orders that he wanted it by the end of the week.
It will be a beautiful piece by the design he drew up for me. Yea, a real
beauty.”

“Do you know where he intended to go from here?” Bianca
tried to keep her voice calm as her heart skipped a beat at the smithy’s
revelation. She just managed to stand there without wringing her hands in
agitation. So, the Black Dragon still had it in his mind to leave Castle Neige
in a few days. Bianca would have to work with greater dispatch if she wanted to
hold the man.

“Yea, my lady. He went off to the practice field with
several of his men. His lads issued a challenge. He plans to take on the lot of
them at one time. I would have liked to watch, but I have too much work to do
here.” With that, he bowed her out the door and returned to his labors.

The practice field! Why hadn’t she thought to look there
first? Plastering a smile on her stiff lips, Bianca moved across the courtyard
toward the postern gate that led to the outer bailey and the practice field.
She would finally be successful in her hunt for the great Black Dragon after
spending the better part of the morning searching for him.

But it was not to be. Just as she made the gate, a panicked
Leia came hurtling across the yard toward her. Bianca just managed to catch the
small woman in her arms as she tripped over her own feet.

“Be careful, Leia. Do not rush about so. Now stop and catch
your breath and then tell me why you are in such a hurry.” She set the maid
back on her feet and waited until she recovered her breath so that she was able
to give a reasonable explanation for why she had wildly sprinted across the bailey
yard. After a moment or two, Bianca questioned her. “Now tell me what is so
important to send you running to find me? What has happened?”

“It is a tragedy, my lady! The small boy who assists the
chimney sweep has gotten himself stuck in the kitchen flue! He will surely
suffocate up in that black hole if we do not get him out soon. Please, my lady,
Cook sent me to find you. They need your assistance.” Fear etched her maid’s
flush face as she desperately grabbed her hand and began to drag her along.

Picking up the front of her skirts in her hand, immodestly
showing her legs from ankles to knees, Bianca hurried after Leia across the
yards and around the castle to the back of the keep to the kitchen. By the time
they got there, an assemblage of servants who had heard of the mishap had
gathered, standing around the kitchen door trying to get a better view of the
unexpected activities.

“Please return to your duties. If you are not here to help
then you do not need to be here at all,” Bianca commanded sharply and within
moments only a handful of servants who actually worked in the kitchen were
left.

“I’m gonna wallop that little bastard black and blue when he
gits down. The little turd knows better than to git himself stuck in a
chimney.” The furious words came from a short, wiry, man whose face and
clothing were blackened with soot. The chimney sweep stalked back and forth
before the enormous kitchen hearth like a caged animal. Except for the foul
words that poured forth from his mouth, he exerted no energy to finding a
remedy for the tragedy that took place. His small assistant was trapped in the
flue and he did no more than curse his bad fortune.

Bianca’s temper flared at the sight and sounds that met her
when she entered the kitchen proper. Never had she felt like taking a sword to
a man but at that moment she could have skewered the chimney sweep with relish
and then stuffed him up the blackened flue for good measure.

“What steps have you taken to solve this situation, sir?”

At the filthy man’s sullen glare and then his insouciant
shrug, she moved to stand before him, her face barely inches from his and she
blasted him.

“You are responsible for that boy’s safety. If he is in any
danger, you put him there and it is your responsibility to rescue him with all haste.”
Her words came out in ragged bursts. When he did no more than stand there,
stubbornly glaring back at her, she shouted, “Now, blast you!”

The chimney sweep’s eyes narrowed to mere slits and his lips
twisted as he snarled at her, “Lady, I’m not about to climb up there and pull
that ungrateful brat down. If he wants down bad enough, he can haul his own
arse down.” His shocking lack of respect for the young duchess brought a
collective gasp of shock from the cook and her assistants who had been standing
behind their mistress listening to the altercation. Cook reached for a large
pot thinking to defend the young lady when she was taken by surprise by a large
dark hand on her arm stopping her.

Bianca let loose a string of expletives that would have seen
her locked in her tower room if her father had known that she had learned such
language from his own men-at-arms. She went so far as to inform the grimy
little man where he could go, what he could do when he got there and with whom
he could do it.

Her scorching tirade was enough to shut his mouth and with
no place to vent his rage, he was left with no recourse but to retreat.

“He is your problem now.” With those parting words, the
chimney sweep picked up his equipment and made a beeline for the back door.

As soon as he disappeared, Bianca turned to find the other
occupants of the room staring at her with their mouths open and speechless with
the exception of one. Her giant servant stood behind the cook and her maid,
Leia, his shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter.

“Jabulani, please see to it that filthy little man is
escorted through the front gates. He has no place being in charge of another
person’s life, especially that of a child.”

Rubbing his hands together and with a malicious smile,
Jabulani went to do her bidding. “Do not worry, Beauty. That man will be gone
within the hour. I shall see to it that he takes with him only what he
deserves.”

Nodding absently at her servant, Bianca returned to the
crisis at hand. She reproached herself for wasting so much precious time with
the chimney sweep when she could hear the pitiful mewling coming from the
kitchen flue.

“Hurry, Cook, get me some pig lard.” She moved even as she
made her demand, ducking low as she entered the large fireplace. Straightening
up, Bianca raised her head and peered up into the black hole over her head. She
could just make out the shape of two small feet and a pair of thin ankles as
the little boy who was assuredly wedged high above her head.

“Theron?” Bianca called. She waited a moment for an answer
but when none came from the darkness above her, she began to panic.

“Theron, sweetheart, are you hurt?” A long silence followed
her question and she was about to turn and call for help when she heard a
muffled sound so low that she was not sure that she heard it at all. But then
she recognized the low sound of sobbing.

“Do not be afraid, Theron. We will have you out very soon.
Just hold on.” She tried to make her voice as soothing and reassuring as
possible, imagining just how frightened the child must be alone in a dark,
cramped place.