Rage and Redemption (Rebel Angels) (22 page)

“What plans does he mean?” Naomi asked. Kruthers moved away without addressing her directly. Did the man not like women or had she somehow offended him?

“Roderick has asked that I outline the scope of your responsibilities,”
Leon
said softly. The sadness had returned to his warm green eyes. “As you said yourself, there is much for you to learn. Roderick knows we’re running out of time. I cannot stay indefinitely and he is unsure how much longer he can hold on.”

Fear and sadness gripped Naomi’s heart. She couldn’t lose him so soon! She’d only just found him. “Is he that ill?”

Gently squeezing her hands,
Leon
nodded. “I must be honest, Naomi. He is dying.” Taking a deep breath, he seemed to force away the gloom. “He’ll not want us to mope. He has lived a long, full life and his last wish is that you be established and secure before he leaves the earth.”

“May I take a few moments to attend to my needs before we begin?” Naomi asked.

“Of course. Roderick has arranged for a waiting woman. Her name is Elspeth. She should be in your chambers. If she is not, have Kruthers find her.”

Naomi found a young woman in her chamber working to unpack her clothing. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was simply braided, her head uncovered. She offered Naomi a friendly smile but did not speak.

“Are you Elspeth?” Naomi asked.

“Aye, milady.”

A fresh ensemble lay across the bed and a battered kettle simmered near the fire. Elspeth appeared to know her duties well. She moved immediately to Naomi’s side.

“Shall I help you change?”

Naomi felt hot and gritty after her long stroll through the village. “Aye, that would be wonderful.” Naomi stripped to her chemise and Elspeth poured hot water into a large earthen basin. Naomi washed away the travel grime. “What do you know of Frederick of Westerville?”

“Only what the others say, mistress. I’ve not been at Monthamn long.”

“And what do the others say?”

“That he’s an evil beast with an eye for
Monthamn
Castle
. ’Tis a good thing Lord Roderick has arranged for your protection,” Elspeth replied.

Naomi moved to the low stool near the fire and Elspeth worked the tangles from her hair with a silver comb.

“What do you mean he’s arranged for my protection?” Naomi glanced over her shoulder.

Elspeth’s cheeks flamed and her round dark eyes darted away. “Did I speak out of turn, milady?”

“I don’t believe so.” Naomi gentled her tone and offered the girl a smile. “Just tell me what you mean.”

“I heard some of the grooms talking about your personal guard. They said Lord Roderick was so concerned about your safety he’d hired men to watch you from sunup to sundown. I thought it was rather strange but mayhap he was right to worry.”

“He has hired a guard whose sole purpose is to protect me?” Naomi tried to make light of the concept but her belly knotted. Was
Frederick
really so dangerous or were there other risks as well? “Will this guard not become fatigued if he is never allowed to sleep?”

Elspeth chuckled. Naomi turned back to the fire and Elspeth quickly braided her hair.

“He will lose no sleep, milady. There are six members of the guard as well as their captain.”

Naomi’s eyes widened. She was no longer amused. “It will take seven soldiers to keep me safe? What sort of place is this?” She stood and turned to face Elspeth.

“I did not mean to frighten you, mistress.”

“I’m not frightened. But my dislike for Frederick of Westerville grows deeper with each passing word.”

Silently allowing the girl to dress her, Naomi felt her insides flutter. This was not the peaceful homecoming she had imagined.

“Milady,” Elspeth said as she fastened the end of the golden girdle around Naomi’s hips. “Have I displeased you?”

“Nay. I appreciate your candor. So much has happened so quickly my head still spins.”

The girl accepted her explanation with a quick smile and went to fetch a fresh veil. Naomi crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

Would nothing in her life ever be simple?

Just before she stepped into the counting room, Naomi heard his laughter. The rich, smoky sound washed over her entire body in a heated caress. He said something. She couldn’t make out his words, but she knew the sound of his voice.

It could not be Gideon. How could it possibly be him? But she knew it was. He was here.

Gideon was here!

Trembling so badly she feared her knees would knock, Naomi tapped on the open door to announce her presence. They stood facing the fire, Uncle Leon and Gideon.

The men turned and Naomi’s heart flipped over in her chest. This was ridiculous! Why was she trembling?

“Good eventide,”
Leon
greeted. “Come in. Let me make the introductions. May I present Sir Gideon de le Ombres.”

Naomi inclined her head as much to hide her smile as to acknowledge the introduction.
Sir
Gideon of the Shadows? “I am pleased to meet you.” She endeavored to keep her voice calm.

“As you learned this afternoon, there are those here in Monthamn who feel threatened by your reappearance. So Roderick felt it wise…”

She didn’t hear the rest of what
Leon
said. Gideon’s gaze captured and devoured hers. He was
here
. He was really here!

The corner of his mouth quirked and images inundated her mind. She saw him draw her near and bend her backward over his arm. His mouth possessed hers and Naomi felt tingling heat unfold in time with the image.

“Please find your ease. I will have Kruthers bring us wine.”
Leon
departed.

“You are here to
protect
me?” she asked once they were alone.

“You do not think me capable of the task?”

Naomi’s breath lodged in her throat. He sounded angry yet his gaze was warm. Nervous energy set her in motion. She moved to one of the chairs facing the fire and sat, arranging her skirts before she spoke.

“It’s not a matter of your capabilities but of your motivation. How long have you been here? Why would Roderick entrust
you
with my safekeeping?”

He grinned and his eyes sparkled. “I arrived before you left the
Holy Land
and your grandfather has known me for years. I’m a faithful and trusted friend. He was thrilled to learn that I am available for this important task.”

“You managed in just over a fortnight what it took us nearly three cycles of the moon to accomplish? In what form did you travel? What did…?” Her words trailed away as the full import of his words sank in. “You’re able to implant memories as well as steal them.”

Moving to the fireplace, he rested his forearm along the mantelpiece and whispered, “Did you miss me?”

Leon
returned with a pitcher of wine and three silver goblets, saving Naomi from the question. He handed a goblet to her and one to Gideon.

“Let us drink to Lady Monthamn,”
Leon
suggested. “May she find happiness in her new home.” He raised his cup and they drank.

The sweet, fruity wine eased Naomi’s tight throat and she tried to relax. Her conversation with Gideon would have to wait until they were alone again so she focused on
Leon
.

“Gideon has recruited the best of Monthamn’s knights to protect you, but it is important that you follow his instructions without question.”

Naomi shot a challenging glance at Gideon. Had that stipulation been insinuated into
Leon
’s mind? “I’m not an invalid. I understand there are dangers, but I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

“Nay, you are not,” Gideon said emphatically.

Taking exception to his condescending tone, Naomi set her goblet aside and scooted to the edge of the chair. “If Frederick of Westerville is such a danger to me, why not apprehend him rather than treating me like a prisoner?”

“We have no proof, only suspicions. Still, it is not our intention to treat you like a prisoner,”
Leon
assured her. “Most noble ladies travel with a private guard. Your activities need not be curtailed unless Gideon deems them unsafe.”

She wanted to laugh. He had no idea he was sending out a wolf to guard a lamb. “And what are my activities likely to be? What will be expected of me?”

“If you would excuse me,” Gideon said before
Leon
could respond to Naomi’s question. “I have duties awaiting me.”

“Of course,”
Leon
responded respectfully.

“I shall return and explain my expectations to Lady Naomi.”

Naomi felt like a fraud. She did her best to stay attentive as
Leon
listed the people she would meet and the responsibilities she needed to become familiar with, but Gideon wouldn’t leave her thoughts. She knew of his deceit. Did that not make her guilty of it as well?

“We have a surprise for you.”

The sudden gleam in
Leon
’s eyes drew her full attention. “We?” she questioned. “What sort of surprise?”

“Roderick and I, and the sort we hope will please you.”

He offered no more of an explanation. Proffering his hand,
Leon
led her from the counting room and across the great hall. In the back corner, a staircase spiraled up to one of the tower rooms.

He paused on the small landing and smiled. “Your upbringing was rather unconventional. It is not our intention to change who you are, simply to support you as you find your place in our world. We hope this will illustrate our sincerity.”

Naomi felt as if a fist clenched around her heart while he opened the door and motioned her into the room. A familiar tang sharpened the air. Naomi’s pulse leapt. Ink. It smelled like ink.

Half afraid her imagination had run amuck, she took a tentative step.
Leon
opened the shutters and twilight spilled across the floor. He quickly lit lamps and candles until a warm golden glow illuminated the entire room. A sloped desk sat near the windows and neat rows of shelves lined the walls. Naomi moved along the shelves. Emotion choked her and tears blurred her eyes. Stacks of neatly folded parchment had been arranged on one shelf, quills and numerous brushes on another. There was gold leaf and gold powder, and pots and pots of ink.

With a trembling hand, she lifted one pot and looked inside. Velvety black carbon ink waited for the loving dip of a pointed quill pen.

“How was this done so quickly?” Naomi put the inkpot back on the shelf and lifted the stopper of another. “Vermilion.” She whispered the word with reverence as she saw the vivid red.

Leon
rocked on the balls of his feet, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked positively smug in his pleasure. “’Twas done before you arrived.”

Naomi spotted a pot set slightly apart from the others. Instead of a simple stopper, it had a top that screwed into the pot. Carefully Naomi rotated the lid and lifted it free. She gasped. “This is ultramarine. This is so precious they scrape it off and reuse it. It can only be made with lapis lazuli. How? Why?”

Leon
took the pot from her trembling hand and carefully returned it to the shelf. “Roderick spared no expense. He wanted you to have everything you would need to continue your work.”