Unbidden (The Evolution Series) (26 page)

“Where is Doeg?” he asked as he chafed her hands.

“Seeing that the horses are tended,” Rochelle answered, staring hungrily at his face.

“We pushed them hard,” Marian commented, letting out a soft groan as she straightened her legs to the fire.

Just as David and Rochelle each began to speak, Doeg crashed through the door, as road-worn as the women, or perhaps more so. All the girls perked up at the entrance of a promising man, but he paid no heed to them. He headed straight for his brother, shouting all the way. “This woman led me on a merry chase across half of Francia. We are lucky she did not kill the three of us and three good horses. Headstrong! Demented!”  He tapped his forehead with a finger to punctuate his point, uncaring of the avid audience hanging on each accusatory word.

Rochelle waited until he stood within range of normal conversation to reply
. “Did you expect my mother to sleep outside on a night like this?”

“Leave me out of it,” Marian croaked feebly.

Doeg was not finished. “I expect you to do what I say. I said we would leave in the morning which did not mean I wanted to be wakened from a sound sleep by your old skeleton of a servant and practically rolled out of a warm bed to chase you over the countryside. Two stops!  We only took two stops the whole live-long day.”

Rochelle wanted to clap her hands to her ears as Doeg continued his diatribe. She’d barely slept a wink the night before between planning for another absence from Alda and worrying about a journey that might include any manner of attack or trickery.

Today had been exhausting. Her mother had been tired and miserable by noon, yet Rochelle kept pressing forward. Every shadow along the road looked like a strange man waiting to jump on them. Every rustle in the brush made her heart leap into her throat. She’d been ready to fight off kidnappers, henchmen and bandits, all while riding toward an event she dreaded and the man she’d betrayed.

She had borne it all
, foolishly thinking her trial ended at Theophilus’s front door. She’d not expected to enter a hall full of perfectly groomed, staring girls at the moment she thought she could drop her guard. And she definitely could not shield herself from the magnetism generated by David’s gaze and physical presence, now right behind her. She could smell him, feel his heat. What would it be like to lean on him and let him be strong for her for a few minutes?

When his hands came down gently on her shoulders she startled, then sagged slightly
. He applied enough pressure to turn her to him, placing his steadying grip on her upper arms. “Rochelle,” he said quietly.

“Did you send for me?” she whispered, concentrating on a particular fold in his deep brown tunic so that she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes
. If she looked at him again, she knew she’d either burst into tears or scream like a banshee.

“Of course I did.”

“Well I am here,” she said a bit louder, her voice shaking with anger and exhaustion. “You told me to come and I came and I do not see why I need to be further embarrassed in front a room of strangers because your brother does not like how quickly I made the trip.”

She hazarded a glance upward and watched David’s eyes slide to the left, widening slightly as he recognized the enraptured stare of every occupant of the room
. Even Theo stood with a quizzical brow, and the scullery maid waited like a statue bearing two brass bowls of steaming stew.

“Indeed,” David replied softly, then he continued loudly enough for the entire room to hear,  “Theo, do you not have a minstrel or storyteller to entertain these busybodies.”  To a girl, their eyes widened and mouths formed ‘'O's before they hurriedly began talking amongst themselves again.

David settled Rochelle in a chair, impatiently motioning the maid forward with the food. He stood back to watch her pick at the stew. Though still beautiful to him, he could see her eyes were rimmed with dark circles and she’d lost some weight from her frame.

Dammit to hell
. He had pictured a quiet reunion. They were to share a tender exchange in which she would ask about his head and he would ask about the goings-on at the estate. She would answer his need for something soft and caring in his life, and he would answer whatever need she let him answer.

But here they were, surrounded by nosy strangers when he wanted nothing but to cuddle her on his lap until she stopped shivering and fell into much-needed sleep.

Doeg had only aggravated the problem. He had no idea why Rochelle insisted on traveling so quickly, but it was poorly done of his brother to make such a public issue of it.

Worst of all, the disquiet he’d sensed in Rochelle at Alda had only escalated
. In addition to being exhausted and thin, she seemed to be in the middle of some sort of mental struggle. After that first shared moment, she wouldn’t hold his gaze, choosing to stare miserably at her stew. He sighed, resisting the urge to drag her from the hall for a few quiet moments, a little time to recapture their special rapport. Leaving with her in such a way would only draw more attention to her.

For tonight he could only see her fed and warm and sent off to bed
. Every chair in the hall being occupied, he sat on the floor next to her, ankles crossed and forearms resting across his raised knees. Magnus moved to lie at Rochelle’s feet, sighing as David scratched behind his ear. Theo told them the news about town:  traveling musicians were here, some nobility of note, and many of the lesser local families. Even the emperor was coming. Rochelle rolled her eyes at her stew when she heard that Louis was on his way, but otherwise studiously moved her food about in the bowl.

When the maid returned to take it, Rochelle quietly asked where she and her mother could sleep
. The food and fire had calmed her jangled nerves, leaving only the shadow of the tournament and David’s presence to keep her eyes from drifting closed. Her mother had already succumbed, snoring lightly. David pushed easily to his feet. She accepted both his hands to help her out of the chair, swallowing a moan of pain as overtaxed muscles rebelled. Marian actually groaned aloud, and Theo tut-tutted over her.

The four of them walked slowly toward the stairs
. David stopped to collect Rochelle’s bag and dagger on the way. He studied the dagger for a moment. His brows drew together. “Did you really travel so hard because of the cold?” he asked her retreating form.

She turned to him. “I…we…I had to leave Gilbert home
. I felt unsettled. Exposed.”  Rochelle rubbed her gritty eyes. “That must sound silly to you.”

He placed his hand gently on her arm, his fingers igniting her skin even through four layers of cloth
. “I usually trust my instincts in such cases, so I am glad you were cautious.”  Rochelle felt her jaw drop just like one of the idiot girls watching them again. Had he just told her he agreed with her and not his brother?

“You were not alone, though,” he continued
. “Doeg is fairly handy in a fight, and Magnus would die protecting you.”

“Magnus is a great comfort
. And I think the gelding could outrun anything. The horse is magnificent. Thank you for him.”

He smiled
. “I thought he would suit you.”

“He does
. It was so generous of you to send him. Did you ever ask his name?”

“No, I did not think of it
. I am certain he will enjoy your voice calling him whatever you choose.”

“I have a name already.”  She gazed up at him suddenly, intently, wanting him to see how important this was to her
. When his brow furrowed slightly, she continued. “I shall call him Regret.”

His expression changed from concern to bemusement
. “A rather heavy name for an innocent animal, don’t you think?”

“His moniker is intended as punishment to his mistress, not to him.”

“Because of Denes?  You must not continue to blame yourself for that.”

She shook her head impatiently
. “This is not about Denes. It is about decisions I have made. Choices.”  Her eyes flicked down then back up. “Mistakes. Foolish, impetuous mistakes where you are concerned.” 

“What do you mean?”

“This tournament,” she croaked. “If I had been braver or more honest with myself, more generous with you, all of this would have been avoided.”

“That is true,” he agreed
. At her stricken countenance, he added, “We have discussed this before. I do not think any damage has been done that the passage of the event will not repair.”

“It is more than that.”

“How so?” David asked cautiously.

She could not keep her panic down, and saw alarm enter his eyes.

Theo cleared his throat from the base of the steps. “Rochelle, your mother is exhausted. Perhaps you and David could continue your reunion tomorrow. We could all go to church.”

“There will not be horses involved will there?” Marian pleaded, shooting an apologetic look to Rochelle.

Theo laughed. “It is just a short walk from here,” their host assured her.

“David, I must speak with you,” Rochelle insisted quietly.

“There is nothing I want more. But your mother is waiting. You are both tired, Rochelle. We will walk together in the morning,” David assured her as he escorted her the stairs, “That will give us a chance to talk more.”

Rochelle shook her head in frustration but could only acquiesce
. “Tomorrow, then,” she said with resignation.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Despite her exhaustion the night before, Rochelle wakened early, jolted into immediate awareness of where she was and the task lying ahead of her
. She dressed quickly in the chill of the unheated room she shared with all the other female visitors. When she descended the steps to the main hall, the only evidence of anyone else being awake was a well-stoked fire in the center of the room. Smoke rose lazily to the hole in the roof, plenty of it hanging in the still air.

As she held her hands out to the warmth, she firmed her resolve to tell David the truth immediately, no matter what the consequences to his regard for her
.

When the front door opened
, she turned, hoping it might be him. Instead, a huge unclean man strode in, coming to a stop a few steps inside. Brown hair hung lank around his unshaven face, and his dark eyes peered out from beneath a heavy brow. Rochelle could not stop herself from comparing him to David. He was about the same height, but stockier and obviously solid. He made her uneasy in a way David never had. “I am Riculf,” he said, holding his arms out to his side as though addressing an audience instead of one young woman.

Rochelle’s breath hitched
. Riculf was the name of the warrior Gilbert had hired. This must be him. If he revealed his meeting with Gilbert to anyone in this house, it would be publicly devastating to her and humiliating to David.

“You,” he said, pointing at her, “are Rochelle.”

She didn’t answer him, just stared.

“I saw you riding through town with David’s brother last night.”

Rochelle continued her silence. He walked toward her. She circled around to keep the fire between them.

“
I came to get a closer look,” he said as his gaze slid from her face to her toes and back up again.

His inspection was like an icy hand touching her. “I cannot imagine why you would think you should see me.”  She lifted her chin a notch
. “I do not even know you.”

He smiled, revealing several gaps
where teeth used to be. “You know of me. You want me to defeat David the Bavarian.”

Rochelle felt a sinking in her stomach
. “I have changed my mind.”

“Women are flighty,” he pronounced
. His tongue flicked through a gap in his teeth.

Rochelle shuddered
. “I am not flighty. Keep the money and go away.”

His smile faded, replaced by a cold stare that made his eyes almost black
. “I do not want to go away. You are a good looking wench. I will enjoy you. Almost as much as your money.”

“Get out,” she said as forcefully as she dared without rousing the entire house
.

“Do not!” he spat sharply, taking a threatening step toward her
. “Do not ever think you will tell me what to do.”

Rochelle backed away, fumbling under her cloak for her dagger
. “Go away!  You promised you would never have any authority over me.”

The scary smile returned
. “Ah, you have not really changed your mind if you mention that. There is one small problem with this little agreement.”  He stepped toward her again, and she backed away another step. “Who will enforce it?  That corpse you sent to find me?  Or better, you?” 

“I am betrothed to David
. You will never have anything to do with me. Now, go away!”  She heard the desperation in her own voice and despised him all the more for evoking it.

“What use are you to him when he loses Alda?”  He threw his head back to laugh, his neck lined with filth trapped in the creases of his skin
. The sound of his laughter ricocheted around the empty hall. “So young. So innocent. So naïve.”

A dog’s bark sounded from behind a door off the hall
. Magnus. Dear God, they’d all be here in a moment. Everyone would know. “I paid you,” Rochelle pleaded in a whisper. “I paid you to leave me alone. Go!”

Riculf practically leaped forward to leer over her. “You tried,” he sneered in her face, his breath foul
. “But you will just keep paying. That is how the real world works, little girl.”

The barking suddenly grew louder
. “Riculf!”  David’s voice rang out from behind her. “Get away from her. Magnus, stay!”  Rochelle hated herself for backing toward that voice, her hand reaching for the reassurance of David’s touch, her salvation. He squeezed her fingers once, then placed himself in front of her, his left hand behind him on her hip, in his right his short but frightening semi-spata. She could hear Magnus growling, the sound making the hair rise on her neck.

Riculf smiled
. His own short blade appeared in his hand and glinted menacingly in front of him. “No need to draw blood yet. I am just visiting with my future bride.” 

“You have to be alive to take a bride,” David grit out through clenched teeth.

“That blade cuts both ways, does it not David?  I fight once, but you fight thrice. I feel the advantage already.”  He started to circle and David turned with him, his hand still on Rochelle to make certain she stayed behind him. Rochelle could feel the restrained power in David’s touch, but she could also see an almost bestial predation in Riculf. Realization struck her that this tournament could be a serious, bloody business. Theo had said the battles would not be to the death, but she sensed something primitive coursing between the two men, something that could lead to severe injuries.

Riculf craned his head to look past
David’s protective body. “I think I must like her more than you, David, else you would have married her when you had the chance. Or did she blink her pretty eyes and say nay to you also?”

David raised the semi-spata just as Theo’s office door swung open
. He emerged, his clothing uncharacteristically askew. “What the – get out!  Get out of my house!” he shouted.

Riculf chuckled
. “Ah, the master of the house has spoken. The master must always be obeyed. Remember that Rochelle.”  Riculf gave her a significant look before he turned away. He opened the front door then called over his shoulder. “Do not forget our agreement.”

“It is void,” she spat back without thinking
. The door closed on her words.

David turned to Rochelle, his face tense with concern
. “Are you alright?”

“No, he…” Rochelle had never felt so helpless and stupid in her life
. She’d never needed someone to hold her as she did now, and that someone was right in front of her. If his arms were around her and she could just explain her idiocy to him, he would understand, wouldn’t he?  He would be able to fix it. Or help her fix it. Wouldn’t he?

Before she even understood the compulsion she stepped forward to wrap her arms around his waist
. She placed her forehead flat on his chest wanting to hide from the world and be immersed in his strength. She hadn’t realized until this moment that his chest was bare. His smooth warm skin against her face nearly intoxicated her. Nothing could be wrong here. The real world Riculf longed to introduce her to couldn’t even exist here.

“There, now,” David murmured as he pulled her close, the hand without the blade rubbing her back
. “It is not like you to let a bully like Riculf upset you. He frightened you a little, but you will not ever have to talk to him again.”

A little sob escaped her lips
. “I love you,” she blurted in a hiccup, without thought.

He went completely still
. “What did you say?”

“Umm,” Theo interrupted
. “Hate to disrupt your meeting of the minds, but you have gathered an audience. Again.”  When they seemed disinclined to move, he added,  “And you are half naked in my hall in front of several unmarried women, one of whom you have clutched in your arms with her mother watching.”

“Go to hell, Theo.”

“I am only suggesting you could let her mama hold her while you get dressed. Just a suggestion….”

Rochelle knew she had to get control of herself
. She drew away slightly, averting her face from the stairwell where she knew all the women and girls would be gathered. And there stood Doeg, eyeing her speculatively, a forefinger tapping his chin. “I need to talk to you, David,” she croaked.

David's
arms slipped away from her. He lifted her chin to look in her eyes. “In a few minutes,” he answered. “We are going to church. We can talk then.”

“It must be private,” she replied miserably
. “I do not want an audience, because you will be very angry.”

David grabbed some clothes then met in the office with Theo and Doeg to dress and discuss the events of the morning.

“What was all that about?”  Theo asked, as he fussed with the jaunty angle of his many-tasseled hat.

“Riculf came to see Rochelle. The spoils of war, ” David answered cynically, his voice surprisingly steady for the anger still pulsing through his veins. It had been the first day he’d been in bed past sunrise for weeks. Awakened by a man’s shouting laughter and Magnus crazed at the door, his heart had been in his throat as he’d sprinted toward heaven only knew what.

And there she’d been, that bear of a man looming over her, obviously threatening her, stopping only at David’s own shout
. Rochelle had reached for him as if she finally understood he would protect her from anybody. Even in his rage, he had felt his triumph. She finally wanted him. She would finally take what he offered. If it meant his own death, his body would be her shield.

Of course, it hadn’t come to that today
. But the tournament would be here soon enough. This morning only strengthened his resolve. Another man married to Rochelle?  David might as well be dead if that happened. The memory of this morning was vivid enough that it did not take a broad imagination to picture Riculf touching her, hurting her in ways that didn’t bear thinking about, breaking her down.

Doeg cleared his throat
. He leaned with his bad arm against the wall, staring out the narrow glass window. “There is still something that unsettled me a little. What was all that about her having said nay to him too?  And he told her not to forget their agreement. As if they have talked before.” 

David went still
. Riculf’s parting comment had bothered him as well, now that he was reminded of it. But then Rochelle had come into his arms and his only concern had been her reassurance. He tried to remember the exact words. “’Do not forget our agreement.’  Is that what he said?”

“And then,” Doeg replied with ent
husiasm, ”she said ‘It is void.’”

Theo frowned.

“Where does Riculf hail from?” Doeg asked Theo.

“West of here, I think
. Why?”

“He must have heard about the tournament early on to beat all of the locals here.”

“Not necessarily. There are not many locals anxious to challenge a man of David’s strength and skill.”

Doeg scowled
. “Still, how many days after we learned of the tournament did Riculf sign up here?”

Theo sighed, but obviously began a mental count
. “He arrived about four days after the letter arrived at Alda.”

“Four?” David barked
. “How is that even possible?”

Theo shrugged
. “Perhaps one of Louis’s clerks got ahead of my own messenger.”

Doeg snorted with derision
.

“You seem to know an awful lot all the sudden, Doeg,” Theo said sharply.

“I know when something stinks,” Doeg said, his finely arched brows lifting.

“What are you suggesting?”  David asked.

“We all know Rochelle does not want to marry you,” Doeg said pointedly.

“Rochelle does not want to marry anyone,” Theo interrupted.

“Hear me out,” Doeg said with annoyance. “Perhaps Rochelle thought she could use the tournament to her advantage. Perhaps
she
told Riculf about it.”

“She never left Alda,” David argued
. “She was there with me until after Riculf entered.”

“Ah, but Gilbert left the estate the same morning Theo and I did
. Early.”

David lifted his head to stare at his brother
. “I remember. Where did he go?”

“Presumably to find a warrior who can beat you,” Doeg said triumphantly.

Theo slammed his hand down on the desk. “Wait just a moment. That is a terrible accusation against Rochelle!”

“Just an observation,” Doeg replied.

“I left early that morning.”  Theo shot back. “So did you. Where did you dash off to in such a hurry?  Maybe you hired him. You have shown no support for your brother’s marriage!”

Doeg smiled, his eyes hard blue
. “You really cannot bear to hear anything against her, can you Theo?”

The two men glared at one another across the room.

David shook his head, used to ignoring their spats. He didn’t want to believe what Doeg was saying about Rochelle, yet it made sense based on her comments last night and her request of him this morning. Even at Alda, she’d been acting strangely guilty. Without that, he would never suspect her of even being capable of such deviousness. But to what end?