A Knight for Love (25 page)

“Your boots, my lord, will dirty the bed.” Alyna gestured towards them. In his inebriated state, she wasn
’t certain he would know his boots were on his feet.

“Ahhh.” He sighed heavily and raised himself onto his elbows. “My dove, zhou are right.” He bent his knees and flopped his feet back and forth. “Could you lend ash-shissht-shisht
—”

“Assistance?” she supplied helpfully, fully enjoying her superiority over him at this moment.

“Aye,” he nodded. “Ash-shisshit-anshs.”

“Of course, my lord.” She threw
back the bedclothes and crawled towards his feet. She tugged one boot off and threw it to the floor. The next one proved a challenge and she tugged for several minutes before sitting back on her heels in disgust.

“It would seem I need your aid. I cannot take this one off.”

He didn’t answer.

“My lord?” She turned around to
find Warin fast asleep. A soft snore tickled her ears and lifted the stray hairs straggling across his cheeks.

“
You must take care not to drink ale or wine to excess.” She cautioned him, knowing full well he couldn’t hear her. “When one is fatigued, it is not wise.”

The warning warmed her, for it made her feel like a true wife. Too, he had called her “my dove” and “my beautiful angel”. Did that mean he
began to feel affection towards her? Dare she hope? Or was he well practiced in the art of flattery and meant naught of what he had said to her? Ale and wine could loosen lips so his words may not have been sincere.

She sighed. Time would tell.

She tugged one last time on his boot and this time it slid off. She tossed it to the floor beside the other one. Leaving him where he lay, she crawled back under the bedclothes. He would move soon enough when he got cold.

Chapter Seventeen

“
Ooohh.”

A moan reached Alyna’s ears the next morning as she sat braiding her hair. Warin had still been asleep when she awoke so she had risen and begun her daily toilette. She swiveled about on her stool to see.

He lay on his back, cradling his head in his hands, eyes closed against the light.

“Aye, the taste that lingers in my mouth is foul indeed,” he muttered, smacking his lips. “What had seemed like a fine idea last night is not so fine this morning.” He cracked open one eye and quickly closed it.

“Oohh.” He moaned again.

“Wait.” Alyna finished with the braid and tied it with a bit of ribbon. She stood and went over to the small chest of herbs against the wall under the window slit. She pulled forth a sprig of mint and some willow bark. Deliberately, she let the lid fall. It landed with a loud
‘thunk’ that caused Warin to grimace and clasp his head anew.

S
he smothered the grin on her face before going over to him.

“Here
.” She handed him the mint. “Chew on this, it will freshen your mouth and settle your stomach.”

He took it from her, eyeing it suspiciously before popping it in his mouth.

“And this.” She held out the willow bark. “When the mint has lost its flavor, chewing on this will lessen the pain.”

“
It’s sharp,” Warin grumbled. “I care for it naught.”

“Then spit it out,” Alyna shrugged, “and try the willow.”

He wadded the soggy mint into a ball and tossed it towards the fire. With a dour look in her direction, he placed the bark in his mouth and grimaced.

This time she was not thwarted.

“You must chew for a time or it won’t be effective.”

“I vow the infidel hordes had no finer torture than this
.” He chewed with great exaggeration, glancing at her from time to time.

“By all that is holy, my lord, it’s not poison!”

“What do you know of poison?” The words were light but he glanced at her, undeniable misgiving etched on his face. He stopped chewing.

“There are many different kinds
. Rest assured none shall find their way past your lips. At least not by these hands,” she added hastily.

H
er careless choice of words appalled her. They had been said in jest, much as a wife would tease her husband.

A
pparently Warin had not taken them as such, indeed had seen them as a warning. With sinking heart, she watched as he took the half-chewed mass out of his mouth and tossed it too towards the fire.

“I thank you for your concern,” he said coolly. “But experience has taught me that no matter the cause, physical exertion and invigorating air provide the best solution for clearing one’s head.”

“I pray you excuse my thoughtless words,” she blurted. “They were said in jest.”

“Cease your prattling, lady wife.
It’s not your place to guard my actions.”

The damage had been done. The brief camaraderie they had shared
had disappeared.

Warin got out of bed and with nary a further glance at her, dressed and left their chamber. By the time she ran down the stairs and into the great hall, he had already left.

Outside, she heard him shout for Citadel. Scant moments later pounding hoofs thudded as he left the bailey.

“My lord,” she whispered to no one in particular. “
It was but a jest.”

She stood disconsolate as the hoof beats faded away.

*****

The air blew fresh and teared his eyes as Warin raced Citadel away from Caperun Keep
. Aye, it cleared the cobwebs but it didn’t blow away as easily the self-loathing and disappointment smothering him.

“Fool,” he berated himself as he urged the horse faster and faster until the ground raced past with dizzying pace.
Not until sweat flecked the mighty flanks did he finally pull up. He guided the horse off the path and into a clearing before sliding off.

“My lord?” Bennet panted a moment later as he pulled up beside him. “Are you well?”

“Aye,” Warin nodded wearily. “But leave me be, Bennet, my thoughts are troubled.” He turned and after looping the reins over a branch, moved away a few steps.

“As were mine, my lord, when I saw you leave the castle in obvious distress. You must take care.” Bennet shook his head. “The new lord and master of Caperun Keep unaccompanied is a tempting target.”

“I thank you for your concern, Bennet, but Citadel and I have fought many battles alone and will do so again.”

“Very well,” Bennet shrugged. “But I can
’t leave you unattended. I’ll wait on the road.” Without waiting for an answer, he nudged his horse and plodded away. Only the creaking of his saddle could be heard and then that too was gone.

In frustration, Warin slammed a tree with his fist. What had possessed him this morning? What mischievous spirit had burst forth at the words Alyna had spoken?

Alyna had not an evil bone in her body. This he knew as surely as he knew the sun rose every morning. The hurt in her eyes as he spit out the herbs haunted him. She had meant no harm, indeed, had offered him respite from self-inflicted stupidity. She had not offered one word of reproach when many other wives would have done so, rather, had made a jest to ease him.

Nay,
she had done no wrong.

He had
.

Her words had opened old wounds, wounds he thought
were beginning to heal as his time in Jerusalem became a dim memory.

Images of men writhing in agony after ingesting poisoned food raced through his mind.
Men under his command and for whom he carried responsibility, men he had urged to attend the feast for the sake of potential peace. He himself had come near death but he had been a late comer and had eaten only the few bites that remained.

A bitter smile twisted his mouth. The battles in Palestine were not fought by armed combat alone. A friendly smile and pleasant face masked hate as easily as a helm or a veil.

Bile rose in his throat and he leaned over, retching, but nothing came from his empty stomach. After a while the dry heaves subsided and he stood again. If only he could expel the newly awakened memories as easily as a body expelled foul food.

A vision of Alyna as she had attended to her toilet this morning flickered before his eyes. The sight of her combing and braiding her hair had been intimate, soothing, a treasured moment among, hopefully, many to come.

Alyna.

Alyna
, not Caperun Keep, provided the key to his succor.

N
ot by her knowledge of herbs but by her very being. She would heal him, help him, hold him fast. He had to make her love him, to see him as other than the man King Henry had commanded her to wed.

Until
now he had only aspired for her love. Now he would let nothing stop him from attaining it.

Aye, he would woo her. An impossible task? Mayhap but
her love would be his great reward. Her love would be his salvation.

And he would start by apologizing for his earlier behavior.

Overcome by an alien lightness of spirit, he mounted Citadel and went in search of Bennet.

*****

“Forgive you?” The question bewildered Alyna. What game did Warin play now? This morning he had ridden away in anger with not so much as a by your leave and now he stood before her to beg pardon?

“Aye. You meant no harm this morning. I
’m pleased you’re well-versed in herbs and healing.”

“Oh.” She lowered her gaze to her hands and the needlework she had begun just this morning while overseeing the scrubbing of the tables and benches in the great hall.

An apology,
how odd. True, his actions had been hurtful but as her husband he could behave as he wished with no explanation. She kept her eyes lowered. Conversely, could it be another sign that he cared for her?

If nothing else, it showed he had a conscience and was aware of his actions towards others.

“I’m not used to the ministrations of a wife. And,” he stumbled over the words, “my actions last night were unwise.”

“
That’s true, they were,” she agreed, finally lifting her eyes to his. “But as lord of Caperun Keep your actions are your own and not to be questioned by another.”

Warin inclined his head in agreement.

“I’m your wife. Aye, we wed under unexpected circumstances but now the deed is done. What could I possibly gain by your death?” She stood up and pointed to the tapestry Caperun coat of arms. “It is you yourself who said Caperun and de Taillur will join. And for that, my lord, we need two.” She held up the linen in her hands. “See? I’ve begun on the de Taillur emblem, to hang beside that one. And when it’s finished, I’ll begin a third showing the two joined together.”

“I
’ll look upon them every day with pride.” Warin appeared humbled by her words.

“My lord
,” she changed the subject. He seemed to be in an agreeable mood right now so it was time to broach the subject of Emma.

“Aye?”

“It’s not proper for Emma and me to be the only two women in the keep. Too, there is much that needs doing to set it to rights with only two.”

“Are there women in the village willing to work here?” At her nod, he continued. “Bring them, then. Your position here will not be questioned.”

“I thank you, my lord.”

“Nay, it is I who must thank you.” He lifted one of her hands and placed a gossamer kiss on the palm. He folded the fingers over as he had done that day when he had caught her flinging rocks towards the stone walls.

“Oh.” Once again his actions rendered Alyna speechless.

Really,
how unpredictable Warin could be. One moment, a mighty warrior and the next, gentle as a poet. Both appealed to her in their way. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she stared at him unabashedly.

Already the harsh lines on his face had softened and her palms itched with the longing to smooth them away altogether. And gladly she would share the mantle of responsibility with him if for no other reason than to lighten the shadows still haunting his eyes.

“You put me to shame for already this chamber shines with care and attention. I beg your leave for I
’m needed outside. The gate is in want of repair and the men stand about awaiting my command.”

“
Go, then.” She smiled at him, a smile she hoped would reassure him.

His answering smile warmed her to her very toes and set her to tingling inside. The thought of seducing him rose once again in her mind but this time she pushed it away. Nay, this time she would await his overtures for she did not wish to embarrass him or herself again.

*****

Warin’s manner over the next few days baffled her.

Any opportunity to lend her aid, he did. If he could help her sit, he would. When he left her to go about his business in the bailey or village, he brought her a small trinket or sweetmeat upon his return. No request of hers was denied.