A Stormy Knight (20 page)

****

Gemma watched as
her husband
rode out of the gate with Henry at his side. She was not sure where they were going, but she was sure
the king
was not a man to disappoint. She had heard a lot about King Stephen in her life
.
He was a kind man but failed to have the heavy hand needed to keep order. Henry, on the other hand, seemed to have the world figured out.
If only
she could be that strong.

She had been playing with Isabel when she saw the men running. Fear formed immediately
,
but she did her best to stay calm. Once she realized the riders were friendly, she knew sh
e must go greet whoever it was.

She had no idea it was Henry himself until she was near to him, and even then, she was not entirely sure until she faced him.
Long ago he
had
visited Blackstone
, but she did not get near him then
.
I
f anyone had the air of a king, this man did. Something in her told her to trust him, which meant
,
in turn
,
she could trust Nicholas.

It was that simple.
She already did, of course, but she was not sure of what he would do next. That made her wary. She trusted him with her lands, her family, and her safety, but she was not so sure she should
ever trust him with her heart.

These thoughts went through her mind like a wheel, spinning and spinning but getting nowhere. In an effort to stop the thoughts, she decided to go talk with her father. He was healing more quickly now, and she had given him ample time, but now was the time to finally talk with him about her troubles. Surely her father
'
s wisdom could see her through this no matter what would happen next.

When s
he
entered her father
'
s quarters, h
e was up and about. He was not moving fast, but he was so much better than he had been weeks before.
Her steps sounded near his doorway
,
and
he
stopped
to see who she was.

"
Father!
"
she said as she ran to him and threw her arms around him.
"
You are feeling better today?
"

"
I am,
"
he said
.
"
I am able to walk well
,
and my
mind is
clear. I tire so easily though, which Father Darius says may never go away.
"

"
I pray he is wrong,
"
she said
, letting him go from her embrace.
"
Do you feel up to talking?
"

"
Of course. Sit with me,
"
he said, gesturing to the small table near an arrow loop.
"
I had this brought up so I can eat here. The steps are tricky for me yet
,
and I prefer the quiet.
"

She
wrinkled her forehead but said nothing else about his health.
He sat
across the discolored, wooden table from her.
T
he furniture had been neglected
,
and she must see something was done soon. Right now, however, she had to tell her father what she had held back for seven years.

"
I have something to tell you,
"
she started,
"
something I should have told you long ago.
"

Her father
'
s eyes settled upon her. A small smile formed and then disappeared.

"
You know?
"
she said incredulously.

"
I know,
"
he said, patting the back of her hand.

"
Why did you never speak of it then? Surely you must have been upset with me!
"

"
I did not know then. I know now. Your husband told me the entire story, including what brought an end to your budding romance.
"

Gemma was stunned. She sat back against the wall with her mouth slightly agape. Nicholas told him?

Her father continued
.
"
I have spent time each day with Nicholas. He does not wish to change how I have done things here for so long. Other than our recent troubles, he said if something is working here, there i
s no need to change it. He is an
inquisitive man
,
and it is my duty to our people to help him along. Life shall remain the same for most here.
"

"
You are not upset?
He told you everything?
"

"
Everything, right down to how you use
d
to go meet him and for how long you met,
"
her father said
, sounding tired
.
"
I cannot be upset about something from seven years ago. You were safe
,
or you would not be here today. I would have stopped it had I known, but I cannot say I would have put
an end
to your romance.
"

"
I do not understand, Father,
"
she said, clearly confused.
"
You did not mind? I was so young. What if it were Isabel? She is not so far off
from
the same age as I was back then.
"

"
I would not want her sneaking out, but I would not discourage her as long as the young man was earnestly seeking her company without motive otherwise.
"

"
Most fathers,
"
she
said as she stood and studied the tapestry on the wall,
"
would have protested and even chased such suitors away.
"

"
Most fathers,
"
Blaise said,
"
were not raising their children when I was. Your mother and I were of the same mind. It was too dangerous to foster you elsewhere
,
so we kept you home. There may have come a time when I wanted you to wed Bigod, though I see the error in that thinking now. I never would have forced it. I saw no need. We have all we need. I do not need to wed my daughters for financial gain. You could learn just as much here as you could in another household. You and Isabel were meant to be free to make your own choices. It is not common, but
'
twas my decision.
"

"
But what of Gavin
?
"
she
questioned her father,
facing
him again
.
"
Y
ou sent him away to be fostered in another household.
"

"
Gavin was to be a man. Men of privilege have but two choices. They can become fighters
,
or they become clergymen. Your brother was not the toughest child, but he was in no way interested in becoming a priest. Times were not the best for sending a son away to be fostered, and many families did not, but I knew it was all
he
had. If I did not send him, he
might
have ended up with no aim, drive, or purpose. A man without a purpose is no man at all.
"

She
no
dded, sitting down once again.
"
And Nicholas? You do not mind him acting in your stead? You do not feel like regaining your position of lord once you have fully recovered?
"

"
Nay, girl,
"
he said, shaking his head
,
"
I do not. I tire easily
,
and I am not so sure that will change. I am happy to stay here but not as lord. That is Nicholas
'
s position now, and you are his lady. I am an old man and I wish to rest.
"

"
You trust him completely then?
"
she asked, her green
eyes studying his face
.

Her father nodded and said,
"
And you should too. He is a good man and has shown himself to be kind and merciful to all that dwell here. It would be in your best interest to trust him too. He is your husband now and no matter the misunderstanding between you, you have to trust him.
"

"
And of that misunderst
anding?
You do not believe his family was siding with Matilda?
"

"
My dear, Matilda was retired from her quest to rule the English by then. The story makes no sense, though
back then it was not known she had truly given up
. It soon became apparent the story was not true, but by then,
'
twas out of my hands. Stephen and Henry made their own judgments.
"

"
I will let you rest now, Father. You look tired,
"
Gemma said. Her father
stood but
more slowly than she liked.
"
Can I get you anything to eat?
"

He shook his head.
"
You are going to be fine, my dearest,
"
he said, as he placed a kiss on her cheek.
"
I will see you on the morrow.
"

****

She
did not see Nicholas again until they sat at the dais to sup at sunset. He
appeared
tired. Isabel was her usual charming self as she told
him
all about her new tadpole trap. To his credit, he seemed to listen with interest and promised to see it for himself the next day. Gemma ate her food and stared at the wall, thinking about he
r conversation with her father.

A log snapped in the fireplace, jolting her back to reality. Nicholas was staring at her and Isabel was standing, ready to leave the table for the night.

"
Gemma
,
are you sleeping at the table?
"
her sister
said, crinkling her nose.

"
Of course not,
"
she said a little too quickly,
"
be off and get to bed
,
would you?
"

Hesse was already there, gently pulling Isabel by the arm, telling her it was time for her bath. She reluctantly left, but not
until
after shooting her sister an odd look.

"
My meeting with Henry was quite enlightening,
"
Nicholas
said without preamble.
"
He is an exceptionally
strong willed man
,
and he wants nothing less than perfection from his knights. I am no exception no matter what I have done for him on the battlefield in the past.
"

"
He was well then?
"
Gemma asked, trying to keep the conversation going. She would not let him know she loved him, but she did not think it was too much to ask to build a friendship with him.

"
Aye,
he
is always well,
"
he said, taking a bite of bread. He lifted his wine to wash it down
as
he raised an eyebrow at her.
"
What is on your mind?
'
Tis as if you are not here but somewhere far away.
"

"
Not a thing,
"
she said, looking into her goblet at the liquid within
.
"
I am just tired.
"

"
Rest then,
"
he
said patiently as h
e stood.
"
I have things to do.
"

He left the great hall quickly. His shortness was cutting her down. Her heart was aching
,
and she did not know how to fix it. She got up
,
and a soldier got up to follow her.
Something had to change
;
then he would have time to spend with her. Instead, he just moped around and relentlessly questioned his men. Some days he worked them to death. She saw it all.

If only there was something she could do.
S
he could ease the burden on
him,
and
he m
ight
start to smile. They would no longer live in fear
,
and Isabel would be free to enjoy her childhood. Everyone was tense and melancholy. It was driving her mad.

Something had to be done.
She
pondered her situation and realized she could not think when men-at-arms were always just a step behind. What she needed was some space.
Sitting in the garden was not enough
.
Instead, she longed for the fields outside the gates
away from pryi
ng eyes and from
constant scrutiny. She was tired of feeling like a prisoner in her own home. A ride would help her clear her head. It could help her come up with a solution to this stalemate.

She decided to take her badly neglected horse for a ride. The only place she could get any peace was outside the castle walls. She would not go far.
The lands were familiar, and
she could come and go safely. Lady was a fast horse
,
and if she encountered trouble, she would just come home.