Authors: Amy Mullen
A Stormy Knight (32 page)
Carefully
,
h
e went back up the stone steps leading to where Gemma was being held
, moving
slowly. His leg was stiff
,
and he could not bend at the knee because of the wrap. He took the steps as quickly as he could
,
despite the pain. The passageway was dark when he got back up there. Gavin was gone. He did not know if he
had
died or if he was on the boat with the rest
of them, heading
toward
London, nor did he care
. Gavin
'
s explanation no longer mattered. He just wanted to find his wife.
The door to the cell that had
once
held Gemma was now hanging open. It was dark
,
and it smelled like filth. He
shouted
an order down the steps
,
and one of his men came up with a torch. He took it from him and walked into the room. A storm had rolled in again. Lightning shot across the sky, illuminating the entire room for just a brief moment. What a dreary place it was. He imagined Gem
ma being held here and cringed.
There was not much to the room. He
saw
the dirty pallet upon which she must have slept. It smelled like urine
,
and the kirtle she had been wearing when she disappeared was lying on it in a heap. The table was empty
,
and the small stool was tipped over. There was nothing else other than the dirty reeds littering the floor and the
lone chamber pot in the corner.
For a better view, h
e left the room and walked up to the top of the curtain wall to look below. He could see his men going in and out of rooms and outbuildings. No one had found her, but he saw the men from his ranks
who
had been missing. Someone discovered them in another dungeon within the castle.
Moving as quickly as he could, he went
back down to the bailey and headed
toward
the great hall. Once there, he found the steps leading up
to
the solar.
The wound in his
leg was aching now, and blood was flowing anew through the linen. He needed to rest
,
but he would not stop until he found her.
He tore through each of the rooms he found. Piles of clothing were strewn about. A bed was overturned as if someone had already searched each room carefully. He found nothing
that
suggested Gemma had been anywhere. The storm outside suddenly dumped a torrent of rain. Thunder sounded every three seconds
,
and he knew it was time to go before the river
rose too high
and
prevented their passage
home
.
She
was no longer there. He knew it in his gut. It was time
to send most of his men home. Before he left
,
h
e would
entrust
a few
of his men
to come up with a search plan. He would find her. She would choose to leave him and go to her uncle, but he still had to know she was alive. The pain in his heart was too heavy to bear, but he would see her off if it meant her happiness.
****
Gemma paced under the cover of trees as she waited. The storm was now
overhead
,
and heavy drops of rain pelted the leaves above her. Out in the open, the rain danced on the hard-packed earth
,
and
puddles formed before her eyes.
"
Where is he?
"
she demanded to no one in particular. Helena was still sitting at the foot of the tree, shivering.
"
Are you well?
"
she
asked
her
.
"
Aye, I am well. I am just scared. I do not know what is to become of me. The marriage to Gavin was my last hope. My family is all but gone
,
and I have
nowhere
to go.
"
"
You will be cared for,
"
Gemma said as she sat next to her.
"
You risked everything to save me
,
and I shall not forget that. All I can say is I am sorry for my brother. He is not well. He is not the man I remember growing up. We did not spend a lot of time together, but he is not the same. My father taught us to take what we want honestly. He is nothing of what he should have become.
"
A tear rolled down Helena
'
s cheek as she spoke.
"
He was so kind when we met. He had dreams of being a great knight. He just could not hang on to it. Once knighted, he started to falter. He was in the shadow of something he did not explain. He began to spend more time away
,
and he often disappointed the king. I do not know what he was doing. I should have found a way out then. The Gavin
who
brought me to Renoir was not the man I met and fell in love with. I cannot explain it.
"
"
And you do not have to,
"
Gemma said.
"
Now dry your eyes and look forward. I will see you are cared for.
"
She
nodded but said nothing more.
Gemma stood and
gazed
down at Helena as she pondered what led
her brother
down a bad path. Her thoughts were interrupted by shouting.
She ran to the edge of the woods to see some of her men carrying a man out of the castle. At first she thought it might be Gavin or one of the Bigods, but it did not take her long to see it was
her husband
.
Without thinking, s
he raced out of the woods, not bothering to ask if all was clear. She stopped short and
stared
at her husband. He was pale. The bandage on his leg was leaking
,
and he was bleeding anew. There was no time to waste. He had pushed himself too hard. Gemma did not know what had happened, but she knew he would not rest until
he
knew
the castle was secure.
With care, he
was carried into the woods
, and she
refused to leave his side. He was placed under a canopy of trees
that
kept some of the heavy raindrops from pummeling them.
Barely
conscious, h
e moaned as he was lowered to the ground.
He blindly reached out with his hand. He grabbed hers and held on tightly.
"
We cannot wait!
"
she
cried.
"
We must get him across the river before it becomes too high. He will die if I cannot get the bleeding stopped.
"
"
My dear,
"
Oliver said,
"
a boat awaits. There is enough room for the injured. You will take the trip with your husband. I will come with you as well. The rest will cross the river and arrive as soon as they can safely do so. We must hurry!
"
His
men were
already
getting ready to leave. Most were mounted
,
and the injured were being moved away from the castle. The immobile could be carried across a horse for such a short ride to the river
'
s edge, but Gemma di
d not want to move Nicholas that
way. She did not have much choice in the matter because they had to get home as quickly as they could.
Nicholas was raised up so he could sit in front of Oliver on the seneschal
'
s destrier. He was unsteady at first, but he righted himself and commanded th
at
Gemma also ride so they could all get to
the boat and then home at once.
When they returned to Blackstone, the drawbridge on the
R
iver Thames was lowered quickly. The men left behind were ready for them to return.
Rain
still fell
,
and the waters in the moat were rising. The thunder had abated some, but it appeared it would rain for the rest of
the day and on into the night.
Father Darius and Leda were waiting in the great hall for the wounded. They had trestle tables ready as temporary beds. Piles of linen strips, buckets of steaming water, and candles were laid about the room.
There were some serious injuries
,
but all
of the
men came home alive. Oliver sent some of the men
who
stayed behind to ride out to meet those coming from the river cros
sing. Gemma ordered Nicholas
carried up to their chambers
, and someone ca
me to help. Leda was assisting Father Darius
,
so she sent her daughter
,
Adela
,
up to aid
her
. Helena came alon
g to see if she could help too.
"
How fairs Willis?
"
Gemma asked Adela as she entered the room with the supplies
she
had requested.
"
He is awake but
awfully
tired,
"
Adela said with a slow nod.
"
Helena,
"
Gemma said, turning
toward
her sister-in-law,
"
would you go into the room to your left to see if there is anything he needs? Adela
,
please go with her so Willis is not alarmed by a new face.
'
Tis hard to be immobile when one is
used
to being strong and in control. Tell him all is well now. Blackstone is secure at last.
"
"
And Adela,
"
she
said with a smile,
"
Matthew is well. Do not worry for him.
"
Le
da
'
s daughter blushed and nodded
. Her relief was obvious. With that, both girls left the room, leaving Gemma alone with Nicholas.
Using care, she deftly
unwound the bandage on Nicholas
'
s leg. He said nothing
,
but he watched her as she worked. The silence was unnervin
g. She washed the wound gently.
She then dumped some wine on the wound and heated a needle in the fire. This was going to be the hard part. The wound was not as bad as it
appeared
, but he needed to be stitched. He winced as she did her work, but she did it quickly. He
r husband
remained silent.
"
Rest. Oliver will see to everything,
"
she said as she pulled a coverlet up over him. He
was
exhausted
,
and she did not wish to argue with him.
He nodded and closed his eyes. He was asleep before she could say anything else. She quickly changed out of her wet clothes and left the room.
She
made her way down the steps to see if anyone else needed attention. The air about the great hall was much different than it had been in a long time. Many came to her, offering her hugs and good wishes,
showing relief at her return. In all her years, s
he had never been so grateful to be home.
Laughter and excited chatter surrounded her. Servants were scurrying around with whatever cold food they could find so everyone could have something to eat. The fire was raging
,
and the room was warm. The rains still fell outside, but the mood over all who dwelt within the castle walls had lightened substantially.
Once she was sure everything was finished and there was nothing more for her to do, she went to find her sister. Isabel was finally free to be a
child
again
,
and she wanted t
o hug her and never let her go.
After spending time with a happy Isabel,
she
took her and Helena down for supper. Nicholas was still asleep
,
and she wanted him to rest. He
appeared
so tired and pale
still
, and she did not wish to disturb him. She knew Father Darius had gone up to check over her work, but he said no
thing.
Isabel
was
off to bed with
both Hesse and Helena,
so she
went up to sit upon the edge of her bed where Nicholas still slept. The sun was finally setting. A chill ran through Gemma as she realized she might be dead right now. She
glanced
over at her husband. His chest lifted and fell rhythmically with his breathing.
A sigh escaped her lips
. How s
he wished he returned her love.