Don't Forget to Dream (3 page)

The one her rescuer had called Martin returned with a small cloth and a vial that when opened
she recognised as oil of cloves.
A
very quiet Joe followed a few steps behind but remained a silent observer from the kitchen entrance. Taking the items from his friend her rescuer set about tending her lip with great tenderness. When Martin placed a small mug of dark liquid before her she glanced hesitantly at it.
“
Go on, drink it,
”
her rescuer said,
“
It's just apple brandy. It will settle your nerves, you
’
r
e
still trembling.
”

“
I have never tasted ale, let alone such as this,
”
she replied still insecure but regaining her wits. A flicker of thought for h
er father filled her with shame.
What
would he have said to see her so weak.

“
Then you had best sip it,
”
he said with an understanding smile as he lifted the mug for her. Trying not to shake, she took the mug in her hand and took a sip. She was surprised at the intensity of the taste and the warmth as the liquor spread down her throat. She took another sip before returning the mug to the table.
“
Good. Your colour is returning.
”
He dabbed at her split lip with the oil of cloves, making her wince at both the intense odour and the sting.
“
Sorry,
”
he said still cradling her chin with his free hand.
“
Guess I
’
m not as gentle as I thought.
”

“
No good sir. It
’
s not that, I did not expect it would sting as much.
”

“
I know what you mean, believe me I
’
ve had many a wound but a cut to the lip always seems to sting more than you would expect.
”
He dabbed the swelling to her cheek a little and sat back to review his ministrations, impressed at her strength. She shed not a single tear; many other women
would be sobbing uncontrollably after such an attack.
“
That should do for now. Have any teeth been loosened?
”

A quick probe with her tongue confirmed her teeth were intact.
“
No
they are fine. Thank you, sir f
or everything,
”
she added softly as she lowered her eyes to her lap and quickly attempted
to reposition her torn neckline. As this was impossible to do,
she tucked it in as best she could.

“
I was glad to help. Tobias can be an ignorant stubborn fool, and that is without liquor in him. Do you mind telling me what that was about?
”
he asked gently.

Rhyla felt her cheeks burn as she recalled the implications of Lord Tobias
’
words to her. For a moment she didn
’
t know what to say.
There
was no way she could tell him the truth of what was said. Had she just misunderstood the young drunken Lord
’
s intent? Country ignorance
, she chided herself.
She
had trusted Master Drake. Her hesitation was not missed and he
r rescuer
looked as if he were not leaving without an answer.
“
I am not exactly sure of the details but it appears Lord Tobias has made some arrangement with Master Drake.
”
His frown showed he doubted her.
“
Please sir, you must believe me. I know nothing of this arrangement and I will not be a party to it. Whatever they have discussed is nothing to do with me and never will be. I would rather be turned out than be involved in their plans, whatever they may be.
”

“
Calm down, Rhyla. It
’
s alright
.
I believe you,
”
he said gently, placing his hands upon her shoulders.
“
Whatever the agreement was, it is for them to sort out. You needn
’
t fear being turned out if this had nothing to do with you.
”
Despite knowing she had done nothing wrong Rhyla
’
s cheeks continued to
burn and she doubted the reassurances of her rescuer. Yet she co
uld never tell him of her fears;
the humiliation wo
uld be more than she could bear.
She
would rather return home and live in poverty than let it be known what she suspected Master Drake intended for her. No matter what she said, if she refused to do as he ordered, she would be forced out of
the Inn on some pretence;
she was not so naive to believe she was safe. Some of her fears
must have shown on her face as the
reassurance
that showed in those blue eyes
turned to
deep concern
. She spoke up before he could question her further.

“
Thank you, good sir, once again. I apologise for upsetting your evening. Perhaps I can fe
tch you and your friends a calming drink
.
”

He stood up as Rhyla
stood
,
a hand ready to catch her if she fell. He was at least a hand taller than she, the breadth of his
chest even more evident as she stood
so close to him.
“
Thank you, but no. We had best be on our way. You need to rest.
”
Before she could think of anything to say he untied the small pouch from his waist and placed it on the table.
“
To cover the damages and drop in takings.
”
Staring at the pouch in amazemen
t she nearly missed him taking
a ring containing a modest ruby from his smallest finger. He raised her hand and placed the ring in her palm, rolling her fingers closed over it.
“
For your bravery.
”
h
e
whispered and then
turned towards the door with a brief glance at his companions. Unrolling her fingers Rhyla gazed at the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life.

He had taken a few steps before Rhyla
regained her composure
,
“
Wait.
”
He stopped and glanced back at her.
“
I don
’
t know your name.
”

The ready
grin spread widely;
for a moment she thought his eyes would stop her heart.
“
Callum.
”

“
Lord Callum, I
…”

“
No Rhyla, I am no Lord.
”
With a final inclination of his head, he
led
his companions into the night, leaving Rhyla and a very nervous Joe to tidy up. Before returning to her work, Rhyla slipped the ring into her pouch. Later that night she found a leather cord by which she could hang it around her neck.

Chapter 2

As consciousness returned the following morning Rhyla examined her lip with a tentative tongue. It was t
ender but only a little
swollen.A
later examination in the polished plate of the Inn
’
s best room confirmed no bruising was yet visible and the redness to her cheek had faded. Feeling the leather thong at her neck she reached into the neckline of her nightshift. She could scarcely believe the ruby ring was really there. The stone was so beautiful, the angle
s so carefully cut and polished.
It
was the size of her smallest nail and so intense in the depth of its colour. The broad gold band and cusp that held the stone was mesmerising to a girl who had only seen copper, brass and only recently the glint of silver in the window of the local jewellers. Although it had looked small on Callum
’
s hand, the ring was huge on hers.

The memory of the moment he gave it to her played repeated
ly through her mind all morning;
his eyes, his smile, the thickness of his black hair. Mostly she thought of his kindness and t
he safety she had felt with him.
She
hadn
’
t felt truly safe for many months. Yet these thoughts inevitably forced her to remember the situation in which he had inte
rvened and the dread
started
to rise from the depths of her stomach.

Rhyla attempted to concentrate on her chores; sweeping
the floors, cleaning the hearth as well as washing the
tables and mugs she had f
ailed to attend to
the night before. Yet she could not shake the fear of what would happen once Master Drake returned, kno
wing she would have to face him. She would have preferred to
forget the entire event. But
how could she ever trust a man she knew
had violated her trust and intended to sell her in the most demeaning way she could have ever imagined. Her self-respec
t made her want to confront him and she
pray
ed
he would deny
the entire idea, but why would Lord Tobias say they had an arrangement if it were not true? What would she do next? She would never agree to it, but if she did not
…
she was
certain he would turn her out of the Inn. Pausing as she wiped dry another mug
,
she took out the ruby ring.

She could go
to a jeweller and sell the ring,
the thought of parting with it was unbearable, but what else could she do if she lost her place here. What would the jeweller say as she tried to sell it? He would take
one look at her and question the origin of such a stone.
He
would never believe it had been a gift. She could imagine him calling the guards and have her arrested as a thief. Perhaps Master Dra
ke would support the accusation and
say she had stolen it from a patron. No one would bel
ieve that she had been given it.
Could
she find Callum to witness that he had given it to her? She knew he would, if
only
she could find him, but
then
she would be even more greatly indebted to him. The more she thought about it the more she realised how deeply indebted to him she really was. He had defended her virtue and given her not only the coin to appease Master Drake but also this ring. For all its beauty and the coin
he had given her,
she could live for a while even
if she could sell it.
Rhyla realised that she could not keep it.
Callum had said he was no Lord and
even if he were the son of a wealthy merchant this was an expensive gift. When she saw him again she would return it to him. It i
s how her father had raised her;
to work hard and honestly
and
to earn her way in the world. If Master Drake was not s
atisfied with her work
she would find another position;
she had to believe it. With the decision made she finished her chores and set off for the market place. Joe needed a few items for the days
’
meals.

The market was not far from the Laughing Willow. She decided to take the route that wound past the Royal Palace of
Calvadia.
The
grand splendour of such a building always gave her a few moments to daydream of what life must be like in such a beautiful place. The tall sandstone wall that surrounded the Palace was imposing as she walked along th
e paved street in its shade.
The vista that opened before her always took her breath away. Giving a sigh, Rhyla
entered
the
Palace Square. From here huge double iron gates, supporting a p
air of massive golden stallions
barred the entrance to the grounds of the Palace itself. The gates were impressive but were belittled by
the Palace beyond the courtyard. She could make out the grand flight of sandstone stairs leading up to a pillared entrance of which she could only just make out the gilded doors. To the right she saw guardsmen preparing to mount and assumed there must be barracks and stables along the inside of the Palace wall. To the left was another wall with a small entrance but she could not see where it led to.

Rhyla realised that she had been staring and had drawn the attention of the Guards. Looking up at them she smiled shyly and began to move away when she realised that one was familiar to her. She turned back and found Martin looking her way and returning her smile. She had made her mind up but had not expected the opportunity to find Callum to arise so quickly.