Gem of Gravane (The Northern Knights) (4 page)

“Milady, if you do not sit still,
we will never get done.” Edie sighed with vexation. 

Danielle pulled her braid out of
her maid’s hand and twisted around on the stool toward the light coming through
her chamber window.

“Edie, you know I detest such
styles.  Just leave it be. This is who I am and it was just like this
last night, so it’s not as if he has not seen it.” 

“But milady, you are to be married
within moments. ‘Twill only be for the ceremony.” Edie pleaded.  

Danielle groaned loudly and cast
her two fat braids over her shoulder. “That is why I cannot sit still. I
don’t want to marry this man, Edie. My prayers went unanswered. He will treat
me no better than Thomas or my father did. He is not our savior.”

“Milady, he did show kindness to
you after that witch tripped you.”

Danielle tilted her head,
remembering. “Yea. A hint, mayhap.” She refused to believe it was anything more
than that.  He’d not spoken to her much at all, but his friend, Balwain
had. Still, Danielle felt unease settle over her.

“I tell you, your cousin fears him
too.” Edie added.

Danielle had noticed the odd way
Thomas had behaved. But could someone as mean spirited and selfish as Thomas be
afraid of anyone?  Danielle groaned again. “Was it too much to pray for a
man that would see more to Gravane than gain and greed?”

“Is that all that bothers you,
milady?”

Danielle turned and looked up at
the odd sound of her maid’s voice.  “What do you mean?”

“Norman or not. He is quite
handsome.” Edie tittered.

Danielle’s mouth opened and closed
and she felt the heat burn her cheeks. “I did not notice.”  She shrugged
off the falsehood as Edie stood back with her hands on her hips and an
expression of doubt on her pretty face. 

Danielle turned back around. “What
does it matter anyhow?  He looks at me like everyone else, with disgust.
‘Twas foolish to think a man would not care what I looked like nor care that I
have this bloody affliction.”  Danielle choked on a sob as she rose again,
nearly tripping over the wedding gown hem her and Edie had made.  She
tugged at the long material and went to the window, not seeing Edie trail after
her grabbing for the short train. 

“Milady,” Edie said breathlessly.
“Your knee and limp is not an affliction. ‘Tis barely noticeable.  I tell
you, if that was disgust I read on milord’s face last eve, then I must be going
blind in my old age.”

“Nay, Edie, you are but two years
older than me. It was disgust.  I have seen that look on the men in
the village aplenty and know it well when I see it.”  Danielle sighed
heavily, ignoring Edie’s attention to fastening up the laces and the finishing
touches to her attire.

“Pardon me, milady, but, nay.
 I think this time ‘tis you who is not seeing it clearly.  He looks
at you in the same way his man, Balwain has been looking at me.”  
Edie blushed heavily, talking easily among her lady.   “I am older
than you and far from a virgin. So, trust me, I can definitely say I know when
I see lust in a man’s eye, milady.” 

Danielle blushed at her maid’s
frankness, but could not stop the smile that turned up her lips.  “Bless
your good heart, Edie. But I think not. You make me laugh at the thought
however.   But, nay. I know what I saw.  I may not know what
this lust looks like, but I am quite experienced with the look of disgust.
 I did notice the pleasing stares that Balwain was giving you however,
but, they were not the same.  He is a man of good looks.” 

Edie was really red now.  “Aye
milady, these Normans seem to have that look about them and they are quite a
large lot in size, are they not?”  

They both shared a spell of laughter. 
Edie continued.  “Surprising too that they look far better than their men
without the backs of their head shaved in that bowl cut.”

“Aye, I did find that odd too,
Edie. But what do we know of them? They are naught more than invaders,
strangers and mayhap copying the Saxon way as to not look out of place.”
Danielle replied with a shrug still fidgeting under Edie’s ministrations.

“Mayhap. Done!”  Edie stood
back and looked over her lady head to toe.  The green colored gown
complimented all of Danielle’s curves in all the right places and she looked
beautiful.  Edie just wished her lady could see this in herself.
 “Now, mark my words, milady. You will come to know the difference sooner
than you think.” 

She winked and Danielle gave her a
big hug.  They parted when Hilda, Rose’s maid intruded to announce that it
was time.

Aric had a sleepless night.

He’d woken in a foul mood, shaven
his face clear of that bothersome beard and dressed quickly with the aid of his
squire.  Now he stood in his best black and gold tunic.  His scabbard
and sword strapped to his side.  Not the clothes of the hardened,
fearless warrior known on the battle field for his prowess and easy stroke with
dispensing any opponent.  No, today he would appear to the untrained eye,
a handsome groom, despite the fierce scowl riding his attractive features.
  

Aric knew that it was not just lack
of sleep that caused his sour mood or some of the events from the night before,
but of the events this morning as well.   Balwain had walked with him
around the manor.  He’d noted places that would need strengthening to turn
the manor into an even more elaborate stronghold to ward off any possible
siege. The manor guards would be replaced with his own soldiers
immediately.  They had also spoken on Thomas and Rose.  They needed
to act faster on the other task William had requested of them.  

Aric did not like the way the two
treated his betrothed.   He knew last night that the two had slipped
and surely had not intended for he or Balwain to notice. He knew whatever it
was ran deeper than what they had witnessed. What remained hidden was very
dark. 

The servants were wary of him and
he wanted it to stay that way.  It had to be in order for him to manage as
the new lord and master here.  But even that was not the whole of the
thoughts that plagued him.  

He’d been as exhausted as his fleet
of soldiers, but the round face of the lady of Gravane kept rising up in front
of him.  

Those unique eyes, the color glowed
it seemed as he tried to get her face out of his thoughts.  Her mouth was
not pouty, just full and shapely, made for kisses.  His kisses.  He
grimaced at the startling image.

She was young. Not a beauty like he
usually preferred. But striking all the same. Aric convinced himself ‘twas
because of the look of her eyes and the beauty mole near her lip. She had
character. A unique look of her own and from what he’d noticed she was unaware
of her alluring beauty.  

 Tall and blessed with
generous curves, she was quite lovely indeed.  Those curves called to him
with want, need and he had tried to convince himself that it was only because
he’d not been with a woman in many months. The limp she had took nothing from
her and curiosity stirred within him. He wondered how she’d come to be injured
and hoped she’d not suffered much.  He did not ask himself why he cared or
thought it, he just did.    

The moment William had awarded his
soon to be legacy upon him; Aric had pledged to do nothing erstwhile than tie
up loose ends at court and had been too busy for slaking his lusty desires.
 He’d been embroiled in fighting and squashing out the rebellious bands of
mercenaries refusing to accept William between here and Normandy. The only
thought he’d given to his bride was that she would give him the heirs that he
needed, naught more and stay out of his way.  He’d not really cared at
first what she truly looked like as long as she’d be comely enough so he’d be
able to bring himself to bed her.  

Damn all to hell, if he did not
find the lady utterly breathtaking.  He did not realize that the dark
scowl on his face was morphing into a smile and that the smile remained until
she knelt next to him as she repeated the vows.   

That beautiful hair was in two fat
braids clasped with a matching ribbon circlet of flowers at the back of her
neck.  It seemed to him the lady had a liking for flowers.  Her gown
only confirmed Aric’s lusty thoughts for it caressed every full curve
lovingly.  

She was rigid next to him,
answering automatically to the priest.  Her hands, he saw, shone white
through her tanned skin as she clutched the bouquet of fresh flowers hard to
her middle.   Aric shot a dark look over her head to her
cousins.  One grinned.  The other, Rose, stared daggers into
his bride’s back
.   

Aric bristled with rage when
it came time to give the cursory kiss. He’d barely grazed her lips ere he was
in a full charge stride of wrath over to Thomas to wipe the grin off his face.
 

So focused on his target, Aric did
not see the stricken look that flashed across his bride’s face.

Danielle closed her eyes to stop
the tears.  

What was wrong with her? She had
hardened herself years ago against this sort of dismissal from Thomas and Rose
and had vowed to never cry over anyone else ever again.  And she
hadn’t.  Not even when her selfish father had taken his last breath, did
she shed not one tear.   

 Now, here, in less than two
days, this dark warrior had nearly brought her to tears several times by his
blatant and obvious disgust.  

Sudden anger sparked within her.
 

Could he not even give her a
knight’s courtesy of at least holding his emotions in until the ceremony was
completed?  The anticipation of receiving her first kiss surprised her and
the moment of excited curiosity was shattered when his lips barely brushed
against her upturned mouth before he’d quickly turned away from her. 

She opened her eyes to find Balwain
with a hand gripped on his forearm in restraint.  Danielle witnessed the
look the two warriors shared.  A look only the two of them understood.
  She caught the visible tremor that rippled through Aric’s
massive frame before his black glare returned to hers. 

It was too much for Danielle.
 Disappointment burned hotly inside her chest. She could not stop them and
she cursed under her breath.  

Aric’s fury deepened even more when
he saw the fat tears rolling down his wife’s flushed cheeks.  Something
deep inside him shifted.   

“Come.  We leave now,
milady.”  His tone was gruffer than he intended and he took hold of her
elbow in his hand, hard.   His touch gentled when she hiccupped on a
sob and he guided her from the small chapel on the side of the manor, but
not before whispering to Balwain.  “I need a private moment alone with my
wife and then we will come to the celebration.  See that those two make it
there, friend." 

Balwain nodded.   His
angry glare already locked on the cousins.

Danielle was still cursing under
her breath.  She did not know nor really care at the moment if Aric heard
the unladylike blasphemous words pouring from her mouth.  She
was feeling even worse as he all but dragged her down the path to the secluded
garden on the other side of the manor.

How did he know where it was? This
was her secret place of retreat.

She tried to quell her sobs and the
rising uncertainty as she struggled to keep up with his long, angry
strides.  The thought that he might beat her caused her to choke on a
sob.  It was well known that some men beat their wives as they believed it
was their right.  And God only knew what a Norman might do.  She almost
tripped when a hesitation came in his step.

She swiped angrily at her tears
with the back of her free hand. Blast it!  They wouldn’t stop
coming. 

She could hardly breathe and was
gasping when he finally came to a sudden halt under a canopy of trees that
caused her to fall into his side, with a loud sob-filled hiccup.  

Danielle felt her face redden even
more.  How bloody embarrassing.   She could only imagine what he was
thinking of her now.  She was sure her present state did more damage than
good and probably would only further his repulsion.   

She was truly making a spectacle of
herself.  Her chest heaved as the sobs had their way with her. 
Through it all, she told herself it was happening because the last thread of
hope, thin it was, had broken inside of her.

He was just standing there like a
stone wall with that dark scowl on his handsome face. 

She did not want to look at him,
but she felt the pull of his gaze and lifted her head up and met his
stare.  His dark eyes watched her intently, his brows furrowed, the scar
above his right brow, white.  Oh boy, he did intend to strike her.  
She wished she had a way to turn off the dreadful tears, but the damned sobs
gave no reprieve.  He moved so quickly that if she had blinked she
would have missed it.  

His large hands went to his
scabbard, one hand on it and the other on the hilt of his sword.
 Danielle’s eyes widened further.  It was worse than she’d thought.
 

Nay, he would not beat her. 

Now that the vows were done,
Gravane Manor and all its holdings were now his.  He no longer needed
her. Was he not supposed to wait until after she’d given him an heir
before he murdered her?  Nay, Danielle cried even harder, if that was at
all possible, he probably could not bring himself to go through the wedding
night with her.

Aric’s fury began to dissolve the
longer he stared at the river of tears running down his wife’s face.  He
was beside himself, not sure what to do.  Stricken by her deep hearty
sobs, her heartache made him uncomfortable.  His new wife wore her
emotions openly on her sleeve.  In the brief time he had known her, try as
she might, he could see that she believed she hid them quite well. And he
was sure now more than ever that she was unaware that she spoke some of her
thoughts aloud. 

Moving his sword aside, he sat
down on the stone bench under the trees and did the first thing that came to
him. He gathered her into his arms. Settling her across his lap and with
little resistance, he pressed her head as gently as he could to his
chest.