The Vow (2 page)

A peasant man, naked except for a loincloth, stumbled into the clearing. I gasped. My reaction, however, was lost among the shouts and cries of others in the hunting party. I understood the reaction when I saw the swollen purple buboes under the man’s armpits and neck and the blackened, gangrenous fingers and toes.

The man, not more than thirty years of age, careened forward as though he’d had one too many mugs of ale. He plunged into the brook, staining the water with blood from his blistered soles. His wild gaze landed upon me and he veered in my direction. “Lady Rosemarie! Help me!”

I froze.

“Help!” His lips and the tip of his nose were black with gangrene too. They looked like they would peel off like the skin of a burnt onion. His sunken eyes begged me to listen. “Please help my children. I don’t want them to be alone when I die.”

“Of course not,” I started. Did I know this man? Was he
one of the peasants that I’d met while helping my mother deliver food and supplies among the poor?

He was almost upon me, and the closer he got the more I shrank back. I could see a yellowish puss oozing from swollen bulbs under his arms and neck, and his stench was almost as nauseating as that of a decaying corpse. If I’d met him previously, I certainly didn’t recognize him anymore.

“Stop him!” several of the men shouted. “He’s got the plague!”

The peasant didn’t seem to hear or see anyone except me. He dropped to his knees before me in the brook, heedless of the stones that cut into his bare knees and drew more blood. He reached his hands out toward me.

“Stay away from Rosemarie!” My father’s voice was frantic. He’d started toward the peasant, fear raging across his lean face.

Thomas’s hands gripped my arms as he attempted to drag me away from the infected man. I was horrified, and yet too intrigued to move of my own will. Even though we hadn’t had the plague in Ashby during my lifetime, I’d heard whispers of the contagious, fast-spreading disease. No one wanted to talk openly about it, for fear of bringing its deadly curse to life after the many years of absence. Too many still remembered the outbreak in decades past that had devastated the entire realm.

“Don’t touch her!” Thomas yelled, but the peasant’s gnarled fingers groped my skirt. I could only stare at the grotesque, blackened tips that looked as if they would snap off at the slightest pressure.

A twang was followed by a thump. The peasant cried out and arched before finally slumping to his side in the brook. Only then did I see the arrow embedded deep into his back, likely having pierced his heart. Blood dribbled from the puncture, ran down the mottled skin, and seeped into the water.

The peasant’s eyes stared downriver, lifelessly following the
trail of his blood. Eyes that had pleaded with me to do something — anything — to help his children, children that would now be without a father to provide for them.

I had to find out where he’d lived and what had become of his children. I started to stand up, but then realized that Thomas still had a hold of me. As any true gentleman would do, he shifted so that he was positioned between me and the body, assuring I wouldn’t have to look upon the gruesome sight any longer. Except that I had the completely irrational urge to approach the peasant, shake him, and demand that he tell me his name.

“Sheriff,” my father said to the black-bearded man who stepped out of the forest followed by several of his deputies. “You saved my daughter’s life.”

“Lord Montfort.” The sheriff and his men bowed before my father. Their heavy breaths and sweat-plastered tunics signaled that the peasant had led them on quite the chase.

“I’m indebted to you, Sheriff,” my father said, his voice laden with thick emotion as he glanced at me. My mother rushed to my side, and I fell against her. Her arms came around me fiercely, possessively, and she pressed a hard kiss against my brow. I breathed in the lavender scent embedded into her garments, hoping it would help calm my thudding heart.

“Think nothing of it, my lord.” The sheriff stood and mopped his brow, his curly black hair sticking to his face, which was red from exertion. “I was only doing my duty.”

“I shall reward you handsomely, my good man, nonetheless,” my father declared. “But for now, I must know why this peasant has the plague. Is he an isolated case or are there more?”

The sheriff’s brows came together in a scowl. “I regret to inform you, my lord, but we’ve had to section off an entire town block because of an outbreak. Unfortunately, this one broke through the barricade.” The sheriff kicked the peasant’s lifeless body so that he sprawled facedown in the brook.

Indignation coursed through me. I struggled to pull back from my mother’s tight embrace. Had the sheriff no respect for the dead? A man he’d killed in cold blood, no less. “Sheriff,” I called, “no matter this man’s status or illness, he deserves our kindness even in death.”

The sheriff’s gaze flicked to me, but only long enough to acknowledge me for the sake of my father. The disdain in his eyes spoke more than words ever could. To him, I was nothing but a worthless girl, a pawn to be moved about for the greatest good of father and fortune.

“If there’s an outbreak,” my mother said, squeezing me into a hug again, “then we need to send Rosemarie away, put her into safekeeping —”

“Those are my thoughts exactly,” my father said.

“No.” I pulled back, but my mother cupped both of my cheeks and forced me to look her in the eyes, just like she’d done since I’d been a young lass.

“You must listen to me, Rosemarie,” she said, pinning me with her most serious look, one that brooked no arguing. “’Tis not safe for you to remain out in the public. You will go to the convent for safekeeping until the illness has passed.”

“I’ll take her, Lady Montfort,” Thomas said gravely. He still shielded me from the dead body. “Tell me the way, and I shall take her there directly.”

“I don’t need to go, Mother. Please, I’ll be fine at home.”

“No, Rosemarie. You must go.” Mother lifted grateful eyes to Thomas. “You’re kind and noble, Lord Caldwell. But I want you to ride out of here with your parents just as fast as your horses can carry you. Get away from here. Go back home and stay there until you know it’s safe to return.”

The baron wrapped an arm around his wife. The gravity of his expression and his lack of protest sent a warning clanging through my chest like the chapel bell before a grave event.

“Let us take Lady Rosemarie with us,” Baroness Caldwell said.

“I thank you, Lady Caldwell,” I said, “but I must stay and do what I can to help —”

“You will go to the convent,” my father’s voice rose over mine.

I strained to see past Thomas and to the infected peasant. “But what about the children? I told the man I would help —”

“Rosemarie!” my father boomed. The chastisement in his tone silenced me. I lowered my head in acquiescence, even as my body tightened in protest to the over-protectiveness of my parents. I knew my mother had been barren for many years. I knew I was a miracle baby. I knew they treasured me dearly as a result. And I treasured them too.

But there were times when I felt smothered by their vigilance, by their attempts to keep me healthy and safe. They couldn’t keep me tucked away forever. They eventually had to let me grow up and face the realities of life; the hardships, and even the illnesses.

I could say no more. At least for now. Instead, I rose to my feet and tried to still the shaking in my limbs.

Chapter
2

I stood on the balcony in front of the Keep and
watched the chaos unravel in front of me in the inner bailey. I dug my fingers into the comforting thick fur of my dog, Pup, who sat by my side, the only calm in the storm that had begun to rage around me.

Servants and laborers were rushing about with a decided attitude of panic. Mother was busy overseeing the loading of my hastily packed trunks into a wagon. Father was barking orders to his captain of the guard regarding the supplies that needed to be gathered to combat the Plague. And Baron Caldwell and his retinue of servants were finishing packing their carts and readying their horses for their journey home.

Mother had admonished me to stay inside. But I’d gradually crept out onto the balcony that formed the entrance of the Keep, unable to resist the activity. From my high perch, I could almost see over the tall castle walls into the town that lay below, the town now languishing with not only a deadly disease but a very contagious one.

The thatched roofs and the wattle and daub homes formed a large portion of the town, the part relegated to the poor — those with little skill or no trade. The taller structures with the tiled roofs belonged to the tradesmen who had more lucrative businesses.

From what I’d heard, the Plague showed no mercy. It infected rich and poor alike. Soon no one in town would be safe.

Even though I was disappointed that my time with Thomas was coming to an abrupt end, I couldn’t begrudge his safety. I wished him and his family Godspeed and prayed that the Plague wouldn’t follow them.

“My lady,” Thomas said, bounding up the stone steps toward me. Since we’d returned from our hunt, he’d been occupied helping his parents prepare for departure. Although I’d secretly hoped to the chance to say good-bye, I wasn’t sure if he’d remember me in all the commotion and hurry to leave.

His jerkin was askew, his hair mussed in his obvious haste, and he was breathing hard as climbed the last two steps and finally stopped in front of me. Pup, who was by my side, stiffened. All week, my dog had regarded Thomas with wariness. I knew Pup was only protecting me and that it would take time for him to realize Thomas wasn’t a threat. I only wished that Thomas had more time to stay and prove himself to both my dog and myself.

“My family and I must say our good-byes,” he said, his rich brown eyes taking me in and coming to rest upon my face.

“Farewell, my lord. I wish you safe travels.” I wanted to tell him not to forget about me in his absence. I had no doubt there were other ladies, perhaps older than myself who were ready for marriage, who would be vying for his attention, whose parents would be aiming to match their daughters with this kind and wealthy man who would one day be a baron.

What reason did he have to wait for me? What reason did he have for thinking of me at all? I wished there was something I could give him as token to remember me.

He shifted and glanced to the bustling courtyard below. Then, clearing his throat, he took a step forward and closed the distance between us so that he was less than a foot from me. “My
lady,” he said breathlessly. “I find myself in a predicament. I’ve been ordered to leave. And yet I’m loathe to go.”

“Then you’ve enjoyed your time in Ashby?”

“
Enjoyed
doesn’t quite seem the fitting word.”

“What is fitting, then?”

“These days with you,” he rushed, but then seemed to catch himself and slow down. “These days have been the most pleasant of my life.”

At his admission, my breath caught.

The noble lines in his face were taut with sincerity. “I know we’ve only just met. I know we’ve only just begun to get to know each other. I know that I have no right to ask anything of you. But . . .”

I nodded at him to continue, every nerve in my body thrumming in anticipation.

“But I hope that you won’t have the inclination to spend time with other men in my absence.” His gaze dropped to his leather boots as though embarrassed by his admission. “I don’t like to think about the possibility that you’ll spend time with anyone else but me.”

I couldn’t very well admit that I’d been hoping the same thing about him, that he wouldn’t spend time with too many other women while we were apart. Nevertheless, I knew I had to assure him that I was feeling the same way. “You’ll have no reason to worry. There are no other men who are inclined to spend time with me.”

He gave me a faint, humored smile, the kind a parent would to a child. “There may not be any other young men today, at this moment. But there will one day be more than you can count. You’re young and beautiful. And once word spreads that you’ve reached an age to entertain suitors, I have no doubt men will come from far and wide to fight to win your heart.”

I smiled at his exaggeration. “You’re too kind, my lord.”

“And you are too humble.”

I shook my head to deflect his praise. “I shan’t need
many
men to come . . . I shall only need one.”

At my statement he gave a sharp intake, and I suddenly realized how bold my words sounded. I hadn’t meant to insinuate that he was
the one
. I’d only meant to say that I wasn’t the kind of young woman who took pleasure being the center of attention or being flattered. Not that I’d had all that much practice with those issues in my short fourteen years. Even so, I didn’t relish the idea of juggling the attention of numerous men. I would be much more content getting to know one man, slowly, over time.

Thomas surprised me by reaching for my hand and wrapping his fingers around mine. “If you’ll permit it, my lady, I’d like the chance to get to know you better, for us to spend more time together, for you to have the opportunity to see if perhaps I’m the one.”