Page 26 of A Lover for Lady Jane (The Welsh Rebels #5)

Chapter Thirteen

A s agreed the day before, Sian and Christopher left for Castell Esgyrn ahead of the cart to warn the family of Jane’s upcoming arrival.

At dawn, Christopher had gone to the village on the other side of the river and asked the workers enrolled for the day to come to the cottage first so they could be told what was expected from them.

The men had been only too happy to lend their cooperation to the lord of the castle’s daughter—and were offended when mention of a reward had been made.

“My lady, it will be an honor to help you. We need nothing in exchange. Lord Sheridan has been more than generous with us already.”

Jane had not insisted, knowing the men would be rewarded whether they wanted to be or not. Her parents would see to it.

A hooded garment was found, and a large piece of cloth.

Griffin was to walk alongside the workers, his face obscured by the hood, while she huddled in the cart under the cover, amidst the stones and rubble.

She settled down with some trepidation but was reassured to see she was completely hidden once the cover was secured.

“The men and I will try and see if aught is amiss in the woods. With luck, we will be able to locate the place of the ambush, so your father can get to the men and have them punished. Whatever you do, do not show yourself,” Griffin urged before covering her.

Absurdly, she almost reached out for his hand to place a kiss on his knuckles.

It felt like the end of something wonderful, the conclusion of a moment that had been suspended out of time and she didn’t know how to handle it.

After a few delicious days spent alone in his company, she would go back to her normal life.

Would she not think something was lacking? She wasn’t so sure.

The men gave the order and the cart started to move.

Jane gritted her teeth and focused on staying silent and immobile.

Despite Griffin’s insistence that they stuff the hole they had created for her with straw from the stables, this would not be a comfortable ride.

Stones dug in her back and sides. Well, she would just have to endure it.

Soon, she would be safe, it was all that mattered.

A few bruises would be small price to pay.

Without Griffin, she would have reached her home in a much worse state.

When they entered the forest a moment later, she tensed up.

The blanket was thin enough that she was not in complete darkness, but as she couldn’t see anything, she had to go by sound alone, which only added to her nervousness.

What if, despite their precautions, Geraint recognized Griffin?

What if the rebels saw something unusual in the cart’s load and decide to investigate? What if they?—

No. Jane forced herself to calm down. There was no reason anyone would suspect anything.

The workers started to sing, a good way of indicating they were not nervous in the least and had nothing to hide, she had to admit.

At no point did she hear anything worrying, nor did she feel the cart slow down.

Still, she could feel sweat trickle down her spine.

Only when she finally heard the familiar patter of the horse’s hooves on the drawbridge did she start breathing again. The plan had worked.

They had made it.

“Jane! Finally, thank the Lord!”

“Are you all right? You look a mess.”

“Sian and Christopher told us what happened. Dear God, are you all right?”

Everyone gathered around the cart and started to talk at the same time when Jane emerged from under the covers, looking, for once, slightly worse for wear and disheveled.

Still unfathomably beautiful. Griffin’s chest tightened.

Now that they were inside Castell Esgyrn, and safe, she was not his to protect and look after anymore. She didn’t need him.

And so began the second part of his life, the one after his meeting with Lady Jane Hunter. What would it bring?

Looking overwhelmed by the flow of questions and comments addressed to her, she turned to face him.

“This is Griffin ap Madoc, the man without whom I wouldn’t be here.

” Once everyone had expressed their heartfelt gratitude, she pointed at different people, introducing them in turn, omitting only Sian and Christopher, whom he already knew.

“My parents, Lord and Lady Sheridan. This is my sister, Gwenllian. My other sister, Seren. My brother, Rhys. Our friend, Bethan.”

It was odd to finally put a face to the names he had heard mentioned so often in the last few days and he did his best to greet them with the proper amount of deference, but he wasn’t sure what else to do.

Jane was the only other noble he’d ever been in contact with.

With her, everything had been easy from the start, maybe due to the unusual circumstances of their meeting.

With these people dressed in their finery, looking at him as they would to a savior, he wasn’t sure how to behave.

“You have the biggest beard I’ve ever seen,” little Seren said, coming closer.

“Have I?” He couldn’t help a smile. The girl was adorable. At least it was not difficult to know how to be with her, she was just a child. “Well, it certainly feels enormous, and I cannot wait to shave it off.”

“Are you really all right, Jane?” The blonde woman he now knew to be Jane’s mother was not so easily distracted, understandably so. There was a haunted look in her eyes, as if she was imagining what could have happened to her daughter.

“Perfectly all right. But I will need to speak to you and Father,” Jane answered, throwing him a glance he had difficulty interpreting. Did she want him to come with her? Was she apologizing to him because she preferred to be alone with her parents to discuss what had happened? What did he prefer?

Before he could decide, Lord Sheridan took Jane’s hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. “Come, indeed we have much to discuss.”

Everyone started to disperse. The workers, having been thanked profusely for their help, headed for the chapel to start on their day’s work, Jane’s siblings made their way toward the main hall in their parents’ wake. Only Christopher remained in the bailey, appraising him with a frown on his face.

“Come with me, we’ll put you to rights before your confrontation with Lord Sheridan. He’s bound to want to speak to you next. And you’re right, you do need a shave. You’re also in sore need of a bath and clean clothes.”

After days on the road, he probably was, but Griffin was dismayed that it should be so obvious. Had Jane noticed how filthy he looked? Did she mind? Please Lord, let her not be disgusted by him.

His heart heavier than ever, he followed the Englishman to a small room next to the stables.

It was obvious Christopher had asked for everything to be prepared as soon as he’d reached Castell Esgyrn, for there was all a man needed to make himself look presentable, including clean clothes.

He guessed they belonged to Christopher, who seemed to be of similar height and build to him.

The water in the shallow tub was lukewarm, a luxury a farmer’s son had rarely indulged in.

At any other time, Griffin might have lingered and taken the time to appreciate that it was all over and he had delivered Jane home safely, but his stomach was tied up in knots at the idea of what was to come, the confrontation with Lord Sheridan and, more to the point, the pending separation from Jane.

Now that she was safe with her family and didn’t need him anymore, he didn’t see why anyone, her included, would ask him to stay.

Christopher nodded and left him to his ablutions, saying he would be waiting outside when he was finished.

“Tell me, is there any reason why you should be so nervous?” he asked once Griffin had come out of the room dressed in a dark hose and velvet tunic that fitted him like a glove.

“Nervous?”

“Nervous.” The Englishman crossed his arms over his chest and fixed him with his disconcerting eyes.

“I don’t understand why you would be. You’ve saved Lord Sheridan’s daughter from a band of ruffians who intended her to use her to get to him and would, I imagine, have raped her at the first opportunity.

You’re a hero, and the man will be sure to thank and reward you for what you did.

Yet you look as if you feared he would slice you open. It makes no sense. Unless…”

Yes. Unless.

Griffin averted his gaze.

“Unless you took liberties with the Lady Jane while she was alone with you and at your mercy and you feared retribution for assaulting her yourself?” In a flash, the affable, slightly mocking man was replaced by the lethal warrior.

“I hope to God this is not what happened, because if you so much as?—”

“No!” Griffin was horrified to be mistaken for what he was not, but he did not take a step back, more worried about establishing the truth than protecting his face from the punch he felt sure was coming.

“Of course I did not assault her, or anyone! I would never do that. I took her away from the group of men precisely because I wanted to spare her that fate.”

Christopher relaxed. “Very well. I believe you. She doesn’t seem wary of you, now that I think of it, rather the opposite.

” His face underwent another transformation as understanding dawned.

“You did not assault her, but you did sleep with her,” he asserted, leaning in as he lowered his voice.

“Which is why you’re nervous at the idea of facing her father. ”