Page 45

W HEN R ANULF NEXT OPENED his eyes, he was back in his bedchamber in Penterwell. Bea wasn’t sitting solicitously by his bedside, though. Nor was Celeste. Instead, the lord of Tregellas regarded him gravely.

“So, you’re awake at last,” Merrick observed in his low, deep growl of a voice. “About time, too.”

A little dizzy, Ranulf struggled to sit up, hissing at the sharp pain in his side as he moved and the stitched flesh protested. “Where’s Bea?”

Merrick raised a brow. “You mean my ward, Lady Beatrice?”

“Yes. Where is she? Was she hurt?”

“Beatrice is fine,” Merrick replied, to Ranulf’s vast relief. “A little bruised, perhaps, and her feet were cut, but otherwise, she is quite well. Indeed, her capacity to talk at length remains undiminished.”

“Where is she?”

“I thought you’d appreciate some peace and quiet, although it took quite an effort to make her leave your chamber.

She didn’t want to go even after Constance had seen to your side—you tore the stitches open—and the cut on your cheek and assured her about fifty times you weren’t going to die.

Meanwhile, so my wife informs me, Maloren kept moaning in the corner about how wrong she’d been about you and if you died, it would be some sort of judgment on her.

How she reached that remarkable conclusion, neither Constance nor I can fathom. ”

Why did Merrick have to pick such a time to be loquacious? “ Where is Bea? ”

“Sleeping, I hope. The poor girl was completely exhausted. I suspect Constance gave her something to make her sleep, or she likely would have kept talking until she dropped, telling us about the murders and the smugglers and who was guilty and what happened.” He tilted his head to study Ranulf.

“You look very happy for a man who’s got to be in considerable pain. ”

Ranulf hoisted himself a bit more upright, in spite of the agony. “What of Wenna and her baby?”

“They are well, too. Apparently Wenna might not have been had Beatrice not been brought aboard that ship when she was.”

Merrick shifted, grimaced and glanced down at his left leg, which Ranulf realized was still splinted and wrapped.

“Aren’t we a fine pair?” the lord of Tregellas observed with a roguish gleam in his dark eyes. “All we need is Henry with his ruined face to complete the picture.”

“How did you get here? Bea said you weren’t supposed to ride.”

“I came in a wagon and, please God, never again. I felt like a feeble old man.”

“At least you haven’t made the mistakes I have. God’s blood, I was a fool, Merrick. I trusted Myghal and—”

“We can discuss your shortcomings as castellan later. I’m sure Sir Leonard will have a few things to say, as well.”

“You’re going to write to him about this?”

“No need, since he’s sitting in your hall.”

“No, I’m not,” a familiar voice growled from the doorway.

Sir Leonard himself stood on the threshold. His back was still straight as a lance and his expression not unlike the one Ranulf well remembered from the day he’d demanded to train with Sir Leonard de Brissy. The only noticeable change was that their mentor’s hair was now snow-white.

“And a fine thing I discover when I travel here,” Sir Leonard declared as he strode into the bedchamber. “You fighting a sea battle? Good God Almighty, I thought young Merrick here had lost his mind when he told me.”

“I had to rescue Lady Beatrice,” Ranulf answered, knowing Sir Leonard would have done the same thing. He struggled to sit up straighter. “Have you met her?”

“Couldn’t help it. She jumped me like an assassin when she found out who I was.” He smirked, but there was laughter lurking in the wise old eyes. “Affectionate girl, I must say.”

“She’s wonderful and I love her and if Merrick will give us his permission, we want to be married,” Ranulf replied, speaking nearly as breathlessly as Bea at her most enthused.

Sir Leonard’s bushy white brows rose as he looked from Ranulf to Merrick.

“I gathered from certain cryptic remarks the lady made to my wife that something like that was in the offing,” Merrick observed.

Then he smiled, and a very satisfied smile it was.

“About bloody time, I must say. Constance was beginning to fear you’d never ask for her.

I’ve had to listen to her expound on the subject several times when I’d much rather we were doing other things. ”

Ranulf flushed. “How did she know—?”

“Women’s intuition, I suppose, or some other mysterious process known only to their sex.” Merrick shrugged. “She’s been convinced you and Beatrice should marry for months. Why else do you think we sent Beatrice here?”

Sir Leonard chuckled and crossed his still powerful arms. “A conspiracy, eh?”

“Before you get angry, Ranulf,” Merrick said, although in truth, Ranulf looked more stunned than annoyed, “it wasn’t my conspiracy.

Constance convinced me that Beatrice ought to help you, although Beatrice was most insistent about coming to your aid, too.

She feared you were living in squalor, and since Constance couldn’t come because of the baby, she had to.

I thought the plan most unseemly, but Constance believed otherwise, and so…

” Again he shrugged his broad shoulders.

“What else could I do? And no doubt Beatrice would have been grumbling and pouting all over Tregellas if we didn’t. ”

“She rarely does either,” Ranulf said, compelled to defend his beloved.

“She might have started, since it was you she was worried about. At any rate, Constance was more than half hoping you’d both finally stop beating about the bush and admit that you love each other.”

“You always were a proud and stubborn boy,” Sir Leonard noted.

“It wasn’t my pride or stubbornness that held me back,” Ranulf said, compelled to defend himself now. “I’m a poor man and Beatrice can do better.”

“The daughter of a traitor?” Sir Leonard inquired. “I doubt it.”

“You don’t know her. She’s good and clever, as well as beautiful.

She knows much of medicine and how to run a household.

What can I give her? Nothing except my love and devotion, my training and my sword.

She could do a hundred times better than me when it comes to marriage. Ask Merrick if you don’t believe me.”

Merrick held up his hand. “Save your declarations of unworthiness for Beatrice. I believe women like that sort of thing, or are at least flattered by it. As for me, why the devil wouldn’t I want my closest friend related to me by marriage?

And regarding your fortune—or lack of it—if you’re willing to remain in command of Penterwell, I see no troubles there.

I hope you will, or I’m liable to have a revolt on my hands.

There’s been a crowd of people waiting to hear word of your health ever since the ship returned and they saw you carried ashore.

I knew Beatrice could talk, but I must say, I never realized how loud she could shout.

I could hear her calling to clear the road all the way from the wharf. ”

Sir Leonard nodded, chuckling. “She’s got lungs, I’ll say that. And she could do worse herself. You two and Henry were the best I ever taught, in every way, and I couldn’t be prouder of you than if you were my own son.”

As Ranulf’s throat tightened, Sir Leonard cleared his own and his cheeks were conspicuously pinker as he turned toward the door. “Yes, well, I’d best be going back to the hall. Your garrison commander’s going to show me what the masons have been up to.”

“Not that I’m not happy to see him,” Ranulf said as the door closed behind Sir Leonard, “but why did he come here?”

“Can’t you guess?”

Ranulf shook his head.

“You’re his favorite, Ranulf. You always have been and likely always will be.

When we sent word you’d been wounded, he came right away.

He rode all night, in fact, and most of the day.

I think he loves you as the son he never had—although,” Merrick added with a grin lurking at the corner of his full lips, “Henry and I are damned if we know why.”

Ranulf knew. In a way, he realized, he’d always known Sir Leonard’s concern for him was more than that of a teacher for a pupil. “He knew my mother when she was young. I think he loved her, but she was married to another.”

Merrick frowned. “Henry sometimes wondered if you might be his natural son.”

Ranulf shook his head. “No, although I would be delighted if I were. After my mother married my brute of a father, she never saw Sir Leonard again. My father made sure of that. He kept her all but imprisoned, and if you ever met my vicious sire, you’d see his features mirrored in mine.

But enough talk of that unpleasant subject. When can I see Bea?”

Merrick continued to look grave as he leaned forward.

“Because I’m one of your oldest friends, I’m going to be frank with you.

Are you quite sure you want to marry her?

Granted she’s pretty and a more competent chatelaine than I ever would have guessed she could be, but you may never have a moment’s peace and quiet with her for your wife. ”

Ranulf’s lips curved up in a winsome smile as he remembered the night he’d made love to Bea.

Never in his life had he known such peace and contentment as when he lay in her arms afterward.

“Oh, I daresay I’ll manage. As for quiet, I think that quality in a woman is vastly overrated.

Your own lady wife never struck me as a pliant, demure and silent young woman. ”

Merrick laughed ruefully. “No, she is not,” he agreed. “So, how soon do you want the wedding to be?”

“It cannot be soon enough for me,” Ranulf replied, and rarely had he ever been so frankly honest.

W HEN B EA’S EYES OPENED a short time later, she expected to find Constance or Maloren sitting beside her bed.

Instead, there was a man. A clean-shaven, redheaded, youthful-looking man with a scabbed cut on his smooth cheek.

A rather familiar looking man whose hazel eyes seemed to fairly shine with—

“ Ranulf? ” Concern quickly replaced her joy as she scrambled to sit up. “What are you doing here? You should be in bed! You’re wounded. You could have died! You absolutely must rest and I’m shocked Constance let you get up. How long have I been sleeping? I’m going to call—”

“Bea—”

“She gave me something to sleep, I know she did! And she’s let you get out of bed and come here when you’re wounded. She shouldn’t—”

“Bea—”

“I was sure she’d take better care of you. I was so happy to see her, and Merrick, too, when we came ashore, and oh! Did you know Sir Leonard has come?”

Before he could answer, she reverted to her former subject, which was obviously uppermost in her mind. “If this is Constance’s idea of taking care of somebody who’s saved her cousin’s life, I’ve been seriously misled and I’ll tell her—”

“ Bea! ”

At his explosive declaration, her eyes widened and all thoughts of Constance, Merrick, Sir Leonard and everything else fled her mind. “I knew it!” she exclaimed. “You’re in agony! We must call someone. Maloren or—”

“God’s blood, no!” he commanded. Then he smiled in the sudden silence and took her hand in his.

“I don’t want anyone else here, and I’m fine, Bea.

A little sore, to be sure, and likely to be weak as a kitten for a few days, but they would have had to tie me down to keep me away from you another moment longer, and as you can see, they thought better of it. So here we are. Alone.”

Her eyes lit up as she glanced over his shoulder and realized he was right. And then her shapely brows lowered in puzzlement. “Merrick is letting us be alone together?”

“Since he’s also allowing us to marry, apparently he saw no harm in it.”

Beatrice let out a whoop that was most certainly neither dignified nor ladylike. She threw back her covers and was about to embrace him when thoughts of his wound halted her. “How’s your side? You pulled out the stitches.”

“So Merrick informed me. To be perfectly honest, my beloved, my side is quite sore. However, I note that my lips are unaffected, so a kiss should not cause me pain. In fact,” he said, tugging her down onto his lap, “I think a kiss from you would make me feel much better and quite possibly speed my healing.”

“When you put it like that, my lord, I’m delighted to help any way I can,” she murmured, lifting her face to kiss him.

He responded with enthusiastic fervor, and in a few moments, when she broke the kiss to repeat the wonderful news, she was breathless. “Merrick and Constance are going to let us marry? They have no objections at all?”

“Not a one, and it seems, my love, that Constance had our marriage in her mind all along. That’s why they let you come here and save me from my squalor.”

Bea frowned as she took in that revelation. “She was trying to bring us together?”

“Apparently.”

Bea’s brilliant, delighted smile reappeared. “Whatever reason they had for allowing me to come here, I’m thankful they did, and I always will be.”

“So will I,” he solemnly and sincerely agreed.

She wound her arms about his neck and laid her cheek upon his shoulder. “I think that right now, I’m as happy as it’s possible to be.”

“As am I,” he replied as he kissed her smooth cheek. He couldn’t resist teasing her a little. “But I fear you might miss the excitement of unrequited love.”

She regarded him gravely as she caressed his smooth jaw.

“It was rather thrilling when I wasn’t sure how you felt about me and I hoped that you might come to love me eventually, but it was very difficult to be patient.

The rest of the time, when I feared you didn’t love me and never would, was misery. ”

“I shall have to ensure you are never miserable or doubt my love again,” he murmured as he brought his lips to hers. “Never as long as I live.”

“AsI’lldo my best to see that you’re never lonely again, my love,” she whispered before she kissed him.