Page 36 of When I Fall in Love (De Piaget #4)

N icholas stood in the lists and sparred happily with Connor MacDougal. The man was ferocious, but in an entirely different way from Robin. It was a pleasure to exercise with him, as much of a pleasure as it had been to come to know him and his lovely wife. He knew he would never miss Connor and Victoria in the same way that Jennifer would when they left, but he would miss them just the same.

It had been a se’nnight of pleasant days spent with Jennifer, Victoria, and Connor either walking along the strand, riding about the countryside, or merely sitting in his father’s solar, talking of things he had considered and considering things he most definitely had not. Sometimes his family had been with them, sometimes only one or two members of his family, sometimes just Jennifer and her kin.

Sometimes it was Jennifer’s kin and Jake, with Jake being caught up on what for him should have been current tidings. It was then that Nicholas began to have some sympathy for what Jennifer must have gone through, for it was difficult to follow their modem English save for the words he had learned, most notably whatever. They did go on quite often in Gaelic, in deference to him, but it was obvious to him that he was going to have to learn modem English. Amanda could babble, in it quite happily, so he knew he had no excuse not to—

The scream reached his ears before he realized it was someone calling his name.

He turned to see Victoria running across the lists toward him.

He was running toward her, his heart in his throat, before he knew he intended to move. He sheathed his sword and caught her by the shoulders.

“What?” he demanded.

She hunched over. “Violin,” she wheezed. “Stolen.”

“What?” he said, stunned.

She forced herself upright and held on to his forearms. “Jenner and I were going upstairs,” she managed. “To make sure it was all right.” She gasped for breath. “Montgomery and John were unconscious. Someone hit them. The violin was gone. Jenner turned and ran down the stairs.” She looked at him, her visage very pale. “I ran after her, but she was already gone. One of the women, that last one who’s still here, said she’d seen someone leaving with a long box. She said she thought it was Ledenham.”

“Ledenham!” Nicholas exclaimed.

“Do you know him?”

“Aye,” Nicholas said grimly. He took her arm and pulled her with him toward the stables. “Tell me what else you know.”

“The woman said she’d seen Ledenham heading for the beach. I think Jenner must have grabbed a horse—”

“How long ago?” Nicholas demanded.

“As long as it took me to find you. The woman said you were in your father’s solar. It took me a few minutes to get there, then realize you and Connor were in the lists.”

Nicholas released her and sprinted for the stables. He skidded to a halt in front of the Black’s stall, grabbed a bridle, and put it over the horse’s nose. He led the beast out, swung up onto his bare back, and thundered out of the stables. He rode for the front gates.

By the saints, what was Jennifer thinking?

He followed the tracks up over the dunes and down onto the strand. The Black bucked then, but Nicholas kicked him as hard as he could and the horse shot off like a bolt from a crossbow. Nicholas had to fight him to keep him going the way he wanted, but once he gave the Black his head, they flew.

Not fast enough, though.

He saw the little cluster of souls far ahead of him on the shore. When he reached them and leaped from his horse, he realized that Jennifer was standing in a circle of men, men who were each obviously hardened warriors.

Nicholas drew his sword and his knife and threw himself into the fray.

He killed two immediately, leaving four plus Ledenham. He was hard-pressed to keep the four at bay. It left him absolutely no time or energy to see to Jennifer and he hoped she had the good sense to keep herself out of Ledenham’s hands. He tried to keep all four men in front of him, but he found that almost impossible. First one slipped behind him, then another.

He killed the third, then again tried to slip out of the noose. He engaged them all, but couldn’t deny that he was in trouble. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, a sword coming down in a ferocious chop toward his head.

It met another sword suddenly thrust into its arc.

A sword that was not his.

“Och, that isn’t fair, is it?” Connor demanded. “Why don’t ye come after me instead, little man.”

Nicholas had never been so grateful for anyone as he was for Connor MacDougal at that moment. Ledenham’s man turned and attacked Connor. Connor only laughed. Then he sang what Nicholas could only assume was a Scottish battle song.

That alone, he noted absently, should have been enough to finish the other man off.

He suspected that he wouldn’t say anything to Connor about the fact that he could not sing on key. Instead he applied himself to the remaining two men. In time, he realized that he had other help in the persons of Robin, Miles, and Jake.

“We’ll just watch,” Robin called helpfully.

Nicholas would have cursed at him, but he didn’t have the chance. Robin threw himself suddenly into the fray. He made short work of his lad, then finished Nicholas’s as well.

“I didn’t need help,” Nicholas snapped.

“Aye, you did.” Robin pointed with his sword. “Look.”

Nicholas ignored Connor’s continued battle with the last man and turned to see what had inspired Robin to intrude where he hadn’t been wanted.

Ledenham stood there with his knife across Jennifer’s throat.

Nicholas thought he just might be ill.

He heard, faintly, Connor’s man fall with a sigh.

Then all was silent, except for the noise of the sea endlessly roaring and the sound of birds crying in the air.

“Choose,” Ledenham said coldly. “The woman or her devil’s instrument.”

Nicholas forced himself to breathe evenly. He slowly resheathed his sword, then folded his arms over his chest as if he actually struggled to make a choice. He saw Jennifer’s violin case lying on the ground at her feet. There was a crossbow bolt sticking out of it. He wondered, with another sickening lurch, if that bolt might have been meant for him. Perhaps Jennifer had been forced to leap too close to Ledenham in order to save him.

He looked up slowly and met Jennifer’s eyes.

She merely regarded him serenely, as if she walked in a pleasant garden, enjoying the flowers. In his garden at Wyckham, perhaps, where she had weeded out so many things that didn’t belong.

He supposed he needed to do his own bit of weeding now.

“Well,” Nicholas said thoughtfully, “that is a choice indeed. Which would you prefer?”

Ledenham cursed. Jennifer flinched as the knife tightened across her throat.

“I don’t care,” Ledenham spat. “You choose. But know that one way or another, the choice will damn you.”

“Will it?” Nicholas asked calmly. “How so?”

“Save her lute and I’ll do with her what I will. Save her, and I’ll take the witch’s lute to the king and ruin you.” Ledenham sneered. “One way or another, you suffer.”

“And you think that taking this lute to the king will redeem you?”

“Of course it will—”

“He didn’t believe you before,” Nicholas interrupted.

“I didn’t have proof before, damn you,” Ledenham snapped. “I have it now. Brigit of Islington has heard the witch play it. She says ’tis the devil’s music. She has agreed to be my witness.”

Nicholas was unsurprised. “Very well, then. Give me the woman, take the lute to the king, and I’ll dangle from a noose outside your front gates within the month. Or, better still, keep the woman, kill me, then you’ll have both her and the lute.”

“What manner of fool do you think I am?” Ledenham asked scornfully. “Kill you whilst all your brothers stand there? And the warlock? And that bloody Scot as well?”

Nicholas unbuckled his sword belt and threw it and one knife to Robin. He pulled another knife from his boot and tossed it to Jake. He took off the leather jerkin he’d trained in and handed it to Miles. Then he opened his arms wide, standing in only a tunic, hose, and boots.

“I am unarmed,” he said easily. “Kill me if you like. I suppose you could kill the wench as well, but that would leave you without any sport after I’m gone. She and the lute together would make powerful proof for the king, don’t you think?”

Ledenham hesitated, then frowned. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because she shouldn’t have left without telling me,” Nicholas said. He found that it had a ring of truth to it and the irritation was genuine. “And damn her if she didn’t take my horse as well. Here, here’s a better idea. I’ll beat her first, then you tie her up, kill me, then you do with her what you will. What do you think?”

Ledenham stared at him in surprise.

His arm relaxed just enough that Jennifer moved.

“Nay!” Nicholas shouted, but it was too late.

She had shoved away Ledenham’s arm and elbowed him so hard in the ribs that he bent over double in spite of himself. She leaped away, but tripped over a corpse and went sprawling.

Nicholas started after her, but there was apparently no need. Robin jerked her up and out of harm’s way and deflected with his sword the knife Ledenham threw at her.

“Pitiful,” Robin said, shaking his head.

Nicholas shot his brother a look of thanks, then turned back to Ledenham. “You have your sword. I have nothing. I would say that matches us quite evenly, wouldn’t you agree?”

Ledenham cursed him viciously, then drew his sword and attacked with a bellow. Nicholas leaped out of the way as he thrust, ducked to avoid losing his head, then jumped aside as Ledenham charged. Robin threw him his sword. Nicholas caught it, then waited patiently as Ledenham turned.

Ledenham pulled up short. “You vowed you would fight without your sword.”

Nicholas shrugged. “I lied.”

Robin burst out laughing. Nicholas might have smiled as well, but there was the matter of a furious Nigel of Ledenham yet to face. He wasn’t sure if he should simply kill the man, or hope he cursed himself into a frenzy and died of madness. Nicholas actually wouldn’t have been surprised to see the latter happen. Ledenham was beginning to froth at the mouth.

The man was mad.

He was also not completely unskilled. Nicholas fought him for quite some time, avoiding corpses and trying to ignore the comments Robin was making about Ledenham’s swordplay. In fact, all the men in his family, as well as Connor, had taken up a rather spirited discussion of Ledenham’s faults. After those had been discussed to their satisfaction, they turned to Nicholas’s technique. The combination French and Gaelic that wafted toward him was almost a little distracting.

Ledenham tripped suddenly. He stepped on Jennifer’s violin, slipped backward, and landed full on the sword of one of his dead knights.

He died with a gurgle.

Nicholas stared at him in surprise, then let out the breath he’d been holding. He jammed his sword into the sand, then stepped over the corpses and yanked Jennifer away from his brother. He clutched her to him.

“Damn you,” he said, finding that he was shaking far more than he should have been. “What were you thinking?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, her teeth chattering.

“Don’t ever go out without me again,” he said in a very low voice. “Ever.”

She looked up at him, her visage very pale. “I think I like it better when you shout at me.”

He jerked her against him again. “Damn you, Jennifer McKinnon, the sight of you with his knife across your throat almost finished me. The violin isn’t worth it.”

“I didn’t care about the violin,” she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. “I was afraid he would show it to someone and we would both bum at the stake.”

“That would never happen,” Robin put in.

Nicholas glared at his brother. “Are you involved in this conversation?”

“Just being helpful, as is my wont. Nick, I don’t think your lady realizes who she stands to give herself to.” Robin smiled at Jennifer. “You’ll notice he fought the lion’s share of the lads here, for one thing. Secondly, had Ledenham made an accusation, no matter the evidence, the king would not have accused Nicholas. And as Nick’s wife, you would have been safe as well.” He paused. “At least I think you both would have been safe. Perhaps you’d best find a better hiding place for that thing than behind Montgomery’s back.”

Jennifer pulled away and looked up at Nicholas. “I think I should send it back with Victoria.”

Nicholas didn’t need to consider the thought. “Nay, love, ’tis right that you have it. We’ll find a better way to see to it.”

Jennifer looked over her shoulder at the cluster of corpses, then buried her face in his neck. “I’ m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Aye, I know,” he said with a sigh. “I can’t say I would have chosen differently. But I vow I almost died of fright, seeing you that way.”

She nodded, then looked up at him. “Hey,” she accused, “you said it was okay for him to kill me. That’s a pretty big bluff.”

“I knew him well,” Nicholas said. “It did not serve him to have you dead, but I will tell you that I never want to do that again. I can see now that my only choice is to sew you into my clothes.”

Robin snorted loudly. “Oh, by the saints, let us leave them here. Who knows what else he will suggest to soothe his delicate nerves.”

Nicholas glared at his brother, then released Jennifer long enough to take all his gear back. He put on his jerkin, his swordbelt and sword, stuck his knives back where they were supposed to go, then fetched Jennifer’s violin. He looked at the corpses cooling around him, then met Robin’s eyes.

“I’ll see to these lads,” Robin said. “You see to your lady and her gear. I’d get both home sooner rather than later.”

Nicholas nodded. He led Jennifer over to his horse, boosted her up into the saddle, then handed her the violin. He swung up onto the Black and looked at her.

“Can you hold that and ride at the same time?” he asked.

“Do I want to give it to you?” she countered. “Isn’t that the same horse that threw you?”

“He’s much better behaved today.”

Jennifer smiled. “I’ll manage, thanks just the same. You could ride with me if you’d rather.”

“I would,” he said honestly, “but I fear if I let this demon go by himself, I’ll never see him again. I daresay he’ll be a fine addition to our stables. Let’s go see how Montgomery and John fare, then we’ll pass a very quiet, uneventful afternoon in Mother’s solar. I think it may rain soon. I imagine we can convince Connor and Victoria to join us in a game of bridge.”

Jennifer smiled at him. “They’ve corrupted you.”

“It helps pass the time,” he said with a grimace. “And we need time to pass.”

“Only a week until the wedding, but I don’t know what you were thinking. If feels more like a year.” Then she paused. She looked down for several moments before she glanced over at him. “Thank you for the rescue”

“I’ll scold you about it later,” he began lightly, but he saw immediately that she was more affected than she’d seemed. He considered, then swung down off the Black and pulled himself up behind her. The Black be damned. He wrapped his arms around her and took the reins. “Held your gear, my love,” he said, clucking his mount into a trot and leaving the Black to follow. “I won’t say anything else.”

“Oh, you can,” she said, her voice quavering the slightest bit. “I deserve it. It was colossally stupid. I didn’t know what else to do and I forgot that swords are very sharp.”

“I still think sewing you into my clothes is the best thing for you,” he said with a smile. “At least for the first little while.”

“Will you hold me when we get back to Artane?”

“Aye.”

“For the rest of the day?”

“And far into the night, if you like. Grandmère can chaperon.”

She nodded, but said nothing else.

H e threw Brigit of Islington and her mother out the front gates half an hour after he returned home. He told them that Ledenham was dead and if they didn’t wish to be there for the inquest and confess their part in the scheme, they should leave. It wasn’t his habit to threaten women, but he felt compelled to remind them that Ledenham’s interest in Jennifer’s instrument had been a very deadly one.

They departed without protest. Or comment.

He watched Jennifer for the rest of the day, holding her when she seemed to need it, holding her hand otherwise. She didn’t seem to be suffering ill effects from her adventure, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it occurred to her just how close she had come to dying.

It took until supper, which said much about her stamina.

He’d barely begun to cut meat to share with her before she’d begun to shake. He watched, silent and grim, as tears streamed down her face. He thought, at one point, that she would be ill.

She sat for quite some time, her face buried in her hands, simply breathing in and out.

Nicholas looked over her head and met Victoria and Connor’s eyes. Victoria winced. Connor only nodded knowingly. Finally, Jennifer took a deep, shuddering breath and put her shoulders back.

“Better,” she said, attempting a smile and failing. She looked at him and shivered. “I never want to go through that again.”

“Sword skill, my love.”

She shook her head. “It wouldn’t matter. I couldn’t have killed any of them. I couldn’t even use my usual self-defense moves.” She looked at him, her visage pale. “I’ve never had a knife across my throat before.”

“May you never again,” he said, with feeling. “Perhaps you should hang your sword over the hearth and concentrate on your knife. You cannot be without some sort of protection, no matter how useful your hands might be.”

She nodded uneasily. “You’re right.”

“Of course, you could agree to that stitching idea I had.”

“I don’t even think I can make a joke about this.”

He put his arm around her. “You’ve seen the worst of it,” he said quietly. “I beg you, though, not to leave without me. If ever I must go to war, I’ll leave men behind in the keep to protect you. Not even Amanda leaves the keep without Jake.” He paused. “Well, perhaps she does, but not often. She has also trained with Robin. There is a ruthlessness to her that you do not have.”

“I think I could learn to use a knife.”

He nodded and sat back in his chair. “Aye, you could. But let us put it aside for now. Forget today. Your instrument is safe, you are safe, and there is your family to be enjoyed. Jake says he has a new card game he thinks I will enjoy.”

“I hate to ask which one.”

“Go Fish, ‘tis called. He said ’tis just my speed, whatever that means. What do you think?”

She laughed. “I think you’ll want to meet him in the lists in the morning, but maybe not.” She let out a shaky breath. “I. think I’ll be okay.”

“I daresay you will,” he agreed. He took her hand and kissed it. “I will keep you safe, Jen.”

“I know.”

Nicholas poured her wine, then saw to her meal. He caught Connor’s eye at one point. Connor nodded shortly, obviously satisfied.

Nicholas was satisfied as well. Perhaps Connor would carry a good report to Jennifer’s father and yet another mind would be at ease.

And his would be as well, as soon as he was able to rid it of the sight of Jennifer with a knife across her throat. He could admit to nothing but relief that Ledenham was gone. Perhaps he would buy the abbey ground himself as a token of good will and see the place finished. He supposed neither he nor Jennifer would ever want to go there, but then again, they might. At least they would know the time gate there had ceased to exist. It would save several monks an uncomfortable trip into a world that was not their own.

He pushed aside his thoughts and concentrated on his meal.

She was safe.

Nothing else mattered.