Margo Maguire - The Bride Of Windermere

Chapter Three

Wolfram slept little. Lady Kathryn managed to curl herself up like a kitten and sleep soundly through the night. However, her movements, her little sighs and groans and the way she pulled at his cloak all night prevented him from sleeping much. What was it the old woman had called her? “Kitty?” It suited her. He could almost hear her purr in comfort as she tangled herself up on his lap. No, he hadn’t slept much at all.

It started raining around noon and Wolf’s mood, which was already foul, didn’t improve any. Wolf paced the troop so the old woman could easily keep up, but he saw that she was having difficulty nonetheless. “Nicholas.”

Wolfs cousin was drawn out of his own sodden thoughts and looked up.

“See to her.” Wolfram gave a nod of his head indicating the rear of the train.

Kit moved so she could peer around Wolfs back and saw Nicholas take Bridget up with him on his mount. He settled her in front and pulled his cloak over them both, so she could ride as comfortably as possible. Kit would have thanked Wolf for his kindness toward Bridget except for the fierce look in his deep gray eyes. The man certainly was moody, and she didn’t want to set him off. As it was, she was grateful to be securely situated in front of him with his thick cloak covering them and enough heat generated from his body to warm them both. The all-pervading smell of wet horse, wet wool and wet leather was strangely quieting.

The light drizzle turned to rain and still they went on through the hills towards Cumbria. Kit had difficulty understanding why they were veering west since she knew the direction to London was to the south and a bit east.

“You realize you’ve been taking us in the wrong direction for hours, Gerhart?” She used the name all the men called him and not “Wolf.”

His reply was merely a rude grunt

“I thought you were taking me to London,” she said. “Had my stepfather known of this detour, I doubt he would have permitted me to come traipsing around the entire countryside with you and your soldiers.”

“He’s a good one for seeing to your welfare, isn’t he?” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Kit. However, she had her pride and refused to allow him to think that she had been raised as anything less than a lady.

“He promised my mother he would care for me like his own daughter. He has provided well for me—”

“He beats his own offspring as well, then?”

Kit refused to allow him to humiliate her, so she shrugged and did not answer.

“How old are you?”

Kit hesitated before replying. She was somewhat advanced in age to be unmarried, and it was embarrassing. She wanted to lie but couldn’t bring herself to sin outright.

“Twenty,” she finally admitted.

“Why aren’t you wed? Or at least betrothed?” He had no doubt that Baron Somers would have difficulty finding anyone willing to take on this unkempt urchin who probably had no feminine skills at all. Nonetheless, he couldn’t see the sense in keeping her around Somerton manor when she obviously irritated the baron to the point of violence.

“I am betrothed! Well, nearly so, I mean.”

“What, some local swain has begged for your hand?” The incredulous sound to his voice angered her. He acted as if she were completely unmarriageable! What did the big oaf know of it?

“It just so happens that he is one of King Henry’s guard!” she snapped angrily.

“Who?” Wolf demanded. He knew all of them.

“Rupert Aires.”

Wolf laughed out loud. Rupert Aires was a young, handsome knight in Henry’s service, well known for his amorous adventures with the ladies of the court. He was always embroiled in one escapade or another. Surely Kathryn was mistaken about a future betrothal to him. His loyalty to Henry was unquestioned, but otherwise the fellow was a scoundrel. An unprincipled skirt chaser.

“I don’t suppose you know him?”

“Of course I know him.” His voice was irritable again.

“Well...?”

“He is a competent soldier.”

“Is that all?” Kit’s voice rose with indignation. “A competent soldier? We’ve heard tales in Northumberland about Rupert’s bravery in battle, his prowess with—”

“Has Sir Rupert ever seen your face?”

“What has that to do with anything? Naturally he’s seen my face. We grew up together. We—”

“I mean without that amusing coating of grime.”

“What coating of—? Oh.” She raised her chin a notch. “Rupert knows me as well as he knows his sisters.”

Another rude grunt.

“Rupert told me that as soon as he’s given leave from court, he’ll come for me. Don’t you see, Gerhart?” she asked earnestly. “That’s the reason I had to try to get back to Somerton. Rupert won’t be able to find me if I’m away from home. He’s the only reason I had for staying.” She turned to look at him and found his face only inches from hers. He was scowling again, but Kit couldn’t help but notice how beautiful his gray eyes were, framed in thick black lashes. The realization was unsettling. Her gaze dropped to his mouth.

“We’re going to the king, Lady Kathryn. Don’t you suppose you’ll see Sir Rupert in London?” Gerhart’s voice was harsh. He didn’t like having her unwavering gaze trained on him. She was too direct for a woman and her eyes, at least the uninjured one, were altogether too distracting.

Kit shook her head and looked away. “I don’t have any idea how to find him. By all accounts, London is huge and Rupert might even now be on his way to Somerton for me.”

At least it was an explanation for the previous night’s misadventure, although it riled him unexplainably. Somehow, it didn’t seem fair that Lady Kathryn should be fretting and risking her neck over Rupert Aires, a man who had some of the most beautiful, as well as the most faithless women in England at his beck and call.

If Aires had some commitment to Kathryn Somers, he had a fine way of showing it. Wolf knew that all of Henry’s guards had been given liberal leaves upon their return from France two months ago. Apparently Aires hadn’t seen fit to travel to Somerton to claim his bride. Perhaps if he had, Henry wouldn’t have deemed it necessary to send Wolf all the way to the north country to collect this naive chit of a girl.

“None of Henry’s guard are on leave now,” he offered. He wasn’t certain that was true, but if it reassured Lady Kathryn so that she’d quit trying to run back to Somerton, the small lie was well worth it.

“Are you sure?”

“Relatively.”

“That’s a relief,” she said. “Now I’ll just have to think of a way to find him when we reach London. If ever we reach London. You still haven’t told me why we are not heading south.”

“We’re not going directly to London.”

“We’re not? Where are you taking me?”

He was not accustomed to being questioned by anyone, particularly a ragged, impertinent, insignificant girl. He let out an irritated sigh and gave her a curt response. “Windermere Castle.”

“Windermere! But that’s in Cumbria! Miles out of our way!”

“Thank you, my lady, I am very familiar with the location of Windermere—”

“But that will take ages. And Rupert—”

“I’m beginning to see merit in Baron Somers’ disciplinary methods.”

“Why didn’t you go to Cumbria first and come for me last?” Kit’s exasperation, at the very least, matched Wolf’s.

“Because that would have contradicted my orders.”

“Why?”

“The king was quite specific. He wanted you in my custody as soon as possible.”

“But why?”

“Take a nap.” Kit didn’t mistake his gruff tone nor his now-familiar scowl, and knew their discussion was at an end.