Fairest of Them All (Once Upon A Time #3)

Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Austyn roared Holly’s name. Fueled by an inhuman surge of agony, he ripped the manacles from the wall in an explosion of mortar. Eugene had time to do little more than emit a strangled cry of surprise before a free length of chain whipped around his neck with a nasty crack.

Austyn lowered the baron’s limp form to the floor, then charged to the window. Bracing his palms on the ledge, he sucked in shuddering gasps of air, keeping his eyes squeezed shut until he could work up the courage to look down at the cobblestones below.

“Austyn?”

At the tentative whisper, his eyes flew open in horror. The cheerful blue sky mocked his grief. Dear God in heaven, he thought savagely, was he to be allowed no interval of mourning before the ghost of his beloved wife began haunting him?

“Austyn!”

The second plea sounded both more corporeal and distinctly more annoyed. Austyn slowly lowered his gaze to discover Holly tangled in a curtain of ivy a mere arm’s length below the window. One of the vines snapped off in her hand, eliciting a very mortal squeal.

Trembling with disbelief, Austyn stretched out his hand. She seized it, the desperation of her grip assuring him that she was no ghost. He shouted with jubilation as he hauled her against him in a fervent embrace. They went tumbling to the floor of the tower in a breathless tangle of arms, legs, laughter, and tears.

She nuzzled her lips against his throat, as if starved for a taste of him. “I thought you were going to leave me dangling out there all day. I had no idea if the stuff would hold, you know. If you’d have dawdled any longer, I’d have gone splat on the cobblestones like one of Winnie’s fig puddings.”

“Nag, nag, nag,” he murmured, kissing her lovely brow, her precious ears, the tip of her impertinent nose.

“I just knew that if I provided you with a sufficient distraction, you could best the wretch.” She splayed her palms against his chest and smiled up at him adoringly. “I had nothing but the utmost of faith in you.”

Austyn sobered. “And I in you, my lady.” He smoothed back her windblown curls, searching her face—a face that had become dear to him for far more than its striking beauty.

Their lips brushed and lingered in tender accord. As they drew apart, gazing deep into each other’s eyes, a golden haze claimed the tower. Austyn might have taken it for nothing more than sunshine striking the motes of mortar drifting through the air were it not for the gentle ripple of laughter that echoed in their ears.

He and Holly clutched each other, their eyes widening with dawning astonishment as the shimmering outline of a woman appeared before them. The wheaten silk of her hair danced around a face so exotically beautiful it made Holly feel no more comely than a troll. She tightened her possessive grip on Austyn’s arms without realizing it.

Austyn would have known her voice anywhere—rich, melodious, slightly mocking. “’Twas all I asked, Austyn of Gavenmore. That you put your faith in the constancy of a woman’s heart.”

The vision wavered, but before it could fade into obscurity, Austyn found himself gazing into the forgiving eyes of his mother. His heart swelled with gratitude at the generous and unexpected gift.

The ethereal halo of light vanished, restoring the mundane gloom of crumbling stone and mortar dust. A flea-bitten mouse sat up on its hind legs, sniffing the air where Rhiannon had disappeared.

Austyn and Holly exchanged a wondering glance.

“You were truly cursed,” she whispered, as if the Welsh faerie might still be eavesdropping.

“Aye.” He traced the curve of her cheek with one reverent finger. “But thanks to you and your unwavering faith in me, my lady, now I am truly blessed.”

Holly flung herself into his arms with a sob of joy. Austyn gathered her against him, squeezing his eyes shut against a rush of raw emotion. As their lips met, the air resounded with a flourish of trumpets.

’Twas a dazed eternity of bliss before either of them realized the trumpets’ fanfare was no celestial celebration of their love, but a call to war.

The glade below rang with angry shouts and threats of impending chaos. Still hand in hand, Austyn and Holly shot to their knees and peeped over the window ledge.

Two armies poured into the clearing from opposite directions, sending de Legget’s henchmen scattering like rats into the shadowy forest.

From the east rode a mammoth company of knights, their banners rippling in splashes of saffron and purple, their shiny plate armor glinting in the sun. At the head of their precise formation sat a squat figure on a magnificent gray stallion, proudly bearing the Tewksbury standard.

Holly bounced up and down with excitement. “’Tis my papa come to rescue me!”

“He might have spared a decade from my life had he come with a bit more haste and a bit less pomp,” Austyn muttered, squeezing her hand.

From the west came a motley group of men mounted on sturdy plow horses, drooping nags, and lathered donkeys. They were armed with naught but rusty hoes, tattered brooms, and smithy hammers, yet their stern Welsh visages looked no less determined than the faces of their English counterparts. Their general was none other than a fair-haired Viking who drooped over the pommel of his saddle like a withered daffodil, his ribs bandaged and his left arm supported by a makeshift sling.

“Damn his obstinate hide!” Austyn exclaimed. “Emrys promised he’d lock him up to keep him from following me.”

“Would that be Emrys there just behind him? My goodness, his head is nearly as shiny as my papa’s armor.” Holly pointed. “And look, there’s Winifred beating on a kettle with an iron spoon. What a splendid Amazon she would have made!”

The two armies met in the center of the glade, showing dangerous signs of clashing.

Austyn sighed. “We’d best get down there before they annihilate each other for the common good.” Ignoring Holly’s squeal of protest, he swept her into his arms. “I’ll be afraid to put you down for fear someone else will carry you off.”

She twined a tendril of his hair around her finger, secretly delighted. “Now that you’ve proved your faith in me, sir, you shall never again be plagued by jealousy.”

He stepped over de Legget’s body without a second glance and gave her a devilish wink. “Rhiannon never promised that.”

“She’s my daughter! I shall lead the charge into the tower!” the earl of Tewksbury was bellowing when Austyn carried Holly from the castle, a beaming Elspeth trotting at his heels.

“Like hell you will,” Carey shouted back, his words still slurred by the various indignities suffered by his lips. “She’s my lady! I’ll lead the charge.”

“Charge, ha! You can barely walk.”

Austyn tapped the earl on the shoulder.

He turned around and thundered, “Not now, lad. Can’t you see I’m busy?”

Austyn waited patiently for him to swing around the second time. His beady little eyes broadened at the sight of his daughter in Austyn’s arms.

“Baby!” he cried, an angelic smile wreathing his dwarfish face. “My precious little baby!”

Holly squirmed in mingled delight and embarrassment as he threw his arms around her and smothered her face with kisses. Austyn demonstrated absolutely no desire to relinquish her to her father’s arms. Holly feared if either one of them loved her any more staunchly, she would have been tugged in two.

“How did you know, Papa?” she asked, settling back in Austyn’s arms to pat his weathered cheek. “How did you know I needed you?”

The company of knights parted to reveal a litter borne by four grumbling foot soldiers. Its occupant struggled to a sitting position, clutching a heavily bandaged chest. “’Twas I who told him.”

“Nathanael!” Holly breathed. “Good God, I thought you were dead.”

“So did I.” He held up a heavy chain. “But it seems my crucifix deflected the worst of the blow.” He grinned sheepishly. “I hope I didn’t scare you too badly. I must have fainted from the pain.” At a snicker from one of the foot soldiers, he snapped, “Well, it was quite intolerable.”

Her father glowered at the priest “We’d have been here sooner had he not led us on such a merry chase. We were halfway to Scotland before we realized we were heading the wrong way.”

“Now, sir, you know I’ve a deplorable sense of direction.” Nathanael’s eyes darkened as he lifted them to the tower. “The baron?”

“He’ll not trouble anyone again,” Austyn said firmly.

Both the earl and Nathanael nodded their approval while Carey limped over to slap Austyn on the back.

The earl’s gaze traveled from Holly’s face to Austyn’s. “Come, child,” he said in a voice that brooked no disobedience. “’Tis time to get you home.”

Holly twined her arms around her husband’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder, giving her father the reassurance he sought. “I am home, Papa.”

Austyn kissed her hair. “Let’s not be so hasty to spurn your father’s invitation. A sound night’s rest in a fluffy feather bed might be just the thing.” The flash of his dimple warned her that a sound night’s rest was the furthest thought from his mind.

“Sounds good to me,” Carey mumbled, rubbing his ribs.

“Me, too,” said Nathanael, reclining on the litter.

But as Austyn sought to pass, the priest’s hand shot out to capture Holly’s arm. Holly felt Austyn tense, but the wistful shadow in Nathanael’s eyes was brightened by his sheepish smile. “I hope you’ll allow me to bestow my heartfelt blessing…upon the both of you.”

As Austyn carried Holly toward his destrier with both her father’s and the priest’s blessing, he nuzzled her ear and whispered, “Perhaps tonight will give you time to get reacquainted with a friend of mine. A certain Master Longstaff who is only too eager to seek redress for a rather unkind slur you’ve cast upon his honor.”

“I can assure you I’m more than willing to soothe the saucy fellow’s vanity,” she whispered back.

At her chiming laughter, a flushed young knight slid back the faceplate of his helm, hefted his lance in salute and shouted, “To Lady Holly, who possesses the fairest face in all of England!”

The rousing cheer that went up was stifled mid-note by the sweeping look Austyn leveled on the crowd. Holly’s breath caught as his gaze lowered to caress her face with irresistible tenderness.

“To Lady Holly,” he proclaimed, his rich voice tolling like a bell in the crystalline silence, “who possesses the fairest heart in all of England.”

That heart overflowed with love as Holly welcomed her husband’s kiss.

This time there was no quelling the exultant roar that resounded through the forest as Welsh and English voices united in tribute. As Austyn swept Holly in front of him on the destrier, a joyous fanfare rippled through the air, leaving the heralds staring dumbfounded at the shiny horns hanging limp from their hands.