Chapter Sixteen #2
Garret chuckled, embarrassed that he’d confessed his feelings for Lyssa but, in the same breath, he was glad.
So glad he could have shouted it to the world.
So much about the woman made his heart sing and he was relieved that his men now knew his secret.
He was happy to have them share in his joy. But soon enough, he sobered.
“There is something more you should know, another part to this story,” he said, holding up a hand to quiet his buzzing men.
“Jago de Nantes has set his sights on Lyssa. He attacked her yesterday at The Wix, which is why I removed her from the premises today. Originally, I was going to send her to Lioncross Abbey to serve Lady de Lohr, but I decided this afternoon that there was no reason to do that. I want to marry the woman so marrying her tomorrow or a year from now would not matter to me; my feelings for her would not change. Therefore, I made the decision to simply marry her and bring her to live with me here at Westminster where Colchester can never get his hands on her. He’d be a fool to try. ”
The mood of the conversation went from congratulatory to concerned in the blink of an eye. “Colchester attacked her?” Gavin repeated, aghast. “My God, Garret… what did he do?”
Garret knew he was asking because his sister served the House of de Nantes, as well. He was worried for her and rightfully so.
“From what I was told, he tried to force her to share a meal with him and when she refused, he threatened her. He also touched her, inappropriately, and when she resisted, he slapped her.” Garret grunted, hating the sound of even repeating that event.
It was sickening to the ear. “We all know Colchester’s reputation and, clearly, I cannot permit Lyssa to be subjected to the man’s advances, which has also contributed to the swiftness of my decision to marry her.
Ideally, I would not pursue marriage for at least a year for the sake of propriety, but this situation is different. I cannot, and will not, wait.”
Every man there understood, but along with understanding a suitor’s perspective, they understood the perspective of a man of honor. Colchester attacked what belonged to Garret and, this time, it was Zayin who asked the question.
“Does Colchester know the lady belongs to you?” he asked. “Please tell me you did not confront him, Salibi.”
Garret shook his head. “Although it went against every instinct, I did not confront him and he does not know of me and Lyssa,” he said.
He signed heavily. “I am not foolish. I know what could happen should I challenge Colchester for what he has done.
The man is a duke, a royal cousin, and untouchable by men such as me.
Although my pride screams for revenge, the wiser part of me knows that is not possible.
I do not intend to ruin my life before it truly begins.
The best solution is to remove Lyssa and that is what I intend to do.
There wasn’t one man listening that didn’t breathe a sigh of relief at what they were hearing.
To challenge Colchester would have been suicidal at best. Garret understood the way of the world and he understood that an open challenge to Colchester would only result in harming himself.
It went against everything Garret stood for, because he was a man of honor and honor sometimes meant fighting for what he believed in, and what was right, but in this case he’d chosen wisely.
No one was more aware of that than Zayin. He simply nodded his head to Garret’s statement. “You are as wise as you are brave,” he said. “Marry the woman and keep her with you. Colchester will soon move on to other quarry when he knows he cannot have her.”
Garret averted his gaze, kicking at the ground as he did so. “I am not in the habit of feeling helpless against any man, so this has been… difficult.”
“Difficult but necessary,” Gavin put in.
“You have no choice, Garret. You are doing what any of us would have done. There is no shame in that. The shame is on Colchester. In fact, I shall write my father and tell him to remove my sister from that house. He will want to know of Colchester’s behavior. ”
Garret was appreciative of the support. “No one in their right mind would contest a directive from Valor de Nerra,” he said, smiling weakly. “Your father needs to know what his daughter is being subjected to. With all of the people he knows in England, he can send her to another fine house.”
Gavin was looking rather strained. “Mayhap I should go to my sister and see for myself.”
Garret put a hand on his shoulder. “For your sister’s sake, you should. She may need your protection.”
“Against a man who will never be punished for anything he does.”
Garret simply looked at him, a knowing expression that said what they both knew – Gavin was correct. As Gavin pondered a trip to The Wix, perhaps tomorrow morning, a shout came from the gatehouse.
The knights weren’t paying too much attention, still caught up in Garret’s confession and the revelations about Colchester, but they turned to see why many men had taken up the call.
Usually it was only a sentry on the wall, but now even men who were at the portcullis were shouting.
As Garret and his men turned to see what had them so excited, a man on horseback came bolting through the half-open portcullis.
But he wasn’t alone. He had a body lying across his thighs and it took Garret a few seconds to realize that he was looking at Rickard, charging right for him. As the horse moved closer, he could see the body across his brother’s legs – a woman.
A woman with bronze-colored hair.
It was Lyssa.
Garret dropped the trunk he’d been holding and bolted for his brother as the man came near.
Because he was running, his men were running, and suddenly they were swarming Rickard and his foaming horse.
Garret actually whimpered when he realized that, indeed, it was Lyssa spread over his brother’s thighs and he reached out to remove her, assisted by Zayin and Gavin.
“Careful!” Rickard roared. The man was half-dressed and harried. “She is badly injured, Garret. Find your physic now!”
Knox didn’t even wait for the command from Garret.
He went running for the barracks where he knew the physic had been tending the ill men.
Meanwhile, Garret very carefully pulled Lyssa from his brother’s lap.
She had been on her stomach and, with incredible care, he turned her onto her back with Zayin’s help.
What he saw shook him to the bone; blood was seeping from her mouth and one ear, and her clothing was torn and dirty.
It was the same dress she’d been wearing the last time he saw her.
The one he’d pulled off her in the heat of passion.
For the first time in his life, he felt the sting of tears and the bitter taste of panic in his mouth.
Unfamiliar emotions swamped him and his hands began to shake.
“God in Heaven,” he breathed. “What happened?”
Rickard spit out the most terrible words he’d ever spoken. “Colchester beat her.”
The panic in Garret’s heart turned to a wildfire of anger. “He did this?”
No man had ever heard such rage from Garret’s tone, Rickard included. Once Lyssa was off his horse, he swung the excitable animal around, back in the direction of the gatehouse.
“Aye, he did that,” he said, sounding sick and furious. “I will tell you more when I can, but right now, I must return immediately. I do not know what else the man has done, or to whom, and I must return to see what else has happened. But you – you stay here. Do not come to The Wix!”
He bellowed it at his brother, as if shouting would make it so. He was terrified that Garret was going to fly into a frenzy and go charging into The Wix to kill Colchester. When Garret didn’t answer, he pointed at Zayin.
“Do not let him leave here,” he commended. “Keep him here if you have to tie him up!”
Zayin understood. God help him, he understood but he also knew that if Garret truly wanted to seek vengeance against Colchester, then he couldn’t stop him.
No one could. With the limp, beaten lover in his arms, Garret had every right to demand vengeance, and Zayin was genuinely worried on many different levels.
But he nodded sharply at Rickard, who spurred his horse back towards the gatehouse.
In truth, Garret wasn’t the one they had to worry over at the moment.
Gavin was suddenly racing for the stables to collect his horse, scared out of his mind that, somehow, his sister might be caught up in whatever rampage Colchester was on.
Gart and Rhys bolted after him, grabbing him before he could get away, and suddenly there was a brawl in the bailey as Gavin tried to free himself from men who were trying to save his life.
It was chaos.
But Garret couldn’t think about that at the moment. He had his own problems.
“Help me get her to my apartment,” Garret said huskily to Zayin. “If she is broken up inside, I do not want to aggravate her injuries. Take her feet and I will take her arms.”
Zayin was on the move. He could hear Garret’s voice trembling and it was like a stab to his heart. His friend, the bravest and most noble man he’d ever known, was upset beyond measure and there was nothing Zayin could do except try to comfort him.
“She is breathing steadily,” he said as he lifted her legs and they began to hurry back towards the apartments that housed the knights and officers. “That is a good sign. We shall take her inside and put her to bed. The physic will know what to do.”