Chapter Eight #3
“I did not have the chance to thank you for saving me,” she gushed, ignoring his question. “You saved me from certain death and I shall ever be in your debt. You are the greatest knight I have ever known. You are heroic!”
By this time, Spring and Wynter had joined their sister and Gage found himself looking into Wynter’s amber eyes, realizing he was never more glad to see someone in his life. It was therefore a struggle to focus on Autumn’s praise.
“I was simply doing what any man would have done, my lady,” he said evenly. “I did not know you realized that it was me.”
Autumn nodded firmly. “I saw you run at the man,” she said. “It has been a long time since I saw you, but I knew it was you when you came close. You hit the man in the face and saved me.”
“El Norte?” Varro interrupted, smiling as he looked at the three young women. “Will you not introduce us?”
Gage tore his gaze away from Autumn and Wynter to notice the people standing behind them.
He recognized Etienne and Dirk, and most especially Maryann and Clark, who had a tight grip on Summer.
The last time he saw Summer de Thorington, she was a lovely young girl.
Six years later, she had grown into a spectacular young woman.
She could compete with Wynter for the family beauty but, in his opinion, Wynter was the most beautiful.
In gazing at all of those people he once knew, however, he was once again reminded of his painful past. The one that saw him become a member of a mercenary army.
He realized his past was about to meet his present.
This wasn’t how he had planned it.
“Of course, my lord,” he said after a moment, looking to Autumn.
“This is Lady Autumn de Thorington. Her father is the Earl of Ashington. These are her sisters, Lady Spring, Lady Summer, and Lady Wynter. Behind them is their mother, the Countess of Ashington. Ladies, meet my uncle, Varro de Soto. He is the brother of the Count of Viana.”
The girls dipped into a practiced curtsy, including Wynter, but she was mostly looking at Gage, who couldn’t seem to take his eyes from her. She smiled faintly because he seemed so tense, but he didn’t respond.
His cold facade held fast.
“It is an honor to meet you, my ladies,” Varro said in his thick accent. “I have heard tale of English beauty and I can see that it is true.”
Autumn and Spring smiled bashfully, but Clark broke up the moment. He still had Summer in one hand as he reached out to take Autumn.
“The ladies were just retiring,” he said in a tone that all but shouted his displeasure at this moment. “You will excuse us, please.”
“Wait,” Maryann said. Everyone froze as she came to stand behind Autumn, her curious gaze on Gage. “Gage? Is it really you?”
Gage nodded. “Aye, my lady,” he said. “Thank you for remembering me. It is good to see you again.”
Maryann was clearly baffled. She looked between Autumn and Gage. “He saved you from the man in Durham?” she finally said to her daughter. “It was Gage?”
Autumn nodded solemnly. “Aye, Mama.”
Maryann looked at Clark. “You told me a knight saved her,” she said. “You did not tell me who it was and I assumed it was one of our own. You did not tell me that it was Gage de Reyne. In fact, you did not even tell me that you saw him.”
Clark was trying not to be defensive. It was true, all of it.
He had told Maryann that a knight saved Autumn but he never mentioned who it was, mostly because he didn’t want her to know that Gage de Reyne was back in England.
He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want her to know, only that the man had fled those years ago without a word and left confusion and disappointment in his wake.
He had intended to tell Lord Ashington about Gage’s return and let him decide whether or not to tell his wife, but now he had no choice.
Perhaps there was a part of him that resented the way Gage had treated a family who had loved him like one of their own.
Especially Wynter.
Aye, he knew that Wynter was sweet on Gage.
They had all known. He also knew how badly his disappearance had hurt her.
He wanted to protect her from Gage, but she was a woman grown now.
Moreover, she’d probably gouge an eye out if he tried to prevent her from seeing or speaking with Gage.
As he struggled to come up with a reply, Gage spoke.
“I asked him not to tell you, Lady Ashington,” he said.
“I wanted to visit Ashleven at some point soon and I wanted it to be a surprise. I have so many good memories from Ashleven and I was hoping my visit would be welcome. Therefore, I asked him not to tell you. I am sorry if that was wrong of me.”
As Clark gave the man a rather surprised look that he would cover for what could have been interpreted as a slight against him, Maryann focused on Gage.
“It was not wrong of you,” she said. “But you must realize how happy we are to know you are alive and well. Your disappearance those years ago was confusing and sad. We were quite worried about you. And now you have returned in time to save my Autumn? Gage, I am astonished.”
Gage smiled weakly. “It was my pleasure, my lady,” he said. “And I hope that my presence is welcome.”
“Most assuredly, it is,” Maryann agreed. Then, her gaze moved to Varro, who was smiling openly at her. He seemed quite friendly. “And this is your uncle?”
Varro dipped his head politely. “I am his mother’s brother, my lady,” he said, answering for Gage. “Avelina was my younger sister and we were quite close. Her son is special to me.”
Maryann nodded in understanding. “I see,” she said. “You are from Navarre?”
“Pamplona, my lady.”
Maryann’s gaze moved back and forth between Gage and Varro as she began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. She wasn’t a stupid woman – a mercenary army outside of the walls of Langley and, suddenly, Gage and his uncle appear.
She could connect the dots.
“Then you are both with the mercenary army?” she said.
They both nodded. “It is my uncle’s army, my lady,” Gage said. “He is known as El Vibora. The Viper.”
As the English knights glanced at each other in shock, shock that a knight the caliber of Gage de Reyne should forsake his noble career for the role of a soldier of fortune, Maryann didn’t seem the least bit put off. In fact, she seemed rather interested by the entire situation.
“How curious,” she said. “Your uncle is the mercenary leader?”
Gage nodded. “He is, my lady. His army is a well-trained army and I am honored to be part of it.”
He said that for the benefit of the knights who were listening. Here he was, the last six years of his life laid bare, and he swore he could feel the weight of their judgment upon him. English knights who believed serving lords and kings was the only honorable execution of their profession.
He was sending a message to them.
“How fortunate for you that your uncle accepted your fealty when you left Septentrion,” Maryann said in a surprising show of acceptance. “Mayhap you will tell me more tonight at sup. I assume you are supping with us, correct?”
Clark heard her. That went against everything he wanted.
He didn’t want the women exposed to the mercenaries, but Maryann was making her position known.
He couldn’t go against her and he looked at Gage as if daring the man to agree.
Gage caught the man’s expression and although he knew he was simply being protective of the ladies, he didn’t see any need to be so controlling. Or so rude.
Besides… he wanted to see Wynter.
He smiled at Maryann.
“If that is your wish, my lady,” he said. “We would be happy to sup with you.”
Standing back behind Maryann, Clark curled his lip in a display of disapproval, glancing at Etienne and Dirk to see that they, too, didn’t agree with the earl’s family supping with common mercenaries.
Even if one of them was Gage de Reyne. The whole situation was extremely distasteful and they looked to Clark to see what the man was going to do about it.
At the moment, he could do nothing.
But he would when he was able to speak with Lady Ashington alone.
“Then you will allow the ladies to rest until sup,” Clark said, taking control of the situation. “I am sure you have business with Lord Tynedale that they do not need to be part of, so we will bid you a farewell.”
Maryann let Clark steer the group away because it was clear that Gage and his uncle had come on business. She didn’t want to intrude on that. Taking Autumn by the hand, she led her daughter away as the others followed. All but Wynter, that is.
She was still looking at Gage.
He was standing with his uncle and Bull and another knight with long, flowing dark hair. Varro was speaking to Brian and Gage was standing partially behind his uncle, but Wynter was in his line of sight.
For a moment, their gazes met. There was something in the air between them, something tangible, and Gage was the first to define it. In fact, he could almost smell it.
Disillusionment?
Wynter was the first to break the spell and turn away. She was nearly to the servants’ door when she heard someone rush up behind her.
“My lady,” Gage said. “May I have a word, please?”
Wynter paused at the door, turning to the man without a hint of warmth in her eyes. “What is it?”
He took a deep breath, perhaps for courage. “I wanted to say that I am pleased to see you again,” he said. “I hope we have the opportunity to speak at sup.”