Chapter Thirteen #3
Maxton looked at her. Everything out of her mouth about him sounded like praise.
He was quite unused to that, but it didn’t sound forced.
In fact, he heard great respect in her tone when she spoke of him, and to him, and it was something that made him feel strong and alive.
Perhaps that was why he was so attracted to her; unknowingly, she fed something in him that needed to be fed, filling a hole he never knew he had.
She made him feel like a man in ways he couldn’t begin to comprehend.
But that brought him around to the reason why they were in this room and why Andressa was even here.
He couldn’t send her back to St. Blitha, not now.
They would have to figure out how to stop the assassin nuns without her because, surely, he wasn’t about to put her and the life she carried into harm’s way again.
He didn’t relish telling William of the latest development, but it had to be done.
There had to be another way.
“I am sure there are many who would disagree with you, but I thank you for the confidence,” he said, rising wearily to his feet. “Now, if you are finished interrogating me, I have duties to attend to. You may remain here and rest for the time being. Have you eaten yet?”
There was a lightness to his mood that hadn’t been there before, an undercurrent of humor that was appealing. Andressa liked it. But to his question, she shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “Truthfully, the bath was so wonderful, I have not missed it.”
He waved her off. “You must eat,” he said firmly. “I shall ensure food is sent up to you immediately. God only knows how the child you carry has been starved, so you must eat well if only for the child’s sake.”
He started to turn away but she stopped him. “Maxton?” she said, using his name for the first time and watching him turn to her immediately. “You have not mentioned… what I told you about King John… did you discuss this with William Marshal?”
It was exactly what he didn’t want to discuss with her, but looking into her anxious face, he reckoned that she had a right to know what was going on. It wouldn’t be fair to keep it from her since she was involved in it, as much as he was.
“I have,” he said. “We have been honest with each other from the start, so I will be honest with you now. The Marshal wants you to return to St. Blitha and keep an eye on the situation. If something unusual happens, then he wants you to tell us.”
Surprisingly, she didn’t seem distress by that directive. “But he is going to tell the king not to come to St. Blitha, is he not?”
Maxton shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “The king is not to know. Andressa, you must understand something – we knew of this threat to the king. We knew because last year, I was offered money to do what your Mother Abbess has been instructed to do. I refused and was jailed for it. We suspected that more assassins would be sent to complete the task, but we never dreamed the assassins would be killer nuns. When you told us of this happening, you unknowingly solved a mystery we had been trying to figure out. You, my little friend, have been the key to all of this. You have helped save your king.”
He watched her eyes widen at the news. “The Holy Father asked you to kill the king?” she gasped.
Maxton nodded. “I spent a long time at the Lateran Palace, at the Holy Father’s invitation, and was offered the task,” he said. “When I refused, he imprisoned me and simply gave the task to the nuns who, from what you have told me, have done this kind of work before.”
She nodded solemnly. “Aye,” she said. “They have. And they show no remorse for it.”
“That is why I do not want you to go back,” he said. When she looked at him with surprise, he continued. “I did not want you to go back before I knew you were with child, but now… now, you cannot possibly go back into that den of demons. That is no place for you or your child.”
The last time he had suggested she not return to St. Blitha, she’d become panicky and ran from him. But this time, she didn’t run. She could sense his concern, and she was flattered, but it didn’t change facts.
“I have no choice,” she said. “I told you that others have tried to flee the Mother Abbess and she has found them and brought them back. The woman will find me no matter where I go and, frankly, I do not have the means to go anywhere. It is not as if I can return home.”
Maxton sighed heavily, scratching his neck as he thought of his reply. “You will let me worry about that,” he said. “I told you I would protect you, like a big brother should. I will not go back on that promise.”
Andressa stood up, pulling the now-dry towel around her as she moved towards him with timid steps.
“But I am not your responsibility,” she murmured firmly.
“While I greatly appreciate your offer, the truth is that I am not your responsibility. You have made the offer out of pity and it will soon become a burden if I permit it.”
She had come within arm’s length of him and Maxton’s dark gaze moved to her.
Her hair was dry now, curling around her face, long and silky down to her knees.
He could see such beauty in her, such grace and wisdom.
Something about her swept him off his feet and made him feel giddy, a feeling that not even her pregnancy could dissolve.
He didn’t care that she carried another man’s child. It was a mistake; he understood that.
All he cared about, at the moment, was her.
“You would never become a burden to me,” he said. “And… and mayhap I have not been completely honest with you about my intentions.”
“What do you mean?”
What did he mean? He fumbled for the right words.
“It is not as a big brother that I look upon you,” he said.
“I do not look at you and see a sisterly relation. I look at you and see a woman of grace and beauty, and I have since I first met you. There is something so haunting about you, yet so strong. I am not sure I can explain it better than that. Let me take care of you, Andressa. Let me take care of you and the baby, and let us find a corner of this world where two sinners can find happiness with each other.”
Andressa was looking at him in astonishment. Her eyes widened and she simply stared at him as if he’d just said the most shocking thing she’d ever heard.
“You… you want to take care of… of…?”
“Aye, I want to take care of you.”
She swallowed hard, taking a step back as his words impacted her.
She’d only just met the man; that was her first thought.
How could he know that he wanted to take care of her?
It was his pity talking. She knew that. He had a great deal of pity for her, more so now that he knew she was with child, and it was that kind and generous man acting on impulse.
As much as she was flattered, and deeply touched, the offer terrified her immensely.
I am not your responsibility.
But, God, she wished that she was.
Maxton was a powerful, seasoned, handsome knight of the highest order.
She remembered thinking that she wished she was good enough for him, because a man like Maxton deserved a fine, elegant wife, not a lowly pledge who was pregnant with another man’s child.
She was certain he’d not thought extensively on the offer he just made, because if he had, he probably would not have made it.
The mere thought of what he was suggesting was ludicrous.
For his sake, she could not agree to it.
“Your offer is as beautiful as your soul, Maxton,” she said quietly.
“I know you have a past that suggests your soul is as black as soot, but my experience with you has been much different. You are a man that every girl dreams of. But you said that William Marshal wishes for me to return to St. Blitha?”
Her response made him hopeful. “He does.”
“Then that is where I should go.”
He grunted unhappily. “Andressa…”
“Please, Maxton,” she said, reaching out to put a slender hand on his arm. “I know you are trying to help me, but you must let me think on what you have said. I will not make a decision of this importance in only a few moments. Will you send food to me now? I am rather hungry.”
She was changing the subject and he was aware of it.
He was also grossly unhappy that she wasn’t jumping on his offer, but he understood for the most part.
It had been a turbulent day and a turbulent situation, and he was certain that she wasn’t thinking clearly.
He thought that once she’d filled her belly and she’d had time to consider everything, that perhaps she would be more agreeable to his offer.
If she was, then he would have to find a place to put her until the situation blew over.
When the king went to St. Blitha in two days, he didn’t want her anywhere near the place.
He wanted her safe.
Collecting her hand as it rested on his arm, he held her cold digits in his big, rough palm. “I will get it for you,” he said. “But you will think on my offer. Swear it?”
She nodded steadily. “I am deeply grateful for it. And you.”
Maxton thought he sensed something in her tone, something that gave him great hope that, perhaps, she was feeling for him what he was feeling for her. He couldn’t even put it into words; all he knew was that he could see it in her eyes.
Impulsively, he put his arms around her and pulled her against him, his mouth slanting over hers to deliver a kiss that was warm and curious, tender and titillating.
She stiffened at first, but only momentarily – quickly, he could feel her relaxing, surrendering to his power, and that only made him kiss her more deeply.
She was warm and soft in his embrace, if not a bit bony, but it didn’t take away from his excitement or his enjoyment.
He could also feel her hard belly pressing against his torso and, strangely enough, it excited him.
Her fertility excited him. He found it alluring and womanly, all strange thoughts from a very unconventional man.
He could get used to the feel of her in his arms quite easily.
A knock on the door startled him and he quickly let her go, moving a few feet away as the door opened and the old servant woman appeared. When she saw Maxton in the chamber, she gasped.
“I’m sorry, m’lord,” she said. “I didn’t know you were here.”
Maxton took a couple of long strides and was at the door. “I was just leaving,” he said, pulling the panel open wide. “I will have food sent up to the lady.”
With that, he was gone, leaving the room unnaturally fast. Andressa stood there a moment, glancing at the old serving woman and wondering if the woman was thinking that he had behaved strangely.
Did she know they’d been in a passionate embrace only moments before?
Andressa’s cheeks felt hot and she put a hand to them, feeling the heat, knowing Maxton had put it there.
It had been a moment she never thought she’d experience, but it only served to confirm what she was already thinking – Maxton was a man of impulse, and that was exactly what his offer had been – impulsive. But he was also sweet, passionate, and wildly handsome.
And that kiss… she was still reeling from it.
Still, she couldn’t let him make such a mistake, and the truth was that she didn’t want to make a mistake, either. She’d already had one foolish moment in her life. She couldn’t stand to have another and possibly ruin Maxton’s life in the process.
“Come along, m’lady,” the old serving woman cut into her thoughts. “I’ve brought something that you can wear.”
As the old woman went to pull away the drying towel, Andressa balked. “Nay,” she said. “Not that clothing. Where is the garment you took from me?”
“The spots are being cleaned from it, m’lady.”
Andressa pushed aside the garment that the old woman was extending to her. “Bring it back to me,” she said. “Hurry, now. I do not wish to wear anything else.”
“But –”
“Now, please. Bring it in a hurry. I do not wish to catch a chill.”
Begrudgingly, the old woman left the chamber with the garment she had brought with her, a fine robe that belonged to William Marshal’s wife, and went down to the kitchens where a maid was scrubbing out the dirt from the rough woolen tunic.
Collecting the half-cleaned garment, she took it back up to the stubborn lady, who took the garment from her and then asked for a blanket to cover herself with.
As the old serving women left Andressa alone to dress as she went on the blanket suitable for the young lady, Andressa very quickly pulled on her woolen garment and yanked on her shoes.
The leather belt she wore was draped over a chair and she collected it quickly, rushing for the door as she tied it on.
Very quietly, she opened the chamber door, sticking her head out to see if anyone was around and, seeing that it was mostly vacant, she dashed from the door and down the stairs that led to the interior courtyard outside.
It was dark now, with dozens of torches lighting up the night, as she scurried through the courtyard and to the front gate.
The gate guards were surprisingly willing to let her leave without so much as a word, and once the gate was opened for her, she slipped out into the night, braiding her freshly-washed hair as she rushed through the darkness, disappearing down the street on her way back to St. Blitha.
It wasn’t until nearly a half-hour later when Maxton returned that he discovered her missing.
No one had to tell him anything. He knew where she had gone.