Chapter Three
It was nearly dusk by the time Alec returned to Blackstone. The celebration had already begun and Olphampa waited in the bailey nervously as the great gates swung open to admit the incoming party. He rushed forward to meet them.
“Alec! Ali! What happened?”
Alec did not answer; his face was emotionless as he dismounted his steed and moved to the wagon.
Ali dismounted as well, instructing the servants to stable the horses and store the wagon when it was emptied.
Olphampa watched the orderly chaos around him, baffled by what was going on. Curiously, he peered into the rig.
Ivy was perched like a lioness over the prostrate form of her sister. Alec stood at the foot of the wagon, his great hands on his hips.
“Has she regained consciousness?” he asked.
“Nay,” Ivy said glumly. “She has not moved a muscle.”
Alec’s jaw twitched, unusual for the usually controlled man. “I shall move her inside.”
“Do not touch her!” Ivy spat, throwing her arm over her sister possessively. “This is your fault! If you had not…!”
“We have been through this, demoiselle,” Ali said calmly, grasping Ivy by the arm. “Move aside so that we may remove your sister.”
Ivy grunted and cursed as Ali pulled her from the bed of the wagon.
Alec leapt into the vacated spot and gazed down at Peyton’s sleeping face.
A peculiar stab clutched at him, something he was unable to interpret as he studied the fine features and creamy skin.
Irritated with unfamiliar feelings, he scooped Peyton into his massive arms and climbed down from the rig.
Olphampa peered at the burden in his arms. “Who is this, Alec?”
Alec glanced down at the perfect, porcelain face. “This is the Lady Peyton de Fluornoy. Send Pauly to her room and tell him that….”
“She doesn’t need your help,” Ivy burst angrily, in Ali’s grasp. “Jubil can take care of her.”
As the name was mentioned, all eyes turned to look at the older woman seated on the wagon bench. Jubil sat in a haze of glory, her eyes unfocused and a foolish smile on her lips. Ivy, sheepish as well as angry, slanted Alec a reluctant gaze.
“Well…. she will tend her when she is feeling better,” she mumbled. “I shall care for Peyton until that time.”
Alec ignored Ivy and turned to Ali. “Find Pauly. Tell him that the lady has struck her head and has been unconscious for an hour, at least. Make haste, man.”
Ali handed Ivy over to another knight and went on his way. Alec turned to Olphampa. “See that the woman in the wagon is brought to the de Fluornoy suite.” Passing a final questioning glance at trance-like Jubil, he hurried on his way.
Inside, the castle was warm and fragrant, full of laughing people and gay music. Directly in front of him loomed the wide arch to the main hall, decorated with fresh rushes and fragrant flowers. Beyond was a roomful of merry revelers.
But Alec paid the party little heed as he headed for the wide staircase to his left, shifting Peyton in his arms as he neared the steps. He kept glancing at her still face, looking for a glimmer of arousal.
As he neared the stairs, he heard his name wafting above the music and he slowed to an impatient halt. Dressed in a fine silk tunic trimmed in gold embroider, Brian approached his son, his dark face creased with surprise.
“What’s this?” he demanded, gesturing to Peyton. “Where have you been? Lady Caroline has been asking for you. Her father is….”
Alec cut him off, mounting the first step. “I have no time to stand and chat. I must get Lady Peyton to her room.”
Brian frowned at his son’s rudeness and was prepared to rebuke him when the meaning of Alec’s words abruptly settled. “Lady Peyton? What do you mean?”
Alec did not answer his father until he reached the second floor corridor. Brian tailed after him like an eager dog. “Lady Peyton has injured herself,” he said. “I have sent for Pauly.”
Brian had a shortage of patience and stopped his son as he attempted to enter the assigned de Fluornoy rooms. “Lady Peyton? Alec, I thought we agreed that Lady Peyton was to return home. If she is injured, then….”
Alec pushed past his father and into the room. Carefully, he laid Peyton’s limp body on the soft mattress and stood back, gazing down at her unbelievable beauty. Beside him, he heard his father gasp.
“This is Lady Peyton?” he echoed in disbelief. “Well…. damnation, I do not understand. If this is Lady Peyton, then who was that creature in the bailey today?”
“’Twas she,” Alec said, still gazing at her.
Then he turned humored eyes to his father.
“It would seem that she and her sister were intent on discouraging you from selecting husbands for them. They believed that the more unattractive they appeared, the less likely you would force them into betrothals.”
Brian looked aghast. Open mouthed, he looked to Peyton once more.
“The vixen!” he peered closely at her, leaning over the bed and studying her carefully.
“By God, Alec, she is a fine piece of work,” he leaned closer, observing the color of her hair in the firelight.
Then he snorted. “Fine, indeed. I had no idea Albert’s daughter was so fair.
I cannot remember ever witnessing such beauty. ”
Alec watched his father inspect Peyton as he would have inspected a prize mare, scrutinizing every feature. Alec would have been inspecting her too had he not been so concerned for her health. The knot on her head was the size of an egg and her lack of lucidity was not a good sign.
“What about the other sister? Is she fair as well?” Brian asked, still hunched over Peyton.
“Fair enough,” Alec answered, his gaze lingering on Peyton’s sweet face. “Not the beauty her sister is, but pretty nonetheless.”
“Excellent,” Brian said. “I am pleased to hear….”
Before he could finish his sentence, a balled fist suddenly came up and caught him on the lip. Brian stumbled back as Peyton came to life, struggling to scramble off the bed as Alec moved to intercept her. Her feet were nearly to the floor when Alec was upon her, pushing her back onto the mattress.
Frightened and disoriented, Peyton shrieked and struggled towards the other side of the bed, but Brian was positioned to stop her. Effectively boxed in, she froze in the center of the wide bed with the expression of a hunted deer.
“It’s all right, my lady,” Brian insisted gently. “You are at Blackstone. All is well.”
Peyton did not quite comprehend him and moved to escape once more.
Alec leapt in front of her and she visibly recoiled; then, slowly, her agitation lessened as realization dawned.
A shaking hand moved to her face as she backed away from Brian, away from Alec, and pressed herself against the head of the bed.
Her sapphire blue eyes were wide with disorientation as she gazed at the two men.
“What….why am I…?” she suddenly turned accusing eyes to Alec. “You abducted me! You tried to…!”
“I was returning you to the party when you fell and hit your head,” Alec said calmly.
“Fell and hit my head?” Peyton repeated with disbelief, wincing when her own loud voice tweaked her pained head. “You threw me over your shoulder like…. like an animal and I was forced to fight for my very life. I hit my head when I fell from your horse.”
Brian shot his son a suspicious look. “For whatever the circumstances, my lady, you are here now and I wish you to remain,” he refocused on Peyton. “How does your head feel?”
She blinked slowly, feeling an ache in her head the likes of which she had never experienced. To compound the problem, her stomach was rolling like waves on the sea. “Appalling, my lord. In fact, there is not one part of my body that is not revolting at this moment.”
Brian grinned faintly. “I do apologize. Alec has sent for the surgeon and he should be able to ease your aches.”
Peyton nodded, averting her gaze. She wished the two of them would simply go away and leave her alone with her illness, but they seemed intent to linger and stare.
She remained huddled at the head of the bed, fearful to move and unwilling to look at either of them.
She wondered where Ivy and Jubil were but did not dare ask.
When they were sure she wasn’t going to bolt from the bed again, Brian and Alec moved toward the chamber door.
“I have a hall full of guests to attend to,” Brian said quietly, glancing at Peyton’s red head. “I shall send your mother up when I find her.”
“Pauly should be here momentarily. Until then, I shall stay with the lady.”
Brian raised an eyebrow. “Only until your mother arrives. I shall expect you down in the hall thereafter to help me entertain the throng,” he thrust a finger at his son. “No lingering. You have neglected your duties all afternoon and I shall not be left to amuse the horde alone.”
When his father was gone, Alec closed the door and moved for the bed, cautiously eyeing Peyton. She looked pathetic and weary, curled up in a protective ball, and he felt a twinge of remorse for what had happened.
“A pity you will not be able to attend the party. My mother put a great deal of effort into the food and entertainment.”
She ignored him and he meandered closer to the bed, standing at the foot of the mattress as he gazed at her pale face. “Did the fall rob you of your manners as well?”
Her answer was to shoot him a cold glare before turning away. Undaunted by her rudeness, he perched himself on the edge of the bed and was amused when she stiffened. “I threatened to pry the truth from your lips once before. Do I need to pry an entire conversation forth in the same manner?”
Her head snapped to him. “If you had any manners at all, you would realize that I do not wish to speak with you. If you would go away, I would be most grateful.”
He raised his eyebrows slightly. “Are you always so disagreeable?”
“Are you always so annoying?”
“I asked you first.”
Peyton scowled and turned away. “Leave me alone.”