Chapter Twelve
In the wee hours of the morning, de Noble and his men retired to sleep, leaving Devlin seated by the fire with about ten dogs surrounding him.
He even had one on his lap. De Noble had told Devlin to find a place to sleep in the hall and that he would see him in the morning, so Devlin bid the man a polite good sleep and watched him trudge up the spiral stairs that led to the upper floors where Emllyn was.
The hall was cold now, with phantoms lurking in the corners and odd shadows dancing on the wall as the firelight reflected on the stone.
It was a fearsome and evil place, this English nest in Irish lands.
Devlin sat and debated about going upstairs to where Emllyn was, but he wasn’t sure where de Noble’s chamber was and he didn’t want to risk running into the man, so he continued to sit by the fire and brood about the twist the situation had taken.
He was to spy on Black Sword. It wasn’t the intelligence gathering for the English that concerned him, for he knew that he could concoct a great bit of gossip that would see de Noble play right into his hands.
It was the sheer fact that any such betrayal would harm Emllyn should she remain here.
Already they had their claws in her and didn’t want to let her go.
It was a fearsome scenario he kept rolling over and over in his mind, keeping Emllyn safe while destroying the English.
He wasn’t sure how it could be done but he would have to figure it out.
As Devlin stared into the snapping flames and pondered the situation, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs.
Glancing over his shoulder, he could see a small woman appearing in the shadows of the hall.
As she drew closer, he could see that it was the Lady Elyse.
Shoving the dog off his lap, Devlin bolted up from his chair and went to her.
“My lady,” he greeted with eagerness in his voice. “How does Lady Emllyn fare?”
Elyse smiled up at the very big and very handsome Irishman.
She thought it was very sweet the way he worried about Emllyn, and she knew the feeling was very mutual.
Lady Emllyn was just as concerned for her protector.
It had the stirrings of a tender romance that touched her young and idealistic heart.
“She is much better,” she assured him. “I have promised her that I would bring you to her, but you must listen to me carefully – my father would never allow you to be alone with an unchaperoned lady, so you must be very quiet. I am going to take you to another chamber where you and Lady Emllyn may stay. But you must be completely silent and remain in the chamber no matter what. If you leave, you risk running into my father and that would not do. Is this clear?”
“Aye, m’lady.”
With a faint smile, she collected her skirts and beckoned for him to follow.
Devlin was as quiet as a ghost as he followed her up the stairs.
His big feet, clad in peasant boots of rough leather and bindings, made soft footfalls against the stone.
Up they went on the narrow spiral staircase to the third floor where the Lady Elyse’s chamber was.
Exiting the stairwell, Devlin could immediately see the partitioned chambers to his left, rooms that had been fashioned with partial wooden walls. He could hear snoring.
Elyse took him past those rooms and past the door to her chamber where Devlin last saw Emllyn.
Devlin eyed the closed chamber door curiously, wondering if Emllyn was behind the panel, but Elyse took him behind a massive supporting pillar to a door on the other side.
Quietly, and in the darkness, she pushed it open.
There was a small chamber beyond, tucked into the corner of the keep where the main portion of the building and one of the oddly designed wings joined.
The room had one big window that had oiled cloth curtains covering it, a built-in window seat that made the entire window design look like a modified oriel window, and pillows strewn across the window seat.
On either side of the window were two large iron wall sconces that contained an earthenware jar filled with oil and a burning wick.
Thin trails of black smoke drifted up to the ceiling, and the room was well lit.
Over in the corner of the chamber was a large and very well furnished mattress but no bed frame; the mattress sat on the ground but was covered in a great feathery coverlet, fine linens, and mounds of pillows.
To the right of the bed was a small table and two chairs, containing a pitcher and cups and a bowl of small red apples, and then behind the door where they were standing was a smaller mattress that was less luxurious but nonetheless well furnished.
In all, it was a very well appointed chamber and very comfortable.
Devlin looked around the room before turning to the woman with some confusion.
Elyse was gazing back at him with an expression filled with hesitation. She was staring at him as if trying to decide if her actions were of the correct course. Honestly, she didn’t know, but she would not go back on her word to Emllyn. She finally sighed heavily.
“I should not be doing this,” she said with disapproval in her tone, “but Lady Emllyn has been nearly frantic to see you and I promised her that I would let the two of you remain in the same room. She has assured me that you are her watchdog and nothing more.”
Devlin nodded. “That would be a fair statement, m’lady.”
Elyse cocked a dubious eyebrow. “And you swear you will not molest her?”
“I swear.”
She sighed heavily again. “If my father finds out, I will be in for a row.”
“He will not find out. And I am grateful for the kindness, for I am leaving tomorrow and it may be some time before I see the lady again, if ever.” He paused, his dark blue eyes glimmering with worry.
“You… you will take care of Lady Emllyn, won’t you?
Since I will be leaving and unable to watch over her, you will do it, won’t you? ”
Elyse cocked her head with concern. “Where are you going?”
Devlin didn’t want to tell her what he had discussed with her father so he skirted the truth. “Your father has asked me to leave and I must comply,” he said. “I worry over the lady’s safety while I am gone.”
Elyse shook her head, putting a gentle hand on his wrist to comfort him. “Do not worry,” she said. “I will take care of her. She is in good hands.”
Devlin nodded, feeling depressed and resigned. “You have my thanks.”
Elyse remove her hand from his wrist. “It is my pleasure,” she said. “Lady Emllyn seems like a kind and lovely woman.”
“She is, m’lady.”
Elyse smiled at him, sensing his morose mood, and moved for the chamber door. “I will go and get her now,” she said softly. Then, she glanced around the room. “This is usually an alcove for the servants but I made it as comfortable as I could in what short time I had. I hope it is enough.”
“It is finer and lovelier than anything I have ever seen.”
Elyse smiled demurely, a practiced gesture. “Thank you,” she said, lifting the latch on the door. “You will stay here and I will return shortly with Lady Emllyn.”
She left Devlin standing in the middle of the lush chamber, surrounded by stone walls, fine silks, and softly glowing lamps.
A gentle breeze blew at the curtains, lifting them slightly and sending wisps of cold air into the room.
He noticed there was an elaborate brazier near the smaller of the mattresses and it was giving off a fair amount of heat. It made the small chamber rather cozy.
As he faced the larger bed, inspecting the myriad of lush silk pillows thrown about it, he heard the door latch lift.
By the time he turned around, Emllyn was moving stiffly but quickly into the chamber.
He could see Elyse outside as she guided the woman in and then shut the door silently behind her.
The moment the door was shut, his attention riveted to Emllyn.
Clad in the blue brocaded robe and with her hair artfully arranged, she looked beautiful and ethereal.
It was as Emllyn was always meant to be, a glorious angel in the midst of a colorless world.
Devlin just stood there and stared at her, a million words running through his head.
He could hardly grasp just one. But when she smiled timidly at him, everything came crashing down around him and his heart leapt into his throat.
He’d never been so glad to see anyone in his entire life.
“Are you well, Emllyn?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “Much better,” she said. “My fever is nearly gone and my leg is doing very well, thank you.”
He smiled faintly at her, his heart beating so loudly that he could hear it in his ears. His chest was tight and his arms tingled. He was all shades of giddy at the sight and sound of her.
“De Noble, the commander of Glenteige, has ordered me to leave on the morrow,” he said, his voice strangely tight. “Somehow, our great plans are not happening as they should.”
The smile vanished from Emllyn’s face. “You are leaving?” she gasped. “Why? What has happened?”
Devlin could see how the idea crushed her so. It crushed him as well. The more he stared at her, fumbling for an answer, the more everything crushed down upon him until he could hardly breathe.
In two giant strides he was upon her, his big hands cupping her face and his lips slanting hungrily over hers.
It seemed the most natural of things to do, a kiss that was the best and purest kiss he had ever given, meant only for her.
There was no lust in it, no selfishness.
It was honest and true, an expression of his feelings for her, feelings he hadn’t fully realized until this very moment.
Once his captive, she was now much more. She was all. Everything came spilling out before he could stop it.