Chapter Twelve #4
Merradoc’s lips tugged with the beginnings of a smile. “And you, lady, smell like a man has been all over you.”
Emllyn’s eyes narrowed. “How would you know what such a thing smells like? I would wager it has been centuries since you last saw companionship.”
Merradoc snorted as he opened the door. “Mayhap, Lady Emllyn,” he said, shaking a finger at her. “Mayhap indeed. But you must be careful nonetheless.”
He shut the door softly behind him and Devlin moved over to throw the bolt, locking the door. He turned to look at Emllyn, who was still standing by the bed with a cup of wine in her hand. They stood there a moment, looking at each other, each feeling a certain measure of apprehension.
“You will not trust anyone here,” Devlin finally said, his voice soft and firm. “Especially not him.”
Emllyn nodded, downing the rest of the wine in the cup.
“It is strange,” she said quietly as she set the cup down.
“When I was at Black Castle, I could not trust anyone,” she said.
“I was surrounded by people who considered me the enemy. Now, at Glenteige, I still cannot trust anyone even though we are allies. It is a difficult world I live in.”
Devlin could see her perspective. In many ways, her world was more difficult than his; at least he had people he could depend on. She had no one. But she had him.
Silently, he made his way over to her and wrapped her up in his big, strong arms. Emllyn collapsed against him, her arms around his waist and her head against his chest. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.
There was so much warmth and comfort between them, so much power and emotion, that it brought tears to her eyes.
“Promise me that you will not leave me here long,” she whispered. “Promise me that you will return for me very soon.”
Devlin kissed the top of her head. “I swear I will not leave you here any longer than necessary,” he said. “I want you with me and not imprisoned in this English hell. My greatest thought will be of taking you back with me to Black Castle where we both belong.”
Emllyn looked up at him, her eyes moist with unshed tears. “I told you once I did not want to be your concubine,” she murmured. “I have changed my mind. It would be an honor.”
He smiled faintly. “I would rather have you as my wife,” he said. “Would that not be a greater honor?”
“The greatest.”
He grinned and kissed her, tasting her sweetness as if he had been longing for it all of his life.
To feel such a connection with someone, to feel physical pain at the thought of separation or physical excitement when their bodies touched, was an entirely new experience for him.
Even now, the thought of leaving her tomorrow made him feel ill. He was dreading it.
“Then I will marry you the day we return to Black Castle,” he said. “I will cherish the day when I can call you Lady de Bermingham.”
Emllyn grinned, touching his face and watching him kiss her palms. “It will give my brother fits.”
“Does this concern you?”
“Not in the least. You are the most important thing in the world to me.” Her smile faded as her thoughts turned to the bargain they had struck back at Black Castle. It seemed so long ago now. “Dev, what of the English prisoners you still hold? Will you still kill them? Or will you let them go?”
He sobered, thinking of Trevor, the man who had literally brought them together, moldering down in his vault. “Do you still want to see if Trevor is among them?” he asked even though he already knew the answer. “I will allow you to check if you wish.”
“It hardly matters now.”
“Then what do you want me to do with them?”
Emllyn pondered his question seriously. “It was our bargain that you let me see the English prisoners if I came to Glenteige to discover de Cleveley’s plans against you.”
“I know.”
“I will discover what I can without need to see the prisoners. I simply do not care any longer if Trevor is with them or not.”
He debated whether or not he should tell her what he knew, but he opted not to mention that Trevor was indeed among his captives because he didn’t want anything to cloud their joy.
He was selfish, he knew it, but he didn’t care.
He didn’t want her to think thoughts of Trevor when she should only be thinking of him.
“Then I will put them on a boat and send them back to England,” he said quietly. “I have no more use for them. If you wish for me to spare them, then I will.”
She smiled at him; it was surely a generous offer coming from Black Sword and the importance of it was not lost on her. “You are very generous,” she said. “I am grateful.”
His smile broadened and he gazed at her steadily for several long moments. It was evident that he was pondering something. After a moment, he reached out to tenderly touch her cheek.
“My mother used to say something to me when I was young, something that I never fully understood until this moment,” he said softly.
“She used to say to me, ‘Everything leads me to thee’. I was her only child and she was very attached to me, and every time she left me, even if it was just for a short while, she used to say that. ‘Everything leads me to thee.’ Now that I look at you, I understand what she meant. There isn’t a move I will make or a thought I will think that will not cause me to think of you.
Everything, ultimately, will lead me to thee so when I leave on the morrow, I want you to remember that.
Everything leads me to thee, and I will return for you. ”
It was such a sweet sentiment. Emllyn smiled sweetly at him. “That is the most wonderful thing I have ever heard.”
“Say it for me.”
She did. “Everything leads me to thee,” she murmured.
Hearing it in her voice made him believe the words as if God himself had spoken it.
Devlin kissed her forehead and her cheeks before lifting her up and carrying her over to the big, luxurious bed.
He carefully laid her down and then lay down beside her.
They faced each other, their first moment together on a bed when they weren’t fighting with one another or experiencing untold passion.
It was just the two of them, a man and a woman, embarking on a remarkable voyage of discovery.
They talked of all things, both serious and trivial, for most of the night.