Chapter Fifteen #4
He shook his head. “Not now,” he said wearily. “When I awaken, mayhap.”
Dacia touched his cheek softly before helping him get comfortable in the bed once more.
She put her hand on his forehead, realizing that he still felt hot to the touch.
But she didn’t say anything to him, not wanting to plant that seed that might worry him.
He wanted to sleep and she would let him, but she was most certainly not going to sleep.
She had to remain vigilant.
All she could do now was pray.
*
“My lady, you really should sleep,” Rhori said quietly. “You have been at this for three days now. If you become ill, you’ll not do him any good.”
Dacia could hear the knight’s concern, but she couldn’t give in to it. Not tonight.
Cassius’ fever had worsened.
Throughout the day, he’d grown hotter and she gave him willow potion regularly.
But by nightfall, he was shivering with chill while perspiration beaded on his forehead.
He slept heavily but awoke on occasion so she could ply him with more willow potion.
She had all but given up on Emmeric, knowing she was Cassius’ only hope.
She stuck to the belief that she could heal him.
She wasn’t going to give up.
“I will not become ill,” she said, putting a cool cloth on Cassius’ forehead. “I am weary, but not terribly so. I am well enough, so please do not worry for me.”
Rhori wasn’t so sure. He looked over at Bose, who simply shook his head sadly.
The maid that was known to help Dacia, a woman she’d called Edie, was busy brewing something over the fire while more maids brought the buckets of fresh, cold water.
Dacia was working as hard as they’d ever seen anyone work.
Still, the knights felt as if they were entering into a death watch.
They’d both seen this kind of thing before, puncture wounds that festered until the man eventually passed away from a fever that shut down all bodily functions.
But there were also times when there would be a small fever for a day or two and then the man would recover completely.
At the moment, it was difficult to know which way Cassius was going to go, but Dacia was doing everything she could to help him.
Rhori made his way over to Bose.
“Thank God we sent that missive to his family,” he muttered to the man. “I’m wondering if we should not send them another one and tell them to come immediately.”
Bose’s dark gaze was on Cassius. “Nay,” he said quietly. “By the time they receive it, he will already be gone, if it is God’s will that he passes. If the fever grows worse, it will take him quickly. He is already weak.”
Rhori, too, looked at Cassius, laying pasty upon the bed, shivering beneath the heavy blankets that Dacia had put on him.
“I’ve seen worse,” he said after a moment. “He is weak for Cassius, but given that he is the strongest man I know, he’s not too terribly weak. If the lady has anything to say about it, he will pull through.”
They both looked at Dacia, sitting at Cassius’ bedside, bathing his torso and arms with cool water to help the fever. Bose scratched his head wearily.
“She will wear herself out if she continues,” he said. “But she will not leave him and I suspect there is a reason behind that.”
Rhori glanced at him, knowing exactly what he meant. “You saw that, too, did you?” he asked. “The night of the feast?”
Bose nodded. “I have never seen Cassius look at a woman like that, and God knows, he has looked at plenty of women.”
Rhori’s focus returned to Dacia. “She’s a beauty,” he said. “I do not blame him. But I also received the impression that de Lohr was… fond of her, shall we say.”
Bose simply lifted his eyebrows. “No man can compete with Cassius de Wolfe,” he said. “If de Lohr was fond of her, then he has waited too long to declare his interest. I suspect she is already spoken for.”
Their conversation was cleaved when someone knocked on the door. Bose opened it to reveal Darian standing in the doorway. The knight greeted Bose and Rhori with a nod.
“The duke is on his way to see Cassius,” he said. “How is he?”
All three knights looked over to the body on the bed as Bose answered. “He is feverish,” he said. “Lady Dacia is doing all she can for him. Have you managed to locate that physic you were looking for?”
Darian’s gaze was on Dacia, not Cassius.
“Aye,” he said quietly. “We found his burned body in some of the rubble on the south side of the village about an hour ago. As near as we can determine, he was tending to a patient when the roof burned over his head and caved in. I’ve got my men bringing in what they could collect of his medicament bag. Mayhap Lady Dacia can use some of it.”
That changed the situation somewhat. They all knew that Dacia had been hoping for the physic to join her. Bose turned to say something to Darian, but he caught sight of the duke on the landing outside and he pulled on Darian to move the man out of the way.
“Your grace,” Bose greeted.
Doncaster moved into the doorway, his gaze immediately finding Cassius lying supine on the bed in the corner with Dacia bent over him, swabbing him with cool water.
“I came to see how Cassius is faring,” he said. “Is he better?”
Rhori answered. “He is the same, your grace,” he said. “He is still with fever.”
That wasn’t what Doncaster wanted to hear. He pushed into the chamber, heading over to the bed to gaze grimly upon Cassius. Dacia caught sight of him, looking at him but giving the man no hint of warmth.
“I am doing all I can,” she said before he even asked. “If he does not start to improve soon, I will have to reopen his wounds to see if there was something I missed when I cleaned them out.”
The duke nodded, looking at Cassius with a pained expression on his face. “I am so very sorry for this,” he said. “Edward will never forgive me if something happens to de Wolfe because of me. ’Tis a terrible thing, indeed.”
Dacia paused in her swabbing. “I would not worry about the king,” she said.
“I will not forgive you if something happens to him, Grandfather. It was your selfishness that brought Cassius to this point. All he wanted to do was return home to see his grandmother, but you commanded him to assist you and you knew he could not refuse. It was cruel and terrible of you to do that.”
The duke opened his mouth to defend himself, but a faint voice came from the bed. “Dacia,” Cassius whispered. “It was not his fault. You will not blame him. Tell the man you are sorry for your short temper.”
They both looked at him with some surprise. Dacia leaned over him, wiping a cool cloth on his cheeks.
“You are awake, listening to a private conversation?” she teased him gently. “What a terrible thing for you to do. You should have plugged your ears.”
He peeped an eye open, looking at her. “Bold words, my girl,” he said. “Apologize to your grandfather and then you will go away and let me speak with him alone.”
She frowned. “I will not leave you.”
“You will if I tell you to or I shall rise up out of this bed and spank you soundly. Is this in any way unclear?”
She wasn’t offended in the least. In fact, she sensed some mirth, but she also sensed seriousness. Heavily, she sighed.
“It is clear,” she said unhappily. “I will go away, but only for a few moments. I shall be right outside the door.”
“Stay there until I send for you. And take that motley group with you.”
She sighed again, sharply, and cast him a long look, but she did as she was told.
After kissing her grandfather on the cheek to apologize, she moved away from the bed, shooing the knights out of the chamber because Cassius had told her to.
When she was gone and the door quietly shut, Cassius opened both eyes to look at the duke.
“Cassius,” Doncaster said before the man could speak. “You must know how terrible I feel about this. It never occurred to me that something like this would happen, of course. I would never deny you the opportunity to see your family. I hope you know that.”
Cassius nodded weakly. “I know, your grace,” he said. “I was honored to be of service. But now I must ask you an important question.”
“What is it?”
“I would like your permission to court Dacia with the intention of a marriage.”
Doncaster’s eyebrows lifted at the swift and shocking change of subject. “You would?”
Cassius could see the old man’s astonishment, sensing that he had spoken the words that Doncaster had never expected to hear where it pertained to Dacia.
Realizing that, he felt some anger. As much as his fever-ridden body would allow, he could feel his anger rise at the attitude of a foolish old man when it came to his granddaughter.
“And why not?” he said. “She is a beautiful, talented woman that any man would be proud of. I have heard that she was raised by a woman who covered her up because she believed her freckles to be the work of the devil. But as I told you before, I think Dacia is God’s most magnificent creation.
I further realize that she is your heiress and she brings with her the great legacy of the House of de Ryes.
Know that this situation has no bearing on my request.”
“It doesn’t?”
“I would take her without the title or the name.”
Doncaster looked at him, awed by his position. “If that is true, then you must truly be serious about her.”
“I am, your grace,” Cassius said. “I will go one step further in my declaration. Though it is not usual for a man to change his name when he marries, when it is the case of a woman of higher social standing, men have been known to take their wife’s family name.
I will not give up the name of de Wolfe, for it is a storied and proud heritage, but I will add de Ryes to my name if it pleases you, so that our children will bear the name.
Your family is an old and distinguished one. ”
Doncaster stared at him, his features softening and his eyes growing moist with emotion.
“Would you truly, Cassius?” he said. “I had a son, you know. Dacia’s father, Dacian.
Dacia was named for him. But she was his only child, as his wife died when Dacia was quite young, and then he died of an ailment when she was about seven years of age.
She is all I have left. What you have said…
it gives me more joy and hope than you could possibly imagine.
Would you truly add my name to the great de Wolfe name? ”
Cassius could see how touched the man was. “Of course,” he said. “That way, our children will be born of the House of de Wolfe-de Ryes, but known as Doncaster formally, as Dacia is. Would this be acceptable?”
Doncaster was already nodding his head, reaching out to take Cassius’ hand. “You have made an old man very happy,” he said sincerely. “If you wish to court Dacia, then you have my blessing. You will make a fine duke, Cassius. Greater than I could have ever hoped for.”
Cassius smiled faintly, giving Doncaster’s hand a squeeze before letting him go. “Thank you,” he said. “Now, you may let your granddaughter back into this chamber before she beats the door down.”
With a grin, Doncaster moved for the door, lifting the latch and being faced with four serious faces – Dacia, Darian, Rhori, and Bose.
He crooked a finger at Dacia, but kept the knights from following.
He had something to tell her and given Darian was part of that group, he didn’t want the man to hear the news just yet.
There was the little matter of Darian having his heart set on Dacia.
Doncaster wasn’t immune to that.
Therefore, he would let Cassius inform Dacia that she was now spoken for and he would personally handle Darian. He loved the man like a son, so he knew how delicate the situation was. He wanted to be kind. He genuinely tried to be.
As expected, Dacia was thrilled at the news.
Also as expected, Darian was not.
By morning, Cassius’ fever had broken.