Chapter Twenty #5
“My lady,” the old man said. “We came as soon as we heard of your sickness. We have been praying ever since. You have always been good and kind to us, when no one else would, and we have always been grateful. I… I am sorry we ran from you in town. It was wrong and foolish. We’ve brought you a token of our gratitude for everything you’ve done for us. ”
His wife set something down on the steps wrapped up in burlap.
After they left it there, more people began to come forward, piling things on the stairs for Dacia, until the gifts covered the stairs and spilled down into the bailey.
Everyone was smiling at her, waving at her, and a few of the children put new spring flowers on the stairs, just for her.
It was a tribute to the Lady of Doncaster, both an appreciation and an apology.
And it was astonishing.
Little by little, people began to trickle out of the bailey, having left their offering, begging forgiveness from a woman they’d sinned greatly against. Snuggled in Cassius’ strong arms, Dacia could hardly believe any of it.
“For so long, I hid myself away from these people,” she said. “I only went into town for mass and little more. I nursed the sick and hungry when I was called upon. But I did it because it was expected of me.”
The duke nodded. “You held true to your heart and to your position,” he said.
“They know that now. But this is more than that, Dacia. These are offerings of apologies for treating you as poorly as they have. For listening to Amata’s lies for all these years and for shunning you because Mother Mary led them to think that was what they needed to do.
Far be it from me to speak ill of the dead, but she is to blame almost as much as Amata is.
As I am. Dacia, I am sorry I did not do more for you in that regard.
I suppose… I suppose it was easier to retreat into my own world and pretend it wasn’t my problem, but that was wrong.
I have not been a good grandfather to you for some time and I shall do all I can to make amends to you, too.
When we come close to losing something, we sometimes realize just how important that something was.
In this case, it was you. Do you understand that, child? ”
Dacia did, but she was still surprised. At that point, something occurred to her that hadn’t before. She looked between Cassius and her grandfather.
“You thought I was going to die?” she asked.
Cassius couldn’t answer the question. He couldn’t even voice those fears. He hugged her to him, kissing her on the temple, as the duke answered quietly.
“It was a possibility,” he said. “Thank God it did not come to pass. We all have a second chance with you, child. We shall make the most of it.”
Dacia started to reply when something caught her eye.
She recognized Eloise Saffron and Claudia Lockwood as they came through the departing crowd, timidly approaching.
Cassius saw her expression when she saw the young women, feeling her stiffen, but he didn’t say anything.
He wasn’t sure who the young women were, but he suspected they were part of Amata’s ring.
Dacia had mentioned that she’d had friends in the village, long ago, that had eventually shunned her.
That told him who the young women might be.
“G-Greetings, my lady,” Eloise said hesitantly.
“We came to offer prayers for your recovery and tell you… tell you that we are sorry for what happened. Years ago, Amata told us that you no longer wished to be friends with us, but considering everything that just happened, we think that it might have been another of her lies. If it wasn’t, then we shall bid you a pleasant farewell, but if it was… we wanted you to know.”
Dacia looked at the two young women who used to be her friends when she was younger. She had liked Eloise in particular. It had been a sad thing when Amata told her that the girls no longer wanted to be friends with her.
But now, everything made sense.
“I never said that, as you can believe,” she said. “I am sorry we have been separated for so many years, Eloise. I hope we can change that.”
Eloise visibly relaxed, as did Claudia. “I hope so, too, my lady,” she said. Then, she lifted a pouch wrapped with a red ribbon. “I brought you something that might make your days more cheery as you recover.”
“Thank you, Eloise. That is very kind of you.”
“And I brought you something, too,” Claudia said, picking her way up the steps because there were so many tributes on them.
“This is from my father. They are the rings you and your betrothed purchased. He wanted me to give them to you and return the money you paid for them. He says it is the least that he can do. He also says that he hopes to see more of you both at his shop.”
She held out a heavy leather pouch to Dacia, who took it from her. She smiled at a woman she also considered a friend, long ago.
“That is very kind of your father,” she said. “He did not have to do it.”
Claudia looked between Dacia and Cassius. “I know,” she said. “But he says it is the right thing to do. I… I hope that I can see more of you, too, my lady.”
Dacia smiled brightly, reaching out to clutch Claudia’s fingers. Claudia squeezed them tightly and then hurried back down the steps where Eloise was waiting for her. They both waved at Dacia before following the crowds out of Edenthorpe’s bailey.
“What did Lockwood give you?” the duke wanted to know.
Dacia grinned at Cassius before reaching into the pouch and pulling forth two rings.
The first one was the magnificent diamond ring with Cassius engraved in very small letters on the inside of the band.
The second ring was the big gold ring Cassius had requested.
It was smooth and lovely, and on the inside of the band, the inscription of Dacia could be seen.
“Put it on me,” Cassius said softly.
But Dacia shook her head and put both rings back in the pouch. “We shall not wear them until our wedding day,” she said. “But you know I would have married you without them. I would have married you in any case, Cassius de Wolfe.”
He leaned in to kiss her, but the duke interrupted. “And when are we to expect the nuptials?” he demanded. “Half of England shall be invited and we shall feast for an entire week.”
“Not until I am feeling better, Grandfather,” Dacia said, looking at Cassius. “Besides… we shall be married at Castle Questing, in front of Cassius’ grandmother, the most important woman in Northumberland.”
The duke shrugged. “I look forward to a trip to Northumberland, then,” he said. “But I am still inviting half of England. I will discuss this with your father, Cassius. The earl and I will do what needs to be done with the joining of two great houses.”
With that, he headed down the steps to look at all of the tributes that had been brought to Dacia. Rhori and Bose, standing behind Cassius and Dacia, simply grinned as they pushed past the pair, following the duke.
“I’m going to hunt down any bottles of wine,” Bose mumbled. “Surely some have been brought. I am telling you right now that I shall claim all I can carry.”
As Cassius and Dacia laughed, Rhori followed Bose. “And I am going to stop him,” he said. “He’ll steal it all and your lady shall get nothing.”
As they watched the knights descend the stairs, another one was coming in their direction.
Darian had waited until the crowds mostly departed before making his way to the keep and Cassius was about to turn and take Dacia back inside when she stopped him.
Together, they waited for Darian to come up the steps, but not before he picked up a big bunch of the spring wild flowers that had been left behind and brought it up to Dacia.
As he handed it to her, he smiled.
“I am very glad to see that you are feeling better, my lady,” he said. “I suspected that Cassius would have that effect on you.”
Dacia remembered what Cassius had said about Darian hunting him down and bringing him back.
The man who had been her true friend for years, sometimes her only friend, and a man who had taken defeat in the quest for her hand more graciously than most men would have.
She took the flowers from him, her expression soft.
“Thank you, Darian,” she said sincerely. “For everything… you have my eternal gratitude.”
There was something more to her simple words, something poignant and heartfelt, and Darian knew she meant it. He wasn’t a sore loser by nature, but a man who had been truly selfless. Reaching out, he took her hand and kissed it gently.
“And you are welcome… for everything,” he said. Then, he let go of her hand and gestured towards the keep. “You’d better let Cassius take you back to bed. Go, now. I will make sure all of this is cleaned up.”
But Dacia stopped him. “Nay,” she said. “Please… I want to look at every single gift when I am feeling stronger, right where they left it. Please do not clean it up just yet.”
Darian nodded. “Very well,” he said. “I suppose you’ve earned that right. I’ll make sure de Shera doesn’t steal anything, either.”
He headed down the steps after Bose and Rhori, and some of the servants had wandered over to get a look at the tributes paid to their sweet, young lady. A lady who, Father Lazarus said, had never lost her dignity, no matter what.
Cassius took Dacia back into the keep where he remained with her for the next week, sleeping on the floor next to her bed, feeding her broth and stew, and retelling her all of the stories he’d told her when she had been lying unconscious.
He was as devoted as any man could have been to his lady.
She had never left him when he had been injured, and he wasn’t going to leave her, either.
Ever.
For the Lord Protector of King Edward, it turned out that his heart was far stronger than the de Wolfe sword he carried. He was a man who had finally found his place, and his purpose, in the arms of a woman who had been made for him.
Cassius de Wolfe had found his heaven.