Chapter Nineteen
All Desdra could think about was Jareth.
She knew he was in good hands. She knew he was sleeping.
But she was fearful of the fever, knowing how badly those could go under the right, or wrong, circumstances.
They never did really get to see Portbury Castle, not the way Jareth had wanted to see it, and they didn’t get to see Long Cross Castle, the small garrison across the river, at all.
After Jareth had been hit by the arrow, he’d spent the rest of his time in bed, so there had been no inspections for him.
He hadn’t even met the garrison commander, who had spent most of the time combing the woods again, trying to roust any remaining outlaws who might be a threat to travelers.
With all due haste, they’d returned to The Feast.
She knew that he was probably disappointed about the lack of inspection at Portbury, but they could go back as soon as he was feeling better.
She would assure him of that. And she would take him around to all of the other properties that he now owned.
Considering she knew everything about them, she was happy to do it.
Happy to educate this man who wanted to court her.
That had been the most amazing thing of all.
It was difficult not to daydream when she needed to be completing the tally for the last few days.
She had ledgers from the merchant stall in town, among other properties, and entered them all into a master ledger.
She hoped that Jareth would allow her to continue her duties after they were married because she very much wanted to.
She needed to feel useful, and this was something she was good at.
She hoped he didn’t expect his wife to sit around and embroider or eat sweets, because she would be bored out of her mind doing that.
Married.
She could still hardly believe it.
Why he should want to marry her was beyond her comprehension.
It still seemed like a dream. When he regained his strength, perhaps he would change his mind, though she hoped not.
Truth be told, she would be very disappointed if his request to court her had simply been a whim.
That strong, broad-shouldered knight had her attention like no one ever had. Just thinking about him made her smile.
She was smiling a lot.
The servants had been in and out of the solar since she’d been there, bringing her food to break her fast or stoking the fire in the hearth.
With the mist still hanging in the air, it was both chilly and damp, and the fire kept the solar cozy.
It was early afternoon when she began to finish up what she’d been working on as the gulls returned to the windowsill, fighting and trying to sun themselves when little rays of sun would burst through the mist that was still hanging around.
She was just finishing up the last ledger when she heard the door click.
“I’ll be finished in a moment,” she said. “Can you please send word to Sir Orion that I will relieve him at Jareth’s bedside?”
There was no immediate answer, which didn’t concern her. In fact, she wasn’t concerned in the least until someone grabbed her from behind and a dirty hand was slapped over her mouth. Immediately, she went into fight mode as a familiar voice growled in her ear.
“Scream and I will kill you before anyone can help you,” Ciaran hissed. “They may kill me in the end, but not before I kill you first. I brought you into this world, girl. I can take you out. It is my right.”
Desdra could hardly breathe the way he had his hand over her mouth and on her nose. She realized very quickly that if she didn’t calm down, it might grow worse. He might actually smother her if he thought she was fighting. Therefore, she struggled to relax. That made him relax in response.
But he didn’t let her go.
“Good,” Ciaran muttered. “Do not fight me and we shall get along just fine. I need something from you, something I came to get the last time I was here, but something you denied me. I am back and I want it. I want it now.”
Desdra tried to talk, but his hand was pressing down on her mouth. When Ciaran realized this, he loosened his hand a little, but he didn’t remove it completely.
“If you scream, it will be your last,” he threatened again. “All I want to hear from you is where you keep your money. I want it.”
“My money?” she said through his fingers. “You mean the wages I am paid?”
“Aye,” Ciaran said. “Bring them forth.”
It wasn’t as if Desdra had much choice. Her father had her in his grip, the hand covering her mouth now also partially on her neck.
If he decided to squeeze, she would find it difficult to fight him off.
She had to coerce him to loosen his grip on her somehow.
She was trying very hard not to panic, not to start kicking and fighting for all she was worth, because he was stronger than she was.
He could overpower her. She had to be smarter than he was.
She had to survive.
“You have to let me move if I am to retrieve the money,” she said. “I will not scream, but you have to let me move.”
“I will move with you.”
“The money is not here,” she said. “It is in my chamber and that is on the floor above us. If we leave, someone will see us, so you must let me go alone.”
“Never,” he snapped, his hand tightening. “You will summon help.”
“I could promise not to, but you will not believe me,” she said. “The truth is that if you want my money, it is in my chamber.”
He paused indecisively for a moment before letting her go. He stepped back, glaring at her as she turned around to face him.
“Then there must be money in here,” he said, looking around the lavish room. “Do not tell me that you don’t keep money in here, because this is where you keep the ledgers. There must be money in her for you to count.”
“There is some.”
“Get it.”
“It is not my money.”
Reaching out, he slapped her across the face. Desdra’s head snapped sideways and her hand flew to her cheek as she looked at her father in horror.
“I told you to get it,” he snarled. “Get all of it. I want all of it.”
Fear was trying very hard to overwhelm her.
Ciaran was deadly serious about this because she could read it in his eyes.
There was desperation there, and even madness if she looked closely enough.
If she could only disable the man, she would be able to make it to the door and cry for help.
She was positive that Zeus was on the landing, but the door was closed and voices weren’t raised, so he wouldn’t be able to hear what was going on.
She had to make it to that door.
“What are you going to do with all of it?” she asked. “Do you owe that much money?”
“Get it. I’ll not tell you again.”
She could see that. He didn’t want to talk. He just wanted money. But that wasn’t all that was concerning her. What would he do to her when he finally had what he wanted?
She didn’t want to die.
“How do I know you will not try to kill me once I give it to you?” she asked. “For I would know that you stole it. Do you intend to silence me permanently?”
“I will silence you now if you do not do what you are told.”
“If you silence me now, you’ll never know where the money is,” she said. “Furthermore, you will not leave this place alive.”
His response was to come toward her, hands out to grab her again, but Desdra bolted.
She began to scream at the top of her lungs.
Ciaran rushed in her direction, but she was faster.
She made it over to the hearth and the array of fire implements.
She grabbed the first one she came to, which was a spade-like shovel.
It was heavy and it was iron. She swung it at her father with all of her might, catching him in the face.
The sharp iron edge cut across his cheek and into his mouth.
Blood sprayed.
Momentarily stunned by the pain, Ciaran fell away and Desdra bolted past him, heading for the door, but he managed to catch the ends of her hair as she ran.
That long mane of hair, so beautiful and treasured, was her downfall as her father yanked on it, pulling her backward.
Screaming, Desdra swung the shovel again, hitting Ciaran on the side of the head.
It didn’t cut him, but it was a heavy blow.
He grabbed it with one hand, still holding on to her hair with the other.
In the fight for her life, Desdra screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone would hear her. In their struggles, they knocked over a chair, a heavy bank of tallow candles, and a stack of ledgers. The noise could be heard everywhere as the fight went on and on.
Little did she know that the cavalry was coming.
*
Jareth thought he was hearing screams.
They were faint, but he heard them. His eyes popped open and he saw Orion stand up from the chair beside his bed, ears cocked to the sound.
“What is that?” Jareth asked sleepily. “Do you hear it?”
Orion nodded. “I do,” he said. “You stay there. I’ll go see what it is.”
He moved out of the chamber. Jareth sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes when he began to hear more screams. There was some banging going on.
Given the fact that Desdra wasn’t in front of him, but rather out of his sight, there was some concern about her safety.
For his own peace of mind, he had to make sure she was well.
She was probably fine, and would berate him for being out of bed, but he would welcome the scolding as long as she was healthy and whole.
Very slowly, he managed to climb out of bed.