Chapter Fourteen #2
An enormous bed was positioned near the hearth, which was spitting embers and smoke into the room.
The bed itself was covered with mounds of furs, messily strewn about, and the mattress was lumpy and stained.
A small table and leaning chair sat over near the lancet window, the only window in the entire room, and there was a wardrobe in the shadowed darkness with both doors open and piles of possessions spilling forth.
There were clothes hanging on the open doors, boots kicked about, old cloaks, and bits of old food all over the floor.
It was clear that whoever lived here was not fond of cleanliness or tidiness. It smelled like a sewer.
But Diamantha didn’t say anything about it. Gorsedd had been generous to insist they sleep there, so she wasn’t about to complain. As she tried not to look too horrified at their surroundings, she caught sight of Merlin standing behind her and she motioned him over to the bed.
“Please put Sophie on the bed,” she said softly. “Thank you for carrying her.”
He started to move but Cortez stopped him. “Hold,” he said firmly, glancing apologetically at his wife. “There is no knowing what has been upon that bed. Let me at least send for something clean.”
Diamantha wasn’t going to argue with him.
She was greatly relieved that he thought this room every bit as terrible as she did.
Nodding gratefully, she took her daughter from Merlin so the man could go about his duties and went to the only chair in the room, easing herself down onto it.
Merlin headed for the stairs but he was pushed back as Gorsedd and Andres entered the room.
The men were being quite loud, reveling in their reunion and happy to be together again, but Cortez shushed them both harshly.
“Are you a pack of wild animals?” he hissed. “Keep your voices down, for the child is sleeping!”
Gorsedd looked startled, then properly contrite as Andres slapped a hand over his mouth. Neither one of them were used to small children about. They both looked at Diamantha apologetically before returning their attention to Cortez.
“Andres tells me that you are only staying the night,” Gorsedd said, massive disappointment in his tone as he tried to lower the volume of his voice. “Is this true? Why can you not stay longer?”
Cortez had hoped to speak to his father about the shortness of their visit well after pleasantries had been exchanged, but it seemed the subject was rearing itself now. As Merlin slipped from the room, Cortez held up his hands as if to ease his father’s displeasure.
“Let us at least rest a moment before we launch into explanations,” he said. Then he began to herd them both towards the chamber door. “Go to the hall and I will meet you there. I will tell you everything at that time.”
Gorsedd clearly wasn’t happy but he did as his son asked, apologizing once again for being loud around a sleeping child as he and Andres left the chamber.
Cortez was about to shut the door when a pair of his soldiers appeared bearing satchels and saddlebags.
They set them down just inside the door but Cortez grabbed the pair before they could leave.
“Find a servant and send them to me at once,” he said, eyeing the state of the chaotic room. “Tell them that this room is unacceptable and that we require clean linens and a clean mattress.”
The soldiers nodded swiftly and were gone. Once the room was quiet, Cortez shut the door, turning to his wife, sitting in the darkened corner near the window.
“Come over near the hearth, sweetheart,” he directed. “It is warmer over here.”
Diamantha stood up, allowing him to take the chair and move it next to the hearth.
She sat down with the glow of heat in her face.
It was a wonderful feeling, and one that made her realize just how exhausted she was.
The warmer she became, the sleepier she grew, and she stifled a yawn.
Cortez moved the animal cage near the hearth so the little animals wouldn’t freeze, crouching down next to Diamantha’s chair as they waited for the servants to appear.
“I am sorry for the state of this room,” he said, looking around. “I shall have it cleaned up shortly.”
Diamantha gazed at him, a faint smile on her face. “I am not worried,” she said quietly. “You have done an excellent job of taking care of us so far. I am sure improving your father’s hellish chamber will be no different.”
Cortez laughed, running a weary hand through his black hair. “He is a good man, even if he does live like a pig,” he said, watching her giggle. “He is very happy to see you in case you were not aware.”
She shrugged. “Mayhap I was, just a bit,” she said teasingly. “He seems very kind.”
“He is,” he replied. “And to him, family means everything. He speaks of his forefathers as if they are still living, breathing men. He holds our family honor dear.”
“How lovely,” Diamantha sighed, turning to the flames, enjoying the warmth on her body. “He seemed rather distraught that we were not planning to stay. What will you tell him?”
Cortez was looking at her, her beautiful profile in the soft light of the fire. “The truth,” he said honestly. “We are on a quest, you and I. We will not be deterred, not even for him.”
With that, he reached out and grasped her left hand, the one with the ring on it. My quest is you. He lifted it, gazing at the ring, before gently kissing it. It was such a tender gesture, and one that foretold of the fiery passion he was so capable of.
Diamantha’s heart began to race as he held her hand, inspecting her fingers, fondling her soft flesh.
She’d never known such raw excitement, anticipating every touch, every kiss.
When he looked up and saw that she was gazing at him, something wild and exhilarating passed between them and he gently cupped her face, slanting his mouth sweetly over hers.
It was a kiss like nothing else, wrought with awakening passion.
But a knock on the door shattered the spell and, startled, Cortez pulled away from her and bolted to his feet.
Moving to the door, he opened it with more anger than he should have, frustrated that such a beautiful moment had been interrupted.
The tiny old man who had led them into the keep with his trusty torch was standing in the darkened stairwell outside, hovering nervously.
“Ye wanted to see me, m’lord?” he asked. “Is the chamber not to your liking?”
Cortez shook his head, a wry expression on his lips.
“It is not,” he said. “My wife and I require fresh linens and, in the name of Christ, give us a new mattress. God only knows what my father has done to that one. It smells like a sewer. We also require hot water and a bathtub. I saw one on the floor below. Bring it up so my wife might bathe.”
The old servant bobbed his head nervously and fled down the narrow stairs. Cortez turned to Diamantha.
“This will probably take some time,” he said. “Mayhap we should join my father in the hall first so that by the time we return to this room, it will be moderately habitable.”
It was a reasonable plan and Diamantha rose to her feet wearily.
She would have liked nothing better than to crawl into bed and sleep for a week, but not in the state it was in.
Indeed, they had to wait for the servants to properly clean it.
As she turned for the chamber door, Sophie began to stir in her arms. The little girl rubbed her eyes and yawned, and Diamantha gave her a squeeze.
“Are you finally awake, sweetheart?” she purred. “Open your eyes and look at me.”
Sophie did, her eyes popped up and she blinked, looking at her surroundings.
She was immediately curious. Sophie was, if nothing else, unflappable.
She was in a new place and, rather than be frightened, she was interested.
She pushed herself out of her mother’s arms and Diamantha set her gently on her feet.
“Mama?” Sophie looked around. “Are we here?”
Diamantha grinned at her daughter’s confused question. “We are at Cortez’s father’s home,” she told her. “We are going to go eat sup with him now. Are you hungry?”
Sophie nodded emphatically but as she did so, she spied her pets over near the fire. She ran to them, falling to her knees beside them. Diamantha went after her.
“Nay, sweet,” she said, grasping her daughter’s hand. “We will come back to them after we eat.”
Sophie wasn’t too sure. “But Eleanor and Edward and Father and Clover will be lonely.”
Diamantha led her gently for the door. “They are warm and safe,” she assured her. “We will bring food back for them.”
Sophie still wasn’t sure but let her mother lead her to the door where Diamantha paused, handing Sophie over to Cortez.
“A moment, please,” she said. “Keep hold on her so she doesn’t run back to her pets. If she does, I fear we will never make it to the hall.”
Cortez held the little girl’s hand tightly, dividing his time between smiling down at the sleepy little girl and watching Diamantha dig around in one of her satchels.
She seemed to be searching for something.
He waited patiently until she finally pulled forth a bundle of cloth.
Carefully unwrapping it, she pulled forth the dramatic necklace Cortez had given her, the one that had belonged to Helene and to Cortez’s mother before that. Rising, she brought it over to Cortez.
“I thought your father might like to see this,” she said. “It belonged to your mother, after all. Will you please help me put it on?”
Obediently, Cortez let go of Sophie’s hand and helped Diamantha secure the heavy silver collar.
She was wearing her traveling clothes with the neckline that came all the way up to her throat, so the necklace lay against her with the backdrop of blue wool.
It was truly stunning. Cortez watched her as she fussed with the necklace to make sure it hung correctly.
“He will be very happy to see it,” he said confidently. “That piece meant a great deal to him.”
“Did he commission it for her?”
He nodded his head. “Aye,” he said, “for their wedding day.”
“Then your father is sentimental like his son.”
Cortez grinned. “I suppose so,” he cooed, his dark eyes glittering at her. “You give us much to be sentimental about.”
Diamantha smiled at him, a warm and genuine gesture, touching the necklace as she took Sophie’s hand and led the little girl from the room, slowly navigating the stairs downward.
Cortez was right behind them, closing the door to the chamber and following.
When he came to the floor directly below, he saw the tiny old servant and a few others milling about as they prepared to take the tub up to the chamber. He cornered the old man.
“There is a cage up in that chamber with four small animals in it,” he told the servant, pointing to the ceiling above to emphasize his point.
“They belong to my daughter. I have seen dogs all around this place and you will not let them into that room, is that clear? If anything happens to those pets, I will have your head. Do you comprehend me?”
The old man nodded fearfully, watching Cortez as the man followed the woman and small girl out of the keep.
The first thing he did before he followed any of Cortez’s other directives was find a small, sturdy table to place the animal cage on, just in case the many dogs milling about the keep wandered into the chamber. He made sure the cage was very safe, up high and away from the floor.
He didn’t want to lose his life over two kittens, a rabbit, and a fox.
It would have been a shameful way to go, but the fact was, he believed Cortez’s threat implicitly.
Being that the man was a de Bretagne, they never gave idle threats, and everyone knew that Sir Cortez was the most frightening de Bretagne of all.