Chapter 14
EMMETT
Iurge my horse faster. The light is fading and I have a few miles still to go.
I don’t want to be out riding at night. The dark still frightens me, but it’s worth enduring it to reach the abbey as soon as possible.
Tomorrow my uncle and the bailiffs will arrive and the closure will begin, but I want to see Theobald before that.
I want a night with him before the frenzied chaos starts.
It’s fully dark by the time I’m banging on the door of the gatehouse, hoping someone will let me in. A monk I recognise but whose name I can’t remember opens the gate.
“Please, I need to see the abbot,” I say hurriedly, and thankfully he must have some idea of who I am as he nods and widens the gate to let me and my horse through.
He leads me to the stables, and when I’ve settled my mare he takes me over to the abbot’s quarters.
I almost receive a smile from Abel as he admits me.
Maybe there’s a soft side to him after all.
“He’s at prayer but he’ll be back soon,” Abel explains and shows me into the small sitting room.
I pace restlessly, unable to settle. It’s only been two weeks, but it feels like two years.
I hated riding away from here, but I was recalled to my uncle’s house and needed to deliver the settlement in person.
After what seems like another hour, but has probably been just a few minutes, the door opens and Theobald enters.
I stride towards him, but then stop a foot away.
Uncertainty stills my body. I look into the face of the man who I’ve thought of every minute of the day since I kissed him goodbye.
His features are etched in my memory, his touch imprinted on my soul.
But what if he no longer feels the same way?
What if his vows are stronger than his feelings for me?
I felt the bond between us, and I thought he did too, but we never professed anything in words, and it’s this that makes me hesitate.
He looks older, more worn than I remember, and for a moment a frown creases his brow.
Then a wide smile spreads across his face.
“My little dove. You came back. When Abel said I had a visitor I never imagined—”
I take a step and close the gap between us, cutting off his words with my mouth. Relief floods through me and I hold him tight as he kisses me back with an intensity that has me gasping for breath.
“Of course I came back. I promised I would,” I say breathlessly when we part. “Did you have so little faith in me?”
“Not in you, no. But in others around you.” He leads me over to the bench and sits, pulling me down beside him. “But I prayed every day for your return, and they’ve been answered.” He takes my hand, clasping it between both of his and placing it in his lap. “Tell me, what news do you bring?”
“My uncle will arrive tomorrow. He has a hundred bailiffs with him.”
“So many. Is he expecting resistance?” Concern crosses his face and I seek to reassure him.
“No, you’ve signed the settlement, it’ll be peaceful enough. Mostly, it’s for show. He will want to publicly announce the closure. The numbers are because this is one of the bigger monasteries and there’ll be a lot to transport back to the king.”
“They’ll strip us bare, then. I’d heard it was so, but I didn’t want to believe it.”
“The king thinks of it as taking what is his,” I reply and he gives a dry, mirthless laugh. “Then the abbey will be dismantled. The land has been granted to my uncle and he wants to build a grand house here.”
He nods grimly, accepting the outcome with a stoicism I admire.
“And what of the map? Did the plan work?” he asks hopefully.
“It did. The new village will be safe,” I tell him, and he breathes a sigh of relief.
“How are the preparations? Is everything completed?”
“The infirmary is finished and we moved the remaining patients into it yesterday. Brother Matthew is with them now. There’s one completed cottage.
Instead of building, the work has been to remove as much of the stone as we can.
We can build later, and already there are a few wooden shacks, so we have somewhere to stay while that happens.
Evan and Ethan have coordinated everything, finding more labour to help.
The number who want to join us has grown to a couple of dozen now, both brothers and some of the lay workers.
It may be some time before we’re fully settled, though.
Others have also found houses and positions across the river in Larchdown, so we won’t be too far from them either. ”
“This is excellent news. It’s going to be a good community. I wish Id been here to help build it,” I say, and his face takes on a serious look.
“What of your future? Does your uncle have other work for you?”
“Going back to court was awful after being here. I don’t want to live like that, forever looking over my shoulder. My uncle will always find something for me to do. But in truth he doesn’t care what happens to me. If you’ll have me, I’d like to come with you.”
“You want a quiet life in the country?” he asks with a small, hopeful smile.
“I want a life with you, Theobald. I don't care where it is. The country will suit me very well. I might even start keeping bees.”
He lifts a hand and cups the back of my neck, running a thumb across my cheek.
“I also prayed for that,” he whispers and pulls me into a kiss. Then he releases me and stands.
“Let me get word to the Brookes brothers that they need to finish tonight. There must be no trace of what we’ve done for your uncle to find in the morning.”
He disappears for just a few minutes and comes back looking pleased.
“Everything will be ready for us to leave tomorrow,” he says and walks to where I’m sitting. He stands over me and I tip my head back to look up at him. His gaze is full of heat and it sends a thrill through me. I lick my lips in anticipation and watch his eyes follow my movement.
“Are you ready to be a good boy?” His voice is rich and gravelly and my cock twitches.
“Yes, Father.”