Chapter Seven #3
After that, the knights were completely forgotten. Even though they followed the women into the hut, bearing the material, they might as well have not even been there. Dustin and Rebecca chattered like magpies, about anything and everything, and ignoring all else.
The men stood back against the wall like huge silent sentries, listening with some amusement at all of the yakking going on.
Rebecca unrolled the material and exclaimed gleefully over the colors and textures, holding them up to Dustin and telling her friend exactly how the dress was going to be.
Dustin, uneducated in fashions and styles, simply nodded and went along with everything her friend said.
Christopher’s eyes never left his wife, the way her face would light up with a laugh or a smile, the silly little giggle she had that could grow out of control so quickly.
He noticed she had a thoroughly charming habit of wrinkling her nose when she was delighted.
He’d never seen this side of her and he found he was utterly captivated.
“Oh, Dustin, I envy you going to London,” Rebecca sighed as she rewrapped the material. “I have always wanted to go there.”
“I know,” Dustin said, helping her friend with the fabric. “I wish you could go with us.”
“What are you going to do there?” Rebecca asked.
Dustin looked puzzled. “I do not know, exactly,” she admitted. “I suppose we’ll spend time with the prince.” She turned to her husband for the first time since entering the hut. “Isn’t that right? We will be spending our time with Prince John?”
He gazed steadily at her. Christ, if she only knew how much more there was to it than that. “Some.”
Dustin gave him a small smile, a brief expression that unexpectedly warmed his heart, before turning back to her friend.
“And guess what else? Sir Christopher is a very important man in England. King Richard himself gave him the title of ‘Defender of the Realm.’ Not even Prince John can give him orders.”
She sounded suspiciously like she was bragging and Christopher cleared his throat, shifting his weight on his massive legs. “Dustin,” he admonished softly.
Rebecca and Dustin both turned to him, and the expression on Rebecca’s face was as if she were looking at God himself.
“My lord, what an honor,” she said earnestly.
“Why, to simply have you in my home is something I can tell my grandchildren about.” Before he could reply in any way, the redhead turned back to Dustin.
“You married a baron and the king’s Defender?
Dustin, how did you get to be so lucky? I can scarce believe it. ”
Dustin looked somewhat humbled, piling the material into a stack. “ ’Twas my father’s doing, not mine,” she said, turning to Christopher with a twinkle in her eye. “The baron wanted Lioncross so badly he would have married Medusa to get it.”
She saw him crack a smile and she was pleased at her accomplishment.
To share a humorous moment with him brought one more facet to their deepening relationship.
With Rebecca finishing storing the bundles of fabrics, it seemed that their visit was drawing to a close and Dustin was reluctant to leave.
She and her friend were used to spending the entire day together, and with the prospect of her leaving shortly for an unknown amount of time, she missed Rebecca already.
She turned hesitantly to Christopher. “My lord, might I speak with you? Privately?”
He uncrossed his arms and immediately opened the door. Taking the silent cue, Dustin quickly passed through, and he followed. Outside, he faced her expectantly.
“I will not be seeing Rebecca for a while, my lord, and I was wondering if you would allow me to visit with her for the day?” She had never had to ask for permission to call on her friend and found it strange to form the words.
“Visit for the day?” he looked doubtful. “She needs to finish those clothes for you, Dustin. Your presence would only distract her.
“Nay, it would not,” she insisted. “I could help her. I have done it before.”
He eyed her, seeing how eager she was. He shrugged. “I will allow you to stay for the rest of the morning, then,” he said. “I shall leave Edward here to escort you home.”
She did not protest the guard, remembering well what happened two days ago. She smiled, a real smile. “Thank you, Christopher.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her, a faint smile on his lips. “Christopher, is it? ’Tis ‘my lord’ when you want something, and ‘Christopher’ when you get it.”
She giggled and before he could stop himself, he touched her cheek lightly with a gloved hand. It was a sweet gesture, not lost on Dustin. Her eyes gazed warmly back at him.
But Christopher was embarrassed with the display of tenderness and cleared his throat sternly. “I have work to do, my lady. I shall expect you home by the nooning meal, if you can stop chattering long enough.”
“Aye, husband,” she said saucily as he opened the door for her, causing him to do a double-take.
She’d called him ‘husband.’ He almost smiled, startled to hear the title from her lips. Hell, he almost looked around to see if she were addressing someone else, but he knew she was speaking to him. He was her husband and, much to his astonishment, he was growing to like it.
Dustin and Rebecca spent a pleasant hour as Rebecca began work on a surcoat. Dustin sat and watched as her friend carefully laid a pattern and cut it out. She had seen Rebecca do this many times before, but had never had the desire to learn to sew herself. She’d rather climb a tree or ride a horse.
Christopher and David had retreated to Lioncross while Edward stood vigilant watch outside the hut door.
Dustin tried to coax him inside twice, but he smiled and refused politely.
He was sworn to protect her, and if he were to sit comfortably inside the cottage, he could be caught off guard by danger.
“In all the years that we have known each other, and with as many times as I have been to your hut, I have never had to have an escort,” she commented as Rebecca matched thread to the sapphire-colored fabric.
“But you are a baron’s wife now,” Rebecca replied. “You are too valuable to be allowed to run free and alone.”
Dustin shrugged, leaning forward on her elbows. “I do not feel any different,” she said, which was a lie. She felt very different. “What I mean is, I am still the same person I was four days ago, with the only difference being I am married now.”
“And married to the Defender of the Realm.” Rebecca was still having trouble coming to grips with the awesome nature of her friend’s husband. “My God, when I think of that, my mind fairly explodes with disbelief.”
Dustin smiled faintly. “How do you think I felt upon learning it? I am not a worldly, fine woman Rebecca. I am simply not worthy of the man.”
Rebecca’s head came up. “Ridiculous, Dustin. You are the most beautiful, kind woman I have ever known. Of course you are worthy of him. Did he tell you otherwise?”
“Of course not,” Dustin replied. “He’s never been anything but kind, at least for the most part. Except when he spanked me.”
“Spanked you?” Rebecca repeated. “What on earth for?”
Dustin turned away, ashamed. “For throwing things at him and yelling.”
Rebecca laughed heartily. “I have seen you do worse. He will be spanking you every other day if he considers that a grievous offense.”
“Oh, be quiet,” Dustin pouted. “You spank your children, not your wife.”
“You do when your wife is as stubborn and spoiled as you are,” Rebecca replied with a grin, noting her friend’s expression. “Oh, Dustin, do not carry on about it. If I married a man as handsome as Sir Christopher, he could spank me thrice a day and I wouldn’t mind.”
Dustin looked at her friend. “You think he’s handsome?”
“Aye, verily,” Rebecca said, focusing on the material. “The most handsome man I have seen.”
Dustin turned away thoughtfully. So Rebecca thought he was handsome, did she? To hear her comment only reinforced the very same thoughts Dustin was trying to ignore.
“This thread does not quite match,” Rebecca commented, holding up the spool for Dustin to see. “Let’s go see Mr. Codwalader. If he doesn’t have it in his stock, then he can probably dye the correct shade for us.
Dustin nodded, following Rebecca into the small kitchen room where she had almost met her end. They went out the back door, heading for the heart of the village where the merchant’s shops were, and completely forgetting about the knight who was standing watch at their front door.
Certain events happened purely by accident. Dustin and Rebecca stayed to watch Mr. Codwalader dye the thread a matching sapphire blue, an event that took a bit of time, which the two of them lost track of.
Edward, promptly at noon, stuck his head into the hut to announce their imminent departure and was baffled to find the cottage deserted. Concerned for his mistress and terrified that Christopher would blame him if anything happened to her, he set out in search of Lady de Lohr.
He had no idea where to look, of course, and after a half hour of searching, he made his way back to Lioncross. David was waiting for him in the bailey, his eyes widening when he saw Edward was alone.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
Edward was grim. “Gone,” he said reluctantly. “David, I need help looking for her.”
“Gone? What in the hell do you mean?” David asked urgently.
“Exactly what I said,” Edward said, running a hand across his face. “Christopher is going to kill me. I was standing watch outside the front door the whole time and the two of them must have slipped out the back door. I have no idea where they went.”
David’s mouth went agape but he shut it rapidly. “Chris has got to know of this,” he turned and dashed into the castle.
Edward dismounted and, not so eagerly, followed. Five minutes later, Christopher and the entire company of knights were mounted and tearing through the open gates toward the village.