Chapter Thirty-One
The New Year came and went. The justices had sent two envoys to see to Richard’s well-being and to see to negotiations with Henry and Philip Augustus.
While they were waiting for news on that front, Christopher’s spies informed him that, indeed, John and his mercenary army were holed up at Nottingham Castle and that it appeared the troops were preparing to mobilize.
Toward the end of January, Christopher began to mobilize his own troops in anticipation of John’s first move.
Marcus had disappeared the night of Dustin’s vomiting fit and no one had been able to find him.
A month of worry and fear went by as to his whereabouts.
As a last resort, Christopher sent a messenger to Somerhill on the chance that Marcus had retreated to his new holdings and the messenger was fortunate enough to lay eyes upon Burton himself.
But the new baron was taciturn and inhospitable, and would not allow the messenger into his fortress.
So the messenger returned to London with the news, and Christopher began bombarding Somerhill with missives and messengers.
But Marcus had yet to respond to Christopher’s missives and ignored all of Christopher’s pleas to return to London.
Christopher was at a loss to understand the man’s behavior and would have liked to go north himself and beat the stubborn man to a pulp, but he could not risk leaving London with John preparing to strike.
Moreover, he would have to pass fairly close to Nottingham to gain his way north to Marcus’ keep and he would not hazard the possibility of getting captured or cornered by John’s buffoons.
But he simply could not understand Marcus’ attitude, nor did he have the time to decipher it.
Either Marcus was with him, or he wasn’t, and he was deeply saddened and puzzled that it was most likely the latter.
Marcus’ absence cast a dark shadow over Christopher and his knights, for they all felt as if a piece of the puzzle was missing.
Although no one knew for sure why Marcus had deserted them without a word, they suspected it had something to do with Dustin.
No one voiced their opinions, not even to themselves, but they were all of the same belief.
There was no animosity towards her, for there was nothing to be bitter about since Marcus’ decision was his own, but each man wished that Marcus would come to his senses and forget about the woman.
Dustin, of course, had put him completely out of her mind.
He didn’t exist to her as far as she was concerned and she was happy he was gone.
Her focus, love, and attention was solely on her husband, fearful if she didn’t keep him completely in her thoughts and mind, her guilt would consume her.
Although she hadn’t knowingly responded to Marcus, still, that night of passion those weeks ago had wracked her with turmoil.
She loved her husband with all that she was, and Marcus had been persistent in threatening to destroy that. She hoped she never saw the man again.
’Twas the beginning of February, bleak and cold.
Dustin had seen very little of her husband for the past several days.
She and Deborah would busy themselves as much as possible and they were even allowed a good deal of freedom to roam the castle now that John was vacated, but still, Dustin missed Christopher terribly.
Yet she had grown a little in her time at Windsor, and she knew something was in the air without her husband even telling her.
She’d never seen a battle, nor even been near one, but she knew that Christopher was preparing the crown troops for a big clash with the prince.
True, she’d heard all of the rumors there were to hear.
It would seem that every gossip at Windsor always ran to her with the latest to discover if she could confirm or deny anything, which she never could because Christopher rarely told her anything.
In spite of the fact that her husband was closed-lipped about his affairs, she had learned a great deal about what was transpiring.
It never seemed to be the right time to question him about anything when he returned to her at the end of the day because they saw each other so infrequently that she did not want to waste her time with him on rumors and gossip.
This particularly icy night he returned to their apartments unusually fatigued.
His face was chapped and red from the weather and his brow seemed to be permanently furrowed.
Dustin, dressed in a luscious robe of pale yellow silk, tried to make sure his meal was perfect, but even that didn’t seem to snap him out of his mood.
He ate silently, only speaking to insist she sit on his lap the entire meal.
His moods were growing darker and darker these days, just like the weather.
Dustin played with his hair as he ate, her eyes raking over him appreciatively.
She found herself living her day around him, his face always on her mind, and the taste of him on her lips.
She fully realized that the fiercely independent Lady Dustin Barringdon had become the highly dependent Lady de Lohr, but she didn’t care. She lived for him, and only for him.
“I want to show you something,” she suddenly bound off his lap, hoping to cheer him up. “Watch Hal.”
Obediently, the medium-sized dog came trotting out of the bedchamber.
Harold had become quite attached to Christopher and he, strangely enough, found himself attached to the stocky mutt with the big jaw.
The animal was also inordinately strong and protective, and he was verily pleased to have him protecting his wife.
No one could get within a few feet of Dustin without Hal barring his huge teeth.
“Now, watch,” Dustin said, snatching George from where he was enjoying a piece of fruit on top of a small table, and set the monkey on Harold’s back.
With a nudge, Harold trotted off with George clutching the dog’s neck, looking like a miniature horse and rider.
Dustin giggled gleefully as Harold rounded the room with George perched stiffly on his back.
Christopher wiped his hands on a cloth and smiled wearily at the trick. “I shall have a saddle made for him at once,” he said. “George looks positively terrified on his bare back.”
Harold stopped in front of Christopher and wagged his tail, accepting with relish the tidbit Christopher tossed to him. Then, with George still clinging to his back, he trotted off into the bedchamber once more.
“Is that what you have been doing with your time? Saddle-breaking my dog?” he asked.
Dustin always thought it funny when he referred to Harold as “my” dog. For a man who wanted nothing to do with the pups, he had changed his mind fast enough when he discovered the animals could be beneficial.
“What else am I to do? I have been bored out of my mind with you gone all of the time,” she said, sauntering back over to him and curling up on his massive lap. “I have missed you terribly, husband.”
He wound his arms around her torso. “I know, and I have missed you, too. But I have been very busy.”
“And very secretive,” she said, instantly sorry she had. She hadn’t meant to sound as if she were prying. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
“I have not been secretive on purpose,” he said. “ ’Tis just that I have been extremely busy and when I see you, I do not want to talk about the trivia of the day. I want to talk about you, about us. What did you do today?”
Dustin shrugged. “Nothing much. Deborah and I went for a walk about the grounds, but that was all,” she said, suddenly perking up. “I nearly forgot. I saw the Earl of Fenwark today across the courtyard. Do you suppose Lady Gabrielle is with him?”
He gave her a reproving look. “I thought we agreed about Lady Gabrielle, Dustin.”
She pursed her lips. “I know, I know, but with the prince gone from Windsor, I thought well, I’d hoped….”
He shook his head. “Sorry, sweet, ’tis no good. Remember what happened to Lady Gabrielle the last time you two met.”
She swallowed, indeed remembering the woman’s bruises. Then, she shrugged again. “I did like her, Chris. She was a nice lady.”
He kissed her cheek soundly and stood up, depositing her on the floor gently. “I know, but you have Deborah now to keep you company. You’d better forget about Lady Gabrielle altogether.”
He removed the last of his leg armor and stretched with exhaustion.
His heavy linen shirt landed on the floor for the maids to wash and Dustin found her want for him rising as she watched him strip off his clothes.
It had been over six weeks since her accident and, true to his word, he had not touched her.
But she could stand it no longer; tonight, all of that would change.
She followed him into the bedchamber, closing the door softly behind them.
Harold and Alex were curled up in front of the hearth, sleeping, as he passed by them and to the large basin.
As he washed himself, his glorious back to her, Dustin let the robe fall to the floor and, nude, slipped under the coverlets.
She had been planning this evening all day, having taken a leisurely bath and washed her hair earlier.
Clean and smelling like a bed of roses, she hoped it was enough to entice him out of his fatigue.
The longer she waited, the more she began to tremble with anticipation.
He came over to the bed, drying his face with a linen towel. “Why are you in bed already? I thought we might play a game of Fox and Hounds.”
She raised a slow, provocative eyebrow at him and suddenly threw back the covers, revealing her luscious body to him in the soft light. “I thought we might play a different game.”