Chapter Ten #3
“Nay. He would keep the secret to the death.”
“Then why are you worried, my lady?”
What was she worried about? At the moment, she was truthfully only worried about St. John.
But in spite of her concern, a seed of hope was beginning to sprout in her belly.
As risky as the scheme was, she believed it feasible; Brogan looked every inch the powerful knight.
But she had to talk to William to let him know what was transpiring.
Right or wrong, he would soon be pulled more deeply into the situation and they would all need to keep a cool head if the plan, so hard fought, was to succeed.
Thel finished sponging Avalyn off and set about drying her.
Meanwhile, Noe had teased the dying embers into a bright blaze that was rapidly heating up the room.
As Avalyn stood in front of the fire to both dry off and warm herself, the Sirens carefully dressed her.
Thel was more businesslike as Aggie and Noe took great delight in the look and texture of everything the lady was wearing.
They were like children in their wonder, touching and playing with things they wouldn’t have normally had the opportunity to.
Aggie in particular took tremendous joy in arranging Avalyn’s silken hair; when Avalyn finally looked at herself in the polished pewter mirror, she was surprised to see that her chestnut tresses had been elaborately woven.
A single braid encircled her head while the rest of it was gathered and intricately plaited over one shoulder.
They had even found some jewelry tucked away in a case that they used as hair ornaments. In truth, her hair looked marvelous.
“The arrangement is lovely,” she touched the braid encircling her head. “Who did this?”
“I did, my lady,” Aggie said.
Avalyn looked at the small, pale-haired woman. “You have great talent.”
Aggie flushed. “Thank you, my lady.”
Avalyn touched her hair one last time, suddenly wishing Brogan could see her like this.
The Sirens had done a beautiful job. It would make convincing Charles that she needed to take them much easier if he could see their results.
She tossed the mirror back on the bed and looked around for her cloak.
“Come along, ladies,” she said briskly. “We must repack everything and be ready to leave.”
Thel snapped softly at the other two, who began yanking things off the bed and cramming them back into the trunks.
Avalyn found her gray fur-lined cloak on the peg by the door and swung it over her shoulders.
She watched the woman quickly, if not slightly sloppily, repack her trunks.
It began to occur to her that women she didn’t know where willing to risk a great deal for her.
She’d not had much of that kind of loyalty in her life, not even from her own family.
All they could do was distain her when she resisted.
These women had stepped in to help when they didn’t even know her.
She knew it was because of the regard they held for Brogan, but it didn’t matter.
They were still the most self-sacrificing people she had ever seen.
“Thel,” she said softly to the brown-eyed girl. When Thel looked up at her from securing a small capcase, Avalyn smiled softly.
“I… I just want to thank you and your ladies for your help,” she said. “I am not sure how I can repay you, but know that I am very grateful.”
Thel smiled modestly. “We are happy to help you and Brogan.”
“He is lucky to have such friends.”
She laughed softly. “I would not call us friends. But St. Alban is the only man in the barracks that has ever treated us as if we have minds and souls. Once, he asked Brogan to punish a man who had hurt Noe. Brogan broke both of the man’s arms. After that, the men in the barracks treated us with more respect because they feared that Brogan would hurt them, too, if they did not.
It has made our lives much easier, such as they are.
So we are helping Brogan because he has helped us. ”
Avalyn smiled broadly at the woman. “He is very chivalrous.”
Thel nodded, her dark eyes intense on the lady. “Most people would not call him kind. He is very frightening. But I believe he has a good heart and he deserves to be happy. And you, my lady; you were kind to me even when you knew what I was. That is rare. You deserve to be happy, too.”
A grateful expression passed from Avalyn to Thel. There was warmth and genuine thanks in the gentle look. Thel turned back to the capcase and put it on the bed with a couple of others. Soon the soldiers would be coming and they had to be ready.
When Charles finally came for his intended, he was surprised to find three small women in her company.
But it took very little convincing to allow the ladies to accompany Avalyn to Guerdley Cross.
Dazzled by her beauty as he was that morning, and thinking himself a very fortunate man indeed, he would have agreed to let the Devil himself attend her.
The Sirens went north.