Chapter Nineteen #5
Setting foot into the darkened common room with Kress pulling her along, the first thing Cadelyn noticed was how empty the room was.
And it was eerily still. She could see Susanna and Achilles over by the front window, looking out at the street, and Alexander was standing in the middle of the room talking to a smaller man who seemed quite dirty and pale.
He looked as if he lived in the gutter, in fact, but Kress pulled her over in his direction.
“My lord,” Kress addressed the dirty man. “This is Cadelyn of Vendotia. My lady, this is Lord Ellesmere, Tatius de Shera. He wanted to meet you.”
Cadelyn’s eyes widened at the sight of a man who wasn’t much taller than she was. He was perhaps twice her age, with a hint of gray in his dark hair, and of average size. He certainly wasn’t the great earl that Cadelyn had been expecting but in that introduction, she was also greatly confused.
“My lord,” she said, dipping into a practiced curtsy. “I… I did not know that you had come.”
Tatius looked in her direction and it was clear that he was studying her. His dark gaze moved from the top of her head to the bottom of her blue dress as it brushed the floor. He even looked at the ugly gray dog, standing vigilantly by her side.
“My lady,” he greeted. “You looked exactly like your mother.”
Cadelyn wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She glanced at Kress before replying. “I have only just met her, my lord,” she said. “Do you know her?”
Tatius nodded faintly. “I do,” he said. Then, he boldly reached out to take her hand. “I am sorry we could not have come to know one another, but it is better this way. I understand that you are in love with Sir Kress.”
Cadelyn’s cheeks flushed a dull red. “I… I am, my lord,” she said, feeling nervous and perhaps even a little frightened. “I am sorry if this offends you. It was not my intent, but you have asked a question and I answered truthfully.”
Tatius patted her hand and let it go. “It does not offend me,” he said.
“Be at ease. I have broken our betrothal for reasons I am sure Sir Kress will tell you when he has time. For now, you must go with him. You must run. I wish you every happiness, my lady, but know one thing – you must never come back to Wales or Chester, or mayhap even England as a whole. There are those who would not be favorable towards you.”
Confused and frightened, Cadelyn looked to Kress for answers, but all he did was take her hand and kiss it. “You will be safe, I promise,” he said. “The earl has seen to that. We owe him everything.”
Even if Cadelyn didn’t understand what was happening, she knew enough not to question it at the moment. As Tatius said, Kress would tell her soon enough. All she needed to do was trust him, and trust him she did.
She returned her attention to Tatius.
“Then you have my thanks, my lord,” she said. “For whatever you have done, and it seems as if you have done a great deal, know that I am grateful, too.”
Tatius smiled faintly, feeling some regret that he would never be married to such a glorious creature. But it was not to be and he accepted that. He waved his hand at Kress.
“Go, now,” he said. “If I know my brothers, they will soon be on the move if they are not already. You have something they want. I suggest you take her and run.”
Kress didn’t have to be told twice. Taking Cadelyn by the hand, he made haste to the rear door that led to the kitchen yard, and beyond that, the livery.
He could already see Bric in the doorway of the livery with Samson, waiting.
As Kress moved to the door, Alexander and Achilles and Susanna came up behind him.
“Come along, Kress,” Alexander said, heading out into the yard first with his sword unsheathed. “You will have an escort to your horse.”
Kress could feel the unfamiliar tingle of fear in his belly as he headed out into the yard with his knightly escort.
He wouldn’t have felt fear at all had it not been for Cadelyn by his side; his fear was on her behalf.
People wanted her and he would die before he allowed them to take her.
Achilles was on full alert and Susanna covered their rear as they moved out, all of them searching the yard as the shadows grew tall from the setting sun.
The kitchen yard as a whole was purple with the fading light, with the chickens in their coop and the animals tucked away for the coming night.
Everything was still as it should have been.
Or so they hoped.
The group was almost to the livery when they heard a strangled yelp, a cry of sorts.
It came from the street on the other side of the building, an unusual sound that had their attention.
A few more seconds passed and then the dog began to growl; that was enough for Kress to unsheathe his sword.
The last time he’d ignored the dog, they’d been ambushed, so he wasn’t going to ignore the canine warning a second time.
And it was a good thing he didn’t.
Before they could reach the livery, men rushed into the yard from the south, and all hell broke loose.
The fight for Cadelyn of Vendotia was on.