Chapter Six #4
He nodded. “We were saved by the Earl of Hereford and Worcester,” he said.
“He wasn’t titled back then, but he was the right hand of Richard the Lionheart.
He was strong and noble. He saved me and made it possible for the life I have today, and I am grateful for it every single day.
There isn’t one sunrise I don’t give thanks for or one sunset I am not appreciative of.
Had I not known the hell I suffered through, how could I know the wonderful life I have today?
What I am trying to tell you is that there is always hope, my lady.
You do not know what the future holds, and you must not give up.
God could have something completely wonderful for you that you will never know if you jump into that river again.
Isn’t the hope of something glorious tomorrow worth living through the hell you must endure today? ”
Emmeline had stopped sniffling. She was looking at him intently, absorbing his words, using them to counter the darkness that had tried to overtake her. The thoughts of death and despondency were balanced out by the truth of Addax’s words.
Isn’t the hope of something glorious tomorrow worth living through the hell you must endure today?
Perhaps it was.
But the truth was that she simply didn’t know.
“I endured one terrible marriage,” she finally said.
“I endured being treated like an afterthought, used as a whipping post for every problem that arose. I hoped this marriage would be different, but instead, I can already see that it will be worse. How can I believe in a glorious future when all I can see before me is an apathetic husband who does not care whether I live or die?”
Addax could see her point, but he wasn’t going to give in to it. Instead, he stood up, picked up the blanket that Kieran had tried to put around Emmeline’s shoulders, and swung it over her. He pulled it tightly, and she grasped it because she was truly cold. At least she was letting him cover her.
That was something.
“My lady, I will do something for you if you do something for me,” he said. “Are you willing to listen?”
Gazing up at him, she nodded unsteadily. “What is it?”
Addax gestured toward the keep. “I would like for you to go back to your chamber and get out of your wet clothing,” he said.
“Ask Lady de Velt for a hot bath. Tell her that you went to the river to get a breath of fresh air and accidentally tumbled in. She need not know the truth. While you are doing that, I am going to find your husband and have a talk with him.”
Emmeline eyed him warily. “What sort of talk?”
“That is between me and Max.”
“About me?”
Addax shrugged, but it was more like a nod. That was the only answer he gave, and Emmeline sighed heavily.
“He will take it out on me,” she said. “I can just tell that he is that sort of man. If he thinks I have complained to you, he will punish me for it.”
Addax reached down and pulled her to her feet. “Nay, he will not,” he said. “Trust me, my lady. He will not punish you.”
Emmeline wasn’t so certain. Addax encouraged her to start walking, back the way they’d come, but she was so cold that her legs were having difficulty working. He ended up picking her up, carrying her back to the knights who were still waiting at the turret. Addax paused in front of them.
“My lady, allow me to introduce you to some of the finest knights in England,” he said.
“Beginning on my left, this is my brother, Essien al-Kort. Standing next to him is William de Wolfe, Paris de Norville, and Kieran Hage. They are noble and true, and if you have any trouble at all, they will surely assist you. They are no longer strangers to you.”
The men dipped their heads politely at Emmeline, who was feeling just the least bit self-conscious. She was trying hard to look them in the eye but couldn’t seem to manage it.
“I would like to apologize for the trouble I have caused you all,” she said. “It was never my intention, and I am very sorry.”
“How are you feeling?” Paris asked. “Any pain in your chest or ribs?”
She shook her head. “Only my throat,” she said. “For what you did… all of you… I can only offer my gratitude that you should be so concerned over a woman you did not know.”
Addax could feel her trembling in his arms. It almost superseded the sensation of her being in his arms, her life and warmth, because she felt damn good to him, but he fought that idea.
It was an unhealthy one, and a shameful one.
Emmeline was another man’s wife, as much as he was sorry to admit it, so he carefully set her on her feet.
“It was no trouble, my lady,” he said. “We were happy to do it. Now, Essien is going to escort you to the keep, where you will tell Lady de Velt that you fell into the river and require a hot bath and dry clothes. You need not tell her more than that. Are you clear?”
Emmeline kept her gaze averted, nodding her head. “Aye,” she said. “But Sir Essien does not need to escort me. I can go alone.”