Chapter Ten #2
She didn’t look back as she rode, uncertain of whether this would work.
Raine was facing the worst sort of danger, with so many Norman soldiers.
But to her surprise, they didn’t seem to be attacking him.
Instead, he gathered them near and spoke to their commander.
She could not hear what was said, but it didn’t matter. The distraction was enough.
Carice dismounted from her horse and approached the pregnant woman. “Did they hurt you?”
The woman was weeping, holding her swollen stomach as if to protect her unborn child.
She wore a long cloak and her reddish-brown hair held loose braids, barely covered by a veil.
From the fine weave of her gown, Carice suspected she was an Irish noblewoman.
“N-no,” the woman stammered. “You came before they could harm me.”
Thank goodness. “Can you ride, if I help you onto my horse?” Carice asked.
The woman shook her head. “I can hardly move right now. I tried to run from them, but I couldn’t get away.”
Given the woman’s advanced pregnancy, Carice wasn’t surprised. “Can you reach the safety of the trees? We can hide from the soldiers until Raine returns.”
“I’ll try.” But the woman was struggling with every step. Carice put an arm around her and helped her as best she could. Glancing behind, she saw that Raine was still talking with the men.
“What is your name?” she asked the woman. “And are you alone?”
“I am Aoife,” she answered. She did not offer her tribe’s name, which only made Carice more convinced that this was a lady of importance who did not wish to reveal too much. “I was traveling home when I was taken from my escorts. I tried to run, but with the baby, I cannot get very far.”
Carice could understand that. Although the woman was hurrying as fast as she was able, her girth made it impossible to move quickly.
Even now, each step was an effort. She wondered if they would reach the grove of trees.
Although Raine had managed to keep the soldiers away, it would be all too easy for them to catch up.
“Where do you live?” she asked the woman. “Perhaps Raine and I can take you home.”
There was a sudden uneasiness that passed over the woman’s face, as if she had no wish to reveal her destination. “If you help me get back to my husband’s men, they will escort me home.”
“We will try,” Carice promised. “Is your husband with them?”
Aoife shook her head. “He is in Leinster.”
Then the woman had a long journey ahead of her. Carice wasn’t at all certain that Aoife could make it that far east, particularly if she could not ride. It made her wonder how she had been separated from her escorts and why the Normans had attacked. Surely her men had to be nearby.
She continued guiding the woman toward the woods, though her own strength was beginning to diminish.
The moment they reached the trees, she searched for a place to hide.
The slender trees offered no means of concealing them, but there was a large stone monolith near the clearing.
It was an obvious place, but their only choice.
Carice helped the woman continue through the trees, and when they reached the monolith, she bade Aoife to sit down. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Aoife was out of breath, but she managed to nod. “I need to rest.” She closed her eyes, pressing her hands against her swollen belly.
“How long before your child is born?” Carice asked. She worried that the woman might have already begun her labor.
“A few weeks, perhaps.” Aoife shrugged. “It’s difficult to tell.
” She sat upon another stone and leaned back against the monolith.
For several moments, she calmed herself, and then she added, “I was taken from my escorts about a mile east of here. If you could help me return to them, then that will be enough.”
“Shouldn’t they be searching for you?”
The woman closed her eyes and shrugged. “I was traveling with eight of my father’s men. Some of them provoked a fight with the Normans. Four were killed.”
It wasn’t surprising. Although a year had passed since the invasion at Port Láirge, many of the Irish despised the Normans—especially if their loved ones had died in battle.
“The other four men might still come for you,” Carice offered. “But we will try to reach them.” Inwardly, she wasn’t certain how this woman could possibly travel a mile—not unless Raine returned and helped her mount one of their horses.
What was happening with the Norman soldiers? She had heard no sounds of fighting, nothing at all to suggest that Raine was in danger. He must know the men, she reasoned. Else they would have continued their attack.
But her sense that all was not right only heightened. She kept her attention on Aoife, hoping the woman could continue walking. And in the meantime, she prayed that Raine would return to them.
Raine faced his commander and regarded him. “You were supposed to remain behind us. Lady Carice doesn’t know where we are traveling, but she saw your men.”
“It won’t matter in another day,” Sir Darren countered.
No, but if Carice realized how far to the east they had traveled, she would refuse to go any farther. “I have kept my word to bring her with me. Wait for us at Tara, and we will join you there.”
His commander didn’t seem to trust him at all. “We will continue to follow you, but I will order my men to wait—for now. You should know that we encountered her father’s men. I made an agreement with Brodie Faoilin to help him search for her.”
Raine kept his face neutral, though he suspected that Sir Darren’s patience was waning. But neither did he want Carice to learn the truth until it was necessary. “I will not abandon my duty. But Lady Carice is unwell. She needs another day or two to rest before we can leave.”
Sir Darren shook his head. “I have more men already gathered at Tara. We cannot delay for too long, for I have someone on the inside who may be of use to us.”
A traitor, he meant. Raine’s mouth tightened, and he gave a nod. Sir Darren would not hesitate to use any advantage he held.
The knight’s gaze sharpened upon Raine. “I saw the way you kissed her. You’ve grown too close to her. What will you do when you have to leave her with Rory ó Connor?”
He would slit the High King’s throat before he’d allow the old man to touch Carice.
But his commander was right—Raine had to let her go.
He’d slept hard with her fragile body against his own.
It had felt right to hold her in his arms. And when she had spoken of ending her own life, the idea had filled him with dread.
He understood suffering. There were moments when he’d been recovering from the burn wounds when he’d longed for a respite from the endless pain. But he’d fought back to regain his strength. He would never consider seeking his own death, for his sisters were relying upon him.
After his mother had taken her life, the priests would not allow her to be buried upon consecrated ground.
Her body had been placed near the woods, far away from the family graves, and all of her possessions had been seized by King Henry’s men.
Raine had been left to grieve for a woman who had loved her husband more than her children.
He had not been able to forgive her for making that choice, and he would never let Carice even consider the idea of suicide.
He changed the subject, wanting to divert Sir Darren’s attention away from Carice. “Why did your men attack that woman? Were they so desperate to harm a woman expecting a child?”
Sir Darren shrugged. “Her men attacked ours, and we retaliated. She has wealth, so we thought of ransoming her. My men raided their wagons and found gold. She was merely a distraction.”
“I thought you had more control over your men than that, Darren,” he said softly. “They’re turning into common thieves.”
His commander stared at him, his expression stony. “They are away from their homes and families. So long as they obey my orders, I care not if they seize an opportunity where they find it.”
The man’s blatant disregard for the law irritated him, but there was nothing Raine could do. “Let the woman go. I am taking her back to her escorts.”
Sir Darren’s gaze narrowed. “So long as you bring Lady Carice to Tara, it matters not what you do with the other woman.” He wheeled his horse beside Raine. “But if you do not join us at our camp by evening on the morrow, we will come and take her from you.”
It took an effort to hold his tongue, but Raine knew arguing would accomplish naught. They were outnumbered, and if he did not follow orders, they might hurt Carice. “We will be there.” As he left, he sent his commander a warning look. “But if any of your men threaten her, I will tear them apart.”