Page 25 of Knight of Darkness
Wymar shrugged. “It seemed appropriate,” he answered whilst he began escorting her across the room. A room that was eerily silent of a sudden. Some of the men had their mouths gaping open whilst they viewed the vision before them. He could understand why they were as stunned as he was to view Ceridwen attired in a gown instead of being dressed as a man. But while he could understand it, their staring still aggravated him.
“There is nothing to see here, men. Go back to your food and drink,” he ordered.
The noise of the room went back to a normal level and Wymar assisted Ceridwen to her seat. Her captain slid over upon the bench when Wymar gave him a silent look that spoke aloud his thoughts. His brothers and Richard sat at the far end of the table and he gave a nod in their direction. Wymar called for food and he filled a trencher for him and the lady to share. When Ceridwen began having speech with those on her other side, he waited for her captain to voice whatever was on his mind. Wymar did not have long to wait.
“I do not trust you,” Arthur said low enough for only Wymar to hear.
“You have nothing to fear from me. I vowed my service to her and that includes protecting her to the best of my ability.”
A grunt spilled forth from Ceridwen’s captain. “She has me for that. I have been watching over her since she was a wee lass. Do not think you can so easily replace me.”
“I never said I was replacing you. I am merely fulfilling my vow and therefore ’tis about my honor being at stake if I should fail. Surely you are familiar with such a trait.”
“You know damned well you are attempting to fulfill more than just your vow of service. I swear by all I hold dear, if you harm her in any way, you shall answer to me,” Arthur replied in a low warning.
“Are you threatening me?” Wymar asked, taking a sip of his wine. He watched the room, not the man grumbling at his side.
“I am cautioning you to stay away from her. Her sire put her in my care and I shall return her in the same condition as when she left her estate.”
Wymar set his goblet down and turned on the bench to face him. “’Twill be hard for me to stay away when the lady herself has not released me from my vow to repay the debt I owe. Until she does so, I shall stay near.”
“Yet you are hardly pleased about being beholden to a woman for a life debt.”
Wymar shrugged. “Aye. I cannot gainsay you on such a fact but that does not mean I will forsake my vow. I may no longer have my title or lands but that does not mean I am not honorable. Besides, I fight for the Empress’s cause and she is, as everyone here can attest, a woman.”
Arthur held his knife out toward Wymar before he stabbed at a piece of venison upon the platter in front of him. “Just remember my words. I, too, took a vow to her father. If you are so honorable then you ken my meaning and we shall have no need for further speech on the matter of the lady.”
Wymar gave a brief nod and conceded. After all… he had no intention of furthering any form of a relationship with the lady other than fulfilling his debt. He pondered how many times he would have to remind himself to leave the lady alone before such an obligation was over. He took another sip of his drink, as if that could quench his thirst for her.
His arm was brushed, and he saw Ceridwen intently watching him. “What were the two of you discussing?” she asked peering at him over the rim of her cup.
His gaze swept across her face. The last thing he wanted to discuss was her captain’s complaints against him. “Nothing of note. Surely there are far more important topics that we can mull over?”
“Like what?’ she asked. Her sparkling eyes silently voiced her amusement as though testing him to come up with a witty response.
Wymar chuckled. “Mayhap the weather?”
Her laughter rang out like the sweetest song. “Surely you can do better than that, kind sir?” she teased before pointing to their food. “You should at least eat your fill before they begin clearing the meal.”
He glanced at their half empty trencher. “You took the choicest of meats,” he complained with a chuckle.
“Serves you right for leaving me to fend for myself and paying more attention to my captain than me.” She waved her hand for a servant to bring another platter of meat. Once it had been placed in front of her, she began filling the trencher. She pushed it before him. “Eat. I would not wish for you to expire from hunger.”
“’Twould take far more than an empty belly to take me down,” Wymar boasted.
She perused him for a moment until a small smile lit her face. “If you say so,” Ceridwen said again before she took up her chalice.
He grunted a response and began eating. Conversations swirled around them but his attention stayed upon the beautiful woman next to him. No one would recognize her in her finery from the warrior of earlier dressed in chainmail. She was fascinating and her unusual demeanor set her apart from the other women he knew in his past. ’Twas what most likely held his interest. She was far more appealing than any other lady he had ever met before.
He gulped hard when her lips parted and Wymar watched her tongue run across her lips before she took another sip of her wine. No longer able to resist the need to touch her, Wymar reached over to place his hand over her own, urging Ceridwen to move the cup closer to his own mouth. He watched her intently and saw the way her eyes widened in surprise when he placed his lips in the same spot on her chalice that her lips had just touched. He swore the wine tasted better than what was in his own cup.
A gasp escaped her. “What are you doing?” she said in a frantic whisper whilst her chest rose and fell as though she had lost her ability to breathe.
“What do you think?”
“Such a gesture is meant for lovers,” she said quietly before she set her cup down with a shaking hand. She turned away from him to observe the room.
“You cannot hide from me, Ceridwen, nor ignore this invisible connection that pulls us together,” he proclaimed just as softly. Her eyes seemed brighter than usual when she faced him once more.
