Page 18 of Knight of Chaos
Theobald took her hand, his thumb rubbing its back made her easily calm. “You asked him to stay earlier. I thought mayhap you favored him.”
“If you recall, I had a damn surgeon sewing my skin back together. I would have asked the devil himself to stay if he could offer me a bit of support to see me through the ordeal.”
“I can fetch Oswin, if you would prefer him to be at your side,” Theobald suggested.
“He is not who I prefer, otherwise I would not ask you to lay beside me, you foolish man,” she muttered. Even though she had to admit she hardly knew Theobald any better than she did Oswin, she trusted Theobald for he had more than proven himself to her in the short time of their acquaintance. Besides, she felt drawn to him in a way that she had felt for no other man.
“’Tis a highly unusual request considering we barely know one another,” he murmured.
“I am aware of all I need to know about the person you are, Theobald Norwood,” she answered. “I only wish to slumber knowing I will not again dream of what almost happened to me this day. Mayhap, with your arms around me, I shall sleep easier.”
“We should talk about him and how he must pay for the insult to you.”
“I do not wish to discuss him tonight. The morn is early enough.”
Theobald nodded. “If this is what you desire, Ingrid, I will not mention him further for now.”
Relief flooded her entire being. Now if only he would agree to what she needed at this very moment. Arms to hold her ensuring she was safe. “Would you please hold me through the night, Theobald? I will not ask more of you than that.”
“And what if I wish for more?”
Ingrid peered at him to access the truth of his words. “I am not entirely sure you are even certain what you wish for when it comes to me, Theobald. At least not yet.”
A sound rumbled in his chest. “You must think me a saint if you believe I can lay down beside you and not wish to explore every beautiful inch of you, my dear,” he confessed, and his words gave Ingrid hope that mayhap all was not lost. She cared for this man and now she knew he desired her, too. Mayhap when all the fighting was at last over, they could take their relationship further. Dare she hope, mayhap, that Theobald would ask her to be his wife? But such dreams were for the distant future. For now, for this night, her wishes were far simpler.
“I am trusting you to give me the comfort I stand in need of. Nothing more… at least for now. The rest we can figure out later, wherever life might take us.” She pulled on his arm, and he carefully settled himself next to her.
“I do not wish to further injure you.”
“I will not break, Theobald,” she answered. She turned onto her uninjured side and took his arm whilst his hand carefully slid into a safe place around her. She gave a contented sigh.
“Better?” he asked.
“Oh, aye,” she said with a soft smile. “You see… ’tis not so bad to just hold a woman through the night with no further intentions. ’Twill not hurt your manly pride.”
“God give me strength,” he groaned.
Her laughter filled the tent. Before long, a soft snore left Theobald when he finally found his slumber. Knowing he would chase away her nightmares, Ingrid at last succumbed to her efforts to stay awake. And when she slept, ’twas without any dreams or monsters to cause her to cry out in alarm for Theobald had his arms around her keeping her safe.
Chapter Thirteen
Theobald lifted hisarm from a slumbering Ingrid then rolled over onto his back. He might have dozed off upon first laying down next to the fair lady last eve, but he awoke shortly thereafter. His entire body had been on fire, and she was the one who had lit the flames. His attempt to move slightly away from her only gained him further agony when she pushed insistently back into his body. Every delicious inch of this woman was snuggled into him as though he had grown a second skin. In her sleep, Ingrid gave a moan of contentment that caused Theobald to inwardly curse knowing he could in no way take advantage of a woman who had trusted herself into his care.
The night with no sleep had revealed many things. ’Twas apparent he did indeed care for the woman. The more he thought about her over the night, the more he admired her for all she had overcome in her short life. She was a rare gem amongst the weeds. He had no plans to become involved with a woman whilst he was in the midst of a bloody campaign for his empress. Yet here he was… thinking throughout the night of what the future might hold with Ingrid after all the fighting was over.
Wymar had been rewarded for his service after the Battle of Lincoln and had his title and the family lands restored to him. Theobald was thankful for such an outcome. He could only pray that he, too, might be rewarded lands and monies from the Empress after the battle here at Winchester had been won. This would allow him the opportunity to further prove he had something more to offer a woman like Ingrid.
Dawn came sooner than he would have liked. He carefully left Ingrid’s pallet, tucking the blanket around her. He stood there, hovering over her to gaze upon her like the angel she appeared. He would get nothing accomplished this day if he did not get his mind where it belonged. He dressed and was about to leave his tent when he heard his name being whispered from outside. Opening the flap, he espied Richard. Theobald held a finger to his lips to forestall any further conversation, so they did not wake Ingrid. Stepping outside, the two men took each other’s forearms in greeting.
They began to stride from the tent and ’twas not until they were away from his dwelling that Theobald finally spoke. “You are the last person I expected to see here yesterday upon the battlefield. All is well?”
Richard gave a weak smile. “As well as can be expected.”
A short chuckle left Theobald. “I have the notion you have a story there.”
“’Twas my sister, Beatrice…” Richard rubbed at his eyes as though they pained him.
“And what trouble was the lady up to this time?” Theobald asked with another laugh.
