“You would look for me if I did not return?” he asked. “That is kind of you. I did not know you cared so much as to do that.”
Nicola averted her gaze, looking at her lap as her cheeks flushed red. She simply couldn’t look at him any longer. She was starting to feel sick, her heart palpitating. She wanted verymuch to leave and it was a struggle not to give in to that feeling. There was so much hurt inside of her at the moment that it was consuming her and his gentle words only made it worse.
Kenton, seeing her subdued manner, smiled faintly. He thought, or at least he hoped, it was because she was upset over the thought of his death. He touched her hand again.
“Not to worry,” he whispered. “As I said, I will always return to you. But we will be departing in two days for Manchester and Rochdale. I am under orders to bring those towns into Henry’s fold. Right now, they are still under contention between both sides, so even though I will be gone from Babylon, I will still be close by. I will be back as soon as I can.”
Manchester and Rochdale. He told her his plans without hesitation, because he trusted her. That was clear. Nicola lifted her gaze to him, seeing such warmth and affection in his eyes. It was shattering, all of it. God, it was so difficult to resist!
“Rochdale is closer,” she said softly. “Do you go there first?”
He nodded faintly. “More than likely.”
She paused a moment, a strategic pause to make it sound as if she cared for him and about what he did.But she did still care for him!“Then you go to war again,” she said softly.
“That is my vocation, Madam. Surely it does not surprise you.”
She shook her head, looking to her lap again. “Do… do you think the wars will ever stop?”
He watched her lowered blond head, imagining that he could smell her hair from where he sat. He very much wanted to kiss that lowered head to give her comfort.
“They must,” he said, reaching over to collect his cup again. “We have all been fighting each other far too long so, at some point, they must stop. One king will reign and we must all accept that.”
She cast him a sidelong glance. “And if it is Edward?”
Kenton shrugged. “If he is the ultimate victor, then I shall have to accept it as well,” he said. “But until that time, I will do all I can to ensure that he is not the ultimate victor.”
She was looking at him more seriously now. “But why?” she asked a genuine question, one that wasn’t designed to press him for information. “Why must you fight for a king who is mad? Why not serve a king who would be an excellent ruler with no bouts of madness?”
Kenton cocked an eyebrow, mostly in thought. “Because Henry is the rightful king,” he said simply. “Mad or not, the throne is his. It does not belong to Edward.”
It was plainly put and Nicola could not dispute it. In fact, as she gazed into his eyes, she could almost see his point. But not quite; she had to pull herself away from him. That magnetic pull between them was too much to bear. Collecting her pitcher of warm wine, she stood up.
“I have taken too much time away from my duties,” she said, stepping away from the bench. “I must return.”
Kenton reached out, his hand brushing her arm. “Will you return when you can?”
Nicola looked at him, her gaze guarded. “I will try.”
“Will I see you after sup? You promised me that I could.”
Nicola simply nodded. Kenton smiled at her and she smiled in return, although it was stiffly done. Head down, she took off across the room with her warmed wine, heading into the servants alcove and disappearing into the darkness.
Kenton watched her go, mostly because he liked to watch her hips as they swayed alluringly. She had a delicious figure and his eyes were always drawn to her hips and buttocks. Most often he would watch her and imagine how her tender backside would feel in his hands, imagining the silken texture of her skin. He knew for a fact that he was going to bed the woman before he leftfor Manchester but he could see that talk of his departure upset her.
He knew that his knights would not have agreed with him telling her their future plans, but he saw no harm in it. His heart swelled with joy knowing that she did not want him to leave. Surely that was her only trouble, the reason behind her quiet manner and lowered head. Aye, he would bed her and prove to her that he would return to her. Nothing, not even an assault on Manchester, could keep him from her. Not now, not ever.
With a smile, he returned to his wine, already reflecting over the joy of their reunion once he returned home from battle. He’d never had anything so thrilling or wonderful to look forward to. Now, he had Nicola to look forward to.
Little did he realize that the reality of such bright joy would soon take a definitive turn for the dark.
When Nicola left the hall, she went straight to the stables where she found a young groom who was healthy and energetic. He was also loyal to the House of Thorne and not to Henry’s soldiers who had taken over Babylon. Nicola knew the young man, and knew he was trustworthy, and she sent him that night through the postern gate of Babylon, riding south to Conisbrough with a message for the garrison commander there. It was a vicious, snowy night so she knew it would take a couple of days at the very least to reach Conisbrough, a very large outpost of soldiers loyal to Edward, but she was confident the young man would make it. She struggled not to feel guilty for doing what she must.
For betraying the man who had tried to betray her first.
The tides of the battle for Babylon were about to change.
~ THE BETRAYAL ~