“He has lost too much blood,” she said. “He is weaker than he would have us know.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Stephen’s men gave up the pursuit and returned shortly. Their mission was to return FitzAlan to Caen as quickly as possible. Within an hour, the horses were watered and fed, the men had eaten, and FitzAlan’s wound was freshly bound.
Isobel found Stephen supervising four men loading FitzAlan’s litter onto a cart. To her relief, FitzAlan was awake and complaining loudly that he could “damn well ride.” Still, the pallor of his skin made her anxious.
When she touched Stephen’s arm, he turned and fixed worried eyes on her. He looked tired. She wondered if he’d had time to sleep at all.
“Thank you for the gown,” she said. “ ’Twas very kind of you to bring it.”
With all he had to do in his short time in Caen in the night, how had he thought to retrieve a gown for her? He saved her a good deal of embarrassment. Monks might try to avert their eyes, but soldiers were another matter. It would have been a long ride back with all the men staring at her legs.
Stephen acknowledged her thanks with a nod. “I want you to ride in the cart with William,” he said in a low voice. “He will not fight you as he would Jamie or me.”
“Of course.”
Her breath caught as Stephen placed his hands on her waist. When he hesitated, she sensed he wanted to pull her against him as much as she wanted him to do it. Then her feet left the ground, and she was beside FitzAlan in the cart.
The journey back to Caen took forever. Though Fitz-Alan did not complain of the pain, he flinched each time a bump in the road jarred his wound. She tried to get him to rest.
The usually taciturn man, however, was set on passing the time talking with her. Since it seemed to distract him, she gave in. He plied her with questions until she told him every detail of what happened the day before, after he was hit with the arrow.
FitzAlan closed his eyes, a smile on his face. “There is no man I’d rather have at my back in a fight than Stephen.”
“Aye,” she said, “he was a wonder to see.”
FitzAlan opened his eyes a slit. “My brother has the heart of a hero, always has,” he rasped. “He only wants for opportunity to show it.”
She wondered why it was so important to FitzAlan she understand this. Speaking cost him considerable effort.
“A man could not do better for a brother or a friend,” he said, ignoring her attempts to shush him.
Despite the pain he was in, she did not think these were the ramblings of an addled mind. FitzAlan’s speech seemed to be directed to some purpose, but what?
She thought he was finally drifting off to sleep, when he spoke again. “He will make some woman a fine husband one day.”
As she wiped his brow, she muttered under her breath, “If a woman does not mind sharing.”
His ears were sharper than she credited. When his bark of laughter turned into a groan of pain, she regretted her remark.
As she leaned over him to check his bandage, he opened his eyes again. They were honest eyes, the color of golden amber.
“ ’Tis only the follies of a young man,” he said between harsh breaths. “Stephen needs—”
“Lord FitzAlan, please, you must lie still.” His wound was bleeding again, and she was truly worried. “We shall speak no more now. You must be quiet and rest.”
He closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. “Catherine… she would like you. I promised… Catherine… I would come home…”
’Twas true, then. The great commander did love his wife. Isobel could hear it in his voice. This was not the offhand affection most men felt for their wives. This Catherine was the joy of his life. The reason he wanted to go home again.
Tears stung at the back of Isobel’s eyes. Perhaps it was all the emotions of the last two days hitting her now. It seemed a lifetime since she left Caen, so much had happened. She was so tired! And worried half to death about FitzAlan.
“Isobel.” It was Stephen’s voice.
She wiped her eyes and turned around to where he’d drawn his horse next to the cart.
“Are we near Caen yet?” she asked, her voice breaking. “I fear he grows worse, and there is little I can do for him here.”