The column moved on, southward, toward even more unbearable humidity. Remington’s hair was becoming a mass of kinky curls, wet strands sticking to her damp forehead. To the right of the carriage rode Nicolas, visor down and shield slung over his left knee. She knew it was a battle-ready position, but she never imagined they were truly in any danger. After all, who would be foolish enough to attack the Dark Knight?
They passed out of the dense forest and into the soft rolling hills of England. The further south they drew, the less forest mass they would see. Only sweetly sloping rises in the earth, and Remington watched, entranced, as they rode the crest of a hill. Gazing off across the countryside, she imagined she could see all the way to the sea.
There were farmers about, peasants traversing the road, jumping out of the path to make way for the Dark Knight andhis party. The papal colors next to Gaston’s standards made a rightfully impressive sight to all who gazed upon them.
They rode until after dark, when Gaston led them into a small village with a bright inn. Even in the carriage, Remington could smell roast beef and hear the sounds of merriment inside. She was smiling with excitement, trying not to hang her head from the carriage like an eager child. Loud people full of ale and food burst in and out of the inn, laughing and singing and chatting. Remington wanted to be one of them.
De Tormo eyed her, knowing her heart’s wishes, and furthermore knowing the inn was no place for the young lady. But it was out of the elements and she could have a hot meal on a real table, not eat off her lap. Watching her face, he groaned inwardly; he knew her demand before she ever spoke a word.
“I want to go to the inn,” she declared, watching curiously as a soldier and a busty wench came falling out of the door, screaming with drunken laughter. She looked at the priest. “I have never been to an inn.”
De Tormo raised his eyebrows, eyeing the hostel. “I’d hardly call that a reputable establishment. It looks more like a den of iniquity to me.”
Remington watched the soldier and the wench push themselves off the ground and stagger into the night. “They’re simply having fun, de Tormo. It sounds like a lovely place.”
The priest snorted and looked away, knowing that de Russe planned to take her to the tavern. But even as he thought of a pretty speech to refuse de Russe, his mind wandered to the soft bed within the inn that surely awaited him. Lord God, he would love to sleep on something other than the ground this night. He was, after all, not a hearty man and the thought of a feathered mattress ’neath his body soothed him like a sexual favor.
How could he deny the two of them what he so desperately sought? After all, if de Russe was paying….
A knight appeared at the carriage, a man Remington recognized but did not know his name. He focused soft brown eyes on her. “My lady, Sir Gaston is seeing to the settling of his men and will be with you shortly,” he said. “He asks that you remain in the carriage until such time.”
Remington nodded, glancing at de Tormo as the knight bowed away. “He must think I am going to forget myself and go bounding into the inn.”
“I can see by the expression on your face that you indeed wish to,” the priest replied.
She scowled at him, but it was a humorous frown. De Tormo cracked a smile and looked away.
Remington leaned back against the bench of the carriage, letting out a weary sigh. She was tired of riding and eager to sample the atmosphere of the tavern. More people came in and out of the business, and she watched them closely. Most were soldiers, and the women were whores, ready for another night of business.
She watched the women thoughtfully, wondering how a woman could sell her body. She could not imagine consenting to sex with a man she did not love, paid or not. But, then again, she had been sleeping with a man she did not love for the majority of her adult life. Mayhap she was a whore, too, in a sense. After all Guy had called her one.
She shook herself, away from the degrading memories. She would not think on them, although the closer they drew to London, the more terrified she became. To even be in the same city as her husband made her break out in a sweat.
Gaston suddenly appeared at the door of the carriage, his face wet with perspiration. His visor was up as he threw open the door to the carriage.
“Out, my lady, unless you wish to spend the night here,” he said, his mood obviously light. “De Tormo, you will join us.”
“Of course,” the priest slanted him a wry look. “I am my lady’s shadow.”
Gaston raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing as Remington climbed out of the carriage. She turned to look at the inn, her face bright. “Are we truly going to eat at the inn tonight? I have never been to an inn.”
He couldn’t help but grin at her enthusiasm. “Aye, we will be sampling their fare.”
“Are we sleeping there, too?” she asked eagerly.
“Remi, if you slept in the tavern, you would certainly never get any sleep,” as if to prove his point, three loud soldiers and one woman came stumbling out of the door, singing at the top of their lungs. He shook his head in disgust. “You would do much better in camp.”
She looked crestfallen and, to Gaston’s surprise, so did de Tormo. He raised his eyebrows at both of them. “So the two of you would rather stay in a noisy, smelly establishment and not gain a moment’s sleep rather than endure a bit of nature’s canopy?”
Remington lowered her gaze guiltily. De Tormo fixed his eyes on Gaston. “I could sleep through the return of Christ, de Russe, so noise matters little to me. I am not ashamed to admit that I crave creature comforts, such as a soft bed and a roof over my head. Besides,” he passed a glance at Remington, “I would suspect that you two would spend tonight as you did last night. What better way to be rid of me than to pay for my room at the inn?”
Gaston’s eyes widened slightly. “You would be bribed?”
De Tormo held up a chastising finger. “Not bribe, de Russe. I prefer to call it a gift. After all, you expect my services in London, do you not? My assistance does not come without cost.”
Gaston eyed the short man and Remington held her breath. De Tormo merely smiled a humorless smile. “I am notstupid, de Russe. All of the nonsense regarding Guy Stoneley’s devil worship was just that, nonsense. Young Dane had the consideration to tell me that the tower room was his cousin’s. I can see that you would go to great lengths to obtain this annulment, and do it any way you can within the legal confines of the church. Therefore, it would stand to reason that you need me, and you need me badly. Badly enough to lie,” he looked at Remington; her face flushed, she was staring at the ground. His face softened somewhat. “I can see the feelings you hold for each other, and I am not so aloof that I did not hear the tales of Guy’s cruelty. So, in the spirit of true love, I will do what I can for you against the papal counsel. But I expect to be compensated, and I furthermore expect my advice to be heeded. Do we understand one another?”
Gaston’s smoky gray eyes glittered. “We do.”
