Richmond squeezed her hand tightly. “Do not cry, kitten. You shall be perfectly safe there while I attend to necessary duties. I will not be long, I promise. Just long enough to plead for your hand.”
Her sobbing grew louder, more hysterical. “But…. I do-on’t want to go. I-I shall be away from you for C-Christmas, Richmond. Do not take me t-there, not now!”
He tugged on her hand, hard enough to cause her to lurch to her feet. Before she realized it, he was grasping her about the waist and placing her in front of him in the saddle. Adjusting the oiled cloth to keep her dry, he spurred his charger forward.
Arissa continued to sob miserably as his thick arm clutched her tightly. Faceplate raised, he leaned close to her ear. “I do not want to take you there, you know that. But I have virtually no choice in the matter.”
She sniffled and sobbed. “N-not there! D-Do you have friends we could stay with? O-Or you could t-take me to Windsor. I am sure the k-king would not mind.”
He did not say anything for a moment and she could feel his hot breath against her ear. Certainly it would not be a keen idea for her to be roving the halls of Windsor for several good reasons; Henry would not want to be reminded at every turn of a love gone by, of the painful indiscretions that had plagued a young noble. Furthermore, Richmond most likely would be kept apart from her out of pure protocol. He was, after all, a mere knight. And she was of royal blood.
His heart sank when he realized Arissa had no true home, no place to seek refuge in her time of need. There was nowhere for her to go. Except Whitby.
“That would not be wise, Riss,” he murmured softly. “There is nowhere for you to go but the abbey.”
She wept into her hand. “D-Do not leave me there, Richmond. Please do not leave me there alone.”
He held her tightly. “I have no choice, kitten.”
“Then I w-want to go home,” she sobbed pathetically. “I want to go back to L-Lambourn.”
His jaw ticked faintly as he remembered William’s words, harsh threats spoken in the midst of agonizing grief. “You cannot go home. You cannot ever go home.”
She continued to sob and cough, breaking his heart with her sorrow. Although he had numerous friends scattered throughout the country, he felt most comfortable for her safety and health tucked away in the Yorkshire abbey. Far away from Owen and far away from Henry’s enemies who were clearly aware of her existence. Whereas Arissa could be wrested from the walls of a breached fortress, or even the walls of Windsor for that matter, those who sought to do her harm would think twice before violating the haven of an abbey.
“Listen to me, love,” he squeezed her gently, attempting to distract her from her misery. “I promise we shall take our time traveling to Whitby. We shall make an adventure of it; stopping at every inn that captures your fancy, purchasing sweets and pretty things. We shall have a wonderful time doing whatever our moods dictate. Will that be acceptable?”
She ran a finger under her nose, thinking on his offer a moment. “T-The nuns will make me give up the pretty things we purchase.”
He shrugged, attempting to keep his manner light in the hope that she would follow suit. If she noted his unconcerned attitude towards the unknown amount of time to be spent at Whitby, mayhap she would cease to view the necessary separation as a death sentence.
“I shall keep them safely for you,” he assured her. “I have also had in mind to build my own keep; mayhap we shall discover a suitable piece of land as we travel northward. We shall pass through portions of lovely country and I am sure we can choose a fitting location. I will depend upon you to assist me in this most important duty.”
She sniffled again, her tears fading as a faint excitement took hold. “You want me to help you?”
“Absolutely. It will be your keep too, will it not?”
She thought a moment; certainly it would be her keep, too. The place where she and Richmond would spend the rest of their lives, basking in a love that had existed since the day she was born. She wiped at her nose yet again, turning to look at him in the rain.
“M-Mayhap we can build it on a hill, overlooking the land,” she said helpfully. “Mayhap we can even build it overlooking a river; a huge grand place with hundreds of rooms for all of the children we will have.”
His smile faded, thinking on Mossy’s words.Were she to conceive, it could kill her.Gazing into the pale green eyes, he tried not to let his depression show. “I doubt we could have enough children to fill one hundred rooms,” he said softly. “In any event, you will help me select a suitable site for our keep. Agreed?”
Our keep.Her tears were forgotten as he successfully diverted her grief and she smiled hopefully. “Can I name our fortress?”
“Certainly you can,” he pulled the oiled tarp tighter about her slender body as the rain increased, turning her away from the direction of the wind. “Did you have a name in mind?”
She sighed, feeling her fatigue as her emotions settled. “Not yet. But I will spend my days contemplating a list of names for your approval.”
“And I shall look forward to it.” Thankful his attempt to calm her had succeeded, Richmond spurred his destrier into a jaunty canter to the front of the column. Gavan was riding alone at the head, and he turned to look at Richmond and Arissa as they rode up. One look at the lady’s pleasant expression and he knew that all was right in the world once again.
“Good to see you again, my lady,” he raised his visor, smiling.
Richmond cut in before Arissa could reply. “There is a fork in the road about a mile ahead. Veer to the right.”
Gavan nodded, still grinning at Arissa. “Aye, my lord. We are bound for Whitby.”
Arissa was no longer concerned for her Yorkshire destination as she heard Gavan repeat Richmond’s orders. Instead, she smiled at the younger knight. “We are going to select a parcel of land to build on,” she informed him proudly. “Richmond said that I could name our keep.”
