He thought of the necklace he’d given her, tucked into the belt at his waist. Reaching down, he pulled it out, holding it up between them.
“I will return to Selborne as you ask, and I will think,” he said quietly. “But I already know what my decision will be. That has not changed. In a week’s time, I will send a messenger to Eynsford with this necklace. If your decision is to permit me to continue courting you, then you will keep it. If you have decided against it, then simply send it back and I will trouble you no more. Agreed?”
It was a fair enough arrangement. Vesper’s gaze drifted over the magnificent necklace before looking him in the eye.
“Agreed.”
Val’s focus fixed on her for a moment before taking the necklace and tucking it into his coin purse for safe keeping. Once he’d done that, he looked at her again. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he was fearful to tell her. His mind was muddled by everything that had happened that day.
“I will have some of St. Lo’s men return you to Eynsford,” he said. “It should take about four days so I will pay them well to ensure you sleep in a good bed nightly and are well protected. Are… are you sure I cannot accompany you?”
Vesper almost agreed but she reconsidered. It would defeat the purpose that they had already established; of deciding whether or not this courtship was damaged beyond repair. Everything had happened so fast that they both needed time to think.
Only time would tell.
“I believe it would be best if you did not,” she said. “But thank you for being generous enough to hire men to return me to Eynsford. I am grateful.”
Val simply looked at her. Then, he lifted his hands, cupping her face between his two enormous palms. Before Vesper couldpull away, he kissed her sweetly, tenderly, in front of the entire town of Bishop’s Waltham. But Val didn’t care; he was afraid this might be the last time he ever kissed her and his heart was filled with both the joy of her touch and the sorrow of their parting. His heart hurt as he never imagined it could.
“Nothing I am feeling for you has changed,” he whispered before reluctantly dropping his hands. “I want you to understand that.”
Vesper was left breathless by his kiss, her heart racing in her chest. “Nor have my feelings changed for you,” she said softly. “But I believe this is for the best.”
“I do not agree with you, but I will respect your wishes.”
Vesper knew that. It was in everything about him; he wanted things the way he wanted them but he didn’t want to push her. She was grateful. But the cries from her father caught her attention for they were still going on. The crowd around them had shifted somewhat and they had moved over to where McCloud was embracing the executed man. She peered around Val to see her father in the same position, now being surrounded by people who were spitting on Mat’s corpse. Although St. Lo’s men were trying to hold them back, there was a great deal of rage in people who had lived in fear for a year.
Val could see what was going on, too. He reached out, grasping Vesper’s arm to give her a reassuring squeeze.
“I will make sure your brother is taken care of,” he said. “And I will deal with your father appropriately. For now, go over to where the horses are and wait there. I will speak with St. Lo about your escort.”
Before he could turn away, Vesper stopped him. “Val,” she said, fighting the lump in her throat. “Whatever happens, I want you to know how very grateful I am to you. You have shown me… you have helped me to understand what it means not to be lonely any longer. If for no other reason than that, I thank youfor giving me that gift. It was the best blessing you could have ever given me.”
Val’s throat was rather tight, too. He smiled wanly. “Even better than the necklace?”
Vesper nodded, a single tear popping from her eye. “Even better.”
“Then I am glad.”
Vesper swallowed hard, struggling not to weep again, as Val headed over to McCloud and that horrific scene. She could see him talking to the red-haired sheriff of the town, pointing to McCloud before finally turning around to point at her.
Feeling far more settled about the situation than she had minutes earlier, Vesper turned for the horses, who were over in a corner of the square, tearing out the fat green grass and munching happily. Her satchel was tied to the white palfrey and she wandered over to the horse, standing by it as she’d been directed. But her gaze inevitably returned to Val as he ordered men about.
It made her heart swell simply to look at him. He was so strong and tall and proud, but every second she looked at him, she was reminded that he didn’t need to be associated with a family of murderers. Was she being a martyr in all of this, sacrificing her happiness so that Val’s reputation would remain clean? In truth, her intentions were altruistic. She firmly believed he would be better off without her association.
But the fact remained that she didn’t want to be without him. She’d risked much to keep his opinion of her intact and she’d almost lost that when he’d discovered the truth. But the man had an unnatural capacity for forgiveness, as she’d discovered.
Such a man deserved something far better than she could provide.
Soon enough, a wagon was brought around and Mat’s body was put into the bed for transport to the church. McCloudclimbed in with his son and Vesper wondered if that would be the last she ever saw of her father as the wagon lumbered down the road, heading for St. Peter’s Church. Although Mat would not be buried in the church yard, the priests would ensure he had a proper burial outside of the walls.
Once McCloud and Mat had disappeared, Val continued to give what appeared to be instructions to St. Lo and his men. Men would dash away, obviously off to complete a task assigned to them by Val, while still others completely disbursed the crowd which, by now, had thinned out considerably.
Still, Vesper stood by the horses, ignoring the hunger she felt now that the evening meal was approaching, looking up to the sky to see that it was, in fact, a glorious sunset.How ironic,she thought. A beautiful sunset as if to signify a new future now that Mat, the Angel of Death, had finally been punished. Even God was celebrating her brother’s death. For the people of Bishop’s Waltham and the surrounding area, it was a new future, indeed.
Val eventually returned to Vesper with six men who had been assigned as her escort. They were older men, heavily armed, used to being paid for their protection and men that St. Lo trusted. So, Val instructed the six in the strongest possible language that they were to ensure that Lady Vesper reached Eynsford without incident. Vesper watched Val pay them all extremely well with the promise of more coinage when the job was complete. Wanting to please the Itinerant Justice of Hampshire, the men firmly agreed.
But night had fallen and they would not begin their travel at night, so Val took Vesper over to The Crown Inn, the oldest and best inn the village had to offer. He asked twice to remain with her, at least for sup, but she politely declined both times.
