"Atthe far end of it," replied Serle.
"Whatcould there be within a nunnery that would draw you?" Drogo muttered.
"Iwish I knew."
Bythe time they reached the sprawling nunnery, Eada was so unsteady that Drogohad to help her off Serle's horse and support her with an arm around her shoulder.As, he led her toward the heavy iron gates which opened into a courtyard, sherealized that what unsettled her was a fierce sense of hope and anticipation.She was struggling to understand what she might find there to cause her to feelthat way when she heard a painfully familiar, high, boyish voice.
"Ethelred,"she whispered.
Eadabroke free of Drogo's light hold and ran toward the sound of the voice. Thesame anticipation that had made her dizzy and weak now gave her strength. Sheignored Drogo's and Serle's curses and could hear them following her as she ranaround the corner of the long, low, stone building. When she saw what she hadbeen running toward, she stopped so abruptly that the two men stumbled in theirattempts not to bump into her.
Awoman sat on a stone bench mending a small shirt. At her feet sat a little boy.Eada did not need to see the woman's face to know that she was looking at hermother. Just as she gathered the strength to call to Vedette, her sister cameout of the building and walked toward their mother. Averil's gaze settled onEada; her eyes widened, and her steps faltered.
"Eada,"she screamed a heartbeat later, and hiking up her skirts, she ran straight intoEada's open arms with such force she nearly sent them both tumbling to theground.
OverAveril's shoulder Eada saw her mother rise slowly to her feet even as herlittle brother gave a cry and ran to her. Eada rocked as Ethelred bumped intoher legs and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Vedette approached with morecalm and dignity, but as she drew near, Eada was surprised to see that hermother was crying. A soft word from Vedette was enough to make Averil andEthelred step away, and Eada found herself tightly clasped in her mother'sarms.
"Sweetmerciful God, you are alive," Vedette whispered in a hoarse, unsteadyvoice.
"Ihave feared that you might be dead," Eada said, brushing away her tears asher mother stepped back and looked her over. "Old Edith said that you,Averil, and Ethelred would survive, but sometimes I was afraid to believeit."
"Ihave lived in terror that some ill befell you since the moment I had to leaveyou behind. You do understand why I had to do that?"
"Ofcourse. I will confess that, for a short time, I was angry and hurt, but reasonsoon cured me of that. And with each village I have watched burn, I have becomemore understanding, even glad that you had the strength to do it." Shefelt Drogo step up next to her and lightly touched his arm. "This is SirDrogo de Toulon, Mother. I ride with him," she added carefully in English,pausing before slipping into French to include Drogo in their conversation, andsaw by the slight widening of her mother's eyes that Vedette understood whatshe was saying.
"Ishe kind to you?"
"Very.I know that I would be dead or badly hurt if not for him. And Old Edith said heis my mate. She is dead, Mother."
"Wecan speak of that later." Vedette held her hand out to Drogo and said inperfect French. "I thank you for keeping my daughter safe."
AlthoughDrogo felt embarrassed facing Eada's mother, he bowed slightly and touched akiss to the back of her hand. "It has not always been easy," hedrawled.
"Ihave no doubt about that."
"Youtwo can share your complaints about me later," said Eada as she tugged a strangelysilent Serle forward. "This is Sir Serle, Mother."
Eadafrowned when her mother stared at Serle and slowly grew alarmingly white. Shelooked at Serle and saw that he looked little better. As she turned back to hermother, she gave a cry of alarm and was relieved when Drogo moved quicklyenough to catch the collapsing woman before she hit the ground.
Thenext few minutes were confusing. Eada was not sure how her mother went fromDrogo's arms to Serle's, but as Serle sat down on the stone bench with Vedettein his arms, she dampened a strip of her underskirt in water from the well andbegan to bathe her mother's face. It was a few minutes before Vedette began tostir.
"Areyou ill?" Eada asked, kneeling by the bench and taking her mother's handin hers.
Vedette'sgaze was fixed on Serle as she whispered, "No. I but thought that I wasseeing a ghost."
"Noghost, Vedette," Serle replied, not releasing her as she carefully sat up.
Asshe got to her feet, idly patting her little brother on the head, Eada said,"You two are not strangers to one another."
Withan obvious reluctance, Vedette slid off Serle's lap, sat next to him, and tookhis hand in hers. "No. We knew each other many years ago in France."
Eadaopened her mouth to give her opinion that they had obviously known each othervery well when Drogo took her by the arm and tugged her aside. He gave Ethelredand Averil one sharp signal to follow him, and after a brief hesitation, theydid. Eada looked at her mother and Serle talking fervently and too quietly tobe overheard and then eyed Drogo with annoyance.
"Doyou know something about this?"
"No.Are you going to introduce me to the rest of your family?" He had to smileat the polite way she did so and the equally polite way her siblings replieddespite the suspicious glare all three of them cast at him.
"Ifyou do not know what that is about, then why did you pull us all away fromthem?" Eada demanded.
