David made his way towards him, unsure how to comfort the man but understanding what it was like to love a woman deeply. He couldn’t imagine what would have become of him had he not been able to marry Emilie.
“Do not despair,” he told him quietly. “My brother is due here in a few days and we will ask him for advice. Christopher is a powerful man, Gart. If anyone can help you, it is him.”
Gart was struggling not to feel completely discouraged. All he could think about at the moment was returning to Trelystan Castle, collecting Emberley and the children, and taking flight to France or the Teutonic countries. Perhaps it was best if they simply fled and be done with it.
“I appreciate your offer, my lord,” he said, lifting his head to look at David. “But there is something more I wish to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“I would ask to be released from my oath of fealty.”
“Why?”
Gart shrugged. “I should think that is fairly obvious. I am no longer an honorable knight.”
David frowned. “That is not true.”
“Please release me, my lord.”
David regarded him. Then he moved away, thoughtfully, pacing the floor until he reached his desk. He kept glancing back at Gart as if reluctantly considering his request.
“Go and rest now,” he told him. “We will speak of this later.”
“When?”
“Later.”
Gart gazed up at him, stricken at the real possibility that de Lohr would not release him. “But I must return to Emberley,” he stood up, weaving wearily. “I cannot remain here much longer.”
David could see how exhausted the man was, now mentally weakened with everything that was going on. He moved back in Gart’s direction.
“She is safe, is she not?” he asked. “There is nothing to worry over. You do not have to rush….”
Gart put up a hand to interrupt him. “Aye, I do,” his gaze was intense, almost imploring. “You do not understand. I cannot stomach to be away from her. Already, I have been gone from her for six days and I can hardly breathe for want of her. My lord, I must be released from my oath because I know that I will never again be an effective knight for you. My thoughts, heart and body are with Lady Emberley and always will be. You would order me to go to France and fight for Buckland but I will not. I cannot. That therefore makes me ineffective and worthless.”
David regarded him carefully. “You would disobey me?”
Gart shook his head even before David got the question out of his mouth. “Nay, my lord,” he said. “I would kill for you and I would die for you. But I will not go to France and fight for Buckland.”
David sighed in resignation and scratched his chin. “You do not have to worry about that,” he told him. “I have already withdrawn my support. Buckland was at Bellham today because he came to demand that I turn you over to him. Somehow, he knows you have his wife. He does not know where you have her because, presumably, if he did he would go and retrieve her. So he came here to demand you. I struck him in the face and sent him along his way.”
Gart’s eyes widened. “You… you struck him?”
“I did.”
Gart was taken aback at the predicament David put himself in. “You did this to protect me?”
David rolled his eyes. “Christ, Gart, must we truly revisit this? You saved my life in the France. I have always owed you a debt of gratitude. I am happy to protect you. I will also release you from your oath if that is what you truly want but I am hoping you will reconsider. The de Lohr war machine will not be the same without you. I need you.”
“She needs me more, my lord.”
David grinned. “Nay,” he said softly. “You needhermore.”
Gart shrugged, nodded, conceding the point. “Please, my lord,” he begged softly. “Whatever you can do for us with regards to the state of her marriage… I cannot tell you how grateful I would be. I cannot live without her.”
David sighed again, clapping him on a broad shoulder. “You know I will do all that I can,” he said, giving him a shove towards the solar door. “You will go and rest now. I will speak with you later.”
Gart nodded, hanging his head a moment before speaking. “I am sorry to have disappointed you, my lord.”
