Chapter Twenty-Five
Davinia shifted in her sleep against the warmth of the body behind her. An arm slung around her waist in a protective hold pulled her even closer. She let go of a satisfied sigh before her mind started to wonder. She had spent the night with Gawain, it was not what they had initially planned, but after the moments they shared the previous night, it was hard to stick to that decision.
A sleepy groan rumbled in Gawain's chest behind her, her eyes fluttering open when he moved, letting his head fall in the crook of her neck. The window was still open from the night before, allowing the morning sun to illuminate the room, fresh air filling her nostrils as soft kisses peppered their way down her shoulders. "Good morning, m'eudail." Davinia sighed, her eyes closing at the deepness of Gawain's morning voice. "Did ye sleep well?"
"Well enough." She turned on her back, allowing his arm to cage her on the bed. "Don't ye look charming this fine morning!" Gawain playfully rolled his eyes at her, teasing as she reached up to smoothen out his messy hair, running her hand down to cup his face, his stubble prickling her skin softly.
"You’re begging for a kiss, aren’t yer?"
"Am I?" She giggled as she brought his face down for a kiss, lips molding into each other. "We should get ready fer the day." She mumbled against his lips once they pulled apart, but she was ignored as Gawain went down for another kiss as his hand skimmed the side of her hips, picking up her thigh and letting it rest over his.
Davinia did not want to encourage him, seeing as she had her duties to attend to and she was already late, but it was hard to reject his advances when he was like this. She managed to bite back a moan as Gawain worked his way down to her chest. She lightly pushed his head away from her collarbone, holding him down. "We have to get ready, Gawain. We both have our duties. I’ve to oversee the servants, and ye’ve to tend to yer men and the village."
Before Gawain could utter a word of complaint, she let go of him and slipped out of bed. Finding and picking up her dress from the corner they had kicked it in, she promptly slipped into it as she heard Gawain mumble and curse while he got out of bed.
"Be a dear and lace me dress up fer me." Davinia swept her hair off her back as she turned her bare back to him. He took his time, she noticed. Not because he found it difficult. Gawain clung to any opportunity he had to touch her. Turning her around to press a kiss on her hair when he was done. He had put on his breeches messily, the cloth falling to sit on his hips as he combed his fingers through her hair.
"I ken I’ve a comb, but heaven kens where I tossed it. Leave yer hair down. Ye look so beautiful like this." Gawain mused much to Davinia's amusement. She loved his touch as much as he loved touching her. She was not going to complain. "Where is yer ribbon? Do nae wear it. I’ve something else fer ye."
Davinia watched him pick up his bag, rummaging through it until he pulled out a hairpin. She couldn't help but swoon at the gift as he dropped it rather unceremoniously in her hands.
"Do ye like it? The merchant said it was jade. I’ve been meaning to give it to ye, but I could nae find the best timing. Ye like it?"
"Aye, ‘tis beautiful...thank ye," Davinia replied as Gawain fastened it in her hair before pressing a kiss to her blonde hair once more.
"Aye, ye need to get ready fer yer work. Will I be seeing ye later at night? Will ye stay the night with me again?" Davinia smiled as much as she could though it faltered a little at the sides.
"I do nae think so, Gawain. Nae tonight." As much as Davinia wished the morning would go on, she knew they both could not afford to get caught just yet. At least not until they were both ready to make the courtship public. With where Gawain stood with the clan, it was better to sort out his rocky relationship with the clan first.
With that in mind, it was easy for Davinia to detach herself from her lover for the time being, much to her dismay. Her work in the keep kept her on her feet for the majority of the day. She found out breakfast had already been served but luckily, her presence was not as required in the kitchen except it was for a feast. It was the area with the more inexperienced staff she had a series of problems with.
Davinia was an extremely tolerant woman, but being the housekeep was a job that frequently tried her patience. Her experienced staff were diligent enough to carry out tasks without any issues. Davinia was particularly proud of her work when she entered a busy kitchen, garden or hall with her experienced staff dutifully performing their tasks. It was her new staff she often had an issue with.
She was used to the usual setbacks and accidents as she had once been exactly like those servants, nervous yet wanting to impress. As hard as it might be for anyone in her shoes, Davinia did make sure to set each servant on the proper path. Some got it almost instantly, while some ended up needing a little bit more guidance. At the end of the day, no matter how stressful her job was, Davinia would find something they were good at and loved doing.
It was nearing lunch when Davinia found out she had not seen Gawain because he had ridden off into village with his men. He had given her a brief breakdown of each man in his regiment, and Davinia thought the boy who followed Gawain around simply adored the man. Hansel, as Gawain had called him, was a young lad who Davinia had soon noticed acted the part of Gawain's second in command, dashing right after Gawain at every turn. If Gawain noticed, which she knew he did, he said nothing.
During lunch, the keep went into a frenzy as news arrived that Hector regained consciousness. The Laird had refused to let anyone in other than the healer, his wife and Davinia this time around. Even Hector's maid was barred.
Hector looked weak, covered in bruises and a few wounds. He fell back asleep not long after and only jolted back awake when Gawain, who had returned from the village, forced himself into the room despite the guard's protests.
"Aye, he still looks just about dead." Gawain clicked his tongue, causing his brother to shove him away from the bed. As much as Gawain had poked fun to lighten the mood about Hector's attack, she could tell he was still worried about the man's wellbeing and seeing him awake must have relieved him.
Of course, she knew what would commence from then on. Once Hector was out of bed, an investigation would start properly. She did agree with Gawain that whoever stole her key would be the one who stole Hector's. All they had to do was find who had attacked Hector, and they would find their key thief as well as the plans stolen from the laird's study.
Hector only had to give a name.
"He said what?" Davinia came to a sudden halt in front of Gawain, the tray she was carrying almost spilling from her hands.
"Aye, Hector said he could nae remember the face." Gawain leaned against the wall, easing out of the way for Davinia and her tray of food. Lunch had been served late as the Laird had rushed to see Hector the moment the news reached him. Servants pooled out of the kitchen, each tray filled with different delicacies suited for only the laird's family. Davinia handed her tray to an empty-handed servant so she could properly speak with Gawain.
"How could he nae remember the face of the person that attacked him? Did he nae get a good look at them?"
"I would nae ken, but this seems rather suspicious. He suddenly forgets the person's face when we need it the most. We've been waiting fer him to wake up, and when he does, it's nae use." Gawain scratched the back of his head, his hair ruffling up the slightest before he pushed himself off the wall. "I suspect he may be lying." Davinia gasped, reaching up to slap a hand over his mouth.
"Do nae say that!" Davinia replied, surprised.
"Aye. But does it nae make you question the bizarre occurrences lately? First the fire, then Hector is missing and found beaten."
