Valteri took her by the arms, his touch strangely gentle. “Forgive me, milady, but I cannot believe in what you say. If I accept your belief, then I must accept what the priests have told me about myself, and I refuse to believe Lucifer is my father.”
He released her and headed for the stable.
Ariel watched him go, her heart thumping heavily against her breast. No wonder he’d isolated himself from everyone. She could barely conceive the loneliness, pain, and despair such isolation must cause.
The human soul had never been created for such a journey. ’Twas a wonder Valteri had lasted so long.
“Milady?”
She turned to see Wace standing in the doorway. “Aye?”
“The people are anxious. The steward wishes for your return so that they may be soothed.”
Ariel stepped toward him. She studied the youth, his face pensive and drawn. “Tell me, Wace. How long have you traveled with Valteri?”
A frown drew his brows together. “Almost four years now, milady. Why?”
She sighed and glanced back at the stable as Valteri left it astride his charger. Without looking in their direction, he galloped through the bailey and out the gate. “Has he always been as he is now?”
His frown deepened. “I know not what you mean.”
“Has he always avoided being with people?”
“Aye. Truth, this is one of the few times we have stayed in a manor for more than a day or so. Normally we travel from battle to battle, or tourney to tourney, seldom ever sleeping indoors.”
“Has he ever spoken to you about why he chooses to live such a way?”
“Nay. He seldom speaks to me other than to give me my duties.”
Her heart aching, Ariel moved to return inside, but Wace caught her arm.
“Please don’t judge him harshly, Lady Ariel. I know the types of things servants and men whisper about him, but I swear on my own soul that they’re all lies. Lord Valteri may not be godly, but he’s far from a sinister demon. In all the time I’ve served him, he’s never once raised his voice or his hand to me. But many times my former master led me to mass while bruises darkened my flesh from the blows he’d personally delivered. Lord Valteri is a good man, undeserving of such criticisms.”
She patted his arm. “’Tis honorable the way you stand by your lord, but have no fear. You need not defend him to me. Like you, I know he’s not the monster others think. You may rest easy on that account.”
Wace nodded and returned inside.
Holding the door, Ariel stared in the direction Valteri had ridden.
She must find the loose rivet in that armor he kept around his heart, and remove it before it was too late. And something inside told her that her time was almost expired.
He was dead set on a fatal quest.
And it was near the end.
CHAPTER10
Achill wind stole up Ariel’s spine as she stood on the battlements looking out over the dark valley. The sentry moved past her, but said nothing. She knew he must think her mad the way she’d stood here since supper broke apart. Yet that didn’t concern her. It was her husband’s absence that continued to plague her thoughts most.
Though she could scarcely see more than a few feet from the gate and her body shook from the cold, she couldn’t leave her post. She needed to watch for him. Something inside kept her feet still, her gaze locked onto the eerie forest below. If she listened carefully, the rustling wind would fade and she could almost swear she heard Valteri riding over the land, searching for the comfort he needed.
“Milady?”
Ariel turned, expecting to see the sentry. Instead, it was the eldest Saxon nobleman. A frown lined her brow. Whatever could he want with her?
“Greetings, milord. What brings you away from the fire?”
“Like you, I couldn’t sleep. I thought a walk might calm my troubled thoughts.” His gaze drifted to the sentry several feet away and he whispered, “’Tis most difficult to rest in the home of my enemies.”
