“I will go,” she murmured. “Remember how much I love you.”
“And I love you,” he whispered.
“Promise we will be together again.”
“You are my angel and I will be with you, and no other, in this life and beyond.”
“Come on, Sheridan,” Guy was tugging at her urgently. “We must go now.”
She knew that. With a final look to sustain her, she kissed him again and was gone. Sean watched her fade into theshadows near the Flint Tower with her sister, de Braose and the priest.
This time, it was Sean who wept.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Lansdown Castle, Somerset
July, Year of our lord 1215
“Dani, where areyou?” Jocelin’s disembodied voice floated upon the warm summer air. “Dani?”
It was July in the lush green countryside of Somerset. The humidity was heavy, both from the River Avon and the not so distant sea, but it was nonetheless a lovely day infused with the scent of summer flowers.
Seated beside the lake just outside the walls of Lansdown, Sheridan lounged comfortably beneath a colorful umbrella with the water licking at her feet. Alys was sitting in the lake, for the weather was too hot for her liking, and the little pup, now grown into a little dog, leapt through the grass chasing imaginary rabbits. At the sound of Jocelin’s voice, Sheridan turned to see him wandering in the tall grass on the rise above the lake.
“Here we are,” she called back to him, waving her hand.
The bishop caught sight of her, partially hidden by a sapling, and made his way down the hill in her direction. Sheridan turned in her chair, facing the lake again and watching the bugs dance upon the waters. To her left was an easel with a half-finished painting of the lake; she wasn’t very good at painting but she enjoyed it. She’d been able to do little else over the past few months as her pregnancy advanced. She was enormous at almost seven months and her mother’s physic said she carried twins. With all of the tumbling and kicking in her belly, she was positive that he was correct.
At her feet, Alys rolled around in the water, playing with the grass at the lake’s edge. Her little sister was still the same after all these months only she had grown up just a little; she seemed more mature somehow, more somber. She no longer believed herself in love with every man she met. Gone were the flighty tendencies and temper tantrums. She lived and breathed for her sister’s comfort. Wars and tragedy had a way of maturing those they touched.
“Do you think Guy will come and visit soon?” she asked her sister as she picked at a blade. “The last time he was here, he said that he would return soon. Do you suppose that he will?”
Sheridan’s thought of de Braose and his constant presence. “I am sure he will be back shortly.”
“He always comes back.”
“Indeed he does.”
Alys cast her sister a sidelong glance as she toyed with the grass. “He loves you so, Dani,” she said softly. “You really should marry him and put him out of his misery.”
Sheridan ignored her sister, turning back to her painting. “You are going to turn into a prune if you stay in that water much longer.”
Alys tossed the grass aside and sat up, splashing water on her arms. “’Tis too hot to get out just yet,” she eyed her sister again. “Dani, do you not want the baby to have a father when it is born? Guy has been very kind to you and he would love this baby as his own. Moreover, you promised Sean that you would marry him. Do you intend to go back on your promise?”
Sheridan’s jaw began to tick. “I do not wish to discuss this with you.”
Alys suddenly stood up, water cascading off her white thighs. “And why not?” she sloshed through the water towards the shore. “You have avoided speaking with anyone about it for six months. You cannot put it off forever.”
“I can put it off forever if I wish.”
Alys reached the shore. “But this is not healthy for you,” she pleaded. “I know that you do not want to make any decisions until you have confirmation of Sean’s death, but it has been seven months now and no one has seen or heard from the man. Jocelin has sent missives to the Marshall that have gone unanswered. No one can find Gilby and not even Neely knows what became of Sean after he left him at the Tower. When are you going to come to terms with the fact that Sean is dead and you must move forward with your life?”
Sheridan threw her brush to the ground and stood up as swiftly as her swollen body would allow. Alys sighed heavily as her sister crossed her arms stubbornly. By this time, Jocelin had joined them and he instantly sensed the tension in the air. He eyed both girls.
“Dani?” he ventured. “Alys? What is the matter?”
Sheridan refused to look at him; unwinding her arms, she put her hands to the small of her back and wandered towards the lake. Alys watched her walk away with the little dog jumping happily at her feet.
