“I do not mean to pry, but you said that Cadelyn of Vendotia loves you and that you love her,” he said hesitantly. “And you were riding escort to deliver the woman you love to another man?”
Kress wouldn’t lie to him. “Aye, my lord.”
“I find that astonishing.”
Kress smiled weakly. “You were her betrothed,” he said simply. “It was my duty, my lord, and I intended to see it through in case you were wondering. I had no intention of interfering and the lady is not compromised. She would have gone to your marriage bed a virgin.”
Tatius regarded him for a moment. In truth, he should have been incensed about this. The knight was correct– the lady washisbetrothed. But not having any desire or attachment to the betrothal his brothers had forced him into gave him an ambiguous detachment to it. He wasn’t incensed in the least,but he was coming to see a humanity to it– the humanity of a woman and the knight who loved her but was fully prepared to give her up.
That touched him.
“From a knight of William Marshal’s, I would have no doubt that was the truth,” he said. “Most men would not have such self-control with a woman they loved, whether or not she belonged to him.”
Kress didn’t let on that he’d almost lost his self-control. There was no point. “Nobility had nothing to do with it, my lord,” he said. “The lady never belonged to me in body, only in heart. But given that you have just surrendered the betrothal, I would like to say… I would like to thank you for changing my life, although it seems inappropriate to say so. You risked yourself to come and tell your betrothed’s escort not to deliver her to you. It takes an unselfish man to do that, my lord, and I shall forever be grateful. You have no idea just how grateful.”
Tatius had never considered himself to be heroic in this situation, so Kress’ words gave him a moment of pause. Had he really changed a man’s life by trying to prevent a tragedy? His intentions hadn’t been altruistic, merely self-preservation. Still, it made him feel rather pleased to realize that, for once, he’d done something for the good of someone else.
Perhaps that knight he’d once been long ago was still there, and still noble, indeed.
“Then I am pleased if something good will come of this,” he said. “Before I go, however, may I see her? Call it curiosity and nothing more. Cadelyn of Vendotia has a great heritage.”
Kress nodded, a smile playing on his lips. “Wait here.”
Tatius did. As he moved to polish off the rest of the pitcher of ale, Kress raced up the steps to the second floor, taking two at a time. Achilles was already up there, pulling Susanna from the chamber where she had been standing at the door, preparedto cut down anyone who tried to enter. Kress burst into the doorway, so swiftly that the dog, who had been sleeping in his favorite place upon the bed, rolled onto his feet and stood up, barking. Kress shushed the dog as he came into the chamber, facing a startled Cadelyn.
There was fear on her face as she jumped up, looking at him with wide eyes. “What is wrong?” she said. “Why are Achilles and Susanna running?”
Kress had the most remarkable smile on his face. “Because,” he said, grasping her by the arms and taking a moment to simply gaze into her sweet face. “Something has happened, indeed. I have a question for you and you must be completely truthful in your answer.”
Cadelyn eyed him, wondering why he looked so flushed. “What is it?”
“Do you think you could be happy as the wife of a mere knight?”
She blinked at the question, as if she didn’t quite understand it, but she was a sharp woman. From the look on his face, she caught his meaning, as improbable as it was. After a moment, her eyes widened.
“With whom?” she gasped. “You?”
Kress couldn’t ever remember feeling more joy in his entire life. “Aye.”
Her hands flew to her mouth. “Nay!” she cried. “It cannot be! But how? Why?”
“That is not an answer to my question. Could you be happy as my wife?”
Her answer was to throw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She hit him so hard that she’d rammed his throat, and he coughed as she hugged him tightly.
“Aye, I could,” she said fervently. “Until the end of all things, I could. Can I be happy as your wife? I could be nothing else.”
He laughed low in his throat, hugging her tightly before releasing her. “That is good,” he said, “but the celebration will have to wait. We must leave here and we must leave now.”
Cadelyn went from shock to joy to confusion and back again. “Why?” she asked. “What has happened, Kress? Why must we…?”
He cut her off, gently, by turning her around for her capcases, which were against the wall. “I have no time to explain right now,” he said. “Pack one satchel and one satchel only because we will be riding on my steed. He is strong, but he cannot carry too much extra weight since we must flee quickly. Hurry, now. There is no time to waste.”
Confused, she made a halfhearted attempt to move to her capcases. “We areallleaving?”
“Not all of us,” he said impatiently. “Hurry, sweetheart.”
She opened the lids of her cases. “Who, then?”
