Warwolfe (de Wolfe Pack Book 0)(80)
“God’s Bones,” Gaetan muttered, yawning because of the late hour. “The conversations we have among us are most enlightening. Denis, stop looking at yourself. There is something inherently vulgar about that.”
De Winter shrugged but he stopped looking. Then he turned his back on Téo, farted loudly, and walked away. Téo, under a gas assault, waved his hands to chase off the stench and moved well away. In fact, all of the knights shifted, shoving de Winter back into the area of his own smell. Gaetan rubbed at his forehead, knowing they were all weary and somewhat inebriated, and that sleep was in order before all of the farting and insults grew out of hand.
“I am going back to the apothecary’s hut,” he told them. “I will take Téo and Jathan with me. The rest of you can either sleep in the tavern or in the livery, but return to the apothecary at dawn.”
The men nodded to the orders. “But what if Lady Ghislaine is not well enough to travel?” de Moray asked. “What then?”
That was the question all of them were asking. Gaetan folded his enormous arms in front of his chest in a pensive gesture.
“I suppose we shall decide that tomorrow,” he said. “If the fever is broken, then we shall continue with her. But if it is not, then I suppose she will have to remain. We are close enough to Alary of Mercia’s lair that we more than likely do not need her any longer. The lady and I were speculating earlier today that if Alary is still traveling as slowly as he was when we departed Westerham, then he is a few days behind us, if not more. There will be plenty of time to intercept him and reclaim Kristoph. I am sure the lady would like to be there when we do.”
“She is only our guide, Gate,” Wellesbourne said, which caused everyone to look at him in various stages of disapproval. He grew defensive. “All I am saying is that she has served her purpose. The lady was gravely injured because of us so, mayhap, it is time to relieve her of this burden. I have been in this land enough to be able to find Tenebris, so we do not need her any longer. Moreover, when we meet up with her brother, there is going to be a fight and it does not seem fair to drag her into our battle when she is already injured.”
Gaetan remained even tempered as the others frowned at Bartholomew. “She saved Kristoph from death the day he was captured,” he reminded the man. “We have gotten this far because of her. She has served a valuable purpose and I would no more cast her aside than I would cast one of you aside. Unless anyone has any objections, she will continue to be a part of our contingent while we are on this mission.”
No one seemed to have any objections and Wellesbourne remained silent, fearful that saying any more would only antagonize the group that was clearly sympathetic towards the lady. But Gaetan’s words only seemed to underscore what de Lara had said earlier, about Gaetan being in love with the woman. The Gaetan he knew would have never spared such concerned for a woman. Now, the knights were starting to see it, or at least some of them were.
Gaetan wasn’t aware of their thoughts, of course, but he was eager to get back to the apothecary because he’d been gone longer than he’d anticipated. It had been cathartic to sit with his men over hot food and enjoy good conversation. Even so, his thoughts were never far from Ghislaine. He’d relived that stolen kiss a few times, wondering what it would be like when she actually returned his kisses. The thought had made him smile.
Now, he glanced up in the sky, seeing that the stars had changed because of the late hour. The moon was sitting low on the horizon as clouds drifted across the heavens.
“If no one has anything more to say, then seek your beds, all of you,” he said. “I will see you on the morrow.”
As he turned in the direction of the apothecary’s hut with Téo beside him, Aramis stepped forward. “I would like to go with you to see if the lady’s condition has changed,” he said politely.
Gaetan’s gaze lingered on him a moment. Even though there was an understanding between them about Ghislaine, he didn’t want Aramis hanging around her. He wanted that right reserved for himself. But he couldn’t deny the man because everyone would wonder why he had, so he simply waved him on. As he started to walk, he realized that the entire group was following him, even Wellesbourne, because they all wanted to see how the lady was faring.
Realizing this would now be a group effort, Gaetan simply led the way. In truth, he was pleased that his battle-hardened men were showing their compassion and concern. They’d been through so much death and destruction together that sometimes he wondered if they still had that capacity. He’d often wondered if he still did, but the past several days had shown him that they all did, still. Beneath the warrior facades, there was still something decent beneath although, when in action upon the field of battle, it was difficult to see otherwise.
The apothecary’s hut was an odd-shaped structure that was attached to more structures that belonged to the avenue behind him, which was a street of bakers and grain brokers. In fact, Gaetan had almost missed the apothecary’s door the first time because it was lodged in a half-moon-shaped annex that attached to his hut, all of it set back from the street. This time, he knew exactly where he was going and, putting a finger to his lips to silence the conversation behind him, he opened the door and ducked inside.
That earthy, musty smell was the first thing Gaetan was aware of as he came through the door. It was so dark that he literally couldn’t see anything and he stumbled in the general direction of the bed where he’d left Ghislaine.