A Dishonorable Knight(100)
"You can't learn everything from books, Elena."
She was about to retort when she thought of the past month spent in Gareth's company. Truly she could never have learned what she did from him in a book! Deciding to hold her tongue and watch the clouds, she felt a relaxing sense of peace. The pulse of the surf on the beach, the sun warming her face, the wind caressing her hair lulled her into a state in which she began to pick out shapes and patterns. Amazing how I never understood until now the pastime of cloud watching, she thought. Her inexperienced imagination took a while to actually see the vivid images Gareth had described, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
After their bodies had cooled from their run, Elena began to grow chilly in the constant breeze and she moved closer to Gareth, plastering herself to his warm side. He brought his left arm out from behind his head to caress her shoulders and back. When she continued to shiver, he sat up. "Let's move around some more. That will warm you."
Elena nodded and allowed him to help her to her feet. She stood patiently, enjoying his attentions, while he brushed the sand and grass off her back and plucked it out of her hair. When she was properly groomed, Gareth took her hand and led her further south along the coast, stopping now and again to show her a shell polished by the pounding surf or point out a sand crab as it made its way across the rough beach. They explored for the remainder of the afternoon, finally making their way back to Samuel's shop when the sun began to dip into the fathomless blue of the ocean.
The instant they stepped into the back room, Bryant accosted them. "Where have you been?" he asked Gareth in a voice uncharacteristic in its sharpness. Morgan and Cynan glanced up from their conversation, clearly surprised.
"I went down to the docks. I thought I might spend the day sailing. It's been years since I've been on the water. But those fishermen who were going out didn't have room for stowaways so I just roamed the beach. It was a beautiful day. You should have been there."
"I would have had I or anyone else here known you were leaving. You must have arisen quite early," Bryant said skeptically.
"I thought I'd better. Those fishermen usually leave before dawn."
To Elena, it was clear that Bryant was extremely jealous. Though she was well aware he was taken with her, she had given him no intimation that she favored him above friendship. As he turned to her, his hostility was quickly smothered and he asked her, "Where did you disappear to, Lady Elena? I knocked at your door several times this afternoon to see if you were feeling all right but there was no answer. Had I known you desired fresh air, I would have been more than happy to provide an escort."
"I didn't want to trouble anyone. I remembered my way to the beach from the other night. It's not that far so I just walked by myself. I met Gareth down there and he escorted me home."
Before Bryant could say anything else, Elena pointedly turned away and joined Morgan and Cynan at the fireplace. Bryant made sure to fill the empty seat next to her before Gareth had a chance to. He repeated the performance again at dinner, much to Gareth's annoyance. The meal was more subdued than the previous night's, partly due to the absence of the mead, partly due to their reduced numbers. Many of the men from the night before had returned home.
The mood lightened a bit after dinner as they sat round the fire. Samuel and Morgan took turns telling the old stories of Wales. Like the great bards who visited the king's castles, each man wove intricate stories, each trying to outdo the other.
"Well spoken, Samuel," Morgan said when the other man finished an intricate tale of Welsh history. "That is a different version than I have heard before."
"My grandfather taught it me and he was always meticulous about details," Samuel said, a bit defensively.
Elena yawned widely and loudly. Then men in the room laughed aloud but their good natured laughter did not prevent her from being mortified at her unladlylike behavior. Deciding that she need not be so concerned--this was, after all, Wales, far from court life--she stood and excused herself from the men's company. "Thank you for the enjoyable entertainment."
Gareth quickly stood before Bryant could and took her arm to escort her to her room.
At the door to her small room, Elena turned expectantly to Gareth. She knew he could not join her now, with the other men still awake, but she was determined to have a kiss--something she had been denied all evening. Lifting her head, she pressed her lips against Gareth's, waiting for him to return the kiss. When he did not, she pulled back abruptly.