A Knight in Central Park(95)
His words so deeply revealed the pity she had already inspired in him. Her gut wrenched. “Naught to be sorry about,” she said softly, feigning a smile. “Life will soon return to normal and all will be well.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
I’m so glad you are here. It helps me to realize how beautiful my world is.
—Ranier Maria Rilke
Overall, the ride had been long and tiring and they all bore two days of dust and grunge. The horses quickened their pace sensing that rest was near. Joe was relieved to see the inn. Before they set off again he planned to take a hot bath and a long nap.
Alexandra wasted no time in jumping from her mount, handing the leather straps to Garrett so she could hurry to her sisters who must have seen them coming since they were already running through the open fields toward them.
“Where is Mary?” Susan asked, her brow creasing with worry.
Alexandra gathered both sisters into her arms. “She is well,” she told them. “Let us go inside and I will tell you all.”
Rebecca paused, letting her sisters walk ahead as she glanced over her shoulder at Joe. He winked. “I have your gift right here,” he said, patting his saddlebag.
She smiled, then hurried to catch up to her sisters.
Nothing was lost on Rebecca, he thought. Such a smart girl for her age. He only wished she would talk again. The longer she held back, the harder it would be for her.
Never, Joe realized hours later, would he have imagined that a bath in a wooden tub could be so satisfying. Almost as good as the nap he’d taken on a straw mattress. Some of life’s smallest pleasures were definitely overlooked. His clothes had been cleaned and although they were damp, he felt so much better.
Joe had drifted off to sleep thinking about all the things Alexandra had said about his father. Joe knew better than anyone that Alexandra could take care of herself, but still, he hated the thought of leaving her. He would like nothing better than to have her return home with him, but it wasn’t fair to ask her to choose between the life she knew and the unknown. Besides, she had family. Her sister was married now, and Mary, too, would have a family soon.
Alexandra was wrong about his father. The man wanted to spend time with his only son, but he was too obsessed with finding the Black Knight to find the time. His father’s work had taken priority, but that didn’t mean he loved Joe any less. When Joe returned home, he would tell his father who the Black Knight was, and then things would be different.
Joe gazed at the broadsword. It had been like a dream, his being dubbed a Knight by the King of England himself. Who would have guessed? And then to have Sir Richard bestow upon him the very candlestick Alexandra had first pointed out to him. It was all too much, too perfect, too surreal. Smiling, he pulled the candlestick from his bags, admired its incredibly detailed metalwork, then turned at the sound of a creaky door.
Waving Rebecca in, he watched her come forward with the doll tucked beneath the crook of her arm. As always, her thumb was shoved inside her mouth, and he wondered how many more years she’d be sucking on it. “Did you brush your teeth while we were gone, like I told you?”
She shook her head.
“Your teeth will rot and fall out. You don’t want that to happen, do you?”
She shook her head again.
“Just take a wet rag like I told you and rub it on those teeth, both sides, before bed. You won’t forget tonight?”
She shook her head.
“Good girl.” He saw her glance at the candlestick he was holding. “This is a candlestick. It’s not your gift so you can stop frowning.”
She looked relieved.
He smiled at her and rubbed the top of her head before he set the candlestick on the nightstand and turned back toward the bags piled on the high bed. He shuffled through them until he found what he was looking for. And then he laughed as he brought forth a new doll, another gift from Sir Richard. This doll was made of silk threads wrapped around a wire frame. It had an embroidered face, real hair, braided, and it was dressed in a simple linen chemise beneath a skirt. “Look at the petticoats,” he said. “There are two of them. One is silk and one is velvet. And look at these fine sleeves and how they have been decorated with tiny seed pearls.” He handed it to her. “Here, it’s yours. Do you like it?”
Her smile faded the moment she laid eyes on it.
There was a knock before the door came open. It was Alexandra and she put a hand to her chest. “There you are, Rebecca. We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”