An Uncertain Choice(42)

I watched, each of my breaths tight with worry. A jousting tournament was likely to be riddled with danger and injuries. I’d been thankful that so far the day had been uneventful. Except for the usual scrapes and bruises, no one had been injured.

After several tense moments, the knight on the ground finally lifted an arm, allowing Sir Derrick to help him to a sitting position. After a few more minutes, Sir Derrick positioned his arm around the nobleman’s waist and helped him to his feet.

“’Twould appear Sir Derrick is the champion,” said one of the young ladies sitting nearby.

“Why am I not surprised?” laughed another of the women.

“What will you reward him, Lady Rosemarie?”

The questions and chatter flowed around me, bringing back the memory of my promise to him earlier in the day and sending warmth into my stomach. What would he request of me? I didn’t dare think he might actually ask for a kiss.

And if he did . . . would I give it?

I shivered, but not from cold.

“He’ll likely want a full purse of silver,” said one of the ladies. “After all, he owns nothing and has no prospects, unless the duke or High King is yet planning to reward him for his service to the country.”

“He has no family estates awaiting his return?” I couldn’t keep the question from escaping, although the moment it left my lips, I regretted asking. I ought not ask for information that Sir Derrick had not willingly given me.

Of course he’d told me he had no wealth or family honor, but I hadn’t supposed that meant he was completely landless.

“I don’t know Sir Derrick’s entire background,” said the woman next to me. “But I’ve heard rumors that his father once ruled lands far to the north. When Sir Derrick was but a lad, his father’s castle was attacked by a rival lord who massacred the entire family. If not for a nursemaid who escaped with Sir Derrick, he would have been killed too.”

“Oh my,” I whispered, horrified to think of the pain Sir Derrick had suffered at losing his entire family in such a brutal manner. My gaze chased after him as he assisted the injured nobleman to his tent.

Even when he made his way back to the list a few minutes later, amidst the wild cheering of the crowd, a strange ache had wrapped around my heart and wouldn’t let go.

Sir Collin and Sir Bennet surrounded Sir Derrick, along with his squires, patting him on the back and congratulating him in high fashion. They guided him toward my tent and didn’t stop until they’d congregated below me. Sir Derrick’s hair was plastered to his head, his forehead grazed with several cuts, and his cheeks coasted with the dust of the field. Even so, my pulse raced forward with unusual speed at the sight of his face angled up at me, with his grin wide with pride and his eyes bright with victory.

“Lady Rosemarie,” he called with a gallant bow. “As the champion of this tournament, I have come to dedicate my victories to you.”

With a smile, I rose. A servant proffered a red velvet pillow with a crown of laurels resting upon it. I lifted the crown. “Sir, I accept your dedication, and in return I bestow upon you this crown. You have fought valiantly, and we honor you.”

I had to lean over the edge of the gallery to place the crown upon his bent head. And when he straightened, I found my gaze colliding with his bold one, reminding me that I owed him much more than a wreath of greens.





Chapter

16




I neared the head table, my hand resting on the duke’s arm. The warm summer breeze teased my hair, which Trudy had arranged in long, dangling curls. My steps were light and my heart sang in tune to the lutes the minstrels were playing.

At my approach, the guests had risen from their tables, which were arranged in a U shape around a center stage where everyone would enjoy the play-actors’ open-air performance after the feast. As I climbed the steps of the raised dais where the guests of honor sat, I could feel Derrick’s attention on me from the end of the head table. In fact, I’d sensed him watching me from the moment I’d started across the field and toward the tables the servants had arranged for the feast.

I hadn’t dared to look at him for fear he’d see the anticipation that had been building within me all the while Trudy and the other servants had been bathing and dressing me, ridding me of the dust of the tournament.

The scent of roasted boar turning on spits in the nearby fire pits was tantalizing. It was extra work for my kitchen staff to prepare the feast outdoors near the tournament site, but I was hoping the leftovers would be easier to distribute to the townspeople, who sat on blankets nearby. And I hoped my servants would also be able to enjoy some of the festivities and play-acting.

When I reached the edge of the table, I was near enough to Derrick to catch a whiff of his soapy, clean scent. Like the other knights, he’d shed the armor and grime of the day and was now dressed in his feasting attire.

I trembled under the intensity of his stare and peeked at him out of the corner of my eyes as I passed. The tiny glimpse was my undoing. Even though he stared at me boldly, there was a nonchalance about his stance that gave me pause. He was positioned farthest away from me again, and yet he didn’t seem to mind.

Would the dinner and theater production afterward be a repeat of the dance? Would he ignore me all evening, even while I longed to be near him and speak with him?