An Uncertain Choice(7)

For the briefest of moments, I allowed myself a peek at the retinue of soldiers the duke had in his service. Three knights were mounted directly behind the duke’s steed, set apart from the others — ?obviously his most trusted men. I skimmed over two of them, but at the sight of the emblem of the fire-?breathing dragon on the third, I stopped.

The slit in the man’s visor was too narrow to see his eyes, but he gave me the barest of nods. And that was all it took to know that he acknowledged our earlier encounter.

Perhaps now I would have the chance to thank him properly.

The duke followed my gaze to the dragon knight, and his brow quirked. I quickly shifted my focus back to the fatherly figure standing before me. “After your lengthy absence, I’m sure your attention is greatly sought after throughout the land.”

He released my hand, and his smile dimmed. “Yes, there are many cares that need my attention. But of them all, your situation is the most urgent.”

“Most urgent? But of course not.” I waved my hand toward the town and to the farm fields and forests beyond. “As you can see, my land is prosperous and at peace.”

All was indeed well, except for the recent outbreaks of the strange illness in two neighboring towns. But thankfully it hadn’t spread, as had happened when the Plague took the lives of my parents.

He studied my face and the seriousness in his expression stilled my racing thoughts. “I’d hoped to visit you earlier, and now I regret that we only have one month left until you turn eighteen.”

“Have no regrets, your Grace.”

The duke began to shake his head.

“It’s all right,” I assured him. “I’ve come to accept my parents’ vow. And I’ve prepared myself for my future in the convent. I’ll embrace the life set before me.”

The duke’s face tightened with an intensity that once again put me on edge. Something in his silver eyes told me that he was about to deliver life-altering news. The only trouble was, I didn’t want to hear it if so. It had taken four years to adjust to the devastating revelation of my parents’ vow. That recovery had been enough.

Should I send the duke away before he could say anything? I glanced to James, who peeked around the corner of the doorway before popping back inside. So much for having a club-wielding giant to protect me.

As if sensing my wariness, the duke reached for my hand to prevent me from leaving. “Please hear me out, dear one.”

Maybe I needed to wait for the abbot to arrive so I would have someone to lean on. But as soon as the thought sifted through me, I pushed it aside. Hadn’t I just lamented the fact that the abbot was still treating me like a child all too often? Maybe if I wanted him to respect me as an adult, I needed to act like one.

I straightened my spine and calmed the flutters inside. “Very well, your Grace. I’ll listen. Please proceed.”

The duke bowed slightly, and the seriousness in his expression did nothing to put me at ease. “After much investigating, my scribes have finally found an exception to your parents’ vow.”

Exception? To the vow? For a moment, I was speechless, unable to absorb his words. Was the duke jesting? If so, it was a heartless joke. “There’s no exception. The Ancient Vow is one passed down from the time of Samuel the prophet, when his mother Hannah gave him to Eli the priest. It’s unbreakable.”

The duke’s eyes were grave. “But, my dear, there is one exception, and only one.”

At the seriousness of his tone, my knees began to tremble. I wanted to tell him not to say anything more, that I didn’t need an exception, that I was prepared for the plans laid out for me from before my birth. But just as surely as I felt that, I realized a place deep inside needed to know of what he spoke.

I nodded at him to continue.

He reached for my hand. “If you find true love and are married before midnight on your eighteenth birthday, you will be released from the vow.”





Chapter

3




“’Tis impossible.” I paced in front of the spacious window seat where the Duke of Rivenshire sat watching me. He’d shed his armor, but he was still covered with the dust of travel. I knew I ought to allow the servants to escort him to the guest chambers and prepare him a bath, but he seemed as distraught as me and in no hurry to leave my company. At least we’d come inside the entryway, where we could have a modicum of privacy, although I was sure Trudy and James stood just inside the Great Hall listening to every word we spoke.

Outside the wide-open front doors, the men and servants who had accompanied the duke had begun the task of unloading their goods and caring for their beasts. They were surely hungry and tired and ready to relax. Especially as the scents of roasting geese, smoked hogs, and boiled mutton had drifted through the castle corridors all day. The Midsummer’s Eve feast would soon be ready and my famished guests should be served without delay.

Even so, I couldn’t turn my thoughts from the news the duke had delivered. I still couldn’t believe him.

I stopped my pacing, knelt before the duke, and took his callused hands into mine. Even though my body was outwardly calm, my insides continued to resist, like a soldier defending a besieged wall. “Tell me all you know about my parents’ vow, your Grace. I need to know everything.” Of course the abbot had explained the vow to me after the death of my parents, after I’d discovered the scroll hidden in the secret chamber of my mother’s chest. I’d realized then that my mother had tried to tell me about the vow from her deathbed, but hadn’t been able to get the words out before she’d died. Over the ensuing years, I’d always wondered why my mother had waited until so late to finally try to tell me such important news. But I could only speculate that she hadn’t brought it up because she’d wanted me to have as normal of a life as possible for as long as possible.