She turned her face up again to meet his lips.
Frederica picked a leaf out of Roderick’s hair. “There. No one will be able to tell what you have been up to.” She glanced down at her grass-stained skirt. “Whereas I will have to sneak up to my room and change before anyone sees me.” It had been worth it, though. She could not have waited until nightfall to be in his arms, and if the forest floor was less comfortable than a bed, so be it.
“You could not look lovelier in my eyes,” he said with a catch in his voice. “I suppose I should announce my presence to Elizabeth and Darcy, with apologies for my sudden appearance. Though I would be happier avoiding all the social demands and sleeping on the ground in Rowan's dovecote at the Dower House.” His voice dropped. “I am only here for you.”
A memory assailed her, of her own night in the dovecote, waiting to hear if Roderick would live or die. Then it struck her - Roderick must have no idea of the current inhabitants of the Dower House. “You might want to rethink that. We have some... oh, goodness, there is no easy way to tell youthis. Lady Anne Darcy is now living in the Dower House, along with her guests, the king and queen. Yes,that king, though he is no longer mad, thanks to Coquelicot. He never comes to the main house, thankfully.”
He stiffened. “You must be joking. No, I can see you are not. Rowan told me nothing of this!”
“All the dragons were sworn to secrecy about it,” she said. “For his safety, you know. Especially since Darcy refuses to allow any royal guards onto Pemberley land. He says the wards are enough.”
“Still...” He shook his head. “I should not stay here. If he caught a whiff of who I am, even if all he discovers is that I am a mage, it could risk everything.” He closed his eyes, then said urgently. “I want to be with you, more than I can tell you. Could you come to the Companion's House at the Nest?”
“For a day, perhaps, but the Dark Peak Eldest insists that I must stay here. Otherwise I would already be there.” She hesitated. “It has not been easy, pretending that nothing is wrong. Elizabeth has guessed, I think, though she respects it when I say I do not wish to discuss it.”
“And Darcy already knows, if not the details, at least that there is something between us.” He pulled her against him, holding her tightly as if he wished to make her part of himself.
“Darcyknows?” That was an unpleasant surprise.
“He warned me, when I was here before, to be less obvious about it. He did not want your father to discover our connection.”
Frederica made a rude noise. “It is none of my father's business.”
“True, but I imagine your life will be easier if he remains ignorant of it.”
Which served as a reminder of a tender subject. “You do not wish to tell your father, either.”
He winced. “He knows. The choice was not mine, in the end. The land told him there was something not-right about me, that I was not fully present there. He pressed until I admitted it. He took it about as well as I expected, which is to say, with great dismay. There was a lot of noise about the treacherousSaesontrying to destroy Gwynedd through me.”
“TheSaeson?” The Welsh word felt strange in her mouth.
His lips twisted. “The English. It is not a compliment.”
“What happened then? And do not tell me it is best to leave it, for whatever he said, I have imagined much worse.”
“I tried to tell him that you were like Granny, both in spirit and as a Truth-casting dragon companion. He said it took fifty years before the people forgave her simply for being born English, and she was not in the line of succession. But mostly he told me we could not take the risk of having you draw attention to us.” He sighed deeply. “Which I could not argue with, because it is true.”
She wanted to disagree with him, oh, so much! But he was right. If he did not have the King's Bond to his land, she would beg him to risk it. But the King's Bond was a death sentence if the government learned of it. They could not afford having a Welshman with that much magical power within the country. She loved him too much to expose him to that danger.
But oh! It was so unfair! The King's Bond should be a miraculous, wonderful thing. Instead it stood in their way.
She swallowed hard. “Was he at least pleased by your bond to Rowan?”
“Not displeased, at least, even though Rowan is an English dragon in his mind. Which is ridiculous, since dragons have no nationalities. But we did not announce it to the people yet. Time enough for that when Rowan goes back with me.”
She did not want to think about him leaving, not until she had to. “Would you agree to let me talk to Elizabeth and Darcy about you being here? They would understand why you want to avoid Lady Anne, and I think they would be willing to help you stay out of her way. She only comes to the house now and then to see the baby, and Their Majesties have never ventured beyond the gardens of the Dower House.”
He frowned. “Then why are they there?”
“The king insists on staying near Coquelicot.” At his baffled look, she exclaimed, “Of course! You know nothing about the bindings!” Quickly she explained what they had learned about Lady Catherine's long-ago activities.
“No wonder they call her the Traitor Companion,” Roderick said in a low voice. “I would not wish that fate even upon the king of England, whose name I would otherwise curse.”
“Look who I found, skulking outside,” Frederica announced cheerfully. “Do you mind if he stays here for a few days?”
Elizabeth rose to greet the Welshman who had entered beside Frederica. “I would be delighted! Roderick, how lovely to see you again. I had thought it might be years, if ever.” She had missed his company, too, especially since Frederica had been in poor spirits since his departure.
And now she seemed back to her former self. Of course. Poor Frederica!
