Regret built inside at thoughts of leaving her, but ’twas for the best. However much she intrigued him, naught had changed. His service to the Templars, to God, had fulfilled him over the years and ’twould do so in the future.
Except emptiness lingered at thoughts of a life without her.
Thomas damned the truth. When he rode away from Avalon Castle he would fade from her memory, but she would forever be etched in his mind.
* * *
The soft chime of bells sifted through Alesone’s sleep. Groggy, she lifted her lids. A gutted candle with a blackened wick sat atop a simple night stand like a harbinger of her empty life ahead. Uneasy she focused on the embers glowing in the hearth, flickers of hope that refused to yield.
She rubbed her eyes, the tang of fresh rushes and smoke scenting the air as she scanned the chamber. A cross hung upon the far wall.
The monastery.
Memories of the harrowing journey to the friary several days before erased the last wisps of sleep. Her legs unsteady, she sat.
She smoothed the rumpled sheet beneath her hand, paused as she remembered the fear that had filled her as they’d ridden to escape, each turn bringing them against another unknown. Throughout, Thomas had demonstrated horsemanship unlike she’d ever seen, and hadna hesitated in his every decision to keep her safe.
Even at the risk of his life.
More humbling, even wounded, he’d kept her ignorant of his injury along with the pain. A healer, she’d tended too many with similar wounds to nae understand the suffering he’d endured. But he had.
For her.
Humbled by his bravery, at how he’d risked his life to keep her safe, she slipped from the bed. Alesone padded to the hearth and laid several pieces of kindling atop the embers. Puffs of smoke swirled from beneath the dry wood. A flame flickered to life and grew.
Against the snap of the fire, memories ignited. However afraid she’s been, she had found trust, belief in him to keep her safe. And he had.
Until he’d lost consciousness.
But he had awakened, and thank God, would survive.
Relief swept through her, unlocking unbidden thoughts of how he’d wrapped her within his powerful embrace and drawn her against his muscled chest. She shivered at the remembrance of how his breaths had brushed against the curve of her ear, teased her skin until she’d wanted to turn her lips to meet his.
Shaken by the yearning he inspired, she drew a steadying breath. Though she had met many warriors, none compared to Thomas. A knight. With the skills she’d witnessed, that she could believe, but naught about him was ordinary.
And his friends. John and Brother Nicholai were smart, steadfast, and trustworthy, men who wouldna call anyone a friend who wasna of the same ilk.
She picked up a piece of kindling from the fire. A flame danced on the blackened tip as if a beacon against the darkness, like the light Thomas had brought to her life.
On edge, Alesone shoved the dry tinder into the flames, watched as the wood was engulfed. With her linage mired with King Robert’s enemy, how could Thomas view her as anything but a charge? ’Twas foolish to allow her thoughts to linger on him. He was a warrior, a man dedicated to his blade, both facts he’d made clear.
Pushing aside the tug of awareness, she brushed the dust from her hands, and jerked her gown off a nearby peg. Sunlight streamed into the room as she donned her garb. She’d see how Thomas was faring. The sooner he healed, the sooner they would be on their way.
As she stepped into the corridor, she smiled at the man exiting Thomas’s chamber. “Brother Nicholai.”
The monk pulled the door closed. “Good morning, Mistress Alesone. If you are wanting to see Thomas, he is a bit irritable. Likely due to the pain that he denies.” A smile touched his mouth. “Considering everything—that his fever is gone and he is healing is a blessing.”
“’Tis,” she agreed.
“To allow time for his foul mood to wear off, I bid you to join me to break your fast.”
“I really should go and—”
“Enjoy your meal with me.” His smile grew. “’Twould be an honor, and a wee bit selfish. Rarely do we have visitors, much less a beautiful woman, to break the fast with.”
Heat touched her cheeks at his compliment, and she nodded. She walked at his side as he started down the hall. “Thomas is blessed to have such a friend as you.”
Mirth flickered in his eyes. “Depending on when you asked Thomas, he may or may not agree. At times we dinna see eye to eye.”
