Page 87 of The Noble Servant

“You took care of me, remember? And I let you. And now you have to let me take care of you.”

“Your swollen lip is better.” She smiled. “The cut over your eye is almost healed.”

“Now, don’t worry. We will eat our food and sleep, and in the morning you’ll feel better. If God so wills, Lord Hazen would not find us even if we stayed at Rosings Abbey for a week.”

When they reached the abbey, the nuns sent Steffan to another part of the convent. They gave Magdalen a hot bowl of rabbit stew and showed her to the same room where she had slept on her way to Wolfberg, before Agnes and her father forced her to change places with her.

With her stomach full from the stew and some wheat bread and butter, Magdalen lay back in her narrow but comfortable bed and read from the Psalter that one of the nuns’ young servants had brought her. She had not seen her own Psalter since Agnes took her things.

As she read the familiar psalms of David, she was suddenly jealous that Steffan had read the entire Bible. What secrets and knowledge and wisdom did he have that she did not? He did seem rather more patient and gentle than other young men—not that she’d met many young men.

A knock came at her door. “Come in.”

A middle-aged nun entered looking quite sober, her brows drawn together. She sat on a stool next to Magdalen’s bed.

“My dear, the other nuns tell me that you are traveling with a young man who is not your husband, just the two of you.”

“It is true.”

“There are many things that can happen to a young woman traveling alone with a man who is not her husband. I would like to set you on your guard.”

“I thank you for that. If I were with almost any other young man, I might have cause to be alarmed or even afraid. But you see, this young man, whom I shall call Stoffel, is very ... noble-minded, and not the kind of young man to take advantage of anyone, and he knows I have no intention of allowing anyone to take advantage of me. I shall not marry except for true love, and neither he nor I are in love.” She smiled to show that she was in no way being oppressed or coerced. But as she said the words, a twinge of pain stabbed her heart.

“Are you sure he is not in love with you?” The woman squinted and tilted her head as she stared into her eyes. “I was there when he was told he would have to separate from you. The look on his face—”

“Oh, I can assure you that you are mistaken. We are only friends, like brother and sister.” So why did tears threaten and sting her eyes? Steffan was not in love with her, but she ... she could certainly see the wisdom of this woman’s words. It was unwise for a young woman to travel alone with a young man—especially a young man like Steffan—because she was in danger of falling in love with him.

But she did not feel the need to share that information.

“I sense that you are troubled. Is there anything I can helpyou with?” Only the nun’s face was visible, and from the slight wrinkles around her eyes, Magdalen guessed she was probably a little younger than Magdalen’s mother’s forty years.

“I don’t think so. I am trying to get something back that was taken from me. But I don’t think there is anything you could do to help, although I thank you for your willingness to offer.”

“Sometimes we must wait on God for help, and I believe God wants you to wait on Him now, for true love as well as getting back what was taken.”

Magdalen smiled. “Thank you. I’m sure you are right.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Magdalen’s heart thumped harder as they drew near to Wolfberg Castle. They could not let any of the guards see them entering, so they left their horses at a stable in the village at the base of the castle mount. Steffan led them on foot around the front gate through the woods.

Neither of them spoke. Magdalen followed as he dodged around trees and bushes. She was completely lost, but he grew up here, so he knew where he was—she hoped.

“We have had quite an exciting quest, have we not?” He raised one brow.

She couldn’t help smiling at him. “Yes, if you think running for our lives and nearly getting killed or captured is exciting.”

“You should admit that you enjoyed our adventure.”

She drew in a quick breath. “Highly presumptuous. I suppose that is the way with dukes.”

“Other dukes. I am merely being honest and prompting the same honesty from you.”

“Oh, is that what you call it? Very well, I do enjoy being with you. It is the most excitement, as you call it, I’ve had my entire life. But you seem to think it is nearly over. We still have to defeat yourevil uncle and cousin. We have no assurance that we shall have any allies in our fight, and Lord Hazen and his men could return at any time.”

“I like to think we have survived the most difficult parts.”

They moved through the trees down a shallow hillside until they came to a rushing stream. It was narrow enough that he was able to leap over it. He turned and extended his hand to her. She grasped it and jumped across. Then they moved up the hill.