Page 63 of Warrior’s Lady

Chapter Eighteen

By late afternoon many of the castle's residents had given up witnessing a miracle. One by one, they wandered away to return to their daily routines until only Rhiannon, Violet, Orrin, Hamish, Travis, and Rhys remained near the hearth. Hamish and Travis sat at a table to the side the hearth, keeping watch as they always did. Rhiannon had to admit that in Camden's absence, the warriors' presence made her feel more at ease. They would protect her and Violet should something happen.

Violet yawned. She tugged on one of her long golden curls, pulling it straight, then releasing it to watch it spring back to its original shape.

The others waited. And waited. "How long will this miracle take?" Rhiannon asked, growing restless.

"He was almost dead," Orrin said, stretching his legs before him as he lounged on a bench that he'd dragged near the fire.

When the man did not revive right away, they had arranged for a pallet to be brought for his bed. He lay silently against the heather stuffed ticking. Despite the fact that the grayness had vanished from his face and his bleeding had stopped, Rhiannon was amazed the man yet lived.

She shifted her gaze from the man to Orrin. "Have you seen healings before?"

"Only a few that Lady Lockhart performed while traveling with her husband."

"What happened?"

Orrin repositioned his long legs once again. "Much the same as this. At first nothing happened. Later, the person would wake up and be as they were before they were injured or sick."

"Is there no memory of the healing?"

"Oh, they remember." Orrin shuddered. "Two of the people I witnessed said they experienced excruciating pain while awake."

Rhiannon returned her gaze to Rhys. "Then 'tis best he sleeps." She brought her fingers up, her turn to gently tug on Violet's curl. The girl squirmed on Rhiannon's lap. "Perhaps it is also best if you head upstairs to change your clothing before supper."

Violet grabbed her curls in a playful attempt to keep them out of Rhiannon's reach. "Why do I always have to change my clothes?"

"Because you are a lady, and because I believe Mistress Faulkner has completed another dress for you to wear."

Violet released her hair and pouted. "But you never change."

Now that Violet had grown more settled in the castle, signs of her true intelligence had blossomed. Rhiannon pursed her lips while she considered how to respond. How could she explain the fact that she was not a lady in title in such a way that Violet would understand? She decided the best way to explain such a thing was to not explain at all. Tousling the child's golden curls, she said, "That's because I have only one dress."

Instantly Violet's playfulness vanished. "That is my fault." She turned and buried her face in Rhiannon's chest. "I wouldn't let you wear my mummy's dresses."

"Nay," Rhiannon said, bringing the girl's tear-filled gaze to her face. "It is not your fault. Your mother's dresses belong to you. When you get older you can choose to wear them or not. Had I known it was her gown when I put it on, I never would have done it."

Violet sniffed.

"Would you like to help me make us each a new dress tomorrow?"

The girl's face brightened. "Should we use your bed curtains or mine?"

Rhiannon chuckled, relieved that the girl's mood had shifted so quickly. "Before we attack the bed curtains again, go ask Mistress Faulkner if she has any more stored fabric."

Violet nodded, then darted up the stairs, followed by Hamish and Travis.

"Why did you really send her away?" Orrin's brows arched.

A heavy mantle of grimness settled over Rhiannon. "We need to move the man somewhere less public. If the Charm Stone's healing fails, I don't want Lady Violet to witness his death. She's been so happy as of late. What if he dies and she thinks it's her fault? Her nightmares have finally just started fading."

"Just as Camden's are becoming more regular," Orrin said with a frown.

"He has nightmares?" Rhiannon asked.

Orrin nodded. "He used to have them often when we were enslaved in the Holy Lands."

"He told me about that time." She shook her head. "I still cannot believe that you both—"