Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

A knock on the door woke Alaric with a start. His eyes flew open and the first thing he saw was Lucia right next to him, also wide awake, staring at the door. Alaric cursed under his breath. Whoever it was behind that door, they couldn’t see Lucia in there.

“Alaric?” a vaguely familiar voice called and Alaric soon realized with horror that it belonged to none other than Kayla. There could not have possibly been a worse moment for her to visit him in his chambers, Alaric thought as he jumped right out of bed, frantically gathering his and Lucia’s clothes off the floor. She, too, was out of bed, but she was hovering near it, looking at Alaric with a panicked expression that betrayed the fact she didn’t know what to do.

“One moment!” Alaric called. Tossing Lucia’s clothes to her, he put on his own in a hurry, trying to look as presentable as possible in the few seconds he had at his disposal, but by the time he was done, Lucia had barely managed to pull anything on.

It would have to do, Alaric decided.

“Under the bed,” he whispered to her, shepherding her towards it. Lucia tried to protest, but Alaric shushed her quickly and urged her to get under, but for a moment, Lucia only stared at him in disbelief.

“Seriously?” she hissed.

“Aye,” Alaric said. “Quickly!”

With an exasperated sigh and a roll of her eyes, Lucia crawled in the small space under the bed along with all her clothes. Alaric frantically tried to pull the covers in a way that they would hang over the side of the bed, making sure she was entirely hidden, before he paused and took a deep breath, composing himself.

He could do this. It was only a woman, he told himself. He had spoken to plenty of them before.

“Miss Sinclair, good mornin’,” Alaric said with a smile as he opened the door. He felt hot, sweating all over despite the chill in the room, and he was certain he looked disheveled and more than a little strange, judging by the look Kayla was giving him.

“Please, I dinnae think there is any reason fer such formalities,” Kayla said, recovering quickly and smiling back at him. “Call me Kayla. Did I wake ye?”

“Nay, nay,” Alaric said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I simply wasnae decent fer company. Is there somethin’ with which I can help ye?”

Kayla looked at him for a moment before she laughed softly and walked past him, into the room. Alaric cursed under his breath once more. He had stood by the door in the hopes that it would dissuade Kayla from walking in, but he had had no such luck, and now he had to find a way to get her out.

“I wanted tae thank ye fer yer warm welcome yesterday,” Kayla said. “An’ tae apologize once again fer bein’ delayed.”

“It’s quite alright,” Alaric assured her as he walked towards the bed and stood in front of it, desperate to make sure Lucia was hidden. “I only arrived yesterday meself, so I’m glad ye were delayed. I would have felt terrible if ye had been waitin’ fer me.”

Just as he was finishing his sentence, Alaric felt a sharp pain on the back of his leg, right above his ankle, and he jumped, choking on air. Kayla looked at him with concern, taking a few steps towards him but stopping when Alaric plastered himself against the bed frame.

She bit me! That infernal creature bit me!

Alaric could hardly believe that Lucia would do such a thing, but then again, he figured nothing about her should surprise him. He chuckled awkwardly, trying to hide his shock and surprise and, most importantly, the fact that anything had happened at all, but he knew that no matter how nonchalant he tried to look, there was no way he would get away with it.

“Are ye alright?” Kayla asked, rightfully sounding concerned. “What happened?”

“Och aye,” said Alaric with a nod, humming softly. “It’s naethin’… just an old injury. It always aches in a storm.”

Alaric glanced outside the window at the same time as Kayla to see that even though it was a cold day, it also happened to be one of those rare sunny days. When he met Kayla’s gaze again, he gave a small shrug, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his head.

“There must be a storm approachin’,” he said. “Dress well fer it.”

Time seemed to stretch between them into something unbearable as Kayla remained silent and simply blinked at him in confusion. In the end, she shook herself and smiled, heading back to the door.

“I will,” she said. “Thank ye, Alaric. I will see ye at the great hall.”

With that, she was gone, closing the door behind her, and only moments later, Lucia crawled out from under the bed, red-faced and furious. The first thing she did the moment she was upright was to kick Alaric in the shin, hard enough for him to cry out and almost topple over.

“Why did ye kick me?” he shouted, a hand reaching down to rub at his sore shin. “Have ye lost yer mind?”

“Dress well fer it,” Lucia said in a mocking tone that Alaric hoped sounded nothing like him. “What is the matter with ye?”

“What did I dae?” Alaric demanded, not knowing what it could be that had now set Lucia off.

“Dress well fer it? Dress well fer it !” Lucia repeated again and again, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. “Dae ye have any other sage advice fer Miss Sinclair? Perhaps ye would like tae give her yer cloak?”

Alaric, naturally, knew this for what it was; jealousy. Anyone with a pair of eyes would recognize this behavior, but what was strange for him was that it was coming from Lucia. She had never struck him as the type of woman who would be jealous and territorial like this. If anything, he had thought that her usual confidence and bravado would extend to this, and that she would be completely unbothered by Kayla’s attempts at courting, especially after Alaric had reassured her she was the only one he could love.

He couldn’t help but laugh, but that only served to infuriate Lucia even more. Balling up her fists, she slammed one of them right in Alaric’s chest, and had it been any other woman, he was certain it would have been nothing but a simply nuisance. As it were, though, with Lucia as strong as she was, she easily managed to punch the air out of his lungs, turning his laugh into a cough.

“Lucia!” he said as he struggled to bring air into his lungs. He grabbed her wrists before she could punch him again, holding them both gently in his grip. “Stop! Stop… come, lass. Dinnae be jealous. I told ye that ye’re the only one I love, did I nae?”

“So?” Lucia demanded, fiery as ever. “What does it matter if ye love me when ye are still betrothed tae another?”

Alaric supposed that was a fair question. If he wanted Lucia to believe him, then he couldn’t simply claim to love her. He had to act in a way that showed it.

“I’ll speak tae Evan,” he promised, bringing one of her hands to his lips to press a kiss on her knuckles. “Today. I’ll tell him I cannae wed her.”

Only then did Lucia go lax in his grip, her muscles relaxing as she looked up at Alaric, wide-eyed and eager.

“Ye will?”

“I will,” he said. “I promise.”

And so he would. He only hoped Evan would listen.

Alaric’s promise lingered in Lucia’s mind as they all broke their fast together. It was only when Bonnie mentioned her desire to train after breakfast that Lucia was distracted, even momentarily, from that thought, and suggested that they could spar together. It would be good, she thought. It would take her mind off things and maybe give her a moment of peace. She was always at peace when she fought. There was nothing else on her mind but her opponent and the fight itself.

Much to her surprise and delight, Bonnie was happy to agree, and that was how the two of them ended up in the training grounds, each holding a dull sword in their hands. Around them, Alaric, Evan, Isabeau, and Kayla sat and watched. To Lucia, Alaric looked a little too excited.

What did he know, she wondered, that she didn’t?

Lucia supposed she would find out soon enough.

She and Bonnie wore shorter tunics now, and Lucia was much more comfortable in her own skin in those tattered clothes and with a sword in her hand, even if it was a dull one. That was her territory, something she knew well, something she could easily understand.

For a while, they both circled each other and Lucia had the chance to observe the way Bonnie moved. Her movements were all fluid, practiced, and certain, as though she had grown up in those training grounds much like her husband and her brother-in-law. It startled Lucia. She didn’t think noble-born women ever received such training. She had always thought it was only women like her who knew how to fight—women who had always had to fight for their survival.

Lucia was the first one to deliver an attack. It was half-hearted, with barely any strength behind it, just to gauge Bonnie’s strength and reactions. If nothing else, she wanted to make sure she wouldn’t hurt her. She feared a woman like Bonnie was not used to force, even if she knew how to move in a fight, and Lucia was a guest in her home. Such a blunder could only lead to bad things.

Bonnie easily parried her blow, though; so easily that Lucia’s suspicions grew. Her next attack packed more force, the one after that even more, until the two of them were trading proper blows, as though they were in a real fight that would determine their survival. Sweat began to drip down Lucia’s forehead, falling into her eyes and blinding her. Soon, the chase rendered all her muscles sore and her breathing became labored, but she didn’t care about any of it. The high of the fight was all-encompassing, erasing everything else.

Bonnie was an unexpectedly skilled opponent. She was not as strong as Lucia, lacking the raw brawn that came with a life of physical labor, but she was fast and light on her feet. It made for an exhilarating fight, one that had Lucia’s blood pumping and her lips stretching into a wicked grin.

The best part of it all was that her grin was reflected on Bonnie’s own face. She, too, was enjoying this, and Lucia was glad to not only have a worthy opponent but also have this love for the fight in common with her.

The sparring only ended once both of them were exhausted and panting, with Lucia’s sword against Bonnie’s neck. Part of it had been skill and part of it had been pure luck, Lucia knew. She had moved at just the right time in just the right way to get Bonnie where she wanted her, but had she been only a moment late, Bonnie would have managed to escape her.

Laughing, Lucia lowered the sword and Bonnie turned to her with a laugh of her own, shaking her hand.

“Ye fought well,” Bonnie said.

“So did ye,” said Lucia, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her free hand. “I didnae expect ye would be so good.”

“Me wife has many talents!” Evan called as he rushed to Bonnie, pulling her into a tight embrace from behind. “Next time, mo graidh , perhaps ye shall win. We will train together.”

“It was enough fer me tae fight such a formidable opponent,” Bonnie said with a small shrug, placing her hands on Evan’s arms. “Thank ye, Lucia. I needed that. I can never train with the lads like that. And I usually enjoy archery more, so I rarely spar.”

“Personally, I dinnae think it is very ladylike fer lasses tae fight,” said Kayla as she and Alaric approached. “It isnae proper.”

With surprise, Lucia saw Alaric shoot Kayla a stern look, one she wouldn’t expect from him in this situation.

“Lucia had nay choice but tae fight from a young age,” he told Kayla. “She didnae have the luxury tae think whether or nae it is ladylike.”

Silence fell over the training grounds after Alaric’s words. Lucia glanced at Kayla and found her cheeks burning bright red. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out, so she simply closed it once more and glared at the ground between her feet until, once again, Isabeau broke the tension in the air.

“All I ken is that I could never dae such a thing,” she said in that light, almost foolish way of hers. Lucia knew Isabeau was no fool, though. She was only playing the part, knowing very well that it suited everyone present if she pretended to be a naive girl. “I tire simply watchin’! I envy those who can fight like that! I doubt I could even hold a sword.”

“I can teach ye,” Lucia offered immediately. It was like an instinctual response; she could never stop herself from offering to teach girls and women how to fight.

“Ach, that would be lovely, Lucia,” said Isabeau in that same tone, and Lucia didn’t know if she truly meant it or not, but she would be more than happy to provide the lessons. Then again, she figured that if Isabeau truly wished to learn, then she could have already been taught by Bonnie or her brothers. Perhaps she didn’t even need to learn at all; perhaps she already knew how to spar and only pretended to be clueless. “Thank ye. But now I think we should all head inside fer some tea. It is gettin’ chilly out here.”

That much was true, Lucia thought. The wind was like needles on her exposed and sweaty skin, and though her body felt warm, she knew she could easily catch a cold that way. As they all headed inside, she stayed at the back of the group and watched as Kayla once again sidled up to Alaric, trying to keep her jealousy and her rage contained. It was foolish, she told herself, to be jealous. Alaric had told her she was the only one for him and she had to believe it. He had told her he would speak to Evan and she had to put her faith in him.

She wasn’t used to giving up control like this. But what other choice did she have, other than to sit and wait?