Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“I do not know what I shall do if Gabriel is gone,” Catherine said, her voice trembling. “He is all I have left. We must find him.”

Christelle was listening to Catherine chatter about her brother in between crying jags. The poor woman was overwrought and Christelle didn’t blame her for being so despondent. They’d been searching for Gabriel for several hours, using the soldiers to leave no stone unturned. They even went to the river, which was where Leonidas was with the knights at this very moment. He made Christelle and Phillipa remain with Catherine, who was on the verge of crumbling into a thousand pieces. He didn’t think she could take seeing her little brother’s body in the water.

Christelle didn’t think she could take it, either.

None of them could. She cast a concerned glance at Phillipa, who wasn’t feeling particularly well this day. Her belly had been upset and she was generally tired, but that hadn’t stopped her from actively comforting Catherine since the search for Gabriel began in earnest. The two of them had huddled together and Phillipa had done most of the talking as Catherine sadly listened. Christelle had simply stood back and monitored the situation, still feeling guilt over Georgiana, now horrified at the prospect of Gabriel’s demise. She was trying not to think the worst, but with the history of this family and death, she simply couldn’t help it.

It was a dark day, indeed.

A knock at the chamber door roused her from her thoughts. Before she could even turn for the door, Catherine was running for it, throwing it open only to find Kenneth standing there.

The big knight was dirty from having been an active part of the search for Gabriel. His tightly curled, short blond hair even had leaves and chaff in it from his adventures down near the river. Before he could say a word, Catherine was practically throwing herself at the man in her eagerness to know about her brother.

“Well?” she demanded. “Did you find Gabriel?”

Kenneth shook his head. “Nay, my lady.”

Catherine immediately broke down into tears. “Why not?” she cried. “He is only a small boy. He did not simply disappear!”

“I know, my lady.”

“Then where is he?”

“Leonidas has sent me to ask you a few questions, if you feel strong enough,” he said. “It might help us in our search. May I?”

Catherine began to sob. “I just want him to be found,” she wept. “Why can’t anyone find him?”

Christelle’s sympathetic gaze moved from Catherine to Kenneth. “What do you wish to ask her?” she asked quietly. “As you can see, she is terribly distressed by all of this.”

Kenneth nodded patiently. He was the most stoic, perhaps most frightening knight of any Christelle had ever encountered because the man never had his guard down. It was as if there wasn’t an ounce of humanity in him. But those ice-blue eyes had a flicker of sympathy at the moment, which was surprising.

Even Kenneth understood the tragedy that was unfolding this day.

“I know she is,” he said. “But I shall be painless, I promise.”

Christelle sighed faintly. “Be gentle,” she said. “But if you truly want an answer, you will have to be firm with her. Her coherency has not been the best today.”

He gave her a nod and stepped into the chamber where Catherine was currently weeping on Phillipa’s shoulder. Phillipa eyed the big blond knight as he came near. When he silently gestured toward Catherine, Phillipa reluctantly nodded. That had Kenneth crouching down before reaching out to take Catherine’s hands with surprisingly gentleness.

“My lady,” he said, forcing her to look at him. “I must have your attention, please. I know this is very difficult for you, but I must ask you to be brave. Information you give me may help locate your brother. Do you understand?”

Catherine sniffled and nodded. “Where do you think—”

He interrupted her, though not cruelly. “We haven’t much time,” he said. “I need to know if your brother has a favorite pony, one he might ride away on. Talan and Dayne and Zander do not seem to think so, but you might know differently. Can you tell me?”

Catherine didn’t want to answer questions. She tried to pull her hands away from Kenneth, but Phillipa stepped in.

“Please, darling,” she said gently, as only Phillipa could do. “You want us to find Gabriel, don’t you? Try to think of something that we’ve not discovered yet. Did Gabriel have a favorite pony? Or a favorite place where he would play?”

Catherine was shaking her head quickly, back and forth. “Nay,” she insisted, sniffling. “You are wasting time asking me these questions. There was no place!”

“Did he have any little friends he would play with?”

She managed to yank a hand away from Kenneth. “Gabriel only had Georgiana,” she insisted. “There is nowhere else he would… Wait … Mayhap there is because… The chicken! ”

The last two words were blurted and her entire countenance changed. Kenneth, Phillipa, and Christelle looked at her with surprise.

“What about the chicken?” Kenneth asked.

Catherine immediately stopped weeping. She began to wave her hands, quickly, as if the motion would help her bring forth the idea that had occurred to her. In fact, she stuttered a bit before her words were able to gain traction.

“The chicken,” she said, her eyes wide as she looked at Kenneth. “There is a grove of trees to the north where there are some wild chickens. They must have escaped from a farmer somewhere, or somehow, but that is where Georgiana found her pet chicken. Sometimes she would take it back to the grove of trees because she said the chicken wanted to visit her family.”

“And Lady Maria allowed this?” Christelle asked.

She hadn’t really meant to say what she was thinking, because it seemed odd that a young girl would run around outside of the castle, alone, but Catherine shook her head firmly to the question.

“She did not know,” she said. “Lady Maria left the children on their own a great deal of the time. I minded them during those times, but they liked to wander. Sometimes they evaded me. One time, I found them at the edge of the forest with those wild chickens. That must be where he has gone!”

Kenneth was already heading for the chamber door. “North, you say?”

Catherine bolted past him, heading for the stairs. “I will show you!”

Kenneth had no choice but to follow her. As he darted after Catherine, Phillipa moved to follow, but Christelle stopped her.

“Nay, your grace,” she said. “This is sure to be a mad flight and you must not exert yourself in your condition.”

Phillipa was clearly anxious about it. “If I cannot go, then you must go,” she said, waving her hands at the door where Catherine and Kenneth had been. “If she grows distraught, you will need to calm her. Hurry!”

That was probably true. Catherine was an excitable girl, and if Gabriel wasn’t where she thought he was, then she would surely be distressed. But Christelle was indecisive about leaving Phillipa for a split second because she didn’t want to leave the young queen alone.

“Very well,” she finally said. “But bolt this door when I am gone. Do not open it for anyone but me or Leonidas.”

Phillipa nodded firmly as Christelle dashed out, following the path of Kenneth and Catherine out of the keep. She had no idea where she was going, but she caught sight of them departing the bailey astride Kenneth’s big, dappled warhorse just as she came out of the entry. That caused Christelle to rush into the stable yard and confiscate a mare that a groom was brushing. The horse had a bridle on but nothing else, and she swung herself onto the horse’s back and took off after Kenneth.

The mare was excitable, so it was a bit of a wild ride following Kenneth down the road and to the north. It was clear that he wasn’t going to stop to tell Leonidas and the others about Catherine’s hunch, possibly so as not to cause false hope, so he flew down the road and finally crossed a field that was quite muddy in places. Christelle knew this because the mare plunged into the field, throwing up dirty water, which splashed on her. But she didn’t lose sight of Kenneth, not even when he drew near a grove of ash trees that was within distant sight of the castle. He slowed his animal, but Christelle didn’t. She caught up to him, kicking up water and clods of earth, about the time they reached the edge of the trees.

Chickens began to scatter everywhere.

“Gabriel!” Catherine cried, sliding off Kenneth’s horse. “Gabriel, answer me!”

Kenneth and Christelle were dismounting their respective animals as Catherine ran into the grove, calling for her brother.

“ Gabriel! ”

“Oy!”

Gabriel emerged almost immediately from behind some trees, carrying chicks in his hands. Catherine shrieked when she saw him, running to him and throwing her arms around him. Since Gabriel didn’t particularly like hugs, he made a face as his sister wept all over him.

“Where have you been?” Catherine said. “We have been searching for you all day!”

Gabriel managed to pull free of his sister. “I’m here,” he said, simply turning back the way he’d come. “There are lots of chicks. I’ve been building them a house.”

Catherine was beside herself. Gabriel wasn’t the least bit concerned that she was weeping or that three adults were clearly concerned for him. Instead, he was speaking of houses for chicks.

“Gabriel, stop ,” Catherine said, no longer sobbing. Frankly, she was growing perturbed. “You left and did not tell anyone where you went. Why did you do that?”

He didn’t answer her, still holding the chicks, until she reached out and grabbed his arm. He tried to pull free, but she held him fast.

“Let me go,” he demanded. “I have to finish.”

“Not until you tell me why you did not tell anyone where you were going,” Catherine said. “We have been searching for you all day. Did you not hear men calling your name?”

Gabriel was looking at the chicks. “I am not going back,” he said. “Not while she’s still there.”

Catherine looked at him, greatly puzzled. “ Who is still there?”

Gabriel wouldn’t look at her. He managed to pull away and back from her again so she couldn’t grab him.

“I cannot go,” he said. “You are keeping her there, but it is not her. She is cold and she smells but you keep her there. I won’t go back. She… she whispers to me when I am sleeping, and I can’t sleep anymore.”

Catherine had no idea what he was talking about. “Who are you speaking of?” she said. “If you mean Lady Maria, she is gone. Who whispers to you?”

Gabriel was looking at the chicks in his hands. “Not Lady Maria,” he mumbled. “ Her . My sister.”

Christelle and Kenneth were both listening closely. “Do you mean Georgiana, Gabriel?” Christelle said. “Is that who you are speaking of?”

He nodded. “Catie won’t let her go,” he said. “She makes her stay.”

Catherine looked at him in shock. “Why do you say such a thing?” she said, hurt. “She is our sister. Why would you want her to go?”

Gabriel was scowling at her. “She should go with Mama, but you make her stay,” he said. “I’m not going back!”

With that, he ran off into the trees, but at least they knew where he was and what he was doing. No one ran after him, at least not yet. Still, Christelle put her hand on Catherine’s arm gently.

“I will watch out for him,” she said quietly. “You must tell Leo immediately that he has been found.”

Catherine was beside herself, tears in her eyes now for another reason. “Is that what I am doing?” she whispered. “Keeping Georgiana from being buried?”

Christelle squeezed her arm in a comforting gesture. “You lost your little sister quite shockingly,” she said. “Leo wanted to give you time to grieve, but you know that he intends to bury her after mass on market day, do you not?”

Catherine pondered that, pain rippling through her expression. “Aye,” she said. “The queen told me. But… but it is difficult to let her go. I cannot face it.”

Christelle nodded. “I know,” she said. “But you must think of what is best for her. And for Gabriel. He has been spending a good deal of time away from the keep and now we know why.”

“While I find comfort having Georgiana near, he does not,” Catherine said. Then she sniffled and wiped at her face, rather briskly. “I do not want him upset by all of this. That is the last thing I want. We can bury Georgiana on market day.”

“Are you certain?”

“Aye.”

“Then I will go myself and tell Leo that Gabriel has been found,” she said. “I will leave Kenneth here to escort you both back to the castle. Mayhap you should tell Gabriel that Georgiana is to be buried so he will want to return to the castle.”

Catherine nodded. “I will,” she said. “And I will apologize for being selfish. If I’d only known…”

With that, she turned and followed Gabriel’s path into the trees. Christelle watched her go for a moment before heading over to where Kenneth was standing.

“At least she agreed to allow the child to be buried,” she muttered to him. “I honestly wasn’t sure if she ever would.”

“Nor any of us.”

“I will tell Leo. You can escort those two back to the castle.”

“With or without the chicken?”

Christelle grinned. “Whatever he wants,” she said. Then she jabbed a finger at the knight. “You are not the one who has to endure that chicken. I woke up the other morning to find it on the pillow next to my head.”

Kenneth fought off a smile. “It was looking for a heat source.”

“It was trying to smother me.”

He flashed his teeth, a rare occurrence. “You survived,” he said. “And I will make sure Master Gabriel does, too.”

“Thank you.”

Christelle was still smiling as she turned away, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she searched for the sturdy mare she’d ridden in on. But Kenneth stopped her before she could take another step.

“Leo told me how hard you tried to save the lad’s sister,” he said. “He is very grateful for that. I’m sure he has told you, but I wanted you to know that it meant a great deal to him. That kind of selflessness is rare.”

She paused to look at him. “I still feel as if it was a wasted effort,” she said. Then she held up her hand, flexing her fingers. “She was almost in my grasp, Kenneth. While she was still alive, I mean. But she went under again and floated past me, and that river is so muddy. I simply could not see her in the water.”

Kenneth had grown serious again. “Nothing heroic is ever a wasted effort,” he said. “Even if you did not succeed. The bravery is in the trying.”

“It does not feel that way,” she said glumly. “Zander jumped in, too, I believe. I do not know where everyone else was, but I do know that Leo remained on the bank.”

Kenneth’s pale eyes glimmered. “Do you know why?”

“To direct the efforts, of course,” she said. “Why else?”

“Because he cannot swim,” Kenneth said quietly. “He probably would have died himself had he jumped in to save the girl. But you prevented that from happening. In a sense, you saved Leo’s life, too. And you saved his dignity.”

She looked at him in surprise. “I did not know he could not swim.”

Kenneth nodded. “Not a stroke,” he said. “But do not tell him I told you. It will be our secret. I think if he was aware that you knew, he might feel ashamed. But I wanted you to know so you did not think him a coward.”

Christelle shook her head. “I never thought he was,” she said. “Truthfully, there was so much chaos going on that I did not even think on it.”

Kenneth simply nodded, hoping that Leonidas would never find out that he’d told Christelle about possibly the one thing in his life he never mastered—swimming. The man was fearless on a ship and Kenneth had seen him plunge into moats in an attempt to get to a castle, but the horse swam so he didn’t have to. Leonidas had never said anything about his failure to jump into the river to save Georgiana, but knowing Leonidas like he did, Kenneth suspected the man had some deep-seated guilt about it.

He simply wanted Christelle to know.

“I should probably find where Catie and Gabriel have gone to,” he said, heading off into the trees. “It will be a joyous meal tonight, knowing the lad is safe.”

Christelle had to agree. It was a joyous day, indeed.

But that was about to change.