The Forest of Adventures (#1 of The Knight Trilogy) (24 page)

“It sounds a dangerous
combination when put with Morgan.”

“This is exactly the reason why
the decisions you have made have been the right ones. You know the
saying ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’? Well I am
happy to play the indebted knight to Morgan if it fools her into
believing that she’s winning her game.”

“Do you know where it is?”

“Morgan’s spent a couple of
years in Rome studying ancient scriptures and scrolls. There’s a
passing mention of a gift made from Emperor Lucius to the governor
of Egypt sent as an incentive to send knights to support the
campaign against King Arthur. Lucius was oblivious to the powers of
the chess set. If he’d known he might not have suffered such a
grotesque and violent death on the battlefield at the hand of
Arthur.”

“But the days of war are over.
What possible use might it serve to Morgan now?”

“The days of war are far from
over. The Christian and Arabic world are still in conflict. It
sometimes seems that it will be an eternal battle. A chess set that
holds such a property is a high priced bargaining tool for Morgan
and she’ll happily sell it to the highest bidder.”

“But isn’t her duty to The
Realm?”

“Morgan’s duty has always been
to herself.”

“So you’re off to Egypt?”

“That’s our starting
point.”

We fell silent again. The fire
had taken hold and the flames licked blue and green from the
driftwood.

“Hungry?” Blake asked handing
out a foil wrapped package.

I unwrapped two of the warm
foil parcels, one for each of us and Blake poured out hot chocolate
from the flask. The homemade pasties were delicious and warming.
The light started to fade and the wind began to pick up. The tide
was creeping up the beach and within the hour all traces of us
would be lost to time. We packed up and left the fire blazing.

28. MOON & STARS

The cottage was warm and
comforting. Blake went round with a taper lighting the many candles
dotted around the room. We sat curled up on the sofa listening to
the sound of the waves which could be easily heard through the thin
glass of the windows.

“I wish that we could stay like
this for ever,” I whispered.

“I’ll be home before you know
it. You’ve a lot to do to fill your time. You could do with out the
distraction next year, what with your A- levels.”

“They’re under control,” I said
defensively.

“Oh is that so, Miss Singer –
and when exactly was your coursework due?” said Blake
teasingly.

“Blake, not tonight. Let’s not
spoil it with talk of college and exams.”

“But it is important for me to
know that you haven’t changed your plans and ambitions because of
all this.”

“I promise I’ll throw myself
into my studies and I’ll be so busy, I’ll hardly even notice that
you’ve gone.”

A sudden impulse to jump up and
kiss him took hold and with nothing to stop me, I kissed him hard
and urgently, indulging my own desire. His hands swept up my back
and I felt the tips of his fingers graze my breast as he tested the
new boundaries. His touch caused my whole body to shiver and I gave
out a heavy little sigh causing him to stop and pull away. He swept
a hair from my face and looked deep into my eyes, smiling.

“I love you.” His voice came
out with a quiet certainty.

From that moment I was entirely
Blake’s. Taking him by the hand, I pulled him from the sofa and led
him around the room, blowing out the candles before leading him up
the stairs to our bedroom.

The room was flooded with the
cold pale light of the moon and as I stood on my tiptoes, hands
either side of Blake’s face, it gave the unsettling and truly
beautiful illusion that once again he was bathed in the light of
his own halo. My lips searched for his. Buttons came undone and
clothes fell to the floor as if by magic. Before the final layers
were shed, Blake guided me over to the bed and laid me down, the
weight of his body over me.

“Mina, no further - we’re not
sleeping with each other tonight,” he whispered whilst tracing the
outline of my hips with his fingers.

“Of course we are; I didn’t see
you making the sofa up.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’ll
not make love to you with time pressing our backs together; I’ll
not let the first time we make love be a goodbye. When we make love
it will be a celebration of the future ahead - It will not be an
act of mourning.”

I snapped awake from the
delicious dream I’d been living, “Blake don’t be so old fashioned
about this. It’s what we both want. It’s what I want.”

He rolled off of me, laying
next to me his eyes fixed to the ceiling, his hand in mine.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,
but it would make it impossible to leave you and I need to.”

Panic started to pick at the
edges, “Blake? I need to know that we are each others
completely.”

He moved onto his side, cupping
my face in his hands and nuzzling my neck with his nose, “The
Egyptians believed that when you kissed someone you breathed in
part of their soul, allowing you to see them for what they really
were. I promise you, Mina Singer, I am yours completely, for all
time. Take my kiss as my promise.”

We kissed slowly and
indulgently without the earlier anticipation and desire. It was a
goodbye kiss full of our own personal sadness.

The morning came too early. The
smell of fresh coffee came from downstairs and I could hear slight
movements and a conversation taking place. Vivien had come as
arranged to say goodbye to Blake and to give me a lift home. I
reclaimed my clothes from the floor, dressed and went downstairs.
When I walked into the kitchen, Vivien looked me up and down, a
look of puzzlement on her face.

“Morning beautiful,” Blake
stretched out his hand, pulling me into his arm and kissed the top
of my hand.

“Morning,” I said addressing
them both.

Vivien was already pouring me
out a thick fresh coffee from the pot.

“We should be looking after you
Vivien!” I said, embarrassed by her attentive care.

“Nonsense, I’m as fit as a
flea. This little one is no bother at all,” she said stroking her
now well-rounded belly with her other hand.

“I’ve to go shortly. Vivien
rode Lancelot over so that I could give him a goodbye ride.
Morgan’s already at Meadowlake waiting for me.” Blake sounded as if
he had already left.

The sickening image of Morgan
waiting for Blake eclipsed any surprise I might have had at Vivien
still riding in her condition.

Vivien clocked the dark
expression on my face and made her excuses to leave us alone, “I’ve
to go and check the – the thingy out back - I’ll meet you out the
front to say goodbye.”

Vivien left and Blake pulled me
onto his knee, wrapping me up in his arms. “About last night,”
Blake spoke quietly, almost under his breath, “you’re not upset
about it, are you? You know that all I ever want to do is make you
happy.”

“No. I’m not upset,” I said
hoping that I sounded convincing.

“You wanted to know that I am
yours, well I was going to give this to you last night but – well,
it didn’t quite work out that way.”

He pulled a small green leather
ring box from his pocket, “It doesn’t have to be an engagement ring
but it’s there if you want to wear it.”

I opened the lid, revealing an
exquisite ring. Set in white gold, a round moonstone formed the
main central stone and either side sat a brilliant cut diamond the
size of a small pea.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I designed it for you. It’s
meant to represent the moon and the stars, everything that you are
to me. I used your grandmother’s wedding ring as a guide.”

He went to remove the ring
which still attached to his necklace.

“Keep it. I want you to have
it.”

“I can’t Mina. It is too
special.”

“You’re special.” I laughed,
remembering one of our earliest conversations in the bookshop.

“It is time to go.”

The chair scraped along the
kitchen flagstones as he made his move.

I followed him through the
house like a shadow about to lose its body. When we opened the
door, we saw Lancelot mooching around the beach, sniffing at the
debris of washed up seaweed. When he caught sight of Blake, he
looked up and gave an excitable nod of the head before ambling up
towards us. I knew that Lancelot was going to be as devastated
about Blake’s absence as me.

Vivien came back from the car
and wrapped Blake up in a great motherly hug, whispering into his
ear. It was a private moment and I diverted my eyes, looking over
the vast expanse of ocean. When I looked back Vivien was looking at
me with the same puzzlement as earlier and it made me unreasonably
uncomfortable. Having let him go, she moved over to me and wrapped
me up in her arms. I was welcome of it as it was the only think
that was stopping me from throwing myself into the sand and
sobbing. Blake jumped up onto Lancelot’s back and checked the
reins.

“It wasn’t done,” she half
whispered to me, “the blessing at the chapel didn’t take
place.”

I turned slightly stunned by
what she’d said.

“Sorry, I don’t follow.”

“The consummation didn’t take
place last night.” Vivien looked at me without embarrassment.

“Are you asking if Blake and I
slept together?” I asked with blushing surprise.

“No. There’s no need. I know
you didn’t. Your ring finger is empty and you’re still a virgin.”
She turned away as if talking to herself, “There’ll be no baby. How
can that have been so misread?”

Blake had finished his checks
and turned to wave goodbye. I could barely see him through a thick
film of tears and it seemed as if I had hardly blinked before the
beach was empty.

“Let’s go in for coffee,”
Vivien said taking my hand.

29. RUINS

I sat at the table numb and
empty, listening to the sound of Vivien pouring the coffee.

“Outside…what you said…what did
you mean?”

She placed the coffee in front
of me and sat down, “Blake had planned to propose to you last night
and he’d hoped that you’d agree to a blessing at the little chapel
on the way here. As you know, Blake likes to do things in the old
way and although it wouldn’t have been an official marriage, it
would have made you his wife in the eyes of God.

I pushed the scolding coffee
away and let my head drop into my arms.

“Oh. I see,” I groaned,
beginning to realise that if the blessing had taken place, last
night would probably have ended differently.

“When did he tell you?”

“He didn’t - not exactly. I saw
it yesterday morning when I was swimming. The proposal wasn’t the
only thing I saw. There was a baby. A baby girl and you were
holding her in your arms and she belonged to you, to you and Blake,
but the vision was wrong and now Blake has gone.”

A sudden wave of black water
rushed through my body as I realised what she was suggesting, “Oh
my God, you think that something awful is going to happen.” My
voice came out with a mildly hysterical lilt.

“Let’s not get ahead of
ourselves. My visions aren’t always accurate.”

“If only I’d…”

“Mina, stop right there; you
can’t live with regrets like that. The time is going to be hard
enough with out you beating yourself over the head with this.”
Vivien poured out more coffee.

“The nursery…” I started unsure
exactly where I was going with this, “It isn’t meant for your baby
is it; it was meant for mine and Blake’s wasn’t it? You were that
certain!”

“There is no point to this
conversation. I got it wrong. It’s as simple as that.”

I drank my coffee. It was so
hot that it burned my throat. The ring box sat taunting me on the
table.

“When you’ve finished your
coffee, I’ll drive you home. I expect you’ll want to be home before
Martha wakes.”

The drive home was tense. It
seemed strange to see Vivien where Blake should be.

“Are you angry with me?” I
asked as I looked out the window.

“Angry with you? Mina – No - Oh
goodness, have I given you that impression?” Vivien seemed
genuinely surprised by question, “I couldn’t be angry with either
of you - ever. If I’ve seemed off it’s because I’m confused -
nothing more.” She reached out her hand and put it briefly on my
arm.

I toyed with the little green
box, daring myself to open it. Vivien watched me out the corner of
her eye but didn’t say anything. In the end I flipped the lid and
took out the ring. The moonstone swirled with light and the
diamonds sparkled like the lake at Meadowlake. It looked so full of
energy that it looked almost like a living thing.

Eventually Vivien cracked
unable to contain her advice any longer, “You should wear it,
symbols are important.”

“I need to think about it.” I
put the ring back in and snapped the box shut. I was grateful that
no more was said before we arrived back at mine.

“So this is it for a while.” I
said unsure of what else to say.

“For a little while,” she
smiled. “Be strong Mina.”

I closed the door of the car
quietly and crept up to the house feeling like a dawn raiding
thief. Josef was sprawled out on the sofa, still dressed except for
his shoes which were placed Martha-neatly by the side.

Creeping past Mum’s room, I
heard her heavy sleep-breathing and then turn restlessly as my
bedroom door creaked. Once in, I sat on the edge of my bed taking
the ring box out of my pocket. In the early morning light the
moonstone took on the blue swirl of a dawn and the diamonds looked
slightly flat as if they were still sleeping. My thoughts flitted
back to Delta’s tattoo, a permanent reminder of what mattered. I
removed the ring, placing on my left ring finger.
There,
done.
Promise made.