Daughters of the Dagger 03 - Amber (21 page)

Amber hurried down the corridor and out toward the garden, having seen Lucas heading for the stables when she looked out the bedchamber window. If she cut through the gardens it would save her time getting to the stables. She’d have to borrow a horse somehow to keep up with him if she was going to know where he was headed this early in the morning.

She may have been able to do that if she hadn’t spotted Lady Veronica sitting on a stone bench inside the castle ga
rdens, weeping softly. She was going to turn around and sneak away rather than to be slowed down right now, but the sound of her weeping was so sad that she couldn’t leave a woman in need.

Her
training as a nun was taking over, and she found herself going to talk to Lady Veronica instead of following Lucas. She must have sat there for an hour with the woman, trying to comfort her before she actually got her to speak.

“Don’t cry, my lady,” sh
e said, once again. “Perhaps you can tell me what has made you so sad.”

The woman wiped her eyes in a handcloth she pulled from her sleeve. The first rays of the morning sun hit her face and Amber noticed her piercing blue eyes that reminded her a lot of Lucas’
s eyes. And finally, her attempts paid off as the woman decided to speak to her.

“Oh, Sister Amber, I am so happy you are here. I looked for you late last night in the great hall, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“Please, just call me Amber,” she said, knowing that after last night she was the furthest thing from a nun. Thoughts of the outrageous things she’d done with Lucas were stuck in her mind, and even though she had liked it, she found herself feeling a little wanton and guilty this morning. “I am here now,” she told the woman rather than to explain where she’d spent the night. “How can I help you?”

“I want to talk to Lucifer,” she said. “But he doesn’t want anything to do with me, though I can’t say I blame him.”

“Mayhap, if you’d like him to warm up to you, you can start by calling him Lucas, as he despises the name Lucifer.”

“I will,” she sa
id with a large nod. “Of course. Lucas,” she repeated.

“Lady Veronica, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you abandon Lucas in the first place?”

“I had no choice,” she explained. “I was young and foolish and made some wrong choices by letting a man talk me into going to bed with him. I wasn’t married, and I became pregnant. And so when the baby was born, I had to give him up.”

“So you were never married, nor did you lose a husband?”

“Nay.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you just marry Lucas’
s father?”

Her head snapped up
and her eyes opened wide. “I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not? Was he alread
y married with a wife, perhaps?”

“Nay, that wasn’t the case.”

“Did you love him?”

“I loved him, but not in the way you think.”

“I am so confused, Lady Veronica. Was his father a warlord perhaps? Or just a peasant and that’s why you couldn’t marry him?”

“Please, Amber, do not ask me about Lucas’
s father because that is something I cannot discuss with anyone. I haven’t been able to for the past three and twenty years and won’t be able to for the rest of my life.”

“Do you love Lucas?” she asked boldly.

Her hand reached out and closed around Amber’s. “I have loved Lucas since the day he was born and I held him in my arms and he looked up at me and smiled.”

“He smiled?” she asked, thinking it was probably the only time he’d done that in his life, or near to it anyway. “Why didn’t you go back to get him from the monastery?” she asked. “Surely, you must have known that Father Arma
nd never found a family to foster him.”

“I paid Father Armand to keep him there.” She looked down and folded her hands on her lap. “That was probably the worst decision I ever made, but I had honestly hoped to go back some day and bring him to live with me.”

“Why didn’t that happen?”

“Because Father Armand decided he would keep the boy and raise him as a monk someday instead.”

“I don’t understand. Why would he do that? How could he do that, if the child was yours?”

“Sister Amber, I have kept a deep, dark s
ecret inside me for many years concerning the identity of Lucas’s father. I’ve lived in fear every day by how people would be affected if I were to reveal this information to anyone. I thought I was doing the right thing, and even refused to marry because I knew I didn’t deserve to have other children after I abandoned the one I had. But I have been so miserable all these years, and now my own son hates me because of my decision. I need to tell someone, Sister, as I believe it is time. And I hope that I can trust you with my secret.”

“Of course you can trust me,” she said patting the woman’s hand, thinking that
Lady Veronica would be more shocked with knowing what Amber, a novice, had done with her son last night. “I am sure it isn’t as bad as you think.”

“It is,” she said. “You see, Lucas’
s father is –”

Just then the church
bells from Canterbury Cathedral started clanging frantically in the distance. People started to appear from nowhere in the castle courtyard wondering what was going on, and even Amber stood up and looked toward the cathedral in the distance.

“What is that?” she asked.

“Those are the warning bells of Canterbury,” said the woman, getting up and rushing toward the courtyard. “Come on,” she said, “something horrible must have happened.”

They ran to the courtyard where people were buzzing around in confusion. H
elen ran up with Sir Romney. Mirabelle was right behind her.

“What has happened?” Helen
asked.

“We don’t know,” answered Amber.

“Those are the warning bells,” relayed Lady Veronica. “Something must have happened in Canterbury.”

Just then, a messenger rode in atop a horse, and Sir Romney ran up to greet him.
He conversed briefly with the man as the rest of them followed him.

“What is it?” asked Amber. “Is something wrong?”

“Aye,” answered Sir Romney, turning to them with a sullen face. “It seems as if the warning bells are ringing because someone has stolen the Regale ruby.”

“The ruby’s been stolen?” Amber could not believe what she was hearing.

“That’s right,” said the messenger. “It seems someone broke into the room that houses the true ruby and took it early this morning. Not many people knew that the ruby in the main part of the church’s shrine was a fake and that the true one was guarded
behind the sacristy. So whoever stole it knew what he was doing.”

“Where was the guard when this all happened?” asked Sir Romney.

“Yes, he would be able to identify the thief, wouldn’t he?” asked Amber.

“He was sleeping at the time,” said the messenger,
“and the archbishop is not happy about it.”

“I can’t imagine he would be,” answered Helen.

“Well, it’s a good thing we got to see it before it was stolen,” said Mirabelle.

“Yes,” Amber answered, suddenly remembering that she had caught Lucas with his hand on the Regal
e ruby yesterday. She had thought nothing about it then, and mayhap wouldn’t question it now, except for the fact that Lucas had been acting odd this morning when he left with his travel bags earlier. “Sir Romney, have you seen Lucas at all this morning?”

“Nay
, I haven’t, why do you ask?”

“There he is now,” said Mirabelle pointing toward the entry
gate.

Amber looked up to see Lucas riding into the castle, and hopping off
his horse quickly and handing his reins to the stableboy. She ran over to greet him.

“Lucas, where have you been?” she asked.
She wanted to throw her arms around him and give him a kiss, but since everyone still thought she was a novice, she decided not to do anything like that. Besides, she didn’t know how Lucas would react after last night either.

“I just went out for a r
ide,” he commented, throwing the travel bags over his shoulder. As he did so, she caught the scent of incense clinging to his clothes. He turned and headed for the keep. “Why? Is something the matter?”

She ran to catch up to him, wondering where he was going so quickly. “Haven’t you heard the warning bells of Canterbury Cathedral clanging? It seems someone has stolen the Regal
e ruby. Do you know anything about it?”

He
stopped in his tracks and turned to her. “So what are you saying? Because you almost sound as if you are accusing me of stealing it.”

“I didn’t say anything of the sort. I was just wonde
ring if you heard anything when you stopped by the cathedral this morning?”

“Who told you I was at the cathedral?” he asked, his eyes narrowing in the process.
“Were you following me?”

She didn’t like the way he was acting. Something wasn’t right.
He seemed distracted and jittery. She’d never seen him act this way before.

“No one had to tell me, I can smell frankincense on yo
ur clothes. That’s the same scent I smelled in the cathedral during the mass the other day.”

“You
think since you’re a nun, you know about these things but you don’t. Now, please just leave me alone.” He marched past his mother and the others without saying a word, and headed into the keep.

“What’s the matter with him?” asked Mirabelle, shaking her head.

“Aye. He’s acting like he’s angry,” said Sir Romney. “Amber, did something happen between you two last night?”

All eyes were on her,
and she suddenly felt as if she were standing there naked and they were about to judge her for what she’d done. Something had happened indeed, but she wasn’t going to tell them. And what happened, in her opinion was a happy thing, so she had no idea why Lucas was acting so very angry.

“I’ll see if I can find out what’s bothering him,” she said.
She ran into the keep and to the bedchamber, opening the door and just walking in without knocking.

Lucas was on his knees lookin
g at something inside his travel bag and shoved it back in quickly when he saw her.

“Don’t you ever knock
?” he growled, taking the conjoined bags and throwing them over the back of the chair.

“I didn’t think I had to,” she answered. “After last night –”

“Forget about last night. I told you how I felt before we did anything.”

Her heart dropped. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I hope you’re not getting your hopes up about us.”

She didn’t like the way this conversation was going. She’d given of herself freely last night and knew he said he’d never love her, but he didn’t say he was going to hate her in the morning either.

“It almost sounds like you’re trying to say goodbye.”

“Mayhap that would be
best.”

Amber felt as if she were going to cry. How could this be happening? They’d just had a wonderful night together and now he was acting like it meant nothing to him.

“I gave up being a nun for you,” she said. “I gave up my virginity as well. And I know you said you would never love me and I am not asking you to. But dammit, Lucas I will not stand here and take this abuse from you. I don’t deserve it.”

She saw the sadness in his eyes then, and he walked over to her and held her in his arms. She couldn’t help it, she started crying and laid her head on his chest.

“Don’t cry my little dove,” he whispered and placed a kiss atop her head. “I wish things could be different, and I hope someday you’ll understand that I was only trying to make a better life for myself. A life that would hopefully include you.”

“We can do that,” she told him. “Let me help you. I want to be a part of your life.”

He held her at arms length and looked into her eyes. She felt fear and sadness within his gaze and also the fiery shadow of anger and hate.

“You’d be better off without me, sweetheart. Don’t you understan
d that? I don’t deserve you. You are too good for someone with a blackened soul.”

“Lucas,
what is bothering you? I’ve never seen you like this. Please, talk to me.”

“I’m sorry, Amber, but I can’t.”

“Is it something I did? Because if so, I am sorry.”

“This has nothing to do with you Amber, now please stop asking me questions.”

Just then the sound of the straight trumpet was heard and Lucas ran to the window. Amber followed, looking out into the courtyard to see the visitor who was being announced.

“Father Armand from Bowerwood graces us with his presence,” announced the herald.

“Father Armand?” asked Amber, seeing the priest riding into the castle surrounded by several monks, half a dozen guards and to her surprise, the abbess. “Sister Dulcina is here, too? I wonder why?”

“I’m sure they’re just passing through,” said Lucas, heading across the room and out the door before she knew what happened.

She eyed the travel bags hanging over the chair and then looked back out the window. This whole thing was odd, and Lucas did not seem surprised in the least to see Father Armand. She hadn’t remembered hearing that anyone from the abbey would be travelling to Canterbury any time soon, and this concerned her. There was something Lucas wasn’t telling her, and she was going to find out just what it was.

She raced over to the
bags he’d brought back with him this morning, ripping one open and sticking her hand inside. There was something in here he was hiding, she was sure of it. Then she pulled out a black cloth that was folded neatly into a square. And when she pulled it out, something white came out with it and fell to the ground.

“My wimple?” she picked it up from the ground and shook her head, realizing Lucas had been lying when he said he had burned it. Then, looki
ng back to her hand she discovered she was holding her black nun’s robe as well. It felt a little heavier than it should, and she carefully unfolded it to see what else Lucas was hiding.

She moved
away the last fold to expose the item inside and gasped. There in her hand, winking in the sunlight was none other than the stolen Regale ruby!