Page 28 of Castle of Refuge

The horse’s movements going down the hill were even more jolting than going up. Edwin concentrated on keeping himself upright and straight. But the harder he had to grip the saddle horn with his hand and use his thigh muscles to stay in the saddle, the more he remembered how he never had to think about how to stay upright before he lost his arm. A knight didn’t think about how to stay in the saddle. It was as easy and natural as dancing at a festival with a pretty girl—which, along with embracing the people he loved with both arms, was another thing he’d never do again.

He reached the bottom of the hill and set out at a trot toward home. But as they drew closer to the castle, Edwin pushed Shadow to go faster. He immediately began to slide to one side in the saddle again. Clenching his teeth and leaning forward, he held on—until Shadow dodged to the left. Edwin slid to the ground, landing on his right shoulder.

He almost welcomed the pain as punishment for his foolishness at pushing himself past his limit, but at the same time it fueled his resentment toward his own weakness. What earl can’t ride across his own demesne without falling off? What kind of man was he? Lady Ophelia would never want to marry him now.

Right in front of him, a badger stood its ground, grunting and growling at him. The badger must have been what spooked Shadow.

Edwin pushed himself up with his one arm, but that movement made the badger bristle its fur, growl more ferociously, and start coming toward him, its teeth bared.

“Don’t move!” said a girl’s voice.

Audrey, the new servant, was running toward the badger with a stick. The animal turned on her.

Seven

Edwin was being defended. From a badger. By a girl.

He scrambled to his feet, but by the time he was facing the badger, it was running away.

“Are you hurt?” Audrey hurried toward him, still holding the stick.

“I am well.” He brushed some dead leaves from his clothes. “Where has my horse gone to?”

Audrey pointed. Shadow was about forty feet away, grazing on some green grass.

“Shall I fetch him for you?” she asked.

“No need.” Edwin started toward his horse, his shoulder aching and his pride aching even more. He took hold of Shadow’s reins. He wouldn’t be able to get back in the saddle without a step stool to assist him, but he was not that far from home now.

He looked over his shoulder at the young woman. “You are well now? From your sickness?”

“Nearly.”

He waited, wanting her to go on but not wanting her to think he was ordering her to explain.

“Mistress Wattlesbrook is only allowing me to work half of each day. She says I’m not back to my full strength yet. I can imagine that seeing me out walking around might seem as if I am trying to take advantage of my mistress. I told her I was well, but—”

“You do not need to explain. I know Mistress Wattlesbrook, and there is no arguing with her, especially when she’s trying to take care of you.”

She laughed, then pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. When she tilted her head down, then looked up and caught his eye, he had the distinct feeling he’d talked to this young woman before. She was so familiar. And yet he couldn’t imagine how or when he would have spoken to her. A young servant woman was not likely to be someone he had talked with, even before he’d inherited his father’s title.

But perhaps she had not always been a house servant. She obviously had been escaping from someone or something. Could she be trying to escape a cruel husband? If she were being abused, he would not send her back. He could help her petition for an annulment. No one should be mistreated by the person who had vowed to love and cherish them.

Perhaps it was more complicated than that. Did he really want to get involved, after all the trouble he and his brothers had gone through? But perhaps it was because of all their trouble that he wanted to help her, to keep someone else fromsuffering injustice because of one or two ruthless, greedy, grasping people.

Or she could be the greedy, grasping one, running away from something bad she had done, away from those she had wronged.

But she had such an innocent air about her, a sweetness in her eyes and her smile. Surely she was not at fault. No, it was much easier to believe that something bad had been done to her.

He was letting his thoughts run rampant. He should take care not to romanticize her situation when he knew nothing of it and remember that his stepmother could also conjure up an expression of goodness when she was trying to be pleasing, while all the time she was plotting cruelties and injustices out of a heart of greed and malice.

“Where were you going?” he asked her.

“I wanted to explore the little stream I caught a glimpse of the other day.” She glanced over her shoulder from whence she had come.

“I see you have a stick. For fending off badgers?”

“I had not thought of badgers. I was rather thinking of snakes when I picked it up and decided to use it as both a walking stick and a weapon, should I need one.” The young woman’s smile made him stare. He hadn’t spoken to any woman near his age or with so cheerful a smile since his only sister, Delia, married and left two months ago.