Page 35 of To Desire

Chapter 17

Castle Blackwood.

It rose before them, every bit as foreboding and magnificent as Darien had described. Given to the Guardians of the Sacred Oak—the secret knightly order whose recruits made it their mission to overthrow King Stephen and install the rightful ruler of England, Empress Matilda, to the throne—it was now home to an assortment of the greatest knights in the kingdom.

She’d heard of Darien’s friends and their wives, of the instructors that helped the recruits hone their skills and learn new ones unique to the task of fighting in the shadows, but now that they’d arrived, Liana wished she could turn around and retreat home.

They did not know she was coming. Would Liana be welcomed here? What would the other women think of her? Traveling alone with Darien had compromised her, and though it was not high on Liana’s list of worries, she also did not welcome the embarrassment that would come with judgments about their arrangement.

“They will adore you.”

As they rode into the gatehouse, the guards waving Darien past, she could not help but look at him differently today. After last eve and the first kiss they shared, which had not been their last, as Darien predicted, she’d woken up in his arms. They had not spoken since, about their kisses or her vision, but would need to.

How is it possible?

She’d had the thought so many times that day, but still Liana had not come to a conclusion. The feeling she’d had when Darien touched her Seer’s mark, taken with the runes she’d read in Serena’s cottage and the tapestry’s symbology . . .

“Are you still worried?”

She’d confessed that to him earlier, but Liana had not been thinking of her reception just then. Instead of admitting where her thoughts lay, she said, “Aye,” just as they arrived in the courtyard. It was dark and had been for some time. It wasn’t until they’d taken their horses to the stable, Darien now carrying both of their saddlebags, that she noticed the men coming toward them.

They strode through the nearly empty courtyard with purpose, one larger than the next. There were three of them, which meant . . . “Your friends?”

“Aye.” Darien smiled at them so warmly that Liana was certain it was an expression she’d never become accustomed to. And also wished to be the recipient of.

Hands clapping backs, hugs and greetings made it difficult for Liana to decipher faces. She assumed the man with tree trunks for arms was Alden, former blacksmith and now a knight. Sure enough, it was he who addressed her first.

“You most assuredly did not leave here with a companion,” he said affably to Darien while looking at her.

Liana liked him immediately.

“Liana, this is Alden.” He nodded to the dark-haired man whose devilish grin marked him as the Earl of deVere’s son. “And Roland.”

As she expected. So the one with a kind smile, then, was . . .

“And this is Gareth.”

Liana realized he used their given names. The men obviously did as well, their expressions intently curious, as one would expect given such an introduction.

“I would like you to meet Liana. She has traveled with me from Crimson Hollow.”

That did not satisfy their curiosity. Given that Castle Blackwood was forbidden visitors, Liana understood the men’s uncertainty.

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance,” she said.

“I will explain,” Darien said. “But not here.”

They’d already discussed the plan for her arrival. Darien would tell his friends everything. They and their wives, he assured Liana, could be trusted, along with one of the instructors, Sir Eamon Thorne.

“Welcome to Castle Blackwood,” Roland said to her. “Luckily, the evening meal is over,” he added, addressing Darien. “Or you’d make quite a spectacle waltzing into the keep with your new companion.”

“How did you know we’d arrived?” she asked.

“There are few secrets here.” Gareth, unlike Roland or Darien, did not smile readily. Despite it, she sensed a warmth in him. The new horsemanship instructor, Gareth had come to Castle Blackwood as a recruit but had taken the place of their fallen instructor, Sir Adrian Fitzwilliam. He was renowned even to those in the remote Isle of Ely. All had heard of his feats as a tourney knight, and the recruits here were lucky to have learned from such a skilled rider.

“Are there not?” Alden asked as they walked toward the keep.

“Perhaps a few,” Gareth admitted. Likely they spoke of Gareth’s wife, Lady Evelina, whose father was one of the Guardians’ financiers. Except, according to Darien, the baron was not her actual father. That honor went to Sir Eamon, though few knew the truth of the matter, even now that Gareth and Evelina were married.