Page 39 of Cadell the Dragon

“Come on, my boy,” he whispered to the horse, “run like you’ve never run before. Take me to her.”

After what felt like the longest ride of his life, he arrived at Bryn Glas. That he was out of breath was more due to his anguish than the relentless ride.

“Where is she?” he asked the steward, jumping down from the saddle before Haearn had come to a complete halt.

Cadwgan seemed surprised to see him, with reason. They were supposed to go to him this morning, not the other way around. But, of course, the old man might not be aware of his mistress’s change of heart.

“Her ladyship is still in the solar, getting ready I sup⁠—”

Not waiting for the rest of the answer, Cadell ran to the stairs. Getting ready. Yes, for their wedding. The wedding that was not going to happen, apparently.

He skidded to a halt in front of the door and took in a deep breath. “Johanna, it’s me,” he said before knocking. “I’m coming in.”

He had decided not to shout, but he was not sure he had quite succeeded. But how to keep calm when so much was at stake? He needed to talk to Johanna. Now. There was a pause, much too long for his liking, then her answer.

“Don’t. Please.” She sounded weak, almost…poorly.

He inhaled sharply. Was she ill? Was that what the problem was, why she had sent him the note, because she was not well? No, surely if a sudden illness had rendered her unable to attend the ceremony this morning, she would have worded her letter differently, explained what the matter was instead of letting him imagine the worst.

She was not ill, simply refusing to allow him access to the room.

Unable to wait any longer, he tried the door, and found it barred. He swore between his teeth. She had not barred her door once in all the times he had slept with her. Why had she done so now? Had she anticipated that he would come barging in after receiving her letter? Well, she’d been right to fear that he would demand explanations.

“Open up!”

“I cannot,” she repeated.

Why? Was there someone else in there with her? A man? His blood went from searing hot to freezing cold in the space of a heartbeat.

“You can and you will. Right bloody now.” This time he didn’t even try to keep his voice—or his temper down. In that moment, he felt like a different man. He slammed his palm on the wood in a vain attempt to ease his frustration. The pain shooting up his arm only increased his fury. “Open, or you’ll have to watch me break down the door.”

It was when the threat passed his lips that he realized how dangerous he sounded. He really had to calm down, because if Johanna took fright, which was not impossible, considering that he was behaving like a crazed man, she would never open. But he knew that however irate he was, he would never hurt her. He did, however, need to get into that room and see for himself what was going on.

“I swear I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to speak to you,” he said, loath to scare her. That was not the plan, but he was too wretched to be measured.

There was another silence, as if she were considering his words. Eventually, she must have concluded that she could trust him, for she called out.

“Very well. Just… Give me a moment.”

He gritted his teeth. Did he have any choice? No. He could not break the door, no matter what he said, and risk scaring her. He would just have to wait.

After what felt like an eternity, he heard the latch being removed. Why had she barred her door last night, he wondered again? Who did she fear would enter the solar? It had been the first time she had slept alone since her chamber had been destroyed. Had she felt exposed without him by her side? The thought brought some sense to him. He hated the idea of her feeling vulnerable and scared. Wedding or not, he should have been there. Then none of this would have happened. Whatever issue she felt had arisen between them would have been instantly resolved.

The door opened a fraction and Johanna’s face appeared in the crack.

“Cadell.” His name was little more than a whisper. Her face was blotchy, her eyes red, as if she had not slept and instead spent the night crying.

His anger disappeared like a wisp of smoke at the sight. Pushing the door open, he slipped into the room, panic erasing all other feelings.

“What happened?” he asked, drawing her into his embrace. “Who hurt you?”

She disentangled herself from his hold and shook her head. “No one hurt me. I’m fine.”

Fine? Was he really expected to believe that outrageous lie? He had never seen her so dejected, even on the night of the storm, when she had poured her heart out to him, or when she had talked to him about the loss of her babe.

“You’re not fine. You’ve been crying. What happened?”

Something definitely had. She looked not only wretched but nervous as well. She kept glancing around the room, as if looking for something or someone to appear. Had he been right after all, was there a man in here with them, hiding? But where? And why? Who? Cadell forced himself not to move and frighten her again, while he waited for Johanna’s answer.