With Dreams Only of You Read online

  Willew shook her head at her sarcastic son-in-law. “There is more to this sword than that,” she said. “I see crimson but I also see angst and horror and terrible things. This sword has caused many deaths and has seen many terrible events. It is angry!”

  Frederica didn’t like the fact that the old woman was saying awful things about her sword. When Frederica had touched it, not moments before, her reaction had been quite the opposite. She had sensed warmth and adoration from the sword, not death and blood. Perhaps it had been just her imagination, romanticizing a piece of metal, but even so, she resented the old woman’s assertion.

  “That is not true,” Frederica insisted. “That sword is not angry. That is silly. It is a fine weapon and a very thoughtful gift.”

  Willew looked at the young woman who was her great-niece by marriage. “Gift?” she repeated. “What gift?”

  Frederica moved away from her seat, heading towards the old woman who still had the sword in her hands. “Sir Eryx brought the sword to me as a gift,” she said, glancing at Eryx with a rather adoring smile. “It is a wonderful gift.”

  Willew’s old brow furrowed. “Nay,” she said flatly. “This is not a gift. This is a weapon of blood and grief. You must not accept it. It must be returned. If you keep it, it will only bring you sorrow.”

  Frederica frowned. “That is nonsense,” she said. “It is a lovely sword and I am going to keep it.”

  Willew removed her hands from the sword, her dark eyes now focused on Frederica. There was madness and rage in the black, churning depths.

  “Foolish,” she spat. “Do you not understand that a sword is a weapon of pain and death? The man who brought that weapon to our shores was determined to kill and conquer. The souls of all of those men the sword killed now hide within it, forever trapped by the steel of the blade that took their lives. If you keep it, the souls trapped within it will forever haunt you. You will be cursed!”

  Frederica was becoming increasingly unhappy with Willew’s assessment of the sword. “I will not,” she said. “Curses do not exist. I do not believe in them.”

  Willew didn’t like to be contradicted. The truth was that the sword was harmless. She could neither feel anger nor see dead souls around it, but she wanted others to believe she could. She liked to hold power over people with fear and bewilderment, but Frederica would have none of it. She was a reasonable, sane, young woman who was not known to give credence to superstitions no matter how Willew had tried in the past.

  Those incidences, just those few, had seen Frederica dismiss Willew’s false visions, and rightly so. The old woman had been offended but she had quickly forgotten about the young woman’s inability to be manipulated. Her memory wasn’t what it used to be, anyway. But now the young woman had denied Willew in front of witnesses and there was vengeance in Willew’s old heart. She didn’t like to be shamed. Now, the stakes were raised.

  “Silence!” she hissed at Frederica, pointing at the sword. “Your lover must return this where he found it or else it will bring a terrible curse down around you. I see blood and death for him if he does not put it back where it has lain all of these centuries. The sword can only mean sorrow for you both!”

  Frederica reached out and took the weapon from Eryx, essentially removing it from the old woman’s grasp. “Ridiculous,” she said, turning back for her seat. “It is my sword and I will keep it.”

  Willew began screeching at her as Broderick and his wife tried to calm the old woman, but meanwhile, Robbin was sitting across the table, watching the entire scene. A curse. It was a very clever concept, perhaps one that he could use to his advantage. Perhaps if Lady Frederica thought the sword was truly cursed, convinced in some way, she might reject the gift. Perhaps… perhaps if Robbin was to save her from the curse, she would show her gratitude by rejecting Eryx as well. Aye, it was an attractive plan, indeed. Moreover, he suspected it was his only hope of winning her. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

  As Broderick settled Willew down and forced the old woman to drink and eat, Frederica and Eryx sat back down and continued their private and cozy conversation, rejecting all other attempts from anyone to join it. Their conversation was between them, and only them, and the more Robbin watched, the more jealous and enraged he became. He had to do something about it, for he could not stand to see the woman he lusted after as she lusted after another. He was sure that lust was all it was. What more could it be? As Robbin observed the sweet interaction between Eryx and Frederica, he came to a decision.

  A curse.

  Tonight would see that curse come to fruition.

  Chapter Five

  The Curse

  “Fire!”

  The scream rang throughout the hall. Frederica, sound asleep in her chamber on the third floor of Pelinom’s keep, heard the cry, leaping out of bed just as a servant came pounding at her door. Throwing open the door wearing only a heavy woolen, sleeping shift, she was met by a panicked servant and the smell of smoke.

  “What has happened?” Frederica demanded.

  The servant, a young girl with yellowed teeth, was having fits. “A fire in the hall, m’lady!” she cried. “Lord Broderick says that you are to leave the keep and go to the stables immediately!”

  Even as they stood there, the smoke was getting heavier, drifting up the stairwell from the floors below. Swiftly pulling on a pair of doeskin boots and throwing on a heavy woolen cloak, Frederica fled her bedchamber and raced down the spiral stairs that led to the lower levels.

  The floor below hers was filled with smoke and she coughed, clearing her lungs. On this level, her uncle had a chamber he shared with his wife, and Lady Willew also had a chamber. As Frederica reached that level, she ran into her Aunt Amelia as the woman tried to help Lady Willew. It was smoky, and frightening, and the old woman wasn’t moving easily. Frederica rushed to them to help.

  “Where is Uncle Rick?” Frederica asked, coughing again.

  Amelia, physically weak as well as mentally brittle, was in tears and Frederica found herself helping both women towards the stairs. The panicked servant girl was also trying to help but she was so terrified that she wasn’t doing a very good job. She was simply shuffling along, shoving Lady Amelia now and again. Frederica, however, remained strong. She had to. She didn’t want to die in a blaze and was determined to help everyone to safety.

  “He is trying to douse the fire, I would assume,” Amelia said, sobbing. “Sweet Saints help and preserve us!”

  Frederica took the stairs first so she could help Lady Willew and her aunt down the rather steep steps. Willew, between Frederica and Amelia, was huffing and coughing, struggling as she made her way down.

  “We will die,” she gasped. “Lord, I commend to you my soul and spirit from whence I came! Take me, O Lord!”

  Frederica frowned at the old woman’s howling. “We will not die,” she said steadily. “A few more steps and we shall be safely outside. Come along, now, I will help you.”

  Willew clung to Frederica, her dirty nails digging into Frederica’s tender flesh. “I foresaw this,” she hissed. “I told you that sword was cursed. ’Tis the souls of those the sword has killed that started the fire. Already, they reach their fingers of disaster into Pelinom!”

  Frederica looked at the woman as if she had gone mad. “The sword has nothing to do with this,” she said. “It is a fire. Anything can start it.”

  They were nearing the bottom of the steps. “Foolish girl,” Willew rasped. “You should have listened to me.”

  Frederica refused to say anything more. She was afraid she was going to lose her temper and, consequently, her composure. She needed to remain in control if they were going to make it out alive. Willew was a ridiculous, old woman as far as she was concerned. As they neared the base of the steps, enduring heavy smoke, someone grasped her from behind.

  “Easy, my lady,” Eryx said, gently pulling her away from Willew. Effortlessly, he swung the old woman into his arms. “Follow me, ladies. I will tak
e you to safety.”

  Heart swelling at the sight of him, Frederica grasped her aunt and, following Eryx, helped the woman past the burning hall and out into the freezing night. It had started to snow so the steps leading down the keep were covered with powdery, white slush. Men were rushing up the stairs past them, bearing anything that could contain water, as the bucket brigade was in full swing. Just as their little group came to the bottom of the stairs, Robbin suddenly appeared up at the top.

  Sweating, and smeared with soot, Robbin had seen Eryx take the women from the keep. He had been inside the hall, trying to fight the fire that he had started, the fire that was supposed to prove the old woman’s curse theory and also make him a hero, but he had been prevented from going after the women by Broderick, who was depending on him to direct the firefighting efforts. Aggravated, Robbin had done what he was asked of him but when he saw Eryx slip past him and on to help the ladies, he had been forced to break from his firefighting efforts and follow.

  Robbin was so very frustrated at his efforts, efforts he had planned out most carefully. Or, at least, he thought he had. It all started when everyone had gone to sleep after the feast that night and Eryx had retired to the knights’ quarters. Robbin had pretended to retire, too, but under the cloak of darkness, he had made his way back into the great hall that was filled with old rushes and dogs and soldiers sleeping upon the benches. Here is where his plan would begin.

  Unfortunately for him, however, there were several witnesses to view his dastardly intentions so he pretended to lay down by the fire to warm himself, making sure everyone was asleep, before cautiously and silently removing a strip of wood that was burning brightly on one end. That strip had been used to ignite a massive tapestry near the hearth in an act that could easily be explained away by a spark spitting out from the fire. Such things happened commonly. But once the tapestry lit, Robbin tossed the strip of wood into the dried rushes that were near the hearth as well. Those went up quickly and, soon, the hall was filled with a thick, black smoke.

  But the call for help went out faster than Robbin had intended. Broderick had been summoned quickly and, noting Robbin in the hall, he commanded the knight to take charge of fighting the fire. Thwarted in his efforts to rush upstairs to save Frederica, Robbin found himself trapped by duty as Eryx, alerted in the knights’ quarters, had rushed in to assist. Robbin wanted nothing better than to roll the man into the hearth and watch him burn a terrible death but he had been too distracted by the fire that was quickly growing out of control.

  Only a few minutes into the fire, the blaze had crept up the tapestry and begun to burn the wooden ceiling above, which was the floor of the third level above where the sleeping chambers were. Robbin didn’t particularly care about that but he did care about saving Lady Frederica. It was the only thing he cared about. He tried to run upstairs but Broderick thwarted his plan by sending the servants to rouse his family. Now, stuck in the blazing hall as the fire consumed it, Robbin could only watch helplessly as Eryx rushed in to help the women as they descended the steps.

  But he was helpless no more. Having escaped the burning hall, he rushed down the snowy, slippery stairs and came up behind Frederica, who was helping her aunt through the snow drifts. Robbin swooped down to pick Frederica up into his arms but he was met by two sharp slaps to the face as he lifted her. Frederica fell to the ground as, startled, Robbin dropped her.

  “By what right to you touch me, Robbin le Somes?” Frederica demanded as she picked herself up from the snowy ground. “You will never lay a hand on me, do you hear?”

  Robbin was torn between regret and outrage. “I was trying to help you,” he said, rather hotly. “The ground is wet and snowy and you are not properly dressed. I was trying to help you so you would not slip and hurt yourself.”

  Furious, Frederica grasped her aunt by the arm. “If you want to help anyone, help Lady Amelia,” she said. “She is the lady of the castle and the only one you should be paying attention to.”

  Robbin was feeling increasingly foolish. Angry and foolish. Can nothing go right for me this night? Frustrated, he went to Lady Amelia and picked the woman up, slugging across the slushy ground after Eryx and following the man as he headed for the stables.

  Frederica followed behind them, cloak clutched against her as the snowflakes fell, but all the while she kept a distance, fearful that Robbin was going to drop Amelia and then make a move to pick her up again. Frederica didn’t want to be near the man much less in his arms. Therefore, she made sure to keep away from him. There was something odd in his features this night, something edgy. She didn’t know what it was but she knew she didn’t like it.

  The stables weren’t particularly warm but they were at least dry as the snow continued to fall, heavier now. In the entry to the stable, Frederica paused to look at the keep, watching billowing smoke pour out of the windows from the third and fourth floor, and flames shoot out of the lancet windows on the second level where the hall was. Soldiers and servants were running about with buckets of water, but she could hear shouts that the well was half-frozen over, making it difficult to draw water. Men began filling their buckets with snow to help douse the fire. As Frederica stood there and watched, feeling very sad for her uncle and his beautiful castle, she could feel a presence behind her.

  “I am not entirely sure the keep can be saved,” Eryx said softly. “The fire is burning quite hotly now. It will continue to feed until there is nothing left.”

  Frederica turned to look at him, her face haunting in the flickering light of the distant fire. “My uncle has worked very hard to amass his possessions,” she said. “Is there nothing to be saved in his solar?”

  Eryx nodded. “When I first entered the keep after being roused to the cries of the fire, that is the first place I went,” he said. “I took what I could from his desk and shelves, and carried it all back to the knights’ quarters. I was able to collect all of the scrolls and books the man has. Those are things that cannot be replaced.”

  Frederica nodded faintly, turning to look at the fire once more, but mostly, she was enjoying the fact that Eryx was standing up against her. She could feel his body heat through her cloak and it thrilled her as nothing else ever had. She could only imagine what it would feel like to have his arms around her.

  “I am sure Uncle Rick appreciates your effort,” she said. “And the Theodosia sword? Is she safe also?”

  Eryx grinned. “She is quite safe,” he said softly. “You do not believe I would let anything happen to her, do you?”

  Frederica softened, smiling in return. There was something about that man that softened her merely on instinct alone. “Of course not,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure. She is mine, after all. It is the first gift you have ever given me.”

  “It will not be the last.”

  Frederica laughed softly. “I did not mean that to sound as if I were expecting anything more,” she said. “Theodosia is a beautiful name for a sword, don’t you think?”

  “I do,” he said, his dusky eyes glimmering at her. “It is a beautiful name for a sword or a woman. Or even a daughter.”

  Something changed at that moment between them, a hint of what was to come. A leading mention of what was on Eryx’s mind and Frederica’s heart, so joyful in his presence, suddenly took wings. A daughter. She could hardly believe her ears but in the same breath, she had always known her children would be his children also. Since the moment she had met him, Frederica had always known they were destined to be together. Everything about him touched her, as if he were already under her skin, part of the blood that flowed through her veins. As she gazed into his eyes, she could only thing of one thing to say.

  “Aye,” she murmured. “Or even a daughter.”

  Eryx took it as an acceptance of his intentions and more happiness than he had ever experienced burst through him in bolts of sheer elation. “She would have your eyes, of course,” he whispered. “I would want her to.”

  The smile on Freder
ica’s face was something that only dreams were made of. “And there would be sons who would look just like you.”

  Eryx nodded, thinking that he wanted to kiss her very badly but he refrained, though it was a struggle. Something about her lush lips begged to be kissed. “Before we can name sons and daughters, I suppose I should speak to your uncle first,” he said. “I wonder if Lord Broderick would so willingly give you up?”

  Frederica laughed, quietly. “It does not matter,” she said. “If he did not, I would run to you and never look back.”

  “Would you truly?”

  “With all my heart, I would.”

  Eryx wanted to kiss her so badly now that his hands were shaking. But he was acutely aware of Robbin several feet behind them, settling Lady Amelia and Lady Willew into a comfortable pile of straw. Nay, he didn’t dare kiss her now, not for Robbin to see. Not for anyone to see. But later… there would be time. All the time in the world.

  She was his.

  “I am pleased,” he finally said. It was all he could think to say. “I will speak to your uncle before I leave for Corchester.”

  Frederica nodded, her focus riveted to him as if unable to tear herself away. My husband, she thought with great delight. He is to be my husband. But mention of her uncle turned her attention to the keep, now greatly flaming and smoking. The joy in her expression turned to apprehension.

  “It seems as if the fire is growing worse,” she said. “Mayhap you should go and see if you can convince Uncle Rick to come outside. I am fearful that he might be consumed, too.”

  Eryx had to admit that the thought had crossed his mind. Last he saw Broderick, the man was in the middle of the hall as fire climbed the walls. He put his hand on Frederica’s arm in a comforting gesture.

  “I will go and see,” he assured her. “You will remain here with your aunt.”

  Frederica reached out to him before he could leave. “Please,” she said softly, “be careful.”