I nodded.
He allowed the scarf to slip away, and I found myself gazing upon the most beautiful scene I’d ever witnessed. Directly ahead, a waterfall cascaded down a hillside and crashed into a rocky river, spraying up with a foamy mist. The thick woodland surrounded the river making it a lush paradise, the summer green of the foliage all the brighter in the glistening drops from the waterfall.
On the riverbank stood a table with two chairs. The table was decorated with a shimmering white tablecloth, silver goblets and plates, along with a crystal vase filled with a vibrant arrangement of wildflowers. Several platters of food were spread, each one heaped with enticing delicacies.
I could only stand speechless at the beauty of the scene.
Aldric stood at my side, taking in my reaction. “Does it sufficiently woo you, my lady?” he finally asked, his tone filled with humor.
“It is a start.”
“Just a start?”
I strolled toward the table, attempting to control my wildly thumping heartbeat. The moment was magical. It was more than I ever could have imagined. And it swept me completely off my feet. But I didn’t want Aldric to know he could so easily win me over.
He reached the table ahead of me and pulled out my chair with a flourish, helping to seat me before he took the place across the table.
His squires and whatever servants had prepared the table and meal kept a discreet distance away, making me feel as though we were alone in the beautiful wilderness. With the roar of the waterfall as the accompaniment, I could ask for no sweeter music.
Likewise, I could ask for no better company. Aldric conversed easily and engaged me with his wit and knowledge. We lingered over the meal long after we’d finished, the backdrop of the waterfall never ceasing to take my breath away.
With a glance at the sky overhead, Aldric stood and held out his hand to me. “I would make the summer’s eve stand still longer if I could, my lady. But since I have no power over the skies, I must finish wooing you before darkness falls.”
I smiled and took his outstretched hand. “Finish wooing?”
His dark eyes lit. “Yes, you didn’t think this was all I’d planned, did you?”
As I stood, his fingers encircled mine. When I politely began to pull away, he drew my hand deeper into his, lacing his fingers through mine as he had earlier during the ride. As before, the contact affected me more than I wanted him to know. I couldn’t deny the threads of warmth that spread up my arm and twined through my heart.
I realized, then, this connection with him would be difficult to cut loose, that his presence was weaving into the tapestry of my life, and that I had no wish to untangle the woven strands any more than I wished to release his hold on my hand.
He guided me through the woodland along the riverbank, seeming to follow an invisible path, one he’d apparently traversed many times in the past. I wasn’t sure where he was leading, but I trusted him—more than anyone else I’d known. That thought surprised me, though it shouldn’t have. In the weeks I’d known Aldric, he’d proven himself to be a man of great character, one I could trust with my life.
If I could trust him with my very life, could I not also trust him with the mission my father had given me to find the Holy Chalice? Once I explained how sick Charles was and how desperately he needed a miracle, Aldric would forgive me for causing him so much trouble.
“Aldric,” I said, tugging him to a stop, knowing I needed to make my confession before I lost the will.
He halted and pivoted. His eyes rounded with something akin to surprise. It took me a minute to realize I’d addressed him by his given name. I wasn’t sure if he would accept such intimacy, and I knew I should apologize.
“Yes, Olivia?” he said before I could say more.
At the sound of my given name on his lips, I smiled.
He returned my smile with a beautiful one of his own, one that told me he accepted this new level of friendship in our relationship.
“I would share the truth with you about my crime if you would hear it.”
His smile slipped away. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought it up. After all, I didn’t want to ruin this lovely evening he’d gone to so much effort to make perfect.
“If you would rather not, I understand.”
He closed the distance between us so that he was only a foot away. He lifted his hand and brushed my cheek with his knuckles. “I’d like honesty between us, Olivia.”
He spoke my name like a caress, and the tenderness in his eyes broke down any further resistance I might have had. “During the ambush on our way to Tolleymuth, my manservant Cecil passed along my father’s instructions to me.”
Although Aldric’s irises darkened, his expression remained patient and nonjudgmental.
I took a deep breath and continued. “My father learned that Lord Pitt has the Holy Chalice in his possession, and he commanded me to find it for him.”
“Why?” The question was hard and demanded the truth.
“My father believes the tales about the chalice’s healing power, that whoever places his lips upon the same cup that our Lord used will be healed of any ailment. He hopes it will cure my brother Charles of his illness and prolong his life.”
Aldric studied my face, and I did the same to his, wishing I could read his thoughts as easily as he seemed to be reading mine.
“He told me he would not pay the ransom to Lord Pitt until I found the chalice.”
“I’m not surprised he would sacrifice you for his own cause. And that makes me detest him more.”
“Not for his cause. For Charles.” But even as I protested, I was assailed with doubts. Yes, Father wanted to find a cure for Charles. But I suspected he wanted the chalice because of the prosperity and power it could bring him if the holy relic truly did contain the power it was rumored to have.
Aldric was silent for a long moment, taking in everything I’d revealed to him. Sprinkles of sunlight danced like fireflies in the lengthening shadows, but the light did nothing to illuminate his face and make it more readable. I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me. And I prayed he wasn’t.
When he reached for my hand and slipped his fingers into mine, pressing his palm against mine, I released a breath. I had no wish to create a rift between us, and I was relieved he still accepted me.
“You must put the chalice out of your mind,” he said quietly. “Lord Pitt no longer has it in his possession.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Because I have it. Lord Pitt gave it to me, and I have locked it away where it will remain safe.”
I watched the shadows flit across his face, and tried to take in his revelation.
“Someday soon,” he continued, “after you have become my wife, we will give Charles a chance to drink from the chalice.”
He was under no obligation to allow Charles such an opportunity, not after the trouble I’d caused. The prospect was more than generous and showed Aldric to be a man of honor, integrity, as well as benevolence. If I had to bind myself to one of Lord Pitt’s knights, I could ask for no better man than this one standing before me.
“I have never met a man as noble and kind as you.” My voice wavered with emotion, and I lowered my eyes in embarrassment.
He lifted our intertwined hands until the back of my hand pressed against his mouth. His warm breath and even warmer lips seared my skin, drawing the air from my lungs and forcing my eyes back to his.
As he held my gaze, something inside me crumbled, perhaps my last wall of resistance. And I realized I had no desire to oppose marriage to this man. I wanted to spend my life with him. Though we were of different stations, and though he might not be able to offer me the status and social connections that a union with Lionel Lacy could provide, I would be much richer in the things that really mattered—like honor, integrity, friendship, and even love.