Retreat, p.6
Retreat, page 6
part #2 of Stormers Series
Meg poured milk from a delicate jug into her own tea and sat back on the chair. “I think Martha is confused about who you are.”
Hadley nodded her agreement. The conversation with Martha had left her baffled, but she’d played along, feeling less than happy about deceiving the woman even more than she already had.
Even Cester’s mother had popped in to say hello, and to insist she move to the main house where heat was centralised through a ducting system. Hadley’s embarrassment had grown incrementally when the kind old woman said she would be the guest of honour at the upcoming festivities.
“I think the party may actually still go ahead you know,” Meg said.
Hadley tucked her hair behind her ear, surprised to find it had grown so much in the last few months. “I don’t like lying to everyone.”
Meg’s frown grew deeper as she contemplated the words. “No, I wouldn’t either. But I’m sure Cester has good reason.”
Hadley nodded vaguely, distracted by the noise coming from outside. Her heart jumped in her chest as Cester appeared in the doorway. “Where’s Kade?”
Cester raised an eyebrow, the faintest of smiles on his face, before he stepped aside to allow a snow-covered, Kade to enter.
Relief surged through her as his eyes drifted to her. Her heart skittered around her chest as she waited until they were out of their coats and accepting tea from Meg before speaking. “Did you find them?”
Kade nodded slowly, his disgust evident in his tone. “They’re there all right. Just waiting for the earl to show up with you.”
Hadley swallowed hard, her lunch sitting like a rock in her stomach as Cester discussed with Kade how to proceed.
Meg for the most part seemed remarkably unbothered by the possible danger. Perhaps she was used to it?
“Where’s the earl now?” Kade asked.
Cester’s voice was eerily calm. “In his cabin, where I’ve confined him.”
“For his own protection?”
Cester’s lips twitched but he remained impassive. “Precisely.”
Kade drained his milky tea and set the cup and saucer down with a clunk. “Let’s get this over with then? The sooner we figure out the plan, the sooner we can all relax.”
His eyes found hers and he gave her the slightest of nods. “And the sooner we can find Thomas,” he added.
Cester sighed heavily. “It would set my mind at ease, and I will be grateful to speak truthfully to my family.”
Cester reached for his cup, and Meg’s gaze settled on Kade’s. “I had an idea…"
“No!” Cester said.
Kade raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Meg didn’t hesitate despite the expression on Cester’s face. “I thought maybe I could go with you instead of Hadley. I look more like the princess and I can help if you get into trouble.”
Kade scratched the new beard on his chin and looked sidelong at Cester. “And you think it’s a bad idea?”
Cester dipped his chin slightly, his tone firm when he answered. “It’s too risky.”
Kade nodded slowly, ignoring Meg as she leaned forwards. “Only if they’ve actually seen Hadley, and we still don’t know that.”
Hadley squirmed slightly as both Kade and Cester turned probing gazes her way. Cester’s frown seemed to pass to Kade as they in turn stared at her.
“I don’t know. We should get the earl in here; he was obviously planning to pass Hadley off, I’d like another chance to talk to him,” Kade said.
Cester leaned back in the chair and laced his fingers in front of him. “Perhaps. But I’d rather not let the earl know anything just yet.”
Kade nodded, a dark look crossing his face. “You don’t trust him. He lied to you once; he’ll do it again.”
Cester stiffened at the hard look Kade was sending his way. “Precisely.”
Kade near growled a response. “I think it’s time we talked about what happened in Amaria.”
Cester gave Kade a slight nod before he smiled at Meg. “Would you check on the arrangements for the party?”
Meg uncrossed her leg. “It’s going ahead then?”
Cester gave her a slow nod. “If the real princess were here, we would be holding a celebration in her honour, and unfortunately my mother and aunts are already past the point of no return. It’s the perfect opportunity to lure the bandits out.”
Kade shook his head. “I saw a Southern Stormer up there. They aren’t just bandits.”
Alarm sparked on Cester’s face. “You’re sure? A Stormer is with them?”
Kade nodded. “Why would a Southern Stormer be this far north?”
Cester frowned heavily before he seemed to shake himself. “If you would, Meg.”
Meg’s lips curled into a smile as she reached for Hadley’s hand. “Come on. Let’s leave them to it. We’ll find a dress for you.”
Kade’s face fell. “Is that wise? I mean, what’s the point? Shouldn’t Hadley be in hiding until we make a decision?”
Meg scoffed. “Don’t be silly.”
Hadley offered a weak smile as Meg dragged her out of the room leaving Kade wearing a scowl that baffled her.
The second the door slid closed, Kade asked the first question that sprang to mind. “What’s going on?”
Cester frowned. “You’ll have to be specific.”
Kade felt a shudder of anger ripple through him. “Alright. I’ll bloody well be specific. You sent me to retrieve the princess knowing full well she hadn’t been kidnapped; let’s start there, shall we?”
Cester held his gaze before exhaling slowly. “As your captain there will always be things I cannot tell you, Stormer Kade; as someone who is privy to information that is sensitive, there are things I withhold to protect you.”
Kade continued glaring at him until Cester shifted his weight and made it clear he wasn’t ready to keep talking about Amaria. “You’re positive it was a Stormer, you saw?”
“He was older than you. Maybe thirtyish. Dark hair cropped short. Stocky, and he had the Stormer tattoo.”
Cester’s expression turned grim. “I know the man you speak of. I turned him down once. I do not employ men who kill for pleasure.”
Kade held his tongue, sending a hard look at the man alongside him, forcing the waver from his voice. Who the Stormer was wasn’t the most important thing right now. “You lied to me.”
Cester nodded, his face set like stone. “Yes. I did. But as long as we’re being frank. You aren’t being completely honest with me either.”
Kade raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Cester opened his hands, his expression passive. “You knew Hadley was a girl, and yet you still took her.”
His cheeks flared, his voice rising a notch. “Just what are you implying?”
Cester’s own voice stayed even, irritating Kade further. “I’m not implying anything, Stormer Kade, I’m stating a fact. You knowingly took a girl to Amaria, and I’m asking you to explain your reasoning.”
Kade gaped at him a moment. How had this conversation ended up with him in trouble?
“I made a judgement call: it was too far to go back to you. You gave me a deadline. I was trying to keep to it.”
Cester nodded gravely. “A deadline to bring the princess back. Before the wedding, which you failed to do.”
Kade heart began to thump in his chest at the veiled insult. “I made a choice based on the information at hand. You sent me in knowing other Stormers had died. I was injured, and I had to make a decision.”
Cester motioned him to go on. “The details shouldn’t have been important. To any other Stormer they wouldn’t have been. I needed to see if you would do the right thing. That’s why I wanted you to go. The other Stormers sent in weren’t under my jurisdiction, and I put this off until you were recovered so to decrease the risk.”
The words died on his tongue. Cester was testing him? “Why?”
A flash of emotion crossed Cester’s face, and for a moment Kade saw vulnerability beneath the captain’s exterior. “Because this isn’t the life Meg deserves,” he said quietly.
Kade’s jaw dropped at the admission. His throat closed over, and he forced the words out. “You’re interested in Meg?”
Cester nodded slowly. “I wish to marry your sister, and settle here in the valley, but I can’t do that without your assistance.”
Kade’s breath locked in his chest. The words spilling out as everything fell into place. “You want me to Captain the Northern Stormers so you can retire?”
Cester nodded again. “I realise you are young, but you are a born leader; you hold their respect, and now you have my trust.”
Kade shook his head. “Why not tell me? Why throw me in it and risk me bringing the princess back by force?”
Cester shook his head. “You never would have done that. You said I lied. Yes, I did. But only because I didn’t know for sure if the princess was sincere, and I needed to test your reasoning. Sending Hadley was, in hindsight, a mistake, but from your own account you were able to make the most of the scout I gave you.”
Kade slumped back in his chair, his mind whirling with dozens of questions. “So, I stay here in Azetaria and captain the Stormers? You and Meg stay here, safe in the valley?”
Cester nodded, a hint of doubt in his voice. “If she’ll accept my proposal, after you’ve granted permission for me to do so, of course.”
Kade’s eyes widened. “You’re asking me for permission to marry Meg?”
Cester dropped his gaze, and Kade was alarmed to see his captain rush to cover his embarrassment. “You stand in place of your late father, do you not?”
Kade’s stomach tightened at the reminder. “Yes,” he mumbled.
Cester pulled his shoulders back. “Then this is my formal request; I’d like to propose to Meg when the time is right.”
Kade gawked at Cester’s hopeful expression, and a swirl of guilt bloomed in his belly. “There’s something you should know. Since we’re being honest.”
Alarm streaked over Cester’s face. “About Meg?”
Kade shook his head. “I met Prince Rahid. He spared my life in return for taking a message to the king; they’ve been watching us for a few months.”
“Why am I only hearing this now?”
Annoyance began creeping over his body. “Because a few other things seemed a little more important.”
Cester’s lips pressed together before he gave the signal to carry on.
Kade made sure his voice was calm. “He let us return to tell the king that no more Stormers are to set foot on his land. He also said we should be looking to our own king to locate the stolen men we’ve been hearing about.”
Cester leaned back in his chair, a knot growing on his forehead. “And you believed him?”
Kade nodded slowly. “He’s a follower of the Ancient, just like you. Whatever that means.”
Cester’s eyes snapped to him. “And his reason for marrying the princess?”
Kade shifted uncomfortably. “They’re in love; best reason to marry, I suppose.”
Cester dropped his gaze again before his lips twitched into a genuine smile. “Yes, Stormer Kade, it certainly is.”
Oh, for the love of the gods!
Kade cleared his throat and held Cester’s unrelenting gaze; he still hadn’t answered the unspoken question of accepting the captaincy, not something he felt prepared or qualified to do.
Cester’s jaw worked as he considered him. “Is there anything else?”
Kade exhaled slowly. “The Numachi—they think the Azetary river is poisoned further upstream from Arrowford—that’s why they don’t cross, and that’s why they can’t be responsible for the men disappearing.”
Cester rocked back a little in his chair. “Not what I expected to find out, Stormer Kade; the Ancient surely has his hand on you. Another reason to accept the position.”
Kade didn’t bother with a reply; instead he extended his hand, avoiding the inevitable conversation to come.
When the dust settled, Cester would have to think about the future of the Stormers. All the Stormers units were now affected. If the prince had been allowing them entry to keep the peace, they couldn’t possibly continue to retrieve inside Numachi territory—maybe in the surrounding countries, but certainly not Amaria where the prince’s men watched on.
He eased closer to Cester, his abdomen taut as his ribs strained. “Then you have my permission to ask Meg as long as I have yours to use Stormer resources to search for Hadley’s brother.”
Cester’s brow furrowed before he grasped Kade’s hand. “After the bandits are dealt with you have my permission to leave for the remainder of winter.”
“And the message to the king?”
Cester gaze turned cold. “The earl can take the message back when you deposit him in the capital. Do we have a deal, Stormer Kade?”
Kade squeezed Cester’s calloused hand as he nodded. “We have a deal.”
Hadley stood gazing out the window, her hands clammy and her mouth growing drier with each passing moment.
These people for the most part were strangers to her, and after two months of living with Kade, whether she wanted to or not, she knew the scowling Stormer better than anyone else here.
As her thoughts turned to the band of criminals waiting for her departure, her anxiety amplified. What’s taking him so long?
Meg was busy behind her, hanging streamers made from dried flowers around the small hall. To keep her mind occupied, Hadley used the cloth Meg had handed to her, flicking away the cobwebs that had grown in the corner of the window frame.
People scurried around inside, some avoiding her, some openly praising her for being so willing to lend a hand readying the hall for festivities.
Hadley’s cheeks had grown tired from smiling, and she longed to escape back to the cabin. Where she could stop pretending and just be by herself.
She scowled at the window as she furiously scrubbed a bleary spot. Noticing the snow falling harder outside, her stomach knotted. If it continued, could they even leave?
Lost in her thoughts, Hadley missed the slight lull in conversation as a masculine voice broke through the women’s chatter.
“Looking good, ladies,” Carl said.
Meg slapped him as he breezed past headed in Hadley’s direction. He grinned at her, the slightest hint of a tease in his voice. “I heard you’re moving into the main house?”
Hadley nodded, feeling her cheeks warm as he stared at her, stepping so close she could make out the different hues of blue in his eyes, eyes that lacked the warmth of his cousin’s.
Meg responded immediately, dropping the ribbons in her hands and stepping to her side, a cautioning look on her face. “Did you need something? Or were you just getting in the way?”
He angled his head and kept his voice just above a whisper. “I just wanted to make sure the prettiest girl here saves a dance for me tomorrow night.”
Carl grinned at her, but there was nothing amusing about the way he cocked an eyebrow and winked.
Meg swatted him, and Carl winced. “Leave it out; I’m allowed to talk to girls.”
Meg’s lip curled delicately. “It’s what you talk to them about that’s the problem. I’m sure Rose wouldn’t be happy about the numerous conversations you have with other girls.”
Carl huffed out a breath before his cocky grin returned. “I’ll see you tomorrow; then I’ll show you which Dawson Stormer is the best dancer.”
Meg muttered under her breath as he swanned across the floor. “One of these days, he’s going to step on the wrong toes, and someone will wipe that smirk off his face.”
Hadley gaped at Meg and was rewarded with a shrug that reminded her of Kade. “It’s true. He’s going to break poor Rose’s heart; he’s arrogant and selfish and he deserves to get his nose broken for it.”
Hadley watched Carl’s easy, swaggering walk as he joined Duke in the large doorway.
Meg sighed beside her. “Thank the Ancient Kade isn’t like him.”
Hadley found herself examining Carl more closely. Thoughts straying to places she wouldn’t normally allow them to go. “He’s not terrible. When he’s not scowling at me that is.”
Meg snatched up her arm again and gave her a wide smile. “He is? That’s always his tell.”
Hadley’s brow scrunched. “His tell?”
Meg grinned. “You know? In poker? Everyone has a tell. Kade’s is that he always scowls when he isn’t sure what hands everyone is holding. He does it when he’s trying to hide his feelings too.”
She was still baffled by Meg’s words when Kade appeared in the hall and started striding across the room towards them.
Her stomach flipped as the scowl seemed to appear when he caught sight of her. “Cester gave me the all clear. Soon as we sort this mess out, we can go look for Thomas.”
Hadley’s eyes filled, and before she could think about what she was doing, she threw herself at Kade and squeezed him tightly.
The feel of his arms encircling her, and the gasps coming from around her, caused her to flinch with her error. She pulled back and caught the surprise on his face before the scowl returned. With cheeks burning, Hadley released a breath as Meg came to her rescue. “The princess was a little overcome with gratitude, that’s all.”
The women in the room sent confused glances at her and at Kade as he rubbed the back of his neck as he muttered something too low for her to hear.
His cheeks were flushed as the scowl returned ten-fold. “I need to go speak with the earl.”
Without another word to either of them, Kade turned and stalked across the room, leaving Hadley to stare after him, her own face heating with the lack of control she’d shown.
Meg nudged her. “See. The scowl of a worried man.”
“He’s got a lot to worry about.”
Meg raised her eyebrows, a wry smile on her face. “Yes, he does.”
Hadley swallowed and turned back to the window, once again scrubbing furiously at the window, all in a futile attempt to stop thinking about Kade’s scowl and why it didn’t seem to appear when he was speaking to anyone else at camp.
