At that point, Gavriella didn’t seem to be fighting him too much. She’d stopped struggling and was mostly bracing herself against his broad back as he carried her over his shoulder. Andreas ran all the way across the bridge and to the other side before he even attempted to set her down.
Once he set her to her feet, he looked at her with great concern.
“Are you well?” he asked. “Were you injured?”
She’d been crying. He could see where she’d wiped her face with fingers dirty from clutching an iron rod.
“I am not hurt,” she said, her lower lip trembling. “I… I am sorry I was so much trouble. I saw that man… he was trying to kill you and I… I tried to help. I am sorry if I have made you angry.”
He sighed heavily, relieved more than he cared to admit that she was unharmed. Reaching out, he grasped her by the upper arms.
“I am not angry, sweetling,” he said, his relief causing him to call her by a term of endearment. “Are you sure you are uninjured?”
“I am sure.”
He was looking her in the face, seeing great upset in her features, and he went back to what she had said when she’d been beating de Alisal within an inch of his life.
I shall make it so you can never hurt anyone again and ruin lives.
Given the situation, that had seemed strangely out of place. But in her guarded world, perhaps not. Clearly, it meant something to her, but what, exactly, was anyone’s guess.
Part of that guarded woman had just revealed herself.
Gently, he released her and took her hand in his. “Did you get more sweets thrown at you?”
He was trying to change the subject, trying to calm the situation. She nodded, head hung as she continued to wipe at her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I did not save any for you.”
He smiled faintly. “Not to worry,” he said. “Did you enjoy yourself today?”
She nodded. “I did, very much.”
“I am sorry about the skirmish. It was… unexpected.”
Her head came up, then, and she looked at him. “What happened?” she asked. “How did you end up fighting that man?”
It was a complicated story, one he didn’t feel like telling her. Therefore, he simply shrugged. “Things like that start so quickly and no one ever remembers why,” he said. “Come, let us go back into the city and find something to eat.”
He began leading her away and she looked at him in mild surprise. “Again?”
He winked at her. “I have a very large appetite.”
With a shrug, she gathered her skirts in one hand and let him lead her away with the other.
The entertainment, for the day, was concluded.
But not the excitement.
There was more to come.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gavriella had to admit that she’d never seen anyone eat so much in her life.
They were back at The Fox and The Wolf, the inn they’d visited not twelve hours earlier. But this time, it was to eat. Again. Andreas had his beloved beef roast, cooked in red wine and garlic and cloves, and he’d had a goodly portion of it. Along with the roast, he had stuffed eggs, spinach and cabbage, carrots cooked in sweet vinegar, and all the bread he could eat.
He was in heaven.
For as much as the man ate, Gavriella couldn’t see an ounce of fat on him. He was quite large, and very strong, but it was all muscle. She’d found that out when he had carried her out of danger, running what had to be at least a mile or more with her slung over his shoulder. It took a strong man to do that.
More and more, she was coming to see just what an exceptional man he was.
In fact, the entire adventure to Southwark has been an eye-opening experience for her. In the deliciously languid moments when all they’d done was talk, with no pressure, no expectations, she had come to see a man of exceptional intelligence and exceptional humor. He was exacting, a bit of a perfectionist, and very smart. He was also a little rigid, quite arrogant, and supremely confident. She had seen that side of him and it amused her greatly, but the side of him she liked best was the compassionate and caring side.
That was the side that was drawing her to him more and more.
She kept going back to those moments when she realized that she wasn’t worthy of him, knowing that she couldn’t let this acquaintance go any further than it already had. Although Gavriella did not know much more about Andreas than his name, she instinctively knew that he was from a very fine family and there were several in the north where she was from. She knew he was from Northumberland, just as she was, but as she’d said to him, Northumberland was a large province. There were several great families and innumerable warlords. It was quite possible he was one of those warlords, one of the many who battled against the Scots or fought for the king’s army.
All she knew was that the man had a stamp of greatness about him.
It would have been so easy to pretend there was some manner of future between them. It would have been so easy to daydream that he was her husband, her handsome and powerful husband, and she was a wife worth having. She was coming to think that her father sending her to London had been a good thing because, here in London, she had no past and people didn’t know about the shames she had suffered. Essentially, she had a clean slate but, most importantly, Andreas didn’t know of her past and she could pretend that there was a future with him.
And that a man like Andreas was within her reach.
For the moment, she decided that she was going to enjoy this.
“My lady?” Andreas broke into her train of thought. “Did you hear me?”
Startled that she’d been caught daydreaming, Gavriella smiled weakly. “I am sorry,” she said. “My mind was wandering. I suppose I am more exhausted than I realized.”
He smiled faintly, collecting his cup of ruby-red wine. “It was quite a long night,” he said. “I did not sleep much after I returned home. Did you?”
She shook her head. “My cousin snores,” she said, grinning when he laughed low in his throat. “But do not tell her I said so. She would deny it and I would look like a liar.”
He shook his head. “I could never see you in such a light,” he said. “In fact, what I said earlier when you did not hear me was that I had an enjoyable time today in spite of the way it ended. Thank you very much for accompanying me.”
“Thank you for taking me,” she said, her eyes glimmering at him. “I cannot remember when I have had such a wonderful time.”
“Even with the fight?”
“Even with the fight.”
A smile played on his lips. “You were quite fearsome,” he said. “It is a rare lady who will take up arms like that.”
Her eyes dimmed a little and she averted her gaze. “I… I do not know why I did it,” she said. “All I know is that you were in trouble and I sought to help. I could not stand by and do nothing.”
His smile faded, the look in his eyes growing more intense. “That is quite noble,” he said. “And I am flattered. You are a rare bird, Lady Gavriella.”
She dared to look up at him, perhaps surprised he hadn’t scolded her. “I do not think so,” she said. “I am just like everyone else, but when threatened… I will fight back. I…I have learned to fight back. But let us speak no more of the incident, if you do not mind. Today’s visit shall be something I will always remember and treasure, fight or no fight. Mayhap one day, we shall meet in London again and you will let me take you to see an entertainment. I should like to repay the kindness.”