SECRETS KEPT IN THE HEART
By Eva
"Where's Marguerite?" Roxton asked Veronica, not bothering to mask his impatience. "And, what's keeping her this time?"
Everyone had been gathered in the kitchen for sometime waiting for Marguerite to join them on their latest trek across the plateau in search of a way home.
"Roxton, you know how she likes to sleep late. I would think you'd be used to that by now," Veronica sarcastically replied to the pacing man before her.
"She holds us up every time we plan one of these trips. If she'd just go to bed earlier like the rest of us, we wouldn't have to.....". He broke off when he saw Marguerite enter the room putting the final touches to her hair. "Well, there you are!"
"Yes, here I am," she replied glaring at Roxton who was gathering up the supplies from the table. "I thought we agreed not to leave until after lunch. Who changed the plans? As if I had to ask."
"Okay, okay," Challenger began "let's just be on our way before any more is said. I hope you two don't plan on continuing like this the rest of the trip."
"Only if his Lordship gets in my way!"
"Only if his Lordship gets in my way," Roxton mimicked Marguerite while tossing her a rifle. "Someone tell her highness, I'll be only too glad to stay out of her way."
"Well, looks like more than one person got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Malone said.
Roxton glared at Malone, then at Marguerite and gave a low voiced "Hmmph!" as he stomped toward the elevator.
"Oh, dear. It's going to be a long trip," Challenger sighed as they entered the elevator and began on their latest expedition looking for a way off the plateau.
******
Once in the jungle, Roxton did his best to avoid Marguerite, not wanting to antagonize the others in the group. He knew most of them were already tiring of the arguments they were constantly entwined in. Why did he let her get him so stirred up? There were times he wanted to throw her over his knee and spank her for the spoiled child she was. And, then there were those other times he wanted nothing more than to hold her close to him and feel the warmth of her inviting body next to his. Those were the thoughts he tried to hold foremost in his mind when she tried his patience as she had this morning.
Roxton was leading the group on point and walking with such great strides everyone was struggling to keep up with him.
"Slow down, Roxton," Veronica shouted. "If there is a way off the plateau, I doubt it's going anywhere in the next few hours."
Roxton turned and looked behind Veronica. She could tell he was checking to see if Marguerite was with her. "Don't worry, she's way back there with Malone and Challenger. Why do you let her get to you that way?"
"She does have a way of doing that, doesn't she? She's not like any woman I've ever known. I suppose I'm never sure how to react to her."
"Oh, somehow I think it goes a little deeper than that. I've seen how you look at her when you think no else is around."
Roxton's face suddenly had the look of a little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar.
" Don't look so embarrassed Roxton. It's no secret how you feel about her. We all know how much she means to you. And, we also know that she cares about you."
"Then why doesn't she show it?"
"Probably for the same reason you don't," Veronica shot back.
"I guess we've been at cross purposes. Star- crossed lovers and all that." Roxton smiled at the thought of the word... lovers! 'We've never even been able to finish a kiss without being interrupted.'
Veronica looked into Roxton's face. "That's better. Never thought we'd see you smile again after this morning."
"Well, maybe I was a little cross with her earlier. You think she's ready to talk to me?"
"Mmmmmm...I wouldn't bother her for a while. Marguerite likes to hold on to her grudges much longer than you do. Give her some time, maybe when we're ready to camp for the night she'll be too tired to argue anymore."
Roxton smiled at the thought of Marguerite being too exhausted to argue with him. Maybe he could persuade her to take a late night walk with him and he could try again to convince her they were right for each other.
*****
That night when the travelers were preparing their respective beds, Roxton approached Marguerite with a suggestion of taking a stroll around the perimeter of the camp. But Marguerite's mind was set on having nothing to do with him that night, or the next or maybe not even the next.
She dismissed his suggestion with "Don't bother me until morning, Roxton. I've had an exhausting day. Someone decided we needed to walk at double speed today and my legs are tired from trying to keep up."
Seeing the obvious disappointment on his face, she almost had second thoughts about her rejection and nearly recounted her last statement. But instead she offered in a softer voice, "Wake me when you want to be spelled, John. I'll take the next watch."
Roxton turned away confused as usual when Marguerite gave him conflicting signals. Well, was she still mad at me or not, he thought to himself.
Malone and Veronica, who had settled down for the night just a few feet apart, smiled one to the other at overhearing Roxton and Marguerite's repartee. Both knew these two were meant for each other, but how long was it going to take.
*****
Next morning while breaking camp, Marguerite announced to Roxton she would take point today.
"I'm sure I can create a better pace than we were treated to yesterday," she said while settling her hat firmly over her dark tresses.
"Fine, Marguerite! Go! Walk ahead of the rest of us. You seem to enjoy doing everything on your own anyway, so go ahead. Lead the way, your highness!"
"Well...okay...I will." Marguerite now wasn't relishing the idea as much as she had before. She had to admit even to herself she wasn't as familiar with this part of the jungle as Roxton was. She had thought he would put up more of an argument, but if that's how he felt…then fine!
As she walked ahead of the group, Marguerite mumbled to herself, 'Fine, I usually end up doing everything myself anyway. So, I will lead the way. He's probably still upset about last night. As if I would want to walk anywhere with him.…'
She stopped suddenly when she quickly realized she was traveling way too far ahead of the group and beginning to lose her bearings. There was a mist coming off the ground accompanied by an odious smell. Marguerite turned sharply to back track to her friends when she became aware she was not alone. Two raptors were edging their way toward her from the clump of trees to the side.
As she raised her rifle to fire, the raptors began running toward her and she had no choice but to turn and run. The mist and odor were becoming thicker now and she was having trouble breathing. As she ran into the clearing just ahead, she realized in horror she had reached the edge of a cliff and could run no further. She had no choice but to make a stand and shoot.
Roxton and Challenger were the first to enter the mist, the same mist Marguerite had been chased into by the raptors.
"Can you believe she led us into a methane gas field?" Roxton shouted to Challenger.
"Well, we have to find her. Look…here are her tracks. And Roxton, look at this, these look like raptor tracks. Something tells me she's in more trouble than we thought."
When Malone and Veronica joined the two, Malone said, "You don't think she went through this, do you?"
"I know she went through it, followed by some not too friendly animals," Veronica answered him as she bent down to examine the fresh tracks.
"Well, what are we waiting for? She's going to need help"
"We need to cover our faces with something. That's methane gas in there. Let's hope if Marguerite has to fire she doesn't miss. One misfire into this gas and we're all toast."
"Oh, my God, Challenger. I didn't think about that." Roxton began running through the mist calling her name frantically. If anything happened to her after the way he'd been treating her the last couple of days, he'd never forgive himself.
When they reached the clearing, they saw Marguerite backed up against the edge of the cliff with the two raptors slowly moving toward her. She raised her rifle and pointed it at the first one and Challenger began shouting, "Marguerite!"
She looked up to Challenger and Roxton running toward her with Veronica and Malone close behind them. But it was too late. Marguerite began firing. But as her first shots missed their targets and hit the gas, the ground began exploding and a great rush of fire spread over the clearing. From where Marguerite was standing all she could see was a wall of flames between her and her friends. The impact of the explosion was so forceful it knocked her unconscious and the last thing she remembered was falling off the edge of the cliff.
*****
"Marguerite? Marguerite? Where are you?" Roxton shouted in every direction.
The smoke had cleared from the fiery explosion and Roxton, Malone, Veronica and Challenger were slowly making their way out of a large fissure in the side of the mountain which had sheltered them from the fire.
"Marguerite, answer me if you can hear me. Where is she?" Roxton was frantically searching for the woman who had so piqued his anger that morning and the day before.
Everyone was calling her name. No one wanted to see any harm come to this woman they considered to a part of their 'family', no matter how much she tried their patience.
"She was just ahead of us. I saw her close to those rocks before the explosion." Challenger was pointing to the rubble of shattered stones just at the edge of a cliff. When they reached the cliff, they were horrified to see a raging river below the mass of rocks.
"You don't think she fell down there, do you?" Before the words had left his lips, Roxton was already sliding down the steep slope followed by Veronica. Malone and Challenger looked for an easier way down, hoping the entire way they would find their missing traveling companion alive and well at the edge of the river.
When he reached the bottom of the cliff, Roxton began calling her name again. Still, no answer and no sign of the woman he had so come to care for.
After searching the immediate area, Veronica suggested they look further down the shore. "Roxton, it's possible she fell in the water and floated down river. She may be sitting somewhere down there just waiting for us to catch up with her. She's a good swimmer. I've seen her at the pond."
"I hope you're right. I shouldn't have let her take lead today. Why did I do that? I knew she didn't know the area well enough to take point."
"Enough with the guilt, Roxton, " Challenger put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "we need to keep moving. She's alone and only armed with her handguns. I found this on the way down the slope." He held up her rifle which he had retrieved along the way to the river.
"After all those shots she fired, there can't be that many bullets left."
Roxton took the rifle from Challenger and nodded in agreement.
After walking all day, Veronica suggested they camp for the night and continue the search at first light.
"Malone and I will share watch tonight. You get a good night's sleep, Roxton. You need it more than the rest of us. We'll wake you if we need you."
Exhausted from the day's fruitless search for Marguerite, and having only slept a few hours the night before, Roxton reluctantly agreed. He knew it would be pointless anyway to search in the dark. He hoped and prayed that Marguerite's keen skills of self-preservation were working and that she had found a safe place to spend the night. That is if she were still alive.
*****
Next morning, the group was on their way as soon as they awoke, eating their morning meal on the run. Roxton refused to eat, instead busying himself with packing the gear and filling canteens.
They continued searching and calling Marguerite's name for almost an hour.
Then, Veronica came to a clearing and caught her breath at the sight before her.
"Oh God! Malone! Over here!"
Malone ran quickly to join her and his first reaction was a sickness in his stomach, which he fought to keep inside.
Challenger was the first to reach the sight which had prompted Veronica's cries and turned away quickly. Then he remembered Roxton was just behind him and his first thought was whether it would be wise for him to see Marguerite's blood soaked clothes. He knew there would be no way to keep him back, but he held Roxton's shoulders firmly instead to lend the support he would need when he realized Marguerite was dead.
It seemed an eternity before Roxton spoke. All he could do was to stare in horror at the blood and a revulsion began in his stomach. He stooped to the jungle floor and began picking up the scraps of her clothing.
"What happened? These are her clothes, but where's her body? There's no body? She has to be here somewhere!"
Roxton scrambled to his feet with a wild look on his face. "There's no body. She has to still be alive somewhere."
No one wanted to tell him it from the amount of blood and what resembled pulverized bones scattered here and there that some wild animal must have devoured her body. Even the clothes were ripped and shredded as though they had been chewed on. How could they convince him she was dead, that she could never have survived such a savage ordeal? The only question now was which of the many wild animals occupying the plateau had caused her death.
They all knew Roxton was suffering from shock and denial, but it was Challenger who finally took him by his shoulders and began shaking him back to reality.
"Roxton, old man, look at me!…look at me!" Challenger shouted. "She's gone, John, she's gone. She didn't survive this one."
Roxton looked in Challenger's eyes and slowly realized he was speaking the truth. He couldn't bear to look at the place where his Marguerite had met her demise. He stumbled away from the scene but was forced to sit down by a sudden rush of dizziness. His heart felt as though someone was stabbing it with a hot knife, but his skin felt like ice. As he sat there trying to take a deep breath, tears welled up in his eyes and he covered them with his hands.
Veronica knelt in front of Roxton, and put her arms around him in comfort. Her heart was filled with tenderness for this man before her. She had come to look upon him as the big brother she had never had. And, right now he needed someone's arms around him to allow him to grieve for the woman he had loved so much.
"Oh, God….Veronica. I'll never see her again." His voice cracked as he said, "I loved her. Why didn't I tell her….why didn't I tell her?"
"She knew, John. I'm sure she knew."
Thunder rumbled in the distance signaling an approaching storm, but in Roxton's heart the storm had already begun.
*****
That night the group stopped at the same place as the night before the explosion and an eerie silence lay over the campsite. Roxton sat alone several yards away from the others holding a scrap of Marguerite's torn blouse he rescued from the horrific site that morning. It was the only piece that had been undamaged by blood. He held it like a precious gem to be kept safe from any further harm.
Veronica thought about going to him again, but was afraid she couldn't think of the right words to comfort him this time. It was Malone who convinced her that right now Roxton needed to be alone to sort out the events of the day and allow him to grasp this new reality.
Everyone slept uneasy that night, except Roxton. He stayed awake all night on watch.
****
Dawn broke over the campsite and Veronica was the first to awaken and realize Roxton was missing.
"Wake up Malone. Roxton's not here," she said with a panicked voice. "We need to find him. It's not like him to desert a watch."
"You stay here, I'll go look for him."
Malone took his rifle and began following the trail Roxton's boots had left in the moist ground. He followed it until it led him to the edge of the cliff where the explosion had occurred two days ago, when Marguerite had disappeared.
Standing at the cliff, looking over the edge was Roxton.
"Roxton! How long have you been here? We were worried about you. Don't you think we'd better get back to camp? We'll need to move out soon if we want to make the treehouse by dark."
"Looks peaceful now, doesn't it?", Roxton said quietly looking at the calm waters below.
Malone peered over the edge and remarked to himself that it was indeed now peaceful.
"Do you believe there's a life after death, Malone?"
"I believe our soul goes somewhere after we die. Never gave much thought as to where or what."
"I'm worried about Marguerite's soul being out there alone somewhere. She must have thought she did something very wrong in her past, something she was afraid to tell anyone about. "
"John, you're not thinking her soul went to…". He couldn't bring himself to say it, not considering Roxton's tormented mind. "You know what I mean. She wasn't a bad person, selfish maybe, but not an evil person."
"She never seemed to be at peace when she was alive, but at least she had all of us with her. Maybe if she had known how much I cared for her, I could be sure her soul would be more at peace right now. Do you think she's found peace yet?"
Malone didn't like the sound in Roxton's voice, so he took his arm and pulled him slowly away from the edge and said, "I…think… we need to start for home."
Roxton took one more look at the place they had last seen Marguerite alive before he turned to join his waiting friends.
****
Somewhere many, many miles down the river, two men were standing over a lifeless body on the shore.
"Over here, sire. We've found someone."
A tall slender man, mid-fifties in age with dark but graying hair appeared beside them, took one look at the lovely woman lying there in nothing but a lace bodice and silk underpants and was at once struck by her exotic beauty. Even as dirty and disheveled as she was, he could tell this was no ordinary woman.
"Bring my horse," he commanded. He took off the outer robe from his shoulders and gently wrapped it around her lifeless body. He could tell this was a lady, and a lady would never want her undergarments exposed to the world.
When he had mounted his waiting steed, he instructed one of the men to hand her body to him where he placed her in front of him. He held her tightly to him while taking the reins in his other hand and the band of three rode away from the river, back to their village.
*****
As they rode through the village, Madoc rode ahead to the castle as instructed to insure a room would be made ready for the woman they were carrying home, and he wondered who she was and where she had come from. These were questions he knew he didn't need to be concerned with as his king had taken control of the situation and whoever this beautiful lady was, she was in good hands.
"That was a quick trip. Did you find the game you were looking for?" asked an older woman standing in the inner bailey outside the castle door.
"No, your highness. The king found a better trophy than any kind of wild animal we could have shot. We found a woman by the shore looking like she has been through some sort of ordeal."
The king and his unconscious passenger arrived finally at their destination to find a scowling face greeting them.
"Now, don't look so shocked Mother. She needed our help," he began.
"Whoever it is you should have left her there!" she snapped.
"Well, it's not like she's some kind of stray animal. Even you didn't mind the wounded animals I used to bring home. What's wrong with you today? I couldn't just leave her there." He turned to his squire Madoc and motioned him to take her body off the horse until he could dismount and carry her himself into his home.
Once inside he carried her to one of the upstairs bedrooms and placed her on the bed.
"Livia, go downstairs and get a basin of warm water. We need to clean her up and see what injuries need tending."
As the young servant girl turned quickly to obey her king's orders, he called out as an afterthought, "And bring me a hair brush. Her hair needs some attention as well."
He reached out and caressed a strand of her hair that had fallen into her face and gently pushed it back to join the rest of her matted hair.
"Tristan, you don't know who this woman is or where she came from. She could have been sent as a spy from one of our enemies, sent here to kill you or…." The older woman spoke sharply and scoldingly to the man who was so tenderly attending to the woman before him.
"Mother, what an imagination you have," he interrupted her tirade with. "A woman with this kind of beauty couldn't possibly have an evil thought in her head."
She left the room shaking her head disapprovingly and passed Livia arriving with the requested items to bathe the woman's grimy body and brush her matted hair.
Looking down on her face he thought to himself he had never seen a woman of such beauty.
He leaned in to her face and spoke softly to her lifeless body. "Well, whoever you are my beautiful lady of the river, you're safe now."
*****
Next morning when Marguerite awoke, she found herself in a strange bed, in a strange room, dressed in clothes she knew immediately weren't her own. As she sat up, she also realized there was a strange man sitting next to her bed. He appeared to have been there all night as his head was leaned back against the chair sleeping.
"Where am I…and who are you? How did I get here?"
Tristan sat upright in the chair and stood up to get a better look at her face. "You're safe. That's all you need to know right now. We found you by the river yesterday, unconscious, so we brought you here."
"Where's here?" Marguerite said suspiciously.
"You're safe…just know that you're safe. You're in my home."
And where is home?"
"You're in the kingdom of Brannagore. "
"And, does this kingdom have a king?" Marguerite was struggling to remember what had happened. Why had she been at the river unconscious? And who was this man who apparently had rescued her? Whoever he was, she had only to look in his eyes and know that he was speaking the truth about her being safe. His eyes were the kindest she had ever seen and all her fears were put to rest with one look.
"Yes, of course it has a king. Tristan." he spoke softly as he lowered her shoulders back to rest on the pillow. "And, now it's your turn. Do you have a name?"
"Of course I have name," she mimicked him. "It's Marguerite Krux."
"Well…Marguerite Krux…you're a very lucky young woman. You were half dead yesterday when we found you on the riverbank. With all the predators in that region, you surely would have been dead before the end of the day. After the ordeal you must have gone through before we found you, I suggest you try to rest. Stay in bed today and we'll talk more later when you're feeling better. Livia will tend to your needs until then."
He motioned for Livia to stay with their guest as he turned to leave the room.
Livia curtsied to Marguerite and asked, "Is there aught else you need, milady?"
"Yes, I need to know whose home I'm in?"
"Why, milady, you're in King Tristan's home."
Marguerite was puzzled at so quietly yielding to someone else making the decisions. For some strange reason, she had complete confidence and trust in this older but handsome man who had saved her life the day before. Since she had arrived on the plateau, there had been only one man who had stirred her emotions, John Roxton. Could there be two like him on the plateau? Granted, he was older than Roxton and possessed a maturity she seriously doubted John would ever have. But there was something different about this man.
She tried to bring up the memories that were nagging her mind. How did she get to the riverbank? And, where were Roxton and the others? Then, slowly she began to remember. The explosion! The fire! Everything blowing up before her eyes! Her falling off the cliff into the river!
But Roxton and the others! What had happened to them? They weren't all dead, were they? It couldn't be possible. But she had seen the fire engulf the place where they had all been standing before the explosion. They couldn't have survived that.
All the memories of the past two days suddenly came flooding back and Marguerite screamed John's name in pain.
In seconds, Tristan was by her side and holding her shaking body realizing she must be remembering something horribly painful. What she needed now was the safety of his arms to hold her while she shed her tears.
Without knowing it, he had already taken on the role of her protector and guardian.
******
A Week Later
As Marguerite recuperated from her injuries, Tristan suggested a tour of his castle and surrounding kingdom. He could feel himself becoming more and more attracted to this raven-haired beauty and wanted nothing more than to make her life as comfortable as possible. But he also knew he had to make every possible effort to bring closure to her past life before he could ever hope for a future.
"When you're feeling up to it we can go back to the place you last saw your friends and look for them."
"I don't hold out much hope of finding them alive. But I would like to see the place again…to see if there is anything left. I suppose I'm looking for any kind of proof whether they're alive or….gone."
"I understand."
"I have been feeling much better in the last few days, so do you think we could go tomorrow?"
"Whatever you wish, Marguerite. I'll make the arrangements tonight. If you do find some kind of proof they didn't make it,"….he said hesitantly, "do you suppose you could begin to think of this as your new home?"
Marguerite was all too aware of Tristan's growing affection for her, but wanted to make no commitments until she could be sure whether the others were alive or dead. "Let's talk about that later. I just hope I'm able to find the cliff again….where I fell. I ran so far into the jungle that awful day." She shuddered at remembering the terror she had felt that day a week ago."
"Here we are. My favorite part of my castle. You do ride, don't you?"
They had arrived at the stables and one look at Marguerite's face showed the answer to Tristan's question. It was obvious she was an accomplished rider and lover of horses from the way she began nuzzling and stroking each horse.
Tristan's face broke into a loving smile as he realized she cared for horses as much as he did, another reason to love this woman who had so abruptly entered his life.
"Ah, so you do know how to handle horses, I see."
"These are all your personal horses? So many to choose from. They're magnificent, Tristan." Marguerite's face beamed as she walked from stall to stall, pausing to talk softly to each horse along the way.
"Tristan, how is it that you've never married? Being king, wouldn't you need to think about securing an heir to your throne."
"I came close to marrying about six years ago."
"Were you in love with her? What happened?" Marguerite stopped when she saw a sad look rush over Tristan's face. Realizing she must have brought up painful memories, she added, "Oh, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have brought it up. You probably don't want to talk about it."
"No, I don't mind. Truthfully, I haven't talked to anyone about it. She was the daughter of one of my barons. It was an arranged marriage but I had become very fond of her." Tristan paused, clearly not wanting to say anymore.
Marguerite could tell from the look on his face it hurt him to think about it, much less reveal the story to someone else. She put her hand on his arm and said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, you need to know. You'll hear about it eventually. She died suddenly the night before the wedding."
"I'm sorry, Tristan. I shouldn't have brought up such sad memories for you. It's just my natural curiosity, I suppose." She broke into a smile and tried to push aside all thoughts of either of their pasts. "Let's not let them spoil such a beautiful day for us."
After supper that night, Tristan walked Marguerite to her chambers and hesitated outside the door hoping for a sign the night might continue. But Marguerite, not wanting to encourage him into thinking there could be any kind of relationship between them, quickly said, "It was a lovely day, Tristan. Thank you for the tour of your castle. We are still going to go back to the cliffs tomorrow, aren't we? You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Tristan smiled knowingly, realizing her hesitancy to allow him more than a friendship at this point said, "No, I haven't forgotten. We'll leave at first light."
Marguerite frowned and Tristan added quickly, "Oh, I forgot, my dear…you're a late riser. We'll leave at mid day."
He kissed her hand and left her at her door to make arrangements for their trip the next day.
How pleasant, Marguerite thought, he remembers I like to sleep late. Something Roxton never accepted. In fact, that was the whole reason for their argument the day they had begun their last…..don't she thought….don't think about him now. "But I need to think about him," she said aloud to herself.
"Did you say something, milady?" Livia asked.
"No, it was nothing, just thinking out loud."
"Are you ready for me to help you with your hair tonight, mistress?" Livia asked with hairbrush in hand.
The young servant girl moved to Marguerite, now seated in front of the vanity mirror, and began to unbraid her long hair.
"Livia, you've lived here most of your life, haven't you?"
She nodded and said, "I was born here in the castle, milady."
"Then you would have known the woman the king was betrothed to several years ago."
"Oh, yes milady. I remember her well. She was beautiful. Her name was Alyce and from what we were told, the king fell in love with her at first sight, even though it was an arranged marriage. That's why it was so tragic what happened."
"What did happen to her? The only thing I've heard is that she died suddenly."
"Well, mistress, she moved into the castle a week before the wedding was to take place and I was charged with her care. I must have been the last to see her alive as I brought her a tray with a flacon of wine the night before the wedding. The next morning, I came into her room to help her dress and found her dead."
"How awful for you…and Tristan. But what did she die of? Had she been ill?"
"No, milady…we never found out why she died. There were no marks on her body, no sign of any kind of a struggle. We supposed she had died in her sleep. It was also rumored she had a lover, a commoner I believe. Someone she had known long before the marriage was arranged. I had heard her lover was lurking about the night before the wedding to take her away with him, but no one actually saw…... "
"Oh, Livia," Marguerite scolded, "that's just idle gossip. I'm sure there wasn't any truth to it." She hesitated, then asked, "Do I look anything like her?"
"Oh, no milady….you don't look anything alike. The other lady had long flaxen hair and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen, and very fair skin."
Marguerite felt relieved for some reason. Was it possible she didn't want to be compared to any previous love of Tristan's?
*****
Next morning, Tristan, Marguerite and Madoc rode out of the castle gates back to the cliffs where Marguerite had fallen more than a week before. It took some time to find the place, but following the river they finally arrived at the last place she had seen her friends alive. They tied the horses to the brush below and made their way by foot up the slope to the top of the cliff.
It was nothing but ashes and rubble now, but the search did turn up a few personal items from her companions. Among them were the beaded bracelet Veronica had been wearing around her arm that day, Malone's wristwatch, and worst of all Roxton's gold ring. It was the sight of John's ring that put closure to the search. No bodies or bones were found, but knowing how many predators roamed this region, she supposed their bodies had been dinner for some t-rex.
Tristan put his arm around her shoulder allowing her to lean against his chest. Marguerite, my dear, I am so sorry about your friends." As she began to cry, he continued, "Maybe we had better go back to the castle. You don't need to be around these unpleasant memories."
Marguerite nodded in agreement as she tucked the few remaining mementos of her friends into the pocket of her garment. No one spoke on the ride back to the castle and in Marguerite's saddened heart, she knew now that her friends were gone and she would have to make another life for herself. Her biggest regret was she had never let anyone know how much in her heart she cared, most of all John.
*****
Four Months Later
When the group returned home, a great sadness fell over the treehouse. Everyone how much Roxton and Marguerite had meant to each other, but they also knew with their stubborn personalities, no actual words of love had ever been exchanged.
As the days droned by, life at the treehouse slowly returned to normal except that Roxton withdrew more and more into himself and often went hunting alone at the express displeasure of the others. But when he made up his mind to do something, no one could dissuade him.
Veronica also expressed her concern to the others that Roxton spent a great deal of time in Marguerite's room. She guessed somehow he felt closer to her in there amongst her personal belongings. He often slept all night in her bed and had actually been heard crying some nights.
This night was no different. After their evening meal, Roxton again disappeared into Marguerite's old room. Veronica followed him to see if she could break through the resilience he had built up over the past few months of not wanting to talk about Marguerite.
"Roxton, do you mind some company?"
Roxton standing by the window, turned startled by a woman's voice, almost as if he half expected Marguerite to be standing there.
"Oh, Veronica…it's you."
"Well, don't sound so disappointed." Then realizing he probably was disappointed it wasn't Marguerite's voice, she added quickly, "Look Roxton, you have to know that I'm…we're all concerned about you. You never talk about her. In fact, you get up and leave the room when her name's mentioned."
"Veronica, I know you only want to help, but…"
"But nothing, Roxton. This isn't doing you any good. You shouldn't keep your feelings bottled up inside. You won't be able to get over this until you talk about it."
"I don't want to get over this," he said angrily. "I don't ever want to get over losing her."
"I didn't mean you needed to forget her. Just that you need to open up to someone or the grief you're feeling will destroy you. I see the risks you take now when we're out hunting. It's almost as though….," she broke off not wanting to put her thoughts into words.
"It's almost as though what? That I want to join her? Is that what you're thinking?"
"Well, maybe….well yes. I worry about you. Talk to me, Roxton or talk to Malone or Challenger, but talk to someone."
Roxton sat down on the bed next to Veronica with eyes cast down and with a husky voice slowly began to reveal his grief. "I should have told her I loved her. I should never have quarreled with her that morning about sleeping late. I should never have let her take the lead that day. What was I thinking?"
Veronica put her hand on his arm and said, "You take too much responsibility for this group, Roxton."
"That's why I'm on this expedition, Veronica. Challenger is the brains of the group, Malone's job is recording every detail and mine is to make sure everyone returns home safely."
"And, Marguerite?"
"I didn't know it at the time, but she was the heart of this expedition. At least to me. She gave me a reason to live every day. No two days were alike with Marguerite in my life. And, now….."
"I'm sorry, John. I knew she meant a lot to you, but I don't believe any of us knew just how much. If it means anything to you, as a woman, I can tell you all the signs were there that Marguerite loved you too."
Roxton reached out and put his hand on the young girl's arm and said affectionately, "You're a good friend Veronica. Thanks."
Before turning to leave, she said, "Well, at least you're talking. Don't wait so long next time."
Alone again, he walked to the window clutching Marguerite's locket in his right hand and turned his face up to the half crescent moon.
"Marguerite, if you're out there…. I should have told you this long ago. I loved you. I still love you. I shouldn't have kept it a secret and I'm sorry I didn't tell you when you were alive. But wherever you are tonight, I hope you can hear me."
******
Marguerite stood up suddenly.
"My dear, what it is it? You look alarmed about something," Tristan asked with concern. "Your face looks flushed. Is it too warm in here for you? Madoc, open some of the windows. We need some air."
"I…I'm all right. I just felt a warm rush come over me."
"Are you sick?" He felt her forehead to see if she was feverish.
"No…no. Really, I'm all right. I probably just need some air." She walked to one of the open windows and gazed up at the half crescent moon. "Oh, look Tristan, look at the moon tonight. It's lovely, isn't it?"
Joining her at the window he said, "You're lovelier, my dear. You're the moon's rival tonight."
"Tristan, I've already accepted your marriage proposal. You don't have to flatter me anymore, you know."
"But I want to. I want you to know everything in my heart. You're a woman who should hear flattery every day of her life from the man who loves her. And tonight that would be me." He kissed her cheek warmly.
Marguerite was suddenly reminded of the rare times when she and John had kissed uninterrupted and her heart sank that she had never heard such loving words from Roxton. She had always known John loved her, but why had he never told her? Probably for the same reason she had never told him.
She shook her head trying to rid herself of painful memories that threatened her peace of mind. Tonight was the celebration of her betrothal to Tristan, the dearest, kindest, most generous man she had ever met. She knew he loved her because he said it often enough with no reservations. She felt so much love for this man, but not the same love she had felt for John. There would never be another love to fill her heart as John Roxton had. Her heart ached at the thought of him. But that was another place and another life, and it was gone. Just as John was gone. And, now she had a new life.
"Tristan," she began, "I feel odd bringing this up, but I was wondering…." she said hesitantly.
"What is it, my dear?"
"Well, I just thought maybe I would adjust easier to my new home here if I had some of my personal belongings from the treehouse. I know it's a lot to ask, but…"
"Say no more. Make me a list and I'll send two of my men at first light. I think it's a splendid idea. You should have some of your own things here. I promise you they'll be here before the wedding." Tristan kissed her hand and said, " I'd do anything to make sure you're happy, my love."
Marguerite turned back to gaze at the moon through the open window and smiled knowing she'd soon be surrounded by her own personal, familiar belongings in a few days.
*****
The sun rose over the jungle that morning casting a still white glow throughout the treehouse. Roxton awoke in Marguerite's old room with a sense of calm he hadn't felt in four months and he had to admit he was feeling better after his talk with Veronica the night before. Could this mean he was finally beginning to accept Marguerite's death?
Later that morning, Malone and Veronica were tending the vegetable garden, while closer to the treehouse Challenger and Roxton were making necessary repairs to the electrical fence.
When the strangers rode into the clearing pulling two riderless horses behind them Malone quickly grabbed his rifle shouting, "That's far enough. State your business."
They reined their horses in and Madoc raising his hand with a peaceful motion said, "We come as friends. We mean you no harm."
Malone walked slowly toward the horses with Veronica following close behind, knife in hand.
Veronica spoke first. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Madoc responded again with an uplifted hand and said, "I'm Madoc and this is Liam," as he waved to his traveling companion. "We traveled here from the kingdom of Brannagore. We didn't expect to see anyone living here."
"But what do you want and how do you know about this place?" Malone asked.
From the fence Challenger and Roxton could see their friends talking with two strangers on horses but couldn't hear what was being said. They were just picking up their rifles to join their friends, when Veronica came running toward them.
"Roxton…..Challenger….," she started breathless.
Roxton took her by the arm and said alarmed, "What is it Veronica? Trouble?"
"No….oh, Roxton…she's alive. Marguerite's alive!"
*****
On the way back to the treehouse, Roxton was barraging the two strangers with questions about Marguerite.
"Is she well? She's not hurt in anyway, is she? Where has she been all this time? Why didn't she come with you?"
"Yes, your lordship, she's well. I assure you she's not hurt in any way." Madoc seemed a bit amused at the anxiety in Roxton's voice, and added, "Although she didn't look that good when we found her so many months ago. She looked like she had been through quite an ordeal."
"Ordeal, what kind of ordeal? Was she injured?" Roxton could hardly contain himself, wanting to know everything that had happened to her in the last four months.
"Nothing major. Mostly cuts and bruises, her hair was matted and we found her dressed only in her undergarments and boots. We never did learn what happened to her clothes. But it was our king who took her back to our village and cared for her himself."
"Your king? Is that where she's been this whole time? Why didn't she come back to the treehouse?"
"She thought all of you were dead. She saw the fire from the explosion surround you. When milady had recuperated, we went back to the cliffs and looked for any proof of your being alive or dead. We searched through the ashes and rubble, and we found a few personal items she said belonged to all of you. But what convinced her you were gone was finding your gold ring. Milady said it had belonged to you Lord Roxton. She said you always wore it, so after that she knew you were gone."
"Those were the things we lost during the impact of the explosion." Roxton had one final question. "Why didn't she come back to the treehouse with you?"
"She's preparing for her wedding in a few days. She wanted us to bring back her personal belongings. This time next week, she'll be Queen Marguerite."
Roxton came to an abrupt stop and took a deep breath before he spoke again. "How long a ride is it to your village?"
"About a day's ride, your lordship."
"Then we leave within the hour." Roxton broke into a run heading for the treehouse.
The others came upstairs after Roxton and saw him packing gear for the trip to Brannagore.
Challenger put his hand on John's arm and said, "Roxton, old man….has the thought never occurred to you she may not want to return to the treehouse. She may have made another life for herself."
"What are you saying, Challenger? Of course, she'll want to come back. This is her home, here with us…with me." Roxton turned to look at their worried faces and a scowl formed between his eyebrows. "What's the matter with all of you? You look as though you don't want her back. Well, you heard the man, she thought we were all dead."
Malone tried to reason with Roxton. "That doesn't explain why she didn't come back to the treehouse to look for us. To see for herself whether we were alive or dead."
"Whatever the reason, I'm bringing her back…where she belongs! If you don't want to come, I'll do it myself with or without you."
"Of course we're coming with you Roxton", Veronica said. "We all want Marguerite back. It hasn't been the same without her. We just don't want you to be hurt again in case she decides to stay, that's all."
Challenger and Malone both voiced their agreement, and Challenger reassured him with, "None of us want to see you lose her a second time, Roxton. It would be too painful for you to go through a loss like that again."
"There won't be another loss. She's coming back with us. She'll want to come back to us. I'll make sure of it," Roxton repeated.
*****
It was mid morning and Marguerite and the queen mother Eleanora were going over the formalities of the wedding ceremony. Marguerite was bored and distracted by the entire necessity of who stood where, how many steps she would stand from the alter and everything else that went into planning a formal ceremony. She also had the distinct impression Tristan's mother wasn't too pleased with her impending marriage to her son.
She kept thinking, 'I wish Madoc and Liam were back with my things. I want my locket around my neck when I marry Tristan. It's my only connection with the past, and even though I'm beginning a new life here with a new husband, I don't want to forget everything that's happened to me the last couple of years.' John had helped her fasten the clasp the evening she wore it for Challenger's surprise birthday party. So the locket had special meaning for her as something Roxton had touched.
What a night that had been. She and Roxton had danced and danced that night. Why were so many memories of John constantly invading her mind today?
'Milady." Livia was looking out the open bay window facing the courtyard of the castle. "They're back….and they're not alone."
Marguerite, glad for an excuse to leave the boring wedding preparations and the cold stares from the queen mother, stood up and walked to the window where Livia was leaning out waving to Madoc.
"What'd they bring back, Livia? Some wild animal they found……" She stopped abruptly and drew in her breath sharply. Behind Madoc and Liam, was….
"JOHN!" she shouted. "Oh, my God….it's John!"
Before Livia could say another word, Marguerite was running toward the door pushing Eleanora out of the way. The queen mother grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the room with a disapproving look.
"This isn't the way a future queen behaves! Running through the castle, screaming strange men's names!"
"Let me go, old woman!" She yanked free and continued running down the stone staircase. "And, he's no stranger! He's Lord Roxton!"
Roxton hearing her shout his name from the window, dismounted his horse in one swift movement and began running toward her voice.
As Marguerite cleared the castle door, Roxton was a few yards away which he closed with two giant strides and threw his arms around her pulling her close against him.
"John…I thought you were dead," she whispered against his chest. She lifted her face to his and tears spilled from her eyes as he kissed her. It was then she saw the others running toward them and pulled away to greet the rest of the group. Roxton was holding her so tightly though, she found herself strugging to free herself, something that didn't go unnoticed by the others.
"John…I'm …let me go. I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't want to let you go. I want to hold on to you forever."
Everyone laughed at Roxton's unabashed declaration as they circled Marguerite affectionately.
"We missed you, my dear," Challenger said. "We thought you were dead. How ever did you end up in this place?"
"I'd like to know that myself. It'd probably make a great story for my journal."
"Always the writer…eh, Malone," Marguerite said hugging the young journalist's neck.
"Okay, okay…that's enough of that," Roxton said reaching for her and pulling her once again into the warm circle of his arms.
"Marguerite, looks like you did all right for yourself. Did we hear right, you're marrying a king?" The words were out of Veronica's mouth before she could stop them and it was only after she felt Roxton's eyes glaring at her that she caught herself from continuing.
Marguerite swallowed hard and looked around at everyone with an embarrassed look on her face and said, "Well, news really travels fast across the plateau, doesn't it? Let's go inside and I'll tell you all about it."
Tristan was watching the reunion scene from the window of his chambers above the courtyard and turned away when he saw Marguerite's former love pull her back to his arms the second time. He knew in his heart from the look on her face as Lord Roxton held her, he had already lost her.
******
"Tristan look, it's my friends from the treehouse. They're alive."
"Welcome to my home and my kingdom. Marguerite has described all of you to me so many times, I'm sure I already know who each of you are." He turned first to Veronica. "Ah, this is the lovely Veronica, the untamed jungle beauty who took all of you into her home so long ago. Marguerite talks about you as though you were her sister," Tristan said as he kissed her hand.
Veronica looked surprised at the 'sister' remark, and blushed over the kiss to her hand.
Malone felt a small shiver of jealousy over the sudden attention to Veronica and then Tristan was speaking again. "And, you must be Ned Malone, the very talented journalist and writer. Marguerite's told me you've been keeping a journal of your life on the plateau. I'd be interested in reading your account of this experience."
"And, this has to be George Challenger, man of science, the leader of this expedition. I understand from Marguerite that you are the foundation of this group. She tells me without you, all of you would surely have perished by now."
Marguerite was glowing with pride as Tristan moved to each of her friends welcoming them so graciously into his home. However, her heart seemed to stop beating a few seconds as Tristan stood in front of John. What was he going to say to Roxton?
"No introductions necessary here. Lord Roxton. Lord John Roxton. You're all Marguerite talked about the first few weeks she was here. From what she's told me, I have you to thank for saving her life on numerous occasions. Welcome to my home."
Tristan put his arm around Marguerite and kissed her forehead. She looked at his face and she knew from the sad look in his eyes what he was thinking. "We'll talk later Marguerite." She nodded and looked away from the group avoiding John's eyes which she could feel were placed squarely on her and Tristan.
"My servants are preparing rooms for you to stay the night. Stay as long you want. I'm sure all of you have a lot to catch up on. You'll join us for supper tonight in the dining hall. Marguerite will show you the way."
As Tristan left the room, he was met by Eleanora, who was not in as welcoming mood as her son.
"Are they staying the night?"
"Of course, they are mother."
"I don't like it. We don't know who these people are."
"They're old friends of Marguerite's, mother," Tristan sighed becoming more and more annoyed at her paranoia of strangers.
"That's what I mean. Mark my word, they're trouble Tristan. Isn't that the Lord Roxton she talks about incessantly? I'm surprised you let him cross the threshhold. He's here to take her back, I just know he is. You'd better do something or you'll lose her."
"Mother, if Marguerite wants to return with her friends….well, I can't stop her. If she doesn't love me enough to stay with me on her own, there's not much I can do."
*****
"Marguerite, you look so different." Roxton seated next to Marguerite in the great hall had become aware for the first time how regal she looked dressed in her long gown fashioned of crushed red velvet with long sleeves and a scooped neck. Her hair was braided and swept up off her neck with gold chains entwined between the plaits. Around her neck was another gold chain that disappeared inside the neckline of her gown. The sight of her fair skin against the crimson red dress took his breath away.
The raven-haired heiress pirouetted in front of Roxton.
"It's probably the hair. I don't wear it down anymore. Tristan's mother says it isn't befitting of a queen. My maid Livia braids it for me every morning."
"You have a maid? My, my Marguerite you really are moving up in the world," Veronica chided.
"Okay, okay ladies, enough about maids and hair," Malone interrupted. "What we really want to know is how did you make it here alive? Marguerite, we thought you were dead."
Roxton who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the reunion repeated Malone's words with, "Yes, we thought you were dead. We found your clothes, they were torn and shredded…soaked with blood. How did they get there?"
Marguerite touched by everyone's concern said, "When I fell off the cliff, the river carried me for miles until I was able to swim to shore. I was starting to find my way back when a couple of raptors began chasing me. I ran into the jungle to get away from them and I ran for what seemed forever. I didn't think I would ever lose them and then I stumbled over a dead animal…a tiger I think… which had already been half scavenged."
She paused and looked shyly at Roxton as though seeking his approval. "I thought if I take off my clothes and spread them over the carcass, the raptors will smell my scent on the animal and while they're eating it I'll have time to escape. By then, I was so far into the jungle I couldn't find my way back to the river."
"My God, Marguerite what a story that will make for my journal," Ned said.
"How brilliant of you my dear! However did you think of something so clever?" Challenger asked.
"Oh, from a certain big game hunter," Marguerite looked directly at Roxton with a knowing look.
"So you were listening to me all those times I was babbling on about survival in the jungle."
"To every word," Marguerite leaned in to kiss Roxton on the cheek.
The five friends stayed in the great hall talking for hours before they were finally shown to their prepared chambers. Each time the impending marriage of Marguerite to Tristan was mentioned, Marguerite quickly changed the subject. In fact, she felt a little embarrassed at talking about marrying any other man but Roxton in front of her friends, much less to Roxton's face.
Several times during the afternoon, Roxton made it clear he expected Marguerite to accompany them back to the treehouse. But Marguerite neither confirmed nor denied her intention of returning with them. She felt she needed to tell Tristan her intentions before she could voice them to her friends. This was only fair for a man who had so graciously opened up his home and his heart to her so many months ago. He had saved her life, in more ways than one.
*****
After supper that night, as the others retired to their rooms for a much needed night of rest, Roxton walked Marguerite back to her chambers. He had to know for certain whether she was returning with them the next morning. He could tell all day she had been avoiding the subject and he had to know, no matter what her decision was.
As they entered the room, he took a long look around the surroundings and couldn't help notice how sumptuous the furnishings were.
"Well, Marguerite, chambers fit for a queen. I see it didn't take you long to land on your feet." He couldn't hide the sarcasm in his voice.
"Now Roxton, before you begin with this…."
"And, why haven't you started to pack yet? We leave first thing in the morning."
"So soon?"
"Marguerite, you sound like you're not coming back with us."
"Roxton, let me explain something to you…."
Before she could finish, he interrupted with, "You don't need to explain anything. I can see why you would want to stay. You have everything you came to the plateau for. Money, jewels, power, even a husband. Though I never would have thought that was in your master plan."
"Roxton, you're not being fair," she snapped back angrily. "What was I supposed to do when I thought I had lost all of you. I was alone. How could I have survived alone at the treehouse. Tristan offered me a new life, a life of security. But more than that, he shared his heart with me. My God Roxton, the man loves me." She stopped when she saw the effect her last words were having on the stalwart hunter before her.
"And, as far as my coming back to the treehouse with you…"
"There's no need to put it into words. I can see you've already made your choice!"
He turned angrily and started for the door. Marguerite ran after him shouting, "Roxton, wait….you didn't let me finish." She stomped her foot and shouted again, "Come back here John!"
Roxton walked quickly down the hall to his chambers, wanting to put as much distance between him and Marguerite as possible. In his blind rush to get away, he came close to knocking Veronica down as she passed him in hallway.
"Nothing ever changes with you two does it. What was it this time? Did I hear Roxton say you've made a choice. Please don't tell me you're staying? Marguerite you can't do that to him. Not again. He can't lose you again."
"Oh nonsense, Veronica. I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't let me finish. He always walks out like that."
"Then go after him Marguerite. Tell him how you feel. Finish what you have to say to him."
"Hmmmph! No, let him stew about it tonight. Maybe it will make him appreciate me more. "
"Ohhhhh! You two! Can't you see what you're doing to each other? You're both stubborn, mule headed people who can't see the forest for the trees. He loves you Marguerite and you love him. No two people were ever meant to be together more than you two. Why do you torture him so?"
"You know, I'm not sure. I just know that in the world I grew up in a woman never gives in that easily to any man. It's the surest way to have your dreams shattered."
"Marguerite, you didn't see him all those nights he thought you were dead. The man moved into your room to feel close to you. He wept, sometimes all night. I've never seen a man cry before, but Roxton didn't care who saw or heard him grieving. If you don't come back with us, you'll break his heart."
"Oh, Veronica, of course I'm coming back with you. I didn't want to say anything to John before I told Tristan what I planned to do. This isn't easy to say, but I love them both, Veronica. I knew from the moment I saw John this morning, I would be going back with you. There's never been another man in my life like Roxton. He's so much a part of me. He's in my heart and mind constantly."
"But Tristan," she continued, "he saved my life, took me into his home, gave me a second chance at life. I didn't mean to fall in love with him, but it happened. And, I can't deny how I feel about him. What it really comes down to, I suppose, is who needs me more."
"And, that would be John?"
Marguerite smiled and nodded. "Maybe, it's also who I need more. All this…the jewels…the power…would mean nothing to me unless John were with me. I tried to tell him that, but he's so stubborn and started harping on why I came to the plateau… and why would I want to come back with him if I had all of this. He stormed out of here before I could tell him."
"Right now, Marguerite you need to find Tristan. Get that part over with, then find John and set his mind at ease, " Veronica pleaded.
"You're right. I'll go now. In case I don't see you again tonight, I'll meet you at the outer gates tomorrow morning." She hugged Veronica and said "It'll be just like old times at the treehouse, won't it."
*****
Marguerite found Tristan at the stables giving instructions to have five horses ready for Marguerite and her friends and two for the men who would accompany them.
"Tristan, so you know I'm going back with them?"
"Of course, my dear. I knew the minute I saw the look on your face when Lord Roxton took you into his arms the second time. Now, now don't look so sad. I've always known how much you love this man. I knew I would never take his place in your heart."
"Oh Tristan, I love you as well. It's just that…."
"I know. The love you have for Lord Roxton is the true one. I'm only grateful I had you in my life even for such a short time."
As Marguerite pulled the sapphire ring off her left hand and offered it to the man standing before her, she said, "Tristan, you'll always have a part of my heart that no one can touch or replace."
"Oh, …..no….you keep the ring, my dear. I hope you'll look at it often and think of me." He placed the ring back in the palm of her hand and closed her fingers around it.
"Thank you, Tristan." After she placed the ring back on her finger, she reached up to kiss him, not knowing the queen mother standing just beyond the stable doors was witnessing the entire scene. She was too far away to hear the words being exchanged, but when she saw Marguerite return the ring to her left hand, she knew what she had to do. She couldn't let her son make a second mistake of marrying beneath him.
******
When Marguerite returned to her chambers well past midnight, Livia was waiting for her mistress to help her prepare for bed.
She noticed that a tray with a flacon of wine and one silver goblet was waiting on the table beside the bed.
"Livia, where did this come from?"
"The queen mother asked me to bring it to you, milady. She thought it would help you sleep tonight. She said she had noticed how overly excited you were today at seeing your friends again."
"I suppose I was. Livia I'll be returning home with my friends tomorrow morning. So this is probably the last time I'll see you." Marguerite hugged the young girl affectionately. "Thank you for all you've done for me during my stay here."
*****
Before dawn, Roxton began knocking on everyone's door to arouse them for their departure. Still believing Marguerite would not be returning with them, he wanted to get an early start in hopes of avoiding having to see her again. There was such an anger filling his heart, he could hardly speak civilly to any of his friends that morning…an anger and a sadness that he feared would never go away.
When he lost her the first time so many months ago, he had thought her to be dead and their separation decided by fate. But this second loss was much worse. It was through choice, her choice of another man. How could he compete with a king. This was the reason Marguerite had come to the plateau…greed.
A lump had formed in his throat and the brusqueness which had faded over the past year, had sadly returned to his voice.
"We need to leave as soon as possible. I want to get an early start."
When they were gathered at the gates, Veronica kept pacing back and forth keeping an eye on the outer castle door hoping Marguerite would soon appear.
"Veronica, what's wrong with you? What are you so nervous about?," Malone asked.
"We need to wait a little longer."
'Marguerite knew what time we were leaving', Veronica thought. 'Where is she? I'll wring her bloody neck if she hurts Roxton again. And, I thought she was going to talk to him again last night. The mood he's in this morning….they must have argued again.'
"What are we waiting for, Veronica?"
"Roxton…didn't Marguerite talk to you again last night? When I talked to her she was definitely coming back with us."
Roxton stopped checking his gear and turned to Veronica with a startled look.
"I don't understand. I only talked with her once last night, just before I saw you in the hallway. I didn't see her again. I thought….. why didn't she tell me she was coming back with us instead of…."
"You didn't let her finish, Roxton. She was trying to tell you she needed to tell Tristan her decision to return to the treehouse before confirming it with you. She said she owed him that courtesy and she wanted to be the one to tell him before he heard it from someone else. Then she was coming to your room. Are you telling me she didn't go to your room last night?"
She paused and when Roxton looked away, she knew the answer.
"And, did you tell her Roxton? Did you tell her anything about all those nights you grieved for her when you thought she was gone?" Veronica shook her head in disappointment with her friend and Roxton lowered his eyes.
"You're right, Veronica. I was so convinced that Marguerite was happy with her new living arrangements, that she wouldn't even consider coming back to the treehouse with me. I was wrong."
He stood there bewildered and ashamed for not having trusted Marguerite to make the right decision the night before. He shouldn't have been so impatient. He shouldn't have left her so quickly. He regretted now not letting her finish. It would have saved him a night of torment thinking he had lost her a second time.
"So where is she? You think she overslept as usual? " Roxton asked anxiously. "She had to know we'd be leaving early."
"I don't know, but I'm going to look for her."
Veronica was crossing the courtyard when she heard Livia screaming from the upstairs chambers of her mistress. Veronica ran toward the castle door, followed by Roxton and the others.
As they entered Marguerite's bedroom, they saw her lying unconscious on the floor beside the bed with Livia standing over her sobbing. Roxton picked up her limp body, placed her on the bed and began rubbing her hands and arms calling her name over and over. "Marguerite, Marguerite, wake up, talk to me."
Challenger bent over Marguerite's face and smelled her breath, then sniffed the flacon of wine on the night table. "I think she's been poisoned. She's already cyanotic."
"What do we do? We can't let her die!" Veronica shouted.
Before Challenger could answer, Roxton quickly took control and began shouting orders.
"Malone, bring that basin over here. Veronica, stand her up and hold her. When I tell you to, press your hands hard against her stomach. Challenger, hold her hair back."
Veronica pulled Marguerite's lifeless body to an upright position and followed Roxton's orders. "What are you going to do?"
"I have to get the poison out of her."
"But, how?"
"The only way I know!" Roxton cradled the back of Marguerite's head with one hand, while prying her mouth open with the other. He placed his forefinger into her mouth and as far down her throat as he could manage. "Come on, sweetheart….come on…come on….!
After what seemed an eternity, Marguerite started retching but not before clamping her teeth down on Roxton's finger. "Now Veronica, press her stomach hard."
The first couple of retches produced nothing, so Roxton again plunged his finger down her throat completely ignoring the fact her teeth had painfully broken his skin once. He had to get her to expel the poison anyway he could. He refused to lose her a third time.
Finally, the contents her stomach began pouring out into the basin Malone was holding.
"There we go….good girl….good girl. Keep pressing Veronica." Roxton moved his injured hand to support her forehead over the basin as Marguerite expelled the poison. As she began coughing and sputtering, a broad smile washed over his face and he instructed Livia to bring her mistress a glass of water.
Leaning over the basin, the chain around Marguerite's neck fell forward revealing what had been weighting it below the neckline of her gown….John's gold ring. Roxton's heart sank as he realized how wrong he was to have misjudged her the night before. He shook his head to bring himself back to the situation at hand, saving Marguerite from her second brush with death in just a few short months.
"I think she's going to be all right," Challenger said as he placed her in a chair.
Veronica handed Roxton a wet cloth from the sideboard to wash her face. He cupped Marguerite's chin in his hand and wiped the tears away that had been brought on by the violent retching.
Marguerite managed a small weak smile and whispered, "What happened? "
"Do you remember anything?" Roxton asked.
"I remember drinking some wine last night to get my courage up to knock on your door. Then I passed out. That's all I remember."
Roxton turned to Livia and asked, "Where did the wine come from, Livia? Did you bring it in?"
Livia started to cry again, "Yes, your lordship, I brought it in. But it was the queen mother who handed it to me and told me to take it to my mistress's chambers."
"It's all right, don't cry. Livia, I need to you to bring your king and his mother here, here to us. We'll get this straightened out."
He turned putting both arms around Marguerite and pulled her tightly to him. She burrowed deeply into his chest and surrounded by his strength, silently cried in relief at being saved once again by a man who loved her. This time rescued by the man who unknowingly had held her heart from the time she had arrived on the plateau.
By the time Tristan and his mother entered Marguerite's room, Livia had informed them both of what had taken place that morning.
Roxton released Marguerite into Challenger's care as he stood up to stop Tristan before he could touch her. "What kind of man poisons the woman he's supposed to love?"
Eleanora stepped between the two men and said boldly, "An innocent one. My son had nothing to do with this. I put the poison in her wine."
"You, mother," he said with horror, "you poisoned her? But, why?"
"I couldn't let you marry beneath you. I couldn't let it happen again."
"Again? Are you saying you had something to do with Alyce's death?
"The night before the wedding was to take place, I overhead Alyce at the stables with her lover who had come to take her away. But she refused to go with him. She wanted the power and everything that went along with marrying a king. I didn't want her marrying my son."
"But what about Marguerite. She was leaving with her friends this morning. Why would you want her dead?"
"I didn't know, Tristan. I was there last night and saw her return the ring to you. I thought all my problems had been solved, that she was leaving. Then you gave the ring back and she put it on her finger and I believed the wedding was back on. I couldn't let it happen again. She wasn't worthy of you. I couldn't let you marry a commoner."
"Mother, I can't believe what I'm hearing. I'm not sure what to say, but maybe you should go to your chambers and we'll decide later how to deal with this."
Eleanora retreated quickly to her room, glad to be away from the hostile glares from Lord Roxton.
Tristan turned to Marguerite and took her hands in his as he said, "Right now, I need to mend whatever fences my mother destroyed with you. I didn't do a very good job of protecting you, did I my dear?"
"Tristan, how could you have known. It's not your fault," Marguerite said in a weak voice.
"But, I knew she wasn't happy with this marriage, and I also knew how she felt about Alyce. I just didn't know she would do something so heinous as poisoning you both. I don't what to say except how sorry I am you had to go through this."
He turned to look at Roxton, who had returned protectively and possessively to Marguerite's side, a gesture that was obviously meant for Tristan's eyes.
John held out his hand and said softly, "Marguerite, we need to be leaving now. Are you ready to go home?"
She slipped her hand into his and no words were necessary to convey her answer. It was clear by the tender look in her eyes.
*****
Later that evening, as they camped for the night in the jungle, Roxton again asked Marguerite to walk with him, a suggestion she was all too glad to comply with this time.
They'd only gone a short distance from camp when he found the right spot to pause, just far enough for Roxton to feel a modicum of privacy for the words he wanted to say to Marguerite.
"Marguerite, when I thought you were dead, I wouldn't allow myself to feel anything. I didn't want to feel anything. Then I saw you running toward me yesterday, and all that I had felt for you before the explosion came back to me. I love you, Marguerite and I let you down last night. I let my pride get in the way and I misjudged you. I promise I'll never let that happen again."
Marguerite touched by his outpour put her hand on his cheek, looked into his eyes and said, "John, it looks like we've both wasted a great deal of time keeping secrets. You're the heart and soul of my dreams and I can't remember what my world was like before I met you. And, as for last night, I think you more than made up for it this morning."
"So, I'm forgiven?" he said in a whisper.
Being true to the spirit of Marguerite and not wanting to let him off the hook that easily, she tossed her head back rolling her eyes upward and said tauntingly, "Well, I'll have to think about it and get back to you."
As she started to saunter away, John caught her arm and leaned her against the nearest tree. "Well, don't wait too long, Miss Krux. I may change my mind," he said with that unmistakable Roxton smirk.
"Now, John….don't rush me," she breathlessly warned, lightly lifting her face toward his.
He released her arms and his hands reached up to begin removing the pins holding her hair up.
"Maybe this will help clear your mind."
Roxton threaded his fingers through Marguerite's braids spreading her long hair over her shoulders until it looked like black silk.
"Why, whatever are you doing to me, John?" she asked teasingly. "You know this isn't befitting a queen."
As he stood back admiring his handiwork and the lovely sight before him, his face glowed and he said, "This is the image I kept in my mind all those nights I spent without you, and to me Marguerite, you'll always be a queen."
THE END