The Comte and the Peasant: Chapter 13
Hi everyone! As always, sorry for the long wait. The semester is over so hopefully I will have some more time to write while on break. Anyways, not much else to say except that I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and hopefully you'll like this one too. Happy reading and as always, comments and suggestions are appreciated!
Thadea struggled against the rider's grasp and nearly fell off the horse in the process. Thankfully, the young man's grip was strong, sparing her from a rather unpleasant fall.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Doumet?!" she screamed as she tried again to free herself. Her attempts were futile, however, against Tiernan's iron grip and her loud protests fell on deaf ears as he continued to drive the horse at full speed.
"Where are you taking me? Let me go! Let me go!"
Thadea felt light headed as she watched her surroundings blur and fade into the distance. Then darkness overcame her senses as she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Ugh…" Thadea let out a soft moan as she slowly woke up. Her head was throbbing and she could hear the blood pounding in her ears. Pushing herself up, her hand slipped and she fell back with a thud into something soft and cushy.
"Get her a drink of water," a deep voice commanded from somewhere nearby.
Thadea turned her head and opened her eyes, her blurry vision focusing on a tall, dark haired figure sitting next to her. Instantly, recognition and then panic hit her.
"Oh shit!" she cried, trying to get up again. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
"You certainly have a dirty mouth," Tiernan said as he leaned over and pushed her back down onto the bed. "Calm down or else you'll give yourself a stroke. Here, drink this." He pushed a glass of water to her lips and tilted it so that she could drink.
Thadea would have shoved the glass away, but he was insistent and she was rather thirsty. So, instead of resisting, she leaned forward and gulped the cool liquid down gratefully. When she had finished the entire glass, Tiernan leaned back and placed the empty glass on a small nightstand nearby.
"Where am I?" Thadea asked quietly as she glanced around. She was in a large, spacious room decorated with elegant and expensive looking furniture. The floors were covered with plush carpeting and the walls were hung with beautiful paintings. The bed she was lying in, she realized, was a large king sized canopy, covered with silk sheets and a warm goosedown comforter. It was the most beautiful room she had ever seen.
"You're at my house," Tiernan replied coolly, leaning back in his chair. He was sitting next to the bed, staring at her.
"Your house? I'm at your house?" Thadea asked, thoroughly confused.
"Yes, are you deaf? That's what I just said."
"But…you took me all the way to Paris?" Thadea asked, shocked. "Was I really out for that long?"
"No, of course not!" Tiernan gave her a condescending look that made Thadea's blood boil. "I do have other houses you know. No, we're still in Troyes. I've just taken you to my residence. Being a peasant, I suppose it makes sense that you've never seen it. It lies on the outskirts of the city and not many people are allowed near the premises."
"Oh…I…I see," Thadea was at a loss for words. She didn't know what else to say or do at this point. She didn't know why she was at Tiernan Doumet's palace, but she had a bad feeling about the situation. As far as she could guess, no one knew where she was and even if they did, no one would dare say or do anything to displease the young Lord Doumet. They were all alone, and she couldn't help but remember the last time she had spoken with him in the garden. She had insulted him by walking away, and it was anyone's guess what he planned to do to her…
"If you're worried that I'm going to punish you or something, you needn't. I didn't bring you here for revenge." Tiernan said. He shifted uneasily in his chair, his earlier demeanor of calm and arrogance replaced by something akin to nervousness. He looked shy and uncertain, something that Thadea had not expected.
"There he goes again, surprising me," Thadea thought, watching Tiernan's handsome face with keen interest. He wasn't looking at her anymore, but was instead staring down at his hands. His cheeks were flushed and his mouth was tight. Thadea felt a small smile tug at her lips as she watched him. She wanted to say something to him…maybe to apologize for what she had done the last time they had spoken. However, the words just would not come and she found herself saying instead, "So what are you a mind reader now? I'm not afraid of you and I'm not nervous. I don't care if you punish me or not!"
Tiernan glanced up at her with pure annoyance, and Thadea felt like smacking herself for her stupidity. She didn't know what it was about Tiernan Doumet, but she just couldn't bring herself to be kind to him, no matter what her mind was telling her to do. Suddenly, she felt inexplicably nervous. A lump started to grow at the back of her throat, and she swallowed, moving her eyes downward to trace the intricate pattern embroidered on the comforter.
An awkward silence settled into the room. Thadea could feel Tiernan's gaze upon her even though she did not dare to look at him again. Her anxiety grew as the silence wore on, and Thadea shifted uneasily in the bed. She wanted to tell him to stop staring at her, but somehow, she had lost the ability to speak. Her throat felt tight and her hands grew cold and clammy.
"Are you hungry?" Tiernan finally asked, pushing himself off the chair. "I can ask Paulette to make you something if you like…" He headed for the door, but stopped when he got no reply. His annoyance grew as he glanced back at Thadea, wondering why the hell she was being so difficult.
The annoyance was short lived. He felt his heart skip a beat as Thadea smiled up at him, the first genuine smile that she had ever given to him. It took his breath away and unconsciously drew him back to her bedside. He stood there with his eyes transfixed upon her, drinking in every detail of her face. She looked soft and delicate in the warm glow of the candlelight and he reached out a hand to touch her.
Thadea jerked away from him, almost as a reflex. Her smile was gone and Tiernan dropped his hand to his side, clenching his fist. The moment was lost, and frustration welled up in his chest. He had misread her, and once again felt like a fool for seeing something that wasn't there. Quickly, he turned to leave, but he froze as her small hand took a hold of his arm.
Without thinking, Thadea had reached out and grabbed Tiernan's arm. "Please, don't go," she said quietly, finally finding her voice. She looked up at him, but his head was turned away from her and she couldn't see the expression on his face.
"I…I'm sorry…for everything that I've said or done…I don't know why I'm so cruel to you! I don't mean to be, but somehow, you just make me so angry! There are so many sides to you…so much that I can't understand about you! At times, you seem like the devil himself…but then there are other times, times like now, where you seem so kind…and I don't know what to believe! It frustrates me…and…and…" Her voice trailed off as she struggled to put her emotions into words. It was difficult for her to explain her feelings to him, perhaps because she couldn't even explain them to herself. However, there was one thing that she needed him to understand, that she was certain of above anything else.
"I don't hate you, Tiernan Doumet," she said simply, letting go of his arm. "Even though I was angry at you for hurting my friend… I don't believe I ever hated you." She watched him as he turned to face her, his expression masked by the dark shadows of the room. Turning away, she added, "I didn't want you to leave without knowing that."
In an instant, warm arms wrapped themselves around her body and she felt Tiernan's soft lips upon her own. Frozen in shock, she sat unmoving as the kiss deepened and Tiernan pulled her closer to him. Surprisingly, his kiss was warm, slow, and gentle, filling her with a sense of peace and comfort she had never known before. But slowly, her mind registered what was happening, and she pushed him away from her. He didn't fight her, but sat back on the edge of the bed, his breath coming out in short, ragged gasps. Thadea too, was breathing hard as she stared into his dark eyes.
"I said I didn't hate you," she said finally, "but that doesn't mean I want you as a lover."
"Why not?" he demanded, moving closer to her. "I told you I can give you anything you want, and I wasn't lying. You could live like a princess here…"
"I'm too old to believe in fairy tales," Thadea said shortly, moving away from him to the other side of the bed. She pulled back the covers and swung her legs down, her feet touching the carpeted floor with a soft thud. "You and I both know that you can't marry me."
"I spoke nothing of marriage," Tiernan said angrily, standing up.
"Exactly my point." Thadea looked up at him, a weary expression on her face. "I don't know what kind of a girl you think I am, but I assure you, I'm not that kind. I may be just a simple peasant from the countryside, but I'm not stupid enough to sell myself for money and a few pretty baubles."
Tiernan stood unmoving as she made her way to the door, his expression unreadable. "You might as well stay here tonight," he said calmly, "the rain has made the roads too slick to ride. I can't take you back until tomorrow…"
Thadea glanced back at him. "Then I'll walk," she said simply as she marched out of the room.
Back at the Comte de Troyes's house…
"Where is that girl? It is almost sundown and she still isn't back yet!" Mistress Rosalind cried as she marched into the kitchen. Her stern face was livid with anger as she called for Marie.
"Marie! Since Thadea is not back yet, I need you to run to the market. I think you can just make it in time before the storekeepers and venders close for the evening. Hurry!"
Marie was sent running out the door as quickly as she could to purchase the supplies needed for the evening meal. Since it was already too late into the day to prepare what had been planned, changes had to be made to the menu in order to feed the household.
"Mistress…this is really unlike Thadea to disappear like this without a word to anyone. Perhaps we should send someone out to look for her?" Yeva said as she glanced worriedly out the open kitchen door into the darkening sky. "Maybe something has happened to her!"
"She is the least of my worries right now Yeva," Mistress Rosalind replied shortly. "I have a household that may go hungry tonight because of her irresponsibility. I don't know where she is, but I can assure you that she will not go unpunished when she returns."
"You mean if she returns!" Yeva cried. "I mean no disrespect madam, but I assure you that Thadea is not one to just run out for no reason. We must send someone out to look for her!"
"Who would we send? And where should we look?" Mistress Rosalind demanded impatiently. She heaved a loud sigh and added, "Thankfully, none of the masters are here today. Otherwise, we would be in a great deal of trouble with no food on the table."
"Who cares about the food?" Yeva said angrily. "If you won't send someone out to look for her, then I'll go myself! I don't understand why you don't care, but someone has to…"
"What's going on here?!" A deep voice demanded from the kitchen doorway.
"Thadea is missing and Mistress Rosalind won't do anything about it!" Yeva replied, not bothering to look at whoever it was. Probably some stable or kitchen boy, she figured. Glaring up at Mistress Rosalind, however, Yeva noticed that the old woman's body had suddenly gone rigid and that her face was pale. "What's the matter madam?" she questioned as she turned to follow her gaze. What she saw froze her dead in her tracks.
Thadea walked slowly in the rain, her bare feet making squishing noises as she trudged along the muddy road. She had run out of the Comte of Champagne's estate as quickly as possible, and unfortunately had forgotten her shoes in the process. Now, cold and alone, she tried to make her way back to Troyes by following the dim glow of the city's lights.
Luckily, because of the foul weather, she had not yet encountered any bandits or other such unscrupulous people who tended to hide themselves along these roads looking for easy targets to rob and murder. At least, she hoped the weather was too bad for these people to be out…
Suddenly feeling scared at the idea of crazed murderers and robbers lurking in the woods that surrounded her, she quickly hastened her step and tried to steer her thoughts towards more pleasant matters. An image of Tiernan Doumet's face popped up in her mind. Not the pleasant thought she had been hoping for.
Thadea hated to admit it, but she had become unsettled by their bizarre exchange tonight. She didn't understand why Tiernan Doumet had brought her to his palace in the first place, and was even more confused by what he wanted from her. 'I spoke nothing of marriage,' he had told her, which was precisely what she had already known. No nobleman in his right mind would want to marry a peasant, which is why his actions tonight were especially unforgivable. It made all of Thadea's previous feelings of anger and bitterness towards him return full force.
"Why was I so stupid as to believe that he may actually be a decent human being?" she berated herself angrily. "He thinks I'm some sort of cheap whore! How dare he try to buy me like that?" Wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the sound of hoof beats racing towards her until they were almost beside her.
"Damn it, Tiernan Doumet!" Thadea screamed as she spun around. "I'm not going back with you! I'd rather die here and now than to return to your palace, so just LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" She glared up at the horse and rider whose face was nothing but a silhouette in the darkness of the night.
There was a brief pause. Thadea squinted her eyes and peered up at the rider. She could barely see anything in the darkness.
"You should not be out walking in the rain by yourself. You are liable to catch your death out here," a soft voice told her gently from the shadows. The rider reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her easily up onto his horse. Thadea turned, her eyes wide as she stared into the darkness. She could not see the riders' face, but her heart quickened instantly at the recognition of his voice.
"Ruiz Hainault," she whispered, choking on the words and feeling warm tears slide down her cheeks. The cold rain cut down on her like sharp knives, slicing through the thin fabric of her already soaked dress, but Thadea didn't care. Suddenly, nothing else mattered except for him. "It is you isn't it?" she asked, reaching out a hand into the darkness to touch him. A cold hand grasped hers and a soft laugh filled the still night air.
"Come on, let's get you home," he said as he nudged his horse forward. "It sounds like you have had quite a long day."
End of Chapter 13
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