A Marq's Woman Ch. 13

Kistle had just stepped out into the rain, body trembling with unabashed fear, when she heard the high-pitched scream – a heart-wrenching scream that was muffled by the roar of roiling waters...

*

Rade's gut had clenched the moment he'd spotted Tessa creeping out of the house in the rain, a blanket in her hand. He couldn't pin-point exactly what had made fear materialize in his heart, but it was there and he was the kind of man who trusted what his gut told him.

The forest provided him with ample cover as he traipsed across shrubs and twigs, making his way towards the old shed where Tessa now was, cooing and petting the gray horse that stood under the shuddering, swaying wood. He stood there for minutes, simply gazing upon his daughter, the miracle of her, and glimpsing habits of his in her. Like the way she stroked the horse from the neck downward, just like he did, or he way she cooed to the horse, murmuring directly into its ear. The scene touched him like none other. He ached to rush forward and sprinkle kisses on the girl's dark head, and tell her that she was the most marvelous creature in the universe – next to her mother, of course.

But then, he had heard the crash, and didn't waste a moment in running for a very startled girl and horse. As he ran, he looked around for the source of the noise, ready to protect what he held dearest to his heart, but he could see nothing. There was a slight fog, and sheets of rain poured over him as he ran towards the shed.

He thought the roar that he'd heard was the sound of the blood rushing through his veins, as it usually did when he went into combat, but the gush of water that sent him sprawling into the unearthed mud told him different.

Sputtering, he sat up, only for another wave of clear liquid to shoot him down again. Water entered his nostrils, his mouth and had him gasping for a decent breath of air. Even so, the only thought in his mind was to get to his daughter and woman. He needed to keep them safe from what, he concluded, was a flooding from the creek.

He heard a scream pierce the air, and squinted his eyes to look about to figure out where it came from. Being flung to the ground like a sack of feed had warped his sense of direction, and the rain was not helping his quest to get to his gems.

The water had risen to his chest, the strength of the tide pushing him away from the cottage. But he fought the current, dragging his body through the slosh of water, trying not to lose his calm at the thought that Tessa could be drowning in that very moment. He didn't need to think of the worst scenario. He needed to concentrate on getting to the little house as soon as possible.

He shouted for Kistle and Tessa when he was within hearing distance, hoping that he would hear someone yell back, but there was nothing, save for the crashes of the water splashing over the edge of the creek and down, towards the house. He couldn't see Tessa now, as well, and neither could he spot the gray coat of Brady's fur. Had the water swept them away?

A broken cry escaped from his lips as he shot off the ground and began to swim towards the cottage, vision blurred by the constant ferocity of the pouring rain.

The shed rattled as he grabbed onto one of its unstable pillars, anchoring himself to it. He called out for Tessa again, but heard nothing. Brady wasn't there, either. The water was rising, nearing his chin now, and he was getting desperate.

"Kistle!"

*

Kistle vaguely heard her name being called, but the wail of the water was too loud for her to be sure. Her thoughts were focused solely on her daughter, whose scream she heard in her head, over and over again. She needed to get to the shed. Quickly.

The first wave of water had pushed her away from the cottage, towards the fringe of the forest. But she had tried to move against the current, to struggle towards her daughter, only to find that she was pushed back every time, thrown towards the higher ground of the forest.

It was the first time in many years that she had felt helpless. So helpless, and so vulnerable. Her life was out there, somewhere, probably drowning, and here she was, unable to help her! Pain unlike any other crippled her, and Kistle fought to keep the tears from flowing from her eyes. She did not need tears now. She needed to get to her daughter!

"Tessa!" she called as she threw herself into the roiling waters again, trying to propel herself forward, heedless to the fact that she could not swim. It did not matter, she would swim now, to save her daughter's life.

She called her daughter's name again, frantic to hear some sort of confirmation that her she was still in this world. The alternative was too much for her to bear. Her heart constricted at the tiny sliver of doubt that rose in her mind.

Tessa's name was like a rabid chant on her lips as she tried to move towards higher ground. The water level was rising quickly, and so were her fears. It was a cloying feeling – to know that her daughter was in danger, and not being able to do anything about it.

She couldn't see the shelter now. Water had covered everything, and it didn't seem to have stopped overflowing from the creek. Kistle knew that if she was going to hold on to the hope that Tessa had survived the rage of waters, she would have to throw herself into the waves and hope that they would push her towards the house, and not in the opposite direction.

Sucking in a breath, she made a jump into the dark, deep, cold water.

*

He saw her hurtling herself into the water and cursed the woman for being so strong-willed, it bordered on idiotic. What person with a sound mind would do such a thing when the water was rising as fast as it was? But he could understand, if not approve of, her actions. She'd thought her daughter was still stuck in the flood, and the Gods knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she'd not dove in to help her baby. It had been the same thing that had gone through his mind when he'd swam towards the shelter with a single purpose in mind – to find his own.

As he saw her take the dive, Rade quickly deposited the warm bundle in his hands under a tree on the higher land and sprinted for the house. He didn't bother to break his gait as he plunged, headfirst, into the water.

She was flailing around, trying to stay afloat, about fifteen feet from where he was. Four quick strokes brought him to her and he pulled her into his arms, knowing the intense relief that came with her safety. He had her in his arms now. She wouldn't be throwing herself into danger any longer.

"What are you doing?" she screamed at him over the roar of water and rain. A strong wave of water hit the couple, and they were pushed further towards the crux of the storm. Not bothering to answer her, knowing that there was no time for answers, Rade pushed towards shore. But her struggling against him wasn't helping the cause.

"Rade! Let me loose! Tessa's there!" Kistle tried to explain, but the irrefutable man kept pulling her towards the shore. There was sharp panic rising in her throat, the kind that made breathing difficult. She knew she could not leave, not without knowing that her daughter hadn't clung onto a low branch or something and had survived.

"Rade!"

She pulled at him again, and yelped when he hauled her towards his front, so that they were facing each other. His right arm swirled around them to keep them afloat. There was irritation in his eyes.

"Tessa's fine. I need to get you to safety. Please, let me take you back to land."

He didn't wait for her to nod, but started swimming back to shore when he saw the understanding in her eyes. There was something else as well... he had seen the love she had for her daughter, and the liberation that had come with the knowledge that Tessa had not been harmed. She probably blamed herself, he thought. Blamed herself for letting Tessa leave the house in the middle of the storm. If it were him, he'd have blamed himself for it as well.

They pulled themselves onto higher ground and Kistle rose to her feet immediately. Looking around, she spotted the bundle under the tree and stumbled towards it. Tessa, wrapped in Rade's outer shirt, slept soundly on the ground, her little fists clutching the feeble cover.

Kistle's knees hit wet grass as she gathered the child to her chest, relishing the welcome weight of her baby. Tessa was in her arms now. She wasn't caught in the flood. She wasn't dead. She was very much alive, and warm. Her baby was all right.

And then, Kistle did the only thing she could under the weight of fading desperation. She cried.

*

They walked side by side into town. There was nothing else they could've done. The house was gone, that Kistle knew, and the rain was still coming down in heavy sheets. They needed to find shelter for the shivering child, if not for themselves, and the only place available was the shop.

The rain had slowed to a drizzle when they climbed the short steps to the shop. The large, golden lock gleamed beneath the dusky street lamps and Kistle felt the humiliating tears threatening again. She had left the keys at home... with everything else she owned. The things she'd worked so hard for over the past two years were all gone. She was left where she started: with a clothing shop and few cents to her name.

Not saying a word, Rade gently steered Kistle away from the door as he slammed his boot against it with just enough force to crack the lock. When the bolt broke, he opened the door and stood aside, allowing Kistle to enter the cramped space first. She went immediately to the lonely cushion next to the cupboard and set Tessa down on it. It was dreadfully hard for Kistle to relinquish the comfort of her daughter, but she knew that she had to do so to light a fire. The room was as cold as ice.

There wasn't a fireplace in the shop, only a stove that Kistle had used for heat a long time ago, and to prepare meals. There was also a stack of firewood in the corner, which she'd gratefully remembered to bring to town the day before. Resignedly, and with a heavy heart, Kistle pushed the stove from the miniscule kitchen, towards the main room.

She had just taken two steps when the weight was lifted from her hands, and she saw Rade hauling the large, tin-can-like structure to an available space beside the cupboard. She wanted to call out to him – to tell him, no, she didn't need help – but she was simply too tired. Her body and heart ached, and all she wanted to do was crawl under a blanket with Tessa and sleep until all her worries evaporated.

She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a loose, cotton robe for herself and one of her shirts for Tessa. Rade was still in the room, meddling with the stove, and Kistle took the opportunity to carry Tessa into the kitchen and get both of them out of their wet clothes. Belatedly, she realized that Rade was bare-chested as well, and his breeches were wet, but she didn't have any kind of clothing to offer him.

She needn't have worried, though, for once she carried a still-sleeping Tessa into the main room, he was gone, leaving the small space toasty and warm. Kistle looked about the store for a moment, thankful that she had this left, in the very least. Well, this and her baby. Gently, she pressed a kiss to Tessa's forehead as she ruffled through a large trunk and pulled out a large, woolen blanket. Then, as an afterthought, took out a second one.

She set hers in front of the worktable, adjacent to the kitchen and suitably near the stove, then spread the other a few feet away, in the space between the mirror and cupboard. The space would probably be a little cramped for his large frame, but he should be able to adjust.

Tessa was already curled up comfortably on the blanket when Kistle moved in behind her, pulling the other end of the blanket above their bodies. Despite the warmth of the air, her skin still felt cold, like there were remaining droplets of water on her skin. Kistle shivered silently and held on to Tess with enough force to stir her. The little girl turned toward her mother and buried her nose in Kistle's robe.

The rain receded, but the storm of Kistle's thoughts did not. Her mind revolved around all her problems, addressing them, but never finding a solution for any of them. It was as though whenever she tried to solve a problem, her mind would rebel and start thinking of another problem in her life. She did not know what to make of her pattern of thought, although it scared her.

She remained awake for a while, listening to the soothing sounds of Tess's even breathing. It occurred to her that all the cloth that she'd bought for the dresses had been ruined as well. Another expense she would have to put in the ledgers. As it was, she didn't have much coins to spare. Tomorrow, she would buy more cloth and attack the orders with a vengeance. Then, perhaps, she would have enough money to buy bread for Tessa and herself for the next month.

She barely heard his footsteps, but years of living alone had her alert when the whisper of the door closing drifted to her ears. The silhouette that filled the doorway made her feel safe, safer than she would allow herself to admit. It had an effect on her body, too, making her relax and melt into the blanket. A scuffle told her that he was removing his boots, and she smiled, thinking that in all the time she'd spent with him, she couldn't remember a single instance where she'd seen him remove his boots.

It made a warm feeling spread through her heart, though she couldn't begin to guess why such a mundane task would make her feel that way. It felt good, and she didn't really care for a reason. She felt warm, she felt safe.

A yawn escaped her curved lips, and a minute later, she joined her daughter in sleep.

*

He awoke early, as he usually did. The room was still warm though the fire was burning low. He added another log to the stove before rolling his blanket up and looking over at Kistle and Tessa. Both of them remained deep in sleep. He didn't disturb them, for he knew that it had only been a few hours since they'd cuddled into the blankets.

It wasn't even dawn yet. The sky was still dark, but Rade found that he could not sleep. There was something about last night that changed so many things in the relationship between them, and it haunted his dreams, making sleep a torturous thing.

He had gone from needing Kistle to feel whole, to needing her to feel peace. He knew that he would never, ever again leave her to her own means. The image of her putting her life in danger last night was still fresh in his mind. It was like a plague, reminding him that he had been so very close to losing her again. He could never survive that.

Leaning over both of them, he placed a kiss to Tessa's sleep-warmed cheek before pulling away. It felt somehow sacrilegious of him to touch Kistle while she was asleep, and he dismissed the notion of feathering a kiss over her forehead. Only the Gods knew what would happen if she'd awoken and caught him in the act.

A glance out the window told him that there was more than an hour to the start of the day. Making as little noise as possible, Rade shrugged into the shirt that he'd purchased from the general store a few shops away. It hadn't been open, but Rade's incessant knocks had awakened the shopkeeper, who'd thundered down the stairs with numerous curses worthy of a soldier. But when Rade had promised to pay him extra coins for his services, the small man had relented and served him with an eye open.

With his shirt buttoned up, Rade picked his way around the sleeping bundle and stepped into the kitchen, thinking that he would heat some coffee while he waited for Kistle to awaken. He wanted to speak with her about last night, to offer her a solution to her problems.

But when he opened the first kitchen cupboard and found nothing, his eyebrows drew together in suspicion. One by one, he pulled out a few drawers and opened several cupboards, but, in total, found only one can of soup. There was no coffee, no tea, no bread. There was nothing in the shop save the miserable can of soup. Rade looked down at the tin can, mentally measuring its contents. Yes, it would last Kistle and Tessa for a day, but it was hardly enough for a growing child and a grown woman. Had they been eating like this for the past few years?

Rade shut his eyes against the sudden pang of guilt. It was his fault that his family was eating such peasant food. He had enough money for them to sit and eat at the Royal table, and yet...

He replaced the can of soup into the cupboard and shook his head, knowing what he had to do. Once again, he picked his way around Kistle and Tessa, smiling when he saw that Tessa's thumb was in her mouth. Didn't his mother tell him that he used to have that habit as well?

Kneeling on the patio of the shop, he unsheathed the knife from his boot and worked his way towards the woods. Today, his family would have a nice meal for breakfast, even if he had to hunt for hours to spear game.

*

His horse – which had not showed up after the flood – was waiting for him at the store when he returned with the meat of two rabbits wrapped in their skin. Diane nudged his arms as he passed her, and Rade used his forearm to nuzzle her nose before entering the shop. Still, the two hadn't moved, and Rade felt the similar pang he'd felt when he'd first seen them that way. His loves. His family.

Sighing to himself, he set the safely-wrapped meat onto the cushion and, as soundlessly as possible, carried the stove back into the kitchen. Then, finding a pan, he began to cut the meat and place them slice by slice into the heated pan.

The meat cooked in its own fat, and sooner or later, the sweet smell of meat wafted through the shop. Rade started when he felt an arm on his thigh. He looked down to find little Tessa rubbing her right eye and looking up at him blearily.

She didn't seem to find anything amiss; nothing showed in her eyes. Rade had been half-afraid that Tessa would be scarred by memories of hanging onto the roof of the shed while he swam towards her. However, nothing but morning weariness showed on her features.

"Good morning, little one," he said to her, reaching down to stroke a stray, tussled curl.

"G'morning. What are you doing?"

"I'm cooking breakfast. Do you want to help?"

He slid the cupboard open and took out the lonely can of soup, pouring it into a heated pot. Tessa remained standing behind him, staring with a peculiar frown on her face. It was as if she couldn't understand why Rade was standing in her mother's kitchen.

Once he'd settled the soup, he hefted Tessa onto his hip so that she could see what was cooking in the pan.

"What is that?" she asked, peering from a safe distance into the pot.

"Rabbit meat. Have you tried it before?"

Tessa shook her head.

"Well, today you shall." Rade forked out a few slices of meat and cut them into bite-sized pieces for the young girl. Then, as gingerly as possible, he fed Tess the tender meat.

"Nice," Tessa said with a smile after a few seconds of chewing. There were smears on the corners of her mouth, but she didn't seem to notice as she reached for another piece.

He kept her on his waist as he prepared the meal, turning the meat over and giving the soup quick stirs to keep it from burning at the bottom. And even while he was concentrating on his tasks, he felt the exact moment in which she entered the kitchen.

He looked over at her and offered a hesitant smile, not knowing if she would take kindly to him preparing a meal without her consent. But there was nothing close to contempt in her eyes. There was sadness, yes – he could understand that, since she'd lost her home overnight – and there was the steely independence that he'd come to admire. Her hair fell in a tumble of gold across her shoulder, standing out against the whiteness of the robe. Her collarbones showed through the thin material, and he had to admire the curve of them. How had he not realized what ravishing collarbones she had before?