Return to Caer Lon by Claude Dancourt Read Free Book Online

knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.
    “Come in.”
    A young girl he thought he had seen sometimes around Sacha came in, holding a tray.
    “Lady Ylianor said you would be hungry, Sir.”
    “Yes, I am.”
    He could do with some food, even if the idea of opening his mouth to chew and swallowing was not that appealing, especially after the cold sweat the simple fact of straightening up had brought. Not to mention the ache.
    “Thank you... Pardon me I do not remember your name.”
    “I am Agnes, m y L ord. I serv e the Lady Sacha .”
    “Well Agnes you will thank my cousin for spar ing your services so you could bring me some food.”
    Her sudden blush surprised him. Generally, servants were at ease with him, because he was easy going and polite; and to his limited experience, maid girls did not blush that easily . Sebastian pushed up a little more on his cushions . The effort tore a groan from his throat. The maid instantly put her tray down on the table and rushed to help him up.
    “Thank you.”
    She smiled and Sebastian appreciated her gentleness as she helped him up on the pillows. He equally noticed something more disturbing. He had been in the castle for nearly two days, and no one had visited him except Geraint , Ylianor , and the physician.
    “Agnes, where are my cousin and Prince Derek ?”
    “They are about their business, m y l ord.”
    Jeffrey could be pretty insistent when he wanted his patients to rest, but Derek and Sacha had never obeyed before. Sebastian narrowed his dark eyes on her, and the girl’s already flushed sk in turned a deeper shade of pink.
    “They… They are on a trip.”
    A trip? Right after this attack? Not likely.
    “Where did they go? I am surprised my uncle authorized them to go anywhere, even with a full cohort of k nights to escort them.”
    Agnes was fidgeting with the lace of her apron, visibly ill at ease. Sebastian tried to keep his tone calm in order not to scare the girl away. Despite his efforts, worry started to tighten his throat.
    “Agnes? I asked you a question. Where did the Lady Sacha and Prince Derek go?”
    “I… I do not know, m y l ord. M y l ady did not say. She asked me to prepare their horses and some goods for three days and she went with the prince before dawn right after they found you… Please, My l ord, I just followed her orders…”
    She was on the verge of crying. No doubt his uncle had questioned her already, and probably less gently.
    Sebastian closed his eyes. Sacha and Derek had gone to Elwyn ’s rescue. It could be only that. No wonder Ylianor seemed so worried and his uncle looked like he was ready to murder someone.
    Oh, Sacha , what did you do… ?
    It was her plan, of course it was . Derek could be stubborn but he was not reckless. Or rather, he would have gone alone, especially if to leave in the middle of the night. It had to be Sacha , who cornered Derek into following her. He wondered if his friend had caught her while she was tiptoeing out, or if she had walked straight into his chambers to harangue him.
    Sebastian could just picture the scene in his mind: Sacha stamping her foot and pouting while Derek looked at her with that stern expression he saved just for her. As if the p rince w ere going to let her go alone… Maybe she had called him ‘a good little soldier’, ‘a docile sheep’ or another one of her favourite epithets, so he could not ignore the bait . He never resisted when she provoked him.
    The young man wondered if instead of insulting him, Sacha had tried to charm him. Derek would dive after her without a second thought if she did. Or he would have run the other way as fast as possible. Whatever the case, Sebastian would have paid a fortune to see the scene.
    The girl was still fixing him nervously, her ve lvet eyes widened in fear . Sebastian offered the best smile he could muster. With a split lip and bruises all over his face, it probably looked like the worst grimace she had ever seen. Indeed he