Page 57 of Dancing On Air

“I enjoyed our time together today,” he said softly, up against her ear. When Rose wasn’t looking, he sneaked her a quick kiss on the back of her neck.

“Oh, Connor, you have no idea how much this day meant to me.” Eleanor giggled when he kissed her neck. She smelled like rosewater, something he hadn’t smelled since the day he left the castle. Her hair was vibrant like flames of fire, but soft as silk, too. A few strands blew in the wind and brushed up against his face and he loved it.

“Dammit, you are driving me crazy, woman.”

“And you, me,” came her answer.

As much as he was enjoying this ride with Eleanor, he had a feeling deep in his gut that his happiness wouldn’t last. That feeling was validated when they rode up to his cottage. He heard crying coming from inside the house. Outside, their wagon was filled with hay… and blood.

“Oh, hell, no.” Connor slid off the horse and held up his arms to help her dismount. He helped Rose as well.

“Connor, what’s the matter?” asked Eleanor.

“The wagon.” He nodded toward it.

“Is that—blood?” asked Rose.

“It’s been used for an execution and it hasn’t been cleaned yet. Dammit, what is going on here?”

Connor stormed to the door of the cottage and threw it open to find Ginevra sitting by the fire with her arm around Alaric and they were both crying. Leoric was sitting in a dark corner with his arms around himself, muttering nonsense, rocking back and forth. Connor didn’t see his father anywhere.

“What the hell is going on here?” Connor quickly lit a lantern. When the firelight lit up the room, he realized Leoric’s body was shaking. There was a puddle of vomit at his feet.

“Leoric? What the hell happened to you?”

“I tried to help him since you weren’t here. It was awful, Connor. There was so much blood.” Leoric’s eyes closed and he shivered once again.

“Where’s Father?” asked Connor.

Leoric looked to the bedroom door and nodded.

“I’ll take Rose to him. Mayhap we can help.” Eleanor hurried to the bedroom with Rose.

“There was no execution planned today,” spat Connor. “So what are you talking about? Where did you two go?”

“Lord Sampson’s guard came to the door early this morning and said we needed to go to the castle for an execution.” Leoric continued to shake. “I told Father I would help him since he was ill and you weren’t here. It was a… a beheading, Connor.” His brother actually started to cry.

“God’s eyes, I never should have left. Ginevra, Alaric, why are you two crying?”

“He’s dead,” sobbed Ginevra.

“What? Who’s dead?” asked Connor, thinking at first she was talking about the executed man.

“Father is dead,” wailed little Alaric.

“Bid the devil, tell me this isn’t so.” Connor ran to the bedroom and burst inside. Rose and Eleanor were standing over the bed with a lit candle, looking down at the bed. His father lay there, not moving. His eyes were wide open, staring into nothingness, as if in fear. “Is he—is he dead?” Connor walked closer to the bed.

“I’m sorry,” said Rose, reaching out and closing his father’s eyes. “I should have come sooner. It’s my fault.”

“Nay, Rose,” said Eleanor. “It’s no one’s fault. There was probably nothing you could have done anyway.”

“Nay. This can’t be happening.” Connor stormed from the room and headed over to Leoric. “What happened to Father?”

“I-I don’t know,” said the boy.

“Tell me!” Connor pulled him up by the front of his tunic and slapped him across the face. “Snap out of this and talk to me, dammit. Tell me everything that happened.”

Leoric, blinked a few times and shook his head. Then he slowly dropped his arms to his sides. “It was a beheading,” he said softly.