The Piper's Pursuit Page 17

  Steffan hailed the man, practically shouting to be heard over the wind and rain. “Can you tell us if the road to Hohendorf is near?”

  He must have been thinking of waiting out the storm at his brother’s castle in Hohendorf.

  “Straight down this road, but turn south when you get to the fork beside the large tree with the broken branch.”

  “Large tree with the broken branch?”

  “About a mile from here. You will see it.”

  “How far is Hohendorf from there?”

  “Two or three miles, I know not.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Will we spend the night with your brother?” Katerina asked.

  “Yes, if the rain doesn’t let up. There’s too much risk of the horses losing a shoe or breaking a leg.”

  As they continued down the road, she prayed that the children were still safe in the homes of the women in Keiterhafen, hidden from Hennek, although it seemed likely he had followed them there. Many people had seen them traveling on the road—a man, a woman, and over fifty children. Hennek would surely hear of it.

  A streak of lightning flashed. Ahead was the broken tree and the fork in the road showing that Hohendorf was still at least two miles away.

  More lightning flashed as they rode the rest of the way to Hohendorf. The rain continued to pour down in sheets, and the castle suddenly loomed ahead of them at the top of a large hill.

  A few villagers stood in doorways, and they all stared at them. She and Steffan faced the castle mount and urged their horses up the road leading to the castle.

  Katerina watched Steffan out of the corner of her eye. He was as wet as she was, but he was sitting tall and straight in the saddle. She prayed silently that the healing salve had done its job before it had been washed away by the soaking rain.

  Hohendorf Castle was taller than she’d imagined, with towers rising high above the trees of the dark forest all around it. The rain gave it an even more unearthly appearance, as if fairies and trolls might emerge from behind the trees.

  At the door they were met by a guard and a middle-aged woman who gave them a quizzical look.

  Steffan stepped forward, his hand over his heart, looking very chivalrous and knightly even with his hair dripping with rainwater.

  “I am Lord Gabehart’s brother, Steffan Gerstenberg of Hagenheim, and this is Katerina Ludken. Are the lord and lady at home?”

  The woman’s brow creased. “Lord Gabehart and Lady Sophia are not here. But I am the head house servant.”

  “Can you tell me where Lord Gabehart and Lady Sophia have gone?”

  “To the Polish estate of his brother Lord Wolfgang for a visit. But you are welcome at Hohendorf Castle. Please, come in.” She and the guard stepped back and welcomed them in.

  “We would like to stay the night,” Steffan said.

  “Of course,” the house servant said.

  “And perhaps get fresh horses for our journey tomorrow, if you can spare them.”

  The guard nodded. “Of course. You are Lord Gabe’s brother. Whatever you need is yours.”

  “And now let us get you some dry clothes and a warm place to rest.”

  They followed the woman through a cavernous entry hall and a long corridor, and Katerina took the opportunity to say, “Lord Steffan needs a healer to look at his wounds and help him apply some healing salve and bandages.”

  Steffan, who was walking beside her, frowned down at her.

  “We have a servant here who serves as a healer. I shall send her to him.”

  “Thank you,” Katerina said at the same time Steffan said, “That is not—”

  Steffan cut his remark short and pointed a finger at Kat. She only smiled and raised her brows at him. She longed to know if his wounds were getting better, but thought it best not to offer to take a look herself.

  At the end of the corridor they went up some winding stone steps. The woman stopped in front of a door. “Fräulein, this chamber is for you. You will find dry clothing inside the trunk against the wall.”

  “Thank you very much.” Katerina went into the room but did not shut the door. Instead, she listened and peeked out as the servant and Steffan stopped at the next door.

  “Lord Steffan, here is your room. I shall bring you some of your brother’s clothing, unless you think it won’t fit you?”

  “I think it will. Thank you.”

  The woman was coming down the hall in her direction. Katerina shut the door.

  She quickly found a long linen chemise and a lovely silk dress that laced up the sides embroidered with flowers around the neckline and sleeves. She stripped off her wet clothes and left them by the door and donned the clothes from the trunk, which smelled of dried lavender and pennyroyal.

  She sat unbraiding her hair and squeezing out the excess water when a servant girl opened the door and came in. “I am to start a fire for you.” She knelt before the fireplace. Her hair was pulled up into a knot on her head. She looked to be less than twenty years old but more than fifteen.

  “Our Frau says you are to come down for supper in half an hour, and you may have a warm bath tonight after the servants are free from supper duties.”

  “Thank you.”

  The girl glanced over her shoulder at her. “You are very beautiful. But you have probably heard that many times before. Are you married to Lord Steffan?”

  Katerina sucked in a breath and started coughing, as a bit of saliva went down the wrong way. When she was finally able to speak, she said, “Thank you, but no, I am not married to Lord Steffan, or to anyone.”

  “You are very fair of face. You should make the young lord marry you and not travel the country alone with him, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

  Katerina crossed her arms over her chest. Her first impulse was to tell the girl she had no reason to say such a thing, that she was only traveling alone with Steffan to save a group of children from an evil man. But it served no purpose to be angry with the young woman.

  “I would never try to force Lord Steffan to marry me. We are working together on a special quest. He can marry whomever he pleases. I’m only interested in helping my town of Hamlin.” But was that true? Was she only interested in helping the children and people of Hamlin? Perhaps she did also have a slight interest in helping make sure Steffan stayed well and made it to Hagenheim alive, for his own sake as well as for the children. But she didn’t have to tell this young woman that. Soon the servant had the fire crackling and giving off a bit of heat.

  “Lord Steffan is quite handsome,” she said, getting up off her knees. “If I were as pretty as you are, I would certainly try to make him marry me.” She smiled, curtsied, and left.

  She was outspoken for a servant girl. But she was right about Steffan being handsome. Kat had always thought so, even when she thought he was arrogant.

  A memory of Steffan came into her mind of him holding her hand to his cheek. How sweet he had looked, his blue-gray eyes gazing into hers. Her hand tingled just thinking about it. Was he feeling well, or might he have another fever after riding in the rain? Perhaps she should go and make sure he was reapplying his healing salve.

  Kat went to the door and looked out. No one was in the corridor, so she slipped out and went to Steffan’s door. She knocked lightly.

  Her stomach roiled queasily. Why had she come to Steffan’s door? What would he think of her? Perhaps he hadn’t heard her knock and she could go back to her room and he would never know that she had been there. She turned and started back down the corridor to her room.

  The door opened. “Katerina? Is everything all right?”

  She turned around and faced him. He wasn’t wearing shoes, but otherwise he was completely dressed in a snow-white shirt that laced up the front, loosely tied over his chest. His hair was still wet and hung over one side of his forehead.

  He motioned with his hand. “Come in.”

  When she slowly started walking back to him, he smiled. Her stomach turned a flip. She ste
pped into his room and he shut the door. Was it wise to go into his room?

  “I just wanted to make sure you were putting the healing salve on your wounds, that you didn’t forget . . . to do that.”

  “We have to go to supper soon, but sit.” He motioned to a chair.

  Kat was not sure she wanted to sit, so she stood, staring up at him. Stupidly remembering the servant girl’s words about him being handsome and how she should marry him.

  “So, did you? Put on the salve?”

  “Yes, the healer came and looked at it. She insisted on using her own supply of it and rebandaged me.” He pulled up his sleeve to show the bandage on his arm.

  “Oh good. I should go back to my room then.” She started toward the door.

  “I don’t mind if you stay.”

  “I don’t want the servants to talk. One already asked me if we were married.” Why had she said that? Why would she ever say the word married to Steffan? Her cheeks heated.

  “You do not care about that, do you?”

  She turned to face him again. He was clearly amused, grinning, with one brow cocked up.

  “Or were you horrified that anyone would think you would marry a brute like me?” He was still smiling.

  “I told her no, that we were on a quest together.”

  He nodded, his smile fading. “Of course. Did you tell her we were only friends?” He leaned toward her, quite close to her.

  She swallowed, her eyes staring at his shirt. A bandage was just visible where the lacing was not cinching very tightly. “No, I . . .” She had to swallow again as she found herself leaning away from him. “I don’t remember what I said.” Then she laughed. Could he tell she was laughing because she was nervous? Did she seem as daft as she felt?

  “I’m very sorry you can’t meet Gabe and Sophie. I know they would love you.”

  Love her? She tried to take a deep breath, but her chest was too tight.

  “And I think you would like them too.”

  “I am sure I would like them. If your brother is as . . . amiable as you are.”

  “I am amiable?”

  “Yes. Sometimes.”

  He smiled. “Remember when you told me I was not welcome in Hamlin and I should go back to Hagenheim, that day in the bakery? You did not think me amiable then.”

  “I didn’t say that!”

  “You certainly did.”

  Her face burned as she remembered . . . she’d said exactly that. “I did not know you. I thought you were an arrogant son of a duke who was only meddling.”

  “Is that supposed to be an apology?” He laughed good-naturedly.

  “I realized later that you were not . . . what I thought, that you were brave and . . .” She swallowed again. How could she escape this?

  “And . . . that you could trust me?” He was staring very intently into her eyes, his voice a gruff whisper. “You know I would never hurt you.”

  “I know.” She couldn’t look into his eyes anymore. She put her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. His arms immediately surrounded her, holding her gently but firmly.

  She closed her eyes. She didn’t want to think. For once, she only wanted to feel as she let her hand rest over his heart, feeling the bandage underneath. Her heart thumped in her chest. His words, I would never hurt you, reverberated inside her. No one could hurt her as long as his arms were around her.

  She remembered how he’d protected her from the Beast of Hamlin, from Hennek’s men. No one had ever protected her before. No one. It felt so good.

  But what would happen now? When he said he would never hurt her, he probably didn’t mean hurting her heart. Would he hurt her without meaning to?

  She should let go and push out of his arms. Yes, that’s what she should do. She would pretend she was only a friend embracing another friend. It meant nothing. She took a surreptitious breath, breathing in the smell of his shirt—herbs and his own unique smell—and loosened her hold on him. She took a tiny step back, but the expression on his face . . . She couldn’t help herself. She reached up and pressed her palm against his cheek.

  His eyelids instantly lowered. Her heartbeat quickened. His hand was on her face and he was bending close, so close. She put her other hand behind his head and kissed him.

  Lips touching lips . . . What was she doing? Her heart was beating in her throat. She thought she’d never be able to kiss a man. But Steffan . . . He was so gentle and protective. She would have been daft not to kiss him.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—” Kat pulled away and turned her head.

  Steffan gently pulled her back, and she kissed him again. Yes, she was kissing him. He was letting her kiss him. She was in control. But the kiss became too much, so she pulled away and pressed her face into his shoulder.

  She could hear his breathing, feel the strength in his arms holding her. But her cheeks flamed hot at what she had done.

  “Katerina.” His breath was in her hair, his voice sending shivers across her shoulders. “You’re wonderful. Have I told you that you are brave and beautiful and . . .” He sighed, pulling her closer.

  Fear gripped her, constricting her throat. What was she afraid of? Was she afraid because she had kissed a man she didn’t love? No, because she was fairly certain she did love him. Was she afraid he would take advantage of her now? No. Was she afraid that he didn’t love her enough to marry her and that she would be humiliated?

  Yes. That was it.

  She couldn’t let him know what she was thinking. So she stood motionless, letting him hold her, letting herself enjoy this while she could. Because it couldn’t last.

  A knock sounded at the door. Kat jumped. Steffan kept his arms around her.

  “Who is it?” Steffan said to the closed door.

  “Supper is being served,” the voice said.

  “Thank you. We will be there.”

  Kat gently extricated herself from his arms. She couldn’t look him in the eye and kept her head down.

  Steffan took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. “Shall we go?”

  She glanced quickly up at him. His gentle expression made her heart skip a beat. What was she to do now? This was more frightening than two Beasts of Hamlin. She squeezed his hand and let him walk her to the door and down to supper.

  * * *

  Steffan and Katerina were the only ones at the table in the Great Hall for supper. He and Katerina talked about their journey thus far, about the children and how they might get back to Hamlin once they had defeated Hennek. And even though their kiss was never far from his mind, neither of them even alluded to it. He was too afraid of offending her in some way, or embarrassing her, or otherwise causing her not to want to ever kiss him again.

  It was a pity he was seated at the head of the table and therefore he wasn’t close enough to Katerina to hold her hand. Would she let him?

  Near the end of the meal, he asked for one of the guards to come so he could ask him some questions.

  “How many guards did Lord Gabe leave here?”

  “Most of his guard accompanied Lord Gabe and Lady Sophie to Poland to visit Lord Wolfgang. There are only six left here. Will you need us to accompany you and the lady to Hagenheim?”

  “No.” He’d already thought about this. “Our enemy’s name is Hennek Grymmelin, the Bürgermeister of Hamlin. He could come here looking for us, and he will have many men with him. You need every guard to help defend the castle. You should warn all the male servants as well. There is no knowing what he might do if he thinks we have been here.”

  “I understand. But perhaps you should take at least one soldier with you.”

  “Yes, perhaps one guard would be good.”

  “Very good. Our lord would want us to protect his brother and his lady.”

  He glanced at Katerina. She kept her gaze on the table in front of her. Was she about to tell the man, most emphatically, that she was not his lady? He could certainly imagine her doing so. But she remained silent.

 
“We could each use a fresh horse and provisions.”

  “Of course.”

  Soon he and Kat were heading upstairs. They would need as much sleep as they could get before sunrise.

  He walked her to her door, his heart thumping. She was so quiet and avoided holding his hand on the way back to their rooms. Was she sorry she had kissed him?

  “Sleep well,” she said as she pushed open her door, not meeting his eye.

  He caught her hand and kissed it. “Good night, my Katerina.”

  She met his eye for the briefest moment, then disappeared inside her room and closed the door.

  So she was being demure now. Perhaps that was wise. But he would not forget that she had kissed him. And his hope was strong that she would eventually kiss him again. And even though he didn’t deserve her, he was becoming a better man, was he not? And someday, with God’s help, he might come close to deserving her.

  Twenty-One

  Katerina was dressed and ready before the sun was more than a gray bit of light chasing the darkest part of the night away. A knock came at her door and she opened it to Steffan.

  They walked side by side, so close their arms were touching, so she slipped her hand under and over his arm. He smiled down at her.

  “Did you apply your healing salve?”

  “I did. The healer came early to wrap the bandages.”

  “That was kind of her.”

  When they reached the stable, where people might see them, Katerina let go of his arm and kept her distance. Their saddlebags were full of provisions and the stable groomsmen were saddling their horses. Kat and Steffan mounted their fresh horses. Soon they were galloping down the castle mount with one of the Hohendorf guards.

  It was a long, hard day. The new guard spoke very little, and his presence kept Steffan from talking very much either. But Kat caught Steffan staring at her several times with a look on his face that she had seldom seen—a slight smile on his lips and a softness about his eyes. Sometimes it made her blush, as it caused her thoughts to go to their kiss. And that made her wonder what the future held. Which made her think, How can this end well? It can’t. And then she chided herself into staying focused on what was important: rescuing the children.