32
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Delilah stroked her damp hair worriedly but Cecilia continued to shudder in her arms, "Why do you have blood on you?
Cecilia finally exhaled loudly and pulled away.
"I think I have some bruises. My arms hurt but that's it," Cecilia informed her cousin hoping to assure her.
"But the blood," Delilah backed away to find any signed of why there was blood on her front and sleeve when there was no obvious injury.
"You should have seen what I did to the man who tried to kidnap me then you wouldn't be surprised," Cecilia sniffed loudly though the glint in her eye was back, "He ambushed me from behind and managed to drag me away from the grove with his hand on my mouth so I couldn't scream. He took me further into the forest but stopped because of the guards patrolling. Instead he sat me down and started to tie my hands with rope but I bit him. He said something about how feisty a Queen the Prince had chosen and it was then I realized the wrong impression he had about me. I told him he had the wrong girl and he became violent. I kicked him and managed to beat him with a branch at my feet. The blood on my clothes is his."
"My brave cousin," Delilah stroked her back soothingly.
"What did he look like?" Damian pressed urgently.
"He was black haired man wearing an odd grey jacket. He was coarse in his manner of speech and was middle aged," Cecilia answered with a wobbly chin looking close to tears all over again.
"Disperse guards!" Damian barked at the men still surrounding them, "There is nothing to see. This Lady has proven resilient and brave where my men faltered. Once we take care of my guests I want full disciplinary action against the guards who allowed the man to get inside the perimeter thorough their incompetence?"
"We must take her to a healer now," Lady Beatrix spoke up after silently watching the proceedings, "Fortunately I had the foresight to bring a healer with me in case of an emergency. He is currently inside the tent attending to a twisted ankle."
Lady Beatrix placed an arm around Cecilia with a kind smile.
"I will take her," Delilah tried to intervene but before she could step forward her three friends raced up from behind and crowded around Cecilia making sounds of both jubilation and sorrow obviously having just heard the news.
"Let her take comfort with her friends. I think your tears will unnerve her more then their tears ever can," Damian whispered from behind and Delilah had to agree. She despondently watched Lady Bea lead the loudly chattering girls to the healer.
"The rain is losing its momentum; you should take your jacket. You look like death warmed you over," Delilah turned around and eyed the Prince's damp form.
"What I need is a warm bath and good massage," Damian groaned indulgently, now enjoying the soft pitter patter of rain on his face. Her chuckle compelled him to look at Delilah. Her eyes gleamed not just with water drops clinging to her lashes but happiness and relief. His face turned red from the attention and her amusement.
Damian pretended to look away and from the corner of his eye observed hoping to see what Rossi had seen in her. The man was no pauper even though his blood was far from royalty. While his father was from the kingdom neighbouring on the south his mother was a minor noble's daughter from his own kingdom. This was why the Rossi siblings found it easy to flit from one kingdom to the other without feeling alienated. The Rossis were very well known and had amassed great wealth over many years making the brothers an eligible pair.
He had never considered her beautiful when he first met her. She had seemed plain, dowdy and boring but now he could not deny he considered her very pretty, almost too good for his exotic friend. He had seen how all the so called beauty of the women in the hiking party was completely tarnished in the rain. Their shiny hair had grown limp, the curved eyes lost in black, ruined eye make up, once glistening lips held no luster. Delilah rarely wore any adornments so it was easy to underestimate the symmetry of her features or the brilliance of her eyes. Her skin, especially in the rain, looked translucent and her lips... His ears turned even more red.
It unexpectedly hit him why he was feeling so uncharacteristically flushed.
He wanted her.
She looked absolutely horrendous. Her hair was in complete disarray; plastered to her face and he could honestly say she looked like a drowned rat and yet for some inexplicable reason he was drawn to her. His eyes followed a water drop mingle with the dampness on her face, run down her neck and more heat burned up his face. He swallowed harshly trying to get rid of the constriction in his throat.
What was even more perplexing that the rain provided no stereotypical fair maiden in drenched, translucent clothing fantasies he had as a young boy. The sack and the coat Lady Delilah was wearing provided no form to her figure and he still couldn't look away.
Damian ran a hand over his face hoping to clear his head but once he opened his eyes his vision of desire was even closer to him. Damian tried to focus his attention to what she was saying but all he could do was gape like a young fool looking at a pretty girl for the first time. Her lips were moving but he couldn't hear a word. He finally spoke after clearing his throat again.
"W-what did you say?" He asked in a harsh whisper.
"I was just thanking you for your help. You know how precious my cousin is to me. I would not have known what to do if something happened to her," Her grey eyes filled with anguish and all Damian wanted to do pull her close until he could sooth away all her tears. He shook his head hoping to get rid of the thoughts circling in his head.
"It was my duty," Damian swallowed again; "I could not let anything happen to her under my watch although the culprit is still at large."
Delilah nodded eyes still anguished by what could have been. She bit her lip not knowing how the man standing in front of her was so entranced by her every movement. She turned to look away at the colourful line of guests making their way up the mountain after the storm had abated.
Damian was debating the merits of keeping his hand to himself. If he offered her his arm he would soon slip into temptation and want to place his arm around her waist and soon even that would not be enough. He could not image how fiercely he would be beaten if he tried anything so he had to contain his urge and watched her while shifting his weight from one leg to the other.
A strand of half wet half dry strand of hair brushed causally over her face. She tried to blow it away but the lingering dampness did not allow any movement.
He had meant to kiss her cheek. Just one tiny, polite peck on the cheek she could easily dismiss as town manners. He took a step forward and she hadn't seemed to have noticed so he braved another one. She bit her lip again and he knew he had to kiss her despite all the coherent thought in his telling him otherwise. He leaned down and at that exact moment she turned back to look at him. The kiss that was supposed to land on her cheek ended up on half her lip. Stunned Delilah blinked as Damian pulled back while still standing closer to her then he had ever stood.
And just the barest breath of air puffed from his chapped lips, the touch lighter than a feather landed on her lips again.
"Delilah," Damian whispered softly against her lips. Instead of saying anything Delilah backed away with eyes as round as coins. She tripped on a branch and Damian tried to help her but she hastily turned and ran towards the crowd of people mingling near the tent.
_______________________________________
"And that was why today was the most epic disaster ever," Bea snarled throwing her hat in fury. She looked up and rolled her eyes, "Where are you so lost Damian?"
"Nowhere, I am right here," Damian didn't even bother to look away from the shadowy blank walls of his room. He was sitting on his bed still dressed in his drying clothes. His vest was crumbled on his feet and his mind was a million miles away.
"Is there something you wish to tell me?" She grinned knowingly.
"I- Nothing," The man looked away but the stain of red creeping up his neck was more telling than any words he could have uttered.
"It finally sunk in your thick skull," Bea said with satisfaction.
"I don't know what you mean," Damian denied ferociously while still not looking up.
"You've figured what you feel for the lovely Lady Delilah."
"What I feel? I feel nothing," He rolled his eyes and lay back on his bed with a thump and an arm splayed on his eyes hoping his annoying friend would go away.
"Liar," She teased instead.
"I desire her. I want her. Is that not what you want you want to hear?" He said quietly, defeated.
"Steady on. There are things even my ears do not wish to hear no matter how interesting. So you want her, how?"
"Are you deranged, woman, how do you think?" He sat up looking extremely agitated.
"So you want to kiss her?" Bea grinned, feeling like they were both thirteen again, discussing their favourite good looking courtiers.
"I did," He bit out with a wince.
"You what? You brainless sparrow, have you no sense?" Bea made a motion as if she was going to strangle him but decided against it with a horrified groan.
"I did not wish to be so upfront but the matters were taken from my hands.. Her presence clouded all judgement. What was in it that I did so wrong, anyway?" Damian complained like a spoiled child who knew he had done something naughty but refused to acknowledge it.
"It is one thing to kiss a woman after a lengthy courtship but another when you spring a kiss on someone without so much as a hint. She obviously did not reciprocate?"
"She was stunned," He slumped against his friend, wearily, "She did not expect it. Hell, I did not expect it."
"Really, what did you expect bird brained dunce? Forget the matter for a moment, you say you think desire her?"
"I don't think, I know I do," Damian was vehement.
"So given a chance you end up in a secluded forest all alone with her you would take advantage like any hot blooded male," Bea asked clinically with no innuendo lacing her voice as it would have been any other day.
"I would never-" Damian spluttered sitting up straight, "I am no callous brute. She would kill me if I tried. Besides I would be content to just stare at her if given the opportunity."
"I really don't get the appeal but go one. What else is there about her that you like?" Bea asked with a secretive smile.
"I could listen to her talk to me all day," Damian expressed self consciously.
"Even if it's about moldy plants," His friend teased.
"Especially. Did you know that concentrated Belladonna is extremely dangerous and can drive a man to madness?" Damian shared the knowledge with gusto hoping to change the topic.
"Damian, I never took you for a fool but you continue to prove otherwise."
"What did I do?" Damian crossed his arms, affronted.
"You say you want her at a base level and yet you do not recognize that you love her," Bea laughed out incredulously.
"What?"
"You are attracted to her, fine but you like her as well. You want to talk to her, listen to her. You want to spend time with her with no other objectives other than to be with her. I can't believe you are so dense."
"I love her?" He spoke slowly, still confused and surprised.
"Yes, you sap hearted peacock. Listen to what your heart says," She prodded his chest.
"I, I don't know. I have never..." He ran his hands through his hair trying to absorb the revelation and the fact that he didn't mind it as much as he thought.
"What would you do if Agapito Rossi asked for her hand in marriage?"
"I would run him through my sword. He touched her face without her permission. If I hadn't caught him I wonder what he would have done," Damian covered his face with his hands, "What do I do now?"
"Choose her at the final dance of course. This is a ball where you are expected to find a wife. What better place than now," Bea patted her friend's head with a pleased smile, "It's a good thing I fell in love first otherwise I wouldn't have known the symptoms either."
