In Rapture (Destined) Page 2

  When Malinda returned home from the pastures she was not surprised that the steward was heading to their little hut from the long road that stretched from Tinley Faire to the outskirts of the property. When the steward finally dismounted in front of their hut Malinda was prepared for the pomp and circumstance.

  He wore a royal purple doublet that was so puffed up around the neck and sleeves that he looked like a strutting peacock. Apparently no one had thought to tell him how his blotchy red skin stood out more with bright colors. The red plume on top of his black hat reminded her of a rooster’s tail. His large bottom was squeezed into white breeches that were at least three sizes too small. She knew she would never forget the sight of the large hips ballooned out so far around him, making him so rotund that he was quite comical in appearance. All in all, it was easy to assume that he was quite harmless, but that perhaps was her first mistake.

  Malinda never could understand how a person’s worth was ascertained from the amount of clothing they wore, but then again she had never had clothing that she or her grandmother had not made. She was due for new clothes soon, for her dresses were starting to wear thin, and she was sure that the cold winter chills would not be kept at bay this year. She clutched her skirt in her hand and ran a finger over the delicate lace they had bartered for. She looked up at the steward of Tinley Faire, his desires written clearly on his face. With a rustle of the wind in the leaves she knew that whatever happened next was going to have deep consequences. She petted the head of the large dog near her side when a low growl rumbled in his chest.

  “Ms. Grier.” He put a hand to his hat, but did not bother to remove it, a sign that he knew very well of her parentage.

  “Sir Halfscomb.” Malinda dropped her head down as low as she dared, knowing if she curtsied too low before him that his eyes would linger even longer on her cleavage.

  “Lord Tinley has asked me to do my rounds for tax collecting. It has been several months, and the Lord Tinley has been as understanding as is required in your situation, but I’m afraid your taxes are long past due. Have you any money for his lordship?”

  Malinda eyed him speculatively. She knew that Lord Tinley was half off his rocker. He had no clue who owed taxes or who had paid in full. He had never so much as cared about when her grandfather had paid him before, but now that there was no man in their little hut the steward had taken to assuming more of a role in his collections from them. She saw the way his tongue swept quickly over his bottom lip and the way his hand patted his side in slow rhythms. “I am working on gathering up the sums required, my lord.”

  “Well, perhaps we can work out an arrangement, my dear.” His hand made to sweep across her arm and Mule, her large mastiff, latched onto his doublet with a growl that would have shaken any man to his core.

  “Mule!” Malinda snapped her fingers and the dog immediately lay down at her side. “I’m so sorry, Sir Halfscomb. He must have thought you were going to try something inappropriate with me. You know how these beasts can be sometimes. He doesn’t know Lord Tinley’s rules about improper engagement on his property. I know I am quite safe in your presence, for Lord Tinley requires complete decorum from his employees. He wouldn’t think twice about firing anyone in his employ for abusing his tenants.” Malinda looked up at Halfscomb with an innocent serene stare, and he quickly withdrew his hand away from her.

  “So be it.” Lord Halfscomb clenched his teeth and sneered angrily at her. “Then I give you two days to rectify this situation before you are cast out from your home and it is burned to the ground. That is well within the laws of Tinley Faire, as well as any tenant contract within these parts. Fair warning. Good day, Ms. Grier.”

  He strutted off much like he had come, but the fast paced waddle was almost too much for her. She made great effort to still the giggles that threatened to break free at the spectacle his wide behind made, and was successful in quelling the tide of emotions until he was far enough away that he could not hear her. She entered her home, loud giggles breaking free from her mouth. Even though the severity of the situation tickled the surface of her mind, it was the sight that met her in the doorway that took her breath away.

  “Grandmother!” Her grandmother was sitting in the chair by the fire. She had not climbed from the bed in days, and yet there she sat. It should have made her happy to see that her grandmother had risen from bed, but from the way her shoulders hunched over and her head hung loosely to her chest, Malinda feared the worst. When she crossed the room to her side, she lifted a hand to touch her grandmother’s head and found it cold to the touch. The cries that shook the little house could be heard for miles around as Malinda mourned the last connection she had in her life. Mule howled at her side, mourning with her. Soon other animals gathered outside, their sounds multiplying the agony of her passing. When tears were no longer able to fall from her eyes, a storm cloud engorged the sky above and the rains took over in a torrential downpour that the lands had not seen since her grandfather had passed.

  Chapter 3

  Malinda had quite forgotten her tax dilemma as she prepared her grandmother’s body for the afterlife. She was busy gathering enough material to make a peaceful shroud and finding the manpower to help dig her resting place. She would be buried that evening when the sun set across the sky, for it had been her grandmother’s favorite time of day. Malcome and several of the males in the area had promised to help dig the small grave next to her grandfather’s. They would be together, side by side in death, much as they had been in life.

  Malinda put the finishing touches around her grandmother as she added tiger lilies and lilacs near her lifeless body. She knelt on her knees and offered up a prayer to any god that would listen to her. “Please watch over Grandmother in death as in life. Grant her eternal peace from her mortal pains, and let her soul travel across the universe to her beloved husband.”

  A loud knock made her jump from her reverie. A foggy haze had crossed over her eyes as she sent every last bit of energy she had into sending her grandmother’s soul to a higher plateau from its earthly realm. She blinked in confusion when the heavy pounding started again. She rose, ever so slowly, and opened the door to find that Halfscomb was standing outside the door, one hand on his hip and the other holding a missive. “My lord has sent this for you.”

  Malinda opened the parchment and stared down at words that made absolutely no sense to her. ‘Debt Paid in Full.’ ‘Marriage.’ ‘Contract.’ ‘Wedding.’ The words blurred before her. “What is this, Sir Halfscomb?”

  “Well, you see, a matchmaker happened upon Tinley Faire just last eve. As the good lord had heard that your grandmother was now dearly departed, he decided it was in your best interest to provide a future for you.”

  “How is my debt paid in full?” It did not make any sense to her at all.

  “Well, the matchmaker paid a good sum for his finder fee.”

  “Finder fee?”

  “Yes, dear girl, a bride finder’s fee. He offered several gold coins for your hand in marriage. You’ll be wed by proxy tomorrow morning. I would have had you wed today, but the good Lord Tinley has decreed that this is your day of mourning, that you should have time to bury your grandmother.”

  “I’m sorry, but what if I refuse?”

  “Then you will have to find a way to pay your taxes. Have you changed your mind?” He rubbed a hand across his face, and a wicked gleam filled his eyes.

  Malinda knew good and well what plans Halfscomb would have had for her. She could read the sarcastic sneer on his face. He would have been more than happy to torch the hut with her grandmother’s corpse inside it. She sighed deeply, thinking of any way out of this situation. She rubbed the parchment one last time and an image flashed in her mind; the dream she had dreamt for over a year played hide and seek in her mind, and the slight flush that crept up her body made her put her hand to her throat defensively. A whisper echoed gently on the breeze. He needs you. He needs you. She sighed deeply, pushing the fear that rose within he
r aside, as she made the only choice that seemed reasonable. She would have to leave this life behind and start a new journey into the unknown. “Very well, Sir Halfscomb. I will accept my lot in life and take part in this marriage.” At least she would never have to see this lopsided swine again.

  “Best wishes to you then, Ms. Grier.”

  When Halfscomb cleared his throat, Malinda looked at him. She knew he was waiting for her to thank him for bringing her such happy news, so she curtsied politely, murmured an appropriate phrase, and asked to be left alone to finish her mourning. She closed the door when his short chubby legs hobbled from sight.

  Malinda walked over to her grandmother’s body once more, and tears started to flow down her face. How could she leave behind the only home she had ever known? She would never be able to visit their graves, for her intuition told her that wherever she was being sent to was far away from here. She put her hand on her grandmother’s cold forehead, stroking the gentle face that had loved her so completely throughout her life. Since her mother had passed when she was an infant, her grandmother had been the only mother she had known. How could she just leave her behind?

  “Stand up, Malinda.” Malinda’s breath caught in her throat. Was that? No, it could not be! She stood slowly and turned to the sound of the voice.

  “You are a woman of Lena, my child. Start showing it.” A bright glowing light reflected everywhere around her. It was hard to see anything, but she did not need to see the owner of the voice. She had heard it every day of her life.

  “Grandmother!”

  “Grieve for today, Malinda. Let your heart release every ounce of sadness, if you must. But never stop living, my child.”

  “Why now? Did you know?”

  “Not everything in life is this carefully planned, my love. When an opportunity like this knocks at the door, Malinda, you open your arms to it. Be willing to let go, to find your happiness away from this place. You were always destined to leave us.” Sparkling rings of light echoed around her and danced on the walls of the hut. It was the most beautiful thing Malinda had ever seen.

  “I’ll never see you again, never be able to visit your grave. What will I do? This is all I’ve ever known.”

  “That shell is nothing but that, a shell. When you pass from this world, nothing but a cold carcass remains, Malinda. I am with you always, no matter where you are. No grave could ever hold me back.”

  Tears tickled the rim of her eyelashes and forced their way down her face. The tears chilled her warm cheeks, but she did not bother to wipe them away. She was not ashamed of her feelings. Emotions ran deep in the women of Lena. “I love you, Grandmother. If this is where my road begins, then I will travel it with all the courage of Lena.”

  “That’s my girl.” The lights started to fade slowly from the room, like the sun slowly hiding behind a lazy cloud. She felt the warm air move slowly around her, and a hug of love and light warmed her to the core. Malinda looked to her grandmother’s body one last time before she went to summon the men that were to help with the burial.

  The sun was completing its slow trek across the sky when Malinda walked to the hillside. Fingers of pink, red, and orange painted a web of color across the sky. Her grandmother would have loved the display of light teasing the beginnings of a gentle night. The people that surrounded her may have thought it bizarre that no tears gathered in her eyes as her grandmother was laid to rest, but she had already said goodbye, and whatever energy she had left would be needed to get her through the next part of her journey. She placed more tiger lilies across the dirt mound and turned away, Mule following silently behind her. Malcome offered to accompany her home, but she shrugged him off as politely as possible.

  She took her time walking back to the house, taking in every inch of the world around her. This would be the last time she would feel the serenity that had wrapped itself around her and carried her through her formative years. She saw the rope hanging from the large oak tree. It had a large knot tied at the end, serving as a seat for a make shift swing. She had spent many hours on that rope, swinging away until the light no longer filled the sky.

  She saw the small herb garden that her grandmother had tended so patiently every day. Malinda walked over to the garden and salvaged enough cuttings to start a garden in her new home. She prayed that they made the journey safely. She wrapped them tenderly in cloth strips and sat them inside a large basket. She watched Mule run around aimlessly in the open night sky, and wondered if the dog knew that very soon this would no longer be home. There was no way she would leave her cherished friend behind.

  When she finally entered the house she started to gather whatever things she felt were necessary for her journey. She had no idea how much she would be allowed to travel with, but she would pack as much as she could into the cloth bags they had used for their monthly supplies. She packed the few dresses that she had and any of her sewing supplies that would help her in creating more garments when she saw fit. She also packed the small round painting of her mother and her grandmother’s favorite shawl, which was a green moss color that matched Malinda’s eyes. When she was finished packing she had four bags of odds and ends to take with her. She had no idea where she was going, who she was marrying, or what he would expect of her. All she knew was that there was nothing left for her here.

  Chapter 4

  Malinda had half assumed that she would be yanked from her small house in the wee morning hours, but was pleasantly surprised to find that she had been left in peace for the morning. She waited for the knock on the door, but it never came. She went outside to listen to the wind, hoping to get fair warning that the matchmaker would be on his way. She was not disappointed, for the warm breeze informed her when he started to make his way from the small keep of Tinley Faire. He was traveling with the priest and Halfscomb as a witness. The matchmaker was driving a small cart with two horses, and the other two were riding their own horses.

  Malinda sat on the stump outside of her hut, wearing the brightest dress she had, but the once bright lavender color of the linen skirts had faded to a pale gray. She waited there, her fingers clasped, her knees almost knocking together. She hoped to keep her nerves from overtaking her, but she was struggling to remain calm. Mule lay at her feet, his head bobbing ever so slightly in the breeze, and his tongue dangling from his large mouth.

  When the small party made its way to where Malinda sat she stood and curtsied with as much courage as she could muster. She looked from the priest back to the bald man with twinkling blue eyes. The smile that spread across his face and the gentle way he reached for her hand, managed to strengthen her resolve. Suddenly, she felt at ease in his presence and smiled back at him. “Good morning, kind sirs.”

  “Good morning to you, Ms. Grier. I’m Bradford Marcus, matchmaker extraordinaire.”

  “Sir Marcus is to be the proxy for the groom. According to these papers, Sir Grant Timberlin is the Lord of Wickford Manor. Have I understood this correctly?” The priest read the papers, as was required in these situations.

  “Aye. That is so.” Bradford continued to smile at the small slip of a girl in front of him.

  “Let’s begin, shall we?” The priest opened his small tribunal and started to read through the regular routine.

  The priest acted as if he had other more pressing matters to attend to, for he sped through the small service. Within moments, he had joined her to a man she still had not seen, and then turned swiftly away from them without even offering a blessing. Malinda was not surprised to see the chunky steward following in his wake. She found herself standing next to Sir Marcus, with Mule’s loud yawn the only sound to be heard for miles. “Well, I guess that’s that.” Malinda looked at the matchmaker shyly, kicking at the dirt with her feet.

  “I suppose it is. Do you have bags?”

  “I have four bags and a basket. And then there’s this beast here. That’s all I have in this world now.” Malinda managed a timid smile as she gestured to the hut where the bags wer
e sitting inside the door. Mule nuzzled her hand with his nose, and she scratched behind his black ears much to his delight.

  “It’s good that you travel light. You won’t have need for most of this stuff where you’re going.” He loaded up the cart and helped her into the seat. She whistled for Mule to follow alongside the cart, and they were off.

  When she looked over at the balding man next to her, he was looking serenely at the world around him. His soft smile did little to ease her nerves, for they would not settle until she found out exactly what kind of man she had married. Would he accept her for who she was? Not many men were accepting of Adrianic magic, or any magic for that matter. Her grandfather tolerated these traits in her grandmother because he had fallen in love with her long before he had figured out that she was a woman of Lena. They had raised her mother, Andraya, to ignore the magic running through her, in hopes that this would help her to lead a more normal life in a world that feared magic. In many ways, that was what actually led to her death.

  Her mother, Andraya, had fallen madly in love with a man who was betrothed to another. Together, the couple had planned to elope secretly, but his father had caught on to them before they managed to make their rendezvous with the priest. Even though they had already consummated the marriage prior to the hidden ceremony the laws were clear. They had not been married in the eyes of the Lord under the approval of his father and their love was not sanctioned in his father’s court. The couple was torn asunder in moments.

  Malinda had never learned her father’s name, for her mother never spoke it aloud. In fact, she had spoken very little when she had returned home to Tinley Faire. Andraya had fallen in love away from home while she serving as a lady in waiting to the Princess Lelana at Kingford Court, an accomplishment no one would have expected from a simple country girl with very little wealth to sustain her. When she returned home with little explanation they had not immediately questioned her, but Malinda’s grandmother, Nivea, had sensed the emptiness within her daughter. She had known her heart was broken and she felt helpless to cure it, for when a woman of Lena carried love within her, the Adrianic magic took over in one of two ways: it enhanced her magical abilities, or broke her soul, leaving just a shell of a person left to walk upon this world.