章 14: Chapter 14
"Lady Eleanor," said Lucas, drawing her attention away from the window. "I wanted to let you know that it will take us four days to reach Kennen Castle, and that Lord Kent should have arrived by then."
Eleanor nodded.
"My lady," said Misha. "Please let me know if you are cold or if there is anything I can get you."
Eleanor again nodded, this time turning here attention back to the landscape passing by. For the next few hours, they traveled in silence. They finally stopped in a clearing, and Sir Tinnen approached the window.
"My lady, you should be able to get out momentarily. We've barely left the Valen lands, so we want to make sure that everything is safe."
Eleanor nodded her understanding as he left. It was a few minutes before Sir Tinnen came back and said that it was safe for them to come out. At his words, Lucas and Misha got out of the carriage and pulled down some steps from underneath the carriage. They both helped Eleanor out from carriage.
"My lady, please put your weight on me. Your legs must be hurting," said Misha.
Eleanor did as she was told. She'd never ridden in a carriage for so long. 'If I'm already hurting this much, I fear this is going to be a long journey.' At that thought, she sighed.
Lucas glanced at her, "Misha, let me help Lady Eleanor and you go help get lunch together. We'll just take a walk nearby so that she can stretch her legs."
Eleanor watched Misha glance between her and Lucas before she nodded and passed Eleanor to Lucas. As she passed her weight to Lucas, she felt her heart quicken, surprising herself. She and Lucas slowly walked around the clearing with a knight trailing behind them. Eleanor glanced back at the knight, following them, in curiosity.
"Now that you are to become the Lady of House Kent you will always be escorted by a knight when not in the family chambers." Lucas said, answering her unspoken question.
She gave him a questioning look.
"It's something that Michael has requested, especially now that you are to become a Duchess. Please bear with it."
Eleanor nodded her understanding.
"Ah, I think lunch is almost ready. We should head back."
~~~~~~~~~~
After they finished eating lunch, Misha helped Eleanor back into the carriage. Eleanor waited for Misha and Lucas to join her, but only Lucas came. She looked at him questioningly.
"She wanted to sit up front with the driver," he said with a shrug.
Eleanor sat there confused as the carriage started moving. She'd always been told that it was inappropriate for a woman to sit in a carriage alone with someone who wasn't her Father, Brother, or Husband. 'Maybe they have different customs and the Kents don't see it as a problem for the Lady to be alone with steward like this since he is the brother of the Lord.' Even that thought didn't help quell her confusion.
It wasn't long before Lucas started talking about the Kent lands and how the people there lived. Eleanor listened to him, but she still felt slightly uncomfortable being in the carriage alone with him. After a while, she fell asleep listening to the sound of his voice.
~~~~~~~~~~
When Lucas realized she'd fallen asleep, he stopped talking. He watched her sleep for a bit with a smile on his face. 'She looks so peaceful. I could tell how uncomfortable she was being in the carriage alone with me, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it. Misha would have told on me.'
He watched some of her hair fall across her face. Lucas quietly got up and brushed the hair away from her face. Then pulled a blanket out from the space under his seat and placed it over her. He stood there watching her for a moment before the carriage jostled him and he sat back down.
~~~~~~~~~~
Eleanor woke up to Misha calling her.
"Oh good, you're awake, my lady. We're stopping for the night. I figured you would want to eat something before going back to sleep," she said.
Eleanor nodded as she shook away some of the tiredness that was clouding her brain. She realized she was covered in a blanket. 'How long has this been here? Lucas must have done it some time ago.' She looked back up at Misha who was smiling down at her.
"Would you like me to help you up, my lady?" Misha asked kindly.
Eleanor nodded. Misha removed the blanket covering her, then helped pull her up, escorting her out of the carriage. Eleanor realized they were in another clearing and that the knights were busy setting up camp for the night.
"We'll be sleeping on the road for the trip, my lady. There aren't many villages on our way to Kennen Castle, so we'll not be able to stay at any inns. However, I'll make the inside of the carriage as comfortable as possible for you to sleep in."
Eleanor nodded at Misha with a smile. Misha then led her to the campfire at the center of the camp and had her sit down. She glanced around at the knights who were getting the horses settled, cooking dinner, and setting up a perimeter around the camp. Soon, Misha came back with a bowl of stew, which Eleanor ravenously devoured. While she was eating, Misha went and got the carriage set up for the night.
Eleanor had just finished eating when Misha came back for her, "My lady, the carriage is ready for you. Are you done eating?"
Eleanor nodded. Lucas came over just as Eleanor stood up.
"Let me take your bowl, my lady," he stated with a smile on his face.
As she handed the bowl to him, she felt him brush her hand. She glanced up at him and saw a mischievous smile on his face. She quickly removed her hand away from the bowl. She turned to toward Misha who was giving Lucas a look.
"This way, my lady," instructed Misha.
As she went to follow Misha, she faintly heard Lucas say, "Good night, Lady Eleanor."
Misha didn't say anything to her about what she'd seen as she helped her into the carriage. Nor as she efficiently got her ready for bed.
"Good night, my lady. Please sleep well, I'll wake you in the morning."
When Misha left her alone in the carriage, Eleanor lay there thinking about Lucas' strange behavior.
'Why is he doing this? He knows I'm marrying his Brother. What would Michael say if he saw his Brother acting this way?'
With these thoughts running through her head, Eleanor fell into a deep sleep from the exhaustion of the day.
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