Love And Honour (Book 2)

Chapter XXXVIII

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"Dawn?" He interrupts her conversation with three young maids. She turns her eyes wide and a little frightened. The maids fidget under his intense gaze and neither tries to continue with what they were discussing. Dawn glances back at them and sees the level of uncomfortableness they are all experiencing. She smiles at them all.

"I will find you all later. You may leave." She tells them quietly and they all express their relief with smiles. One steps forward and hugs her tightly. Then they all leave together, getting back to work. Dawn turns to him, wary of his patience. It is not a trait she has seen much of concerning him. She curtseys briefly, rising only when she is sure that he is not just passing by. "My Lord?" She says with as much respect as she can muster.

"We have known one another since we were children, have we not?" He speaks slowly, making it so that he can judge her reactions as they happen. Dawn's brow creases.

"We have. I have been very grateful to be one of Zara's close friends through my life." She answers carefully, her eyes drifting to the doors leading from the room. She is not afraid of him. She has known him too long but this situation is strange. Little bumps rise on her arms and up her neck. "I can only assume you have heard?"

"Heard?" Gavriel's voice deepens and his eyes narrow microscopically. "What am I meant to have heard?" He chews on his cheek but she cannot see that. Surely nothing said in that room could have gotten around the staff. His father will be incredibly angry if such a leak had happened. It would put their whole family at risk.

Dawn unaware of the direction his thoughts have gone in replies, "I am preparing to leave. I do not feel this is my place any longer. My role here was to be Zara's friend and confidant; I do not believe I can do that position justice any longer. We have grown apart and I struggle to see how we could return to how we were." Her tone saddens and she blinks a little more than usual. She forces a smile.

"I had not heard. Were you going to say goodbye?" Dawn's mouth opens and shuts as she struggles to answer. Gavriel knows in that moment the most his family would receive is a letter. "It seems most people are abandoning ship at the moment. Where do you intend to go?"

"I was thinking of travelling to Tikva. I hear the lands are beautiful and unlike anything I have ever seen before." Dawn shrugs her petite shoulders. "I am sure you have much to do so I will leave you now." She starts to go to the door but Gavriel has not yet spoken what he intended to when he sought her out.

"Dawn." She halts and glances back at him. He studies her pretty little face and those wide blue eyes of hers. He is making the right choice. This choice needs to be made quickly before his father can change his mind and revert the lands back to one of his siblings. She is pleasant enough to look at and he has always found their conversations entertaining. And seeing how she spoke back to his mother and has grown in confidence is intriguing. He will not get easily bored with her. "Would you stay if you were given another role here?"

Dawn raises her eyebrows, wondering where that thought came from. She did not expect her leaving to be argued. "I do not wish to be a servant, no matter how well I would be paid. Nothing is keeping me here any longer."

"I was not suggesting that you become a servant." Gavriel grins at the thought and Dawn's lips twitch up. He steps forward and holds out his hand. With some hesitation she places hers within his. She wants to bolt. She cannot guess what is about to happen. His fingers wrap around her hand. She can no longer leave, even if she wished to. "You are intelligent, kind and beautiful. My brother was blind not to notice you." Her cheeks erupt, blood rushing to the surface staining her skin. She did not realise that any of the Ricells had noticed her affection for Jasiel. Many months had passed since his death but she still felt those feelings deep within her heart.