Chapter Nine
Dedicated to ShalomBookWorm for all of her lovely comments.
~~~
"One... two... three."
The Duke boosted Suzanna up into her saddle and she settled comfortably into place. She watched as he mounted up into his saddle and grinned at her. Suzanna was anxious to know what Samuel had wanted to say to her, but the moment Duke Wilson smiled all her worries disappeared. They were, after all, friends - and while some of his behaviour had been suspicious or confusing, he had never done anything to make Suzanna fear for her safety. One more outing would not hurt. She would talk to Samuel when she had returned.
"Shall we go, Princess?" he asked.
"Indeed we shall," Suzanna responded cheerfully, urging her horse forward. They rode quietly for a minute until Duke Wilson finally broke the silence.
"The knight Samuel certainly seemed anxious to talk to you," he commented. Suzanna tensed slightly. Did the Duke know Samuel had been investigating him? No... he was probably just curious.
"Yes, he did," Suzanna replied slowly.
"I wonder what could be so important that he would beg to speak to you so?" the Duke mused.
"I would not know," Suzanna answered casually. She looked at the Duke and did her best to smile innocently and as care-free as she could. "We should not torture our minds with an unsolved mystery," she said in a jesting tone. Duke Wilson stared at her suspiciously for a split second - so quickly she nearly missed it - then broke into a smile.
"Indeed, my dear."
They rode out of the castle grounds and turned east towards where the kingdom became less densely occupied and turned into farmlands and fields. Duke Wilson stopped at the top of a cliff that overlooked the scenery and climbed out of his saddle. He helped Suzanna down from her own horse and offered her his arm, calmly leading her within a safe distance of the edge of the cliff. They paused and stared out.
The sun was beginning to set, already the sky was lit up in a dazzling display of orange and pink streaks of light.
"It is beautiful," Suzanna sighed happily.
"Aye, it is. And peaceful. I am glad we were able to have our last outing without a chaperone," Duke Wilson replied. Duke Wilson would be leaving in the morning, his responsibilities pulling him back to his home.
"My father trusts me and this will be kept quiet," Suzanna replied, though now she was beginning to wonder if it had been wise to ask for a private outing.
"Of course," the Duke responded casually.
"I suppose I will not be seeing you for some time," Suzanna said, looking up at him somewhat sadly.
"You know I cannot be away from my home for long. I am needed there."
"I know," she responded quietly.
"It touches me that you are sad for my departure," he said with a warm smile. "I am glad you care for me."
"I-" but before she could respond, the Duke was speaking once more.
"However," he continued, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder how much you can truly claim to care for me when you do not trust me." His eyes were dangerous, angry. Suzanna's heart dropped to her stomach at the sight of his dark anger.
"What are you talking about? What is wrong?" Suzanna asked innocently, though inside her anxiety was growing.
"It saddened me when you came accusing me of wrongdoing in the town," Duke Wilson said, folding his arms across his chest. Suzanna sighed in relief - perhaps he did not know anything about Samuel, perhaps he was only bringing up their small argument in order to understand her better.
"We talked about this, remember? I was wrong - you told me yourself that you had only gone down the street to investigate. I was wrong to doubt you and I am sorry. I do not want to argue," Suzanna said gently.
"Yes, you are right," Duke Wilson sighed. "I should not bring up old quarrels. I just wanted to know that you trust me."
"I do."
The Duke moved towards her and Suzanna faced him, expecting him to take her hands or touch her shoulder in companionship as he had done many times. He reached out to her. With a sudden growl, a sudden change in expression, he pushed her violently. Suzanna gasped, but before her breath could be caught he continued pushing her right to the edge of the cliff. He grasped the front of her dress tightly and gave her a final push, keeping his hold on her dress.
Suzanna shrieked. The tips of her feet were the only part of her touching the ground. Her body was held out over the edge of the cliff, her feet desperately trying to find a better hold. She clutched onto his arm, urgently trying to hold on to him.
The Duke held her over the edge of the cliff mercilessly. If he simply released his hand from her dress she would undoubtedly plummet down the deadly drop. She screamed again - a scream full of genuine terror and dread.
"Stop," she begged, shaking all over. He stared at her angrily, the threat evident in his eyes.
"I know you had that knight investigate me. I know he was poking his nose in areas that do not concern him. You never should have looked into me. So tell me, Princess, what did you find out?" His eyes held her in a murderous glare. There was nothing on his face that made her doubt whether or not he would have it in him to drop her.
God help. Help me. Help me. Help me, Suzanna prayed frantically, almost unaware of what she was saying. Save me, save me, save me.
"TELL ME," Duke Wilson roared. Suzanna cried out as one of her feet slipped from the foothold on the cliff.
"Nothing," she cried out, clutching tighter onto his arm. Her heart pounded so fast she wondered if she would faint from all the adrenaline. "Nothing, I found out nothing, I swear it," she said, shaking as her body screamed out for relief from the position she was in.
"I do not believe you," he hissed.
"Stop, please," she begged again. Jesus save me. He studied her carefully.
"If what you have said is not the truth, you will dearly regret it. Your family would be crushed at the tragic accident of the death of the dear Princess," he said, the threat obvious.
"Truth," Suzanna stuttered, her breath coming out in wheezing pants. "Truth, I am telling the truth," she said, squeezing her eyes shut and trying not to cry. The Duke released his grip only the slightest amount, but Suzanna felt herself dip further over the cliff. She screamed again, tears falling freely.
"Good. I would hate for you to end up like my other wife."
His words did not comprehend themselves in her mind, so thick was her terror. Her teeth were chattering from the fear. Slowly he began to pull her back towards him, back towards the safety of the ground.
"You have two options. Either you marry me willingly and without any further spying - without speaking to anyone about today - and I will guarantee a wonderful life for you. Or you make one wrong move and this will not be the first time you find yourself hanging over the depths of a cliff."
He yanked her back roughly and she landed on her hands and knees. She did not try to stop herself from crumpling onto the ground. Her body shook all over and nausea washed over her. Duke Wilson did not give her time to recover. She was pulled back up once again and held up by her dress, her feet just skimming the ground. Suzanna recoiled from him anxiously as he pulled her closer. She leaned her head as far away as she could.
"Have I made myself clear?" Duke Wilson asked calmly.
"Y-yes," Suzanna stuttered, trying to push away from him with her hands.
"Good."
Before she could react, he pulled her against him roughly and smashed his mouth against hers. Suzanna struggled against the kiss, but he held her so tight that she could not move.
She cried broken tears through the kiss, the sickening feeling of being taken advantage of filling her with stomach-turning disgust.
He would use her. Use her forever, she realised. No man with respect would ever hurt a woman the way he had. If they were wed she would go through her marriage being abused and forced to endure what she did not want to. She had to get out. She had to get out. Help me, God. Save me, I'm terrified.
Duke Wilson finally released her, shoving her away from him and laughing. Suzanna held her hand against her mouth, crying uncontrollably. She held back the urge to throw up.
Without hesitation, she turned and ran from him as fast as she could. Her legs shook violently and her stomach felt like it had turned upside down. Worse was the paralysing dread and fear that threatened to overcome her.
Duke Wilson did not try to follow her, he seemed content with letting her go. Suzanna ran up to her horse and pulled herself up into the saddle, her muscles straining from the effort.
"One more thing!" Duke Wilson called. "Do not even think about asking your precious King to break the betrothal. I will come for you - with or without his blessing!"
Suzanna was already galloping away.
She urged her horse faster and faster until she had sped through the castle gates. The guards released shouts of alarm but calmed when they realised who was seated on the animal. Suzanna galloped all the way into the castle stables and dropped out of the saddle. She sprinted out the back exit of the stables, desperate to run and desperate to flee from the eyesight of all the people around her. It was almost night; she was covered in the blue-grey shadows of the evening but it only made her more afraid.
She ran into a person and cried out. With one glance up, a feeling of safety crashed over her.
"Suzanna," Samuel said with wide, alarmed eyes.
Suzanna crumpled against him, falling against his chest and holding her hands up to her face. She wept then; sobs so violent her entire body was moved with each cry. Samuel held her anxiously, his hands over her shoulders and head, desperately trying to calm her down.
"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked over and over again, holding her carefully. In the midst of her utter emotional breakdown, she had never felt so protected.
"Help me," she cried. "You have to help me," she begged.
"Of course. Anything. Suzanna, what is wrong?" Samuel asked, sounding just as anxious as she was. He ran his hand down her hair - her wild, crazy curls - gently and lightly. The feeling relaxed her. She cried for only a minute more until Samuel's constant strokes eased her. Finally, Suzanna released a deep sigh and pulled away from the knight.
Samuel was, as always, staring intensely at her with his bright eyes ever full of compassion.
"What happened?" he asked once again. He was watching her gently, but Suzanna thought she could see anger - perhaps protectiveness - hidden in his eyes.
"Duke Wilson - he... he," Suzanna stopped, suddenly chronically aware that the Duke could be listening - or have people listening for him.
"Do you want to go somewhere less out in the open?" Samuel asked, easily realising Suzanna's concern. Suzanna smiled up at him - more of a wobbly, unsteady smile - and walked alongside Samuel. She walked as close to him as she could without raising the gossip of people who could be looking.
Samuel kept glancing at her, obviously noticing her change in behaviour. It was rare, after all, for Suzanna to ask for help and not show a striking amount of independence.
Suzanna moved her eyes away to stare at the ground, unable to look at him any longer. What would he think of her when he found out everything? Would he think her foolish for going off alone with the Duke?
Duke Wilson's warning rang in her ears. She was not supposed to talk to anyone... but she would be in more danger if she kept this to herself. A Princess cannot be intimidated and blackmailed, she told herself firmly.
She did not doubt that Samuel and the other knights would be fully capable of protecting her, no matter what they faced. Suzanna glanced over her shoulder, half expecting to see the Duke watching her. But the path behind her was empty and safe.
~
Samuel tried to breathe calmly, but inside his heart was racing and his thoughts were going wild. What had happened to Suzanna? What had the Duke done? Samuel growled quietly to himself. He should have been more on guard; he should have been protecting the Princess.
No. He should have listened to William that day his friend had admitted to feeling suspicious about the Duke. He should have instantly been on guard the moment he had caught the first wind of danger.
It was his fault - he had completely failed Suzanna.
"Suzanna," he said quietly, so as not to startle her. She looked up with her unsettling anxious eyes - eyes that were usually so confident and self-assured. "I am sorry," Samuel sighed.
"What for?" she asked, her face scrunched up in an adorably confused expression. Samuel smiled slightly. How long he had cared for this girl, and how long she had been oblivious to him.
"For whatever happened to you this evening. For not being there for you."
"You are here for me now," she whispered back to him. "You have not done anything wrong. You have never done anything wrong."
And then she looked up with him with so much trust that Samuel nearly forgot how to breathe.
Samuel led her into one of the empty strategy rooms of the castle. The walls and doors were thick and nearly soundproof. Suzanna would not have to fear speaking in here.
He closed the door firmly and ushered Suzanna further into the room. As soon as Suzanna stopped and turned around to look up at him, her eyes filled with tears once more and her face drew up into an expression of anguish. Samuel's heart flopped in his chest at her broken expression.
Samuel took one of her hands in his own cautiously, aware that she could pull away at any moment. Instead she clutched his hand tighter, almost seemingly desperate for the support.
"It's going to be okay. I am going to look after you," Samuel said gently. Her face was white - it seemed that the few minutes of calm she'd had were only a brief respite from her pain.
"I need to sit down," Suzanna barely managed to say. Samuel nodded and reached out for a nearby chair. He pulled it over to her and she slumped onto it, refusing to let go of his hand. Samuel dropped into a squat next to her.
"What happened?" he asked once more, calmly, though he was desperate and frantic to know the answer.
"Duke Wilson and I went riding to the east. We stopped on a cliff and were watching the sunset and speaking," Suzanna began. Already her eyes were wide open and terrified. "He brought up my previous questioning about what he had been doing in the town. He became angry and... and," Suzanna paused to take a shallow breath. "He held me out over the edge of the cliff, I could not escape or-"
Samuel's breath hitched as her words drowned out around him. Suzanna could have been killed. His head seemed to swim with the unbearable thought. Unbearable. His chest filled with a very real pain at the thought of losing her - of never speaking to her again. A ravenous, deadly anger washed over him. He would arrest the Duke. He would beg Tristan for a harsh punishment. He would make sure the Duke was stripped of all title and land. Samuel forced himself to refocus on what Suzanna was saying - he could go after the Duke later, but right now Suzanna needed him.
"He said he knew that you had been investigating him," Suzanna was saying. Samuel squeezed his eyes shut tightly and groaned quietly. So it truly had been his fault... "And then he... said something about his 'other wife'," Suzanna continued. She looked confused, and Samuel too wondered what Duke Wilson had meant by that.
"Other wife?" he repeated.
"Yes, he said he would hate for me to end up like his other wife," Suzanna answered.
"That does not make any sense," Samuel murmured, mostly to himself. Suzanna shrugged helplessly. "What happened after that?" Samuel asked, though he did not delight in hearing about the terror she had experienced.
"After... he threatened me and said I could either marry him and keep everything to myself, or he would... he would..." Suzanna was unable to finish the sentence, her tears falling unashamedly. Samuel squeezed her hand gently and shook his head.
"You do not have to say it," he told her.
"He pulled me back from the cliff and onto the ground. I had to promise him I understood. H-he forced himself onto me and kissed me before shoving me away," Suzanna choked out sorrowfully.
Rage. Grief.
They were the strongest emotions. Samuel was proud to say he loved God and followed the teachings of Jesus. Never before had he wanted to hurt one person specifically, but in that moment all he wanted to do was hunt down the Duke and cause him to suffer the way Suzanna had suffered.
It is not your place.
Samuel did not know where the thought had come from, but he knew it was the truth. Instead of fuelling the anger, he turned to Suzanna and covered her hand with both of his.
"I am so, so sorry," he said sincerely. "He will never hurt you again, I swear it."
"I believe you, but... I'm scared." Suzanna broke down then, fully crying once again. Samuel stood and pulled her up from her chair. He opened his arms in an offer and Suzanna immediately leaned against him, clutching his shirt tightly. Samuel hugged her preciously, carefully, as though she were made of glass. He could not bear the thought of her ever being hurt again.
"I am going to protect you," he promised, a gentle whisper in her ear.
"You have to help me," she begged, fragile and shattered.
"You know I will."
Suzanna pulled away slightly so she could look at him. "I ca-cannot marry him," she cried.
"No. I will not allow it. We can go to Tristan right now," Samuel told her.
"No!" she cried.
"No?"
"I do not want to involve Tristan."
"Suzanna, you cannot be serious. He can break the betrothal," Samuel answered. Suzanna shook her head and looked at Samuel firmly.
"It will not be enough - it's not enough. Duke Wilson said he would come for me no matter what. If Tristan breaks the betrothal then we could be facing a war - King or no King. And if Wilson finds out I went to Tristan then he will either attack me or come for someone I love. What if he hurts my family? My father? Emily? I cannot bear it."
"Tristan can arrest him," Samuel insisted.
"And then what? It's Duke Wilson's word against mine."
"Tristan will side with you," Samuel said, stating the obvious.
"Yes, but Wilson will manipulate the situation and plead innocence. He could create a riot or distrust in the people towards Tristan. He is a new King - people will not all be as faithful as perhaps they once were. This goes beyond just my future. It is a fragile situation, I cannot risk involving him right now," Suzanna reasoned.
Samuel grimaced and felt tense all over. "What do you suggest, then?"
"We look into what he revealed today. Find out about this 'wife'. If he is married to another secretly then he cannot marry me too. He is leaving to return to his duchy tomorrow, I will not have to see him until Tristan's wedding. If we can find evidence and prove a crime against the Duke then Tristan will have the proper grounds to arrest him and break the betrothal. He cannot go off just my words."
Samuel frowned and stared at Suzanna. "I do not like it," he admitted.
Suzanna raised her hand and placed it softly on his shoulder. "Samuel, I trust you. I came to you for help. There is no one else I would trust more to help and protect me."
"I will never let you be hurt again," Samuel promised.
"I know. I know you."
And with that, she pulled him closer for another comforting, safe embrace.