Clark was feeling good. After nearly a week of Lord Luthor's presence in Lane Manor, the man and his retinue were finally leaving. It almost felt like a boulder had been sitting on Clark's chest, rendering him unable to breathe, ever since Lord Luthor had stepped foot on Lord Lane's lands. But now Luthor was leaving and the boulder had been lifted, allowing Clark to breathe once again.
He worked extra quickly at getting the horses ready for departure. The beasts seemed to pick up on his excited mood. They pranced and snorted in the snowy air, well rested and ready to move on to wherever it was their masters would be taking them. Clark didn't know or care where that was, so long as Luthor was gone. He patted the horses and talked to them as he worked - nothing that anyone could possibly overhear and use against him, of course, just mundane things like the weather and what he was doing to them, like tightening straps, adjusting saddles, and putting the bits in their mouths.
Finally, just as Clark finished walking the last horse out into the courtyard, Lord Lane and his family appeared - with the exception, of course, of Lucy, who was likely resting her broken leg. Lord Luthor and his retinue were with them and Clark had to take a double look. Why was Luthor's arm linked with Lois'?
I've got a bad feeling about this, he thought, his good mood instantly vanishing.
Still, he slapped on a happy enough face and did his job, making sure the horses stayed calm enough for their riders to mount up.
"Goodbye, my love," he heard Lord Luthor telling Lois. "I shall think of you and miss you every day while we are apart."
"Goodbye, Lex," Lois replied.
Clark had to use every ounce of willpower not to cringe as Lex bent his head to Lois and kissed her cheek.
"I look forward to the day I will become your husband," he continued.
Husband?!
You knew it was coming, his mind shot back at his shocked system. Don't try to deny it.
Yes, he thought back to that inner voice. Yes, I knew it was a possibility. But I never really imagined it as something that was actually real. I know I can never be with Lois that way, but to see her with him, of all people?
"Samuel? I will send word to my army to uphold my end of our new alliance," Luthor was saying, and Clark realized he must have missed part of the conversation.
"I look forward to defeating Tempos' marauders with you," Lord Lane replied.
"Until our next meeting then, when we merge our families into one," Luthor said, just before nudging his horse into motion.
The Lane family stayed and watched until Luthor and all of his men had left the manor's grounds. Then, one by one, they each turned and began to leave. Ellen was first, followed in short order by James. Clark could tell Lois was waiting to speak with him, but at that moment, his heart hurt too much to allow that.
"Milord?" he asked, as Lord Lane started to walk away.
"Yes?"
"Begging your pardon, but I was wondering if I could have permission to take Merlin out for a ride. He's in need of the exercise. I won't go far and I'll be back before dark. Everything is in order in the stable."
Lord Lane immediately nodded. "Of course. You've proven yourself reliable and a man of your word. I trust you to go wherever it is that you wish."
"Thank you, milord. That means a lot to me." He inclined his head respectfully.
He saw the fleeting look of hurt on Lois' face, but she quickly covered it up again. She turned without a word and made a swift exit. Clark winced a little as he watched her go. She was angry with him for doing what he'd done. But in that moment, Clark couldn't deal with her anger. He was too busy bleeding from his torn and mangled heart.
"Come on, Merlin," he said, turning to his old friend. "Let's get out of here. Just you and me, buddy. Just like the old days."
He saddled the horse swiftly, eager to be on his way. Then he threw on the warmest cloak he'd been supplied with and mounted up. With a gentle, practiced manner, he nudged the horse into a trot. Once he was out beyond the manor grounds, he urged Merlin into a gallop. Over the snow covered land they flew like a gale-force wind. They didn't stop until Clark felt Merlin beginning to slow on his own as he tired. Clark guided the horse to a strand of pine trees growing alongside a fast flowing little stream. He slipped off Merlin's back and led the stallion over to the water. Both man and beast drank from the icy water.
Once he and Merlin were refreshed, Clark sat beneath one of the towering pines. The canopy above had kept the ground clear of snow and provided him with some cover from the failing white flakes as well. He let Merlin graze as he wished on the few patches of sparse dead grass that had been exposed by the wind. He leaned against the tree and sighed.
The ride out to this spot had been exhilarating. Clark hadn't directed Merlin at all. He'd simply let the animal run wherever he wished. The speed of the gallop, the icy wind in his face, the sensation of freedom had helped to purge all thought and emotion from Clark. He hadn't thought of Lois or his broken heart the entire time. He'd focused only on the here and now. How he'd missed such rides on Merlin! In his old life, such carefree rides had been much more frequent, even if there were times when Clark was simply too busy to have time for such things.
His old life.
Sometimes, like now, Clark missed it immensely. And sometimes, like during the hours spent at night with Lois as she taught him how to read and write or just sat and talked with him, Clark didn't miss it at all.
Lois.
Soon, he knew, he would be missing her as well. She would be married off to the devil himself - as Clark saw Luthor - and living in Luthor Manor. And he would be left behind, with the rest of Lois' family. No more visits at night. No more patient lessons. No more late night vigils as horses gave birth or needed some other kind of round-the-clock observation and care. No more stolen moments of complete bliss.
Oh, he supposed he would be content enough living with the Lanes, even without Lois. They were all nice people. He really did like each of them. And they treated him much better than he was sure he deserved. He had a good job working with the animals he so deeply cared for. Though they were merely a servant's quarters, his room and all the furnishings seemed like the stuff of royalty, compared to what he'd known all his life. He always had more than enough to eat and had never once felt more than a gurgle in his stomach to remind him to take a break to eat lunch. Hunger and the weakness caused from hunger were things of the past and almost completely forgotten, save for a passing memory. As long as he stayed with the Lanes and remained in their good graces, Clark knew he would never want for anything.
Except for Lois.
He would go to his grave loving and wanting her.
"Oh, Merlin," he lamented as the horse wandered closer to him. "What am I going to do? Lois is everything I've ever wanted in my life but she's promised to the devil." He sighed. "Mom and Dad would have had some pearl of wisdom or advice for me. But what that might have been, I don't know. It feels like I've never needed them more than right now. I miss them, boy."
The horse lowered his head and nuzzled Clark, as though he understood and was trying to comfort his master. Perhaps he was. Clark often felt like the horse understood what he was telling him. He stroked the horse's nose affectionately, if not a little distractedly.
"Go on, boy," he told Merlin after a few minutes. "Go enjoy yourself. It's been far too long since you and I had time to do whatever we want."
He watched as Merlin drank again from the stream, then frolicked in the snow. It was good to see his friend so happy, but inside in own heart, Clark felt cold and dead. He ceased to feel how cold it was as he sat under that tree. Any traces of an appetite disappeared - not that he'd remembered to take any food with him. He almost felt like he became part of the landscape - small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
What's wrong with you? he chided himself. You knew this would happen. Did you really think that some miracle would just happen and you'd be free to marry Lois? She's a noblewoman for God's sake! You are an absolute nothing. So snap out of it already!
He stayed in that peaceful, quiet place until the late afternoon. By then the temperature had dropped further and he was beginning to feel the cold. He was more concerned about Merlin than he was for himself though. He whistled for the horse and Merlin came trotting over immediately. Clark rubbed the animal's nose again before mounting up.
"Merlin, go home," he instructed the horse.
With that, Merlin sprang away. Clark gave him free reign, knowing that horse knew his way back to Lane Manor, and that Merlin now associated the place with "home." They made good time, and before Clark knew it, he was dismounting and unsaddling Merlin. He fed and watered the horse and brushed him down. Then he checked on the other horses, filled a few troughs in order to last the night, and crossed the courtyard to where his quarters were. He changed into warm, dry clothing before joining the rest of the household servants for dinner. But he wasn't in a joking mood and spoke very little, brushing aside the few concerned questions he received, claiming that he was fine but tired.
He didn't eat much, despite having skipped lunch. For the first time, the food seemed flat and tasteless, like sawdust, to his tongue. His throat was too dry to swallow much, regardless of how much water he consumed. His stomach threatened to reject each and every morsel that made it down. Still, he ate enough so as not to offend Francois, and even managed a few compliments to the chef.
He was more than glad to finally make it back to his chamber at the end of the evening. All he wanted was to sleep and wake up in the morning to find that Lois' engagement to Luthor had all been just a particularly horrid nightmare. He immediately changed into his bedclothes upon entering his bedchamber. He thought about picking up King Arthur, but decided against it. He had no desire to do anything that made him think too much about Lois.
"Maybe I'll work on one of the animals," he said to himself as he stood, lost, in the middle of the room.
He padded over to the fireplace and picked up his knives. Then he searched the small pile of wooden figurines he kept on the mantel. Usually, one of them would call strongly to him, making the choice of which one to work on easy. But not tonight. Tonight the wooden figurines - all in various stages of completion - were silent. He forced himself to choose one anyway. It was a tiny cat, laying on his back, belly exposed for a rub. Clark sat in his chair, put his feet up on the footstool, and carefully worked to free the creature's rear legs and tail from where they still lay hidden in the untouched wood. But he was distracted and still more than a little hurt and angry. He pressed too hard with the knife in a delicate spot and snapped the cat's back leg right off. Disgusted, he threw everything except the knife onto the fire and moodily watched it ignite and burn.
"Oh, what's the use?" he asked aloud.
He put the knife away after another quick glance at his unfinished products. He seriously considered the figurine he was making for James. The younger man had politely asked if Clark could make one of Brutus, his beloved dog. It had taken over a week, but Clark had finally found the right piece of wood for the carving. It was mostly done. He just needed to free the tail from the scrap wood and add the details - the eyes, mouth, and illusion of fur - but he decided against it. He'd already completely ruined one piece tonight because his head and heart weren't in it. He didn't want to destroy a second piece.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Who is it?" Clark asked, knowing the answer before he even asked the question.
"It's me," came Lois' voice. "We need to talk."
He wanted to say no. He wanted to say that he wasn't in the mood for talking. He wanted to pretend that he was already halfway to dreamland to avoid the conversation he knew was coming.
"Come in," he said instead.
He leaned his back against the windowsill and crossed his arms. A second later, the door opened and Lois walked in. She quickly crossed to where Clark was standing. He could see a sheen of unshed tears in her eyes. But, to her credit, not a single one of them fell as she leveled her gaze at him.
"Clark..." she began, letting his name hang in the air between them.
"Lois..." he replied, just as at a loss for words as she appeared to be.
"I'm...I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"Why?" Clark asked. "Why did you say yes to him?"
"What choice did I have?" she responded bitterly. "It was either agree to marry him and secure his help in defeating Lord Tempos or turn him down and watch as Tempos' men continue their reign of terror." She signed miserably as she plopped down into his chair. "I hate this, Clark."
He sighed in turn. "I do too. And I'm sorry you were forced into such a choice."
"I wanted to talk to you earlier, but you took off so fast," she said after a minute.
"I know," he admitted. "I was just so...angry and hurt and even a little taken aback. I mean, I've known all along that it was a possibility. You made that very clear from early on that your father was pushing for this exact outcome. But I really prayed it would never come to pass. I know I can't be the one to marry you, but I had wanted so badly for it to be anyone but Luthor. You deserve so much better than that...that devil in human form." He nearly spit the last words out.
"I know you hate him. And I know he's a bit of a heavy-handed lord. What he did to you was wrong. But I've gotten to know him on a personal level and found him to be...nicer than I ever expected."
"It's a mask, a show he's putting on to fool you," Clark said with certainty.
"Clark, you've met him, what, once? One horrible time where he was harsher on you than he should have been? You don't know him like I do," she said defensively.
"No, you don't know him the way I do!" he snapped back, his anger flaring. "I've lived my entire life under his rule. Maybe I didn't share dinners and walks in the garden with him, but I got to know him pretty well," he spat out. "I saw countless people publicly whipped or thrown in jail for failing to pay outrageously high taxes. I saw good people hanged for killing squirrels to ensure that their children had some kind of meat on the table so they wouldn't starve to death. But, yeah, sure, you know him less than a week and know him better than I do," he thundered in a low, intense voice.
"I can change all of that," Lois said, sounding very self assured. "Once I marry him, I will be in the perfect position to help the people living under his laws."
"No. You won't."
"You really doubt me that much?" she asked, hurt.
He shook his head. "Rumor has it that his late wife tried to do something similar," he finally said after a moment.
"And?" She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow, daring him to make his point.
"And, rumor has it that her death wasn't as 'unexpected' as Luthor claimed. There are some who think he may have slipped her some kind of slow acting poison."
"You lie!" she accused.
But Clark wasn't lying. The talk of it had circulated all over the lands. For more than a month, it was all anyone had talked about in the marketplace.
"I wish I was," he said sadly. "Lois, look, you know me. And I thought you trusted me. I know, I know. I have no actual proof of it. I'm not even sure if I believe it or not. All I know is that Lady Arianna only gave him three daughters. One of them died hours after birth. The other two are married to lords in the south. There was talk of one son who died while still in the womb. That was just before things got really bad under his rule - as if he was punishing everyone else for the death of his heir. Supposedly, Lady Arianna became tired of his overbearing laws and tried to help. I know there was talk of her having food delivered to the poor in other parts of his lands - they never got to where I lived. Soon after, she died under mysterious circumstances."
"I...I heard the same rumors," she admitted after a moment. "At least, the one about the stillborn son and how Lex was never really the same after that."
"See? I'm not lying to you, Lois. I would never lie to you."
Lois took a long, deep breath, then slowly let it out of her nose. She appeared to be thinking over everything. "I know you wouldn't. It's one of the first things I noticed about you...your honesty. Still, even if the rumors are true, there's nothing I can do but to try to make the best of a bad situation. If trying to help people costs me my life, so be it. It won't be much of a life without you in it anyway."
"Lois," he replied, touched. "Don't waste your life on some fruitless endeavor. Please. I don't think I could bear it if you lost your life to that monster."
"I'm already losing my life, don't you see? The moment I sold myself to secure his aid against Tempos, my life...my freedom...ended."
"Do you love him?" Clark suddenly asked.
"What?"
"Do you, in any way, love Lord Luthor?" he elaborated. "Do you think you could love him, given enough time?"
"No. I don't love him. And I never will. He's not you."
"What about him? Does he love you?"
Lois paused and thoughtfully chewed on her lower lip. "I think so?" It was more of a question than a statement. "I don't know, for sure. He's never actually said it."
"Wait," Clark said, pinching the bridge of his nose, as though warding off a headache or nose bleed. "He never said that he loved you, but he expected you to say yes to his proposal?"
"I...well...I guess so," Lois stammered.
Clark rolled his eyes. "Wonderful."
"I don't care if he loves me or not, don't you get it?" Lois said, her voice pitching higher as she fought back her tears. "I just need to be able to tolerate him. That's all."
"But you deserve more than that!" Clark fired back, his desperation rising. "You deserve to be loved, Lois!"
"Maybe I can convince Father to let you come with me when I marry. We can figure out some excuse to have you come along...maybe I can refuse to trust Whisper with any other stable master. Lex said he's often away conducting business with other lords. It shouldn't be too difficult to..."
"Lois, no." He put his hand up to stop her as he interrupted. "No. Please, if you care at all for me, don't make me go back there. Don't make me live under his rule ever again."
"But at least we could be together!"
"And he'd kill us both if he suspected that we were more than just servant and master," he said firmly.
"So...what then? We never just never see one another again, save for whatever brief visits I might make back here?" she demanded.
"I don't know!" he exclaimed, exasperated. Then, calmer, "I don't know. Maybe?"
"I'm sorry, Clark. Please believe me. But this is the only way I can protect innocent lives from being lost," she said after a brief silence descended on the room.
"I know you are. I hate it, but I respect that you're doing what you think is necessary," he conceded. "And if it was any other lord, I could at least pretend to be happy for you. It's just...him." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be adding to your stresses. It's not fair to you. So let's just..." he took a breath, swallowing down the despair in his voice, "drop the discussion."
"Fine." The word was short and clipped, indicating that she was not at all happy to change the subject. "How was your ride?"
"It was good," he said, wincing inwardly at how emotionless his words sounded. "Merlin and I both needed to get out and just be on our own. It's been too long. I used to take him out for long rides all the time."
"Do you miss your old life?" Lois asked quietly.
"Parts of it," he immediately admitted with a shallow nod. "I miss being my own master. Doing what I wanted, when I wanted. But my life here? It so many ways, it's better. I don't have to scrape for food or worry that the next big snow storm is going to collapse the roof or something. I feel...secure here, in a way that was never possible in my old life."
"I'm glad," she said with a slight smile.
"No matter what happens, I'll always be thankful that you stepped in and saved me from a life of slavery under who knows who. I'll never regret falling in love with you."
***
"Morning, everyone," Clark said in a subdued tone the next morning. The horses glanced in his direction, but for the most part, ignored him. "Nice to see you too," he limply joked.
He set right to work, hoping the monotonous tasks would numb his spinning mind. Lois hadn't stayed all that long the night before. Their once easy conversations and banter had turned stiff and uncomfortable in the wake of Lois' engagement to Lex. He'd told her that he was tired and wanted to turn in early for the night. He could see that she'd believed there was more to it than that, but, mercifully, she hadn't pressed the issue. In truth, Clark had been tired, but it had been a weariness born of his emotions rather than any physical labor he'd preformed. Thankfully, once he'd slipped beneath the warm blankets of his bed, sleep had claimed him almost instantly.
He took an earlier lunch that morning, the previous day's near-fast catching up with him. He still wasn't all that hungry, but between the meager breakfast he'd eaten and the slightly larger lunch, he started to feel a little better. Even his mood was slightly improved from the previous day. He almost felt like things were sliding back into what passed for the new standard of normal in his life. He even allowed himself to do some heavy lifting, for the sole purpose of strengthening his muscles. After all, with Luthor and his retinue gone, there wasn't all that much to do.
It was just past noon when a single rider approached. Clark met him in the courtyard, as he did with anyone who came to Lane Manor. He took the reins and the man slid off the horse's back. The poor beast was lathered with sweat and breathing hard. Immediately, Clark felt bad for the animal.
"Is Lord Luthor still here?" the rider demanded, almost breathlessly.
Clark shook his head. "No. He left yesterday in the late morning."
"Damn," the man muttered. He tried to mount up again.
"Whoa, wait a second," Clark said, raising his hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Your horse is about to drop. He needs a rest. And so do you."
"I can't. I need to get to Lord Luthor right away."
"You won't get to him at all if you kill your horse," Clark reminded him. "You can still catch up with Lord Luthor, after you and your horse both get something to eat and drink."
"I can't..." the man argued back, but it was clear that the idea of getting some food was inviting.
"You can. Here, let me show you the way to the kitchen, just as soon as I stable your horse."
At that moment, however, one of the maids passed by, hurrying to get out of the cold. Clark called to her.
"Colette? Could you do me a favor, please? Can you take this gentleman to the kitchen? He's a guest and is need of something hot to eat and drink."
"Of course," she replied, giving Clark a flirtatious smile that Clark chose not to react to. "Right this way, please," she told the rider, looking disappointed by Clark's disinterest.
"Thanks, Colette," Clark said as she guided the visitor away from the stable. Then, to the horse, "Okay, fella, let's get you taken care of. Poor guy. You're totally overworked."
He looked at the horse, then took a double take. Something seemed very familiar about that brown and tan face. Suddenly, Clark had a very bad feeling. He hurried around the side of the horse and checked the animal's hindquarters.
"Wiley?" he breathed, his breath coming in a puff of white mist in the cold air. "Is that you, buddy?"
Of course, there was no question about it. The brand on the horse's flank was undeniable. A crude star with three lines coming from the back, as if the star was hurtling through the sky. It was the brand used by Clark's family for generations, used on all the horses they intended to keep for themselves.
"What are you doing with one of Luthor's men?" he asked the horse as he guided him inside the stable. He opened the door to the first unoccupied stall. "Here you go, buddy."
The stall he brought Wiley to happened to be right next to Merlin's stall. The horses sniffed at each other and neighed happily, long lost friends reunited. Clark fed and watered the tired horse, then ran off to find Lord Lane. He found the man in his study. Clark took a moment to catch his breath, then knocked on the open door.
"Clark?" Lord Lane said, looking up from the book he was reading. "Is something wrong?"
"You could say that, milord," Clark hedged. "May I speak with you in private?"
Samuel set aside the book on a small round table next to his chair. "Of course. Come in."
Clark inclined his head in acknowledgement, then entered the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Samuel gestured to the chair across from him. Clark sat and clasped his hands together worriedly.
"Milord, a visitor just arrived at the manor, looking for Lord Luthor. He seemed very agitated when I told him that Lord Luthor and his men left yesterday. I sent him to get some food from the kitchen while I tended to his horse. The poor animal was about ready to drop."
Samuel nodded. "Good work, giving the horse a rest, and for tending to our guest."
"Thank you," Clark said.
"Is that all you needed to tell me? That we have a guest?"
Clark shook his head, taking a deep breath, nervous about what he had to say next. "No, milord. When I was tending to the horse, I...I realized something disturbing. It...it's my horse."
Samuel's friendly expression darkened and his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked as his frown grew.
"I mean...it's Wild Heart. We used to call him Wiley, for short. He...uh...he was one of the horses that was stolen from my farm when Lord Tempos' raiders came through and destroyed my home."
"Are you certain of this?" Samuel asked. It was hard to tell if he believed Clark or not.
"I'd know that horse anywhere, milord. It's Wiley all right. And I can prove it. He's got my family's brand on him, same as Merlin."
Samuel's eyebrows raised with interest. "Show me."
"Yes, milord."
Samuel grabbed a cloak and followed Clark. The two men walked at a swift pace through the manor and out to the stable. Clark opened the stall door to where Wiley was, letting Lord Lane go in first. He followed behind and showed Lord Lane the crudely designed shooting star on the horse's hindquarters. Then he showed off the matching design that Merlin sported. When he was done, Lord Lane looked troubled.
"Yes, I see," Samuel muttered to himself as his fingers traced the brand on Merlin's flank. "This is...troubling," he said in a halting, muted tone.
"I'm sorry, milord, but I thought it urgent to tell you."
"You did the right thing. Thank you, Clark."
"Thank you, milord," Clark replied uncomfortably.
He wasn't proud of what he'd found. In fact, he felt wrong for seeing it. And despite Samuel's assurances that he'd done the right thing to bring it to his attention, Clark felt about six inches tall. He felt lost as to what to say or do next.
"I suppose it could be a matter of a stolen horse being sold to an unwitting buyer," Samuel said, rubbing his chin as he stared at the two horses. "In fact, I'd wager that's exactly what this is."
"It could be," Clark had to allow. "But, milord, why would Lord Luthor buy anything from Lord Tempos? Especially if he's as committed to stopping the man as he says he is?"
Lord Lane frowned. "It's a good question, I'll admit that. I suppose Wiley could have changed hands one or more times to muddy the trail."
Clark didn't think that was the case at all. Feeling bolstered by the fact that Lord Lane usually encouraged him to speak his mind on things that mattered, he shook his head.
"Begging your pardon, milord, but my gut instinct is telling me no. From the little I know about Lord Tempos, he's not one to make things more complicated than they need to be. Especially not something as trivial as selling a horse."
Samuel appeared to turn that over in his mind before speaking. "Another good point. But what else could it be? No offense, Clark, but while Wiley is a fine horse, there are plenty of other fine horses out there that Lex could have purchased."
"I don't know, milord. But something doesn't feel right about this."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it has an innocent explanation." Samuel paused for a second. "But, that doesn't mean I won't be looking into things. Again, thank you for bringing this to my attention."
Clark simply nodded.
"That being said, there's something else I'd like to speak with you about, in private."
They were alone in the stable, but Clark understood what Lord Lane was saying. Anyone could just wander into the stable at any time. They needed to go elsewhere.
"Yes, milord. Perhaps my chamber?" Clark offered.
Lord Lane nodded, a bit gruffly. "Yes. Perfect."
Clark nodded and mutely led Lord Lane to his chamber. He opened the door and allowed Lord Lane to enter first. He watched with trepidation as Lord Lane appraised the room. The wooden figurines on the mantel caught the lord's eye, and he went over to inspect them. He picked up the partially completed dog and turned to Clark.
"Brutus?" he asked, lifting the dog in his fingers just a little.
Clark nodded. "Yes. I was making it for your son. He actually requested it."
"It's a great likeness. You have considerable skill, Clark."
Clark fought down a blush. "Thank you, milord."
Lord Lane put the dog back where he found it. He picked up the rough form of what would eventually become Merlin, inspected it from all sides, then he set that one down as well.
"Clark," he began, sitting down in the chair before the hearth.
Clark paced to the small table and leaned against it. "Milord?" he asked, when Lord Lane didn't continue.
Samuel sighed. "Clark, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Something a bit, well, awkward." He paused again. "I know that you and my daughter have feelings for one another."
Clark's stomach dropped and turned to lead. His heart beat faster in fear. What would Lord Lane do to him, for daring to fall in love with Lois?
"I...I..." he stammered, looking for words.
Lord Lane waved his hand as though swatting away a fly. "Don't bother to deny it. You aren't in any trouble. I want to speak plainly with you, that's all."
He was caught. What else could he do but to tell the truth?
"I...do care for her," he admitted.
"I think you do more than just care for her," Samuel prodded.
Clark hung his head, like a child caught with his hand in the treat jar.
"I love her," he said, his voice nearly a whisper. "I know I shouldn't but...I love her. I have, ever since I first laid eyes on her, when she bought a wooden bear for Lady Lucy."
Lord Lane closed his eyes, as though Clark's admission pained him. "I thought so. And I've no doubt that she loves you."
Clark decided to neither confirm nor deny Lord Lane's statement. "How?" he asked instead. "I tried to hide it. I guess I didn't do as good a job as I thought I did. What gave it away, milord?"
Samuel smiled, taking Clark completely off-guard. "It's the way you look at her. The way you talk to her. It reminds me of the way I was around Ellen when I first met her. And then, yesterday, you couldn't stand to be here just mere moments after finding out about Lois' betrothal to Lex. It was pretty obvious why."
Clark felt his face heat up with a blush. "I...oh," he managed. He swallowed hard and tried again. "Milord, I'm sorry. I can't help loving Lady Lois. But I swear to you, I will never act on it. I will never do anything to jeopardize her betrothal or marriage to Lord Luthor. You have my word."
"And I appreciate that," Samuel said with a nod. "Look, Clark, it's not that I don't like you. It's not that I don't think you're an upstanding, dependable young man. Because you are exactly the kind of man I'd always prayed for my little girl to marry. But..." he shrugged, letting the word hang in the air for a moment.
"But I have nothing to offer her. I'm not a lord. There's nothing I can do to help put an end to Lord Tempos' reign of terror," Clark supplied. "Believe me, milord, I know my place. It's in the stable tending to the horses, wishing your daughter well in her marriage."
"You're wrong about one thing. Maybe two," Samuel said softly after a moment.
"Milord?"
"You do have something to offer Lois. Your friendship. I've never seen her so happy, ever since the two of you became friends. You see, friendships have never come easy for her. I know, it's hard to believe, especially given how easily the friendship has grown between you two. But it's the truth. She's never had that life-long, 'I would do anything for you' relationship with anyone before. So, I'm thankful that you two have become close."
Samuel took a second to clear his throat. "And the second thing? Well, depending on how Wiley wound up in Luthor's hands, maybe you can help put a stop to Lord Tempos. If we can help cut off some of his finances, we may be able to weaken his reign of terror, as you so aptly put it. But that's assuming we can figure out how he's moving his stolen property. I'll need your help to do it though."
"My help, milord?" Clark asked, puzzled. "What can I do?"
"I'm not sure yet, but servants are often in better positions to discover hidden things. You see, many lords and ladies tend to...well, to forget about the servants. They dismiss them as unimportant, sometimes as even unintelligent. In many ways, servants can become invisible to them, unless, of course, they happen to make a mistake of some kind."
"You are not such a lord, milord," Clark assured the man.
Lord Lane smiled slightly. "I'm glad you think so. But lords like Tempos and Lex? They may well be those kinds of men."
"What would you have me do?"
He shook his head. "I wish I knew. In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open any time a visitor arrives here. Let me know immediately if something seems amiss."
"Yes, milord. You can count on me."
"Good. In the meantime, I promised Lex that I would send two of my horses - Apollo and Maximus - to his manor. Sort of a gift that I'm giving him to celebrate our new alliance. I'd like you to deliver them for me."
"Milord?" Clark asked, feeling himself begin to panic. He never wanted to set foot in Luthor Manor again. "Please don't make me go there."
"I know you dislike the man, but he won't even be there. And I trust you more than anyone to get those horses where they need to be. You have a way with these animals that goes beyond anything I've ever seen."
"Milord, please," Clark begged.
Lord Lane shook his head. "I need you to be the one to do it. You can deliver the horses and be back in what? A day? I'll give you money to stay in an inn if the need arises."
"Milord," Clark nearly whined.
"Clark, don't make me order you to do it."
Clark sighed. He knew this was an argument he wasn't going to win. He bowed his head in deference.
"As you wish, milord. Apollo and Maximus, right?" He knew he sounded defeated, but he was caught. He couldn't defy his lord's wishes. His parents had taught him never to argue with a noble.
Lord Lane looked relieved that Clark wasn't going to argue with him. "Those are the ones."
"I'll leave first thing in the morning then," Clark said, already mentally preparing a list of things he would need for the trip.
"Good. I'll meet you in the stables in the morning with the money for your meals and lodging."
"I'll be there at dawn," Clark said with a nod.
At least some good will come of this, Clark thought as Lord Lane took his leave. If I'm forced to go to Luthor's home, I'll be able to look around and see what other secrets he might be hiding. He's already got one of my horses. What else does he have that he shouldn't?
To Be Continued...
