“Aye, there is too much at stake. She is at stake.”
Val grabbed his face, something she would have never normally done. But it was imperative that he focus on her and understand. “Nay, brother,” she shook her head slowly. “Everything is at stake. Geoff controls everything. And you must be calm, for this situation is far bigger than Geoff having discovered your lady.”
He was looking at her, though not entirely calm. “What do you mean?”
She smiled weakly. “Think about it for a moment. He has always been competitive with you. He has also always been threatened by you. He loves you and envies you at the same time. What do you think he will do if he suspects you are interested in Cantia and hid her away for your own purposes?”
He glared at her unsteadily. “I’ve no time for games, Val. Tell me what you mean.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “He is unmarried, Tevin. If he thinks you are intent to claim her, he can take the competition further than you can. He can marry her and do not believe for one moment that he will not simply to emerge the victor against you.”
Some of the color left Tevin’s face then. He stared at his sister a long moment before finally wiping a massive hand over his face, struggling for composure. “Dear God,” he breathed. “You are correct. You are absolutely correct. And he would do it, just to spite me.”
Val nodded, relieved he was coming to understand. “He loves you, but he loves himself more. He would marry the widow and see nothing but good-natured victory in it. He would laugh at you the rest of his life for it.”
Thankfully, Tevin was calming. But Val could see that his big hands were shaking with the internal struggle he was feeling. She gripped his hands tightly.
“Listen to me,” she whispered. “You distract Geoff and I will remove Cantia. Tell him… tell him she is still in mourning and that it is improper for her to socialize. Then I will excuse the two of us and take her someplace where he cannot find her. I’ll take her out of Rochester this night.”
He looked at her, considering her words, knowing she was thinking more clearly than he was. In fact, he was so shaken he could hardly think. “That is more than likely the necessary answer.”
“Of course it is.”
He took a deep breath, laboring to relax. “Cantia mentioned the manor house in Darland as somewhere she and Hunt could stay until this was over. Perhaps you should take her there.”
“We shall leave tonight.”
As much as Tevin did not want Cantia away from him, he knew it was for the best. With Geoff’s discovery of her, the situation was morbidly dangerous on many levels.
“Take Simon with you,” he said quietly. “Get away from here as quickly and as quietly as you can. I shall come when I am able.”
“You’d better not. He’ll follow you if he thinks a game is afoot.”
A flicker of pain ripped across his expression, just as quickly gone. But Val saw it.
“What is the matter?”
He averted his gaze, wiping the sweat from his brow as he looked anywhere other than his sister’s probing eyes. “Nothing.”
“I know you, brother. Why did you look so when I told you not to come?”
He sighed, his black eyes moving in the direction of the warm light emitting from the solar. He could hear soft voices inside, Cantia’s voice, and he took another deep breath, struggling for calm.
“Cantia,” he began, then shut his mouth. When he opened it to speak again, his tone was barely a whisper. “When I told you earlier that I did not know what I was feeling for her, I know now.”
Val suspected she knew the answer before she even asked. “And what is that?”
“I fear… I fear that she has my heart, Val. More than that, she has all of me.”
“You love her, then?”
“I must. I cannot explain what else I am feeling.”
“Does she know?”
He shrugged those massive shoulders. “I’ve not told her if that’s what you mean. But I… I have demonstrated my feelings.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have bedded her.”
Val tried not to appear shocked. But it was too much. “She just lost her husband, Tevin,” she hissed. “How could you…?”
He could hear the concern, the pain, in his sister’s tone and he put up a hand to silence her. “I did not force her. It was the most natural of things, as if we were always meant to be. It was the most amazing experience of my life, Val. Do not diminish it with your judgment.”
She eyed him, swallowing what was left of her admonishment. She had never heard such emotion from his lips and a hand came up to gently slap him on the side of the head. “I do not judge, brother,” she said quietly. “But I am concerned for the both of you. This is a delicate situation.”
He gave her a wry expression. “You are telling me something I already know, all too well.”
They could hear more voices in the solar. They even caught a glimpse of Cantia as she walked past the doorway, apparently showing Geoff something on the wall above her head. Tevin’s eyes never left her and Val found herself watching her brother, envying him his feelings for the woman. She wished for such happiness, too.
“Well then,” she took her brother’s elbow. “Are you calm enough so that we may enter the solar?”
His gaze still lingered in the doorway. “I am. But I must make a slight alteration to our plans. You must go and find Simon and John. Tell them of our plans and tell them to prepare an escort immediately.”
“Of course. Anything else?”
“Send Hunt back up to Arabel and tell him to bolt the door. Have Simon come for the children when he is finished preparing the escort.”
Val nodded. With a deep breath, Tevin moved at a much slower pace towards the solar entry. He looked calm even if he did not feel it.
Val watched her brother disappear into the warm room beyond. Slipping in the direction of the shadows, she held her hand out to Hunt, who was sitting in the darkened stairwell with the big yellow dog. With a few whispered words to the lad, he disappeared up the stairs as Val disappeared into the bailey beyond.
*
“I came as quickly as I could,” John addressed Simon before he even entered the dimly lit stables. “What’s amiss?”
Simon already had three horses saddled. He was working on a fourth and swung the saddle in John’s direction. The slender blond knight caught it with a grunt.
“We need to get the women and children away from de Gael,” Simon rumbled as he tossed a saddle blanket over the leggy warmblood. “Val says he’s already cornered Lady Penden. No telling what the man will do to her.”
John swung the saddle onto the blanket Simon had just placed. “Then there’s no telling what Tevin will do to de Gael,” he commented quietly.
Simon looked up at him from beneath bushy eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”
Swantey met his gaze. “Do not play stupid, Simon. You see how he looks at her. The man is enamored with her.”
Simon scratched beneath his fuzzy beard. “And if he is? What about it?”
John moved to cinch up the saddle. “Nothing, I suppose. But if de Gael is stupid enough to make a move for her, we could have a damn bloody situation on our hands.”
Simon simply wriggled his eyebrows and went for the bridle slung from one of the posts. “We already have a damn bloody situation on our hands,” he muttered. “First Matilda, now Stephen. I do not even know whose side I am on anymore. I could be fighting for the bloody King of Joppa tomorrow for all I know.”
John grinned as he finished securing the saddle. “All I am saying is that Tevin is three times the man de Gael is. Everyone knows how jealous Geoff is of his cousin. If they both start tussling over the same woman, there could be trouble.”
Simon shoved the bit into the horse’s mouth. “So we’re removing the woman and her son to avoid any trouble. Val and Arabel are going, too. We’ve been ordered to take them to some manor house to the south and wa
it out de Gael’s visit.”
John watched his colleague finish with the bridle. “If we’re expected to ride to war, won’t de Gael notice our absence and wonder where we are? We’ve ridden to battle with Tevin for almost eighteen years. He’ll be expecting to see us leading du Reims’ men.”
Simon finished with the last strap. “That’s not my concern. I’ll do as I’m told and so will you.”
John merely shrugged. “It would be better to send Dagan and Gavril. I’d rather go to battle than sit idle with a woman and her son.”
“But we were ordered to do it.”
“We’re senior knights. We belong in battle, not minding women and children. Besides, let Sutton and de Reigate put their time in with escort duties. Why should we miss out on glory against Matilda while those two ride to victory in our stead?”
Simon scratched his beard again. There was something nesting in it that itched. “I suppose you have a point,” he sighed. “Perhaps we should go and find Dagan and Gavril and give them the duty. I’m sure Tevin doesn’t care who escorts them, so long as they’re properly protected.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
They found Gavril in the knight’s quarters sharpening his broadsword. Dagan was found in the dungeons listening to Charles’ madness. Within a half hour, both men were suited up and ready to ride.
CHAPTER TEN
Cantia looked very calm, Tevin thought. Much calmer than he felt. As he entered the solar where Val had convalesced, his gaze was entirely on his cousin. He was afraid to linger on Cantia, afraid that Geoff would read emotion in his face. He was terrified he would give something away.
Geoff had a smirking grin on his face as he caught sight of his massive cousin. Leaning casually against Charles’ enormous desk, he waved a hand at Tevin.
“Come in, cousin,” he sounded suspiciously as if he was gloating. “See who I have found? Why, it’s the lovely Lady Penden. Shame on you for keeping her locked up in her room. Why on earth would you be so cruel?”
Tevin cocked an eyebrow. “Because she is in mourning for her husband. It is not proper for her to be socializing and well you know it.”
Some of the grin left Geoff’s face. He wasn’t expecting that answer. His gaze moved to Cantia, raking over her in a manner that made Tevin’s blood boil. “Mourning?” he repeated. “Why should she do that? Penden has been dead over a month. She’s far too young and lovely to waste her life in mourning.”
Cantia had been watching the exchange on pins and needles. The moment Tevin walked into the room, she felt a sense of relief and joy that she could not begin to describe. It was as if her savior had walked into the room and it was all she could do not to run to him for protection. But in the few short sentences exchanged, she immediately understood where Tevin was leading the conversation. He was trying to help her in a way that no one could dispute, not even Geoff. Being the sharp woman that she was, she would help her own cause. She knew what she had to do, and she had to do it quickly.
With a muffled sob, she suddenly put her hand over her face and turned away from them. The soft sob turned into a flood of larger ones, pitiful and deep. It was drama at its very best. Geoff stood up from the desk, his dark eyes wide with surprise.
“What’s this?” he demanded. “Why is she weeping?”
Tevin couldn’t tell if the tears were real or not, but he was thankful either way. It made his reasoning much more stable. He sighed heavily as he looked at his cousin.
“Geoff,” his voice was low with admonishment. “The woman is distraught. You really should have been more considerate. She is in no condition to entertain you.”
Geoff lost all of his smugness. “I did not ask her to entertain me. I simply asked to be shown Rochester. It is my holding, after all.”
“And I could have shown it to you.” Tevin moved towards Cantia and gently took her by the arm. “She was in her chamber for a reason and you really should not have taxed her so. I am taking her back to her room and you will leave her there to properly deal with her grief.”
Cantia was sobbing as if her heart were broken. Tevin had a good grip on her as he led her towards the door. Geoff just stood there like a dolt, watching the scene with a mixture of outrage and astonishment.
“She was fine until you came into the room,” he told his cousin. “Why did she suddenly burst into tears when you appeared?”
Tevin cast him a long look. “She more than likely kept her composure simply not to upset you. But she can control it no longer.”
Geoff’s brow furrowed. “I do not want her to mourn any longer. It has been long enough. She must sup with me tonight and I will have no more weeping. I do not like it.”
The problem was that Geoff meant every word. He was childish and demanding in such ways. Tevin continued with Cantia towards the door.
“Have pity, cousin,” he said steadily. “The woman has lost her husband and her grief has not spent itself. Allow Brac Penden that mercy before you seek to erase him from her mind.”
Geoff pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips. “I am not attempting to erase him, for God’s Sake. I just want to talk to the woman.”
“There will be other time for that,” Tevin was through the door. “Go entertain yourself elsewhere. Leave Lady Penden to her sorrow.”
Geoff would not be quashed so easily. He went to the door, hovering in the archway with an imperious stance as he watched Tevin gently help Cantia up the steps. “And don’t think that I am not aware that you hid Val from me, either,” he yelled after him. “Do you hear me? Do not hide her from me again!”
Tevin didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. When he was out of sight, Geoff went back into the solar and, in a fit of rage, smashed Charles’ big oak desk with the hearth shovel.
Tevin heard the sounds of crashing furniture as Geoff’s temper tantrum gained speed. But he maintained a steady grip on Cantia as they reached the third floor landing.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?” he asked quietly.
She stopped weeping in an instant, the violet eyes turning to him without a hint of redness. “Of course,” she replied, her gaze moving back down the stairwell towards the sounds of anger below. “But thank God you came when you did.”
Tevin didn’t like the sound of her voice. “Why do you say that? Did he move against you somehow? Did he try…?”
She shook her head, winding her hands around his forearm and laying her cheek against his enormous bicep. “He did nothing. In fact, he was quite friendly and curious. But the way he looks at me… I feel as if he is undressing me with his eyes and I want no part of the man. He makes my skin crawl.”
Tevin’s recently abated anger threatened but he fought it. Silently, he took her to the fourth floor, knocking softly on the bolted door. A demanding little voice shouted at him from the other side.
“Go away!” Hunt roared. “I won’t open this door!”
Tevin looked at Cantia, who couldn’t help but grin at her son’s bravery. He fought off a smile as well.
“’Tis me, Hunt,” he said quietly. “You may open the door.”
It was several long seconds before the bolt was thrown, with some effort, and the door creaked open. Hunt’s big eyes peered at his mother and Tevin before he allowed them inside. Tevin lifted an eyebrow when the boy slammed the door behind them and shoved the bolt into its socket.
“You make a fine sentry,” he told the lad. “A man would think twice before crossing you.”
Hunt gazed up at him, his face suddenly slack with surprise. “Really?” he asked, awed. “Did I thound fearsome?”
“Terribly.”
He grinned proudly, looking over at Arabel to see if she heard. But the young girl with big black eyes was looking at her father.
“Where is Cousin Geoff?” she asked.
Tevin went to sit on the bed next to her. “He is down in the solar,” he replied, taking Arabel’s hand and kissing it sweetly. “I have decided to send you and your Aunt Val and
Lady Penden on an adventure. Would you like that?”
She took the bait of the swift change in subject. “An adventure? Where?”
He smiled at her enthusiasm, his dark eyes twinkling at her. “To a faraway castle. You can pretend you are the Princess Fair and hide away from the evil dark knight who wishes to abduct you.”
She grinned at her father. “Can I give this castle a name?”
“I suppose so. What would you name it?”
Arabel’s eyes were alight. “Castle Mandragora!”
Tevin’s eyebrows lifted. “Mandragora? Where did you hear that?”
The girl giggled nervously, looking between her father and Cantia. “I heard someone speak of it once,” she said. “’Tis another name for mandrake. I just like the name. It sounds mysterious.”
Tevin cast her a reproachful look. “Mandrake is used by witches and half-wits. What would you know of it?”
Arabel shrugged, glancing down at the big yellow dog when it brushed against her. “Some of the servants at Thunderbey were speaking of it, once. One of the women wanted it for her husband. She said it was an apro… aprodisiac. I did not ask what it was. Do you know?”
Tevin cleared his throat and averted his gaze, glancing up at Cantia with a pleading expression. Cantia could see the panic in his eyes at the young girl’s question and she fought off a grin.
“I believe it has something to do with medicinal purpose,” she said evenly, answering for the stricken father. “But I like the name, too. It sounds very powerful.”
Arabel was successfully diverted from any more questions about aphrodisiacs. “Are we going soon?”
Cantia nodded. “As soon as I can pack a few things.”
Arabel’s expression was aglow with the possibility of another adventure. She’d spent most of her life safely locked away at Thunderbey and now she was about to have two great adventures all in the span of a couple of weeks. It was the stuff that young girls’ dreams were made of.