“Och, shite.”
“Aye so,” Deathan said. “She feels threatened by the situation. Threatened by wha’ she heard.” Did he have to be more pointed?
Nay, for darkness flickered in Rohr’s blue eyes. No doubt he recalled what he and Caragh had last said to one another. “How—”
“Does it matter? Ye maun confess what Caragh asked ye to do, tell Da before Darlei goes to the king.”
“There is no need. Those were just words on Caragh’s part. She did no’ mean—”
“Is that wha’ King Caerdoc will think?” Deathan leaned toward his brother. With deadly intent he said, “Go to Father and tell him what Darlei overheard. Or I will.”
Before Rohr could protest farther, Deathan got up and left the chamber.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Once again, theargument could be heard all over the keep. No storm rumbled overheard to provide cover for the hard words, Da’s shouting at Rohr to “stop wi’ all the nonsense and put that lass in her place.”
The servants heard, and the guards. The guests in their chambers may well have heard—that Princess Darlei not only knew the truth about Rohr’s unfortunate position, but had overheard his pregnant lover demand he remove her from their way.Take her life.
Deathan heard as he crossed the hall toward his father’s quarters, and a savage kind of satisfaction touched his heart. Did Rohr at last get what he deserved? Could he, Deathan, possibly be glad of it?
Nay, for it would not be a good day at Murtray.
Deathan went on to Ma’s room, to find Darlei there before him. Both women, who sat close with Darlei beside the bed, looked up at him, startled, when he entered.
“Goodness, Deathan!” Ma said. “Wha’ is all that about? Are we under attack?”
She knew very well what it must be. She would recognize the voices.
He tried to sound bland when he said, “Merely Father and Rohr speaking together.”
“They do no’ always shout when they speak. Wha’ is amiss?”
“I canna imagine,” Deathan lied. All night he had wondered whether Rohr would go to Da with what Darlei had overheard. In truth, Rohr had little choice, if he believed Darlei would turn to her own father for protection. Would Da put his foot down once and for all, perhaps again bring forward the wedding to put Caragh and her threats behind them?
Darlei gave him an assessing look, and Mam, catching something in that look, patted Darlei’s hand. “Do no’ worry, my dear. Rohr is no’ always so ill-tempered and should no’ mak’ ye an angry husband. He would ne’er shout so at his wife. Though”—she appeared to consider—“Deathan has always been the more even-tempered o’ my twa sons.”
To be sure, Deathan thought, at the moment it seemed Da did most of the shouting.
“No doubt,” Mam went on, her cheeks flushed, “Rohr is out o’ sorts at the moment because o’ his broken arm. Deathan, how does he do wi’ that?”
“I do no’ ken, Mam. I ha’ not seen him this morning.”
“Aye, well, if he will go headlong into these competitions, there will be accidents. Deathan, do ye recall the time—”
Mam chatted on, bringing up old memories, and the argument they could all hear eventually died down. By the time Deathan and Darlei left Mam’s chamber together, silence reigned, though there did seem to be a large number of people milling around.
The two of them stood in the corridor outside the great hall, watching for a moment.
“Something is afoot,” Darlei said.
“Aye.”
“Do you suppose Rohr confessed to your father that this woman—Caragh—threatened me? And if so, why?”
“I told him he should, before ye brought the matter to yer own father, and if he did no’, I would tell Da the truth.”
“Ah. Will Rohr ever forgive you?”
