“Are you sure you are all right, Davyss?” Andrew asked quietly. “Should I send the surgeon to your room?”
Davyss shook his head, almost knocking himself off balance. “Nay,” he muttered. “My wife will tend me.”
Devereux watched his face as he spoke; there was sadness and frustration and confusion in his manner. She could not fathom why; the entire event had been lightning-fast and frightening. In a new hall, in a new marriage, she was understandably distressed.
“Davyss, will you not speak with Hugh before we retire?” she asked softly. “Do not walk away from your brother angry. Speak rationally of your quarrel and settle it.”
Davyss wouldn’t even respond; he was emotionally as well as physically exhausted. But he did pause a moment, looking to Devereux before looking to his brother. Hugh was on his feet, barely, and glaring balefully at his brother through one good eye. The other was already swelling shut.
“You are mad,” Hugh hissed at him. “Mad and bewitched.”
Davyss twitched in his brother’s direction but this time, both Andrew and Devereux held him fast. Lollardly put himself in the precarious position between the two brothers, holding up his hands as if to push them away from each other.
“Hugh, you will curb your tongue,” he demanded of the younger man, then looked to Davyss. “Get out of here and let your brother cool down.”
Davyss’ jaw ticked as he glared at Hugh, ignoring the priest completely. “Do you understand why I punished you?”
Hugh gave him an expression that suggested he thought his brother was insane. “Nay,” he insisted strongly. “The only explanation is that you are mad.”
When Davyss spoke, it was through clenched teeth. “If you ever question my wishes again, I will deal you worse than what you received,” he lowered his voice to a growl. “I am the head of this family and this is my keep. You will not question my wishes, ever. And if you ever speak of my wife that way again, I will kill you.”
Hugh just stared at him. “Is that what this is about?” he looked truly stunned. “Because I called your wife a bitch?”
Davyss lurched again at his brother but Andrew threw himself in front of his liege, holding him fast with all his might. Edmund jumped in, inadvertently shoving Devereux out of the way as he moved to aid his brother. Devereux managed toscamper back to her husband, wedging herself between Andrew and Edmund, her small hands against Davyss’ chest. The brilliant gray eyes blazed up at him.
“Nay, Davyss,” she whispered firmly, an inkling of what was happening between the brothers sparking in her mind. “You will not hurt him. Let us retire for the evening.”
Davyss was staring at Hugh, an odd flicker to his eye. Nik and Edmund pulled Hugh from the hall, away from his volatile brother. Davyss just stood there, long after his brother was removed, before eventually sitting heavily on the cluttered table. Devereux whispered something to the priest, who disappeared for a few moments, soon returning with a bowl of steaming water and a rag. Devereux thanked the man.
She returned her attention to her husband; he was bleeding from his mouth and had a small cut above his eye that was streaming blood. She dipped the rag in the water and wiped carefully at his mouth, then his eye. Davyss watched her silently, the hazel eyes riveted to her face as she worked. Devereux did not look at him as she surveyed the damage.
“Well,” she sighed, fussing with the cut above his eye. “I do not believe I need to stitch this. It will heal well enough.”
Davyss didn’t respond; he was still looking at her. When the silence became excessive, she finally met his eye. He smiled weakly.
“Thank you, my lady,” he said softly. “Shall we finally retire? It has been a full day.”
He moved to get off the table but she grasped him, firmly but gently. “Davyss,” she whispered. “Whatever has occurred between you and your brother, it is none of my affair. But I will say this; no one person or one thing should come between you and your brother. He is your blood. Everything else is secondary.”
Davyss’ gentle expression faded. He could see that she wasn’t trying to pry or tell him how he should handle the situation; she was simply offering her opinion. He patted the hand resting on his arm.
“Although I appreciate your advice, you will understand when I say that I alone must make that determination,” he replied quietly. “For now, I am exhausted and wish to sleep.”
“Will you not speak with your brother first?”
“Nay.”
“But why?”
“That is between me and Hugh.”
He was firm and she did not argue further. But she knew, from words and actions that somehow she was at the root of the problem. Perhaps if she was the cause, then it was her duty to fix it. She felt oddly responsible. Just because Davyss would not speak with his brother did not mean that she couldn’t.
*
Waiting for Davyssto fall into a deep, snore-inducing sleep had been the hard part. He slept as a knight sleeps, very lightly, so even when he fell asleep, he wasn’t quite as unconscious as she had hoped. In truth, sleeping in the same bed as the man was an odd sensation; she’d slept alone her entire life. Now the bed was full of an enormous man who fidgeted constantly. But he eventually stilled, and when she stirred from the bed, he instantly awoke but she assured him that she was simply seeking the privy. He accepted her explanation and she waited until he fell back asleep before slipping from the dark chamber.
Since three massive chambers were linked in a row, she emerged from their chamber into the next one where Philip and Lucy slept. They were awake, however, quietly making love in their large bed in the far corner. Embarrassed at her intrusion,Devereux scooted into the next connecting room where Nik and Frances slept. They were both sound asleep on their respective sides of the bed.
