The woman in the chamber stared at Caius for a moment before yanking the door open wide.
“Is this true?” she asked. “You have been sent by my uncle?”
Ugly Alice. That was the first thing Caius thought of. William had referred to Alice by that name and not only was it rather cruel, it wasn’t exactly the truth. She wasn’t beautiful by any means, but she had a soft, sensual voice and a bright smile. But that was where her appeal ended other than her expensive clothing and well-groomed appearance.
As he looked at her, his first thought was that Covington de Wrenville had indeed married her simply for her ties, because a woman of Lady de Wrenville’s appeal– including her age– wouldn’t have been highly sought after in this world. Men wanted wives who were young and virginal and lovely and wealthy, not old and plain and round. But Alice had one thing other ladies did not– her ties to the greatest knight in England.
William Marshal.
Caius was willing to wholeheartedly believe that it had been a calculated marriage.
“Pembroke has indeed sent me, my lady,” he said. “I have come to speak with Rupert de Thorington’s daughter and get to the truth of the matter in this conflict. I promise I will not harass or molest her in any way. I will behave politely and appropriately. Will you allow me to see her?”
Lady de Wrenville didn’t hesitate. She pushed through the door, nearly running to a small servant’s staircase that was hidden in an alcove in the corner of the keep. Hallam and Caius followed, trailing the woman up a ridiculously steep and small staircase. For a man of Caius’ bulk, it was difficult to maneuver. He hit his shoulders more than once and by the time they reached the top, he nearly had his head pushing through the low doorway.
They were on the top level now, poorly lit on the windowless landing. Lady de Wrenville went to one of the doors, quietly knocked on it, and was admitted entrance. Caius could hear the bolt when it was thrown and they were drawn into a chamber, which was cold and dark but for the servant manning the door with a fat taper in her hand. Lady de Wrenville passed through the storage chamber and went to a second doorway. She knocked on that one, too, and announced herself.
Slowly, the door opened.
Even in the weak light, the first thing Caius saw was a woman of astounding beauty. Not just astounding; remarkable. Utterly remarkable beauty. She was wearing a garment that was too big for her because it was hanging off of her shoulders, which were magnificent, and it was too roomy around her torso. Her hair, which was blonde, was free flowing in a great golden mass that hung well past her waist.
Truthfully, Caius wasn’t even listening to what Lady de Wrenville and Hallam were saying. They were having a conversation with each other, and with the exquisite woman in the baggy blue dress, but Caius wasn’t listening to any of it. He was staring at the woman as if he’d never before seen a woman in his life.
Everything else around him seemed to fade away.
“My lord?”
Hallam was speaking to him. Or asking him a question. Caius didn’t even know, but he suddenly realized that Hallam was speaking to him and he tore himself away from the angelic vision and looked at Hallam, trying not to appear startled. Or foolish. If Hallam thought either of those things, he didn’t say anything. He gestured to the woman in the blue dress.
“This is Lady Emelisse de Thorington,” he said. “Would you speak with her here or do you wish to take her elsewhere?”
Caius’ gaze drifted back to the blue-clad woman, who was now looking at him with some fear. He gestured towards the chamber.
“I will speak with her here,” he said. “You and Lady de Wrenville wait right outside this door, but I must insist on closing it. What I speak to her about will be in confidence.”
Lady de Wrenville nodded, as did Hallam, and they stepped aside so that Caius could enter the chamber. As he stepped through, they closed the door.
Now, Caius was alone with the woman who had so ably captured his attention. He’d never had a reaction like that to a woman in his life and was struggling to overcome it, but those efforts were thwarted when he looked at her again, now at close range, and found himself intrigued by eyes of sapphire blue.
He couldn’t seem to look away.
“My name is Sir Caius d’Avignon,” he said, sounding remarkably composed for all of the confusion he was experiencing. “I am a commander in the arsenal of William Marshal and I have been sent here to discover the truth behind the hostilities between Covington de Wrenville and Rupert de Thorington. My position at this point is neutral but you should know that I have been sent with the intent on supporting Baron Darliston’s army in this situation if I decide he needs The Marshal’s support. I realize this has been a difficult time, my lady, but if you would be so kind as to answer my questions, I will try to finish this as quickly as possible.”
Emelisse was gazing up at him with those dark blue eyes. She wasn’t short for a woman. In fact, she was rather tall and busty in spite of the loose dress, but he was so tall that she ended up craning her neck back simply to look at him.
“I will answer what I can, my lord,” she said in a voice that was deep and sultry. “I swear upon my mother’s grave that I will tell you the truth, as I know it.”
Caius indicated a chair near the hearth. There was only one chair, so when she sat down obediently, he took up position a few feet away from her. Emelisse sat there, trying to keep the neckline of that too-big dress up from slipping too low. She wasn’t very discreet about it, so Caius finally indicated the dress.
“That garment does not belong to you,” he said.
Emelisse shook her head, looking down at herself. “It does not,” she said. “The clothing I came to Winterhold in is being cleaned. Lady de Wrenville has loaned this to me until myclothing can be returned. It was very kind of her.Shehas been kind, my lord.”
She was letting him know that the wife of her captor was treating her well, but her tone also suggested that Lady de Wrenville had been the only one at Winterhold who had been kind. Considering she was a prisoner of war, Caius wasn’t surprised. He continued.
“I am told that the army from Winterhold was able to breach part of Hawkstone today,” he said. “You and your father were brought here as prisoners. Is this true?”
Emelisse nodded, trying to be brave in the face of the devastating reality of the question. “Aye,” she said. “I was in the great hall tending our wounded when the Winterhold army broke through and was unable to retreat to safety before they captured me. My father and I were taken prisoner while my brother held the keep. As far as I know, he still holds it, and if you have any intention of forcing me to tell my brother to surrender the keep, know that I will not. I will jump from this window before I tell Caspian anything.”
