“That is in the north,” Robin said. “Have you spent much time there?”
Tiegh nodded. “Enough, my lord,” he said. “Though it has been a while.”
“Do you hunt?”
“Indeed I do, my lord.”
“Do you like games?”
Tiegh cocked his head curiously. “Games, my lord?”
Robin came off the steps, indicating the gatehouse. “Come with me,” he said. “There are games to be had in the field across the way. Tell me of the hunting you have done at Aysgarth. Mayhap I should take a trip to the north if it is good.”
They walked away, speaking of hunting and travel. Robin was shockingly friendly with a simple knight. Roi and Diara watched them go for a moment before Roi moved to follow with Diara on his arm. But she wasn’t moving, and he came to a halt, looking at her.
“Coming, my love?” he asked. “Two other friends have arrived along with Tiegh, so the coming game should be quite interesting.”
Diara nodded, but her focus was on her father. “I will come,” she said. “But… my father…”
Roi turned to watch Robin crossing the bailey with Tiegh. “What about him?”
Diara shook her head. “I wish I knew,” she said, clearly puzzled. “I found him in your father’s solar, Roi. I think… I think he was looking through your father’s things. When I came in, I startled him, and he was not pleased with me.”
Roi’s brow furrowed. “Why should he want to go through my father’s things?”
“I do not know,” Diara said. “I do not know what he could hope to find. I do not think he stole anything, but he was definitely looking at your father’s documents when I arrived. He said he was looking for maps, but something tells me that he was simply being curious about things that did not concern him.”
Roi tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, gently encouraging her to follow him. “I cannot imagine why he would do such a thing,” he said. “I do not think my father has anything secretive or personal sitting out for all to see, but your father still should not have been rooting through his desk.”
“He asked me if I was going to tell your father.”
“Are you?”
“Nay,” she said. “I told you.Youcan tell your father.”
“If you think I should.”
Diara sighed. “I’m not sure why I feel uncomfortable about it, but I feel that my father has not forgiven us for not marrying when he wanted us to marry,” she said. “He can hold a grudge. I have seen it.”
Roi shrugged. “Let him,” he said. “I have what I want and there is nothing he can do about it, so if he intends to be petty, let him. I do not care.”
Diara didn’t say anything more, but she wasn’t so sure that was a good thing. She knew her father and she knew he could be devious when the mood struck him. Devious about what, she didn’t know, but perhaps she was simply being paranoid, since her last interaction with him at Cicadia saw her disobey the man. Not only disobey him, but lie to him as well.
Perhaps his behavior was just her overactive imagination.
Forcing thoughts of her father aside and smiling at her handsome husband, she held on to him tightly as they headed back to the field.
*
It was astrange, new world for Mathis.
He and Pryce had backed away from the group of de Lohr men, who were arguing about what game to proceed with next. In fact, they went to sit on the grass at the edge of the field. Pryce ended up lying down and dozing in the sun, while Mathis sat there and watched the happenings on the field and beyond. He could see the guests and women on the other side of the field, gathered together in conversation, waiting for the next game to begin. Because of the short time frame of the wedding, and the funeral that preceded it, not many people had been given the time to attend, but there were enough.
Bored by the view of the family and guests, and wishing he was anywhere but at Diara’s wedding celebration, Mathis lay down and closed his eyes. When next he realized, a soft voice roused him.
“My lord?”
It took him a moment to realize he’d heard those words several times. At first, he thought he’d been dreaming them, but when he opened his eyes, a lovely young woman with dark eyes and dark hair was standing a few feet away with a basket in her hand.
