Roi didn’t say anything for a moment. He simply pulled her into his embrace again, but his gaze was on the men riding either on or around the wagon. Each one of them knew the truth of what had happened. Directly behind the wagon, Magnus, Aeron, and Tiegh were on their horses. They’d joined up with the de Lohr army after their task at Cicadia was complete. Therefore, Roi knew everything.
It was important that Diara knew everything, too.
Almosteverything, anyway… and gently told.
“Angel,” he said, loosening his grip so he could look at her. “Though I survived the battle, your father did not. For your sake, I will mourn him if you want me to. But you must know that he is no longer with us.”
Diara looked at him in shock. “He… My father is dead?”
“He is.”
She stared at him for a moment, digesting the information, before finally shaking her head. “I do not know what I feel,” she said, though she was blinking away the tears. “He was so wicked to you, Roi. I can never forgive that. And if his wicked actions brought about his own end, then it was deserved. How can I mourn the loss of such evil?”
He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I will do whatever you want me to,” he said softly. “He tried to cause my death, but he is also your father. I realize that puts you in a difficult position.”
She shook her head before he finished speaking. “Nay, it does not,” she said. “My father and I… I am not a fool, Roi. I know he only paid me attention because he thought he could make a fine marriage match and profit from it. That is the truth of it. I wasn’t a daughter to him as much as I was a commodity. While I will mourn the loss of my father, I will not mourn the loss of the man. Does that make sense?”
He nodded. “It does.”
“What of my mother?” she said. “Does she know?”
Roi nodded. “She does,” he said. “Would you like to go to her? I will understand if you do.”
Diara looked at him for a long moment. It was clear that she was thinking about something, because she had a way of looking at Roi that very nearly gave him a peek into her mind’s eye.
And she had such a brilliant mind.
“Nay,” she finally said. “I do not want to go to her. I do not want to go to Cicadia at all, but you are the Earl of Cheltenham now, and Cicadia Castle is your property. Mayhap… mayhap I will invite my mother to stay with us, if she wishes, and Iris can come with her. I have missed Iris.”
“You could have sent for her anytime, you know.”
Diara nodded. “Aye, I know,” she said. “But we were just coming to know one another, and I was just coming to know Adalia and Dorian. I wanted that time with you, and with them, without Iris interfering. We are a family, after all. We needed to be with one another.”
He stroked her hair gently. “A sweet sentiment and one that is appreciated,” he said. “But at some point, your father must be buried. Will you want to attend his funeral?”
Diara sighed faintly. “I am his only child,” she said. “Yet I am not sure I want to be there. He tried to kill you, Roi. I simply cannot forgive him for that.”
He didn’t push her. She could make her own decisions and he would abide by them. There was much more he wanted to tell her—about Cirencester’s demise, perhaps even a general description of the battle and the situation, but that would have to wait. He simply didn’t feel like bringing that into their world right now because he was safe, he was home, and that was all that mattered.
And he had the men around him to thank for that.
Brothers, cousins, nephews, and colleagues. Some of the best men England had to offer, in both skill and character. He owed them everything and he knew it, but for the new Earl of Cheltenham and his countess, his life, as he saw it, was just beginning.
Roi de Lohr had been given a second chance, and he wasn’t going to squander it.
But the one person who had made it all possible was back behind Magnus, plodding along on his exhausted steed. Roi could see about half of Mathis’ body, and he motioned to Douglas to bring the man forward. Mathis heard his name being called and reined his beast next to the wagon.
“Mathis, if it were not for you, I would not be here,” Roi said as Diara turned to look at her father’s former knight. “I realize I’ve been surrounded by a dozen de Lohrs, all of them grimly determined to ensure that I survive, but the real person to thank in all of this is you. You did not have to do what you did. You could have gone along with Robin’s plans, and I would now be moldering on the ground somewhere. If you would like to remain in the service of Cheltenham, as the commander at my garrison of Cicadia Castle, I would be most grateful.”
Mathis looked weary and worn. Diara pushed herself off Roi and moved to the edge of the wagon, holding out her hand to Mathis, who took it after a moment’s hesitation.
She squeezed his hand tightly.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “For saving his life. I know none of this has been easy for you, but for the fact that you decided to do what was right and good, I can never thank you enough. I owe you everything.”
Mathis smiled weakly, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go. “You’ve not known much happiness in your life, Lady Cheltenham,” he said, using her title for the first time. “I’ve known you for many years, and I have seen the things you’ve had to endure, and you have always done it with grace. The rumors of your time at Carisbrooke, the attitude of your father… I’ve seen it all. When I realized what was happening between your father and Fairford, I knew I had to do something about it. I did not do it for any great loyalty towards the House of de Lohr, but I did it because I knew, if Roi perished, that you would not recover. Every person hopes they meet that person who makes them feelwhole. I believe you have met yours. I could not stand by and watch you lose him.”
The tears were back in Diara’s eyes. “And I will be ever grateful for it,” she said. “If I can ever return the favor, you know I will.”
