He could hear some hisses and some scuffling going on, knowing that her maids were in the chamber and that she was chasing them away. He grinned, listening to the frantic whispers and, at one point, he thought he heard a gentle slap, as if Alice had spanked one of her maids to get her moving. He fought off a laugh. Very shortly, the door quietly opened.
“Good evening, Hallam,” Alice said, smiling. “I thought you were still at Hawkstone.”
Hallam shook his head. “I returned not long ago, but I had to speak to your husband first,” he said. “There have been some… changes.”
The smile faded from her face. “Then come in, please,” she said. As he entered and she shut the door behind him, she looked at him, concerned. “What has happened, Hallam? Is Lady Emelisse well? Tell me.”
“She is well,” he said quietly. “Sit down, Alice. We have much to discuss.”
She rushed over to the hearth, indicating a chair for him to sit in, and he did so gratefully. She even handed him a cup of wine before taking one herself and sitting on a stool at his feet. Hallam smiled at her, this sweet woman who only wanted to take care of him, and his heart was squeezed, just a little.
God, more and more, he wished they could be together.
More and more, it was killing him.
“Tell me, darling,” she begged softly. “What has happened?”
Cup in one hand, he reached out to touch her with the other. “It is difficult to know where to start,” he said. “We went to Hawkstone this morning only to discover that Lady Emelisse’s brother is dead. He died yesterday in the same battle that killed his father. When you sent word to us about Marius’ plans to come to Hawkstone and marry Lady Emelisse on the morrow, Caius knew he had to take action. To keep her away from Marius, he decided to marry her himself.”
Alice’s eyes widened. “Sir Caius… he has married her?”
Hallam nodded wearily. “They are probably already married by now,” he said. “This was a swift decision on his part, but not an arbitrary one. He feels something for her, Alice. He would not stand by and watch Marius marry the woman and use her.”
Alice put a hand to her gaping mouth. “My God,” she whispered. “He truly did that for her?”
“He did.”
“I take it that Covington and Marius do not know?”
“They do not,” he said. “And you must not mention a word of it, to anyone.”
Alice shook her head. “I would not, my love, of course,” she said, looking rather stunned as she continued to digest the information. “But I must say that I am glad. So very glad. Covington and Marius are so wicked… this has greatly thwarted their plans for Hawkstone. Sir Caius has my greatest respect.”
Hallam smiled faintly, reaching up to touch her cheek. “He said the same thing about you,” he said. “It seems there is a good deal of mutual admiration between the two of you. Should I be worried?”
Alice laughed softly. “He is big and handsome, but you are the one who has my attention.”
He grinned because she was. “I hope so,” he said. “I am glad I do not have to challenge him for your affections.”
“Never.”
He touched her cheek again, warmly, before downing half of his wine. It was the good, expensive stuff that Covington drank, and he smacked his lips with satisfaction.
“I will more than likely return to Hawkstone tomorrow,” he said. “I must wait for Caius to return. Meanwhile, I must keep up the illusion that Caspian de Thorington is still alive. We still have troops at Hawkstone and it would not do for them to discover the truth.”
Alice shook her head. “Of course not,” she said. “How long can you keep up this illusion?”
Hallam shrugged. “I am not sure,” he said. “But… but there is something I want to tell you, Alice. Caius has offered me a position with his army. He would pay me well and it would be a position of honor. I told him I could not leave you and he suggested I simply bring you along, but I assured him that it would not be suitable for you. You have position and money now, something I could not give you. I am only a simple knight, but for a moment there… I was tempted to do it. To be away from this sordid place would be a dream.”
“I will go.”
She said it before he even got the words out of his mouth. He looked at her strangely. “What?”
She grasped his fingers, laying her cheek against them. “I said that I would go,” she said. “Position and money mean nothing to me, Hallam. You mean everything. You should not be here. I have told you that time and time again. You are a man of honor serving jackals. Accept Sir Caius’ offer and I shall go with you. I only wish to be with you, my love, wherever life may take us.”
Hallam sighed faintly. “Would that I could,” he said, his hand on her carefully-coiffed head. “Alice, you must think of what it would do to your family. It would shame them if you ran off with a man who was not your husband.”
She snorted softly. “My guess is that Covington would not tell them anything simply to save his pride,” she said. “The man cares nothing for me. My disappearance would only be a blow to his pride and nothing more.”
