“I am ready, my lord,” she said quickly, realizing that her mind had been wandering at the sight of him. “I am extremely grateful for your hospitality.”
Val’s gaze lingered on her, perhaps as appraisingly as hers had lingered on him. “It is my pleasure for my old friend and his daughter,” he said. “I only returned home a short while ago so I’ve not seen your father yet. Was your trip from Whitehill uneventful?”
Vesper nodded. “Uneventful, my lord,” she replied. “The weather was excellent and we suffered no difficulty.”
Val stepped away from the door, extending his hand to the stairs as if to invite her to follow him. “I am glad to hear that,” he said. “My mother said you were traveling on foot. What happened to your horses?”
Vesper faltered a bit, trying to appear as if she wasn’t. But she couldn’t think up a reasonable answer swiftly enough because she never thought this question would be asked. It was too close to the reason for their journey altogether.
My brother kept the horse….
“My… my father does not have any,” she lied. “I am sure he will tell you more about his situation this evening. Since it has been such a long time since you have seen him, I am sure there will be much to speak of.”
Val could see that he’d unbalanced her with a simple question. But her answer made him curious. “What situation?” he asked, but then it began to occur to him– his mother had mentioned how slovenly McCloud had appeared.Poverty, she’d said. Was it possible his old friend had fallen on hard times? “Forgive me, my lady– I do not mean to pry, but I am genuinely concerned for your father. He was a great friend to me in France. Is… is he in need of money? Of work?”
Vesper was growing increasingly uncomfortable. “Truthfully, I do not know,” she said. “Until last week, I’d seen my father only once in the eight years I was at Eynsford. I do not know what he needs. He will have to tell you.”
Val could see that he’d upset her with his questions, for she seemed nervous now, unable or unwilling to look him in the eye. Perhaps he had been too inquisitive, asking her things he should not have. He paused just as they reached the stairs.
“I am truly sorry,” he said. “I did not mean to offend you. I did not realize… well, I did not realize you’d not seen your father in so long. I thought you knew his needs.”
“Alas, my lord, I do not.”
“Then I will, once again, apologize for asking. But I am sure it has been a blessing for you coming to know him again.”
Vesper had to bite her tongue.If you only knew!“It was surprising to see him again,” she said, forcing a smile. “I hardly recognized him. He has a great bushy beard now that he’d not had before.”
Val laughed softly, taking the stairs first and reaching out to take her elbow to help steady her as she followed him. “That isnothing new,” he said. “He had that terrible beard in France. It grew wild, like a forest, and he used to say that after each meal, he could run hot water through it and make soup from the crumbs.”
That brought a genuine smile to Vesper. “How disgusting,” she giggled. “Now I will have this terrible image in my mind all night about my father making soup from his beard.”
She continued to giggle and Val found himself completely upswept in her silly little laugh. It was enchanting. More than that, when the woman smiled, she was quite beautiful. The prospect of staring at her across the feasting table all evening did not distress him.
“So I have said the wrong thing again, have I?” he said, taking the steps slowly because she was. “I must apologize yet again. It seems that I have been completely clumsy in my attempts at conversation. Do not tell my mother or she will take a strap to me.”
Vesper was still grinning, looking into his glimmering green eyes now. “You are quite a bit larger than she is,” she reminded him. “Surely you can best her.”
Val’s dark eyebrows flew up. “My mother? God help you, my lady, for you do not know what you are saying. My mother is so fearsome, the devil himself would run from her.”
Vesper remembered the brusque woman who had showed her to her chamber and she could understand why Val would make such a statement. But she would not agree with him. To do so would be impolite.
“Your mother was very kind when we arrived,” she assured him. “I found her very pleasant.”
They had reached the landing with a second flight of steps leading down to the entry level. Val cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Are we speaking of the same woman?”
Vesper fought off a grin. “I believe so. A white wimple and round cheeks?”
“And she carried a pitchfork?”
Vesper burst out into laughter. “She didnot.”
He grunted. “Then she must have hidden it away.” His hand was on her elbow as he began to take the second flight of steps down. “Believe me, she has a pitchfork. It is her weapon of choice.”
Vesper shook her head at him reproachfully. “Do you slander your mother, my lord?”
He shook his head quickly. “It is not slander if it is the truth.”
