“I will be swift,” she hissed, keeping her voice down lest they be overheard by nosy servants. “I want to know why you were so solicitous to Lady de Nerra this evening.”
McCloud peeped an eye open. “What do you mean?”
Vesper cast her father a long look. “I mean that I watched you flatter that woman all night, sickeningly so,” she said. “Why did you do that? Everyone at the table was thinking you were foolish for it.”
He closed his eye, sighing heavily because he very much wished to sleep. “I was not being foolish.”
Vesper eyed him as he lay there and tried to ignore her. “What are you up to, Papa? Why did you pay so much attention to Lady de Nerra?”
“Because she is our hostess.”
Vesper was fairly certain that wasn’t the truth. If she’d come to know one thing about her father over the past week, it was that he had a scheming mind and didn’t seem to have any conscience about it.
“So you peppered her with sickly sweet flattery all night?” she asked. “I do not believe that you had no motive.”
He grunted and rolled onto his side. “I do not care if you believe me or not,” he said. “She is a handsome widow. I am also a widow. There is no harm in flattering the woman.”
It struck Vesper what he was driving at, the reason behind the spray of compliments he’d aimed at Lady de Nerra all evening. “Iknewit!” she hissed. “You mean to endear yourself to her to… Sweet Jesù, Papa, are you trying to woo the woman because she is rich?”
Both of his eyes flew open at her. “No more than you were trying to woo Val,” he shot back. “Do not deny it. I saw the smiles and laughter that passed between you two this night.”
Vesper was taken aback at the accusation. “I was not attempting to woo him,” she said. “He is a kind man. I was simply enjoying the conversation.”
McCloud sat up, his eyes blazing at her. “You foolish wench,” he growled. “Can you not see a perfect opportunity before your eyes? Val is interested in you; that is clear. Do you even understand what I am telling you? He is trying to woo you also, Vesper. You need a husband he needs a wife– what could be more perfect?”
Vesper stared at him. “Husband?” she repeated, astonished. She would have condemned the entire shocking idea had it not been for one thing– she liked Val. She was very attracted to him. Was it true that he was actually interested in her? She struggled not to fall victim to the excitement racing through her mind. “Papa, surely you cannot be serious. Why would he be attracted to me?”
McCloud was in no mood for her guileless question. “He considers you beautiful and accomplished,” he said. “God’s Bones, Vesper– the man spent the entire evening hanging on every word out of your mouth. Do you honestly mean to tell me that you did not realize that?”
Vesper’s suspicion towards her father was fading fast as a new subject was brought to light–Val is trying to woo you. Now, the focus was on her and the giddiness she was trying so hard to suppress was fighting to let loose.
“I simply thought we were having a conversation,” she said. “It did not seem to me that he was being more polite to me than anyone else.”
McCloud shook his head. “Listen to me, girl,” he said, his voice low. “There is a grand opportunity here for you tomarry a rich and prestigious man. I had hoped that Val would find attraction to you and, without you even trying, you have endeared yourself to him. I can tell that he is very interested in you. If we plan this correctly, not only will you be married to the Itinerant Justice of Hampshire, but I will be married to his mother. We shall never have to worry about anything ever again!”
Vesper listened to him with mounting horror. “So… you see this as an opportunity to gain wealth? To put food on the table and coins in your purse?”
“What else is of matter in this world, Vesper? Do not be so naïve.”
Vesper wasn’t surprised at what she was hearing, to be truthful, but somehow her father’s words were hurtful. She was a woman of deep feeling with, perhaps, a rather foolish view of marriage– she wanted to at least like the man she was married to. With Val, there was a very strong like there already, even after knowing the man so short a time. But her father held no such view– he simply viewed it as a business transaction.
“I see,” she said, her manner hardening now that she realized what her father was after. “You have a son who murders and steals, but that is not your problem. You want to hide that fact by marrying a rich widow so Mat’s deeds will be buried by a wealthy marriage. Is that it?”
McCloud looked at her as if he had little more than contempt for her. She may be his daughter, but he was coming not to like her very much because of her rather righteous and inexperienced view of the world.
“When you have children and one of them is less than perfect, see if you would not do anything to solve the issue,” he said quietly. “If we have money to buy food, then Mat will no longer have to do what is necessary to feed us.”
Vesper was starting to feel a good deal of disgust for her father. She’d hoped to return home to solve the issue with Mat, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that her father had his own help in mind where she was concerned.Marry a rich woman.Feeling sickened, and foolish, she simply turned for the door and, without a word, quit the chamber.
When his daughter was gone, McCloud lay back down on his bed but found that he wasn’t as tired as he had been. His mind was racing with their conversation, with what was discussed. Now, Vesper knew what he expected of her. A rich bachelor was within her grasp and she would be stupid to reject him.
As for McCloud… he wouldn’t be stupid enough to let Margaretha de Nerra slip through his fingers.
The hunter had sighted his target.
*
“He flattered meinto the evening. You were there. You saw it, Valor.”
