“That was not meant to make you weep,” he said. “It was meant to give you comfort. When you told me how, and why, you had come to Aphrodite’s Feast, you never mentioned that your father was brutal toward you.”
She was looking at her lap, flicking away tears when they started to trail down her cheeks. “I have only just met you, my lord,” she said. “There has not been time for me to tell you my entire family history.”
“True,” Jareth said. “Can we expect your father back anytime soon, then?”
She shook her head. “Probably not,” she said. “At least, I hope not. May… may I return to my duties now, please?”
Jareth sighed. She genuinely had no intention of allowing him to know her any more than she already had, and that bothered him. It shouldn’t. He shouldn’t have cared. But he didn’t like the thought of someone roughing up this lovely, bright woman, even if the man doing the roughing up was her father.
But there was also something in him that understood her situation, very well.
“I know we do not know one another, my lady,” he said quietly. “I know I am virtually a stranger to you. But I have inherited something I never expected to inherit and you are the one person who knows everything about it, inside and out, so by virtue of that fact, we will be working closely together as I become accustomed to the workings of this empire. It would make it more pleasant for us both if we knew each other a little. Trust has to start somewhere.”
She wiped at her cheeks and looked at him. “That is true,” she said. “I am not trying to be evasive. It is simply that my relationship with my father is a complicated one. Complicated and unpleasant. The only good thing he ever did for me was give me over to Lord Chester to pay off the debt he owed him.”
“You mentioned that that debt was paid.”
“It is,” she said. “That was one of the reasons my father came here today. He knows the debt is paid and he further assumes, rightly so, that Lord Chester has been paying wages for managing his ledgers. He wanted to know how much money I have because he evidently has another gambling debt to pay off.”
Jareth grunted in disapproval. “So he was here with a purpose.”
She nodded. “Aye,” she said. “He also came to tell me that my brother was murdered. In my whole life, my brother is theonly person who has ever been truly kind to me. That is why I retreated to my chamber when my father left. I simply needed some time to come to terms with Benedict’s death.”
Jareth began to feel sorry for her. “You have my sympathies, my lady,” he said. “News such as that is never easy to bear.”
“Nay, it is not.”
“May I ask what happened?”
She shrugged, thought she was starting to tear up again. “My father said that he was set upon by outlaws who intended to rob him,” she said. “Killed by outlaws, he said. But he was just so cold about it, as if Benedict was not his son, just some stranger he had no ties to. It is heartbreaking to think that Benedict tried so hard to take care of a man who gave him such disregard. As if he was not his father.”
“The same way he treats you.”
“That is very true,” Desdra agreed. “A man like that should not have children.”
Jareth couldn’t disagree with her. “In my experience, men like that are the way they are for a reason,” he said. “A horrible childhood, mayhap the actions of others. Sometimes it is a way to defend one’s feelings.”
But Desdra shook her head. “Not Ciaran,” she said. “He was the same way with my mother. I was young when she died giving birth to a son, who also died, but I remember my father hardly caring. He sent her body home to her parents and demanded money in return for the loss of his wife. I was very young, but I still remember him becoming angry when they refused to pay him.”
Jareth thought the man sounded like a detestable creature. “That is unfortunate,” he said. “I’m sorry you had to endure such callousness.”
She nodded, accepting his sympathies, wiping at the tears that were still trickling. “Benedict wasn’t like my father in theleast,” she said. “He was compassionate and kind. My father drifted between hating him and depending on him. When he sent me to Lord Chester in payment of the debt, I thought Benedict was going to kill him. He was furious. But in the end, there was nothing he could do. My father had every legal right to make those decisions for me.”
Jareth could only imagine how a loving brother might have felt over the destiny of a helpless sister. “But you stayed in contact with your brother over the years?” he said.
“I did,” Desdra said. “In fact, he came here to visit me about three months ago. He said that he’d been in negotiations with the Earl of Lincoln. He had been offered a position with him.”
“Oh?” Jareth said. “John de Lacy? I know him well. Did your brother assume the position, then?”
Desdra shrugged. “I do not know,” she said. “I only know he was offered the position. I do not know if he actually accepted it. Knowing my father, he surely gave my brother a good deal of grief over even considering it, but the truth is that even though my father is titled, there is no money. Benedict would inherit an empty title and no money, so he was trying to make his own fortune. I cannot blame him.”
“Nor I,” Jareth said. “My lady, would you like me to write to de Lacy and find out if your brother had indeed accepted the position? Mayhap there are wages owed. I can clarify the situation if you wish, and if there is money involved, I can have it sent to you directly.”
Desdra looked at him with some surprise. “That is very kind,” she said. “Benedict was married, however. Any money should go to his widow.”
“Would you like me to contact de Lacy about it?”
“I am not sure,” she said hesitantly. “Truthfully, I am more concerned for his widow. She is a sweet woman, and since I know my father will not take care of her, I feel as if I should. Iwill write to her and ask her if she is returning to her family. If not, Aphrodite’s Feast was made for someone like her, because she can earn money so she and her children will not starve.”
