Sean grinned at him, but the warmth in his eyes was obvious. “Again, my congratulations,” he said. “Well done, Keev. I am happy for you.”
Kevin smiled in return, a moment of tenderness between brothers who had seen little of it over the years. It was as if all of those years of hurt and pain had faded away, only to be recalled in moments when they would no longer matter. Kevin and Sean had made amends and their bond was stronger than it had ever been.
Life, between them, was good once more.
Leaving his brother and the knights still at the table with that powerful pear cider to keep them company, Kevin took Juliandra out into the sunshine of the waning day. It was still daylight, but leaning towards dusk, and the castle was busy preparing for an evening meal that Juliandra would not be supervising.
Not this night.
She had something else to do.
So did Kevin. He kept looking at her, smiling at her, laughing softly when she would flush and look away. He had her by the hand, taking her over to the keep where he had moved all of their belongings into the large chamber. It was a beautiful chamber, in truth, or at least it had once been. A big bedframe was still there, and still serviceable, and all it had needed was a mattress and linens, which servants provided earlier.
Kevin was thinking ahead to what they were about to do when Juliandra’s soft voice filled his ears.
“I like your brother,” she said. “He seems to be a very nice man.”
Kevin never thought he would hear those words where they pertained to Sean. “I like him, too.”
She chuckled. “I should hope so,” she said. “But I sense something about him.”
“What?”
She shrugged as they entered the keep. “I am not certain,” she said. “He is intelligent and kind, and it is clear that he loves his wife and children very much, but there is something in his eyes that suggest… a wounding.”
They had reached the stairs and Kevin went first, taking her hand as he went. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “It is difficult to describe,” she said. “As if there is something inside him that is wounded, or has been wounded. He is joyful, but it seems as if he has not always been so.”
“He hasn’t,” Kevin said. “There was a time when Sean de Lara was the most feared man in all of England.”
“Hewas?” she gasped. “Why?”
Kevin figured he might as well tell her. She was related to Sean now, so she may as well know about him. At least, some of it. Better to hear it from Kevin than from someone else.
“Because he was a personal bodyguard to King John,” he said, his voice quiet. “My brother is one of the greatest spies England has ever seen and he spent nine years spying on the king. It very nearly cost him his life. So, your observations are astute– there was something inside of him, badly wounded once. He is only now overcoming it.”
They had reached the floor where their new chamber was located and they emerged into a small landing that had two doors in it. One led to a smaller chamber and one to their larger one.
“Poor man,” Juliandra said. “But I am glad he is overcoming it.”
“So am I. But do not mention it to him. If he wishes to speak about it, he will.”
She felt as if she had been entrusted with important information and she took his request seriously. “I will not, I swear it.”
They entered the chamber, which didn’t look anything like it had only hours earlier. The bed was freshly made and the floor was cleanly swept. Juliandra’s possessions had been moved into a wardrobe and into a trunk next to the wardrobe, while all of Kevin’s possessions were shoved into a corner. He didn’t want anyone touching them and he had yet to organize them, so they sat in a pile.
As Kevin closed the chamber door and threw the heavy bolt, Juliandra went to the fire, which the servants had stoked. Taking the iron rod leaning against the wall next to it, she poked at the fire, stirring the flames, which brightened. Over near the bed, Kevin began to remove his clothing.
“I have been thinking on something,” he said.
She poked at a big piece of wood, breaking it up. “What?”
He began to remove his outer tunic. “It is customary when people are married to take a trip somewhere,” he said. “When we are certain that Aeron will not storm Wybren and try to burn it to the ground, I will take you anywhere you wish to go. Where would that be?”
Juliandra looked at him in surprise. “Truly?”
“Truly.”
