Ivy did not flush, as she should have. Instead, she gave her sister a bold, seductive look. “He said that you once asked if he was black all over. I can confirm that he is.”
Alec rolled his eyes at the bawdy turn in conversation. “I am sure he does not wish for that to become public knowledge, Ivy.”
“I am not the public,” Peyton said indignantly.
“Nay, you are not, you are my wife, and I shall not have you privy to such personal knowledge as another man’s body characteristics,” he cast a stern eye to Ivy. “You will keep such facts to yourself. You will not tantalize my wife with tales of your all-black soldier.”
Ivy laughed at him, as did Peyton. Alec tried to remain stern, pulling Peyton closer and burying his face in her neck lest they see that he was on the verge of grinning. Peyton patted his head as if he were a child.
“I am afraid we have embarrassed him with our bold talk,” she told her sister. “He shall never recover.”
“Poor, poor Alec,” Ivy clucked. “Tell me, Peyton. Is he white all over?”
Peyton opened her mouth and Alec’s head came up. “Not a word,” he threatened. “That is something your sister will have to ponder the rest of her life. Now, the both of you, cease this line of talk. I am terribly unnerved by the entire thing.”
Peyton and Ivy grinned at each other. “Poor innocent pup,” Ivy said soothingly. “Of course we will speak of something else that will not upset your delicate balance. Let’s talk about breeding.”
“Breeding!” Alec boomed. “Not a chance!”
“Horse breeding, Alec,” Ivy insisted, losing the battle against her giggles. “Won’t you tell us about it?”
“No,” he said flatly, swatting his wife’s behind when she leapt from his lap in a fit of snickers. “It’s a secret. Not for your fragile feminine ears.”
Peyton shook her head as Ivy begged and Alec refused, moving for the wardrobe and thinking on changing into a fresh gown. She continued to dig through the wardrobe as Alec and Ivy bantered until she suddenly realized that something was missing from their room. Someone was missing.
“Ivy, where’s Jubil?”
“She went out after the nooning meal to scour the countryside for new ingredients,” Ivy replied. “She took a knight with her– what’s his name? Toby? He looks a good deal like you, Alec.”
Alec raised an eyebrow, the mirth gone from his expression. He did not say anything for a moment, a distinct give away, and Peyton turned to look at him intently from her position by the wardrobe.
“Is he a cousin?” she asked.
He sighed and shook his head. They would both hear the truth soon enough; better to hear it from him. “He is my half-brother.”
Peyton looked at him in surprise. “You father’s bastard?”
“Nay,” he replied quietly. “My mother’s.”
Peyton’s eyes widened further and she glanced at Ivy, whose face was a mirror of her own. “Yourmother’sbastard?” Peyton repeated.
He nodded faintly, rising from the bed with popping joints. “Toby was born while my father was away, fighting with King Henry. I do not know who his father is and I never asked.”
Peyton, brow furrowed with puzzlement, turned back to her wardrobe. “He is a very handsome man. Except for his shorter height, he looks a good deal like you.”
Alec appeared lost in thought a moment longer before glancing at his wife. “He is a good lad. My father allowed him to return to Blackstone after fostering because my mother missed him terribly. Especially after the misfortune of Paul and the loss of Peter, my father would not deny my mother her living flesh.”
Peyton drew out a golden gown, her movements slow and thoughtful. “Your father is a saint, Alec. I would not be so generous.”
Alec shrugged. “He is a decent man, far more than most. As I said, I do not know the entire story regarding Toby’s birth and most likely never will. But, if you please, this knowledge goes no further.”
Ivy nodded solemnly as Peyton laid the golden gown on the bed. Alec eyed it with approval. “A magnificent piece. You will outshine the sun.”
“It’s not for me, it’s for Ivy,” she said firmly. “’Tis the dress she will be married in.”
Alec smiled faintly, glancing to his sister-in-law. “In that case, Ivy, you shall outshine the sun.”
Ivy stood from her chair, brushing her fingers over the burnished gold. “How long does it take to ride to Northampton?”
