Julian bit his lip to keep from grinning.
“My sister is a sweet woman, but she has never been the tidy sort,” he said.
Lista put a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles, but not before Julian caught a glimpse of straight, white teeth and a big dimple in her right cheek. “It is comforting to know that she is not as perfect as I thought she was,” she said. “This wardrobe looks like mine, except I do not trap cats in it.”
Julian let his grin break through, flashing his own dimples. “I would be careful sticking my hands in there,” he said. “You just never know what more she has trapped in there, living or dead.”
Lista feigned fear, a charming gesture as far as Julian was concerned, and proceeded cautiously. “Goodness,” she said. “What more shall I find? A nest for fae?”
“More than likely a nest for trolls.”
Lista giggled. “That is not a very nice thing to say about your sister,” she said. “I am sure there are no trolls in here, nasty things.”
“I would not be too sure.”
She glanced at him, her sea-colored eyes twinkling, and he grinned and looked away. He was leaning against the door jamb, those enormous arms crossed, head lowered as he looked at his feet. Even though his hair was hanging over half his face, Lista could still see the smirk on his face. She could feel the brotherly love towards a sister.
She rather liked it.
“You have experience with trolls, then?” she asked, teasing him as she began to pick up the clothing at her feet. “Surely a knight of your caliber should have no trouble with them.”
Julian saw what she was doing and broke his stance by the door, coming in to help. “No trouble with trolls,” he said, picking up an armload of garments and tossing them onto the bed. “You?”
It was a rather witty comeback and she fought off a grin. “Not recently, no,” she said, collecting a pile of scarves that had fallen out. “And you only have one sister?”
He shook his head, collecting some slippers that had tumbled out. “Three,” he said. “Allaston, Effington, and Addington. Addie is the youngest.”
“And one brother?”
Julian wasn’t sure how to answer that. “I had three,” he said, feeling his good mood fade. “We lost my youngest brother around the same time as we lost my father.”
Lista put the scarves on the bed. “I am sorry,” she said. “I did not mean to pry.”
“You did not.”
She wasn’t so sure, but he was being polite about it, anyway. She turned back for the remainder of the pile on the floor. “I have no brothers or sisters anymore,” she said. “I lost my brother, also. I understand how you feel.”
Julian tilted his head to the side. “Then you have my condolences, as well,” he said sincerely.
“It must be a good feeling to have a big family. It must make you feel as if you belong to something happy and loving.”
“Or annoying and frustrating,” he said, reaching down to pick up a cloak. “Especially if your sister embarrasses you in front of a guest.”
He meant the pile of clothing but Lista grinned. “She did nothing of the sort,” she insisted, picking up a final garment off the floor and seeing that it was a dark blue wool with silver embroidery on it. It seemed simple enough and a good fabric against the cold night. “Do you think your sister would mind if I borrowed this one?”
Julian looked at it. She was holding it against her and in the gentle glow of the tallow candles, he could see the dark blue color reflecting in her eyes. There was something so beautiful about her at the moment, something ethereal, that it took his breath away. He’d never had that kind of a reaction to a woman in his life. He could have stared at her all night but when she fixed on him, meeting his eyes, he quickly averted his gaze.
“I do not think she would,” he said. “Is there anything else I can help you with, my lady? Should I send for a servant to help you dress?”
Lista’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before she placed the dress carefully on the bed, disturbing the cat. She couldn’t help but notice that while he would warm a little, he clearly had no intention of being anything other than politely friendly. Whenever their gazes would meet, he would quickly look away.
Sadly, she knew why. Or, at least she thought she did.
“That is not necessary,” she said. “I do not need help dressing, though I appreciate your offer. I fear that, twice now, I have taken far too much of your valuable time. So if you wish to return to the hall, I will heartily encourage you to do so.”
Julian shook his head. “I cannot,” he said simply. “I will wait for you to change into dry clothing and escort you to the hall.”
With that, he quit the chamber and shut the door behind him, leaving Lista feeling the least bit bewildered and also a little disappointed. He was such a handsome man, beautifully built, but there was absolutely nothing he saw in her that he liked. Truth be told, Lista hadn’t been around many young knights, atleast men of eligible marital age, so her time with Julian was quite rare.
