Louis hesitated a moment before nodding. “I will always do as you wish, my lady,” he said. “No questions.”
Lista smiled weakly, suddenly feeling fatigued and muddled. Her ankle was hurting and she wanted to lie down and think about the events the day had brought. She also wanted to think about her mother and aunt, trying very hard to orchestrate the world around them.Herworld.
There was much to ponder.
“Thank you,” Lista said. “Now, if you will excuse me, I will return to my chamber. I suppose standing on this ankle is more painful than I realized.”
Louis came away from the wall. “May I lend assistance, my lady?”
Lista almost denied him but the truth was that she needed someone to lean on. Purely for the sake of practicality because if she didn’t accept his help, she’d be hopping and limping all the way back to her chamber. Therefore, she gave a reluctant nod and held out her hand. But Louis bypassed her hand and scooped her up into his big arms, carrying her all the way back to her chamber.
Lista was not happy about it.
Louis was.
Somehow, Lista knew Louis wasn’t going to give up so easily now that Julian was gone.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Pelinom Castle
He was atpeace.
At least, that’s what he told himself. But the truth was that he felt anythingbut peace. Here he was, at his ancestral home, the fortress where he was born, and he expected a certain amount of comfort from the place.
You are home now. Be at peace.
Those words kept rolling through his mind, over and over, as he tried to convince himself that he was where he needed to be. Not out and about in Berwick, or at an unfamiliar castle like Felkington with people he thought were his friends, but here where his family lived. People who never lied to him or humiliated him.
He was never going to leave again.
His jaunt from Felkington earlier in the day had been rather fast because Felkington wasn’t far from Pelinom. It was less than a half-day’s ride, so he’d made excellent time. He’d been greeted by his mother and, surprisingly, his sister, Effington and her husband, Rod. Then he’d been attacked by three nephews when he walked in the door, Effington’s young sons Reid and Rigg, the twins, and their younger brother, Ross. Julian had wrestled withlads he’d not seen since they were very little but they seemed to have no fear in trying to take him down, which they very nearly did when Ross threw himself into the back of Julian’s knees.
He could still hear his sister laughing.
Truth be told, it had been a marvelous way to be welcomed home. It had taken his mind off his troubles, but only briefly. For even now as he stood beneath the light of a three-quarter moon and watched the landscape beyond the walls of Pelinom, he could only think of one thing.
Lista.
He was coming to regret fleeing Felkington without telling her what he thought of her and her games. That magnificent woman who had held his face in her hands and had told him she thought his eyes were beautiful. Like a fool, he’d believed her. Hewantedto believe her. He wanted to believe that some woman, somewhere, would find him attractive with his oddly colored eyes and that name that still made some people whisper with fear.
De Velt.
The Dark Lord.
Mostly, he was angry at himself for letting his guard down, for believing the lies he shouldn’t have believed. He was angry at himself for making a friend of Louis, who turned out not to be a friend at all. It seemed that all men were alike, liars or cads or both. The only men who weren’t like that were family members and close friends, like Ashton and Anteaus. Never again would he trust anyone else.
Looking up in the night sky, he found himself speaking to the heavens, as he so often did.
“Papa,” he murmured. “Mama says you watch over us all and I’d like to believe that, but I’m embarrassed that you saw that I allowed myself to be made a fool of. I wish you were here to tell me what to do, to make me feel better about the situation. Butthe truth is that I’m not even sure you could work your magic this time.”
A soft breeze blew across the land, up the walls of Pelinom, lifting the hair that draped down over his right eye. Julian leaned against the wall, looking out over the landscape below.
“I thought she was the one I would marry,” he said. “She was a remarkable woman, Papa. Beautiful, kind, intelligent. At least, I thought she was remarkable. She told me that she liked my eyes and everything else about me. I let her lull me into a false sense of security. I trusted her and that trust was rewarded with betrayal.”
“I was wondering why you came home from Felkington so soon. Now, I know.”
Startled, Julian looked up to see his mother standing a few feet away. She’d come up the stairs and onto the wall walk and he never even heard her. Slightly embarrassed, he averted his gaze.
