Kenneth fought off a grin. “I seem to recall that I defeated you in the mêlée the last tournament we competed in,” he said. “Coventry, wasn’t it? I knocked you off your feet.”
Mathias cocked an eyebrow. “I tripped.”
“Tripped or fell, the result was the same.”
“You are too confident. If you do not cease this foolish boasting, I shall ask de Lara permission to compete against you in the tournament to knock some of that arrogance out of you.”
It was a calculated statement. Mathias wanted to see how Tate would react to the idea of him competing in the games based on the very war implements he had sworn never to wield again. Even though he had skirted the subject with his father and declared that he wasn’t, in fact, taking up arms, the truth was that at some point, he would be wielding a weapon if he advanced in the games. That being said, his statement to de Lara constituted a pivotal moment, one that Mathias found himselfgreatly anticipating. Before Tate could respond, however, a small figure entered the stall.
“Cousin Tate! What a wonderful surprise to find you here!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The men turnedin the direction of the delighted utterance to see Cathlina standing in the doorway. Clad in a pale blue surcoat with a sheer white scarf around her head and shoulders, she looked like an angel. At her abrupt appearance, however, silent shock filled the air.
Mathias, in fact, was frozen. He had never seen anything so beautiful, but in the same breath, he had no idea what to do. Her appearance was unexpected and, at the moment, unwelcome. He was terrified for what was to come now, terrified that Tate would tell her everything about him and then all would be lost. Already, he felt a huge sense of loss.
“Cathlina?” Tate was the first to speak, his voice a mixture of surprise, pleasure, and disapproval. “What in the world are you doing here?”
Cathlina extended her hand to Tate, which he caught in his massive glove. She beamed up at him as he held her hand tightly. “Father brought us to see the tournament,” she said. “We have only just left your lady wife. She says you are to compete today.”
Tate nodded. “Indeed,” he replied. “I am competing, as is Sir Kenneth. Surely you remember him?”
Cathlina turned to the big blond knight standing behind her. She hadn’t really noticed him when she entered the stall because he was back in the shadow of the wall. He was smiling at her, his ice-blue eyes rather soft. So the great St. Héverwashere. She wondered how her sister was going to react to his presence and she further wondered if St. Héver had gotten over his infatuationwith her. As he bowed his head towards her in greeting, she was rather hoping so.
“Sir Kenneth,” she said, forcing a smile. “It is agreeable to see you again.”
Kenneth bobbed his head at her again. “It is agreeable to see you as well, my lady,” he said. “You are looking very well.”
It was as close to a compliment as the serious knight could come and somehow, Cathlina sensed that his infatuation for her had not burned itself out. There was something in the depths of the ice-blue eyes that told her so. Quickly, she turned her attention back to her cousin.
“We are very excited to see you both compete,” she said. “Abechail is so excited that she cannot eat. This is her first tournament, you know.”
Tate was still holding on to her, now shaking his head. “I did not know,” he replied. “How is she feeling?”
Cathlina’s smile faded. “She is the same,” she replied. “The physics say her disease is worsening. Sometimes she spends weeks in bed, coughing that awful stuff out of her lungs. The physics tell my parents that it is only a matter of time before… well, before she is no longer with us. Mother cannot abide their word. She believes God will heal Abbie. I pray that he does.”
“As do I,” Tate said softly.
Cathlina nodded sadly, trying not to think of her sister’s sorrowful state. But thoughts of Abechail reminded her of what had happened two days before, the very reason why she was in the smithy stall, and her attention shifted from Tate to Mathias, standing a few feet away.
“Two days ago, in fact, Abechail would have suffered a terrible fate had it not been for this smithy,” she said, pointing to the man. “He saved our lives and I am sure he is a very good smithy, so if you have come to solicit work from him, I would ask that you do so. We owe him our gratitude at the very least.”
Tate and Kenneth looked at Mathias and he could read the surprise on their faces. But with Tate, there was more than surprise; there was amusement and perhaps approval. It was difficult to say. Tate let go of Cathlina’s hand as he focused on Mathias.
“Is this so?” he asked, more to Cathlina than to Mathias. “What did he do?”
Cathlina was back to smiling broadly, her gaze nothing short of adoring on Mathias. “When we were in town with Father a few days ago, a man tried to abduct Abechail,” she told Tate. “He just lifted her right out of the wagon and tried to make off with her. I tried to stop him but he was too big for me to fight. I cried for help but no one would come. Just as I thought all was lost, Mathias stepped in and saved us. He was wonderful.”
By this time, Tate was listening seriously. “What did you do?” he asked Mathias.
Mathias tried to downplay his heroism. “A fool half out of his mind tried to take the little one,” he said, rather quietly. “It was not as great a feat to stop him as she implies. Sebastian took the fool out back and put him in the stocks.”
“Is he still there?”
“He is.”
Tate cocked an eyebrow. “Then see he is properly punished.”
