“Me? I speak only the truth.”
“When it suits you, you speak the truth; when it suits, you lie. You are not constant, Ceidre,” Rolfe purred.
“And when it suits, you bed your wife, and when it suits, you chase after me!” Ceidre flung back, her cheeks stained pink. Her eyes widened—at her audacity and bravery.
He closed his hand over her arm, but her courage thrilled him. “Stop. You are getting overwrought. You will be ill again.”
“Do you care?” She was instantly horrified at her telltale bitter tone.
His jaw tightened. For a long moment he did not answer. Then he said abruptly, “The health and well-being of every serf on Aelfgar is my responsibility. As is yours. Where are you sleeping?”
“Lady Alice let me move in with my grandmother.”
“I want you under this roof.”
“The better to chase me?”
His gaze pinned her, and she shrank. “The better to guard you, Ceidre. You are a traitor, and my responsibility. I do not trust you, not as far as I can spit.” And he thought of his loss of York—and his betrayal of his king.
The hall was empty, as he had ordered, except for Guy. Through the open front door Rolfe could see the comings and goings of his men and his serfs. It was a glorious day, hot, bright, the first of July. There did not seem to be a cloud in the sky. Inside, it was overly warm, and a thin film of sweat covered his skin beneath the lightest-weight undertunic he possessed.
Guy was aghast. Rolfe had informed him of his meeting with William and the punishment that had been meted out for Morcar’s escape. “’Tis unfair,” he cried. “You have no cause to be treated like any other. You are his best man and he knows it!”
“William has never been one to play his favorites too heavily,” Rolfe said, staring out the door again. He was waiting for Ceidre, whom he had summoned. Last night, in his distress, he had lost all his intention and desire to interrogate her. But that must be rectified. “I want her watched carefully now that she is up and about,” he said.
Guy did not have to be told who “she” was. He hesitated.
“Spit it out,” Rolfe said.
“My lord, I do not trust her. Mayhap she should be kept confined.”
The thought was frankly distasteful. “She will not betray me again,” he said, with confidence he did not feel. “Besides, I need her.” He smiled at Guy’s confusion. “If anyone will be in touch with her whoreson traitor brothers, ’twill be her.”
Guy’s eyes lighted with understanding.
Ceidre appeared in the doorway, the sun behind her, creating a halo, dimming her. Rolfe gestured her inside, away from the sunlight, and she came, warily. His chest tightened again at the mere sight of her, and from his physical response, he was reminded of yet another thing—how he had failed to exorcise his lust for her last night. In his agitation he had completely forgotten to rendezvous with the maid. Now she even holds me faithful, he thought, unamused.
Guy moved to leave. “Stay,” Rolfe ordered, and smiled at Ceidre. Her eyes widened. He gestured at Alice’s chair. “Sit.”
She came forward, apprehensive now, and sat. He towered over her. “Where are your brothers, Ceidre?”
She blinked. “I don’t know.”
“Do not lie. I am your lord, and I am demanding this information. Where are they?”
“I do not know,” she said, lips set mulishly.
He reached out and touched her cheek, the stroke soft, gentle—frightening. “Because of your treachery I have lost York. And because of you I will regain it. Nothing will stop me from finding Morcar and returning him to the king. Do you understand?”
She was angry, her eyes were almost black, burning. “If you think I will help you, you are wrong!”
“I am considering a marriage for you,” Rolfe said expressionlessly.
She gasped.
It was a lie, but he knew she would cherish her independence, and he would lie now to get what he wanted. “If you please me, I might reconsider. If you do not please me, I will choose you a groom—today. And he will not be averse to beating the truth out of you, as I am. He will most likely be a common sort, eager to please his new lord, and he will not let his wife defy him. Do you understand?”
“You wouldn’t.”
