“I will wash it out for you if you wish,” she said. “I shall be happy to make amends if you will let me.”
He shook his head. “The offer is appreciated, but there is no need,” he said. Then he eyed her, still smiling. “You are quite formidable, in fact. I would not wish to tangle with you again.”
Her face flushed red and she quickly lowered her gaze. “It was only out of fear, I assure you.”
He looked at her lowered head, thinking her to be quite enchanting. Ferocious, but enchanting.
He rather liked that.
“There is one thing you can do for me,” he said.
Her head came up. “What is that?”
“Tell me your name,” he said, a glimmer in his eye. “You know mine and I know your daughter’s, but I do not know yours.”
Her features relaxed, and she smiled, but with some chagrin. Usually, formal introductions were made by others, but with no one around, there was little choice when it came to propriety.
“I am Catalina de Barenton,” she said. “My father is Harald de Efford.”
“Lord Eckington?”
“You know him?”
Essien nodded. “I do,” he said. “He and Hereford are friends and allies. He has come to visit us on occasion, but I did not know he had a daughter.”
She nodded. “One child,” she said. “He never mentioned me?”
“Not that I heard.”
She sighed, as if that was to be expected. “I married young,” she said. “I’ve been away from Eckington Castle for almost ten years, so I am certain my father felt childless at times. My husband served with Richard FitzRoy at Wallingford Castle. He remained there even after FitzRoy moved on to other properties, so that is where we lived until his death last year.”
“I see,” Essien said. “I am sorry for the loss of your husband, Lady de Barenton. What was his first name?”
“Alfred.”
Essien pondered that for a moment. “Alas, I do not know him,” he said. “Hereford has never had much to do with RichardFitzRoy, given that he is a bastard of King John, who was Hereford’s mortal enemy.”
“My father did not particularly like him, either.”
Essien chuckled. “The man has good taste,” he said. “Speaking of men, I saw your father’s knight in the staging area this afternoon. Le Kerque?”
Her smile faded. “Aye,” she said. “Lance le Kerque has served my father for a few months now. He used to be on the tournament circuit before that, but you probably already know.”
“I do,” he said. “Though he tended to ride the eastern circuit, our paths crossed sometimes. He called himself the King of Pain, you know.”
She frowned. “What a terrible name,” she said, chuckling at the distasteful moniker. “Do you know him well?”
Essien shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “Only in passing.”
The dog picked that moment to squirm out of Ines’s arms, rushing back down the alley and disappearing. Stricken, the girl started to follow, but Catalina was faster this time. And closer. She grabbed her daughter and hauled the kicking, yelling child into her arms.
“I willnotlose her again,” she said firmly. “If you will excuse us, my lord, I must find my father. And mayhap tie this little one down so she cannot run off again.”
Essien could see that the child was giving her mother a difficult time with flying feet and kicking legs. “I will escort you,” he said. “And do not argue with me. There are many unsavory characters at these tournaments and I should not like you to have to fight off one of them. I think you’ve done enough fighting for today.”
Catalina didn’t argue with him. She simply nodded, smiling her thanks at his chivalry and trying to avoid being kicked.
“We must return to the man with the dogs,” she told him. “I left my other daughter there to wait for me. She’s the obedient one.”
