Tate was having difficulty looking at him. “I was positive that I would never recover from it. But it seems that I was wrong.”
Stephen could see where this was leading; he’d known it from the start. It was only a matter of time before Tate confrontedhim about the situation with Toby. After the gift of the kitten earlier, it was expected. There was no point in dancing around the subject as Tate was doing so he cleared his throat, averting his gaze.
“In truth, my lord, I never had a chance,” he said quietly. “She has eyes only for you.”
Tate stopped fidgeting and looked at him. “What?”
Stephen’s gaze moved to the landscape beyond the walls. “Mistress Toby,” he clarified. “She has eyes only for you. I suppose it was my pride that caused me to see only what I wanted to see. I knew you were growing fond of her as I was. I thought I could win her over but I was wrong.”
Tate stared at him. “I remember back in Cartingdon when Kenneth jested with you about marrying her and ruling the town. Do you recall?”
Stephen nodded “I do.”
“You clearly showed no interest.”
“I had none at the time.”
“What changed your mind?”
“What changed yours?”
They gazed at each other for a moment before breaking into soft laughter. It was a welcome moment in a situation that could have quite easily gone the other way. As small as the gesture was, it was a relief, a moment between friends that signaled things were righting themselves. Tate finally shook his head.
“I have no idea,” he muttered. “All I know is that day we ventured into the mist to inspect sheep, something inside me changed. The woman already has unearthly beauty but that day, I saw incredible strength in her as well. Beyond that, I cannot explain more. All I know is that I see a chance for happiness with her again and I will take it. The woman is coming to mean a great deal to me.”
Stephen’s cornflower blue gaze lingered on him a moment. “Do you love her?”
Tate looked at him as if surprised by the question. He was about to deny it but found, in his heart, that he could not. He averted his gaze as if suddenly defeated, unable to muster the strength to deny the obvious. “I believe that I do.”
“Have you told her?”
“Nay.”
“You should, you know. She loves you as well.”
Tate looked at him again. “How would you know that?”
Stephen’s eyes glimmered. “I do not for sure. But if she looked at me the way she looks at you, then I would know that she loves me.”
Tate felt strangely empowered by that statement, as if his heart suddenly sprouted wings. It felt light, happy. “If that is true, then I am indeed blessed,” he said, turning to look Stephen fully in the face. “But I am deeply sorry if my relationship with her affects our friendship.”
Stephen’s gaze lingered on him. “It does not,” he said quietly. “It would take much more than that to destroy the trust that you and I have achieved over the years.”
Tate puffed out his cheeks with relief. “I had hoped so but in truth I was not sure. When a woman is involved, things can go very badly.”
“We are better than that, my lord.”
“I hoped so.”
“Besides that, we have more pressing matters to focus on.”
“Indeed we do.”
“There are the missing gates, the threat of a Mortimer counter-attack, and our imminent trip to London which has thus far been delayed.”
Tate nodded faintly, thinking of the priorities that had faced him two days ago were now becoming sidelined by his growinginvolvement with Toby. But Stephen was correct; there were more pressing matters that must be the priority. It was a struggle for Tate to refocus on something other than Toby.
The silence between them settled, though not uncomfortable. Tate had said what he had meant to say and Stephen had conceded. More than that, there was a clear understanding now. They both felt relieved by it.
