Mattie pursed her lips wryly. “That is what he said.”
“He did?”
She nodded. “Aye,” she said. “He said it is a working fortress with no great feasts or social gatherings.”
“He is right,” Maksim said. “Gar lives in a world of warfare, Mattie. That’s all he knows. In a sense, I applaud him for telling you that so there are no illusions of the man. When you marry him, you’ll not go to live in a fine palace, but a place of war. You’ve never had to do that.”
Mattie thought on that for a moment before setting her sewing needle down and sighing softly. “Then why do you want me to talk to him again?” she said. “It seems as if the decision has already been made.”
Maksim waggled his eyebrows, silently suggesting what was to come. “Because he is in trouble for being honest with you,” he said. “Papa is furious that you want to break the betrothal and so is Troy. He told Gar that if he could not repair what he had damaged by telling you the truth, Gar would be stripped of his garrison and everything else he held dear. He would be sent away, never to serve the de Wolfe family again.”
Mattie looked at him seriously. “Gar is going to lose everything for being honest about the situation?”
Maksim nodded. “That sums it up,” he said. “I know that Gar might not be the refined lord you were hoping for, but that is because he’s never had anyone—a woman—guide him. Matilda, when you marry Gar, you will be marrying a man who will be loyal to you for life. He will defend you to the death. He will never be abusive or cruel. You cannot say that about many men, but one can say that about Gar. Mayhap the reality of who he has become ten years after you first met him is not ideal, but he is still a good man. I would stake my life on it.”
Mattie’s defenses when it came to Gar were beginning to crumble. “And you think I should marry him?”
“Again, I do not think you can find a better husband.”
Mattie sighed again, this time long and slow. It was clear that she was debating what to do, but her brother’s words had had an impact on her. She knew that Maksim would never do her wrong. She trusted him. If he said Gar was a good man, then he was.
Perhaps manners and basic hygiene were something she could teach him.
Hopefully.
“Very well,” she said, putting her sewing aside. “He’s in the garden, you said?”
“Aye,” Maksim said. “At least talk to him. He’s going to lose quite a lot if you refuse the marriage. His life is in your hands, Mattie.”
That didn’t give her any sense of purpose. In fact, it put pressure on her where none had existed before. She was still angry with Gar, but she was also feeling strangely apologetic. The only thing that kept her from refusing completely was the fact that Maksim hardly spoke well of anyone, but he spoke well of Gar. And he’d also been right about something else—Gar had hurt her feelings with his honesty. Had he tried to convince her to break the betrothal? Possibly. He hadn’t come right out andsaid it, but she had gone on assumption. She hadn’t mistaken his meaning. But perhaps Gar’s honesty was offending her into bitterness.
His life is in your hands, Mattie.
She wished Maksim hadn’t said that.
CHAPTER SIX
“God’s Bones, he’sback.”
Those were Gar’s softly uttered words as Winchester ran straight for him. Since he was wearing the only pair of breeches he had, even if they were something a pauper would wear, he still didn’t want to surrender them to that wild dog who seemed to have a vendetta against him.
Gar was in Hensingham’s lovely garden, which was a mix of flowers, a pond with fish in it, and, along the western wall, an array of vegetables. There were servants on that end of the garden and he quickly headed in that direction when the dog, accompanied by a young woman, charged through the gate at him. He made it over to the servants just in time to weave among them, walk around them, and otherwise try to keep Winchester off his tail. But Winchester was determined to get his pound of flesh and Gar was forced to yank a branch off an apple tree, using it to keep the dog away from him. He didn’t want to hurt the beast, but he also didn’t want to be injured, so he ended up using one of the male servants as a shield, pushing the dog away with the branch.
“Winchester!”
Someone was screaming at the dog and it wasn’t the young woman who had accompanied him. That young woman seemed terrified by what was happening and offered no help. Gar looked toward the sounds of the shouting at the garden entrance to see Mattie standing there, shrieking angrily at her dog. But Winchester wasn’t apt to listen. He kept growling and barking at Gar, trying to take a bite out of him, as Gar and the frightened servant kept the dog at bay.
“Winnie, you are a menace,” Mattie said as she ran up and grabbed the dog around the neck. She was dragging him back when she caught sight of Agnes cowering near the garden wall. “Agnes! Come and get the dog!”
Agnes ran to her but was clearly frightened by the snarling dog. “Why is he doing this?” she said fearfully. “I have never seen him do this!”
Mattie picked the dog up, which was no mean feat considering he was probably half her weight, and thrust him at Agnes.
“Take him out,” she said in a tone that sounded much like a command. “Make sure he cannot get back in here!”
Agnes couldn’t quite carry the dog, so she put her arms around his body, under his front legs, and half dragged, half walked the dog out of the garden. Mattie followed, making sure to shut the gate once they were out. She stood there a moment, peering through the iron grate to make sure Agnes and the dog were well away, before brushing off her hands and turning back in Gar’s direction.
By that time, Gar had released the frightened servant and tossed the branch away, making his way toward Mattie. It was a wide garden, so they had their focus on one another as they closed the gap, weaving around the flower beds.
