“Who is that old woman?” Elyse asked.
“A bloody assassin,” Merradoc muttered.
Emllyn slapped him weakly on the arm to shut him up as she turned to Elyse. “A serving woman who seems to be quite attached to me,” she said. “Have you not seen her before?”
Elyse shook her head. “I have seen her in passing, mostly near your chamber,” she replied, her gaze lingering on Eefha for a moment longer before turning away. “I am sure she is someone’s mother or aunt. As long as she is efficient with her work, I will not send her away. Speaking of efficient, my father tells me that he has arranged for minstrels to perform tonight. They have come all the way from Cork.”
Emllyn forced a smile because Elyse seemed so thrilled, but she knew it was a ploy by de Noble to somehow get into her good graces or otherwise introduce communication. The man hadn’t given up since he’d declared his intentions. It had been three days and since that time at every evening meal, he’d tried to speak with her or otherwise engage her, or even ask her to dance.
He’d asked her to dance twice; once when there had been nothing but a lute player and the second time when there had only been singing by one of the servants. It was bad singing at that. Emllyn had politely declined both times but de Noble waspersistent. She suspected the minstrels were part of his master plan.
“I am sure they will be lovely,” she said, “but I am feeling something of an aching head coming on. Unless it goes away, I may have to take my meal in my room tonight.”
Elyse’s smile faded; she knew it was because of her father. In fact, it was probably the worst kept secret at Glenteige. The great and powerful Raymond de Noble was in love with the newest visitor to Glenteige, the very lovely Emllyn Fitzgerald. It was all anyone could speak of, especially Merradoc and Elyse. The gossip was flying fast and heavy.
“Please, Emllyn,” she leaned over, begging softly. “I will tell my father to stay away. Please come and keep me company.”
Emllyn forced a brave smile at her, patting her arm, and Elyse clutched her hand tightly. As Elyse continued to hold her hand and engaged Connaught in a conversation about the hunting he had done earlier in the day, Emllyn found her attention wandering back to Eefha.
The old woman was still over by the well, now sitting on the edge of it and fumbling with her robes as if she had lost something in the folds. The night de Noble had told her about the siege of Black Castle, Emllyn had gone hunting for the old woman but had been unable to locate her so she had returned her chamber and gone to sleep for the night. Eefha had shown up in the morning, however, to bring Emllyn her morning meal, and Emllyn had tried to talk to her about the siege and about returning to Devlin.
Eefha, however, had been fairly unresponsive. She kept muttering something about sorrow and longing, and at one point sang a song about a woman who waited for her husband to return from the sea, and Emllyn deduced that the woman was trying to tell her not to go. It was perhaps sage advice because Emllyn knew that at Glenteige, in spite of de Noble and the castof eclectic characters, at least she was safe. Were she to flee and try to make her way to Black Castle, there was no knowing the perils she would face.
The more she thought on it, the more she realized that running off to Black Castle would be foolish. The last time she had done something foolish for a man, her entire life had changed, more than she would ever care to admit. To run off to try and save Devlin, or to find out what had become of him, was a ridiculous thought at best. Soon enough, they would know what happened to Black Castle and consequently to Devlin. Patience was not her greatest virtue but for Devlin’s sake, and for her own, she would have to wait. Sooner or later, she would know.
Everything leads me to thee.She had to believe he would return for her.
Still, it was disappointing and the wait, three days after she received the news, was becoming excruciating. De Noble’s well-intentioned suit didn’t help matters. Emllyn found her patience was very short these days.
A soft wind lifted the hem of her surcoat, a beautiful linen garment that Elyse had loaned her. It had a bodice that was crisscross laced with a golden ribbon, giving her an exquisite figure. With her hair pulled away from her face and elaborately braided into a bun at the nape of her neck, she looked positively magnificent. As she brushed away a bit of chaff that had blown onto her skirt from the yew tree, a shadow fell over her.
“Greetings, everyone.”
It was de Noble. Emllyn looked up, startled by the man’s swift appearance. He was perfectly groomed, as she had come to expect from him, and his handsome features smiled timidly at her. He had greeted the group but it was evident that his attention was only on Emllyn. She smiled wanly as Elyse caught her father’s attention.
“Greetings, Father,” she said, trying to pull his scrutinizing gaze off of Emllyn. “I thought you said you would be busy all day. New horses, wasn’t it?”
De Noble nodded, looking at his daughter. “Indeed,” he said. “An entire herd was brought to me by a local chieftain. They’re hairy and stocky from the winter season but I believe they will work out. Would you like to come and see them? I believe there are a couple of gentle mares you might find suitable.”
Elyse tried not to look at Emllyn for her reaction before responding. “I…” she began, glancing at Christopher before continuing with some uncertainty. “I think that would be lovely. Emllyn, will you excuse us?”
Emllyn opened her mouth but de Noble interrupted. “I should like for the Lady Emllyn to choose a palfrey, also,” he said, reaching down to take Emllyn’s hand. “There are quite a few horses to see. She might find more than one horse for her pleasure.”
He was gently holding on to Emllyn’s hand, encouraging her to stand, but Merradoc stepped in and took Emllyn’s hand away from him. He practically yanked her up from the bench and began pulling her in the direction of the keep.
“Not today, my lord,” he told de Noble briskly. “The lady’s head is aching. Why, before you came, we were contemplating retreating inside so that she could lie down. You would not want to make her ill by taking her into the dust and flies of a bunch of unruly horses, would you?”
De Noble wasn’t pleased by Merradoc’s actions. His expression reflected his displeasure intensely. “Of course I have no intention of making her ill,” he said. “But you yanking her around like that isn’t doing her any favors, either. Stop acting like I want to take her into a corner and ravage her.”
“Father!” Elyse gasped. “What a terrible thing to say!”
De Noble glanced at is daughter, his temper now unleashed. That hadn’t happened in a long time but he was truly frustrated by the attempts of his daughter and Merradoc to remove Emllyn from his presence every time he got near her. It had been going on for several days and he’d finally had enough. It was frustrating as well as embarrassing.
“That is enough from you,” he snapped at his daughter, pointing at her. “You act as if I have the plague every time I get near the Lady Emllyn and I will thank you to stop. I realize she is not interested in me at the moment but there is no way to convince her otherwise if you and your silly physic are constantly removing her from my presence every time I get close to her. I want it stopped, I say. Do you understand me?”
“Silly?” Merradoc repeated, grossly offended. “I amsilly?”
Elyse shushed Merradoc loudly. “Hush!” she hissed, returning her attention to her father. “Father, must we discuss this in the open for all to hear? You are embarrassing me!”
