William pondered the reivers a moment longer before spying someone coming out of the keep. Edmund de Vauden was up very early for some reason, and William zeroed in on the man.He hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to him last night about the betrothal between Thomas and Adelaide, and now that he spied the man alone, he was keen to have the conversation that had been the whole point of inviting Edmund to Wark. Putting his hand on his son’s good shoulder, he turned him for the keep.
“That is enough for this morning,” he said. “Go inside and sleep. Your mother and I will watch your castle and your men while you do.”
Thomas shook his head. “Papa, I am perfectly capable of functioning without sleep,” he said. “It is you and Mother I worry over. Neither one of you is getting any younger.”
William cast his son a sidelong glance. “Will you tell your mother that to her face?”
Thomas grinned. “Not me,” he said. “And if you tell her I said that, I will deny it.”
“She will not believe you.”
“Then I shall run very fast.”
William smirked, giving his son a little shove in the direction of the keep. “Go,” he said, his gaze finding Edmund as the man hurried towards the warmth of the hall. “I have business with Edmund now that he is awake.”
Thomas saw Edmund, too, as the man rushed through the outer bailey. “About his witch of a daughter?”
William’s gaze lingered on Edmund for a moment before he began to walk away. “That is for me to know,” he said. “I will see you later.”
Leaving Thomas standing there, suspecting what his father was going to speak to Northumbria about, William picked up the pace and rushed to intercept Edmund before the man could get to the great hall. He almost didn’t make it because Edmund moved surprisingly fast, but he managed to catch him before he could make it to the entry. Literally, he put himself between Edmund and the door.
“Good morn to you, Edmund,” William said pleasantly. “What has you up so early?”
Edmund appeared tired and cold, his nose pinched red. “I could not find any servants in the keep,” he said, disgusted. “It seems that I must get my own food this morning, de Wolfe.”
William’s attempt to be kind and polite was already being tested. “The servants were required to tend to the wounded in the hall,” he said. “You know that the army rode out to defend Coldstream last night and we have wounded as a result. My apologies for having disrupted your morning.”
Edmund grunted with disapproval. “Is the skirmish over?”
“It is, for now.”
“Good. I am leaving today. I do not wish to be where there is fighting going on.”
William’s patience was thinning. “You are a border lord, Edmund,” he said. “You know there can, and will, always be some manner of fighting. Twizel Castle belongs to you and it protects a very important bridge over the River Tweed. There is constantly fighting there.”
Edmund looked at him in frustration. “That is true, but I am not there,” he said, snappish. “I am safe at Kyloe Castle, which is a goodly distance away. I do not make it a habit of being at castles that are under siege.”
William could see that the conversation was never going to be pleasant. It was probably only going to get worse, given Edmund’s agitated state because he’d had to seek his own food, so he decided to bring up the subject he needed to speak with the man about, especially if Edmund was departing Wark soon. William didn’t want to miss his chance.
“Then I apologize for your discomfort,” he said, “but the reason I invited you to Wark was because I have a need to speak with you. Would you care to go inside out of the cold so that we may discuss it?”
Edmund eyed him, wary of William’s words. “Speak to me of what?” he asked.
So the man wasn’t going to make it easy for him, nor did he intend to seek a warm haven. William was starting to become irritated. “It would be better if we go inside out of the cold,” he said. “Come inside and let us break our fast together.”
He started to move, but Edmund didn’t. He stood there, looking at William. “Whatdid you want to speak of?”
Now, William’s goodwill towards the man, or at least the attempt of it, was gone. If Edmund intended to be difficult, then William was fully capable of delivering the same.
“Very well,” he said, folding his big arms across his chest. “I will begin. You lied to me.”
Edmund blinked. “Iliedto you? About what?”
“Your daughter,” William said. “When you approached me with this betrothal, you never once mentioned how rude, unstable, and unpleasant your daughter was. You never mentioned that she cuts her arms to gain attention. You never mentioned how completely unpredictable she was, not once, Edmund. All you told me was that she is a great heiress, set to inherit the entire Northumbria fortune and, with that, you lured me in with false promises. Do you deny this?”
Edmund’s face was red, his jaw working furiously. “How dare you insult my daughter,” he hissed. “How dare you…”
William cut him off. “Do youdenyany of this?” he asked, more slowly. “Do you deny she cuts her arms to gain attention? Well?”
