“What do you mean?”
“That you are unmarried.”
“Why?”
He stood up and looked at her. “Because you are beautiful and clearly accomplished,” he said. “You should have a line of men outside the gatehouse, waiting for their turn to woo you. But given you have older brothers, I would wager to say that they have scattered that line of men before it gathers. Protective brothers do that.”
Corisande laughed softly. “Is that because you have chased away your sisters’ suitors?” she asked. “It takes one to know one, as it were?”
He shook his head firmly. “Christ, they can have them,” he said dismissively, moving to the other side of the horse. “In fact, I go from village to village trying to pay men to take my sisters away, although the eldest one is already married. Allaston married a Welsh warlord a few years ago.”
“Allaston,” she repeated. “That is a lovely name. And you mentioned the other two were Effie and Addie?”
He bent over another leg. “Allaston, Effington, and Addington,” he said, grunting as he lifted the hoof. “My mother’s name is Kellington, so those were the names she insisted on naming my sisters. But we call them Allie, Effie, and Addie.”
Corisande leaned against the stone wall of the stall, watching him inspect the hoof. “You speak fondly of them,” she said. “Not many brothers do that. I am fortunate that my brothers and I get on well. I do not know what I would do without them.”
He dropped the hoof and stood up. “To get on well with siblings says something about one’s character, I think,” he said. “It speaks of the capacity to be tolerant, to consider others, and to appreciate the strength of family bonds. I am sure your brothers would kill for you, just as I would kill for my sisters. I consider myself fortunate to have such a family.”
She cocked her head as she listened to him. “Most men do not speak that way of their families,” she said. “That is a rare trait.”
“What trait?”
“That you love your family.”
He frowned, but it was all for show. “Bah,” he said. “They are pests, all of them, although my brothers are good lads. And my father is the greatest knight in the realm.”
“And your mother?”
He looked at her. “She is my rock.”
“That is very sweet.”
“And your mother?”
“She died a few years ago. I miss her every day.”
His voice softened. “I am sorry,” he said. “I can only imagine what a great loss it was. But she has a fine daughter to be proud of.”
It took Corisande a moment to realize that he meant her. “Me?”
He burst into soft laughter, displaying big, white teeth with canines that protruded just a little. It was a dashing smile. “Aye,you,” he said. “Who did you think I meant?”
She grinned, embarrassed. “I have a sister, you know.”
His brow furrowed thoughtfully. “The little blonde lass who joined us in the hall?”
Corisande’s smile vanished. “She joined you?”
He nodded. “When you left, she came to the table,” he said. “She sat with Essien. She seemed quite interested in him.”
Corisande rolled her eyes. “Because he is handsome and new,” she said. “Gaia has an eye for a handsome man. I’m afraid your knight may not be rid of her easily.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Ah,” he said. “Well, we shall be leaving on the morrow and she will not be able to follow him.”
Corisande felt a distinct sense of disappointment to realize he was leaving so soon. “Tomorrow?” she said. “So soon? We thought you would be our guests for a few days, at least. I am sure my father would like to come to know his ally better.”
Cole wondered if he heard a hint of hope in her voice, if by saying her father she really meant her. Personally.
