All eyes turned to Cadelyn, who gazed back at them steadily. “I am sorry to put you all through so much trouble,” she said. “I… I was trying to find my way back to the carriage and lost my way.”
Susanna had come up behind Achilles. Very concerned, she reached out to grasp Cadelyn’s arm. “You are covered in mud,” she said. “What happened? Why did you run off?”
Cadelyn leaned over and whispered something in Susanna’s ear. From the look on Susanna’s face, it seemed that Cadelyn’s running away had been more along the lines of a call of nature. That seemed to explain things, at least for the most part, so she nodded quickly.
“Of course, my lady,” she said, pulling her along. “Let us return to the carriage now. Let us not be any further trouble upon these men.”
Achilles and Bric appeared confused by the whole thing, looking between Cadelyn and Kress, who was without his helm and sporting a big bump behind his right ear.
“What happened?” Achilles asked Kress. “Where did the lady go?”
Kress watched as Susanna forcibly escorted Cadelyn from the garden. In truth, he was coming to think that he was rather glad she’d run off because it had given them the opportunity to speak of things that were clouding the mood between them. Kress had let his guard down, something he’d been determined not to do, but now that he’d cleared the air, he had to admit he felt better.
Lighter of spirit.
But he also realized the time they’d spent alone had done something to him. Whatever he was feeling for her, something that was trying very hard to break free from, had deeply affected him. As he watched Susanna lead Cadelyn from the garden, he realized that he didn’t want to let Cadelyn out of his sight. There was an attachment there that hadn’t been there before. As unhealthy as it was, he simply couldn’t help it.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to.
“Evidently, she had a natural urge we all have quite frequently and she got lost along the way,” he said. “Leave it atthat, Achilles. Do not embarrass the woman by asking her about it.”
Achilles caught on, indicating to Bric what the issue was by making motions as one does when relieving oneself. Bric understood instantly and they both followed Kress from the garden, but not before Kress tossed a coin to the old woman for her troubles. The dog watched him go, wagging his tail, but once Kress and his men were out of the garden and heading back to the escort, the big, hairy dog broke free of the old woman and ran after the knights, following them all the way to the carriage.
When Kress opened the door to the carriage for Cadelyn to get in, the dog leapt in first and ran to the front of the carriage, hunkering down on one of the cushioned benches and refusing to leave no matter how much Kress or the others called to him. They even tried to lure him out with a piece of meat from the provisions wagon, but nothing worked. The last resort was to carry the dog out, but the dog growled and snapped at the knights when they tried to do it.
Frustrated, and weary of the drama the dog had caused, Kress simply left the animal alone, noting that Cadelyn had now picked up another escort of the four-legged variety. He sent a soldier to tell the old woman that he’d try to bring her dog back to her at some point, but the old woman didn’t seem to care.
He picks his own people, she said.If he’s meant to come back, he will.
The purse thief had found a new home.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Paladin
“Your news waswell-met, great lord. We have come to greet your bride, my daughter.”
In the outer bailey of The Paladin on a morning that threatened rain from the sea, Tatius faced about thirty Welshmen who had arrived just after dawn. Led by the middle-aged woman who called herself Nesta, they had come astride their shaggy horses, wearing the long tunics and cloaks so prevalent to the Welsh people. They came with staffs and bows, but the guards at the gatehouse had made them leave their weapons outside of the gates. Now, Tatius and Atilius and Fabius were facing the Welsh contingent from Mountain Dark.
This was not the way Tatius had hoped to start his day.
“She is not here,” Tatius said to Nesta. “I am not certain when she will arrive and I would prefer you not be here when she does. The agreement was that we would bring her to Mountain Dark for the wedding, not that you would be at The Paladin to greet her.”
Nesta stepped forward. A petite woman with blonde hair and black eyes, she approached Tatius calmly. She was older, but her skin was smooth and white, with nary a line upon it. Still, there was something in those black eyes that was disturbing. She had a brittle look to her, as if there was something dark lying just below the surface.
As if she would praise a man one moment and slit his throat in the next.
“I’ve not seen my daughter in eighteen years, great lord,” she said, a plea to Tatius. “Not since her father stole her away from me and gave her over to theSaesnegto hide. Did you know that? Owain, my own husband, took her away from me. You can understand that I am eager to see her.”
Tatius eyed the woman. “You never did explain why your husband took her away from you.”
Nesta’s gaze flickered over with something ugly.Deadly. “Fear, mayhap,” she said. “Fear I might turn our child into a true Welshman. Fear he would lose control over her.”
“Mayhap he feared that you would use her to gain back your kingdom.”
“She is a child of destiny. And her destiny is to restore her people.”
Tatius had heard this before, or at least most of it. But coming to know this situation as he did, he was coming to think that the child’s father must have seen what his wife was capable of and fearing for the child, sent her to England where her mother couldn’t get to her. All Nesta wanted was to rebel against her own people, and the English overlords, a war she could not win. Even Tatius knew that. He was coming to regret ever agreeing to be a part of this scheme.
