Kress looked at the woman in shock as Alexander turned to her, mildly confused by the introduction. “We were not told to expect her mother,” he said, realizing now why the woman looked so familiar– she looked exactly like Cadelyn. “In fact, William Marshal made no mention of the lady’s mother at all.”
Nesta spoke before Atilius could reply. “That is because William Marshal knows nothing of me,” she said. “You see, my daughter was taken as an infant by my husband and given over to William Marshal to protect. I have not seen her in eighteen years.”
She even sounded like Cadelyn did, with the same slight lisp. But Alexander’s confusion was turning into suspicion. “My lady, forgive me, but this is unexpected,” he said. “William Marshal made mention of you only to say that you were gone, which I assumed to mean dead.”
Nesta shook her head. “Not dead,Saesneg,” she said. “I am quite alive.”
“Then why did The Marshal say you were gone?” Alexander asked. He wasn’t trying to be difficult, but her presence– and the arrival of de Shera– had him on edge. “And why did your husband give your daughter over to him to protect?”
Nesta was quite calm in the face of his interrogation. “It is very simple,” she said. “She is of the purest Welsh blood imaginable, from ancient Welsh lines. My husband gave her over to William Marshal to protect her from yourSaesnegkings. I am certain that Richard, or John, would like nothing better than to get their hands on her. She would be an extremely valuable prize.”
It made perfect sense because it was true; they all knew it was true. Scratching his head, Alexander looked over at Kress, who was staring at the woman in shock. But Kress caught Alexander’s stare and he looked at the man, his expression one of great concern. When Alexander seemed uncertain how to reply, Kress took the lead.
“My lady,” he said. “Lady Cadelyn is under the assumption that you are dead. She believes herself to be an orphan.”
Nesta turned her dark eyes to him. “I realize that,” she said. “This will be something of a shock to her, but I assure you that Iamher mother.”
Kress didn’t doubt that for a minute. The woman looked just like Cadelyn. But his gaze moved back and forth between Nesta and Atilius.
“But how did you know she was betrothed to Ellesmere?” he asked. “And why not make your presence known before now? It all seems rather strange.”
Nesta shook her head. “Not strange when you know that Lord Ellesmere’s mother was a member of my husband’s family,” she said. “I have lived near Conwy, with his family, since we were married. Through marriage, the House of de Shera is allied with my husband’s family, and we have communication with them. That is how I knew.”
“Lord Ellesmere told you about her?”
“Indeed, he did. And we determined that his betrothed was my Cadelyn.”
Kress thought on something that William Marshal had told him, about how the entire betrothal was arranged–Tatius asked if I knew of the child of Owain Dant y Draig, having heard of her existence from the warlords of Gwynedd. It was he who suggested the betrothal and I agreed.
So… Tatius knew of Cadelyn’s existence, but was it truly just because of rumor? The Marshal had said, too, that men knew of Cadelyn’s birth because men talk. But how did Tatius know to ask William Marshal about the girl unless someone had told him that The Marshal was Cadelyn’s guardian?
Something wasn’t adding up as far as Kress was concerned. This entire situation seemed very odd to him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. And by the look on Alexander’s face, Kress was fairly certain that the man was thinking the very same thing.
Something’s not right.
“May we see my daughter, please?”
Nesta was asking politely. Alexander looked right at Kress, who simply left the table without another word. He’d been brave about sending Bric up to see to Cadelyn, but now, he wasn’t feeling so brave. He wanted to see her for himself because this entire situation wasn’t sitting well with him. More than that, he needed to speak to Cadelyn before she went downstairs and was blindsided with an introduction to her mother.
He needed to prepare her.
At the top of the stairs was a small corridor and, immediately, he could see Bric standing at Cadelyn’s open door, speaking to someone. Kress assumed it was Cadelyn, his suspicion confirmed when he walked up to the door and saw her standing there. Their eyes met and that was all he needed to feel weak and emotional.
His heart started to pound.
She was dressed like an angel, in a dark blue brocade that was rich and lush. There was embroidery around the plunging neckline and around her elbows, a line of fine gold thread from which long, trailing sleeves were born. Since they’d been able to retrieve the Summerlin carriage and her baggage along with it, she had all of her clothing and toiletry things at her disposal and she had made good use of them. She looked rested and fine and beautiful, and Kress’ composure was hanging on by a thread. He tore his eyes away long enough to look at Bric.
“I need to speak with the lady, alone,” he said quietly. “Take Susanna with you.”
Bric didn’t say a word. He motioned to Susanna, who was seated in the chamber, and she immediately vacated. The two of them departed quickly and headed back down to the common room as Kress pushed his way into Cadelyn’s chamber. The dog, over by the hearth, lifted his head when he saw Kress, his tail thumping against the floor. Kress almost smiled when he realized the dog had grown fatter even in just the few days he’d been with Cadelyn. When the door was finally closed and bolted, Kress looked at Cadelyn hesitantly, fearful of how he was going to react to her after having not seen her for two days. Fearful that he would lose control now that they were alone.
He took a deep breath.
“Bric told you that de Shera has arrived,” he said.
Cadelyn was looking at him eagerly. “He did,” she said. “How are you, Kress? I… I have thought of you on occasion and wondered… God’s Bones, I am only lying to us both. I have done nothingbutthink of you and dream of you since we last parted. My misery at our separation has eaten great holes into my gut. I can feel them there, empty and bleeding, and I…”
Kress didn’t listen to anything more. He reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into a crushing embrace against him. Cadelyn gasped at his surprising move, but delight and joyoverwhelmed her as she wrapped her arms around his trim torso and held him tightly, even when he loosened his grip and tried to move away. Realizing she was holding on to him with a grip of iron, Kress stopped trying to pull away. He simply stood there and held her.
