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“I confess, I did not know Hywel had such a fondness for sweets,” he said.

“Oh, yes. All sorts of sweets.” She waved one hand toward the door in a desperate attempt to redirect the conversation. “Unfortunately, these guards will not allow me to speak with him, so Hywel will miss his opportunity to visit the market before we quit Dinefwr.”

Cadwgan moved closer to the door, eyeing the older guard severely. “Are Owain Gwynedd, Prince Hywel, and Prince Cadell yet within the solar?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I shall join them.”

The older guard stiffened. “I was told to refuse entry to all, my lord.”

Cadwgan glared at the man. “I am the king’s cousin.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Although her own objective had been thwarted by the guard’s steadfastness, Rhiannon could not help but admire his tenacity in the face of Cadwgan’s withering glare.

Cadwgan cursed. “Move aside.”

The younger guard flinched, but the older one appeared stoically unaffected by the threat. “As I said, my lord, my orders are to refuse entry to all.”

“Your disrespect shall not go unpunished,” Cadwgan growled.

The guard inclined his head but made no move.

Cadwgan cursed again and turned on his heel. “Come, Rhiannon. There is nothing for us here.”

Rhiannon descended the stairs in Cadwgan’s wake, thankful when they reached the bottom and emerged into the inner courtyard and the dimming light of early evening. She glanced at the sky. Clouds had rolled in since they’d returned from the market, a perfect reflection of Cadwgan’s stormy silence.

“I believe I shall return to my chambers until it is time to convene in the great hall,” she said.

He eyed her thoughtfully. “Allow me to escort you there.”

Rhiannon would have far preferred to go alone, but this was not the time to irritate Cadwgan further. “You are most kind,” she said.

Given his recent treatment of the guard, it was a blatant falsehood, but Cadwgan appeared to be oblivious to the incongruity. Besides, if delivering her safely to her chambers set his mind at ease, so much the better. She had no desire to give him any further reason to question her motives.

He offered her his arm, and as she set her hand upon it, she caught the slight nod he directed at his retainer. Madoc slipped away. It appeared that she was not yet considered a great enough threat to require more than one chaperone.

Chapter 32

The leaves on the trees lining the road to the castle quivered. Up ahead, a rabbit darted into the underbrush and a blackbird took off in a flurry of feathers.

“The wind’s picking up,” Knud said.

“Aye.” Leif guided his horse closer to the hedgerow and glanced at the bank of dark clouds rolling across the sky, a warning sign he’d come to recognize in his years at sea. “There’s a storm coming.”

Knud groaned. “Indoors in the dungeon or outdoors in the pouring rain.” He gave Leif a longsuffering look. “Might I suggest that our accommodation options this night could use some improvement.”

“You make a fair point.” Leif’s lips twitched. “I shall leave it to you to ask Cadell for a bedchamber at the castle. I daresay he’ll be of a mind to oblige after we have fully interrupted his evening meal.”

“I am not sure which of us is more witless,” Knud said. “You, for embarking on this fool’s errand, or me, for going along with it.”

The castle gates were now in sight. Guards stood on either side of the arched entrance, watching their approach.

Grateful that he’d donned his finer tunic, Leif raised his chin. “Consider this an opportunity to see inside one of the grandest castles in Deheubarth,” he said.

Knud kept his eyes forward and drew himself up in his saddle. “I daresay dungeons look much the same no matter the edifice, but I shall bear that in mind.”