The Iron Knight (The De Russe Legacy Book 3) (19 page)

“Sir Colton,” she said, her voice timid. “Mayhap I should return to the hall to tend my father. He will wonder where I have gone.”

“My mother will tend him quite ably,” Emmaline assured her before Colton could reply. “She is a very good healer.”

Juno looked at Emmaline with both concern and relief on her features. “Are you sure?” she whispered. “It may be too much for her to handle. My father can be… difficult.”

Emmaline shook her head. “She is very good,” she repeated. “Do not worry.”

Juno seemed to relax further. In fact, there was
too
much relief. “Then I am grateful,” she said. “It is not that I do not wish to tend my father, but… well, the sight of blood makes me ill. I thought I should offer to tend him so that I did not look like a careless daughter.”

Emmaline grinned. “He was yelling very loudly.”

“And blood was spraying!” Aricia put in.

Juno put her hand on her stomach in disgust. “I know,” she said. “And then my brother grabbed a servant’s apron and shoved it into my father’s mouth to stop the bleeding. It looked like he was trying to kill him!”

Aricia snickered, as did Emmaline. Soon, all three of them were giggling as Colton stood up from the hearth and eyed them all most critically. “A man has lost teeth and all you three can do is laugh?” he said sternly. “I am shocked, ladies. Terribly shocked.”

He said it with enough exaggeration that it was evident that there was some manner of jest in his statement. Emmaline lifted her chin at him.

“Well,” she said, “it
did
look like Juno’s brother was trying to kill him, stuffing that rag in his mouth as he did.”

“He was trying to stop the bleeding, my lady.”

“I am aware of that.”

Emmaline and Colton eyed one another, his deep blue eyes against her green ones. She was no wilting flower, this girl. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Colton’s lips finally twitched with a smile, something Emmaline saw before he turned back to the hearth.

“So your mother is a healer, is she?” Colton asked. “Where did she gain this knowledge?”

Emmaline watched his broad back as he fussed with the fire again. “She learned the art from her mother,” she said. “She has tried to teach me but I do not seem to have a talent for it as she does. Sir Colton, may I ask you a question?”

“Indeed.”

“What is the matter with Lady Susanna that she cannot walk without those canes?”

Colton positioned the flaming logs against the fireback. “She was injured at birth.”

“Does she often use her canes as weapons?”

Colton turned around to look at her. “That is a peculiar question,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

Emmaline looked at Juno and Aricia, perhaps for silent encouragement, before answering. “Because she was screaming all afternoon, demanding we visit her,” she said. “We heard great banging,
something
, and I would assume it was her canes. Then, tonight she hit the earl in the mouth with them. Is she always so violent?”

It was a question Colton didn’t want to answer. He had been at Spelthorne for many years; consequently, he had been around when Susanna was born. He had seen her grow up from a spoilt child into an even more spoilt young lady. But the subject of Susanna was a forbidden one with Lucien so it was something that was very rarely discussed. Colton knew the relationship dynamics between father and daughter; they all knew. They knew of the guilt Lucien felt with regard to his wife’s death, letting his daughter do whatever she pleased because of it. Some men even thought Lucien let her do as she pleased because he hated her. But it wasn’t something any of them was allowed to discuss.

“Lady Susanna has many problems,” he finally said. “You must tolerate her, as we all must. She is beyond reproach, disciplined only by her father.”

Emmaline was increasingly curious, only fed by Colton’s answer. “Then she may behave as she pleases?” she asked. “Will she not be punished for striking Juno’s father?”

Colton stood up from the fire again, brushing off his hands. “That will be for Lucien to decide,” he said. “Now, let us forget about the madness in the hall, shall we? I have asked the servant to bring you food and drink, and once you have had your fill, you will retire to your chambers for the evening.”

It seemed like an order. Emmaline and Juno and Aricia looked at each other curiously but also with some disappointment. They were hoping for a big feast tonight with great food and entertainment. Instead, thanks to an unruly young girl, they were sequestered in what appeared to be a solar. That didn’t sit well with them, and most especially with Juno. She had come to Spelthorne with a purpose and it wasn’t to be separated from the man she was supposed to marry.

“Will Lord Tytherington not join us in our meal?” she asked. “I fail to understand why we have been removed from the hall.”

Colton faced the pale young woman. “Because Lucien felt the chaos and sight of blood was too off-putting for a sensitive young woman such as yourself,” he said. “This chamber is much quieter and cozier. I am sure it will be much more to your liking.”

Juno was getting the impression that they were deliberately being kept away from the hall and, in particular, Lucien. She hadn’t come to this place to be kept in a chamber, away from everyone. Abruptly, she stood up.

“It is
not
to my liking,” she said flatly. “Lady Emmaline and my cousin may remain here, but I, for one, am returning to the hall. If I am to be the future Lady Tytherington, then it is my right.”

She stormed off and Colton, with a heavy sigh, took off after her, leaving Emmaline and Aricia sitting alone in the small chamber. It was heating up very nicely, a nice bit of warmth against the cool night. Even though the day had been warm, night temperatures could drop dramatically. Hearing Juno and Colton bickering near the entry, Emmaline turned to Aricia.

“I do not mind being in here, to tell you the truth,” she said. “I have never been fond of feasts with guests I do not know. I simply do not know what to say to them sometimes.”

Aricia, behind her striking scarf embroidered with hummingbirds, nodded eagerly. “Nor I,” she said in her husky voice, the accent heavily French. “I would much rather eat in my chamber and not be forced to socialize.”

Emmaline studied the girl a moment. She had spent a great deal of the afternoon with her, coming to know her and her cousin, but the entire time, Aricia had kept the scarf over the lower part of her face. They had laughed and chatted, but still that scarf remained. It appeared that Aricia was hiding herself from the world. Emmaline had to admit that she was curious as to why. She was coming to think that Aricia had a good deal to hide. A deformity, perhaps? Or was she just so terribly shy? She wondered.

“Juno said she fostered in some very fine houses,” Emmaline said. “Did you?”

Aricia shook her tightly-wimpled head. “I lived in France with my mother and grandmother for many years,” she said. “I came to live with Juno and my uncle, the earl, a few months ago. It has been my task to help prepare Juno’s trousseau for her marriage, so I have been helping select fabrics and sew garments. When Juno marries Lord Tytherington, I will remain as her lady-in-waiting.”

Emmaline tilted her head thoughtfully. “You do not wish to marry, too?”

Aricia quickly averted her gaze. “Nay,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “I will not marry.”

“But why?”

Aricia shrugged. “It is simply not something I wish to do,” she said. “People have never paid much attention to me.”

Emmaline could understand why. In truth, it didn’t take a great intellect to figure it out. “But you cover your face,” she said gently. “You hide your beauty. You must let them see your face in order for them to pay attention to you.”

Aricia shook her head. “I cannot.”

“But why?”

Aricia sighed faintly, eyes still averted. “Because… I simply do not have the beauty that most women do,” she said. “So I wear colorful scarves. That is the beauty I wear, the beauty I wish to show to the world.”

Emmaline was coming to feel some pity for the girl because it was clear she was being evasive about her features or showing her face in general. Emmaline’s curiosity grew.

“You have lovely eyes,” she said helpfully. “I am sure the rest of you is equally lovely. Will you not show me so I can see for myself?”

Aricia kept her head down. She didn’t reply right away but after a moment, a hand came up and she lifted one corner of the scarf, enough so that part of her left cheek was exposed. Emmaline could immediately see the marred skin, red and angry, covered with bumps and pustules.

At that moment, she quickly understood why Aricia kept her face covered but she showed no horror in the revelation. Instead, she reached out to lift the scarf higher, seeing the extent of the damaged skin.

“Ah,” she said, gently dropping the scarf back to its original position. “Now I understand. I did not mean to push.”

Aricia shook her head, clearly embarrassed for having revealed her secret. “You did not,” she said. “It is a natural question considering I keep myself covered as I do. But now you know why.”

Emmaline wasn’t sure what to say to her. She really didn’t have an answer. But she truly felt sorry for her because, from what she’d experienced from Aricia, the girl was very helpful and thoughtful. It was a sad state that she couldn’t even uncover her face because of a terrible skin condition.

“Mayhap it is something that will pass when you get older,” she said helpfully. “Was your skin always this way?”

Aricia shook her head. “Not always,” she said. “This condition came about a couple of years ago.”

Emmaline wanted to help the girl, just as Aricia had helped her by lending her clothing. Emmaline had learned something of generosity over the course of the afternoon, something she had never really experienced before.

“Then mayhap it will go away when you get older,” she said again, trying to sound positive. “But my mother is a great healer… would you allow her to see if she can help you? I am sure she can do something.”

Aricia looked at Emmaline with some fear. “I… I do not know,” she said hesitantly. “There is a physic at Thruxton Castle and he has tried to help, but it never did. Sometimes it made things worse.”

Emmaline wasn’t deterred. “I am certain my mother can help,” she insisted. “You must let her try. Will you? She will be very kind and gentle.”

Aricia was reluctant but the lure of help was too much to refuse. The skin issues had essentially ruined her life. Therefore, if there was a chance that something might help her, she was willing to try anything.

“Very well,” she said after a moment. “If you think she can help.”

“I think she will do everything she can.”

It was settled. As Emmaline and Aricia sat in silence, they could hear more bickering out by the entry as de Royans evidently blocked Juno’s exit from the keep. Juno was quite unhappy about it, unusual for the girl who seemed to be very even-tempered. She marched back into the solar where her cousin and Emmaline were. She grasped Aricia by the wrist, pulling the girl up from the table.

“Come,” she said stiffly. “We are going to our chamber.”

Aricia didn’t resist. She allowed Juno to pull her away from the table but not before she cast Emmaline a rather concerned but curious look. Sedate Juno was angry at de Royans and refused to remain where she had been asked to remain. She was showing some defiance. Emmaline waved at Aricia as the woman was yanked from the chamber, her attention moving to de Royans as the man stood in the doorway, watching the pair retreat up the narrow spiral stairs. When they were finally out of his line of sight, he turned for the solar to find Emmaline looking at him with big eyes. Perhaps even accusing eyes. He smiled weakly.

“Obviously, she does not like to be denied her wishes,” he said, somewhat quietly. “She must understand that she cannot go into the hall if Lucien has ordered her away.”

Emmaline watched the young knight as he came back into the solar. His movements were slow and thoughtful, and it didn’t even occur to Emmaline that she was now alone with her object of youthful lust. It was just the two of them in that small, low-ceilinged room.

“She has a point,” she said, shrugging. “She is to be Lady Tytherington so she has a right to go where she wishes.”

De Royans shook his head. “Not in this case,” he said. “Unless Lucien tells me differently, she is to remain here.”

Emmaline thought that sounded rather final. Not wanting to push the issue, as it really wasn’t any of her concern anyway, she changed the subject.

“You call your liege by his given name?” she asked curiously.

“I do.”

His answer was almost in the form of a challenge, as if he had perfect right to do it, so she didn’t pursue that line of questioning, fearful that it might anger him for some reason.

“How long have you served Lord Tytherington?” she asked.

Colton perched his taut buttocks on the end of the table, far down from where Emmaline was sitting. “I have been with him for ten years.”

“Where were you born?”

“At Hedingham Castle.”

“Where is that?”

“Essex.”

“Do you have family there?”

He shook his head. “My father is Baron Cononley, Constable of the North Yorkshire Dales,” he said. “My entire family is from Netherghyll Castle in Yorkshire. It was my mother’s family who held Hedingham and, consequently, where I was born. My mother is a de Vere and her brother was the Duke of Ireland.”

Emmaline thought that was an impressive lineage for the handsome young knight and, now, it was starting to occur to her that she was, indeed, alone with him. With Juno and Aricia out of the way, there was nothing standing in the way of her coming to know the young knight better. It was better than she could have hoped for.
Ah
, s
weet victory!

“Will you stay with Lord Tytherington forever, then?” she asked. “Or do you ever plan to go home?”

He raked his hand through his short blonde hair, scratching his scalp. “I must return, someday,” he said. “I will inherit my father’s titles and lands upon his death. But I hope that will not be for a very long time.”