Knight Takes Queen, page 71
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, sweet 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.”
“You love your father?”
“I adore him.”
Emmaline smile faintly. “I loved my father, too,” she said. “I was very sad when he passed away. ’Tis strange… his death seems so long ago, yet it also seems like it was just yesterday. It has only been a few years but I feel greatly panicked when I think that I cannot remember what his face looked like.”
Colton looked at her. She was a pretty thing, like her mother, and she had a rather deep, honeyed voice for one so young. She didn’t seem giddy or particularly silly like most young women were. She seemed to have a fairly level head.
“What did he look like?” he asked quietly.
Emmaline had been thinking on her father’s features when Colton asked the question. Surprised at the rather gentle question, she looked at the man only to see that he was looking at her quite intently. Their eyes locked and her face flushed a deep shade of red. Perhaps, she wasn’t so ready to be alone with him as she thought. Quickly, she lowered her gaze.
“He… he had brown hair,” she stammered, feeling his eyes on her. “But it was light brown, not dark. He had green eyes that crinkled when he smiled. He liked to hug me and rub his scratchy beard on my face until I screamed.”
She was grinning as she said it, something that made Colton smile as well. “That sounds much like my father,” he said. “My father is a hugging man. He would hug me until I cried to be released. He still hugs me, even today, but I do not run from it like I used to.”
Emmaline dared to look up at him. “You should not,” she said quietly. “Someday he will no longer be there to hug you and you will miss it.”
Before Colton could reply, the entry door to the keep opened up and Lucien blew in, carrying a wailing Susanna in his arms. They made their way swiftly past the solar and up the spiral stairs that led to the floor above. Close on Lucien’s heels, Sophina entered the keep as well, following Lucien’s path up the stairs. Their movements had been very hurried, as if both Lucien and Sophina had a purpose, perhaps having to do with Susanna and the events of the night. Emmaline looked at Colton with some alarm but he merely shrugged as if whatever was going on had nothing to do with them. His casual attitude calmed her alarm immediately.
But they were prevented from discussing it as the servant Colton had sent for food also entered the keep, heading into the solar with a heavy tray in her hands. The woman was struggling with the weight so Colton stood up and went to her, taking the pitcher and cups from the tray, setting them on the table. With the tray balanced, the servant proceeded to set a big knuckle of boiled beef on the table along with pickled turnips, boiled peas and beans, and bread with a big glob of butter next to it. She brought three big metal spoons and a knife, but there were no trenchers or anything to put the food on for individual servings.
Silently, the servant fled the solar, leaving Emmaline and Colton there with only three big spoons and nothing to serve the food on. Colton simply picked up a spoon and handed it to Emmaline.
“Eat,” he said. “I will see if I can have the servant find some trenchers.”
Emmaline shook her head. “That is not necessary,” she said. “There is no one else to eat the food but me. I do not mind spooning it out of the bowls and into my mouth.”
He was about to insist on trenchers but thought better of it. If it didn’t matter to her, then it didn’t matter to him. But she might feel differently with what he was about to say. He picked up one of the spoons as well.
“I have not yet eaten, my lady,” he said. “I was planning on sharing this with you since your companions have gone to their chamber. Should I seek the trenchers now?”
Emmaline didn’t look at him. She thought it was rather romantic, sharing the meal with the knight with only spoons to eat from the same bowls. She knew it was very forward of her to think so, but she was coming to have something of an obsession for Colton. And why not? He was handsome and well-spoken. She liked that. She also liked the way he looked at her. Coyly, she shook her head in response to his question.
“Nay,” she said, putting her spoon into a bowl of steaming green pea pottage. “If you do not mind sharing from the same bowl, then I am not troubled, either.”
Colton almost insisted that he go and get the trenchers but something made him pause. He was rather flattered that she didn’t mind. She was young, this one, but not too young. She was only four or five years younger than he was, or so he thought. He really didn’t know.
But something made him want to find out.
CHAPTER NINE
“This is why I do not allow you to sup in the hall,” Lucien said, his jaw ticking with restrained anger. “You cannot behave yourself, not ever. Even when you promise me you will behave, you never keep that promise. What you did was extremely serious. Do you even comprehend that?”
Sitting small and pale and defiant on her bed in the middle of her opulent bed chamber, Susanna’s face was set in a permanent frown. Her father had just brought her back from the disarray that was the great hall, disarray that was her fault no less, and she wasn’t happy in the least. The child was defiant until the end.
“I… I did not mean to hit him,” she said. “He put his face in the path of my canes. It was not my fault!”
Lucien looked at her, his jaw continuing to tick. He was so angry that he was genuinely afraid of what he would say to the girl. The girl. He couldn’t even call her his daughter. Was he truly so detached from his own flesh and blood?
“He did not put his face in the path of your canes,” he said, hardly able to control his rage. “You had a tantrum. You hit the Earl of Holderness. Susanna, I am at my end with you. I did not discipline you when I should have and I have indulged you far too much, thinking that gifts and patience would buy your good behavior. But it has not. You are unruly and uncivilized, and now you have shamed me in front of a peer. You are too simple to understand just how serious this is. Therefore, I am going to do what I should have done years ago. I am going to send you away. It is obvious that I have no control over you.”
Susanna’s eyes widened. “You will send me away?”
“Aye.”
