* * *
By the time the sun was setting, William had had enough. Thomas offered him a bed for the night, but the thought of spending any more time with the man had William almost running for the castle gate. He would find a bed in the town or sleep in the woods. Anything was preferable than another moment with Thomas and the sycophants William had received the dubious pleasure of being introduced to during the course of the long afternoon.
Stepping outside, he took a deep breath of the warm, spring evening air, the soft breeze clearing away the cloying atmosphere of the castle. His head pounded. Thomas had said all the right things, but his words hadn’t matched the cagey expression in his eyes.
Then there was the matter of the missing Baron and his guards. A baron didn’t leave his castle unprotected and yet Baron Caerden had done just that. The security he’d left behind was laughable and would never repel even the weakest of attacks. Caerden must be very secure in his position and that, in itself, was something for William to ponder.
Trying to approach inhabitants of the castle who weren’t in charge or part of the defence of the place was proving impossible. Every attempt he made to get close to someone Thomas hadn’t introduced him to was thwarted. The servants here melted into the shadows, their expressions blank and uninviting.
The whole place reeked of something noxious, something so foul it made William’s stomach turn.
He could almost hear James laughing at him, telling William he was losing his mind at the thought of his potentially rich bride being taken away from him. But William believed it was more than that. The whole day had been unsettling and he wanted nothing more than a long drink of ale and a hearty stew to settle his insides.
Walking through the jumble of the courtyard, he forced himself to keep his gaze away from the stables, focusing instead on the wide gateway. It wasn’t until he was standing under the archway, checking his belt for coins, that he realised someone was walking closely behind him.
He turned slightly to check the level of threat. His heart jumped into his throat, as he noticed it was Ave, his dark head bent as if studying the floor intently in front of him, seemingly deep in thought. William decided not to interrupt him, he had nothing of importance to say and he didn’t want to make an idiot of himself again. He turned back around and continued on his way, promising himself he would not look again.
He managed to make it out through the walled gate before he finally gave in to temptation. Before he could stop himself, he turned and blurted out, ‘Good evening, Master Carpenter.’
Ave stopped, a delicate pink flush stealing over his pale skin. William was struck once again at how feminine the lad looked, almost as if he wasn’t a man at all. Yet why would anyone pretend otherwise? ‘Good evening, Sir William.’
Ave spoke so softly William could barely hear him. William slowed, waiting for Ave to catch up with him, even as his mind urged him to run. An attraction this strong could only end in disaster. Although, perhaps talking to Ave would help give William an insight into the irregular behaviour of the town and castle.
Or perhaps William was deluding himself. Despite all promises to himself, he wanted to spend time with Ave. He wanted to try to understand the overwhelming power Ave had over him, to discover why, for the first time in his life, he was drawn to a man. If they spent a little time together, the overwhelming pull towards Ave might go as quickly as it had arisen. And if it didn’t...well, he’d worry about that when it happened.
‘Perhaps you could help me, Master Carpenter. I’m looking for a good place to bed down for the night.’
There was a long pause. William began to think Ave wouldn’t answer. ‘There’s a tavern in the town, Sir William. Dai Bach will have room for you there.’
They walked a few more steps in silence. William swallowed. ‘Perhaps you would allow me to buy you an ale this evening.’
Ave stopped dead in his tracks. ‘Why?’
William kept going, he didn’t want to scare Ave off by being too intense. ‘To thank you for taking care of Eirwen.’
‘It’s my role in the castle. I’m the stable master. I take care of all the horses,’ stated Ave flatly.
William shrugged. He wouldn’t force Ave to spend time with him, if the young man really didn’t want to, even with this new desire coursing through him. He wasn’t a brute. ‘I’m new in town, Master Carpenter. I don’t know anyone. I’d like a bit of company, someone to introduce me to the people of Caerden, that’s all.’
Ave resumed walking. ‘The townsfolk don’t take kindly to newcomers.’
He concentrated on keeping his breathing even and not asking why the townsfolk were suspicious of anyone new to their ranks, even though the answer could hold the key to everything. He would ask later, even though he doubted Ave would answer honestly. A few ales might loosen Ave’s tongue and he’d be able to find out more about this strange town.
Finding out about the town and the way it worked was paramount to finding out whether it was safe for the King to continue with his plan to visit the place. It was more important than his initial mission and overrode everything. Or at least it should. For some reason it didn’t appear to be nullifying his attraction to Ave. He’d always been able to tamp down on desire before. He had certainly never allowed it to rule his actions before today.
‘People are always wary of me at first, but they have nothing to worry about. I am a straightforward man. If I am treated right, I will respond in kind.’
Ave didn’t respond to that statement and they walked the rest of their way in silence.
The streets of Caerden were still eerily silent, despite the warmth of the spring evening. William was used to towns which thronged with people going about their business until the sun went down completely. The silence caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. His hand moved to the hilt of his sword, but he dropped it when he caught Ave watching his movements.
‘Is it always this quiet?’ he asked as they rounded a bend and a rickety old building, which could only be the local tavern, came into view.
Ave shrugged. ‘Not always. It could be that news has reached the town that a stranger has arrived. The town does have a tiny population, though. When we’re not working, we’re resting.’
Not that small, thought William as they approached the tavern. He’d certainly been in smaller, far busier places. Places where the inhabitants didn’t run from strangers. From outside of the building he could hear the babble of lots of voices all talking at once, so there were at least some people in the town.
Ave’s hand brushed his as he pulled open the door. William’s heart began to race at the slight contact and he pressed a fist to his chest. That really needed to stop happening. Until proven otherwise, Ave must be treated like everyone else in this place, as someone who was hiding something. If that secret turned out to be something that impacted on the safety of the King, then Ave would prove to be guilty of treason just like everyone else here. William couldn’t allow this unexpected attraction to make him drop his guard.
The general murmur of voices which filled the tavern dropped to an almost deathly silence as soon as the patrons caught sight of him walking behind Ave. This behaviour William was used to—people were naturally wary of outsiders, especially ones carrying the amount of weapons that were currently strapped to his body. It didn’t exactly mark him out as friendly.
The conversation didn’t resume, even as he and Ave had made their way towards the tavern owner, and that was unusual. Even the owner, normally the friendliest person towards a stranger in any town, if only because they were anticipating the money they would make from him, was holding himself stiffly behind a counter and was resolutely not looking at William.
For the first time irritation began to build behind William’s breastbone. He wasn’t the enemy here, he’d done nothing to cause suspicion and yet he was being treated as if he’d arrive
d and threatened to murder the town’s young folk.
Ave stepped up and rested his arm against the countertop and William’s irritation melted away. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ave’s wrist, slender and delicate-looking, more feminine than male. He wanted to encircle it with his fingers, to feel the soft-looking skin against his rough palm. He nearly jumped when Ave spoke, only managing to hold himself still because of his years of training. ‘Sir William is looking for a place to stay.’ She nodded towards him.
The tavern owner swallowed and swung his head in William’s direction, his gaze fixed somewhere just above William’s head.
‘We have room and board here, Sir William.’
William forced himself to remain calm, his words measured and polite. ‘Thank you. I’d like to stay for at least a week, possibly longer. For now, I’d like two tankards of your finest ale.’ He passed a coin across, more definitely than the beer was worth, and watched as it quickly disappeared out of sight. Whatever problem the landlord had with him, it didn’t stop him taking his money.
Ave and William took their ale to an empty corner of the taproom. The conversation in the room gradually resumed, but it was quiet and there was no sound of laughter among the other patrons. William took the seat so that his back was to the wall, facing the room, leaving Ave to face him. At first William was only vaguely aware of the muted background noise. He was only conscious of Ave, of the way they were so close together despite the small table between them and of a subtle fragrance, a mixture of straw and something else he couldn’t name. Even in the darkened room, he was close enough to see the smooth skin of Ave’s cheeks. Ave didn’t look young enough not to have started even the smallest of beards, but there was not even the slightest fuzziness along his jaw. Was it just possible that Ave was indeed a woman and not a man, or was it wishful thinking on his part, because why on earth would anyone do that? William was pondering the conundrum when he realised that there was a slow but steady exodus from the tavern.
He placed his tankard on the wooden table in front of him. ‘What is going on here, Ave?’
Ave wetted his lips. William clenched his fist to prevent him from reaching out and tracing the path Ave’s tongue had taken with his fingertips.
‘What do you mean?’ Ave’s eyes were wide, a sure sign of guilt.
‘My arrival appears to have emptied the place.’
Ave’s shoulders sagged, which was interesting in itself. What did the lad think William had been about to ask? Ave twisted round in his seat and took in the nearly empty room. ‘I told you, we don’t welcome strangers.’
‘So I can see. But what I don’t understand is why. It’s quite normal to be wary of newcomers. I don’t much like surprises myself, but this level of animosity is unusual. Perhaps I smell.’ He lifted up an arm and sniffed himself, ridiculously pleased to see the gesture bring a smile to Ave’s eyes.
‘You don’t smell.’
‘Well, that’s a relief. But I doubt I’m going to be the landlord’s favourite customer, seeing I’ve emptied the bar of all his patrons.’
Ave’s smile faded. ‘That coin you gave him is probably more money than he’s seen in months. I don’t think he’ll mind too much.’
‘And yet he wasn’t pleased to see me either, which is unjustified because I haven’t done anything unusual...yet.’
Ave took a long sip of ale. ‘I think it’s the yet we’re all worrying about. There’s been trouble round here.’
He’d sensed as much, but he still couldn’t get a firm idea on what exactly that trouble might be. That the castle wasn’t supportive of the town’s inhabitants was clear enough, but there was something more than that, of that William was becoming increasingly sure.
‘Trouble of what kind?’
Ave lifted a shoulder in a shrug, still clutching his tankard. ‘Fighting, hunting, that sort of thing.’
That wasn’t unusual in itself. Fighting was a way of life in most towns and didn’t warrant the level of panic his presence appeared to be creating. William decided to try a different tack. ‘The people of Caerden don’t need to worry about me. I am not here to cause problems.’
Ave continued to take a long swallow of his drink. ‘Why are you here, then?’
The purpose of William’s mission wasn’t a secret as such, but he wasn’t about to reveal the King’s imminent visit until he understood the undercurrent of this town. ‘I’m the King’s messenger,’ he said, not untruthfully. ‘I have business with Baron Caerden, but he appears to be absent at the moment. Do you know where he is?’
Ave shrugged again. ‘He left a few weeks ago.’
‘Did he take a lot of guards with him?’
Ave leaned back in his chair, William hated the way he was aware of every movement Ave made. This evening was a bad idea. He wasn’t discovering anything and spending time with Ave was only making this strange obsession worse. Ave licked some ale off his top lip and William had to clench his jaw to stop himself from groaning.
Ave rested a hand on the arm of his chair. ‘Baron Caerden has an inflated view of his own importance. He always takes a lot of guards with him whenever he travels. Why do you ask?’
‘Was it more than normal this time?’
Ave tilted his head to one side, exposing the long, smooth neck William seemed to have developed some kind of fascination with. William momentarily forgot what they were talking about as images of running his lips along the creamy skin swamped him. He’d never had an interest in necks before, but there was something about Ave’s which was making him lose his mind. ‘I’m sorry, what was that?’ he asked, realising he hadn’t heard Ave’s answer and shaking his head to rid himself of the images of what couldn’t be.
Ave frowned at him, probably wondering why he was so distracted. William was acting more like a randy young lad than a fully trained knight. In fact, William hadn’t been like this when he had been a young man. He’d approached his women in the same methodical way he approached everything, much to the amusement of Theo, who’d thought he needed to relax in his technique. Forming a plan for everything was what he did, his interactions with women were no different—until now. He needed to concentrate.
Ave licked his lips and William’s thoughts scattered again. ‘I was saying that, yes, Baron Caerden has taken more men with him than normal. He’s taken all his best horses, too.’
William cleared his throat. ‘Steward Thomas said a castle to the north of here was experiencing trouble with raiders.’
Ave tried to take another sip of his ale and glanced into the tankard, his eyes widening with surprise as if he hadn’t realised he’d drunk the entire cup. He put the empty vessel down. ‘I don’t know anything about raiders, but then the Baron is unlikely to confide in me. My only role is to look after the horses.’
‘Of course. Let me get you another.’ William didn’t know why he was prolonging the agony of this evening. He only knew that he didn’t want his time with Ave to end just yet. And not just because of the attraction; William had yet to find out anything significant.
Without waiting for Ave to agree, William stood and quickly ordered two more tankards. He handed the landlord another large coin as the man finally met his gaze. ‘I’ve made up a room for you, Sir William.’
‘Thank you.’ William glanced across the tavern at Ave. Ave’s shoulders were more relaxed now, after the ale. Surely they weren’t broad enough to be a man’s? He did know some slender men, but... Here was yet another mystery for him to solve. Was Ave a man or not? He could ask outright, but he doubted he would be told the truth.
‘The landlord seems to like me a bit better now,’ he said, placing the tankard down in front of Ave.
‘Dai Bach is unlikely to turn anyone away, especially if they’re flashing coins like you are.’ Once again there was a hint of a smile in Ave’s eyes. And once again, that lit something inside him, something he had
n’t known was missing.
He took a slug of his ale. ‘It doesn’t hurt to have a landlord onside. They normally know everything.’
Ave laughed and William’s heart raced at the musical sound. ‘Get Dai Bach talking and you’ll never get away. I can’t say you’ll learn anything useful, though.’
William tapped the edge of his tankard. ‘Will he tell me about you?’
Ave’s smile dropped. ‘There’s nothing to tell. I work at the stables, that’s all there is to my life.’
‘Do your parents live here?’
Ave took a deep drink of his ale and stared at the wall behind William’s head. William thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then he said, ‘My parents are both dead. How about you?’
‘Both of mine are still alive and are no doubt in the midst of doing something ridiculously foolish and prohibitively expensive. Whatever scheme it is, it will no doubt result in me trying to unravel it when I next visit. Sometimes, it is as if I am their parent rather than the other way around.’
Ave’s lips twitched. ‘How so?’
William rubbed his forehead. There was nothing wrong with telling Ave the truth about his family. It didn’t impact his mission in any way. ‘My father is as madly in love with my mother as the day he met her. He indulges her every whim.’ He sighed. ‘It’s not that her whims are particularly overblown, but they often seem to be costly. They are also far too kind-hearted. They are taken advantage of by nearly everybody.’
Ave grinned. ‘That’s sweet.’
William grimaced. ‘A lot of people seem to think so.’ William glanced down at his own tankard. He’d only taken a few sips, but he appeared to be telling Ave things he never normally shared with anyone else. Perhaps the ale was stronger than he was used to.
‘But if they aren’t hurting anyone, what is the problem?’
‘The problem is their spending depletes the barony’s resources. I have much younger siblings, all girls.’ William didn’t mention the children who hadn’t lived. The pain those deaths had caused his soft-hearted parents and the lengths his father had gone to, to try to cheer his mother up. William never wanted to experience that level of emotion—with deep love came deep pain. He pushed the thought aside. He’d had a long time to think about this and it was irrelevant at this point.
The Knight's Maiden in Disguise Page 3