He lobbed the sideways request for an introduction back at her and she smiled.
"Lia," she answered softly. Another ripple rolled through the crowd and her shoulders tensed. "Lady Liadan, I mean. Hospitality in our little valley insists such an act of heroics be repaid."
Caer's stomach dropped out, and the world shifted underneath him with the revelation of her name. Only one woman claimed the title of Lady in this valley. His quarry. Schooling his features and attempting to hold onto his charm, he sized her up once again.
"Well, Milady, if you insist. I was hoping to find some work, but it seems there's not much to be had around here. If you know someone who's looking for a sort of jack-of-all-trades, I have a strong back and clever hands."
"I'm sure we can find something. If nothing else, there's always things needing to be fixed at the manor house."
The sound of a throat clearing beyond the little circle of solitude they'd created within the crowd made them both jump and shift to put a few more inches of space between.
"If you'll pardon, Milady, may I speak with you for a moment?"
A squat, solid-looking man with steel gray hair and a face lined with years of experience was gently drawing her away before either of them could even answer his request. From a few yards away, Caerwyn heard snippets of the whispered conversation. The highlights involved words like, “outsider” and “suspicious” and “current problems” which piqued Caer's attention. Then the older man glanced up, meeting his eyes with a cold doubt. When he whispered again to the Lady, Caer was sure he used the word “spy.”
Using every technique he could muster, Caerwyn managed to keep his shoulders loose, his muscles relaxed, showing no outward signs of how interested he was in what was going on around him.
When the older man finished, Liadan took her turn to whisper. Her tone and posture exuded firm command. This time, the snippets were words like “hospitality” and “proper.”
When she glanced back, over the blond curls of the now sleeping child, it seemed as if some of her man's suspicion had been contagious. Her eyes narrowed and when she looked him over, her face pinched. He missed the warmth and relief that filled it before.
"…supervision…alert…keep hidden…"
The words that floated in the still air, this time, irritated him and aroused his own suspicions. Yes, this tiny little valley definitely had secrets. Lady Liadan appeared to be the one in charge of them all.
When the whispered conversation wound down, both figures turned to stare at him. Feeling cocky and uncharacteristically reckless, he stretched out his best smile and waved.
Liadan nodded once in acknowledgment. "Thank you, again, Mr. Wyn. Keneally will make arrangements for you."
Then she turned away, disappearing into the dispersing crowd.
"Mr. Wyn—"
"It's just Wyn," he interrupted, not sure what demon of mischief caused him to try to get the upper hand by needling the sour little man.
"Wyn, then. You're staying at the tavern, correct?"
Caer blinked in surprise, his eyebrows pulling in.
The smug smile did nothing to make Keneally's face look any sweeter. "We're a small village. Everyone notices what a stranger is up to. There's not much privacy for outsiders here. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
Wyn silently hoped not, but allowed the smaller man to lead the way back to the tavern while he continued talking.
"I'll arrange with the keeper to pay your room and board as part of your earnings. Get a good night's sleep. We'll expect you at the manor house about an hour after dawn."
So he wasn't going to get invited to stay anywhere near Liadan. A minor setback, maybe, but he hadn't been expecting anything else.
"Of course, Mr. Keneally. Uh, where exactly is the manor house?"
With a sly narrowing of his eyes, the older man said. "It's just Keneally. Like you, Wyn, I prefer not to acknowledge my surname. Follow the road north out of the village and up a ways into the hills. You can't miss it."
With that, Keneally walked into the tavern and Caerwyn trailed behind. While the old man negotiated with the keeper, both men resolutely ignored Caer's presence. Irrationally annoyed, he stomped his way up to his closet-sized room and flung himself down on the thin pallet.
Once the burst of temper bled out of him, though, he had to admit it was a decent day's effort. He'd not only found an excuse to hang around the valley, but he'd also found work to get him close to his quarry on a daily basis. He might not be allowed unsupervised access to the manor house while he labored there during the day but, once Caer got a feel for the layout, snooping at night would be an easy task.
He just needed to bide his time and be patient. Let opportunity come to him.
-3-
The valley looked almost exactly like Caerwyn imagined. Settled amidst rolling, verdant hills, Hara Dale was a snug cocoon of pastoral calm between the mountains of the Argine Republic and the plateau shared by Marnak and Galwei. Twenty minutes of trudging up and down those hills on the north road had given him plenty of time to build a picture of the manor house in his mind. Something like the traditional farmhouses of the generational farms in Tresk's territory. Or maybe even the rude cabins of the border dwellers in Daen's kingdom. Caerwyn was on a downhill slope when he came around the curve and first caught sight of Liadan's manor.
The gently rolling hills flattened out into a patchwork of green below him. Fields and pastures and sweeping lawns all ringed with the same thick, ancient looking forest.
The house itself was like nothing he'd ever seen. Most definitely not what he'd expected. The central structure was old. Its square, two-story design reminded him of the oldest buildings in the Milesan Isles. The ones said to date from long before even the Milesans had traveled across the sea to settle there. A hodge-podge of wings and additions had been added in various styles and materials until the manor house looked like some kind of architectural labyrinth.
Several outbuildings dotted the land but only one building showed the same design and heavy stone of the main house. Small, square and single story, it huddled close to the tree line, far from the hustle and activity around the manor. Behind it, a riot of greens and colors spilled out in a garden that almost overflowed the high picket fence trying to contain it. The fence struck Caer as odd since none of the other fields or gardens he saw were fenced with more than low stones to keep them separate from pasture lands.
When Caer moved closer, aloof nods and reserved smiles greeted him. In a community like this, word traveled quickly. He had no doubt every single person he passed knew what he'd done the day before and why he was at the manor today.
Lady Liadan stood on the wide stone steps of the manor’s main entrance talking to the older woman who'd accompanied her in the village and the familiar figure of Keneally. Dressed in sunshine yellow, her chestnut hair shimmered in the sunlight and Caer wished he could see it freed of the matronly bun she'd twisted it up into.
He stopped politely several yards away, out of apparent earshot of the quiet conversation. However, he impolitely, and unashamedly, listened in anyway.
"I think we should rotate the herd to the south pasture, Keneally. The land needs rest."
"Are you sure? They haven't been there all that long."
"I'm sure."
"All right. I'll have Mal move them this afternoon."
"Lia," the older woman spoke up when Keneally turned to call over a passing farmhand. "Delvin and Ula have started disputing about water access. I think mediation might help head them off before they come to blows again."
Lia rolled her eyes and sighed. "I think they only argue to have an excuse to get drunk together. Ending the feud means their wives won't nag so much about the hangover. I have some time this afternoon. I'll ride over and talk to them."
The woman crossed her arms and remained silent.
Lia sighed again. "I mean, I'll have Keneally arrange a carriage for me."
Caerwyn struggled to keep hi
s face neutral though his eyebrows threatened to rise up into his hairline. Her tone was not haughty but the two experienced, older servants gave her a respect and authority that surprised him.
In the Isles, power and authority depended on lineage and Attribute. In the human world, though, he had observed that it was contingent much more on gender, age, and rank. She may have had the rank but, in his experience, the gender and age usually negated the title.
Lia looked up and smiled, derailing Caer's musing. "Mr. Wyn. Good to see you again. You remember Keneally, of course. I don't think I introduced Nel yesterday. She's the manor's chatelaine and my oldest friend."
Caer nodded to Keneally and then the older woman. "Sir. Ma'am. Just Wyn, please."
Flashing a smile, he bowed with all the poise and grace his tutor had drilled into him as a child. Liadan descended a couple of steps, and Caer swept her hand up in his, brushing a chaste kiss across the back of it.
He'd intended it to be a quick, charming move. Instead, he lingered over the soft skin and gentle warmth. He heard her breath catch and his own faltered.
The deep sound of a throat clearing brought Caer back to himself and he eased backward when her two advisors closed rank, moving to stand at her shoulders.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, milady."
"Wyn, you must call me Lia."
Keneally rumbled a warning and the Lady rolled her eyes. "Lady Lia, I suppose. I still sometimes forget all the formalities."
He pursed his lips and widened his eye in question. "Still?" he inquired as if he did not already know she was new and unexpected in her position.
When her smile faltered, Caerwyn realized he'd pushed too far, too fast. His decision to back off was to keep his cover. Not because he wanted to keep the bright, open expression shining at him. Instead, he smoothly changed the conversation before she had to decide how to answer.
"How is little Tanis this morning?" he asked when he saw the blond curls peeking out of the doorway above them, trying to lure the cat prowling the stairs with a piece of honey bread.
Lia glanced over her shoulder, the smile lighting up, becoming indulgent and exasperated.
"She's perfect. As if there was no fuss at all yesterday." A little louder, she added, "Though she's supposed to be eating her breakfast, not feeding it to the pets."
A childish giggle floated down the stairs then the curls ducked back into the house and out of sight.
"Thank you, again, for saving her. It was brave of you."
"I'm just glad I was close enough to get to her. It's nothing that anyone else wouldn't have done."
She reached out, placing a soft hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "Perhaps, but I'm still grateful."
He ducked his head, unexpectedly uncomfortable with the deception that brought him to Lia and her home. "And I am grateful for the offer of a job."
Pulling his determination around him like a mask, Caer reminded himself he had a finite amount of time to find the answers he searched for. And, if Daen was right, Lia had a few tricks of her own.
Flashing his charmed smile once again, he asked, "Speaking of, how can I be of service today?"
Keneally had been watching the interplay with narrowed eyes and palpable disapproval. Now he stepped forward, putting himself between Caer and Lia.
"There's a fence along the south pasture that needs mending."
He turned and whistled, catching the attention of a young man who couldn't be very far out of adolescence. The boy, who'd been loading supplies into a wheelbarrow, loped over.
"Danny, Wyn will be helping you with the fence today."
Keneally gestured him toward the lad with a nod.
Caer nodded a greeting then turned back to Lia but Keneally moved down a step, half blocking her from view. Nel shifted closer, placing a hand on the Handmaiden's shoulder. "We have a great deal of work to do in the herbarium."
The words felt heavy with significance and the soft smile dropped from Lia's mouth, her eyes shuttered unexpectedly. Secrets sizzled in the air and Caerwyn's hunting instincts sparked to life.
"Of course," Lia said through gritted teeth. "It was nice talking to you again, Wyn. I'm sure I'll see you often, while you're working here."
"I hope so."
Caer bowed again and, as he rose, his eyes strayed toward the small building he'd taken note of when he'd gazed down on the manor. Keneally once more placed himself between Caer and his object of interest, though. With practiced ease and firm no-nonsense moves, the older man shifted him toward Danny and the wheelbarrow.
It was apparent Caer wouldn't be getting any closer to Lia or to the answers he sought as long as the estate manager was around. He'd have to find a way around the man.
*****
Liadan stood in the vegetable garden, pretending to check the progress of the plants. Her gaze kept wandering over to the east pasture, however. The pasture where Wyn worked with Danny now, shifting and stacking rocks to shore up the fencing.
He'd been working since dawn and, by the time she'd caught sight of him, his shirt was long gone. She'd been around hard-working men all of her life. The valley was full of farmers and workmen and animal handlers. They were all fit, in their own way, and often shirtless, but never had any captured her attention the way Wyn had.
The chest was broad and strong, arms flexed and bulged with every move, his stomach lean and rippled with pure muscle that dipped and curved with intriguing lines and hollows.
He'd been working around the manor for nearly two weeks and not even Keneally could find fault with his effort or his skill. Yet her manager and Nel had worked diligently to keep her as far away from him as possible.
Her fascination with him was obvious to her two closest friends. Ill-considered, inappropriate and impossible, she couldn't help stealing a glimpse of Wyn every chance she got. And, whenever she managed to see him, he was looking right back at her.
Each time, her heart fluttered and her pulse pounded. They'd even occasionally shared a few words together, here and there, before Nel or Keneally found something urgent for one or both of them to do. Usually on opposite sides of the manor.
Those few stolen moments were something she looked forward to though. Something she searched out against even her own better judgment.
Wyn never failed to make her laugh. Whenever he could, he would reach out for her. A feather-light brush of fingers on her arm. Brushing her hair from her face. A warm, unnecessary, steadying hand at the small of her back. Only twenty-five years of strength and tenaciousness kept her from leaning into the touch and purring like a satisfied cat.
Which was why she was grateful to Nel and Keneally. As much as their interference irritated her in those moments, they were saving her from herself and her inappropriate infatuation.
If she had met Wyn a year ago, she'd have jumped in feet first and damn the consequences. Life was meant for living and hard lessons were a part of that.
Now, though, there were others she had to think of. Several hundred others. Even if it weren't for the betrothal mess she found herself in, Lia couldn't afford to get tangled up with a transient stranger. Tanis and the valley had to come before her own impulsive choices.
Marta had fallen for and married an outsider. Look how that had turned out. She'd made horrible decisions based on her emotions rather than what was best for their land, leaving the people of the valley divided. Those who believed the old traditions were no longer valid against those who still believed in Liadan's family and the power of tradition. Even if they weren't so sure about Lia.
The worst of the mistakes Marta made in her love-blind haze, as far as Lia was concerned, was the betrothal agreement. With a single stroke of a pen, she had set in motion events that could bring Hara Dale and the three surrounding kingdoms to the brink of war.
Of course, if Lia did not look outside for a mate, that left only the men of the valley. Someone who still believed in the traditions and the gifts of her family. Someone like her father. Easi
ly cowed by her position. A marriage that was little more than a business arrangement. Or a breeding transaction.
Lia shuddered at the thought. No, if she managed to wiggle out of the mess with Daen, marriage and relationships were something she'd have to live without. At least until Tanis turned eighteen and took her rightful place, setting Lia free.
For now, Lia had to avoid romantic entanglements. Her eyes, however, slipped back to a long, lean torso and smooth, strong muscles.
Didn't mean she couldn't look, though.
"Enjoying the view?"
The cold, silky voice in her ear made Lia jump and start forward a little.
A deep, fortifying breath and a roll of her shoulders steadied her before she turned to face Gui and his sneer.
"Why, yes. I love this time of year. When the plants are flowering and everything is so green and alive."
His lips pulled back, but no teeth showed through the thin, condescending smile. His eyes flickered to the pasture, only a few yards away, then tightened and bore into her intensely.
"You're not fooling anyone," he said, in a low, angry whisper. "You're embarrassing yourself and your family with this ridiculousness."
She followed his gaze to Wyn, whose attention remained on the rocks he and Danny were shifting into position. Her chin lifted, and she pulled her face into the cool mask that had recently become second nature.
"I don't know what you are talking about but I will not put up with that tone."
"Of course not." His voice dropped further, taking on an edge she hadn't heard from him before. "The Handmaiden is above listening to anyone. But you're not really the lady, are you? You're nothing more than a placeholder until Tanis grows up. Some in the valley already see it. It's only a matter of time until the rest realize you aren't what they want you to be."
Normally, Gui relied on his charm to get his point across but today he seemed to be trying to intimidate her. Instead of flinching from the harsh honesty she smiled sunnily.
"Thank the Goddess for that. The entire valley knows I'm not the best lady. As you've been pointing out almost since the day of Marta's funeral. I don't want to be. I just want to keep things together so I can hand over a healthy, happy valley to Tanis in fifteen years."
By Vengeance Guided (The Lost Shrines Book 1) Page 4