“My lady?” he asked politely.
Annalyla didn’t say anything. She crooked her finger again so that he would come down to her level. He did, taking a knee in front of her, and she reached up, pushing the hair away from the right side of his face.
“There,” she said softly. “Now I can see all of you.”
He blinked at her, uncertain, and feeling instantly self-conscious now that his right eye was exposed. The smile on his lips turned into something of a grimace.
“I… I do not know what you mean,” he said. “You always see all of me.”
It was her turn to smile. “Do you think the eye with green in it is in any way unappealing to me?” she asked. “I told you when I met you that your sister has the same eyes. I find them striking and enchanting. Please do not hide it from me. It is handsome, as is the rest of you.”
He stared at her a moment and Annalyla swore she saw the man blush. In fact, he averted his gaze, unsure what to say to her, but she put a soft hand on his cheek and patted him sweetly. In spite of the natural embarrassment he was feeling when it came to his eye, he chuckled at her. He wasn’t sure how to react other than that.
“Do you wish me to cut my hair off, then?” he asked. “So it does not hang in my face? It has always done that, since I was a lad.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I think it has always done that because someone told you once that your eye was disturbing,” she said. “I cannot imagine that unique feature has not gone unnoticed by others.”
He shook his head, his smile fading. “It has not.”
“I think it is quite attractive. You need not hide it from me, but I will not force you to keep it uncovered if you do not wish to.”
He simply looked at her, at a loss for words. Of course, he was self-conscious of the eye. He had been for as long as he could recall, so covering it with his hair was second nature. Annalyla was the first person, other than his mother, to tell him that his two-colored eyes were something unique and beautiful. Tenner never thought he’d find a woman who could look past the oddity of it, or the darkness of the de Velt trait behind it, but he had in Annalyla. An unsolicited opinion, something she’d come up with entirely on her own.
Acceptance.
More and more, the woman touched him in ways he could hardly comprehend.
For lack of a better response, he took her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing it tenderly. Then, he smiled at her, watching her smile broaden in return. Perhaps he didn’t need words, after all. Looking into her face, he could see that she understood without the benefit of an explanation.
She could see how much her acceptance of his oddity meant to him.
“Come,” he said softly, pulling her to her feet and taking the empty cup from her hands, setting it aside. “Walk with me. See this empire we now rule over.”
Annalyla went with him gladly. She was still in her heavy green cloak; she’d slept in the thing, so as they headed to the big entry, she brushed the dirt from the hall off of it. Once she stopped brushing and her head came up, she could see that the fog had lifted, but there were storm clouds overhead and a steady rain was falling.
Somewhere, thunder rolled in the distance. But for the most part, it was a peaceful rain. Pulling the hood of the cloak over her freshly-braided hair, Annalyla headed out into the bailey with Tenner, which she immediately noticed was cobbled. She hadn’t noticed it last night, and it was a very strange thing to see a cobbled bailey, with hundreds of stones to make a hard surface of sorts. Her confusion must have registered on her face because Tenner seemed to read her thoughts.
“I, too, was surprised to see the cobbled bailey,” he said, grinning at her when she looked up at him in surprise. “I have only seen a few of these, and usually at castles that suffer a great deal of rain. Putting stones down like this is meant to prevent the bailey from becoming pitted with holes and grooves as the dirt is washed away by the rain. I can only imagine that this was done to prevent such a thing, as I am sure there is a good deal of rainfall here and mist from the ocean. The sea salt eats away at everything.”
Annalyla nodded in understanding as they picked their way over the wet stones. “It seems so odd that such care would be taken with the bailey of a derelict castle,” she said. “I wonder who would take the time and expense to do this?”
Tenner glanced back at the big walls and the gatehouse, where his men were already working on figuring out the portcullis, which they had discovered to be jammed up into the second floor of the gatehouse.
“Whoever built the walls must have done this to the bailey,” he said. “The Lords of Truro, I would think. They owned this property for many years and I would imagine that men were stationed here at one time.”
“But something drove them away.”
He looked at her curiously. “Why would you say that?”
She shrugged, looking at the ground as she walked so she wouldn’t slip. “I heard the howling last night,” she said. “Mayhap the rumors of the Devil of Baiadepaura are true. Mayhap, it was the ghost of the wicked lord that chased the men away.”
He knew what she was talking about. Right after he’d left the hall last night, he’d been standing near the path that led down to the cove below when he’d heard a strange, haunting howl go hurling through the bailey. Every man in his command had heard it, and every man had been spooked by it. All night, they’d been waiting for more howling, or worse, the appearance of the creature making those terrible noises. Though nothing had appeared, this morning, he could still see the nervousness in their tired faces.
“It was the wind,” he said simply. “No one saw a ghost.”
He sounded sure of himself and Annalyla felt rather foolish for mentioning the ghost. What if he didn’t believe in such things? He would think she was a silly fool.
“You… do not think it was the ghost we heard?”
“I do not think it was the ghost we heard,” he said steadily. “Do you truly believe I would bring you to a place that was haunted by the specter of a murdered lord?”
Now she was feeling increasingly foolish. “Nay, Tenner.”
She sounded contrite and he looked at her, feeling guilty that he’d sounded harsh with her. She didn’t deserve that, so he lifted her hand and kissed it again.
“I did not mean to scold you,” he said. “We are people of the civilized world and not barbarians who bay at the moon. I do not believe in ghosts; I believe everything has a logical explanation. Unless, and until, I see a ghost planted in front of me, I will continue to believe there are rational explanations for everything. And the stories that Graham told you were simply that – stories.”
She forced a smile at him, nodding her head. “I will try not to be frightened of howling.”
He chuckled. “If it is particularly menacing howling, I may very well be afraid, too.”
He had the ability to soothe whatever foolishness she was feeling and her smile turned genuine. “I cannot believe you would be afraid of anything,” she said. “You are a de Velt. A de Velt male knows no fear.”
He lifted his dark eyebrows at her. “Who told you that? There is plenty I am fearful of.”
“Like what?”
“You.”
She looked at him in surprise. “Why on earth should I frighten you?”
He was playing it rather coy. “You are brave and beautiful and intelligent,” he said. “That is a fearsome creature, indeed, something that makes men feel most unworthy.”
She came to a halt, looking at him as the rain fell gently around them. “If anyone is unworthy, it is I,” she said seriously. “You know that our betrothal was based on deception. You were gracious enough to forgive that deceit. Most men would not have. You are a most worthy man, Tenner, much more worthy than I could ever be.”
He shook his head. “You have no idea how wrong that statement is,” he said softly. “How fortunate I am that your father lied to my father, or I would not have had this chance at happiness. That is how I l
ook at this, Annie – a chance I never thought I would have.”
A smile spread across her lips. “You called me Annie.”
“If it offends you, I will not do it again. I heard Maude call you the name and I like it.”
Annalyla shook her head quickly, putting a hand on his big arm. “I am pleased that you are comfortable enough to call me that,” she said. “I like it, too, when you say it.”
With that, he took the drape of hair hanging over the right side of this face and tucked it back, behind his ear, revealing the eye with the green streak through it. She smiled broadly at the gesture, for it meant something to her. Now, it meant something to him.
Trust.
He grinned at her, struggling to get used to the fact that the eye was exposed. He wanted very much to let the hair fall over his face again, but he didn’t. She liked him when his face and that eye were fully exposed.
He wanted to please her.
Taking her hand, he led her towards the keep, the shell of a building and only a hint of the former glory it once was. Once they passed inside, Annalyla removed her hood and began looking around with interest.
“As you can see, this is a big structure,” Tenner said. “At least the keep has doors. We found them in another room, abandoned. I do not know who removed them, or why, but I have men who are skilled enough to rehang them.”
Annalyla peered at the doorjamb, made of stone but overlaid with a wooden door frame; she could see it, weathered and worn. “Is this the only way in and out?”
He shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “There is a servant’s entrance on the north side where the kitchen is. There is a well and a kiln, and the cliff falls away slightly and there are stairs down into a kitchen which is remarkably intact. There is a vault attached to the kitchen, most of which runs beneath the north wing and beneath the central building we are standing in. I have not yet looked at the content of the vault, except to inspect it for any living creatures, but when we were down there last night, there seemed to be a good deal of clutter.”
“I will go through it,” Annalyla volunteered quickly. “The keep is my domain, is it not? I think Maude and I should go through it and see if there is anything salvageable. You have more important things to do than worry about an old storage vault.”
“Are you sure? It will be dirty work.”
“I am sure,” she said confidently. “Do you suppose the previous lords left anything behind?”
“If they did, it should be quite old and ruined by now.”
“Whatever I find, if it is anything of value, they cannot have it back.”
He laughed at her, softly. She seemed determined and he did not argue with her or try to change her mind about digging around in the cold, dark vault. He simply smiled at her, as if he approved of her industrious statement, before looking around the stone walls, feeling the cold sea breeze blowing in through the windows that faced west.
“I am hoping to at least have the portcullises in place by tonight to protect us, as well as anything of value you might find,” he said. “The men are working on the main gatehouse as we speak. In fact, the portcullis is there. We simply couldn’t see it last night. It is wedged up into the second floor of the gatehouse and the men are trying to determine how to lower it. The gatehouse to the south, the small one, also has a portcullis that we found propped up against the southern wall.”
“That seems strange,” Annalyla said. “I wonder who would do that.”
Tenner shook his head. “I do not know, but we will restore it,” he said confidently. “Now, the keep, for the most part, seems intact except for the second floor of the northern wing. Part of the wall has crumbled and the roof is missing. For now, we can simply shut off that chamber until it can be repaired, but the rest of the keep is livable. It needs a good sweeping, but it is livable. The ground level has seven chambers, including what looks to be a rather large solar, and then the upper floor, excluding the two damaged chambers in the northern wing, has two big chambers above us and another two big chambers in the southern wing. I will show them to you. You can choose the ones you wish. I shall give Maude and Arlo the others.”
Annalyla was eager to see the chambers and Tenner took her up a flight of rather slippery stone steps to the chamber above. As he’d told her, they were livable, with a surprisingly solid roof, but there was a good deal of dust and bird droppings. Sea birds had made their nests in the some of the ceiling joists. She peered at the nests, which were now empty, before moving into the two chambers in the southern wing. As soon as she walked into the larger of the chambers and saw the view, she gasped softly.
“This chamber,” she said, her gaze on the grayish-green sea beyond. “What a beautiful view of the sea we shall have.”
Tenner walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder as the rain fell upon the sea. “Then we shall have this chamber and the adjoining one for our personal use,” he said. “If you and Maude would like to start sweeping out the keep, I can have the quartermaster bring in the bedding. With everything so wet, however, I am not entirely sure what we will stuff the mattress with at this point.”
She turned to look at him. “Is there a bed frame?”
He nodded. “Knowing that there would be women with us, I brought two beds from Seven Crosses,” he said. “We shall have a bed frame and a table, and a few other things to make this place more comfortable.”
Annalyla was relieved to hear that. A little comfort was a good thing. “We can also use a few servants,” she said. “Mayhap, you can find some in the town to the north, the one we passed by on our way here. A few female servants to help us clean this place, and a kitchen servant or two would be good. And a cook – unless you want me cooking your meals for the rest of my life, we could use a cook, as well.”
He laughed softly. “You do not wish to cook for me for the rest of your life? I am crushed.”
She laughed in return. “Last night’s meal was a miracle, believe me,” she said. “It was pure luck that everything turned out as it should. I should not like to test that luck indefinitely. You may end up sending me back to Roseden to save your stomach.”
“Never,” he said firmly. “You will never be out of my sight, ever. You belong to me now and I intend to keep you, bad cooking or no.”
Annalyla couldn’t help but smile at the man. It seemed as if all she did was smile at him, for there was so very much to smile about. A marriage that agreed with her, a husband she was coming to adore… her life at Roseden, and the crushing presence of Mother Angel and her father, seemed years ago. She almost couldn’t remember them. In a bold move, she went to Tenner and put her arms around his waist, showing him the affection she was coming to feel for the man. It was difficult not to show it.
“Thank you for keeping me,” she said, feeling the thrill of his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her. “And thank you for trusting me with my duties. I was thinking… this may be a derelict old castle but, to me, it is the most beautiful castle in the world because it belongs to us. Mayhap that sounds silly, but it is the way I feel.”
Tenner held her snuggly against him, looking down into those wide, green eyes that were so bright with life and beauty.
“It is the way I feel also,” he admitted. “You said that with a de Velt in command, perfection is assured. You could not know how badly I needed to hear those words, Annie. I do not know what I was expecting, but when we arrived yesterday, a broken-down castle was not among those expectations. Thank you for keeping my spirits up.”
She was sweetly flattered by his words. “I will always keep your spirits up,” she said. “And I shall always tell you the truth. The truth, at the moment, is that you are exhausted and I must clean this chamber so that the bed may be brought in. When it is, you should try to sleep, at least for a few hours. Will you do this for me?”
He thought to dispute her but realized he could not. All of his men needed to sleep, and a rainy afternoon was perhaps the best time to do it. In surrender, he
nodded.
“I will,” he said. “But what are you going to stuff the mattress with? Everything is wet.”
Annalyla turned to the window facing over the sea. Down below were a small clearing and the sea path that Tenner’s men were beginning to destroy. But surrounding the cliffs and castle were growths of scrub grass and bushes that looked springy and full. Because of the rain, everything was lush and green for the most part. She pointed out of the window.
“See all of that scrub foliage that your men are carving up?” she said as he came to the window. “Bring as much of it as you can to the great hall and we’ll dry it out in the warmth of the hall. We can stuff the mattresses with that. At the moment, I do not see any alterative.”
Tenner didn’t either. He put his big arm around her shoulders. “You are clever as well as industrious,” he said. “I will have the men start bringing it in now. As for servants, Ivor has small outposts in Bude and Widemouth, but I do not think I can pick them clean for their servants. They are very small posts. That being the case, I shall send Graham into town to procure a few. We may have to pay them quite well considering their place of employment will be Baiadepaura, but I am willing to do so. This is a big place and you cannot do all of the work yourself.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
With a plan of action set for the day, there was no time to waste. Taking Annalyla’s hand, Tenner led her back down the stairs and out of the cold, drafty keep, returning her to the hall where he explained their plans for the day to Maude, Arlo, and Graham, who had gathered near the fire after a long and damp night.
As Graham dutifully headed off to the nearby village to the north in search of servants, Arlo and Tenner headed outside where the soldiers were destroying the path from the sea. Once Tenner arrived, some of the men were taken off of the path duty and put to work cutting up the heavy scrub that was growing wild all along the cliff’s edge.
Bay of Fear (Battle Lords of de Velt Book 3) Page 12