“Aye,” she said. “Show me.”
Kymbal headed into the yard behind the shop and she followed without a glance to Kevin. The area behind the shop was open, with a big yew tree in the middle, and it was heavily secured with a wooden fence and Gethin’s personal guards. As Juliandra emerged into the yard, the soldiers were startled to see Kevin behind her, who was heavily armed. Swords began to come out, including Kevin’s, and Juliandra threw up her hands.
“Nay!” she cried to her father’s men. “Put your weapons away. This knight is my escort. He has not come to wreak havoc.”
Kevin was standing in the doorway, his enormous broadsword out and at the ready. There were six of Gethin’s men, prepared to protect the goods that were in the yard beneath a large oiled piece of canvas, as Juliandra waved her hands furiously and tried to avoid a bloodbath. She demanded that her father’s men sheathe their swords, and they did… but very slowly. Kevin held his until the very last man had put his weapon away. Then, and only then, did he sheathe his broadsword.
But he didn’t move from the door.
As Kevin kept watch of Gethin’s hired men, and the hired men kept watch of Kevin, Juliandra began the inspection of the goods that had come from France. She knew that the men with weapons were posturing suspiciously around her, but she was more interested in the contents of the seven large trunks.
Truth be told, if she wanted to escape, she could have – she could have let her father’s men attack Kevin while she ran away, but that wouldn’t do her father any good. As much as she wanted to get away, she had to behave herself if she was to obtain her father’s freedom.
Sadly, an escape was out, but somehow, there was more to not wanting to escape than simply holding to a bargain with an English knight. It was Kevin himself that might have been holding her back.
Might.
Perhaps she simply didn’t want the man to think badly of her, or perhaps she might have liked talking to him.
At the moment, she wasn’t entirely certain.
But she couldn’t dwell on it. She began pulling items out of the trunks as Kymbal gathered his vellum and ink, preparing to take inventory. Three of the trunks were fabric – all kinds of fabric, while the fourth trunk contained neatly stacked baskets of things like combs, ribbons, thread, and the like. The fifth and sixth trunks contained dresses that were already made – loosely basted, to be finished by the woman who would purchase the garment and refined to her figure.
The premade garments weren’t unusual in larger cities, but they were quite a novelty on the Marches. For Juliandra, they were a godsend because it meant she could have something to wear without having to go to the trouble of making dresses herself.
Juliandra spent a great deal of time going through every single garment, and there were twenty-seven of them. She finally settled on a total of seven, setting them aside while she hunted for thread to match so she could finish them herself. She also gathered up other necessities, including hose, ribbons, combs, soap, and the oils she so dearly loved. The last trunk that had been brought from France contained soaps, oils, and perfumes, and she had her pick of the latest.
The collection of items and the inspection of her father’s latest shipment went on through the morning. By that time, the tension had died down between Kevin and Gethin’s men, and Kevin simply stood by the rear door, watching Juliandra as she wandered in and out of the shop, both checking inventory and gathering what she needed.
In truth, he couldn’t seem to watch anything else.
Kevin hadn’t been around Juliandra enough to have time to simply observe the woman. Other than watching her sing when she first appeared at Wybren, he hadn’t had time to really study her, but now he was. He watched her fluid movements and her beautiful hands, which she used frequently to gesture with when she spoke. He was trying not to stare, but it was difficult.
The more he watched her, the more intrigued he became.
Intrigued with the woman he had lied to.
He had to keep reminding himself of that, a reminder not to fall victim to his weakness of finding her attractive. He had to admit that she was someone who easily had his attention, in all aspects, and it didn’t take him long to realize his heart was racing again. It probably had been ever since he took her off her horse and brought her into the shop.
A simple merchant’s daughter.
But his reaction to her wasn’t so simple – and it was growing worse, which left him feeling unbalanced, and Bannon’s words kept coming back to him –
What’s going to happen when she finds out you lied to her about her father?
He didn’t have an answer.
As the morning dragged on, he was growing restless, becoming anxious to leave. Juliandra was discussing the contents of the new trunks with Kymbal, directing him to put them on sale. Meanwhile, she’d had one of the soldiers bring out a smaller trunk to pack her new items in, and she was doing so carefully when Kevin came up behind her.
“Are you ready to depart?” he asked quietly.
She glanced up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun overhead. “I am,” she said. “I believe I have everything I need.”
“Good,” he said. “Seal up the trunk and I shall have Cal carry it for you.”
Juliandra did as she was told. As Kevin bent over it to pick it up, she turned to Kymbal.
“I am not entirely certain when my father will be returning,” she said, trying not to side-eye Kevin. “Soon, I hope, but meanwhile, you must keep close watch on everything. If my father has not returned by the beginning of the next month, you have my permission to pay his men their usual wages.”
Kymbal looked at her curiously. “You will not do it?”
She shook her head. “Nay,” she said. Finally, she had to look at Kevin, unsure what to tell the old man and looking for some suggestions. “I… that is to say, I am…”
“The lady and her father are my guests at the moment,” Kevin said without hesitation. “In the interest of peace on the Marches, we have established an alliance and they are my guests, which means they will not have the time to come to Pool frequently. If you need to send word to the lady or her father, send it to Wybren Castle. Meanwhile, you are expected to maintain the integrity of your lord’s business, as you have so aptly been doing all these years. The lady seems to have a good deal of trust in you, so do not break that bond.”
Both Juliandra and Kymbal were looking at Kevin in both shock and surprise – Juliandra with shock that Kevin should actually tell Kymbal what was going on, however cleverly he had phrased it, and Kymbal with surprise to know that his liege was allied with a Saesneg. As far as he knew, Gethin had no love for the Saesneg. But then again, Gethin ap Garreg didn’t much have love for anything except his daughter.
With that in mind, the old man simply nodded.
“Thank you, my lord,” he said. “I will.”
Kevin didn’t want to give the man the opportunity to ask more questions, so he simply turned away, heaving Juliandra’s trunk onto one broad shoulder. Taking the lady by the wrist, he led her out of the shop where another knight and the horses awaited.
As Kymbal watched them ride off down the street, there were many questions in his sharp, old mind, but questions that would evidently have to wait for answers.
It was a curious situation, indeed.
CHAPTER NINE
The dress was going to be quite fetching.
After returning from Pool, Juliandra spent a good deal of time unloading the trunk and organizing the contents. While she’d been away, the servants had stripped the bed she’d slept on, including the mattress, and she had been told that everything was being washed and the mattress restuffed. Therefore, she had been greeted with a barren bedframe in the center of that massive gatehouse chamber.
With her return to Wybren, and knowing that she was going to have to make the best of her situation, she focused on her new clothing and on the broken-down wardrobe. She had pulled out all of the smelly, old clo
thing and put them aside, while keeping some of the more expensive pieces that simply needed to be cleaned or mended, or both. One of the items was a glorious leather robe, sleeveless, with a fur lining, and although it was too long for her, it would make a wonderfully warm cover on cold nights.
She wondered how many of those cold nights were in store for her.
Keeping busy seemed to be the best solution to ignore the uncertainty of the future, so she kept very busy. She set about stitching up a new garment that needed the least amount of work, a fine woolen sheath garment the color of burgundy wine with sleeves that were a dark green in color. The dark green also lined the neckline and the wrists, and it was truly a lovely piece.
All it needed were the sleeves stitched to the arm holes and the seams reinforced, and she set about doing that, sitting by the window and watching the traffic go in and out of Wybren. She watched a little girl, a farmer’s daughter, weep because she brought a big cow into the castle but evidently had to leave without it. She heard the child crying for her cow and it gave her a chuckle. She remembered when she was young and how she’d had a pet lamb who had grown up and somehow ended up in the stew pot.
To this day, she couldn’t eat mutton.
Memories of her lamb kept her company as she sewed on the burgundy-colored dress, finishing it up enough that she was able to try it on for size. It fit well enough, but there were ties in the back that she couldn’t quite get to. She was trying in vain to tie them herself when there was a knock on her chamber door.
Holding the dress together, she shuffled over to the big, oaken panel. “Who comes?”
“De Lara.”
Without hesitation, she opened the door, coming face to face with Kevin as he stood on the top step. Their eyes met and she felt that same jolt again, that lightning strike. It was enough to cause her heart to race as she realized that she was not all that unhappy to see him. In fact, she actually smiled at him.
“Did you come to ask me more questions, my lord?” she said hopefully.
Kevin shrugged. “Not the ones you are speaking of,” he said. “I have come to ask you if you will sup in the hall tonight. It seems rather rude to force you to eat in this chamber when there is a perfectly good hall to eat in.”
He didn’t have to come personally to ask her such a thing, but that thought didn’t occur to her. It didn’t occur to her that, perhaps, he simply wanted to see her again. The only thing on her mind was the fact that the idea of supping with him did not displease her.
“If you wish,” she said. “Although the hall is for guests.”
“You are my guest.”
“I am not a guest.”
He eyed her, perhaps contemplating if he should continue that line of discussion. It was an argument neither one of them could win, so he decided against it. Technically, she was correct, though he wouldn’t admit it. His gaze moved to the dress she was wearing, something new she had brought from Pool.
In fact, he had to take a second look. The dress fit her slender torso like a glove, with a wide neckline that displayed her pale shoulders and swan-like neck. It was quite lovely, but he also noticed that she was positioned rather strangely as she stood there, with her hand on her back. He pointed.
“What is the matter with you?” he asked. “Why do you hold yourself like that?”
Juliandra grinned. “Unfortunately, this garment has ties in the back,” she said. “I was trying it on when you knocked. If I let go, the entire thing may fall off.”
He rubbed his chin. “I am not a maid, nor do I know anything about women’s clothing, but I can tie a knot if you need assistance.”
Her smile broadened. “Do you think so?”
His lips twitched with a smirk. “It is possible.”
She beckoned him into the chamber. “It is your own fault, really,” she said. “You sent Megsy home and I have no one to help me.”
“Then I am at your service, my lady.”
She turned around and Kevin could see an entire row of ties up her back with her shift underneath. There was no skin showing so it wasn’t entirely improper, although it was a bit intimate.
He’d never been asked to tie a dress before.
“Start from the bottom,” she told him. “Tie it as tightly as you can without tearing it.”
“What happens if I tear it?”
“My retribution shall be swift.”
Though he sensed humor, he lifted his eyebrows. “Then I shall endeavor not to tear it.”
As he reached out for the first tie, he realized that he was actually nervous. Nervous, like a fool! He’d never been this close to her, feeling the heat from her body against his hands as he reached out and began to carefully join the ties, twisting them more carefully than he’d ever tied anything in his life.
“Like that?” he asked when he was done.
She craned her head back, looking over her shoulder. “It feels well enough,” she said. “Please do the rest of them.”
He did. One by one, he secured the ties up the back of the dress until he came to the top, where he secured it snuggly. To be truthful, he was disappointed when it was over because he’d rather liked helping her, but he stood back a proper distance now that his job was finished.
“There,” he said. “All of the ties are fastened.”
Juliandra’s hands flew to the back of the dress again, feeling the ties. Still fingering the knots, she turned to him.
“Well done, my lord,” she said, a glimmer of mirth in her eyes. “You make a very fine maid.”
He grinned, lopsided. “If I ever fail at being a knight, then I shall consider the profession,” he said. “Do you require anything else while I am here?”
She shook her head. “Nay, but I thank you,” she said. But she paused a moment before continuing. “Are you sure you do not have any further questions for me?”
Kevin looked at her. He’d just tied her dress, which was quite possibly the most intimate thing he’d ever done with a woman outside of an occasional prostitute and the goldsmith’s daughter he’d had a fling with in London last year, and there had been something wholly satisfying about it. Simple, unadulterated pleasure. He was reminded yet again about a wife and marriage, wondering if moments like this were commonplace between a husband and wife.
He could so easily see himself doing that to his wife, helping her dress, telling her how beautiful she was and how proud he was of her.
More and more, he liked the idea.
Perhaps he liked it more with a merchant’s daughter.
He took her question as an invitation to remain, if only to speak with her just a little longer.
“It is possible that I do have more questions,” he said. “I was thinking… the reaction the villagers of Pool had to my men… tell me what you have been told about the English Marcher lords. You realize that I am one, do you not?”
She nodded. “The de Lara sapphire dragon,” she said softly. “I have seen it in Pool from time to time over the years.”
“Did you run from it like the villagers did?”
She shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “I did not have a reason to. My father was not a warlord and I have not known war. I have never even seen a battle. Although my father has no love for the English, as I told you, I think he mostly viewed them as potential customers. He is a businessman, after all. He doesn’t care about a man’s politics as long as his money is good. Mayhap you should ask him.”
Kevin shrugged his big shoulders. “He is not here in this chamber,” he said. “You are. No offense to your father, but you are much prettier to look at. I think I would rather speak to you.”
Juliandra looked at him in surprise before breaking down into a modest grin. “That is flattering, my lord.”
“It is the truth. And in private, you may address me as Kevin.”
Her smile faded. “If you wish,” she said. “May I ask you a question, Kevin?”
“You may.”
“May I visit my father?”
Kevin hadn’t expected that question and he shook his head. “I could not chance it,” he said, scrambling for an answer that wasn’t directly lying to her face. “The Marches are a dangerous place, at any time. It is safer if you don’t.”
She was disappointed with his answer, but not surprised. “If you let me return home, I promise I shall not go anywhere,” she said. “I will be free to answer your questions whenever you wish so, you see, there really is no reason to keep me here. There is nowhere else I could possibly go.”
She sounded as if she were starting to beg, which Kevin didn’t like. He was already coming to realize that he didn’t like denying her and if she begged hard enough, he just might grant her request and that was something he didn’t want to do.
He wanted to keep her near.
“Is it so terrible here?” he asked, then realized he was looking at a big, stark, empty room. “I will make this chamber more comfortable for you, but I prefer that, for now, you remain here. I may have questions that need swift answers and I cannot ride to your home every time that happens. Surely you understand that.”
It was a polite way of denying her and Juliandra averted her gaze, looking down at her new dress, picking absently at imaginary strings on the sleeves.
“I had to ask,” she said, trying to sound brave, as if his denial didn’t really matter. “There are only servants to manage the house as well as the business. My family has worked very hard for both, and I fear what will happen if the absence of my father is too long.”
He frowned. “Will your servants steal from you?”
She shook her head, quickly. “Nay,” she said. “But they are only servants. They look for direction from me, as the lady of the house, and from my father, as their lord. All servants and soldiers need direction, do they not?”
Kevin nodded slowly. “They do,” he said. “Knights, too. I have certainly needed direction in the past. In fact, Wybren is part of my first command.”
She looked at him as if surprised by the confession. “It is?”
He continued to nod. “I have always taken orders from my liege, my father, even my brother,” he said. “The truth is that Hyssington, Trelystan, and Caradoc Castles belong to me, as does Wybren, but that was not always so. The Trilaterals castles belonged to my brother before he gave them to me two years ago. He gifted me with my family’s hereditary title, Lord of the Trilaterals.”
The Agents of William Marshal Volume II: A Medieval Romance Bundle Page 70