Page 11 of A Matter of Time
“Yeah. You aren’t really a knight, are you? So, obviously it’s a name you’ve made up to fit with the medieval theme.” Despite his lighthearted response, Malcolm’s smile never reached his eyes.
Richard did not oblige him with an answer, merely turning back to his students to continue his lesson.
“I believe I’ve insultedSirRichard,” Malcolm laughed as Nick approached. “He’s quite sensitive, it would seem.”
“Ye certainly have a way of ingratiating yerself on everyone ye meet, Malcolm, but that is one I wouldnae suggest you rile.” Nick cast his gaze in Richard’s direction.
“Really! Is he that good?” Malcolm was delighted – he was getting all the information he needed without even having to work for it.
“He’s better than that good. Ye’d be smart to steer clear of him or apologize and hope he doesnae challenge ye.”
“Malcolm,” Angelina interrupted her workout to come and greet him. “How are you?”
“Hello, my sweet.” Malcolm reached out to take her hand and gently kiss it. “A pleasure to see you.”
Angelina smiled warmly at him and his eyes lingered on her until Nick interrupted the moment.
“Are ye here to practice, or to cause trouble, Malcolm? We’re just about done, so ye can have the field all to yerself.”
“We’re here to practice, Nick. Why would you think otherwise?” Malcolm glanced back at his men, who all wore challenging expressions and stood shoulder to shoulder behind him. “We’re looking forward to the next tournament. I hope it’s not too soon for you.”
“Nae. We’ll be ready fer ye. The question is whether ye’ll be ready fer us.” Nick called to his men and they all fell into line behind him, sizing up their competition. “We’re done here.”
Malcolm and his group brushed past Nick, making eye contact with every man they passed. Malcolm spoke just loudly enough to be overheard, “They’ll be lucky if there’s even one man left standing when we’re done with them.”
“Who was that man?” Richard demanded as they made their way back to the car after practice.
“That was Malcolm Granger,” Angelina offered.
Richard had observed the exchange between Malcolm and Angelina from a distance. She was a little too friendly with him for Richard’s liking. What kind of woman was she? He had caught her earlier kissing Nick, after openly flirting with him and now this Malcolm Granger. She was as infuriating as she was beautiful. “I know his name. Whoishe?” he growled.
Angelina stiffened at his response. “I was merely answering your question, there’s no need to bark at me like that. I don’t know what your problem is, but don’t take it out on me.”
Richard realized he was falling back into the old habit of being unreasonably jealous. If Angelina wanted NickorMalcolm, so be it. He would simply not vie for her attention. He would not allow his heart to be turned to vengeance once again because he couldn’t have what he wanted – and he wanted her. It had become painfully clear to him earlier and now he would have to let that go. “I apologize, Angelina, I had no right to speak to you that way. I let my irritation at Granger get to me. There is no excuse for my behavior.”
Angelina appeared to soften. “Apology accepted.”
Nick, who was seated in front once again, peered back at Richard with a questioning look. “Malcolm Granger is a very wealthy man who is fascinated by anything medieval. He has one of the largest collections of medieval artifacts in the world. Rumor has it that more than a few of them were collected illegally, but he has more than enough money to prevent anyone from investigating their true origins. He’s currently searching for a sword from the time of James IV, apparently with no luck, as it has nae been uncovered in any archeological digs to date. He’s obsessed with finding it and will spare no expense to get what he wants.”
Richard sat stone faced in the back seat, absorbing all of this information and building up a huge dislike for Malcolm Granger.
“He’s also our chief competition in winning the Northern California Medieval Martial Arts Finals Championship. He’s trained his men well and several of them are experts in other forms of martial arts,” Nick explained. “They’ve won every year since the competition began.”
“They’ll not win this time,” Richard stated as he stared balefully out of the window. “I’ll see to it.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Nick said. “Now, where are we going for dinner, Angelina?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going home. You two are on your own.” Angelina pulled her car into a parking spot in front of Nick’s.
“I hope you’re not leaving because of me,” Richard said, recovering from his momentary anger. “Please, join us for something to eat. I promise to behave myself.”
Angelina gazed back at him and his heart skipped a beat.Damn it, why does she have to be so beautiful?He tipped his head to the side and did his best to look as sorry as possible.
“Well, when you look at me like that, how can I refuse?” Angelina pulled the key from the ignition and opened the door to get out. “I’m hungry, let’s figure out where we’re going. Somewhere close by would be good.”
Richard noted that her whole demeanor had changed. He knew it was because of his apology and he was pleased with himself for recognizing his own bad behavior and correcting it. He pulled himself out of the infernal back seat and did his best not to curse as he did so. He was happy they would be walking to their next destination, because he really didn’t think he could take another minute in that car.
“Shall we go to the diner around the corner?” Nick offered.
