Page 45 of While Angels Slept
Tevin did laugh, then. He couldn’t help it. He shook his head and stood up, weary of the temper tantrum and eager to see Cantia. “The evening meal should be coming shortly,” he said. “Why do you not retreat to your chamber and rest? Bathe if it pleases you. We’ll speak more of this at sup.”
As quickly as Geoff flamed, that was as quickly as he doused. The rigidity went out of his posture and he returned his attention to the fine wine. With long movements, he poured himself another measure. “I am not hungry,” he grumbled, mouth to the rim of the cup.
Tevin was already moving for the door. “Then do not eat. But at least come and sit and enjoy the conversation.”
Geoff took a long drink. “Where is Val?” he asked casually. “I’ve not seen her all day.”
Tevin paused. By Geoff’s tone, he knew the man had been waiting for the right moment to ask that question. And by his expression, Tevin was further convinced that he knew exactly what Tevin was up to. He was hiding her. Geoff was, if nothing else, intelligent. But Tevin stood his ground.
“She is occupied,” he said evenly. “She likes to ride patrol, you know.”
“Where is Arabel?”
“With her women, upstairs. She is exhausted from being dragged halfway across England.”
“Will she join us for sup?”
“If that is your wish.”
Geoff simply lifted an eyebrow and Tevin left the solar without another word. He didn’t dare mount the stairs to the chambers upstairs, suspecting that Geoff would be following his movements. So he went into the great hall and exited out into the kitchens, thinking to throw his mistrustful cousin off the trail. He quit the kitchen yards and found himself marching through the stables on his way to the knight’s quarters.
All the while, he knew his cousin’s eyes were upon him, mentally if not physically. Geoff was suspicious of everyone and everything. By the time Tevin reached the knight’s quarters, he was ready for a stiff drink himself. Something about Geoff’s presence always put him on edge. He would take a measure of ale with his men before retreating upstairs, giving enough time for Geoff to forget about their conversation and, hopefully, Val.
He could not have known how wrong he was. Geoff did not follow Tevin any further than the solar entry. He had wandered to the door, watching his powerful cousin walk across the great hall and out of thedoor leading to the kitchens. But that was the extent of it. He knew the man was going to see to his men to repeat his conversation with the earl for their benefit. It was normal enough. The men had to know why they now supported the usurper and Geoff wasn’t suspicious of Tevin in that aspect. But Tevin had been right in one way. Geoff’s attention was indeed on Val and her whereabouts.
To his left was the staircase leading to the upper chambers. His dark eyes glittered, an inkling of an idea taking hold. Tevin was clever, but not too terribly. With his brutish cousin outside, Geoff was free to explore the keep and perhaps find Val. Aye, he knew that Tevin hid her from him. He’d always known.
He took the steps.
CHAPTER NINE
When Hunt tiredof the board game that Tevin had brought them to play with, Val took over and played against her niece. As the afternoon moved into night, Cantia sat with some needlework that had been a project for quite some time, alternately watching her delicate work and watching Val play against Arabel. As dusk darkened, she gave up on the needlework completely and watched the game instead.
Arabel was a brilliant girl. She was quite adept at game strategies, winning the last two games from her aunt. She was also quite humorous and Val laughed freely with her. Cantia could see a great deal of Tevin in the girl, but she could also see features and mannerisms that did not remind her of the girl’s powerful father. Arabel had an upturned nose and a big dimple in her chin, something that did not ring of Tevin. Thoughts then turned to the girl’s mother, a Germanic noblewoman who had abandoned her at birth.
Tevin said he would find the woman no matter what. He would discover if she was alive or dead. Were she dead, there would be no troubles and Cantia knew she would gladly marry Tevin. But if the woman lived, then the future for them would not be entirely honorable for Cantia knew, without a doubt, that she would stay with Tevin forever. She did not relish being branded a mistress. But she considered the reward well worth the risk.
The sun was nearly set when a soft knock came at the door. Hunt, nearest to the panel, thought it was Tevin bringing the evening meal and, being the starving child that he was, threw open the door before his mother could stop him. Cantia saw a strange man standing in the doorway and heard Val gasp. With that startled sound, she knew itcould not be good.
The man had Tevin’s black eyes. His gaze found Hunt first and then Val as she quickly stood up. He smiled broadly at his strawberry-haired cousin and was about to speak to her when Cantia also stood up and his focus was abruptly diverted. The moment he laid eyes on her, the mood of the room exploded. They could all feel it.
“Val,” he stepped into the room, speaking to his cousin though his eyes were on Cantia. “Your brother said you were occupied. I had no idea he meant in ladylike pursuits. And who is your glorious companion?”
Cantia looked at Val, who had a rather sickened look on her face. “Greetings, Geoff,” she said with more courage than she felt. “This is the Lady Cantia Penden. My lady, this is the Earl of East Anglia, my cousin.”
Geoff was on Cantia in three strides. Reaching out, he took her reluctant hand and pulled it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “My lady,” he said in a sultry voice. “’Tis a pleasure. I had no idea the Steward had such a lovely daughter.”
Cantia wanted to shrink away from the man. She didn’t like anything about him from the instant their eyes met. “I am not his daughter, my lord,” she said. “I am Brac Penden’s wife and this is my son, Hunt.”
Geoff didn’t even look at the sandy-haired boy, now standing beside him and watching him closely. His gaze was fixated on Cantia. “I heard of your husband’s death, my lady,” he said, still holding her hand to his mouth. “Please accept my sympathies. It was a terrible tragedy to lose him.”
Cantia struggled not to yank her hand away. “Aye, it was.”
Geoff’s eyes were invading her, probing every inch of her face. “Surely so young and lovely a lady will not be widowed for long. That should bring you comfort.”
It was a horrible thing to say. Cantia pulled her hand from his grasp, taking a discreet step away from him with Hunt still in her grip. She was having difficulty forming a reply to his crass statement whenVal was suddenly beside her, making an obvious attempt to distract her cousin.
“I was injured in a skirmish a few weeks ago,” she said, hoping to capture his lustful attention away from Cantia. “Since then, I’ve spent most of my time in ladylike pursuits. Tevin thinks it’s wonderful but I’ve found it boring. I’d much rather have a sword in my hand.”
