Page 18 of Historical Hotties
The duke pondered that. “I shall,” he said. “I will send them before the week is out. And with that, I shall conclude my business with the king. I do not stay up late these days, you know. No offense, de Wolfe, but my bed is a greater companion than you could ever be. But I insist that you and your men enjoy the food and drink. Do not let me stop you from that. Have you been given your rooms yet?”
Cassius nodded. “Your majordomo took care of that when we arrived, your grace.”
Doncaster grunted. “Good man,” he muttered. “Fulco will tend to your needs, should you have any. I shall see you on the morrow before you depart.”
He was speaking of the small, pale man who ran his castle business most efficiently, a young man who was the son of one of his senior soldiers. Fulco Worthing was a servant worth his weight in gold. Doncaster rose wearily to his feet, weaving slightly with alcohol and fatigue, as Cassius stood up beside him.
“Good sleep to you, your grace,” he said, helping the old man move away from the table so he wouldn’t stumble. “We shall bid you a farewell on the morrow.”
Doncaster simply waved at him as he shuffled away from the table, heading off to seek his bed. Cassius watched him go before making his way around the table to Rhori and Bose, who were well into their food and drink. Argos, who had been laying at his feet under the table, moved with him. As Cassius perched on the edge of the table, Rhori glanced up from his trencher.
“Well?” he said. “Did he pledge money?”
Cassius nodded, slapping the big dog affectionately on the back. “One hundred pounds gold and five hundred men.”
Both Rhori and Bose looked at him in surprise. “That is more than Edward was hoping for,” Rhori said. “Well done, Cass. The old man fell for the de Wolfe charm.”
Cassius didn’t have much to say to that. It had simply been a task to perform and nothing more. But he looked around the great hall, vast and smoky, crowded with men, and scratched his head.
“I find something curious about Doncaster,” he said. “For all of the man’s wealth and social position, I find it odd that he doesn’t have a group of courtiers following him around. Odder still that he is not married. He spoke of that elusive granddaughter and seemed either embarrassed of her or disappointed. I could not tell which. You would think he would marry again simply for the opportunity to have another son. For such a great man, he seems very… alone.”
The knights weren’t hard pressed to agree. They were sitting at a massive table on a raised dais that was virtually empty except for them. Down below, on the floor of the hall, it was crowded with soldiers enjoying their meal.
But the duke’s table was empty.
The table of a house about to die out.
“Mayhap he simply prefers it that way,” Rhori said. “We have visited here before and it has been that way.”
“It has,” Cassius agreed. “But Edward brought more courtiers and advisors with him to fill many such tables, so I suppose I never really noticed before. But now, it’s just the three of us, a lone duke, and his elusive granddaughter.”
“And a massive empire of Doncaster,” Rhori finished for him.
“Exactly.”
Cassius thought about it a moment longer before shrugging his broad shoulders. “I suppose it seems strange because I have so many members in my family that I can hardly keep track of them all,” he said. “Families that aren’t by the dozen are something of an odd concept to me.”
“The de Wolfes multiply like rabbits,” Bose said, mouth full. “That’s all you know.”
Cassius looked at him, snorting. “I think we know a little more than that,” he said. But it began to occur to him that with Doncaster now retired, he was free to roam. Perhaps even free to roam into the kitchens to see if he could catch a glimpse of those bright blue eyes, because he’d put the pieces of the puzzle together and suspected that’s where she might be. With that in mind, he slid from the tabletop. “I’m going to see if I can find our hostess and thank her for her hospitality.”
“What hostess?” Bose asked.
Cassius was already up, heading towards the servants’ alcove. “The granddaughter,” he said. “Doncaster said she’s usually in the kitchens.”
Bose and Rhori waved him on, returning to what was left of their meal. With the dog in tow, Cassius crossed the great hall, his destination in sight.
And a strong curiosity that was leading him there.
CHAPTER FOUR
Silverdale Manor
12 miles from Edenthorpe Castle
“But, Papa… youmustinvite him. Did you not hear what I said?”
The old man bent over a cluttered table in an equally cluttered solar simply nodded his head. “I heard you.”
