Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

L ista's strange aunt had been at the door.

Pounding on it, really. Julian had been dead asleep when the rattling of the door had him bolting out of bed. He was a heavy sleeper, anyway, but he was also one of those men who was instantly awake, moving before he even realized he was moving. He was halfway to the door before he realized he was nude, so he had to take the time to put on a pair of linen braies, something he always carried with him.

It was enough to cover him up, anyway.

He went to the door and opened it.

"Sir Julian?"

He found himself looking at Lista's haggard aunt.

"My lady?" he asked politely.

Flora smiled, revealing yellowed and brittle teeth. "Lista has asked me to fetch you," she said. "She is in the vineyard and asked that you join her."

Julian rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up a little more. "Has something happened?"

Flora shook her head. "Happened?" she repeated. "Nay, nothing has happened. She has simply sent word for you to join her. You will join her, will you not?"

Julian nodded wearily. "If she wishes it."

"Good," Flora said, a bright smile looking oddly out of place on her face. "Hurry, now. There is no time to waste."

Julian simply nodded his head and shut the door. Yawning, he went to collect his clothing, which he had neatly laid out so it could air out. The braies came off and the leather breeches went on, followed by a clean tunic from his saddlebags. He pulled his boots on and secured them, debating about strapping on his broadsword but thinking better of it. He was fairly certain he wouldn't need it. He wanted to find out what Lista wanted and then perhaps return to the great hall for some food and drink with Lista by his side.

The thought of her made him smile.

Running his fingers through his hair as he headed to the door, he realized that he missed her. He'd been asleep for a few hours and, already, he missed the woman. He missed her smile, her wit, her tender heart. She had such a tender heart. He still couldn't believe a woman as magnificent as Lista de la Mere found something agreeable in him. Agreeable enough to let him court her.

He'd never looked forward so much to anything in his life.

He wasn't exactly familiar with Felkington, so he headed for the stairs he did know. He intended to go through the great hall to the mural stairs on the north side, but as he reached the south entrance, he caught sight of a spiral staircase in the wall that led to the lower level. He turned for the stairs just as he heard Addington's voice in the hall as she helped tend the wounded. Ashton was nowhere to be found so he assumed the man was sleeping, too.

He'd been up all night just like the rest of them.

With Addington's voice in the background, he headed down the spiral stairs and was fortunate enough to find an exit right away, one that dumped out into the big courtyard. It was full of men at this time of day, some of them lying along the wall, dozing, while still others were repairing equipment. A wheelwright was among them, fixing the wheel of a small wagon.

It was the usual bustle of a courtyard as he headed to the passageway that led to the exterior of the castle. Both portcullises were up, indicative of people outside the castle finishing the clean up after the battle, and he passed through, ending up on the road that ran alongside the castle walls. The gate to the gardens was open and he passed through, seeing the chopped-up gardens and broken trees, which were mostly cleaned up at this point. Servants were in the gardens, digging, replacing trees and fixing the wooden fences that kept the barn animals out.

The sun overhead was bright, beating down on a bright green world from the rains the night before. Julian came to a small stone wall that separated the fruit trees from the vegetable garden with the vineyard down the hill beyond. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he was on the lookout for Lista, but what he saw going on in the vineyard had him stopping in his tracks.

Stopped dead.

*

"My lady?"

Lista looked up from a grapevine to see Louis standing a few feet away. He was fully dressed, prepared for travel, and she stood up straight.

"You are leaving already?" she said. "I thought you'd at least sleep for the day."

Louis smiled weakly. "That is usually true, but I kept hearing my father in my ear," he said, lifting his hands as if to fend off a ghostly dream. "Get to Kelso, Louis! Stop lounging!"

Lista giggled. "God's Bones," she said. "You are not lounging. You are sleeping. You had a very busy night. Surely he would allow for that."

Louis cocked an eyebrow. "You think so?" he said, grinning. "You do not know my father, my lady. To him, idle hands are susceptible to the devil's work, so even as children, he made sure we were always busy."

Lista brushed off her hands. "I suppose there is something to be said for that," she said. "It's not as if you want a bunch of children languishing about, getting into trouble. Mayhap you were a troublemaker and he had good reason to pester you?"

Louis laughed. "I can see that someone has told you about me," he said. "Well? Who was it? Who has spilled all my secrets?"

Lista chuckled. "I will never tell," she said. "Ask all you wish, but I shall protect my source."

He shook his head at her. "You are cruel."

She nodded. "Now you know."

He laughed again but his smile soon faded. "Truly, I would not believe that about you," he said. "You have been an excellent hostess and although my acquaintance with Felkington was not ideal, the storm and the Scots brought me to your doorstep and I am grateful for your kind hospitality. I hope you will allow me to reciprocate. Someday, you must come to Herrington."

Lista smiled. "That is kind of you," she said. "It is far to the south, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "Not too terribly far," he said. "It is still north of York. Do you travel much?"

She shook her head. "Nay, not much," she said. "We can conduct business in Berwick or Alnwick or even Newcastle if we must, but we rarely go further south than that."

He nodded in understanding, his black eyes lingering on her. "I do not blame you," he said. "Why would you leave Felkington? It is a paradise."

Lista looked up at the soaring walls. "It is," she said. "It is my paradise and you are welcome back anytime to visit. It is the least we can do for a man who fought to protect us."

He lifted his eyebrows at the thought of the Scots. "They were surprisingly aggressive last night," he said. "Though I must admit, I do not see battle very often, so it was good to hone my skills. But de Velt… he is a man who needs no practice. His talents are beyond compare."

Lista tore her gaze away from her ancestral home and looked at him. "I do not know much about knights, but I do know that the de Velt men are warlords. We were fortunate he was here last night."

Louis nodded. "Indeed," he said. He eyed her for a moment before continuing. "May… may I ask a bold question, my lady?"

Lista lifted a hand, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked at him. "Of course."

"Are you and de Velt betrothed?"

Lista's cheeks flushed a shade of pink and she lowered her gaze and her hand. "Nay," she said. "We have only just met, in fact, but he has asked to court me. What I mean is that he has asked only me– he's not yet asked my mother for permission."

"I see," Louis said. "Then your aunt's questions about my being married make some sense. She was seeing if I might be interested."

Lista immediately lost her humor. "I am very sorry about Flora," she said. "She had no right to ask you such a thing. It is none of her affair."

Louis held up a hand. "I am not offended, I assure you," he said. "But it seems to me that she is trying to find you a husband. Or maybe a candidate or two?"

Lista could only shrug. "With Flora, one never knows," she said. "You should know that my aunt is a drunkard and so is my mother, so all is not as it seems here. It is a paradise to look at, but beneath the surface, we have our share of problems, just like everyone else. If my aunt ever says anything odd or offensive to you again, now you know why."

He shrugged, fidgeting with the mud beneath his feet. "As I said, I was not offended," he said. "May I say something else?"

"Speak freely, my lord."

He held up a hand. "First of all, call me Louis," he said. "I do not like being addressed formally. What I was going to say is that if you were not already spoken for, I might return to Felkington sooner than you think."

Lista smiled modestly. "That is flattering, thank you," she said. "Although I'm not spoken for I hope to be soon."

"I suspect you do not mean me."

Her grin broadened. "Nay."

"Then you clearly must mean de Velt."

"I do, indeed."

Louis' dark eyes twinkled. "That is what I need to hear," he said. "I will not interfere."

She smiled. "Thank you," she said. "You are a man of honor."

He grunted, looking up at the castle, the sky, the land. "Honor, aye," he said. "But unlucky in this case. Julian is a fortunate man."

"I feel as if I am the fortunate one."

He snorted. " He is the fortunate one," he insisted. "If anything happens and he runs away with a Scottish princess or a pirate queen, you will let me know, won't you?"

Lista laughed softly. "I will let you know so that you can defend my honor."

"That is not what I meant."

They both started laughing. "I know what you meant," Lista said. "As I said, I am deeply honored, but my heart is no longer mine to give. It belongs to another."

He shrugged. "For your sake, I am glad," he said. "Every young woman– and man– should give their heart away at some point. I've yet to have the privilege."

"You will someday, I am certain."

"Mayhap," he said. His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before he gestured at the castle. "I really must go. Was there something you wanted?"

Lista cocked her head curiously. "Wanted?"

"Your aunt said you wished to speak to me. To bid me farewell, I assume."

Lista was greatly puzzled, but when it came to Flora, nothing was a mistake. She wasn't sure what was going on, or why her aunt had told Louis that she wanted to see him, but she suspected it was some kind of tactic to throw them together. She tried not to let her frustration show.

"Aye," she said, trying to maintain her smile. "I wanted to bid you a farewell and thank you for what you did last night. I shall walk back to the castle with you."

"I would be honored."

Greatly annoyed at Flora, Lista came around the grapevines but the moment she did so, she put her foot in a patch of slick mud and ended up falling heavily on her right hip. Louis wasn't close enough to grab her but as she sat up in the mud, he bent over her with great concern.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked.

Lista rubbed her sore hip. "Other than my pride, I do not think so," she said. "I am usually much more graceful than that."

"I believe you," Louis said, reaching down with both hands. "Let me help you."

He pulled Lista up easily but the moment she put weight on her foot, pain shot up her leg and she nearly went over again. Louis had a good grip on her as she winced.

"It seems I twisted my ankle," she said. "Do you mind helping me into the castle?"

Louis' response was to bend over and scoop her into his big arms. Lista gasped at the unexpected move as her arms went around his neck to support herself.

"You do not have to carry me," she insisted. "I can walk."

Louis turned for the castle. "I can move faster than you can."

"I can walk."

"Let a man be chivalrous, will you?"

He said it with humor, but he was mostly serious. Lista opened her mouth to say something but movement caught her eye. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she gazed up at the garden gate, the one that led to the road beyond.

"Strange," she muttered.

"What?"

"I thought I just saw Julian standing near the garden gate."

"He's still sleeping, isn't he?"

Lista gripped his neck again as he proceeded up the slippery slope. "The last I checked, he was," she said. "Mayhap it is the sun playing tricks."

Louis nearly slipped himself in the mud, gripping Lista tightly as he carried her out of the garden and through the gate. He was rather sorry he was going to have to put her down at some point, but he was enjoying it while it lasted.

Little did he know what the brief moment of pleasure was going to cost.

*

"Ashton, wake up."

Ashton had been dreaming about a trip he'd taken to London years ago, dreaming of the golden Thames at sunset and boats that were being pulled by swimming horses. It was a weird dream. But he opened his eyes to Julian's grim face.

"What's wrong?" he said, quickly sitting up. "Are the Scots back?"

Julian was dressed for battle. In full protection, his saddlebags slung over his shoulder, he was prepared.

"Nay," he said shortly. "I am leaving Felkington now. I want you to escort Addie home first thing in the morning."

Ashton rubbed his eyes. "You're leaving now ?" he said, thinking he hadn't heard right. "Why?"

Julian's jaw was ticking faintly. "Because I am," he said. "Thank Lady Lista for her hospitality but bring Addie home tomorrow. Do not delay or I will send men for you."

Ashton frowned, becoming more lucid. "Julian, what is wrong?"

Julian's jaw was ticking so furiously now that he was about to break his teeth. "Do not ask me that," he said. "As long as you live, do not ask me more than you already have. If I want you to know, I will tell you."

Ashton was at a loss. Julian was serious about not asking any further questions, so he didn't. He watched Julian leave the chamber, not bothering to close the door, but then he quickly climbed out of bed and put his clothing on.

He had to find Addington.

*

"What do you mean that he is leaving?"

The question came from Addington. Sitting on the floor of the great hall, she had been bandaging a man who had taken an ax to the arm and the doctor had just cleaned the wound thoroughly. But the rather grim statement from Ashton had her pausing in her duties.

"Just what I said," Ashton said, quietly and seriously. "He just came to me and told me that he's leaving. When I asked him why, he said never to ask him that question again. I am afraid he will take my head off if I ask him again, so you must find him quickly. He must be in the stables gathering his horse, so you must hurry. Something is wrong, Addie."

Frowning with concern, Addington turned the bandaging over to a servant and let Ashton pull her to her feet. She was dressed in one of her nicer gowns, one she had brought to go visiting in, but over the gown was a coarse and dirty apron that had blood and dirt on it. She made a paradoxical sight, so nicely dressed, doing rather dirty work, but that was Addington. She grew up in a castle that had seen many battles, so she was used to such things. But she wasn't used to Ashton's tone where it pertained to Julian.

"I do not understand," she said as she began to remove the apron. "He just said this to you?"

"Aye."

"But nothing more?"

Ashton shook his head. "He had that look in his eyes that your father used to get when he was verging on tearing someone's head off," he said. "You know that look. I did not want to press him. But you can."

Addington pulled the apron off, tossing it aside as she headed out of the hall with Ashton on her heels.

"In the stables, you say?" she said.

Ashton was right behind her. "That is my assumption," he said. "Unless he is already gone. Julian moves like the wind when the mood strikes him. I would not be surprised if…"

"My lady!"

They were just at the stairwell, the spiral steps built into Felkington's thick walls when a shout caught their attention. Addington had her foot on the top step but paused to see Louis heading in their direction.

He seemed distressed.

"Sir Louis?" Addington said. "Is something amiss?"

Louis nodded. "I just brought Lady Lista inside," he said. "She has hurt her ankle. Will you see to her?"

Addington frowned. "How did she hurt her ankle?"

Louis threw a thumb in the direction of the vineyard. "We were near the ruined vineyard and she slipped in the mud," he said. "I picked her up and carried her inside because she could not walk. Will you come?"

Addington wanted to but she had more pressing things with Julian. "I will, but in a moment," she said. "You can help me in the meanwhile."

"Tell me what to do, my lady."

"Get a basin of cold water and some rags," Addington said. "Put the rags in the cold water and put them on her ankle. I will come as soon as I can."

Louis took the orders like a good knight and rushed off to carry them out. Addington continued down the stairs with Ashton still behind her, perhaps even hiding behind her because of Julian's mood. Given that he'd told Addington what had occurred, Julian might even be angry at him for it.

As he'd told her, he'd seen Julian like that before.

It never ended well.

They came off the stairs and headed out into the courtyard, which was crisp and cold at that hour with the sun's rays angled so that the courtyard was mostly in shadow. The ground was a little slick, a little wet, as Addington held her skirts up and quickly walked towards the stables, which was through a large, arched entry on the opposite side of the courtyard.

At that point, Ashton held back and waited just outside the entry as Addington went in. He didn't want Julian to see him, knowing he'd summoned Addington. He did, however, eavesdrop. His ears were open, listening for the conversation that was sure to come.

It didn't take long.

Addington spied Julian as he slung his saddlebags over the back of his saddle. He was securing them as she approached.

"Julian?" Addington said, sounding both concerned and curious. "Where are you going?"

Julian was strapping the saddlebags to the saddle with leather strips. He glanced at her when he heard her voice.

"Ashton ran to you, did he?" he said.

Addington hesitated before shaking her head. "I saw you through the window," she lied, not wanting to get Ashton into any trouble. "Why are you leaving?"

Julian finished with one strap and started on the other. "I told Ashton to bring you home tomorrow," he said, avoiding her question. "Thank Lady Lista for a nice visit and come home."

Addington shook her head. "I do not want to go home yet," she said. "I did not think you did, either, so what has happened? Why are you leaving?"

He finished with the tie and looked at her. "I do not wish to speak of it," he said. "I will see you at home."

He moved to mount the charger but Addington put herself in front of the horse. "Tell me why you are leaving or I will not move," she said, more firmly. "You are going to have to go through me to get out of this stable block and if you try, I will tell Mother. Worse still, I will tell Cole and you will have a lot of explaining to do. Stop being so evasive and tell me what has happened."

He stopped short of climbing into the saddle because her threat was a real one. He knew she wouldn't move and he didn't want to hurt her, but given Addington's determined nature, he probably would have to plow through her to leave and he wasn't going to go that far. So he stood there for a moment, thinking on the answer he didn't want to give.

He snorted softly.

"I am a fool," he said simply. "Can we just leave it at that? I am a fool and I belong at Pelinom."

Addington didn't understand him in the least. "Why?" she begged softly. "Please tell me, Julian. You know you can trust me. I would not betray a confidence."

He knew that. He and Addington were inordinately close. Scratching his head, he looked at her. "It seems that Lady Lista has another suitor," he said. "I thought… well, it does not matter what I thought. I was wrong so I am going home."

Addington's face screwed up with confusion. "What suitor?" she demanded. "Who?"

Julian fumbled with the reins. "De Rhos," she said. Then, his control slipped. "I saw them, Addie. Their arms around each other. I trusted him… I trusted her… the worst part is that I genuinely liked de Rhos. Nay… that is not the worst part. The worst part is that I thought Lady Lista liked me. She certainly acted like it and even agreed to let me court her. But, yet again, Julian de Velt is made a fool of."

Addington genuinely had no idea what he was talking about. "Julian, you are not making any sense," she said. "You saw them with their arms around each other? Where?"

"In the vineyard," he said. "They were in quite a romantic embrace, so there is no point in me remaining. I will not be humiliated again."

Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together for Addington, especially when he mentioned the vineyard. "I just saw Louis upstairs and he said that Lista had hurt herself in the vineyard," she said. "I am sure that is all you saw. Mayhap he was helping her?"

Julian cast her a look of disbelief before finally mounting his horse. "Helping her, indeed," he said. "Is that what he called it?"

Addington grabbed on to the reins so he couldn't get by her. "Julian, stop ," she commanded softly. "I do not know what you think you saw, but Lista likes you very much. She is quite agreeable to having you court her and she did not lie to you about that. Why in the world would she carry on with de Rhos? That does not seem like something she would do."

Julian pulled his helm out of a saddlebag. "How do you know?" he said. "She has us all fooled into thinking she is sweet and kind when the truth is that she is just like the rest of them."

"She is not," Addington insisted. "I do not know what has happened, but the least you could do is go and ask her."

He grunted. "Not me," he said. "I know what happened. Get out of the way because I am leaving now."

Addington held fast. "I am not getting out of the way because you are acting rashly," she said. "I know you are used to women treating you poorly, but Lista is not one of them. If I thought she was, I would have never agreed to come here. I came here because I wanted to play matchmaker between you two and I have. Why are you trying to ruin this?"

"I told you what happened. I will not tell you again."

"You told me what you saw. You did not tell me what happened."

"Do not be stupid, Addie."

"You are the one being stupid. You have so little faith that you will not even ask Lista?"

"Excuse me, my lady. I am sorry to trouble you."

It wasn't Julian who replied. It was Louis. He was suddenly in the entry of the stables and both Addington and Julian turned to see the man standing there, mostly looking at Addington, but having some confusion when he managed to look at Julian.

Addington smiled weakly.

"How can I help, Sir Louis?" she asked.

He gestured to the castle. "The physic said it would be better for Lady Lista to soak her foot," he said. "Since the servants seemed to be missing or occupied, I've come looking for a bucket. I thought there might be one out here."

Addington saw the opportunity to clarify the situation for Julian. "You mean for Lista's sore ankle?" she said. "The one she twisted when she slipped in the vineyard?"

It was a long way to get to the point, at least for Louis, and he nodded at the rather odd questions. "Aye," he said. "Is there one around here I can rinse out?"

Addington sighed heavily but, in truth, it was mostly in annoyance at Julian. The man was being irrational as far as she was concerned so if he was going to leave, then she figured he should have all the facts.

It was a risky move, but she was going to take it.

"Sir Louis," she said. "Can you please tell my brother what happened in the vineyard with Lista?"

Louis' gaze moved to Julian. He was confused, trying not to show it. "She slipped in the mud so I brought her back to the castle," he said. "Her ankle is swollen. She wrenched it when she fell."

Julian simply looked at him for a moment before dismounting. Addington held her breath, hoping that it would calm the evidently terrible misconceptions that Julian had. But Julian simply stood next to his horse, holding the reins, as he looked at Louis near the entry of the stables.

"I will accept that," he finally said. "But I have a question for you."

Louis could sense the hardness and, in fact, the rage. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he could guess. "Ask what you will."

"What were you doing with her, alone, in the vineyard?"

"I was told she wished to bid me farewell," he said steadily. "I am leaving today, as evidently, you are also. I was unaware of that."

Julian was processing what he was being told but his body language hadn't changed. He was still stiff. "She wanted to bid you farewell in the vineyard?" he repeated as if to clarify it, as if there were something odd about it he still didn't believe.

Louis nodded. "Her mother told me that she wished to have a word with me, privately," he said. Then, his gaze moved between Addington and Julian. The man wasn't stupid. "Is that what the problem is here? That I was alone with Lista? Julian, nothing untoward happened. We only spoke. I swear it."

Instead of being eased, Julian's stiff stance only grew worse. "Her mother told you that she wanted to see you privately ?"

Louis nodded. "Aye, but I am sure that meant nothing," he said. "In fact, she seemed a little confused by my appearance, to tell you the truth. We spoke a few words, she thanked me again for my assistance against the Scots, and we were leaving the vineyard when she slipped. Since she could not walk, I carried her back to the castle."

Julian's gaze lingered on him a moment longer before he finally shook his head as if the entire situation was laced with great irony. It was clear that he didn't believe what he was told.

"I see," he said, showing some cracks in his composure for the first time. "Lista wants to see you privately before you leave and then she conveniently slips so that you must carry her into the castle. De Rhos, I sincerely hope you are not playing me for a fool because I will not be lied to, not by you and not by anyone. Either you are making this up or Lista is manipulating you and me. Personally, I do not care what it is because I will leave here and never see either of you again. I wish you good health and happiness, wherever you may find it."

With that, he swung onto his horse again, this time yanking the reins away from Addington. But Louis was greatly puzzled and just the least bit offended by what he said.

"No man will accuse me of being a liar, my lord," he said, reverting to a formal stance. "I have not, nor will I ever, lie to you. I went to the vineyard because Lady Lista's mother told me to and for no other reason than that. In fact, the lady and I had a discussion about you and she told me that she was very much committed to you even though you'd not formally asked for her hand yet. That is not something I would ever violate, de Velt. I told you that once already."

Julian spurred his warhorse forward, brushing past Addington. "I know what I saw," he muttered as he moved past de Rhos. "No man, and no woman, will make a fool out of me, so save your breath. Good life to you."

With that, he trotted out into the courtyard, heading for the double-portcullis passage. Louis watched him go with great distress, as did Addington, who came to stand next to him. Together, they watched Julian disappear into the passage. When Louis turned to Addington, baffled, he could see the tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" he said, genuinely perplexed. "Why did he leave like that?"

Addington sniffled, flicking away the tears. "Because he is afraid," she said simply. "Julian has been hurt before, by men and women he trusted. He thinks the same thing is happening now."

Louis scratched his head. "Nothing is happening," he said. "Nothing happened . Lady Lista slipped. I picked her up. What was I supposed to do? Leave her wallowing in the mud?"

Addington shook her head, looking to Louis. "Please do not be offended by what he said," she said. "Julian… he is a skilled knight and a wonderful brother, but he has always lacked great confidence when it comes to women."

Louis' eyebrows lifted. "Him?" he said, shocked. "The man is built like a god. Why does he lack faith in himself?"

Addington pointed to her eyes. "Did you notice his eyes?"

Louis shrugged. "I think so," he said. "I have looked at the man, so of course I have seen his eyes. What about them?"

"Did you notice they are two different colors?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Addington smiled in spite of herself. "Bless you for saying so," she said. "But he is very self-conscious of the fact that his eyes can scare people. He has been fond of a couple of women in the past only for them to taunt him because of his eye color and then leave him for someone else. He thinks that is happening again. He is simply trying to protect himself."

Now, it was all starting to make some sense to Louis. "And he thinks I am trying to steal Lady Lista away."

"Exactly."

Louis nodded as if it all became clear to him now. But that still didn't ease him. "It is unfair of him to think that I have been underhanded," he said. "It is unfair of him to judge me when he does not even know me. We stood side by side against the Scots and fought together, preserving one another's lives in the process. And he thinks that I would actually try to steal away the woman he wants?"

Addington nodded. "Do not be too hard on him," she said. "He has been betrayed before."

Louis' jaw ticked. "But not by me," he said. "I've never hurt the man. The fact that others have does not give him the right to assume the same from me."

He was building up a rage and Addington was feeling increasingly desperate for Julian. "He is a kind and compassionate man," she said. "I am sorry if he offended you, but you must understand the damage others have inflicted."

Louis looked at her. "In this case, he has brought it on himself," he said. "Lady Addington, I realize you are defending your brother and that is admirable, but he is a bitter fool to go around accusing people he does not know of betraying him. If he is going to do that, then mayhap I should have no such restraint when it comes to Lady Lista. A man like that does not deserve her."

Addington looked at him with some horror. "What do you mean?" she said. "Of course he deserves her. He is a good man."

Louis' jaw ticked. "A good man does not behave the way he just did," he said. "Good day to you, my lady."

With that, he headed out of the stables, moving for the stairwell that led to the great hall and leaving Addington with a bigger problem than ever. Feeling frustrated with Louis and hurt on Julian's behalf, she knew she needed to talk to Lista before Louis got to her and told her what had happened.

But she needed to find Ashton first.

He had to know what had happened.

A bad situation was about to get worse.