Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Pembridge Castle

One Week Later

D orian was screaming.

Roi had heard it from the bailey, and it caused him, Kyne, and Adrius to sprint in the direction of the sound, which happened to be somewhere near the kitchen yard. There was an area back there with a fishpond and the remnants of a garden that Diara had decided to bring back to life. Almost a week after their return from Lioncross and their wedding celebration, life at Pembridge was nicely settling in.

And what a life it had been.

Roi had been given a lot of time to think about the way his life had changed. It was difficult to put it into so many words, but the closest he could come was that it was as if the sun had risen over his darkness and all he could see was the light. Since Odette's death, he felt as if he'd been living in limbo—not sad, not happy, but simply existing. He'd sent his daughters away to foster and he'd buried himself in his duties. Anything to keep him distracted from the pain of losing his wife. But when he finally came to terms with that, he found himself in a colorless world where he had his reputation, his obligations, and a connection to the king that did nothing to fill the hole inside his heart.

A hole crying for joy.

He'd gotten used to living like that, but Beckett's death threatened to change everything. It threatened to break his carefully held control and plunge him from darkness into complete blackness. But a belligerent father had changed his life, and as much as Robin annoyed him, he had to admit that he was grateful to the man for forcing him into a marriage. Had Robin not been such a bully, Roi wouldn't have married Diara.

Now, he couldn't imagine his life without her.

He was still coming to know her, but every day was a new voyage of discovery that saw him fall more deeply in love with her. She was sweet and beautiful and, already, Adalia and Dorian adored her. Watching his daughters open up to a woman when such a role model had been absent from their everyday lives was truly something to see. Dorian wasn't so wrapped up in her horses, and Adalia had come out of the kitchens, now following Diara around and wanting to learn from her. More than that, she wanted to please her. Diara was very sweet with the girls, and it did Roi's heart good to see it. It was an absolute joy.

More than that, it was Diara herself who was the joy.

He'd married an angel.

From their wedding to the celebration afterward, the games that ended up going for two days that saw the de Lohr men, one by one, become injured or otherwise incapacitated, she had been a dream. He would have been fully enamored with the dream had his brothers not turned the wedding celebration into two days of beatings that somewhat took his attention away from her. They worked so hard to triumph over each other that they ended up injuring one another.

Curtis was the first one out with a twisted ankle, followed by Douglas, who was hit on the head when they played the game with a pig's bladder and sticks. The object was to hit the ball from one end of the field to the other while those on the opposition tried to prevent it, but those sticks they used did some damage. After Curtis and Douglas fell out, two of Curtis' sons received blows that took them out as well.

That upset Diara somewhat, and at her request, Dustin got involved. She didn't like seeing her sons and grandsons whipped and bleeding, either, but Christopher told her to stay out of it. That fueled her anger to the point of taking all the women inside with her so they would not watch the games except for Diara, who wouldn't leave Roi. She watched Westley go after her husband, presumably going after the ball that Roi was controlling, but he ended up hitting Roi in the neck. That brought Roi's anger, and he hit Westley so hard with his stick that it briefly knocked him unconscious.

With Westley dragged off the field, the de Shera brothers filled the holes left by Douglas and Westley, but Roi filled his holes with Magnus, Aeron, and Tiegh, which wasn't quite a fair match-up because they were unrelenting against the younger men. Tiberius was the first one to fall with a smashed foot, while Maximus, the biggest brother, was more of a challenge. Gallus remained in the game simply because he was intelligent and knew how to avoid trouble, but Maximus and Roi ended up in a stick fight that saw both sticks demolished. Fists and hands were used after that, and Christopher and David ended up breaking up a fight between them.

All the while, Diara watched anxiously from the edge of the field.

It was encounters like the one between Roi and Maximus that had driven the games for two straight days until nearly everyone was battered, bloodied, and beaten. But they were also grinning and congratulating one another, which completely baffled Diara. Roi still chuckled when he remembered the scolding he received from her on the second night as she cleaned his wounds with witch hazel. The solution stung his cuts, but her words, though harsh, did his heart good because they told him how much she cared.

But she swore there would be no more games, and Dustin agreed with her.

The celebration of Roi and Diara's wedding was officially over.

Robin and Ananda were the first ones to leave and head home, taking Mathis and Pryce with them. On the very morning after the games, just before sunrise, their entire escort was prepared and ready to depart. Robin said his brief goodbyes to his daughter but seemed rather eager to leave. Ananda wept over leaving her only child, so very joyful that she was married. Ananda had mentioned grandchildren once or twice already, so Diara knew what was expected of her.

So did Roi.

He wasn't at all opposed to more children. In fact, he was quite eager to have children with his new wife. He had always viewed this marriage as being the opportunity to replace the son he lost, but it had become more than that. It was being proud of Diara bearing his children, children that were part of him and part of her. It was in knowing that this wonderful woman would be the mother of those children, and he knew that they would be extremely fortunate.

He knew that he was the most fortunate man in the entire world.

Therefore, the week back at Pembridge had been an astonishing one. When he wasn't thinking about Diara, he was talking about her. He could see in his knights' faces that he was becoming boring and repetitive talking about his wife all the time. But it had been difficult for him to contain himself, and, in fact, he'd been speaking to them about his desire to take Diara to France and beyond when they'd heard the screaming that was currently going on.

They went on the run.

As they closed in on the area behind the kitchen yard, an area next to the wall that had the fishpond, they started to hear laughter, too. More screams, more laughter, and they burst through the small gate that separated the pond from the rest of the yard only to see Dorian and Adalia pushing each other into the pond. Just as Adalia climbed out, Dorian would push her back in. They were both soaking wet. Standing a few feet away stood Diara, grinning at the antics.

"We heard the screaming," Roi said as he rushed in with Kyne and Adrius behind him. "What's amiss?"

"Papa!" Dorian cried. "The fish bite!"

With that, Adalia started screaming and leaping, trying desperately to get out of the pond of biting fish. She was also laughing in between screams, and it sounded like utter hysteria. But Diara went to her panicked husband, shaking her head.

"The fish do not bite," she said. "But they do nibble. Dorian found that out yesterday when she stepped in to pull some of the overgrowth out of the pond. She thought it would be fun to lure her sister in today."

Roi was breathing heavily from his run across the bailey, putting his hands on his hips in a frustrated gesture as he watched Adalia pull Dorian in again and then push her down. Dorian started howling when fish lips began nibbling at her, and he was starting to see what was so funny about it. He watched his daughters play in a way he'd never seen them play before.

It was part of that newlywed happiness they were all starting to feel.

Happiness that Diara had brought to them.

"Now that I know what the screams are for, I shall ignore them," he told his wife. Then he eyed her. "Have you gone in there?"

She shook her head. "Nay," she said. "I am not so foolish as to—"

He cut her off by swinging her into his arms and carrying her to the edge of the pond as she shrieked and clung to his neck.

"Don't you dare, Richard de Lohr!" she cried. "Throw me in this pond at your own peril! You will have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of your life because I will not rest until you suffer such humiliation as you cannot imagine!"

He was nearly crying with laughter as he extended her out over the pond and she held fast to him. He really didn't intend to dump her into the pond, but it was quite humorous to tease her. The threats she was issuing at him were hilarious. Unfortunately, Adalia and Dorian didn't have the same restraint, and they yanked on his arms, causing him to go off balance. Diara went, bottom-first, into the pond as Roi toppled sideways. With a giant splash, the entire family was in the murky pond as Kyne and Adrius shook their heads at the antics.

Fortunately, the pond wasn't very deep, but Diara had gone in over her head. She came up, sputtering, with leaves on her head, as the girls danced around her, splashing water. Roi was still laughing, trying to get up and help her up at the same time, but she shoved him away by the face and he fell on his backside. It was Kyne who extended a hand to her to pull her out of the pond while Roi sat there, up to his chest in the water, while his daughters splashed murky water on him.

"I am sorry, my love," he called after Diara as he wiped his eyes. "My dearest? I'm terribly sorry. I did not mean to toss you like that. Blame Adalia and Dorian. They are the enemy!"

Diara was soaked. She was also partially covered with stringy algae. She peeled it off her arms and tossed it at Roi, hitting him in the face.

"I hope those fish eat you," she said, pushing her wet hair out of her face. "I hope they strip your bones."

"Shall I just stay here, then?"

"Aye!" Diara said, half teasing, half angry. "Look at me! I'm covered in slime!"

"You are still beautiful," Roi said. "May I come out now?"

Diara was on the move, holding up her soaking skirts. She passed behind Roi as he sat there then she picked up some mud at the edge of the pond, flinging it on him from behind. It hit him in the back of the neck and the head, and immediately, he bolted to his feet.

"That is all I will take from you," he said, turning swiftly for her. "Be prepared to defend yourself."

With a yelp, Diara took off at a run. She was at a distinct disadvantage because her clothing was soaked and very heavy, and by the time she reached the kitchen door leading into the keep, Roi was on her. Picking her up, he slung her over one broad shoulder as he carried her through the kitchens, with her yelling and fussing all the way. The kitchen servants looked at them in shock, but Roi simply grinned.

"Send the bathtub and hot water up to our chamber immediately," he said. "Lady de Lohr is clumsy and fell in the pond. Had I not saved her, she would have drowned."

That brought a screech of outrage from Diara, who began slapping his behind. But she was laughing, and he was laughing, as he carried her up two flights of stairs, leaving a watery trail, until he reached their bedchamber. Once inside, he carefully set her to her feet.

She rushed him.

Roi was unprepared for Diara running at him and wrapping her hands around his throat. She was giggling as she did it, being playful about it, but when he stepped back, he ended up tripping and falling, hard, to the floor.

The giggles stopped.

"Roi!" she gasped, on top of him as he lay there. "Did you hurt yourself?"

He groaned. "I've broken something."

Diara pushed herself off him. "Where is your pain?" she asked seriously. "What did you fall on?"

He continued to lie there and grunt. "Everything," he said miserably. "Everything is broken."

Diara ran her hand against the back of his skull, looking for bumps or blood. "My love, I cannot help you if you do not tell me where it hurts," she said patiently. "Where is your pain?"

She was checking him all over for damage when he reached up and grabbed her, pulling her against him.

"Everywhere when I am not with you," he said, nuzzling her ear and cheek. "Every moment I spent away from you causes me excruciating pain. Even when I am in the bailey and you are out of my sight, my thoughts are only of you."

Diara was quickly succumbing to the man, as she had every night since their marriage, but it was still the middle of the day and Roi had ordered a bath. She knew the servants were on their way, and she didn't want to create a spectacle for them.

"I'm covered in pond scum," she reminded him, pushing against his chest as he tried to embrace her. "We both smell like dirty fish."

"I do not care," he said before finally slanting over her mouth and kissing her deeply. "I will kiss my wife no matter what she smells like."

Diara started to chuckle. "What about me?" she said, avoiding his seeking lips. "Am I not allowed an opinion in this directive? What if I do not want to kiss you because you smell like fish?"

"Then you had better learn to like fish, lady."

She continued to chuckle as he tried to pull her against him. The more he would pull, the more she would push, until he finally managed to move her arms out of the way and trap her. Once he did that, he had her, for she could no longer fight him off. But his victory didn't last for long because the door swung open and two male servants lugged in an enormous copper tub.

"By the hearth, please," Diara said, pushing herself away from Roi by using his head for a brace. "Fill it halfway and then leave me a few buckets of hot water, please."

Servants began moving in and out as Roi climbed up from the floor and went to a chair to remove his soaked boots. Diara supervised the servants as Roi's major-domo showed up, helping with the water brigade. His name was Finnick, and he had originally served at Lioncross before Roi brought him over to Pembridge when he took command. Finnick was quiet, efficient, and bright, and he and Diara had come to a somewhat symbiotic relationship since she arrived. Finnick deferred to her in all things, and they were still in the process of working out what his duties would be, but so far, it had gone smoothly.

He was a man who knew his place.

"Lady Dorian and Lady Adalia have had the same mishap in the pond that their father and I have had," she told Finnick as he passed by with an empty bucket. "Please find something they can bathe in because, between my lord and I, we are going to be using the big tub for some time."

Finnick nodded quickly and headed off to assist the younger ladies. Diara returned to the cabinet where she kept her bathing things, including soap and scrapers, razors, and more. When she'd come to Pembridge, Roi didn't really have anything other than a comb and a razor, so she'd been generous in lending him her soap. Actually, she'd insisted on it, and he started using it, afraid to smell bad for his new wife. He hadn't cared much how he smelled for the past fourteen years, but now he did. He had a wife he wanted to be worthy of, and he didn't want to smell like a stable.

When the servants were gone and the door closed and bolted, Diara set out the soap and oils and scrub brushes on a small table next to the tub and had Roi help her out of her sticky, heavy, damp garments. When they came off, all of them, she slipped into the hot tub and instructed him to do the same. The tub was big enough for them both, even if there wasn't a lot of room to move around, and he eagerly climbed in with her as she took a pitcher and poured water over them both, several times, before rinsing out the nasty water so she could scrub them both with the soap. As Roi relaxed in the hot water, Diara washed herself first, including her hair, before starting in on him.

He was more than happy to let her.

"I've been thinking something," he murmured, eyes closed as she washed his hair.

"What about?" she asked.

"That mayhap you would like to go to Paris," he said. "When we were married, I was thinking about taking you on a trip because you seemed so interested in talking to people from different places. Realizing that you've probably never been out of England, I thought you might enjoy a trip."

She stopped washing, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. She appeared completely surprised.

"Paris?" she repeated. "Oh… could we? Do we dare?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

She shrugged and resumed washing. "Because you have many duties here that require you," she said. "You could not leave for a long period of time."

"Why not?"

" Don't you have duties that require you?"

He kept his eyes closed while she poured water on his head to rinse the soap out. "I am responsible for the southern border of my father's property," he said. "But before Beckett died, Henry had been demanding my return to London."

"Why?"

He lay back against the tub as she used the scrub brush and began to wash his arms and hands. "That is a question with many answers," he said. "Up until two years ago, I was in Poitou for the king. He had issues with his French neighbors, to put it mildly. That is where your father was, also."

She nodded as she used the brush on his dirty nails. "I know," she said. "I remember when he went there with his army. He came back to tell me that I was betrothed to Beckett."

"Right," Roi said. "I returned when your father did, but I remained in London at the head of Henry's council, along with a few others, while he argued with the Capetians for a while. But my father was having some trouble with a local Welsh lord, so I resigned my post and returned home to command Pembridge and hold the southern border of my father's property. That's when I brought Adalia and Dorian home."

Diara was listening with interest as she continued to wash him. "And Henry wants you to return?"

Roi nodded. "That has been my lot in life," he said. "A proctor for the king. With the legalities of treaties and such, he needs my knowledge of the laws. While I've been here at Pembridge, I've also been an itinerant justice. I hold court here about once a month to solve local grievances. I've even gone into Hereford to settle cases there as well. Beckett was being trained for the same work."

In all of the conversations they'd had since their introduction, he'd never really spoken of his work or background. Diara only knew what she'd heard and a few cursory things he'd told her. She picked up a rag from the nearby table, soaked it, and put it on his face to soften his beard.

"Then you are an important man," she said. "I had no idea I married a fighting scholar."

He grinned. "Every man has his strength," he said. "Some men's strength is their brute power in battle. For some, it is tactics or warfare. Still others are diplomats and masters at negotiation. For me, it is the law."

"Do you plan to return to London?"

"At some point," he said. "I am valuable to Henry, and he pays me well. Service to the king guarantees me a reward at some point—lands, titles, that kind of thing. Things I should like to pass down to our children."

Diara produced the slimy white soap that smelled of lavender and lathered up his beard. "You will inherit the Earldom of Cheltenham when my father dies," she said. "It is a wealthy holding."

"But that will go to one child, our eldest son, should we have one," he said. "I hope to have other children with you, and I should like to leave them something. And Adalia and Dorian—they must have dowries."

"You're ambitious, then?"

"Not ambitious," he said. "But I find it necessary to plan. I do not want uncertainty for the future."

At that point, he held stock-still because she was shaving him. His legs had kicked out at some point, and she was kneeling between them, carefully shaving him as he found her thighs. His hands moved up her legs, cupping her buttocks, and pulling her toward him slowly.

She finally snorted.

"Cease," she said softly. "You are only half shaved, and I would finish before you have your way with me."

He was trying not to smile or laugh, trying to remain still while she finished one side of his face before moving to the other.

"Sorry," he said, barely moving his lips. "I simply cannot help it."

"You'd better, or I might accidentally slit your throat."

He remained still after that, his eyes following her as she finished shaving him. Then she washed out the razor and set it aside, using the damp rag to wipe Roi's face of the remaining soap.

"There," she said, looking at her handiwork. "You look like a proper lord now."

His big hands completely covered both buttocks, and he pulled her against him, her naked flesh against his. "You have my thanks, wife," he said softly, instantly hard and aroused. "Now, it is my turn."

Diara wound her arms around his neck. "To do what?"

His answer was to slant his mouth over hers, kissing her passionately. Diara gave herself over to him completely, letting him have his way with her, and he took charge. His lips moved over her clean skin and to her damp, firm breasts before claiming her lips once more. The bath was growing cool, and he stood up, still holding her, and carried her over to the bed, where he laid her down atop the coverlet and had his way with her.

Twice.

As they lay there in clean, damp bliss, still wrapped around one another, they began to hear Dorian's voice as she argued with her sister. The family chambers were on one level, with Roi and Diara's chamber being right next to Adalia and Dorian's. The walls were thick, made of stone and two feet wide in some places, but the doors weren't good sound barriers. Dorian was upset about something, and tangled up in Roi's arms, Diara sighed heavily.

"Should I see what is amiss?" she asked, her face half pressed into Roi's chest.

He opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to his daughters argue. "Nay," he said quietly. "I will go."

"Are you certain?"

He gently let her go and sat up. "Aye," he said. "They are my daughters. I do not feel as if I've been a very good father to them. You've helped me to realize that I should pay more attention to them, whether or not you are aware of it."

Diara sat up beside him. "They do not think you are a bad father," she said gently, putting her hand on his head in a comforting gesture. "I certainly do not. Your children love you very much."

He looked at her. "That may be, but I have not been around for them," he said. "Watching you with them, seeing how you are with them… They are my family, Deedee. We are all a family. Losing Beckett has made me realize just how important my family is to me. And I want to be a better father to my daughters."

She smiled at him, and he kissed her before he stood up and went in search of his clothing. A week ago, Diara had been mortified at the sight of a naked man, but just a short time later, she'd relished it. The man had a spectacular form. As he pulled on his breeches, she got up from the bed and went to the wardrobe, finding the robe that Dustin had left for her on their wedding night. She pulled it on, tying the sash around her waist, as Roi pulled on a tunic.

There was a table near one of the windows with a small, polished mirror on it, and she sat in front of the table and picked up a comb, pulling it through her hair just as Roi opened the door to the girls squabbling in the corridor outside. As she combed her hair, she could hear him trying to negotiate a truce between two girls who hadn't had much fatherly interaction in their lives. But Diara smiled faintly as she realized that was about to change.

I want to be a better father to them .

She thought that Adalia and Dorian were lucky girls, indeed.