Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Pembridge Castle

T hese were days of sunshine and bliss.

That was the way Roi felt about them. After years of gloom, to wake up to Diara's beautiful face every morning was something out of a dream. Every morning since their marriage, he'd woken up before dawn and simply watched her sleep. It gave him comfort and joy beyond imagining. He'd never been so happy, or so in love, with anyone or anything in his life, and if that made him a foolish man, then he was content being foolish. Every single day, he thanked God for being utterly, ridiculously foolish.

It had been almost two weeks since their return to Pembridge, and life was settling into a delirium of wonderful normalcy. Diara was finding her place as chatelaine, Adalia was her shadow and enjoying every minute of it, and Dorian was still playing with her horses, but giving more attention to cleaning up the fishpond and restoring the garden that had languished for so long. She loved animals and plants and flowers. She even loved the biting fish.

Dorian, too, was growing up.

The latest with the youngest de Lohr daughter, however, was her desire for a new horse. Roi had taken Diara and the girls into the village of Pembridge, which was just to the east of the castle. It was a small village but a busy one, and it had a license for a market every Saturday. Roi wanted to introduce Diara to the villagers and for the villagers to realize there was a new Lady of Pembridge, but Dorian caught sight of a blond horse in one of the animal pens near the end of town and refused to leave it. It belonged to a merchant who wasn't too keen on parting with it for less than an exorbitant price, something Roi refused to pay. That had left Dorian in a flood of tears and Roi feeling like an ogre.

As Roi lay next to Diara, watching her sleep as the sun rose, he smiled when he thought of his dramatic younger daughter, who was positive she was going to die from the pain of not having the horse she wanted. Diara and Adalia had gone to visit the spice merchant as Roi remained with Dorian and tried to convince her that she would indeed survive. That only made things worse. Not even offering to buy her sweets from the only baker in town eased her wounded soul, and once Diara and Adalia had made their purchases, Dorian wept all the way home.

What she didn't know was that the next day, Roi's guilt had sent him back to the village for a round of intense negotiations for the mare, whose name was Brillante. He and the merchant finally settled on a price, and Roi had arranged to have the horse delivered today. When he heard the faint sounds of the sentries at the gatehouse, announcing an arrival as the sun rose, he quietly climbed out of bed and pulled his clothing on. Thinking that the golden horse had arrived, he peered out of the chamber window to the bailey—only to see that an unfamiliar horse and rider had arrived. Pulling his boots on quickly, he went downstairs.

Kyne was waiting for him.

The man had just come up the stairs of the keep and entered the cool, dim foyer as Roi came down. The two of them came together somewhere in the middle of the entry.

"Who comes?" Roi asked. "I saw a rider."

Kyne's response was to extend a missive to him, and Roi took it, noting the seal. He lifted his eyebrows in realization.

"Cheltenham," he said as he broke the seal and unfolded the vellum. "I wonder what he wants?"

Kyne didn't say anything. He waited until Roi had read the missive twice before speaking.

"The messenger says that Cheltenham is mobilizing his army," he said. "It seems that Cirencester has launched some sort of raid, and he's already burned two villages. What does the missive say?"

"It is a request for aid and says that I'm to proceed to the village of Colesborne to intercept Cirencester's army." But then Roi shook his head as if greatly confused. "Mathis de Geld told us that Cirencester visited Robin last week. Although he did not know the contents of the meeting, he said that Robin was not troubled when Cirencester departed. In fact, the man seemed rather happy. I cannot imagine that Cirencester arrived to threaten him and Robin was joyful about it. That makes no sense."

Kyne shook his head. "Nay, it does not," he said. "But why would Cirencester visit him and then attack him only days later?"

Roi pondered that dilemma. "Unless Cirencester gave him an ultimatum," he said. "But that would not explain Robin's jovial mood when Cirencester left. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless Cirencester somehow lied to the man," Roi said. "For example—what if Cirencester promised Robin something and then went back on his word?"

Kyne nodded. "That would explain the attacks," he said. "Now your wife's father is sending you a panicked missive for help. Mayhap his friend did indeed go back on his word."

Roi wasn't sure about any of it. "Robin certainly came to Lioncross without a care in the world," he said. "I never got any sense that he was concerned about anything, but then again, I did not spend any length of time with him. But Diara did. She said her father was behaving oddly. She found him going through the things in my father's study."

Kyne's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Roi shrugged. "I could not tell you," he said. "I forgot about it, in fact. I did not even tell my father what she told me."

"Then mayhap it was nothing more than a curious old man."

"True," Roi said. "That is what I thought."

Kyne gestured to the missive. "What are you going to do about that?"

"There is nothing else I can do but answer the summons," Roi said. "Tell Adrius. The two of you can muster about half of my army, and we'll ride to the southern border of Cheltenham's land and see what is happening between him and Cirencester. We'll head to Colesborne."

"Right away, Roi."

"And we should send word to my father and tell him what has happened," Roi said. "Send a messenger to him immediately and relay what was in Robin's missive. Tell my father that I am already moving out."

"It shall be done."

With that, the two of them parted ways. Roi was just heading up the steps of the keep when he heard his name being shouted, and he turned to see that the blond horse was being delivered. The merchant he'd haggled with was bringing the animal in through the gatehouse, leading it proudly. Finnick appeared on the steps of the keep, and Roi sent the man out to settle the horse while he continued inside to inform Diara of the situation and pack his belongings.

At this time of the morning, the keep was cold and smelling of smoke from the fires that had burned out overnight. Roi was nearly to the top of the stairs when Dorian suddenly bolted past him, nearly knocking him backward. When she realized the body in the stairwell was her father, she leapt on him, her arms around his neck as he held his balance and tried not to fall back down the stairs and take her with him.

"Papa!" Dorian shrieked in his ear. "I saw the horse in the bailey! You bought her!"

Roi patted her on the back. "Aye, I bought her," he said. "I was going to surprise you, but clearly, you have already seen her."

"The sentries woke me and I looked outside!"

"Then the sentries spoiled the surprise."

Dorian didn't care about any of that. She kissed him loudly and firmly on the cheek. "I love you, Papa!" she cried. "Thank you, thank you!"

She kissed him again, twice more, smacking him on the nose the second time in her haste. But she was giggling, gleeful, and frantic to see her new horse. She released her father and ran down the rest of the stairs far too quickly as Roi stood there and rubbed his nose where she'd hit him. But he felt good that he'd made her so happy. He hadn't done much of that during her young life. With a grin, he continued up the stairs and into the chamber he shared with Diara. As he opened the door, he wasn't surprised to find her up and dressing already.

"Good morn, angel," he said as he shut the door behind him. "Did you sleep well?"

Diara looked at him, smiling as she ran a comb through her hair. "You should know," she said. "You spend all of your time watching me. How did I sleep?"

He chuckled as he went over to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her sweetly. "It looked to me as if you slept very well," he said. "And I will not stop watching you even if you tell me to, so save your breath."

She giggled, pulling from his embrace and heading over to her dressing table. "I would never tell you what you can or cannot do," she said. "But watching me sleep is going to become quite boring after a time."

"Never."

She sat down in front of her table, setting her comb down as she opened up one of the several boxes on the table. "Have it your way, then," she said. "What do you have in your hand?"

Roi looked down to see that he was still holding the missive from Cheltenham. He'd been so caught up in the joy of seeing her that he'd nearly forgotten he still had it. He lifted it up.

"This is from your father," he said. "The messenger arrived early this morning. It seems that Cirencester is making trouble for him and he is asking for help."

Diara stopped what she was doing and turned to him. " Cirencester ?"

"That's what he says."

She stood up from her chair and went to him, taking the missive and reading through it carefully. When she came to the end of it, she began shaking her head.

"That makes no sense to me," she said. "Cirencester has never given my father trouble in all of the years we have known him. They are friends."

"No longer, according to your father," Roi said, moving past her and going to the enormous wardrobe that had been part of the chamber when he first took possession of the castle. "He is asking me to bring my army and meet him in a village called Colesborne. You can see from the missive what else he says —that Cirencester has already burned two villages near their property boundary."

Diara was genuinely baffled. She sat on the edge of their bed, missive in hand, as Roi began to pull out pieces of clothing to pack.

"Did Mathis not say that Cirencester paid my father a visit before Beckett's funeral?" she said.

"That is what the knight said."

"And now Cirencester is attacking my father?"

Roi came over to the bed and began to lay things out. "Mathis told us of the meeting, but he did not know what was said," he replied. "It is possible that Cirencester threatened your father or tried to coerce him, but your father is a stubborn man. He must have refused, and now, Cirencester is retaliating. The only thing I do not understand is why he seemed happy after Cirencester's departure from Cicadia Castle. To me, that does not speak of a worried man."

Diara sat there, shaking her head, until she finally turned to him. "I do not like this at all, Roi," she said. "You do not know my father. He holds grudges. He becomes inflamed if anyone opposes him. You saw him when he went to Lioncross and bullied your father. You said so yourself."

"I did."

She stood up from the bed. "Something is very wrong here," she said. "Cirencester would never attack my father."

Roi looked at her. "Do you think it is someone other than Cirencester?"

"I don't know," she said, working herself up into a state. "Riggs Fairford is a wicked man, and his son, Flavian, is even worse. They were very upset when my father would not agree to a betrothal between Flavian and me, but that was so long ago. That is the only thing I can possibly think of that might make him angry enough to strike."

Roi appeared doubtful. "I cannot believe he would show his disappointment so long after the suit was refused," he said. "Moreover, you are married now. If they were still pursuing you, that is now ended. And wasn't all of that several years ago?"

"Before my father went to France."

"Then I am sure this has nothing to do with a rejected suit," he said. "Cirencester would not decide to attack your father four years after his suit was refused."

"But I have only been married for a couple of weeks."

That brought Roi pause. "You think that Cirencester may have held out hope for a betrothal until you were legally married, and now he is furious?"

Diara sighed heavily. "As I said, I do not know," she said. "But he visited my father before we were married and attacked him only after we were wed. Coincidence?"

"It has to be."

"Then if that is not the reason, something else must have prompted the attack."

"Like what?"

She didn't have an answer, and because of that, she was close to tears. "I do not know," she whispered tightly. "But I do not want you to go."

He frowned, as if she had said something ridiculous. "I must go," he said, turning back to the wardrobe. "I am your husband and obligated to answer your father's call. You know this."

She didn't like the fact that he wasn't taking her seriously. "My father has not had trouble on his lands in almost twenty years," she pointed out. "And suddenly, he has an attack two weeks after I marry? An attack in which he summons de Lohr aid, no less?"

Roi looked at her. She was genuinely upset, but he thought it was more because he was going to face a skirmish and she was afraid in general. He thought that perhaps she was simply making up phantoms of suspicion where there weren't any. Removing a small leather satchel from the wardrobe, he tossed it onto the bed as he made his way over to her.

"This is the first time you've had a husband go to war, is it?" he said, his eyes glimmering. "I would have never known."

She didn't like being teased. "I know you think I am being foolish, but I do not have a good feeling about this," she said. "Nothing is making sense about my father, and it is frightening me. What about my catching him in your father's solar?"

"What about it?"

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "It was very odd."

"I think he was just being nosy, my love."

"He is up to something, and I do not know what it is!"

Roi didn't want to dismiss her again so obviously. Clearly, she felt strongly about the situation, and he wanted to respect that. But he also thought she was simply being overdramatic because he was departing for a conflict and she didn't like that. Furthermore, she didn't like the fact that her father clearly hadn't forgiven them for refusing to marry when he wanted them to, so her paranoia had the better of her.

She was seeing trouble everywhere.

"My dearest angel," he said patiently. "Even if he is up to something, as you have put it, what harm can he do us? The man cannot touch the de Lohr empire, and he knows it. He would be foolish to try, although I do not know why he would try. He has everything he wants—you are married to a de Lohr son and he has his alliance. Why in the world would he be up to something that would harm us?"

Diara couldn't put her feelings into words. There was nothing tangible except for the fact that she knew her father and knew how he could be. But Roi had a point—her father had what he wanted. There was no reason for him to be scheming about something. Aye, that was all quite logical, and she knew that.

But she still had a suspicious feeling deep in her belly.

However, she didn't want Roi to think he'd married a fidgety, silly bird. She wanted him to see her as she really was, as she had been since their introduction. That was the true Diara, a woman of reason and strength, but when it came to her father and his questionable character, she was nervous.

But she couldn't prove anything.

"You are correct, of course," she said, forcing a smile. "I suppose that I am simply nervous that you are going into battle and we have only been married a couple of weeks. I was hoping we would have more time before I bade you farewell as you headed to an armed conflict."

He smiled at her. "There is no need to be concerned," he said. "I am taking five hundred men with me and Adrius. I will leave Kyne here with you, to command in my absence. I will be well protected and I will be very careful, I promise. But you must let me do what I was born to do and what I am trained to do. You married a knight, Lady de Lohr. You must let me be what I am."

She nodded quickly. "Of course," she said. "I did not mean to suggest you become less than you are."

He went to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her gently. "You did not suggest that at all," he said. "This is the first time we have been separated, and you are understandably uneasy. I do not want to leave you, either, but your father has asked for help. How would you feel about me if I refused?"

"Upset, I suppose."

"Exactly," he said, releasing her. "I will, therefore, go and see what this is all about, but I am sending a missive to my father to have his men join me. Your father will have thousands of men on his doorstep in a few short days."

"Good," Diara said, relieved. "Then you will have help."

"I will have a lot of help," he said. "Now, pick up the clothing I've laid out and come with me. My saddlebags are in the armory, and I would like your assistance."

Diara nodded quickly, though she ran to her dressing table first and braided her hair quickly to get it out of the way. "I would be honored to help you," she said as her fingers flew. "Is there anything else to bring from this chamber?"

Roi looked around. "I do not think so," he said. "Mayhap an extra pair of boots."

"Shall I get them?"

"Nay," he said, already moving for the wardrobe. "I will get the boots. You get the clothing."

Diara tied off her hair swiftly, a lovely blonde braid hanging over her shoulder as she rushed to collect his clothing off the bed. They headed from the chamber, Roi taking the lead as he led her down the stairs and out of the keep, crossing the bailey just as Dorian was taking a ride on her new horse, bareback, waving to her father and stepmother as she did so. Diara waved back, casting Roi a long look to remind him that he'd denied his daughter that particular pony only a couple of days ago.

Her husband's sheepish smile had her laughing all the way to the armory.