Juliandra’s heart fluttered at the sight of her new husband. He had been so brave against Aeron the day before and she had heard him tell his brother that they were going to keep the castle sealed up indefinitely, at least until the situation with Aeron eased. She also knew that Alexander and Peter were heading back to Lioncross Abbey today, while Sean intended to remain for a little while. She liked the man and looked forward to his extended visit.
Kevin, Sean, Alexander, and Peter all happened to notice William driving the overloaded wheelbarrow towards the kitchen yard and there was no mistaking the curiosity on their faces. Inevitably, they looked to Juliandra, who was walking behind the young man, and she waved to them. They waved back. Kevin broke off from the group and headed in her direction.
“You have de Wolfe doing a servant’s job?” he asked her, incredulous.
Juliandra didn’t see what the fuss was about. “I went to the stables to get fresh straw for the kitchen yard and I found him there, being taken advantage of by several of your soldiers.”
Kevin frowned but nonetheless reached out to take her hand, tucking it into the crook of his elbow. “Soldiers were taking advantage of him?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
“Gambling,” she said, lowering her voice because it was scandalous. “They were forcing him to roll dice. I saw it and broke up the game so they would not take all of his money.”
When Kevin realized what she was saying, he started to laugh. “Sweetheart,” he said in a tone that bordered on scolding. “You should know that de Wolfe is a master gambler. He is a genius when it comes to such things, so more than likely, he was taking advantage of the soldiers. He is not the innocent boy you think he is.”
Juliandra looked at him in surprise. “I did not think he was innocent, though he is young,” she said. But she put a hand over her mouth in astonishment. “He was the one doing the gambling?”
Kevin nodded, still snorting. “That is why he is heading back to Hawkstone Castle, where Caius lives,” he said. “The de Lohr brothers tried to break William of his habit and couldn’t do it. So, he is returning back to Cai and more than likely, a life that includes crime.”
She started to giggle because he was still laughing. “He says he is going to be the greatest knight England has ever seen.”
“To be perfectly honest with you, I would not be surprised.”
“He’s that good?”
“He’s that good.”
They enjoyed a chuckle over Juliandra’s badly misguided opinion of William, but it was in good fun. But the laughter soon faded as they lost themselves, for a moment, in each other’s eyes.
“And how are you feeling this morning?” he asked softly. “Happy?”
Juliandra wound her hands around his big forearm, leaning into him affectionately. “You’ll never know how happy,” she said. “I’ve never felt like this.”
“Nor have I.”
She looked at him, smiling sweetly. “You are happy, too?”
He nodded. “More than you know.”
She squeezed his arm. “I am glad,” she said. “I feel as if my whole world is here at Wybren and always has been. But I also know that is not true. There is still The Neath, and my father’s stall in Pool, and my father himself. Do… do you think we could send word to him that we have wed? I am not asking you to release him, but I would at least like him to know. It would be better if I could go to him and tell him myself.”
Kevin’s good humor faded.
He was perfectly happy to push aside the greatest mistake he’d ever made and it was very easy to do right now as he basked in the euphoria of his marriage to Juliandra, but he knew he couldn’t ignore it. The more he ignored it, the more it would weigh down upon him until it suffocated him. Already, he was living on a steady diet of regret.
Christ, why did I have to be so stupid in the first place?
But in her polite question, he saw a way out. He could send “word” to the alleged location where he was holding her father and then receive word in return that the man had perished. It would be the easy way to do it, the coward’s way out. But at this moment, he couldn’t stand the thought of losing what he’d gained.
A woman he adored.
More and more, he knew he couldn’t lose her, but he hated that he had to lie in order to save himself and his marriage.
Quite possibly her love.
His love.
“I will send word,” he said after a moment. “I will do it today.”
Her face lit up. “Will you?” she said. “Thank you ever so much. It means a great deal to me.”
He patted the hands that were wrapped around his arm. “I would do anything for you,” he said. “I am going to go speak with Sherry and Peter before they depart, but I will send the missive when I am finished. What are your intentions for today?”
Juliandra pointed to the kitchen yard ahead where they could see William spreading the straw. “First, I shall scold William for gambling,” she said. “Then, I have a few chores to attend to. I will be around the kitchens if you need me.”
Reaching out, he grasped her by the upper arms, pulling her against him. “I will always need you,” he murmured seductively. “I need everything about you.”
She grinned, unaccustomed to such affection, but loving every moment of it. “Do you?” she whispered.
His answer was to kiss her, lustily, and leave her standing there with weak knees. He walked away, winking at her, as she licked her lips. Heart racing, Juliandra turned back for the kitchens, thinking of the man she had married.
Thinking of joy she couldn’t fully describe.
All she knew was that it was flowing through her veins with every beat of her heart.
Entering the kitchen yards, she could see that William had mostly distributed the straw and was spreading it around with a rake to soak up the excess moisture in the cooking area. Considering the young man had let her believe that he’d been a victim of unscrupulous soldiers, Juliandra let him rake. When he looked up at her, clearly unhappy with the fact that he had to do manual labor, she simply smiled and waved.
He went back to raking.
The kitchens were in full operation and the smell of baking bread was heavy in the air. Juliandra went into the smoky, steamy kitchens where the cook, a big woman with a red face, was making a stew in an enormous pot over the hearth. She was leaning over, tasting her creation, as Juliandra came up beside her.
“Well?” she said. “How does it taste, Aline?”
The woman, who had come with Kevin from England, liked Juliandra well enough. She held out the spoon to her and she tasted it.
“It needs something more,” Juliandra said. “It does not taste well enough yet.”
“Onions,” Aline said. “I need onions for it. And more salt. I didn’t use enough of either.”
Juliandra turned away. “I will get the onions.”
She was already walking towards the stairwell that led down into a vault below the kitchens where most of their foodstuffs was stored, but Aline stopped her.
“Not there, m’lady,” she said. “There are no more down there.”
Juliandra came to a halt. “Where shall I look?”
Aline pointed in the direction of the keep. “In the vault below the keep,” she said. “When we came here, men took sacks of onions and turnips down there because there wasn’t enough room in the kitchen stores for them.”