Chapter Three
CHAPTER THREE
Isenhall Castle
D ogs barked and scattered as Tiberius and Douglass thundered into the small, crowded bailey of Isenhall.
They’d not spoken a word the entire time during the hour-long ride, fleeing like hunted animals, and by the time they reached Isenhall, it was clear that Douglass was doing all she could to keep her body away from Tiberius’. She’d been holding herself up on the saddle, using the horn to pull forward, since nearly the moment they’d left Coventry. And that hair, all of that red mass of hair, had been in Tiberius’ vision the entire way. When he finally brought the steed to a halt and she slid off without benefit of his help, he could see clearly for the first time in over an hour.
Douglass simply stood a few feet away, uncertain and apprehensive, as Tiberius dismounted his charger and sent the horse off to the livery with one of the stable boys. Tiberius was trying very hard not to look at the woman who had assaulted and insulted him, but out of respect for Bose and Garran, he was obliged to be polite. Now that they were at Isenhall, he intended to turn her over to his sisters-in-law and wash his hands of her.
“Please come inside,” he said with forced courtesy. “We will wait for your father and brother there.”
Douglass eyed the very tall knight. In fact, she’d never seen a taller man. He was muscular, that was true, but not bulky, and he had the widest shoulders she had ever seen. With the soft, dark curls that framed his face and his square-jawed appearance, he was very handsome in a youthful sort of way. She’d realized that the first time she got a good look at his face. If she thought about it, truly thought about it, the only reason she came with the man was because he had been extraordinarily attractive and moderately convincing. In hindsight, it had been a stupid decision.
The entire ride from Coventry, she kept thinking how foolish she had been for agreeing to come with him. For all she knew, he had lied to her about who he was and why he had come. Because of her attraction to him, it was possible that she had willingly accompanied one of de Montfort’s assassins to this cold and crowded castle where she was about to be thrown in the vault. She was feeling very foolish and very anxious as Tiberius motioned her towards the big, square and squat keep that sat in the middle of the circular fortress.
“I will wait for them here,” she said stiffly. “I do not need to go inside.”
Tiberius could see that she spoke from fear more than from stubbornness. The combative lady he’d met in Coventry was now uneasy. He suspected she didn’t want to go inside and find herself trapped or locked up by a knight she didn’t know. Upon reflection, given what she’d been through over the past two days, he didn’t blame her sense of caution. Traveling with her father and brother as she was, he was certain she’d latched on to their sense of diligence and, obviously, their sense of fear at being followed by de Montfort. Bose de Moray would make a fine prize if captured. So would his daughter. With that thought, he forced himself to soften.
“My lady,” he addressed her steadily, “it is difficult to know precisely when your father and brother will be coming. My brothers’ wives are inside the keep and will take great care of you. You do not have to see me at all, I swear it. I will escort you inside and then you shall never see me again.”
Douglass eyed the tall knight warily. “Although I thank you for your hospitality, you will forgive me for declining again,” she said. “I will wait for my father and brother right here. I am not moving.”
“But it is more pleasant inside, out of the sun.”
“Nay.”
Tiberius wasn’t sure what more he could say to convince her. In fact, he was relatively insulted that his softer approach hadn’t worked. Resigned, he moved towards her, indicating for her to back up.
“Then stand out of the way,” he said. “You are in the path for the gatehouse and I do not want you to be run over. Please stand against the wall if you feel you must wait out here.”
Silently, Douglass did as she was told, backing up until her backside was against the cold, gray stone of Isenhall’s circular walls. Tiberius, with nothing more to say, silently excused himself and made haste for the keep. He was just mounting the stairs when the entry door lurched open and women began to appear. Courtly was first, followed by Violet, Lily, and then Jeniver. As the little girls squealed and ran for Tiberius, Courtly addressed Tiberius, curious of the circumstances.
“You were not gone very long,” she said. “Where is Lord de Moray?”
Tiberius reached down to pick up the girls as they jumped on him. “I do not know,” he said. “I was asked to collect his daughter and I did. I brought her back to Isenhall without delay. The last I saw, de Montfort men and de Shera men were clashing, a rare sight indeed. But the lady is very distrustful. She will not come inside. She insists on waiting by the gatehouse for her father and brother to come.”
Perplexed, Courtly and Jeniver strained to catch a glimpse of de Moray’s daughter, finally spying her standing against the wall near the gatehouse. Jeniver gathered her skirts and descended the steps with Courtly right behind her.
“What is the matter?” Jeniver wanted to know. “Why is she so distrustful?”
Tiberius, with his nieces in his arms, followed the women as they headed towards the woman near the gatehouse.
“I am not entirely sure,” he said, “but I believe it has something to do with de Montfort’s men following her father for the past two days. She is not entirely convinced I am a de Shera. I think she believes I am with de Montfort somehow, meaning to imprison her.”
Jeniver glanced at him. “Yet she came with you.”
Tiberius shook his head. “I did not give her the opportunity to refuse,” he said. “Things happened rather quickly and we were forced to flee.”
Jeniver and Courtly digested his statement but their eyes were riveted to the woman with the glorious golden-red curls. The woman had a magnificent head of hair, hundreds of spiral curls tumbling all the way to her buttocks. They could see it even from across the bailey. When they drew closer, they could see that she was somewhat tall with porcelain skin and big, dark eyes. She was quite stunning but she was looking at them all rather suspiciously. Jeniver was the first to speak as they drew near.
“My lady,” she greeted pleasantly. Jeniver was a truly sweet and friendly woman. “I am Lady de Shera, Countess of Coventry and this lovely woman standing next to me is Lady Courtly de Shera, wife of my husband’s brother. We have come to welcome you to Isenhall and to provide you with all of the hospitality we have to offer.”
Douglass looked between the women. The countess was a spectacular creature with black hair and brown eyes while her counterpart had beautiful, blond hair in a braid and bright, blue eyes. Truthfully, both women were quite beautiful and Douglass noticed that the countess was pregnant. She also couldn’t help but notice Tiberius standing behind the women, playing with two little girls, one in each arm. In fact, it was quite sweet to watch him as he pretended to bite little fingers, making the girls giggle, but she tore her gaze away from him to focus on the women. She dipped into a practiced curtsy.
“I am Lady Douglass de Moray,” she said, her manner much more pleasant than it had been in her dealings with Tiberius. “Thank you for receiving me. I pray you are not offended if I wish to wait for my father and brother at the gatehouse.”
Jeniver moved towards the woman, who was at least a head taller than she was. “You will be much more comfortable inside,” she said, extending a hand to her. “I realize you have had a terrible experience as of late with de Montfort’s men, but I assure you that you are safe here. Won’t you please come with me? The cook has made some marvelous poached eggs with sauce and we were about to eat. Will you please join us?”
Douglass wanted very much to refuse. She was concerned for her father and brother, and did not want to go inside and enjoy a feast and pretend all was well. All was most certainly not well. But she was coming to feel the least bit comforted with her situation, now realizing that Tiberius de Shera was, in fact, who he said he was. She slanted a look to the man as he played with the little girls, thinking that perhaps she owed him an apology.
“I…,” she said, stopped, and started again. “Please do not think me rude, Lady de Shera, but I am very worried for my father and brother. I do not believe I could relax were I to go inside and share a meal with you, pretending everything is normal in my world when it truly isn’t. Until my brother and father are safe here, with me, I cannot relax at all.”
Jeniver smiled knowingly at the woman. “I understand,” she said softly. “I feel the same way whenever my husband rides from these gates. To be truthful, I feel that way now. Since that is the case and there is no shame in admitting that I am concerned for my husband as well, we will wait with you here until everyone returns safely. Would you allow us that privilege?”
Douglass was surprised by the offer. “You do not need to wait with me, truly, Lady de Shera,” she said. “Surely you should be inside, resting. I am quite capable of waiting alone.”
Jeniver shook her head firmly, turning to Tiberius. “Ty, can you ask the servants to bring food out to us?” she asked. “And mayhap a chair or two. We may be in for a long wait.”
Tiberius was distracted from playing with his nieces, knowing that Jeniver was simply being gracious so that Lady Douglass would not have to wait by herself. He also thought it was rather stubborn and selfish of Lady Douglass to make Jeniver and Courtly wait with her simply because she refused to come inside. His thoughts must have been reflected on his features because when he eyed Douglass, the woman was gazing back at him with some indecision and unease.
“If that is your wish,” he finally said to Jeniver, although he sounded displeased. “I will….”
“Wait,” Douglass cut him off, looking to Jeniver. “My lady, you should not be outside in the elements. I… I will go inside and wait with you, if you will permit me to do so.”
Jeniver was glad the frightened woman was being somewhat reasonable because she truly hadn’t been looking forward to a long wait in the hot sun.
“Of course,” she said, reaching out to take Douglass’ hand. “Please come along with Courtly and me. You will tell us all about your traveling adventures while we wait for your father and brother. Where are you coming from?”
She was deliberately changing the subject away from missing fathers and brothers and husbands. Douglass found herself pulled along by Lady de Shera. As small as the woman was, she had the iron will of a thousand men. It was in her manner and everything about her. She was not a woman to be disobeyed or denied.
“I have been fostering at Codnor Castle in Derbyshire, my lady,” Douglass said, finding it difficult to speak on something other than her apprehension about her father and brother. “Lord Richard de Grey is a loyalist to the king and a friend of my father’s, so I have enjoyed a happy home there for the past six years.”
Jeniver and Courtly were listening with interest, although neither one of them commented at the mention of de Grey being the king’s loyal baron. Since the de Sheras were on opposite side of that rebellion, it was best not to bring that to the surface, at least not at this early state. But both women silently wondered if Lady Douglass was even aware that the de Sheras fought for de Montfort. Loyalties, and barons choosing sides these days, were complex and sometimes painful issues for the friends and families involved.
“I have never been to Derbyshire,” Courtly said, veering the subject away from any discussion of loyalties or rebellion. “Is it quite lovely there?”
Douglass nodded as they crossed the bailey into the shadow of the stalwart keep. “I think so, my lady,” she replied. “Codnor is not a very big castle but Lady de Grey and I were close companions. She was very sad to see me go.”
Courtly took Lily’s little hand as they neared the steps to help the child climb the stairs. “Where are you going?” she asked as Lily took careful steps. “Why did your father collect you from Codnor if you were happy there?”
Douglass was hesitant to answer the question although she wasn’t entirely sure why. All she knew was that she could feel Tiberius’ big presence walking behind them and she didn’t want him to hear the truth. It made absolutely no sense that she didn’t want the man to know why she had left Codnor. Perhaps it was the silly woman inside of her who was attracted to him. She didn’t want the handsome knight, the one she had insulted and assaulted, to know that she was potentially betrothed because there was something inherent in her that wanted to attract him.
That silly, foolish woman who found him attractive wanted him to think she was unattached and therefore open to his interest, if he were so inclined. But Douglass knew it was an idiotic thought, as the man most certainly would not be interested in a woman who had been rude and aggressive towards him.
“A betrothal, my lady,” she said after a moment. “The king has a husband in mind for me and the man is in London. My father is taking me to London to see if an agreement can be reached.”
Tiberius heard her. As Courtly and Jeniver pressed her on the wealth and status of her prospective husband, Tiberius trailed behind the women, listening to the chatter, wondering why he felt oddly disappointed at the knowledge that the lady had a husband waiting for her in London. Well, at least a man that could possibly be her husband. Tiberius wasn’t surprised, of course. She was well-connected as de Moray’s daughter and quite eligible. She would make some man a fine prize.
Tiberius’ gaze raked Douglass’ backside as she entered the keep in front of him, all the while thinking that she had a rather pleasing backside. Beneath the layers of linen, he could see it. She had a long, slender torso and a heart-shaped bottom when the folds of material would pull tight against it. He wasn’t hard-pressed to admit that Garran’s sister was quite beautiful, even if she had the disposition of a shrew. Still, all he could feel was displeasure at her statement and he had no idea why. There should be no earthly reason that he should be interested in the woman, but he realized with mounting horror that he was.
He was interested.
The dark, cool innards of the keep swallowed them up and he found himself following the women into the small, vaulted-ceiling solar that was just off the entry. Violet and Lily rushed into the room because the servants had already put bread with cinnamon and raisins on the table and they were begging Jeniver to put butter on the bread so they could eat it. As Jeniver went to do their bidding, Courtly took Douglass in-hand and led her over to a seat at the table, politely making sure she was seated before assuming her own seat. As the servants began to place trenchers of eggs with a custard sauce in front of the women, Tiberius hung back in the doorway, watching, digesting the situation. Mostly, he was watching Douglass.
She was still uncertain and hesitant. It was clear that she was distracted by the whereabouts of her father and brother even as a good deal of delicious food had been placed within her easy reach. The old majordomo, the one who had served three generations of de Sheras, hovered over Lady Douglass to ensure that she, as a guest, had everything she needed. When Violet began calling Tiberius over to the table, demanding he sit and eat with them, Tiberius forced himself out of the observation role and into the situation at hand.
Violet and Lily were quite happy to have their favorite uncle sit between them. The moment Tiberius sat, however, the girls plopped onto his lap and he found it fairly impossible to eat what was put before him. There was no way to move around the little heads that were bobbing and weaving all over the place. But he managed a few bites, keeping his conversation limited to Violet and Lily, mostly because Lady Douglass had made it fairly clear what she thought of him. She had no desire to speak or interact with him at all, so he respected that. Besides, she was sitting on the far side of the table, well away from him. Whether or not he was attracted to her, he would make no attempts to initiate any contact.
“Ty,” Courtly addressed him from across the table. “What was happening in Coventry when you left? Was there a fight happening?”
Tiberius nodded his head, swallowing the eggs in his mouth. “From what I could gather, while the lady and Sir Bose remained in their rented room at the Castle and Chain tavern, Garran went out to see if he could find the men who had been trailing them,” he said. “When last I saw him, he was racing down the street with about twenty men chasing him. When the lady and I left, there was a rather big scuffle at the front of the tavern.”
Jeniver didn’t like the sound of that. “Was Gallus fighting?”
Tiberius shrugged, avoiding Lily’s hands that were covered in custard sauce. “I think he was trying to ease the situation more than he was actually fighting,” he said, daring to glance at Lady Douglass. “But the lady and I had some struggle in order to leave the tavern. We had to jump from the window to escape.”
Shocked and dismayed, Jeniver and Courtly turned their attention to Douglass, who had devoured the eggs and sauce and was currently mopping up what was left of it with a piece of bread. She had been hungrier than she originally thought, but when she felt the stares upon her, she looked up from the remains of her meal.
“Indeed, we did,” she said, confirming Tiberius’ story. “A knight tried to make his way into my room but Sir Tiberius stopped him. We jumped from the window and came here as fast as we could.”
She made it all sound as if she and Tiberius had been working together, as a team, when that clearly hadn’t been the case. She made it almost sound as if she had been a willing party to everything, which confused Tiberius somewhat. He met her gaze across the table, those same black eyes that her brother had, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to say to all of that. Should he mention the fact that she nearly bashed his brains in when he first entered the room? Or should he mention that he had been forced to spank that utterly lovely backside? As he was deciding just how to proceed, Jeniver spoke.
“You were very brave, Ty,” she said sincerely. “It sounds as if you did indeed face some opposition.”
If you only knew , Tiberius thought wryly. Gazing at Lady Douglass, his eyes riveted to her, he couldn’t help the somewhat sarcastic tone in his voice.
“Aye,” he replied. “Opposition indeed. Fighting, shoving, yelling… it was quite a struggle to get the lady out of harm’s way.”
If Jeniver or Courtly read anything into his slightly droll statement, they didn’t comment on it. They seemed fixed on the situation itself and on Tiberius’ bravery.
“It must have been terrifying,” Courtly said with concern. “Lady Douglass was indeed fortunate to have you there to protect her from such ruffians.”
Next to Courtly, Douglass cleared her throat softly. “When he says fighting and yelling, I believe he means me,” she said, smiling weakly when everyone looked at her with varied degrees of surprise. “I am afraid that I was not very kind when he first came to my aid. I thought he was one of de Montfort’s men and, well… I hit him on the head with a piece of wood and tried to beat him unconscious.”
Courtly burst out in sharp laughter but quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, looking apologetically to Tiberius. Jeniver was only marginally better in concealing her humor. She was struggling not to smile and losing the battle. Tiberius, his ego somewhat damaged, lifted his hands.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Laugh all you want. She tried to fight me all the way to Isenhall. Why do you think she wanted to remain in the bailey? She was convinced I was one of de Montfort’s assassins and the moment I took her inside the keep, I would either molest her or lock her in the vault.”
By now, both Courtly and Jeniver were grinning broadly. It was clear that Tiberius’ pride was damaged by what was apparently a difficult rescue attempt with an unwilling lady to save. As Jeniver shook her head at what she felt was the humor of the situation, Courtly turned to Douglass.
“Tiberius is not an assassin, I assure you, my lady,” she said. “He is a true and noble knight. You are in very good hands.”
Douglass’ pale cheeks mottled a faint red. “I can see that now,” she said, although it was difficult for her to admit it. “At the time, however, given that men were trying to kill my brother and father, I had no way of knowing that he was telling the truth.”
It was probably as close to an apology as she was going to come, at least at the moment. Tiberius could see that, much like him, she had pride. She also had spirit and was unafraid to protect herself against a man more than twice her size. Taking his wounded pride out of the equation, Lady Douglass de Moray was becoming more intriguing by the moment.
She is betrothed, you idiot , he told himself, but it didn’t seem to matter much. Perhaps he could still count her among his many conquests before she went on to her husband. Such things, in his world, had happened before. He’d been known to steal women from the men who had been expecting their purity. But there would be no conquest made unless the situation between them was smoothed over or even warmed. Tiberius was particularly good at warming a woman when the mood struck him and the mood, at the moment, was striking fast.
“No need to feel badly about defending yourself, my lady,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “Men bigger than you have tried to knock my head off. I am sure yours will not be the last attempt.”
Jeniver and Courtly giggled as Douglass cracked a smile. She had a lovely smile with straight teeth and slightly prominent canines. In fact, her smile was quite alluring. It had Tiberius’ full attention.
“I am very sorry that I knocked you down and tried to beat you,” she said. “Did I hurt you much?”
So she apologizes in full , Tiberius thought, relatively impressed that so prideful a woman would admit her mistakes so readily. He continued rubbing the back of his head, feeling a small knot where she had hit him.
“Not much,” he replied. “But you used the club well. Did they teach you such things at Codnor?”
Douglass’ grin grew and she lowered her gaze, bashfully. “Nay, not really,” she said. “Although, there were times when I was forced to fend off an over-zealous knave. Some men do not like to be refused, in any case.”
Tiberius was enchanted by the woman’s blooming smile but Courtly spoke before he could.
“It seems to me that you have good reason to say that,” she said, a twinkle in her blue eyes. “You are quite lovely, something that would not have gone unnoticed by any man. I would like to hear your stories of over-eager men who have met with your wrath.”
Douglass laughed softly, flattered. “It would be a tale for women only,” she said. “I would not want to offend Sir Tiberius by laughing at his sex’s foolishness.”
As the women giggled, Tiberius shook his head. “I have seen enough foolish men to know that there are plenty in this world,” he said. “You could not offend me with such talk, my lady. I could probably tell you much the same stories from my perspective.”
That drew more laughter from the women. The situation in general had settled down a tremendous amount since Tiberius and Douglass arrived at Isenhall, and Tiberius was thankful. He was trying to think of something witty to say when the dogs that roamed the entry began to bark and charge towards the door. Excited servants began to move about, including the majordomo. The little man with the white hair and bony body stuck his head into the solar.
“More men have returned, Lady de Shera,” he told Jeniver. “There are soldiers entering the bailey.”
Jeniver leapt up as quickly as her swollen body would allow, followed swiftly by Courtly. There was excitement, and some anxiety, in the air. The hope from the women was that Gallus and Maximus had returned and as Jeniver rushed out, she took a quick moment to speak to Tiberius.
“Please take Lady Douglass in-hand,” she asked. “Will you keep her entertained until we know who has returned?”
Tiberius nodded but Douglass rose to her feet. “My lady,” she said, almost pleadingly. “I should like to see if my father and brother have returned. May I come with you?”
Jeniver waved her off. “Please remain here,” she said. “The bailey can become very chaotic and I do not want you injured in the swirl of men and animals. I will send someone to tell you as soon as your father and brother have been located.”
With that, she was gone, leaving Douglass and Tiberius alone in the solar. Violet and Lily had remained behind because they were enjoying licking the custard sauce meant for the eggs off of their fingers, but they were off in their own little world at the moment as Tiberius stood up, his gaze fixed on Douglass. Her focus was on the entry where Jeniver and Courtly had so recently disappeared, her expression wrought with apprehension. But she caught movement out of the corner her eye and noticed Tiberius standing there, watching her. For a split second, she looked rather surprised to realize they were alone, but that surprise quickly dissolved into a timid smile.
“So you really are a de Shera,” she said. “Forgive me for doubting your word. And forgive me for trying to mash you into a pulp before we were properly introduced. I did not know, after all. I am not entirely trusting by nature, especially in a situation such as that.”
Tiberius grinned. “Aye, I really am a de Shera,” he said. “I am the youngest and most handsome de Shera. Surely you have heard legend of my beauty.”
Douglass laughed softly at his jest. “I have heard legend of you from my brother,” she admitted. “But not of your beauty because I am sure he would not have said such things. However, he tells many stories about the two of you. He says you are quite brave.”
“I am.”
“And quite reckless at times.”
Tiberius frowned. “He lies.”
Douglass laughed again. “I will tell him you said so.”
Tiberius nodded, still frowning, although it was clear that he was not entirely serious. “You will tell me what he has told you about me,” he said, moving around the table so he wasn’t shouting across the room at her. Moreover, he found he simply wanted to move closer to her now that she wasn’t threatening him bodily harm. “Come, now, be truthful. What lies and half-truths has he told you?”
Douglass shook her head firmly even though she couldn’t help but notice he had come closer to her. He was standing just a few feet away and it began to occur to her that the very handsome knight smelled slightly rotten. She had noticed the smell a couple of times at the tavern but not at all when they had fled for Isenhall, probably because she was seated in front of him. She wasn’t entirely sure it was appropriate to bring up the man’s horrific smell but it was so strong that she actually took a step away from him.
“I will not give my brother away,” she said firmly. “Honestly, I’ve not seen the man that much over the past several years so the stories he has told me about you have been very few. He did, however, tell me about a trip to Leicester when you were involved in a brawl at church. He said that the priests took to chasing you with one of those long iron sconces that hold the fat, white tapers. He said you had to fend them off with your broadsword.”
Tiberius’ frown deepened. “He told you about that? ”
She giggled. “He said you that you were on horseback when you followed a woman inside a church.”
Tiberius shut his eyes tightly and shook his head, lowering it in shame. He was going to have very strong words with Garran for telling his sister such a thing. “I was not on horseback,” he said, weakly defending himself. “I was leading my horse behind me. And the woman stole something from me. I had to get it back.”
Douglass was enjoying his discomfort. “Garran said she stole your purse.”
Tiberius’ eyes opened and he looked at her, mortified. “Did he tell you more than that?”
Douglass shook her head. “He did not,” she said, seeing that there must be quite a tale behind the stolen purse simply by the expression on Tiberius’ face. “How did she come so close to stealing your purse? Most men carry their purses very close to their bodies. How on earth did she get so close to you to have the opportunity to take it?”
Tiberius was quickly slipping into utter embarrassment and horror. There was no way he was going to tell Lady Douglass that the woman who stole his purse had been a prostitute and that she had stolen the purse when he had been sleeping after several hours of exhausting sex. He shook his head, firmly.
“It would not interest you,” he said, desperate to be off of the subject. “But know that I will mash your brother to a pulp when next I see him for telling you such tales. You must have a terrible opinion of me already and we have only just met.”
Douglass didn’t push the purse story. She had only just met the man, after all, and this was the first civil conversation they had shared. Already, he was agitated with the subject and she didn’t want to push the man into annoyance. Still, she could see that Tiberius de Shera was very charming and witty, and his boyish mannerisms and expressive face made him very endearing, but she had the impression that he knew very well that he was charismatic and handsome. He was certainly very comfortable speaking to a woman. All things considered, she was coming to feel very bad for her actions towards him when they first met and the silly woman who had initially found him so attractive now found him even more attractive. It would be quite easy to be infatuated with him.
“The only opinion I have of you is of a man who tried to help me and I was reluctant to let him do so,” she said after a moment, watching the corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiled. “Mayhap… mayhap we can begin again. Start over, as it were. Let us pretend we are meeting for the very first time under much more pleasant circumstances. That being the case, I will introduce myself. I am Lady Douglass Lora de Moray and I am honored to meet you, Sir Tiberius.”
She curtsied with a practiced flare, her glorious, red hair splaying across her shoulders and arms when she bent over. Tiberius, his eyes glittering with great interest, reached out to take her hand. In a complete breach of protocol, because it was quite improper for him to touch the woman in any fashion given that they were not courting or married, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her tender flesh quite sweetly.
“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Douglass,” he said softly, his voice tinged with a suggestive tone. “I hope we are able to know one another better before you continue on your journey to London.”
There was magic in the air, but it was a sweet and heart-pounding moment abruptly interrupted by a herd of people entering the keep. Bose de Moray and Gallus chose that moment to shove through the entry door, followed by Jeniver, Courtly, Maximus, a pack of de Shera knights, and finally Garran de Moray.
Tiberius heard the entry door slam back and the commotion of men, but he was too slow in releasing the lady’s hand. He released it so swiftly that it ended up looking as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have, as if he were guilty for having touched the woman when he had no right to. The truth was that he should not have touched her, even her hand, and he was well aware of the fact. Tiberius knew by the expression on de Moray’s face that he would have some explaining to do.
All he could do was smile, tell the truth, and hope the man didn’t try to kill him for laying a hand on his daughter.