Chapter Thirteen #2
Diara shook her head. “I wish I knew,” she said, clearly puzzled. “I found him in your father’s solar, Roi. I think… I think he was looking through your father’s things. When I came in, I startled him, and he was not pleased with me.”
Roi’s brow furrowed. “Why should he want to go through my father’s things?”
“I do not know,” Diara said. “I do not know what he could hope to find. I do not think he stole anything, but he was definitely looking at your father’s documents when I arrived.
He said he was looking for maps, but something tells me that he was simply being curious about things that did not concern him. ”
Roi tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, gently encouraging her to follow him.
“I cannot imagine why he would do such a thing,” he said.
“I do not think my father has anything secretive or personal sitting out for all to see, but your father still should not have been rooting through his desk.”
“He asked me if I was going to tell your father.”
“Are you?”
“Nay,” she said. “I told you. You can tell your father.”
“If you think I should.”
Diara sighed. “I’m not sure why I feel uncomfortable about it, but I feel that my father has not forgiven us for not marrying when he wanted us to marry,” she said. “He can hold a grudge. I have seen it.”
Roi shrugged. “Let him,” he said. “I have what I want and there is nothing he can do about it, so if he intends to be petty, let him. I do not care.”
Diara didn’t say anything more, but she wasn’t so sure that was a good thing.
She knew her father and she knew he could be devious when the mood struck him.
Devious about what, she didn’t know, but perhaps she was simply being paranoid, since her last interaction with him at Cicadia saw her disobey the man.
Not only disobey him, but lie to him as well.
Perhaps his behavior was just her overactive imagination.
Forcing thoughts of her father aside and smiling at her handsome husband, she held on to him tightly as they headed back to the field.
*
It was a strange, new world for Mathis.
He and Pryce had backed away from the group of de Lohr men, who were arguing about what game to proceed with next.
In fact, they went to sit on the grass at the edge of the field.
Pryce ended up lying down and dozing in the sun, while Mathis sat there and watched the happenings on the field and beyond.
He could see the guests and women on the other side of the field, gathered together in conversation, waiting for the next game to begin.
Because of the short time frame of the wedding, and the funeral that preceded it, not many people had been given the time to attend, but there were enough.
Bored by the view of the family and guests, and wishing he was anywhere but at Diara’s wedding celebration, Mathis lay down and closed his eyes. When next he realized, a soft voice roused him.
“My lord?”
It took him a moment to realize he’d heard those words several times. At first, he thought he’d been dreaming them, but when he opened his eyes, a lovely young woman with dark eyes and dark hair was standing a few feet away with a basket in her hand.
He sat bolt upright.
“My lady?” he said, rolling to his knees. “How may I be of service?”
The young woman was dressed in blue, her long hair blowing gently in the breeze. She was also quite flushed, looking at him as if he had somehow startled her. She suddenly thrust the basket at him.
“I brought these for you, my lord,” she said.
He looked at her curiously. “Me?” he said. Then he looked around as if making sure there was no one else she could have possibly meant. “Just… me?”
She nodded. “For you,” she said. “I have been told you like sweets, and I made these myself.”
Mathis was thoroughly perplexed. For lack of a better reaction, he reached out to take the basket from her. The moment it was in his grasp, she turned and began to run off.
“Wait!” he called after her. “My lady—please wait.”
She came to an unsteady halt, turning to face him as if facing her worst nightmare. Mathis wasn’t sure if she was just strange or awkward or both, but it was becoming comical. He walked up on her, trying to be gentle with the skittish creature.
“I do not even know your name,” he said. “And who told you I like sweets?”
The young woman swallowed hard. “Diara told me.”
“Ah,” he said. “Are you a wedding guest?”
She shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “She married my father.”
Now, things were coming to make sense. Sort of. “You are Roi’s daughter?”
She nodded. “One of them.”
He smiled faintly. “I do not even know your name.”
“I am Adalia.”
“Lady Adalia,” he said, rolling her name over his tongue. “That is a lovely name.”
The red in her cheeks deepened, which was rather sweet, he thought.
She was very young, however, and looked nothing like her red-haired father.
Mathis knew that Roi had been married before, long ago, so he assumed the lass looked like her mother.
But she didn’t reply to his compliment, so he gestured to the basket.
“What did you bring me?” he said. “Moreover, did you bring this to distract me from the game? I’m opposing your father, you know. Did he send you to tempt me to keep me away from the field?”
He was teasing her, but she looked mortified. “Nay,” she gasped. “I promise you that I would never do such a thing!”
He held up a hand to ease her. “I was jesting,” he said. “I only meant that sweets and a lovely lady would accomplish the task. I would gladly be distracted.”
Adalia calmed down a little when she realized he was gently humoring her. In fact, she actually smiled. “I could not be so clever, my lord,” she said. “I would not know where to begin.”
He smiled because she was. “I do not believe it,” he said. “A lady as lovely as you? You must be very clever. You made these sweets, did you now? That proves you are quite clever.”
He looked in the basket, which was covered by a cloth, pulling forth a small, round cake. Adalia craned her neck to see what he was poking at.
“They are oatcakes with currants and honey,” she said. “My grandmother has citron trees, and I used that for the glaze on the top.”
He didn’t hesitate to take a big bite, chewing a couple of times before groaning in delight. “They are exquisite,” he said, mouth full as he shoved the whole thing in. “Lady, you are masterful.”
Adalia was back to flushing violently with his flattery. “I learned from a woman who came from France,” she said. “While other girls were learning to dance and sing, I was learning to make sweets and breads and other things. I enjoy it.”
Mathis’ mouth was so full that he couldn’t speak, so he held up a finger to beg patience while he finished chewing and swallowed.
“It shows,” he said. “These are delicious. But may I ask why you chose to bring them to me? Did I do something to earn them?”
Adalia’s smile faded and she began to grow nervous. “N-nay,” she stammered. “You… you have done nothing. I… I simply thought… Good day to you, my lord.”
With that, she raced off before Mathis could stop her.
He watched her run to the other side of the field where the women were gathered, but he lost sight of her as she hid amongst the crowd.
He was rather sorry he chased her off. Another hand abruptly appeared and plundered a sweet from his basket.
He looked over to see Pryce standing next to him.
“Who was that?” Pryce asked, sticking a cake in his mouth and chewing. “God’s Bones, these are good. Did she bring them?”
Mathis nodded. “She did,” he said. “That is Roi’s daughter, Adalia, but I am at a loss to know why she brought them to me.”
Pryce tried to take another cake, but Mathis smacked his hand away and took his basket, heading over toward the other side of the field.
He wasn’t done with Lady Adalia, not in the least, but as he skirted the field, he saw Cheltenham and a man he didn’t recognize approaching the field from across the road.
Trailing behind them, he could see Roi and Diara.
He felt a little stab to his heart at the sight.
It was the stab of resignation, of acceptance.
There was no longer a chance for him, so he accepted that.
As much as he could, anyway. Most importantly, Diara seemed to be truly enamored with the man she’d married, and he would not begrudge her for her happiness.
He was glad for her. In the end, that she was happy was all that mattered to him.
Taking a deep breath, he headed in Roi and Diara’s direction.
They were talking and laughing about something as he approached, and he felt rather awkward for breaking into their moment, but he had something on his mind that required Roi’s opinion. Diara was giggling about something, but when she saw Mathis, she held up a hand to him in greeting.
“Good morning to you,” she called. “I am very sorry you are on the losing team of men. Mayhap if you ask nicely, Roi will allow you to be on his team.”
Mathis smiled weakly. “I do not want to get in the middle of Roi and his brothers, who seem to want to disable him,” he said. Then he looked at Roi. “Did they manage to injure you?”
Roi shook his head. “They did not,” he said. “But the day is still young.”
“And they are quite determined.”
Roi snorted. “Nothing has changed since we were children,” he said. “But… it is enjoyable. It has been ages since we have played out in the open like this, like children.”
Mathis nodded. “For me also,” he said. “But speaking of children, I’ve come about one of yours.”
Roi looked at him curiously. “Oh?” he said. “Which one?”
Mathis held up the basket. “Adalia,” he said. “She brought these cakes to me and then ran off when I asked her why. I did not mean to offend her. I only asked her why she gave them to me.”
Roi passed a knowing expression to Diara, who nodded her head when she realized what had happened.
“Do not be troubled,” Diara said to Mathis. “It is my fault.”