Chapter Thirteen #3
Mathis cocked his head curiously. “Your fault?”
“Aye,” Diara said. “You see, last night, Adalia asked who you were. She must think you are very handsome, but she was mortified when I suggested an introduction. She is a very shy lass, Mathis. Very sweet but very shy. I told her that you were fond of sweets, so I believe that bringing you those cakes was her way of introducing herself. She was trying to do something nice for you.”
The light of understanding went on in Mathis’ eyes. “I see,” he said, looking to the basket. “They are quite delicious. As I said, I did not mean to offend her by asking her why she brought them to me.”
Diara watched him closely. “Would you be interested in a formal introduction?” she asked. “Lady Adalia is a de Lohr, after all. She’s very pretty and clearly talented.”
Mathis could have throttled her. She was asking in front of the young woman’s father, so if Mathis refused, he risked Roi’s anger.
He was only just dealing with a broken heart over Diara marrying another man and had no interest in entertaining his own romantic prospects at the moment, but he supposed it would do no good for him to lament that which he had lost for the rest of his life.
Diara was gone, and he had accepted that.
Besides… Adalia was quite lovely.
It wouldn’t kill him if they were formally introduced.
“Only with Roi’s permission,” he finally said. “I will do nothing without his permission.”
Diara looked at Roi, who was looking at Mathis as if mulling the whole thing over. “Let me think on it,” he said. “Mathis, you and I must speak before I do anything.”
“Of course, Roi.”
“She is my eldest daughter, after all.”
“A fine woman.”
“How old are you?”
“I have seen thirty years and five.”
Roi grunted. “She has seen seventeen,” he said. “She is still quite young.”
“She is a woman,” Diara said firmly. “You said yourself that you should be seeking a husband for her. Mathis is a most worthy candidate.”
Roi looked at her with some exasperation. “I know the man,” he said irritably. “Let me at least get used to the idea before you marry my daughter off tomorrow.”
Diara laughed softly. “I apologize, my love,” she said, properly contrite. “I will say no more about it.”
“Thank you.”
“Until tomorrow.”
Roi rolled his eyes, sighing heavily as he turned to Mathis. “When are you returning home?”
Mathis instinctively turned to the crowd in the near distance, seeking out Robin as he spoke to a couple of men he was acquainted with but didn’t really know.
“I am not certain,” he said. “As soon as Cheltenham decides we must leave, but I have no idea when that will be. It could be tomorrow or it could be in a week. He’s been fickle as of late, so I have no way of knowing.”
Diara looked at him. Something he said stuck in her mind—he’s been fickle as of late. That reminded her of finding her father in the hall.
“Mathis,” she said slowly. “Has my father been acting strangely? Is that what you mean by fickle?”
Mathis shrugged. “Your father has his moments,” he said. “The past week or two has seen him more short-tempered than usual. Ever since you and Roi departed Cicadia and Cirencester arrived.”
Diara looked at him sharply. “Cirencester?” she said with surprise. “What did he want?”
Mathis shrugged. “Evidently, Beckett’s funeral procession passed through his lands on the way to the marches,” he said.
“Since he was coming from Selbourne, the fastest route was through Cirencester. I do not know the details of the conversation, but I do know that he came to pay his respects for the loss of your betrothed to your father.”
Diara grew tense, uncharacteristic for her. “There has to be more to it than that,” she said. “Riggs Fairford has never done anything without an ulterior motive. What did he want? Money for allowing Beckett to pass through his lands?”
Mathis shook his head. “I do not know,” he said.
“But his visit must have done some good because after he left, your father was much happier and far more congenial than he’d been since he received the news that Beckett had died.
After that, your father was eager to come when he received your wedding invitation. ”
Roi had been watching the exchange. Mostly, he’d been watching his wife nearly become irate over the visit of Cirencester. He patted the hand that was still clutching his elbow.
“See?” he said. “Your father has forgiven us our hasty departure.”
Diara wasn’t convinced in the least. “Then why was he in your father’s solar, poking around?”
Mathis heard her. “What was he doing?” he asked.
Roi waved him off as if it wasn’t a serious issue, but Diara answered. “When everyone was down here at the field, I found my father in Lord Hereford’s solar, reading through his things,” she said. “I thought it very strange that he should do so.”
“I am sure he was simply being nosy,” Roi said. “What harm can he do?”
Diara’s gaze found her father near the field speaking with more men.
“I do not know, but I do not like it,” she said.
“I told you that he can hold a grudge. What you did in his solar… he will not easily forgive that. I worry that he is… Oh, I do not know what I worry about. But I do not like Cirencester’s visit. ”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “Because I do not like the man,” she said. “He’s devious and immoral. He wanted me to marry his son, but my father would not allow it. Even he knows that Cirencester is not the most noble of families.”
“Yet he accepted a visit from the man,” Roi said. “And according to Mathis, the visit helped him a great deal.”
“Possibly.”
Roi could see that she wasn’t convinced. He patted her hand again. “Stop worrying over your father,” he said. “He will soon forget any imagined grudge. Right now, there are more games to play and more than I plan to win, so let us get on with it. Mathis?”
“My lord?”
“Let me introduce you to my daughter.”
That seemed to switch Diara’s focus from her father to Adalia, and she smiled weakly. “I thought you needed time to adjust to it?” she said.
Roi winked at her. “I have had plenty of time,” he said. “Mathis, I hear your family comes from the north and lives in a castle that used to be inhabited by the kings of old.”
Mathis nodded. “That is true,” he said. “The ancient kingdom of Elmet. My family is descended from those kings.”
“Is your father still alive?”
Mathis nodded. “He is,” he said. “And before you ask, I am his only son. I will inherit Kongenhus Castle.”
Roi’s brow lifted. “Kongenhus,” he repeated. “I do believe I’ve heard of it. Near Kendal?”
Mathis nodded. “It is.”
“I always thought the name was strange.”
“It means King’s House in the old language.”
“Have you learned enough?” Diara asked, interrupting them as she looked at Roi. “The man is descended from kings. Is he worthy of an introduction now?”
Roi snorted. “Mayhap,” he said. “Mayhap not. Every father has the right to be selective when it comes to his daughter.”
Diara assured him that Mathis was a fine prospect as they walked away, off to find Adalia.
Mathis followed behind them, mulling over Diara’s words to Roi.
She had asked if the fact Mathis was descended from kings meant he was worthy of a de Lohr bride.
Bitterly, he mused that it hadn’t been good enough for Cheltenham.
He’d lost the only bride he’d ever wanted, no matter whom he was related to.
But it was a new world now. He needed to embrace it. He wasn’t entirely sure marrying the daughter of the man who married his only love would be a good match, for him emotionally, that was, but socially and politically, it would be an excellent one.
A new world, indeed.
And Mathis had to find his way in it.