Chapter Twenty
Pembridge Castle
It was a waiting game now.
Daniel, Curtis, Douglas, Westley, Chris, William, and Arthur had come to Pembridge and left.
They’d only left the day before, heading out with about six hundred troops, a mix of men from Lioncross Abbey and the remains of those left behind at Pembridge.
Unfortunately, they had to explain their arrival at Pembridge when they’d come seeking Roi, and Diara had told them that he’d gone to the aid of her father.
The men had very nearly panicked over that news, and their behavior, in turn, had upset Diara, so they were forced to tell her everything.
Absolutely everything.
Now, all that she had feared had become reality.
Her father’s meddling, his odd behavior—it all became clear as Curtis calmly told her what Mathis had told them.
Diara wept as she realized what her father was trying to do.
She knew, as she lived and breathed, that it all had to do with the scene back at Cicadia when Roi had struck her father in the face.
Before Roi left to answer her father’s summons, she’d tried to tell him that her father wasn’t the forgiving kind and that he held a grudge against those who went against him.
She’d even begged Roi not to go. But not even Diara thought her father would go this far.
The man was trying to kill her husband.
It was beyond belief, but in the same breath, she really wasn’t surprised.
Diara had seen her father turn against men who did not obey his wishes.
Curtis and Daniel were adamant that they needed to leave for Colesborne to help Roi, so she let them go.
Kyne remained with her, still in command of the castle, but Curtis and his brothers, cousin, and sons took a large contingent and rushed out of Pembridge.
Rushing to save her husband.
Diara hadn’t stopped weeping for days.
Now, it was morning of the fifth day since Roi had departed, lured by the false missive sent by her father.
Curtis and the others had been gone for a couple of days, and Diara couldn’t eat or sleep.
All she could do was watch from her window, for any sign of a returning army.
Sometimes she wandered the bailey, hoping she would be there at just the right time when the army came through the gatehouse.
Kyne watched her walk around, and sometimes, he would join her and try to calm her fears. But he knew it was useless.
Truthfully, he was fearful himself.
But this morning, Diara made it down into the fishpond area behind the kitchens.
Roi had had a stone bench put in before he left because sometimes they’d come down and sit, watching the fish or watching Dorian as she tried to make the area thrive again.
It was her pet project, this pond and the surrounding garden, and Diara sat on the bench, watching the fish, remembering the time when Roi threw her into the pond without meaning to.
It had been one of the better moments of her life.
“Diara?”
She heard her name, and looked over her shoulder to see Adalia entering the area. Diara forced a smile when she saw Roi’s daughter, holding out a hand to her.
“Come and sit with me,” she said. “I have been thinking about all of the fish we will put in this pond once Dorian has it clean.”
Adalia took her hand and held it as she sat down next to her. “I do not like fish very much,” Adalia admitted. “I like to watch them swim, but I do not like to eat them.”
Diara grinned. “I do not like fish, either,” she said. “Have you noticed that we’ve not had any fish for supper? It is because I cannot stand the smell of it.”
Adalia smiled timidly. “Nor I,” she said. “I would rather have chicken.”
“I would, too.”
“I do not even like goose.”
“I cannot stand it. Too oily.”
As they giggled over their mutual dislike of fish and roast goose, Dorian entered the area, looking as if she was armed for a trip into the lion’s den.
She had on gloves and boots and a long tunic of canvas that Diara helped make for her.
She was also carrying several gardening implements.
When she noticed her sister and stepmother sitting there, she threw down the tools in her hands.
“I am cleaning out the plants today,” she announced. “All of those plants in the pond that are making the water so green. I am removing them.”
Diara nodded. “That is very brave of you,” she said. “The pond will be wonderful when you are finished with it.”
Dorian picked up something that looked like a hoe. “Do think we can get more fish when Papa returns?”
The mirth faded from Diara’s face. “I think so,” she said. “Adalia and I were just speaking on the fish we would put in the pond. I do not like to eat fish. Do you?”
Dorian shook her head. “I would rather feed them and watch them swim,” she said. “I do not like to eat creatures that I can pet.”
“But you eat beef and mutton,” Diara pointed out.
Dorian curled her lip. “I know,” she said. “But I do not like to. I do not like to eat anything with eyeballs.”
That brought a smile from Diara. “Then you do have a quandary,” she said. “You know that some people even eat horses.”
Dorian’s eyes widened. “They are horrible people,” she said. “Horses are our friends. They are not meant to be eaten.”
“How is Brillante?”
Dorian smiled broadly at the mention of her blond horse. “She is very sweet,” she said. “I love her very much. But… but when we saw her in the village, she had a companion. Another horse who was her companion. I think she is missing her.”
“Oh?” Diara said. “I did not see another horse.”
“I did,” Dorian said. “A little red pony. When is Papa coming back? I want to ask him if I can have Brillante’s companion. She needs her.”
Diara lifted an eyebrow. “She needs her?” she said. “Or you need her?”
Dorian shrugged and stepped into the pond, hoe in hand.
She wasn’t going to answer that particular question, and Diara knew it, so she looked at Adalia, winking to let her know that she was onto her sister.
Adalia knew, too. Dorian was learning to manipulate her father, and it was fun to watch.
Adalia watched her sister for a moment as the girl began ripping out overgrown plants before turning her attention to Diara.
“When is Papa coming back?” she asked softly.
Diara’s smile faded. She had avoided telling the girls anything about Roi’s situation because she hadn’t wanted to frighten them, but the truth was that they weren’t babies.
They were young women, and sometimes, young women had to face harsh facts.
As much as she was trying to protect them, she probably wasn’t doing them any favors by not being honest with them.
They hadn’t really asked about their father until today, and now, she had a direct question.
She simply couldn’t avoid it any longer.
“I do not know,” she said honestly. “He has gone to… There was a skirmish that he has been asked to… The truth is that I simply don’t know.
He has gone to fight in a skirmish. That is why his brothers came here.
Now, they’ve gone off to help him, so I really do not know when he will be back, but hopefully it will be soon. ”
That was about all she could get out. She hoped it would satisfy Adalia, but she could tell by the expression on the young woman’s face that the wheels of thought were turning.
Unable to look at Adalia anymore, she turned her attention to Dorian, who had plucked a fish out of the pond to admire its colors, when Adalia spoke softly.
“There is trouble, isn’t there?” she asked.
Diara looked at her. “Why would you think so?”
“Because my uncles were here, and I know they were upset,” she said. “I heard them speaking of an ambush. Did they mean my father?”
Diara didn’t want to lie to her. “I do not know, sweetheart, truly,” she said, unwilling to commit to something as horrible as that word. “We will know soon enough.”
“Are you afraid?”
Diara wasn’t sure how to answer that. She looked at Adalia, seeing an earnest question. After a moment, she simply nodded her head.
“Aye,” she whispered.
Adalia squeezed her hands to give her some comfort, and it nearly undid Diara. Here she was, trying to comfort Roi’s daughter, but the daughter was comforting her instead. As she struggled to regain her composure, she heard someone call her name and turned to see Kyne standing in the open gate.
“My lady?” he said again, quietly. “May I speak with you?”
Diara nodded and stood up, directing Adalia to remain with her sister to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble as she went to Kyne.
“What is it?” she asked politely.
Kyne motioned for her to follow. Diara did, walking beside the silent knight, feeling a good deal more apprehension than curiosity with every step she took.
He wouldn’t look at her and he wouldn’t talk to her.
They headed out of the kitchen yard, and she was about to ask him where they were going when she caught sight of another knight standing several feet away.
It was Westley.
Diara’s breath caught in her throat. She stumbled to a stop. She tried to take another step but couldn’t manage to do it. The only thing she could do at that moment was feel complete, unrestrained horror.
If Westley was here and not the entire army, his reasons for coming could not be good.
“Oh… God,” she breathed, her hands flying to her mouth. “Sweet Jesus. Why… why is he here? Why is Westley here?”
She was starting to panic, and Kyne reached out to grasp her as Westley bolted in her direction. The knights both reached out to steady her as Westley took her hands and forced her to look at him.
“Steady, Lady de Lohr,” he said. “I’ve been sent ahead to prepare you.”
Diara broke down, falling to pieces right before their eyes. “Prepare me for what?” she wept. “Where is Roi?”