Chapter Five #4
Juliandra was becoming increasingly embarrassed for her father’s behavior. “He does not attend mass,” she said. “Ever since my mother died, he will not go. He says there is no God. It probably would have been better had you not told him what the tolls are for.”
Kevin finally set the vellum aside and looked at her.
She was truly a beautiful little thing, with long, curling hair the color of a bay horse and eyes that were the brightest shade of green he had ever seen.
A delicate, ethereal beauty, to be sure, and far too fine to live in the overgrown villages of Wales.
He’d never seen finer.
Being that he was a chivalrous knight, the first thing that came to his mind was the fact that she didn’t seem to have any male protection with her.
He’d seen the limping servant, but no soldiers.
No man for protection. A lass this lovely deserved a man by her side, for safety at the very least. He didn’t like to see women alone.
But as he admired her beauty, something else occurred to him.
Being Welsh, she knew the area. She knew the important nobles and the part they played in local politics.
Perhaps she even knew the two warlords who had come to Wybren the first day he had occupied the castle to tell him he wasn’t welcome.
But based on the report from his men, he had to deliver some bad news to the lady and he was certain she wasn’t going to take it well.
It was clear that she was concerned for her father.
Her presence here was proof of that alone.
He could have made it easy for himself. He could have lied to her about her father so she wouldn’t think he was responsible for the man’s death.
He wasn’t, in truth – according to the report from his men, Gethin ap Garreg had been responsible for his own death.
But he was certain his daughter wouldn’t see it that way.
Still… lying to her about it went against everything he stood for.
Kevin wasn’t the wily type. He wasn’t slick or conniving like some of his fellow Executioner Knights, nor was he subversive unless it was in the line of duty.
He was the honest, upstanding, stalwart member of the group.
Their conscience. But something told him that the woman standing in front of him was valuable.
He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he did.
Perhaps she could help him if he could make a friend out of her.
But given what he had to tell her, he wasn’t sure how he could do that.
He took a deep breath.
“The toll booths, the court on Tuesdays, they are all part of bringing order to this region,” he said.
“I believe that starving children should be fed and that money should come from the community. I believe that the unjust should be punished and that men who are wronged should have their moment to prove their innocence. Those are my beliefs, my lady. That is what I explained to old Lord Breidden when he asked me to assume command of his property. He wanted the Welsh to be treated fairly and I agreed. He did not make this decision lightly, nor did I. Do you understand me so far?”
Juliandra was listening intently. “I do,” she said. “I am sorry that my father refused to pay your toll. Now that I know what you are doing with the money, I am in support. I shall tell him so.”
Kevin sighed faintly. “I appreciate that,” he said. “I have only been here a few short months and, in that time, the only Welsh lords who came to visit me were men named Aeron ap Gruffudd and Glynn ap Hywel. They were not welcoming in the least.”
Juliandra’s expression tightened with recognition. She knew those men. “They would not be,” she said. “Their families are very old. Aeron is descended from Dafydd ap Owain, one of the last princes of Wales. He hates anything English, so do not take his hatred personally.”
“You know him well?”
For the first time, she averted her gaze, looking uncomfortable. “He has offered to marry me, several times,” she said. “My father does not like him because he is too warring and he has told Aeron so. But still, he keeps offering. Aeron has told every man in this land that I am meant for him.”
Kevin’s gaze lingered on her. “I take it that you do not feel that way.”
She shook her head, her dark hair glistening in the candlelight. “Nay,” she said flatly. “He is unpleasant at best. My father is right – he only thinks of aggression and politics. That is not what I want in a husband.”
“I see,” he said, realizing that he was pleased she wasn’t married. He didn’t know why he should be, but he was. “Where does he live?”
Juliandra lifted her eyes, looking at him. “West,” she said. “There is a lake and a small village about ten miles to the west, and his stronghold is there. It is called Llanwyffyn.”
“Does he have a big army?”
She shrugged. “Big enough,” she said. “I do not know how many, but big enough.”
Kevin didn’t press her. She was already figuring out that he was trying to probe her, but he could tell how valuable she was in her knowledge of the area. In the few months he’d been here, he’d not found one person, lord or otherwise, who had been willing to talk to him and tell him about the land.
Perhaps he’d been looking in the wrong place.
If he could only keep her here.
He was going to have to resort to something… subversive.
As an honorable knight, lying did not come easily to him, but to a lord who had inherited a Welsh stronghold and a desire to preserve the lives and safety of his men, he realized he was going to have to.
He couldn’t tell the lady about her father because surely she would never speak to him again, and this moment was too valuable to waste.
For the safety of everyone, and for the knowledge he so desperately needed, he was going to have to make her believe her father was still alive somehow. Perhaps if she knew that, and realized her cooperation was the key to her father’s release, he was going to have to make that decision.
But he felt so dirty for it.
All of his fellow Executioner Knights had lied at one time or another in the course of a mission for the purpose of the greater good.
Now, it was Kevin’s turn to learn something about himself…
could he pull it off? Or was truth, in this case, so important to him that it would cost him essential information in this land of people who didn’t want him there?
It simply wasn’t in his nature to be dishonest.
But he was going to have to try.
It was one of the most difficult choices he ever had to make.
“Then I thank you for the information,” he said quietly. “You are mayhap the only person in all of Wales who wants to have a constructive dialogue with me. Most believe I am their enemy.”
Her bright green eyes were watching him. “My father is not a warring man,” she said. “I have not been raised to hate the English.”
“Your father is a merchant, I understand.”
“He is.”
Kevin grunted. “At least he hates the church and not the English.”
Juliandra simply nodded her head, unsure how to reply. When Kevin lowered his head and looked back to his vellum, she spoke up.
“And my father? May I have him returned to me, please?”
Kevin didn’t look at her as he spoke. “He is not here,” he said, which was technically not a lie.
He’d been taken to the nearby church of St. Aelhaiarn’s for temporary keeping.
“I do not keep Welsh prisoners here at Wybren where they can possibly engage in insurrection. All Welsh prisoners are moved… out of Wales.”
He’d gotten through that without outright lying to her and congratulated himself for it.
It was true that they sent all prisoners back to Trelystan, the closest castle to Wybren, because he didn’t need a bunch of Welsh prisoners rising up and having the support of the locals.
But Juliandra looked at him with concern.
“He’s gone?” she said anxiously. “But… but he was only arrested yesterday. You have sent him away already?”
Kevin couldn’t seem to look at her. “I had men returning to my properties in England,” he said. “As I said, I do not keep Welsh prisoners in Wales.”
Juliandra seemed confused by that and quite distressed. She pulled forth all of those coins she’d collected from her singing.
“I will give you all of these coins if you will only send for him,” she said. “This is more than enough to pay for his toll.”
Kevin looked at the coins. “I have money,” he said. “I do not need all of those coins. If you truly want your father released, then you have something that is more valuable to me than money.”
“What?”
“Your knowledge of this area and of the people who live here,” he said. “That is what I need. If you are willing to remain here, sing for my men, and answer my questions, then that is more valuable than any toll you could pay. Am I making myself clear?”
Juliandra wasn’t certain at all. “I… I am to remain here as a… a…?”
“My guest,” he supplied. “An advisor. You have answers that I need.”
She shook her head. “I do not have any answers,” she said.
“I help my father in his merchant stall, I account for his money, and I write songs that I have only sung to myself until tonight. I manage my father’s home and attend mass once a week, and that is all I know. What answers could I possibly have?”
“You were able to tell me about Aeron,” he said, finally looking at her.
“My lady, I am blind in this land of the Cymry. I have been here a few months and have yet to truly come to know those in my domain, and you were the first one able to tell me anything. Continue helping me become knowledgeable on this land I have acquired and your good behavior will secure your father. Now do you understand?”
She did. She put her hand to her belly as her stomach began to churn. “But… but for how long?”
“Until I decide your father’s debt has been paid,” he said. “Why? Do you have something better to attend to?”
She didn’t, but she didn’t want to tell him that.
As Juliandra scrambled for an answer, she found herself looking over the knight, taking a long and solid assessment of him.
As she’d noted before, he wasn’t terribly tall, but he was very handsome, with deep blue eyes, dark blond hair, and a granite-square jaw.
He was beautifully and powerfully built, and there wasn’t one thing that wasn’t formidable about him.
He had a terrifying look about him but, so far, their conversation had only suggested that he was deliberate and calm.
He didn’t seem hotheaded as some men could be. In fact, quite the opposite.
From what she’d heard, he had brought law and order to the Marches.
And in giving half of the tolls to the church, he proved that he wasn’t greedy.
It sounded as if he were benevolent as far as Saesneg knights went, so based on that knowledge, she supposed that remaining at Wybren wouldn’t be a danger.
If he wanted answers, she could tell him as much – or as little – as she wanted to.
The only matter of concern to her was the release of her father.
De Lara wanted something.
She wanted something.
Perhaps this was the way to achieve it.
“There is my father’s business and his house to tend to while he is away,” she answered belatedly. “While he is away, they are my complete responsibility.”
Kevin sat back in his chair, eyeing her. “Don’t you have servants that can attend to both?”
“Of course, but…”
“Then it is settled. You will remain at Wybren as my guest until such time as your father’s sentence is satisfied.”
Juliandra was coming to see that she had no choice. In truth, the prospect of remaining at Wybren with de Lara was somewhat… intriguing. The Welsh in her was wholly resistant, but the woman in her… and the English side of things… didn’t seem to be all that opposed.
It was quite perplexing.
“I would prefer if you set a limit to my time spent,” she said. “I cannot remain here for years and I do not want my father to remain in the vault for years simply for failing to pay a silly toll.”
He lifted his big shoulders. “Very well,” he said. “Six months.”
Her eyes widened. “Just for failing to pay a toll? My father must suffer in the vault for six months?”
“He certainly will not refuse to pay again, will he?”
He had a point. After a moment, Juliandra nodded reluctantly. “Agreed,” she said without enthusiasm. “I will return home to gather my things.”
Kevin shook his head. “You are not leaving,” he said. “I will supply whatever you need during your stay. But your maid can return home. She is not needed.”
She looked disappointed. “Megsy? But she has been with me since I was a small child.”
“Then it is time for you to grow up and learn to live without the crutch of your childhood nurse. I will send her home.”
Juliandra opened her mouth to argue but thought better of it. She reminded herself that this was for her father, and if that meant sending her maid home, then she would do so. She suspected that anything less than complete cooperation would not be well met.
Without anything more to say, she simply nodded her head and lowered her gaze. It was a signal of surrender, of submission. All she wanted was her father’s release and, evidently, the new Lord of Wybren was going to force her into service for it.
He wanted something.
She wanted something.
Six months.
She wondered if she could last that long.