Chapter Thirteen #2
“But what if her father already has someone selected?” Cassius said.
“Have you considered that? What if her father or brother already have a husband in mind for her? What then? Because if they have someone already in mind for her and a deal has been struck, he can charge you with thievery as well. This is serious, Titus. Do you not understand that?”
Titus remained cool. “You are not my father, Cassius,” he said. “Rage at me all you like, but it has been done. As I said, we can find lodgings elsewhere if you prefer we leave tonight.”
Before Cassius could reply, Dacia stood up and held out a hand to Katiana. “Come with me, my lady,” she said briskly. “You and I will eat in your borrowed chamber whilst you wait for Titus to join you. Come along, now.”
She took the hand of Katiana, who looked at Titus with concern, but Titus touched her cheek and nodded.
He appreciated what Dacia was doing, removing Katiana from what was becoming an increasingly distressing conversation.
Cassius was not finished with him, so it was best to remove Katiana before she became too upset and the evening was ruined.
But Katiana wasn’t ready to leave yet.
She had something to say to Cassius.
“My lord,” she said, holding up a hand to gently put a halt to Dacia’s tugging.
“I realize you do not agree with what we have done, but allow me to explain something to you that will mayhap help in that regard. You see, both Titus and I are concerned with my brother’s response to Titus’ request to marry me, concerned enough that in order to assure our happiness, we were compelled to take matters into our own hands.
You do not know my brother, but let me assure you that our concern is well warranted.
I can further assure you that neither my father nor my brother has any future husband selected for me.
My father shirked his duties long ago by sending me to live with his aunt in the hopes that she would find me a husband, and my brother has nothing for me but contempt.
Not every family loves one another as the House of de Wolfe does.
We do not all enjoy such familial affection and security.
Sometimes, great danger is involved. In this case, that is what we are facing. ”
She was well-spoken and concise. Cassius didn’t want to engage in any manner of argument with her, and he appreciated the fact that she was trying to take the heat off Titus, but the fact remained that Titus had done something he should not have done. Cassius tried to be polite in his response.
“I understand that, my lady,” he said. “But my brother has—”
“Forgive me, my lord, but you do not know the situation at all,” Katiana said, interrupting him.
“You do not know what we are facing. When I was a small child, as far back as I can recall, I feared my brother. He was a nasty bully of a lad, and when he became upset, he would find me and he would beat me. I do not mean a slap. I mean he would take his fists to me and punch me in the face and body until I bled. One time, he dragged me from the castle, took me into the forest, and tied my hair to a rope and strung it up in a branch. I remained there for a day and a night until my father’s men found me.
When I was brought back to the castle, half-dead from exposure, all my father could do was look at me without comment and walk away.
He did not discipline my brother. He simply let him do whatever he pleased.
I could go on and on with the horrible things he did to me, like shoving cloth up my nose and gagging me in the hopes that I would suffocate, but there are too many stories like that to tell. This is the man we are to face.”
By the time she was finished, Cassius was looking at her with great concern. He sighed softly, shaking his head to the horrors she described, and tried desperately to maintain his logical perspective.
“I am sorry for you, my lady, truly,” he said. “But the fact remains that—”
Emotional, Katiana slapped the tabletop with both hands in an uncharacteristic display, cutting him off for the last time.
“If my father is dead, and I have every reason to believe he is by now, then we will be facing my brother when we return to Callerton,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Titus wanted to do the proper thing and ask his permission, but I will tell you now that my brother will not allow it. He will send Titus away and treat me like an animal, or worse, so believe me when I tell you that it would do no good to seek permission from my brother for a marriage. I am as good as dead if I am left in his charge, but if you truly feel that it would be the right and proper thing to do, then Titus and I will not consummate this marriage. We will return to Callerton and you can try to negotiate a betrothal with my brother. But I will tell you now that it will be to no avail. He hates de Wolfe and everything your family stands for. He’ll kill me before he allows Titus to marry me.
Now, you can choose my fate and I will abide by your decision no matter what Titus says. The choice is yours.”
Cassius was watching her, his expression full of sorrow and disgust. Behind Katiana, Dacia had tears streaming down her cheeks, and Cassius could see that.
He could see how upset his wife was, and he was infuriated by it.
Not because Katiana had been so brutally truthful with him, but because she had made him the final judge of the situation.
She’d put the burden on him. Cassius was a fair and just magistrate and knew the law.
He knew what was right. But he also knew that if even half of what the lady said was true, it would forever damage his relationship with Titus were he to go against his brother’s wishes.
And condemn an intelligent, lovely young lady to a terrible fate.
“Dacia,” he finally muttered, looking away. “Take the lady out of here. I want to talk to Titus.”
Sniffling, Dacia took Katiana by the hand and led her from the hall, leaving Cassius unable to look at his brother. Titus was riveted to him, however, trying to get a sense of what Cassius was thinking.
He didn’t have long to wait.
“Damn you for putting me in this position,” Cassius said after a moment. “Now you’ve put me in the middle of it.”
Titus blinked slowly. “Nothing she said was untrue,” he said. “Cass, if you do not intend to help me, then I only ask that you do not get in my way. I must do as I must.”
Cassius looked at him. “You are my brother, Titus,” he said. “I suppose if the situation were reversed, you would not abandon me. I know you wouldn’t. I will not abandon you, either, but this is… difficult.”
“Then let me make it simple for you,” Titus said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.
“I am going to put this into perspective, so listen to me. You heard everything that Katia told you. Everything is true. She is in great danger from her brother. Now… imagine it’s not Katia in danger, but Dacia.
What would you do if Dacia was in that position, with a brother positioned to abuse her? Even kill her?”
Cassius rolled his eyes. “But she’s not in that position.”
“But what if she was?”
“Then I would kill the bastard. Is that what you want to hear?”
“Now you know how I feel.”
Cassius knew that. He knew it very well. “Tell me something, Titus,” he said. “This wasn’t something impulsive, was it? It’s not because you simply want to bed the woman and you feel that you need to marry her because of it?”
Titus snorted. “I’ve bedded many women that I’ve not felt the need to marry,” he said.
“And so have you. What made Dacia different? I’m sure you can’t tell me, other than to say it was just a feeling you had, a feeling in your heart that told you she was the woman you wanted to marry.
I have that same feeling for Katia, Cass.
She’s worthy to be my wife, and the joy is in discovering just how deeply I am destined to love her. Can you understand that?”
Cassius gave up. He poured himself more wine and took a long drink.
“I understand it,” he said. “If you feel that this is meant to be, then I’ll not argue the point with you any longer.
I just wanted to make sure this wasn’t a whim, or worse—that she had coerced you into it. But I do not get that sense.”
“You do not get that sense because neither is true.”
“Are you still leaving for Callerton on the morrow?”
Titus nodded. “I am,” he said. “Though I have been thinking about going straight to Berwick and having Papa announce the marriage to de Edington. There is no possibility that the man will strike back against the mighty Earl of Berwick.”
Cassius frowned. “Do not tell me that you would hide behind Papa.”
Titus shook his head. “Not hide,” he said. “But given how much her brother hates me, it might make it easier for our family, all the way around. De Edington cannot turn it into a personal vendetta, and, more importantly, it keeps Katia safe behind a de Wolfe wall.”
Cassius understood. “So you’ll take her back to Berwick and let Papa smooth the situation,” he said. “If de Edington is as bad as you say he is, then I cannot disagree. But when then? You still have a duty to de Lohr. Are you simply going to leave her at Berwick and continue your life as a spy?”
Titus shrugged. “I do not know,” he said honestly. “I’ve not thought about it. Of course, I would like to continue serving de Lohr. It is what I am trained for. But I do not want to go away for months at a time and leave my wife behind. It sounds so strange to say that—my wife. I have a wife.”
Cassius looked at him, a glimmer of mirth in his eyes. “You certainly do,” he said. “I can tell you from personal experience that they are quite agreeable to have.”
“Only agreeable?”
“They are wonderful.”