Chapter Twelve #3
He knew that. He and Addington were inordinately close. Scratching his head, he looked at her. “It seems that Lady Lista has another suitor,” he said. “I thought… well, it does not matter what I thought. I was wrong so I am going home.”
Addington’s face screwed up with confusion. “What suitor?” she demanded. “Who?”
Julian fumbled with the reins. “De Rhos,” she said.
Then, his control slipped. “I saw them, Addie. Their arms around each other. I trusted him… I trusted her… the worst part is that I genuinely liked de Rhos. Nay… that is not the worst part. The worst part is that I thought Lady Lista liked me. She certainly acted like it and even agreed to let me court her. But, yet again, Julian de Velt is made a fool of.”
Addington genuinely had no idea what he was talking about. “Julian, you are not making any sense,” she said. “You saw them with their arms around each other? Where?”
“In the vineyard,” he said. “They were in quite a romantic embrace, so there is no point in me remaining. I will not be humiliated again.”
Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together for Addington, especially when he mentioned the vineyard. “I just saw Louis upstairs and he said that Lista had hurt herself in the vineyard,” she said. “I am sure that is all you saw. Mayhap he was helping her?”
Julian cast her a look of disbelief before finally mounting his horse. “Helping her, indeed,” he said. “Is that what he called it?”
Addington grabbed on to the reins so he couldn’t get by her.
“Julian, stop,” she commanded softly. “I do not know what you think you saw, but Lista likes you very much. She is quite agreeable to having you court her and she did not lie to you about that. Why in the world would she carry on with de Rhos? That does not seem like something she would do.”
Julian pulled his helm out of a saddlebag. “How do you know?” he said. “She has us all fooled into thinking she is sweet and kind when the truth is that she is just like the rest of them.”
“She is not,” Addington insisted. “I do not know what has happened, but the least you could do is go and ask her.”
He grunted. “Not me,” he said. “I know what happened. Get out of the way because I am leaving now.”
Addington held fast. “I am not getting out of the way because you are acting rashly,” she said.
“I know you are used to women treating you poorly, but Lista is not one of them. If I thought she was, I would have never agreed to come here. I came here because I wanted to play matchmaker between you two and I have. Why are you trying to ruin this?”
“I told you what happened. I will not tell you again.”
“You told me what you saw. You did not tell me what happened.”
“Do not be stupid, Addie.”
“You are the one being stupid. You have so little faith that you will not even ask Lista?”
“Excuse me, my lady. I am sorry to trouble you.”
It wasn’t Julian who replied. It was Louis. He was suddenly in the entry of the stables and both Addington and Julian turned to see the man standing there, mostly looking at Addington, but having some confusion when he managed to look at Julian.
Addington smiled weakly.
“How can I help, Sir Louis?” she asked.
He gestured to the castle. “The physic said it would be better for Lady Lista to soak her foot,” he said. “Since the servants seemed to be missing or occupied, I’ve come looking for a bucket. I thought there might be one out here.”
Addington saw the opportunity to clarify the situation for Julian. “You mean for Lista’s sore ankle?” she said. “The one she twisted when she slipped in the vineyard?”
It was a long way to get to the point, at least for Louis, and he nodded at the rather odd questions. “Aye,” he said. “Is there one around here I can rinse out?”
Addington sighed heavily but, in truth, it was mostly in annoyance at Julian. The man was being irrational as far as she was concerned so if he was going to leave, then she figured he should have all the facts.
It was a risky move, but she was going to take it.
“Sir Louis,” she said. “Can you please tell my brother what happened in the vineyard with Lista?”
Louis’ gaze moved to Julian. He was confused, trying not to show it. “She slipped in the mud so I brought her back to the castle,” he said. “Her ankle is swollen. She wrenched it when she fell.”
Julian simply looked at him for a moment before dismounting. Addington held her breath, hoping that it would calm the evidently terrible misconceptions that Julian had. But Julian simply stood next to his horse, holding the reins, as he looked at Louis near the entry of the stables.
“I will accept that,” he finally said. “But I have a question for you.”
Louis could sense the hardness and, in fact, the rage. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but he could guess. “Ask what you will.”
“What were you doing with her, alone, in the vineyard?”
“I was told she wished to bid me farewell,” he said steadily. “I am leaving today, as evidently, you are also. I was unaware of that.”
Julian was processing what he was being told but his body language hadn’t changed. He was still stiff. “She wanted to bid you farewell in the vineyard?” he repeated as if to clarify it, as if there were something odd about it he still didn’t believe.
Louis nodded. “Her mother told me that she wished to have a word with me, privately,” he said. Then, his gaze moved between Addington and Julian. The man wasn’t stupid. “Is that what the problem is here? That I was alone with Lista? Julian, nothing untoward happened. We only spoke. I swear it.”
Instead of being eased, Julian’s stiff stance only grew worse. “Her mother told you that she wanted to see you privately?”
Louis nodded. “Aye, but I am sure that meant nothing,” he said.
“In fact, she seemed a little confused by my appearance, to tell you the truth. We spoke a few words, she thanked me again for my assistance against the Scots, and we were leaving the vineyard when she slipped. Since she could not walk, I carried her back to the castle.”
Julian’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer before he finally shook his head as if the entire situation was laced with great irony. It was clear that he didn’t believe what he was told.
“I see,” he said, showing some cracks in his composure for the first time.
“Lista wants to see you privately before you leave and then she conveniently slips so that you must carry her into the castle. De Rhos, I sincerely hope you are not playing me for a fool because I will not be lied to, not by you and not by anyone. Either you are making this up or Lista is manipulating you and me. Personally, I do not care what it is because I will leave here and never see either of you again. I wish you good health and happiness, wherever you may find it.”
With that, he swung onto his horse again, this time yanking the reins away from Addington. But Louis was greatly puzzled and just the least bit offended by what he said.
“No man will accuse me of being a liar, my lord,” he said, reverting to a formal stance.
“I have not, nor will I ever, lie to you. I went to the vineyard because Lady Lista’s mother told me to and for no other reason than that.
In fact, the lady and I had a discussion about you and she told me that she was very much committed to you even though you’d not formally asked for her hand yet.
That is not something I would ever violate, de Velt. I told you that once already.”
Julian spurred his warhorse forward, brushing past Addington. “I know what I saw,” he muttered as he moved past de Rhos. “No man, and no woman, will make a fool out of me, so save your breath. Good life to you.”
With that, he trotted out into the courtyard, heading for the double-portcullis passage.
Louis watched him go with great distress, as did Addington, who came to stand next to him.
Together, they watched Julian disappear into the passage.
When Louis turned to Addington, baffled, he could see the tears in her eyes.
“What happened?” he said, genuinely perplexed. “Why did he leave like that?”
Addington sniffled, flicking away the tears. “Because he is afraid,” she said simply. “Julian has been hurt before, by men and women he trusted. He thinks the same thing is happening now.”
Louis scratched his head. “Nothing is happening,” he said. “Nothing happened. Lady Lista slipped. I picked her up. What was I supposed to do? Leave her wallowing in the mud?”
Addington shook her head, looking to Louis. “Please do not be offended by what he said,” she said. “Julian… he is a skilled knight and a wonderful brother, but he has always lacked great confidence when it comes to women.”
Louis’ eyebrows lifted. “Him?” he said, shocked. “The man is built like a god. Why does he lack faith in himself?”
Addington pointed to her eyes. “Did you notice his eyes?”
Louis shrugged. “I think so,” he said. “I have looked at the man, so of course I have seen his eyes. What about them?”
“Did you notice they are two different colors?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Addington smiled in spite of herself. “Bless you for saying so,” she said.
“But he is very self-conscious of the fact that his eyes can scare people. He has been fond of a couple of women in the past only for them to taunt him because of his eye color and then leave him for someone else. He thinks that is happening again. He is simply trying to protect himself.”
Now, it was all starting to make some sense to Louis. “And he thinks I am trying to steal Lady Lista away.”
“Exactly.”
Louis nodded as if it all became clear to him now.
But that still didn’t ease him. “It is unfair of him to think that I have been underhanded,” he said.
“It is unfair of him to judge me when he does not even know me. We stood side by side against the Scots and fought together, preserving one another’s lives in the process.
And he thinks that I would actually try to steal away the woman he wants? ”
Addington nodded. “Do not be too hard on him,” she said. “He has been betrayed before.”
Louis’ jaw ticked. “But not by me,” he said. “I’ve never hurt the man. The fact that others have does not give him the right to assume the same from me.”
He was building up a rage and Addington was feeling increasingly desperate for Julian. “He is a kind and compassionate man,” she said. “I am sorry if he offended you, but you must understand the damage others have inflicted.”
Louis looked at her. “In this case, he has brought it on himself,” he said.
“Lady Addington, I realize you are defending your brother and that is admirable, but he is a bitter fool to go around accusing people he does not know of betraying him. If he is going to do that, then mayhap I should have no such restraint when it comes to Lady Lista. A man like that does not deserve her.”
Addington looked at him with some horror. “What do you mean?” she said. “Of course he deserves her. He is a good man.”
Louis’ jaw ticked. “A good man does not behave the way he just did,” he said. “Good day to you, my lady.”
With that, he headed out of the stables, moving for the stairwell that led to the great hall and leaving Addington with a bigger problem than ever. Feeling frustrated with Louis and hurt on Julian’s behalf, she knew she needed to talk to Lista before Louis got to her and told her what had happened.
But she needed to find Ashton first.
He had to know what had happened.
A bad situation was about to get worse.