Chapter Eleven #2
She looked surprised. “I did not realize that,” she said. “But I suppose I should have, given your elite status. The de Wolfe family is well-titled, are they not?”
He nodded, pouring himself more wine because the conversation was starting to flow effortlessly and he wanted to keep it going.
“My grandfather, William de Wolfe, was the Earl of Warenton,” he said.
“My uncle, Scott, now holds that title, while his youngest brother holds the title of Earl of Northumbria by marriage. Uncle Thomas married well, needless to say, but my father was granted the title by Edward years ago. My eldest brother, Markus, holds the title of Viscount Ravensdowne and the property of Cheswick Castle. There are a dozen other titles floating around to various uncles and sons, inherited or earned, and as for me, I had to earn mine. When I accepted the position of Lord Protector, I was given Penton Castle and the title Lord Westdale. Penton Castle guards a major road from Scotland that leads into Carlisle. It is a very big place, built upon the ruins of a Roman fort, and it has seen more than its share of action from the Scots.”
Dacia was listening closely. “And that is where you shall retire when your role of Lord Protector is finished?”
He smiled faintly. “That is my intention,” he said.
“My entire family rules the Scots border. Penton will anchor a nearly unbreakable line of de Wolfe castles from one end of the border to the other. Even now, I have four hundred men who man it for me plus a cousin, Adonis de Norville, and another very old friend of the family, Gethin Ellsrod. His father, Deinwald, served my grandfather many years ago, and now Gethin serves me.”
“Then your property is well staffed.”
“It must be, given its strategic location,” he said. “If I do not man it, the Scots certainly will.”
“I see,” she nodded in understanding. “They are aggressive, then?”
“You could say that.”
She smiled at what was probably a silly question on her behalf. “Being so far from the border, we do not have any engagement with the Scots in Doncaster.”
“Just greedy neighbors.”
She laughed softly, taking a gulp of her wine, probably more than she should have, but social situations were very rare for her. She was nervous and trying very hard not to be.
“There is truth in that,” she said. “But hopefully, you can help make a swift end to the harassment. Given your experience with the Scots, subduing an Englishman must be a far simpler thing.”
He chuckled as he poured her more wine. “They can be more difficult because they are more cunning than the Scots,” he said.
“But let us not speak on such depressing things. Let us return to your vast education. My excuse in knowing Latin was that my mother was once intended for the veil, so she insisted. What is your excuse?”
“My tutor was a priest.”
He laughed softly. “Ah, yes,” he said. “You told me that. Therefore, your excuse is better than mine. Do you consider yourself fluent in Latin?”
“More than most.”
“Are you up to a challenge?”
She eyed him, seeing from the gleam in his eyes that he was being quite impish. “That depends,” she said. “What is the challenge?”
He sat back in his chair. “We shall play a game with du Bois and de Shera,” he said, looking over at the knights. “Did you hear me? A challenge is about to be proposed.”
Rhori and Bose looked up from their food. Bose groaned. “God, now what?” he said. “Can I not even eat a meal in peace before you are leveling threats and challenges at me?”
Cassius snapped his fingers at him, abruptly.
“Still your tongue,” he said. “We are going to play a game. Since you and du Bois were educated just as I was in Latin, among other things, we shall see just how much we remember of our Latin lessons. I will say something in Latin and whoever cannot properly translate it must drink as much wine as those who issued the challenge will dictate. Whoever is the most drunk at the end of the game shall bear the title of Stupidest Man in the World.”
Bose pointed to Dacia. “What if she is the drunkest?”
Cassius looked at Dacia, who was grinning at him. “Something tells me she will not be,” he said. “Now, I shall begin. Tell me what this means – Sapere Aude.”
Dacia started to laugh while Bose just looked confused. Rhori rolled his eyes. Cassius looked at Dacia. “Do you know what it means?”
She nodded. “Aye.”
“Whisper it in my ear.”
Leaning over, Dacia put her lips against his ear, a gesture that sent bolts of excitement racing through his big body.
“Dare to know,” she murmured.
Cassius had to take a deep breath. He’d never had such a reaction to a woman in his entire life. Fighting off the urge to pull her into his arms, he looked over at Bose and Rhori.
“What about you two?” he asked. “Do you know?”
Bose cocked his head thoughtfully. “Something about knowing?” he said. “Seeking knowledge?”
Cassius looked at Rhori. “You?”
Rhori yawned. “Dare to know.”
Poor Bose was forced to drink most of his cup of wine by cruel friends after that.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t much better for him the second, third, and fourth time around and in a short amount of time, he was quite drunk.
Angry, he stood up and went to the other side of the table to sit with Darian and his knight, men who weren’t ridiculing him and punishing him with wine consumption.
As Bose wandered away, the game continued.
“It occurs to me that you have not been given any Latin phrases yourself,” Dacia said. “You’ve been the one dealing them out. It’s my turn now.”
A smile played on Cassius’ lips. “Go right ahead, my lady,” he said. “Do your worst.”
She was smiling as well, gazing into the eyes of a man who grew more handsome with each passing moment.
Certainly, he was gorgeous in appearance, but it was his manners, his kindness, that were endearing him to her even deeper than he already was.
That, coupled with his sense of humor, made him positively glorious.
“Very well,” she said, eyeing both him and Rhori. “Audentes fortuna iuvat.”
Cassius’ smile grew, a sure sign he knew the answer, as Rhori drank his wine, seemingly bored. Dacia focused on Cassius.
“Well?” she said. “What is it?”
He crooked his finger, beckoning her close. When she leaned into him, he put his lips against her ear.
“Fortune favors the bold,” he murmured. “May I be bold, my lady?”
She pulled back, her cheeks flushing pink, a smirk on her face that carved big dimples through her cheek.
She managed to give him such a coy look that he started laughing.
For a woman who hadn’t any experience in the subtle dance of flirtation between men and women, she was doing an admirable job.
Across the table, Rhori slammed back what was left in his wine cup and stood up.
“You two finish this game,” he said. “I have a feeling you do not need an audience.”
With that, he headed over to Bose and Darian, both of them arguing about something Cassius couldn’t quite hear. Dacia watched the man go.
“Did I offend him somehow?” she asked.
Cassius shook his head. “Of course not,” he said. “He senses that he is not wanted.”
“But I never said that.”
He looked at her, an impish look in his eyes. “You did not have to,” he said. “But I was screaming it from every bone in my body. Thank God he finally got the message.”
Dacia was feeling as giddy as she had ever felt in her life.
In fact, it was overwhelming her. So much of her was feeling unrestrained and free, something she’d never felt.
But there was a part of her that was feeling some doubt in letting the situation go too far.
Cassius de Wolfe was not a permanent resident of Edenthorpe, nor would he ever be.
She didn’t want to fall for the man only to have him leave.
But it was certainly difficult not to fall for him.
“You are quite charming when you want to be, Cassius,” she said, an appraising twinkle in her eyes. “I suspect you have had much practice at it.”
He sat back in his chair, wine cup in hand. “Ut ameris, amabilis esto.”
Dacia chuckled softly. “If you want to be loved, be lovable.”
He lifted his cup to congratulate her. “Indeed,” he said. “I am coming to think there is nothing you do not know.”
She shrugged. “I am sure there is a great deal I do not know,” she said. “For example… I do not know the motives of handsome knights who come to Edenthorpe and ply me with flattery. Can you tell me if I should be suspicious?”
The smile never left his lips. “I would not blame you if you were,” he said.
“But I have a family reputation to uphold and that does not include taking advantage of women with rash compliments and empty promises. Were I to do that, my grandmother would find me wherever I happened to be and take a switch to me. She is particularly fond of willow branches and I do not wish to incur her wrath. But more than that, I do not wish to shame myself.”
It was a good answer. “Your honor means a great deal to you, then.”
“It means everything.”
There was a lull in the conversation, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Dacia began to realize that they hadn’t even touched the food that had been brought, so engrossed they were in the games they’d played. Reaching out, she picked a piece of boiled beef from her trencher and put it in her mouth.
“If you are the king’s Lord Protector, then you must have great honor, indeed,” she said. “I did not mean to question it. But… but I will admit that I have never had anyone be quite so friendly to me before.”
“That is probably because you have never given them a chance, hiding yourself away as you do,” he said. “You should not do that, Dacia. You are witty and charming. Truly, you are an ideal companion. I could talk to you all night.”
She smiled, bashfully. “You must sleep.”
“I can sleep when I’m dead.” When she giggled and put more meat in her mouth, he leaned forward, his eyes riveted to her. “May I ask a personal question?”