Chapter Three #4
Douglass shook her head firmly even though she couldn’t help but notice he had come closer to her.
He was standing just a few feet away and it began to occur to her that the very handsome knight smelled slightly rotten.
She had noticed the smell a couple of times at the tavern but not at all when they had fled for Isenhall, probably because she was seated in front of him.
She wasn’t entirely sure it was appropriate to bring up the man’s horrific smell but it was so strong that she actually took a step away from him.
“I will not give my brother away,” she said firmly.
“Honestly, I’ve not seen the man that much over the past several years so the stories he has told me about you have been very few.
He did, however, tell me about a trip to Leicester when you were involved in a brawl at church.
He said that the priests took to chasing you with one of those long iron sconces that hold the fat, white tapers.
He said you had to fend them off with your broadsword. ”
Tiberius’ frown deepened. “He told you about that?”
She giggled. “He said you that you were on horseback when you followed a woman inside a church.”
Tiberius shut his eyes tightly and shook his head, lowering it in shame.
He was going to have very strong words with Garran for telling his sister such a thing.
“I was not on horseback,” he said, weakly defending himself.
“I was leading my horse behind me. And the woman stole something from me. I had to get it back.”
Douglass was enjoying his discomfort. “Garran said she stole your purse.”
Tiberius’ eyes opened and he looked at her, mortified. “Did he tell you more than that?”
Douglass shook her head. “He did not,” she said, seeing that there must be quite a tale behind the stolen purse simply by the expression on Tiberius’ face.
“How did she come so close to stealing your purse? Most men carry their purses very close to their bodies. How on earth did she get so close to you to have the opportunity to take it?”
Tiberius was quickly slipping into utter embarrassment and horror.
There was no way he was going to tell Lady Douglass that the woman who stole his purse had been a prostitute and that she had stolen the purse when he had been sleeping after several hours of exhausting sex. He shook his head, firmly.
“It would not interest you,” he said, desperate to be off of the subject. “But know that I will mash your brother to a pulp when next I see him for telling you such tales. You must have a terrible opinion of me already and we have only just met.”
Douglass didn’t push the purse story. She had only just met the man, after all, and this was the first civil conversation they had shared.
Already, he was agitated with the subject and she didn’t want to push the man into annoyance.
Still, she could see that Tiberius de Shera was very charming and witty, and his boyish mannerisms and expressive face made him very endearing, but she had the impression that he knew very well that he was charismatic and handsome.
He was certainly very comfortable speaking to a woman.
All things considered, she was coming to feel very bad for her actions towards him when they first met and the silly woman who had initially found him so attractive now found him even more attractive.
It would be quite easy to be infatuated with him.
“The only opinion I have of you is of a man who tried to help me and I was reluctant to let him do so,” she said after a moment, watching the corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiled.
“Mayhap… mayhap we can begin again. Start over, as it were. Let us pretend we are meeting for the very first time under much more pleasant circumstances. That being the case, I will introduce myself. I am Lady Douglass Lora de Moray and I am honored to meet you, Sir Tiberius.”
She curtsied with a practiced flare, her glorious, red hair splaying across her shoulders and arms when she bent over.
Tiberius, his eyes glittering with great interest, reached out to take her hand.
In a complete breach of protocol, because it was quite improper for him to touch the woman in any fashion given that they were not courting or married, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her tender flesh quite sweetly.
“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Douglass,” he said softly, his voice tinged with a suggestive tone. “I hope we are able to know one another better before you continue on your journey to London.”
There was magic in the air, but it was a sweet and heart-pounding moment abruptly interrupted by a herd of people entering the keep.
Bose de Moray and Gallus chose that moment to shove through the entry door, followed by Jeniver, Courtly, Maximus, a pack of de Shera knights, and finally Garran de Moray.
Tiberius heard the entry door slam back and the commotion of men, but he was too slow in releasing the lady’s hand.
He released it so swiftly that it ended up looking as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have, as if he were guilty for having touched the woman when he had no right to.
The truth was that he should not have touched her, even her hand, and he was well aware of the fact.
Tiberius knew by the expression on de Moray’s face that he would have some explaining to do.
All he could do was smile, tell the truth, and hope the man didn’t try to kill him for laying a hand on his daughter.