Chapter Five #2
As the hot water went in, the clothes came off.
Truthfully, Tiberius couldn’t remember when he had last bathed or even changed his clothes, so he asked the cook’s husband to remove his soiled clothing to be boiled and told the man to bring him some fresh clothing.
All the while, his head throbbed and he knew that Gallus would be angry that he was ignoring the man’s summons by taking the time to bathe, but he didn’t much care.
He had priorities in his life and sometimes those differed from Gallus’.
For now, his priorities were of more importance to him.
He needed to speak with Lady Douglass before her father took her away, perhaps forever. Gallus would have to wait.
Tiberius plunged into the tub that was half-full with hot water.
He hooted and gasped, as the hot water made his head throb even more, but it didn’t matter.
In a way, it actually felt good, and after splashing water all over himself, he grabbed a horsehair brush and a bar of white, lumpy soap that smelled of rosemary and went to work.
Lathering up the brush with the white, milky froth from the soap, he scrubbed himself from his feet all the way up to his hair.
The cook’s husband came back into the room bearing clean clothing and Tiberius had the man hunt down a razor so he could shave.
Carefully, with a very sharp razor and a bronze mirror, Tiberius shaved his face clean.
In the reflection of the mirror, he could see that his hair was rather long, hanging in his eyes, so he had the cook’s husband cut several inches from his hair with the same razor he’d used to shave his face.
His hair, now much shorter, kinked up in dark curls all around his face, but at least it was out of his eyes.
Rinsing himself off one last time, he climbed out of the tub and dried off with a big piece of linen that was used for just that purpose.
Still damp, he pulled on leather breeches and a big, linen tunic.
His feet, now clean, went back into his heavy, leather boots.
As he made his way from the small, bathing room and back through the kitchens, he stuck his fingers in his wet ears, trying to dry them out, and ran his hands through his hair several times as he attempted to dry it somewhat.
He was just moving towards the stairs that led to the upper levels to tell Courtly that he was prepared to meet Lady Douglass when a soft voice from the solar caught his attention.
He was somewhat surprised to see Lady Douglass standing in the solar archway, smiling rather timidly at him.
In the early morning light that was filling the chamber, he could see how glorious she was.
Clad in a deep purple surcoat of very soft wool, the garment had a square neck and tight bodice that emphasized the woman’s curvaceous figure.
And her hair… all of that marvelous, curly, golden-red hair, framed her like a dance of light.
The sun glistened off it, creating bursts of stars.
Tiberius saw all of this and more as he approached the woman.
He met her smile, nearly as timid as hers.
“My lady,” he greeted politely. “You are looking quite lovely this morning.”
Douglass’ smile turned modest. “Thank you, my lord,” she said, lowering her gaze coyly. “Lady Courtly said you wished to speak to me.”
Tiberius’ smile faded. Forgetting his throbbing head, all he could focus on was the woman in front of him, more glorious than he had remembered her.
At that moment, he knew that he could not let her go to London to meet her prospective husband.
He wasn’t sure how he was going to intervene, but he knew that he had to.
He’d never felt like this for a woman, not ever.
Aye, he was interested in her, but this went beyond mere conquest or lust. There was something more to it, although he wasn’t sure what that could be.
All he knew was that he felt it, whatever it was, and it consumed him.
“Please,” he said softly, indicating the big table a few feet away. “Will you sit?”
Silently, Douglass complied and perched herself on a bench at the corner of the table as Tiberius towered over her, staring down at her. Realizing that he was, in fact, towering over the woman, Tiberius quickly sat at the end of the table, next to her. His gaze never left her face.
“Did… did you sleep well, my lady?” he asked politely.
Douglass nodded. “I did, indeed,” she replied. “There is something very strong and peaceful about Isenhall but I awoke to a very noisy bird perched on my window. He awoke me before dawn.”
Tiberius grinned. “Show this bird to me and I will punish him,” he said with feigned gallantry. “How dare the bird disrupt your slumber.”
Douglass laughed softly and Tiberius was again enchanted by her bright smile. “I chased him off, I assure you.”
Tiberius laughed because she was. She could have been laughing at anything and, still, he would have laughed. Her smile was infectious.
“I do not doubt it,” he said. “As I saw yesterday, you are a very brave woman and unafraid to wield a weapon. It is an admirable quality.”
Douglass sobered, gazing into Tiberius’ freshly-washed face. He was clean and shaven, his hair even cut, and she thought that perhaps he was the most handsome man on the face of the earth. Truly, she had never seen finer.
“I suppose I should thank you for your kind words,” she said, “but I am not sure wielding a weapon in the face of someone who is trying to do you a good deed is an admirable quality. You are kind to say so, however.”
He shook his head. “I was not trying to illicit another apology from you for whacking me on the head,” he assured her. “I was simply making an observation. You are a remarkable and beautiful woman.”
Douglass’ cheeks flushed and she lowered her gaze. “Thank you, my lord.”
Tiberius watched her as she averted her gaze, studying every hair on her head, the angle of her cheeks, and the soft pout of her lips.
He was becoming more infatuated by the moment.
He would have been content to stare at her all day except he knew their time was limited.
He had to say what needed to be said before de Moray dragged her off to London.
London! God’s Bones, he didn’t want to see her go.
“Well,” he said finally, thinking on what he needed to say.
“In truth, I did not wish to see you alone to pay homage to your beauty or, at least, that is not the only reason. I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. It has come to my attention that I may or may not have embarrassed myself in front of you with my excessive drinking. If I offended you, then I must apologize. I am deeply sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
Douglass’ head came back up and she looked at him, smiling. “You did not offend me,” she assured him, “although I appreciate your apology. Rest assured, however, that you did not insult me in the least.”
“You are certain?”
“I am.”
Tiberius breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I am at ease,” he said, running his fingers through his damp hair again. “I thought for certain that I had left you with a terrible lasting impression of me.”
Douglass shook her head. “You did not,” she said. “In fact, you were quite humorous at times. You told my father that I belonged to you because you had saved me from de Montfort’s assassins.”
Tiberius watched her giggle, thinking that perhaps he should play into that subject a bit. Perhaps if it was done in jest, he could determine if the woman had any interest in him. He was willing to take the chance.
“You do,” he insisted, although it was clear he was teasing. “I saved you and therefore you belong to me. When shall we wed?”
Douglass’ laughter grew. “I think you should speak to my father first.”
Tiberius scowled. “I would rather marry you first and ask forgiveness later. Your father cannot become overly angry with me once I marry you. Surely he would not kill the father of his grandchildren?”
Douglass snorted. “So we have children already, do we?”
Tiberius shrugged as if it were the most logical thing in the world. “Of course,” he said. “I would say six to ten sons would be sufficient, and mayhap a daughter or two so you will not feel entirely lonely in a house full of men.”
She smirked wryly. “Thank you, kind sir.”
He grinned broadly. “You are welcome, my future wife,” he said. Then, he was back to scowling, only this time, he was rather serious about it. “Tell me of this man your father intends to betroth you to. Who must I fight for your hand?”
Douglass wondered just how serious he was.
Much like he was doing, she decided to play the game to see, in fact, if his interest was serious.
If he wasn’t serious, then she could claim she was teasing.
But in her heart of hearts, she prayed that the man was sincere. It might break her heart if he wasn’t.
“He comes from a very fine Cornwall family,” she said.
“His name is Tallis d’Vant and he hails from St. Austell Castle.
I know that he is twenty-seven years of age and that he has been in the service of the king since he was very young.
His father is Dennis d’Vant of the Cornwall d’Vants. His mother is a cousin to the king.”
That is tremendous competition, Tiberius thought. But no matter. “It sounds as if he is a fine match,” he said. “But I have decided this man shall not have you.”
Douglass lifted her auburn eyebrows. “Is that so?” she said. “What do you intend to do about it?”
Tiberius snorted arrogantly. “I told you. I will fight him for you, of course,” he said. “Then your father will have to give you to me.”
Douglass laughed quietly. “I hear that Tallis d’Vant is a very fine knight,” she said. “His father is a very fine knight. He may put up a good fight.”
Tiberius looked at her. “I am The Thunder Knight,” he said. “There is no finer fighter or tactician in all of England. As good as d’Vant is, he will fall to me, mark my words.”