Chapter 3
Katherine woke up with a new determination.
Last night she had bought her family’s salvation with her virtue; she would now make sure that salvation was coming.
Because now she was no longer powerless, she too could issue threats if need be.
Lady Malpas had lost what little respect Katherine had felt toward her with her odious blackmail and she didn’t feel she owed her any loyalty.
She would go and remind her of her promise to free her father and send the money to her family, on pain of revealing the truth of his wedding night to Siaspar.
He thought that the woman he’d had in his arms last night was the one he had wed.
He was convinced that he was truly married to Lady Malpas when, in fact, he was not.
As a result, his wife could have their union annulled when it suited her.
It did not seem fair that he should not know something as important as that, and she would have gone to tell him the truth had she not feared retribution.
But fear it she did, which was why she had done what she had done. She could not speak now any more than she could have then.
Before standing up, she took a moment to evaluate the sensations in her body.
Did she feel any different? Not really. And, in truth, Siaspar’s possession had not left her feeling as sullied as she had imagined it would.
She certainly felt no resentment toward him.
He had done nothing more than fulfil his duty as a newly married man, and he had been considerate with every touch.
Once she had spoken to Lady Malpas, she promised herself to catch a glimpse of the man who had made a woman out of her.
That decision made, Katherine got up, determined to find a moment to slip to the tower.
Later that morning, her opportunity came.
She went to the new lady of the castle and found her in her chamber, sewing in the company of Lady Helen and her daughter, Maud.
The young girl had had no other choice but to follow her mother to Wales, but it was clear that she wished she could have stayed behind in England.
All three of them arched an eyebrow when Katherine entered the room.
Of course, it was bold, if not unheard of, for a scullion to come to the mistress of the castle uninvited, but she could not wait another moment to know that her family would be safe.
“Yes?”
Katherine cleared her throat. “My lady, I came to talk to you about the…the posset you asked me to bring you last night.”
She could not be more explicit, but she knew that the reason for her visit would be clear. Indeed, Lady Malpas’ eyes narrowed in recognition. Just when Katherine was wondering if she would send her away, she waved to her ladies.
“Yes. I wanted to have a word about that posset, as it happens.”
Mother and daughter left, throwing her a mocking glance. Evidently they thought she was in for a scolding about the quality of the drink. But once they were alone, Lady Malpas’ attitude changed from contempt to urgency.
“What is it? Why have you come? Have you remembered something important about last night?”
The questions betrayed nothing but selfishness. She thought she was here to help her, to make sure her deception was not discovered, nothing more. Did she even remember her promise to send word to Allerby Castle to order her father’s release, along with the payment she was owed? It was doubtful.
“Yes, there was one thing I forgot to tell you, something I think you should know,” Katherine improvised. Perhaps it was best to appear to be on the lady’s side before she started making requests.
“What is it?”
“Your husband disrobed entirely before bedding you…me.” The fact was probably worth mentioning, and, judging from Lady Malpas’ reaction, it was clear that this was unexpected.
“Goodness gracious, did he really? How shocking.”
It had not struck Katherine as particularly shocking, considering what he was there to do. Still, she needed to explain exactly what had happened. “And then he asked you to undress as well.”
“I knew it! The man’s nothing but a boorish, rampant beast!” Lady Malpas cried out in disgust.
Was it so odd for two people to be naked while making love? Katherine was not so sure, but she stayed silent as she could hardly claim to be an expert in the matter. Besides, Siaspar’s preferences in bed were not what she had actually come here to discuss.
“Did you…” She gave a little cough, steeling herself. “Now that I have fulfilled my part of the bargain, did you order the money I am owed to be sent to my family?”
She did not need to keep any for herself. Here at the castle, she was fed and housed, all at Siaspar’s expense. The money she would earn had always been intended to be sent back to England.
“Rest assured that everything has been done.”
As Lady Malpas did not offer any more details, Katherine had to satisfy herself with this vague answer.
Short of shaking her, there was no way of extracting any more information out of her.
The woman did not seem to realize what was at stake—or rather she knew it only too well, since she had used it to force her little scullion to do something despicable and deceitful. But she didn’t seem burdened by guilt.
“Thank you. I expected nothing less from you,” Katherine replied. A little flattery would be better than suspicion, though she did not mean a word of it.
“Was there anything else I should know? We did not have much chance to talk last night. What else did my dear husband do to me?” Lady Malpas gave a jarring kind of laugh at what she imagined to be a witty question.
“No. I have told you everything.”
Except for the part about her being a cold fish and him being unable to perform. The whole thing was humiliating enough. She would not dwell on any unnecessary details.
“You are confident that he did not suspect anything? This is what matters the most.”
“I don’t think he did. It was pitch dark and I did not say a single word, as agreed. In any case, he never asked me anything. He just did what he had to do.”
“Good. Good. With any luck, he will leave it at that for a while. No doubt he has scores of mistresses to keep him entertained at night, though what they see in him passes my understanding.” Lady Malpas went to the window and waved her dismissal, just like she had the night before. “Very well. You can go.”
After a quick curtsy, Katherine left, fighting her increasing unease.
She should have tried harder to impress on Lady Malpas how thoughtful her husband had been.
After the way he had behaved last night, she felt she owed it to him to try and make his wife see that he was not the monster she took him for.
Still, it was out of her hands now. When he next wanted to bed his wife, Lady Malpas would have to go herself.
The deception could not go on forever. At some point, Siaspar would want children.
No one would be able to produce them but his wife.
Or did the lady mean to pretend she was barren or feign a mysterious illness to avoid doing her marital duty?
Dear Lord, but what a mess the Welshman had gotten himself into…
It was then, when her mind was full of him, that Katherine was afforded her first glimpse of Siaspar ap Morgan.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she walked straight into a broad-shouldered man who was coming the other way
She was wondering who he could be when he spoke, betraying his identity.
“Careful here.” He steadied her and though, up until that moment she’d had no idea what Siaspar looked like, Katherine recognized his deep voice, which seemed branded in her memory. This was the man who had made love to her last night, she was certain of it.
“Forgive me, my lord.” Though she was desperate to get a proper look at him, she lowered her eyes to the floor, as was proper for a scullion.
“Don’t worry, there’s no harm done.”
Though Siaspar was inwardly seething, he was doing his best to hide his ire. He could not let the woman suspect that he knew what she was plotting with his wife.
But the truth was that this encounter, which would appear entirely fortuitous to her, had, in fact, been contrived by him.
The girl could not have avoided walking into him, as he had made sure to place himself in her path.
After what he had heard outside Lady Malpas’ room, there had been no other choice.
After a punishing morning ride, he had gone to her, intent on seeing if they could start their marriage on a better footing, but as he’d neared the door, he’d heard the end of a most enlightening discussion.
You are confident that he did not suspect anything? This is what matters the most.
Siaspar clenched his jaw. Suspect anything.
In other words, suspect that last night he had not, contrary to what he’d thought, bedded his wife.
He’d been thoroughly duped. The woman in front of him right now, whoever she was, had taken his bride’s place in bed on his wedding night.
Together, the two women had made a mockery of his efforts to secure an alliance with an Englishwoman.
As a result, his marriage was not secure.
It still had not been consummated, as the woman he had made love to was not the one he had married.
But who was she? That was what he needed to find out.
When Lady Malpas had dismissed her mysterious accomplice, Siaspar had retreated to the shadows at the bottom of the stairs to lie in wait.
He could not let the girl slip away before he had seen her face or, even better, spoken to her.
Just as he’d hoped, a moment later, she walked straight into him, initiating the confrontation he had hoped to provoke.