Chapter 14
Drat, it was too late to turn back. She had been seen. And it would be obvious to anyone that she had been away from the castle without permission.
Katherine walked up to Lady Malpas as composedly as she could, telling herself she had done nothing wrong.
At least, Siaspar was not far, conversing with his squire.
Placed where he was, he would be able to hear the confrontation.
With hope, his proximity would help deflect the worse of the woman’s temper.
The first question was not long in coming. “Where have you been?”
“I apologize, my lady.” Katherine dropped a quick curtsy. “I went to see my family, who lives on the other side of the forest. I left before dawn, thinking my absence would not cause you any prejudice as you were still abed then.”
“Well, I am up now as you can see,” was the biting answer. “Little wonder, as it is already mid-morning. Did you think I would lie abed all day long? And your absence did cause me some prejudice, not that I should explain myself to—”
“How so?”
Both women turned to Siaspar, who had asked the question in a deceptively low voice.
“I-I beg your pardon, my lord?” Lady Malpas stammered. Lost to her anger, she had not seen him coming closer.
“How could Katherine’s momentary absence cause you prejudice, I cannot help but wonder?” His voice was still calm but his eyes had started to glitter, a sure sign of displeasure his wife didn’t miss.
“I…” She floundered. It was obvious she had not expected anyone, much less Siaspar, who rarely bothered with her, to demand an explanation.
In her mind, she was allowed to scold who she wanted for no other reason than she wanted to.
“One of my gowns needs stitching. I intended to wear it tonight for the banquet my brother is giving in my—in our honor.”
“Then Katherine will attend to it immediately. It is after all, only morning. I am sure if she works diligently, the dress will be ready tonight, for the banquet in your honor.”
The emphasis on the word was not lost on either woman. He had picked up on Lady Malpas’ unfortunate lapse and he enjoyed making her see that he was not fooled. Her brother cared nothing for his Welsh brother-in-law.
“The gown will be ready, my lord, I promise.”
Relieved everything had been solved so easily, Katherine curtsied again and made to leave.
“Wait. Why did you go to see your family under the cover of darkness, like a thief, without telling anyone?” Lady Malpas asked, taking a step toward her. “Did you perchance want to give them some jewel or other trinket that belongs to me? Something you stole?”
“No, I swear, my lady!” Katherine was horrified. “I just wanted to see them. It’s been more than three months since I left. I have missed them.”
“Oh, really?”
The sarcasm cut deep. Evidently, the lady could not imagine why anyone would prefer the company of poor villagers to that of her brother’s household.
“Yes, really.”
“Shall I inspect her to set your mind at rest, my lady?” Siaspar offered.
His smooth voice had acquired an edge of steel.
It would not be long before his anger exploded.
“Do you remember if there was a pearl sewn on her headpiece or the exact width of the embroidery on the sleeves of her dress? Shall I strip her down to check she did not give her shift to her family to sell? Can I at least bring her inside before I do that? Though I am sure your brother’s men would enjoy the display.
They seem to be a distinctively crass lot, almost like… savages.”
Lady Malpas was not so easily cowed. Bravely—one might say foolishly—she stood her ground.
“You are mocking me, my lord. Worse, you are taking the defense of a servant over me, your wife.” Her eyes narrowed. “I wonder why that is.”
“There is no need to wonder, I can answer your question right now,” Siaspar hissed.
“I have a profound aversion for unfairness and I lack the patience to deal with absurd accusations so early in the morning. So unless you can prove that something of yours is indeed missing or that you have been inconvenienced in any way, I suggest that you let Katherine go and allow her to attend to the stitching that seemed so important only a moment ago.”
There was no gainsaying him in this mood, and this time, his wife did not insist.
Though she would have liked to thank him for coming to her aid, Katherine took care not to look at him before walking away. Lady Malpas was already suspicious of the level of interest her husband was taking in her and no wonder. He had been taking her defense more forcefully than he should have.
She felt suddenly very miserable. The three of them seemed to be stuck in a nightmare where Lady Malpas went out of her way to create problems for her and Siaspar solved them before the situation could get out of hand.
How long before he tired of the thankless task and sent her back to where she belonged?
Unsurprisingly, once she reached Lady Malpas’ bedchamber, Lady Helen could not indicate to her which dress was in need of mending.
Still, the woman more than made up for it by asking her to start embroidering a shirt collar with an extremely complicated pattern.
Katherine sat down in a corner and spent the rest of the day attending to it in silence.
The following morning she stayed at the castle.
She knew that if she asked Lady Malpas if she could go and see her family, she would be denied and she could not risk leaving again without permission, even at night.
Her movements were likely watched, and Lady Malpas was sure to confront her on her return, choosing a moment when Siaspar was nowhere near to take her defense.
Should she leave for good, as Annette had suggested?
No one would miss her, the ladies in waiting would consider themselves well rid of a woman who had been imposed on them and whose status had never been clearly defined.
Her family would welcome her with open arms and she doubted Lady Malpas would go to the trouble of requesting she came back, even supposing she knew where to look. She had long exhausted her purpose.
So yes, perhaps she should leave while she had the chance, and go back to people who loved and respected her, to the good man who was ready to marry her, to the safe future that had been planned for her.
An image of the sea she had seen from Siaspar’s window flashed through her mind.
She had sworn that day not to turn away from her hopes and dreams anymore, and make her own destiny.
It had seemed an enticing proposition at the time, a possibility even.
Now she was forced to see that it was not that simple.
Having the will to do something was one thing; having the means to actually do it quite another.
Unfortunately, the path she had chosen led somewhere people like her were not allowed to go.
There was one thing she could do, though.
Refuse to be a pawn in Lady Malpas’ hands any longer and leave her employ.
It was tempting, but one thing prevented her from walking out of Allerby that instant.
Or rather, one person. If she left, she would never see Siaspar again.
The mere thought made her nauseous and told her she wasn’t ready yet.
The needle was pushed through the shirt collar with decision. As long as Siaspar wanted her to remain, she would remain. His interest in her might wane soon anyway, so she might as well wait a few more days.
The following morning, he came to find her.
Katherine was sewing by the window, in the inevitable company of Lady Malpas’ ladies in waiting.
Not that it could really be called company.
Lady Helen, her daughter, and an English lady who had joined them since they had arrived at the castle plainly considered it below their dignity to include her in their conversation.
They never addressed a word to her that did not pertain to the tasks they wanted her to perform.
As she was still working on the embroidery of the shirt collar, that day the opportunity to exchange more than two sentences had not arisen.
Everyone stood up at Siaspar’s entrance. Lady Helen welcomed him as graciously as she could, which merely meant she did not spit at him.
“My lord. Can we help?”
“I hope you can. I have come to ask if any of you ladies knew the area. I have a desire to go fishing but do not know any good spots.”
The three ladies looked at each other helplessly. Not only had they no notion of what could constitute a good fishing spot, but they would never have agreed to accompany him into the forest.
“I could show you a lake that is not too far away,” Katherine volunteered, when it became obvious no one else was going to offer any suggestions. “I grew up in the area.”
“Excellent.” He nodded at the shirt in her hands. “But I see that you are busy. I hope the matter is not too pressing?”
“As a matter of fact, my lord, we cannot suffer much delay,” Lady Helen answered in her stead. “The shirt the girl is embroidering is destined as a present for her ladyship’s brother. I know she wanted to give it to him as soon as possible to thank him for welcoming us under his roof.”
“Indeed. Well, in that case, you had better drop the puppy you are brushing,” Siaspar said roundly.
“Surely such a trivial task can wait until the more pressing matters have been attended to? You will pick up where Katherine leaves off. I expect the shirt to be finished tonight. As you said, my brother-in-law has been a most gracious host and I wish to express my gratitude to him.”
Katherine worked very hard at maintaining a straight face as she handed a discomfited Lady Helen the shirt and needle.
As usual, Siaspar had come to her rescue and spared her from any blame—and, more importantly, allowed her to get rid of the wretched embroidery.
She walked through the door without a backward glance.
Once they reached the courtyard she turned to him.