Chapter Seven #2
Lycus thought of the part he’d been forced to play in ripping away her innocence and idealism and felt an uncomfortable, unfamiliar pang in his gut.
The feeling intensified at her vehement refusal to give up on those whimsical, happy fictions when his own loss of innocence made him throw burn all of his books and stop watching troubadours sing.
“No matter, it would still be a waste for a pretty thing like you to end your life in an avoidable horse-riding accident.”
Kestrel’s blue eyes narrowed. “Thing I may be, but I wasn’t trying to end myself. I was merely overwhelmed with His Lordship’s decision about my future.”
Lycus winced inwardly at her retort. He’d meant to express that he didn’t want her to die, but the words had come out more crudely than intended. “If you don’t want to be married off, why did you turn down the opportunity to join the Mothers and Sisters?”
“Because I want to go home. I’d do almost anything to return to Raptor’s Roost.” Kestrel’s voice quavered with longing, her eyes distant as if imagining herself back at that home.
“And if marriage to some lord or knight gives me the opportunity to be able to do so, and perhaps even own my own property, so be it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel a measure of trepidation for whoever Lord Aylmer chooses to be my groom.
Especially knowing that the better Lords and knights won’t want a traitor’s daughter. ”
Well, the little raptor was smarter than he’d assumed when she’d first come to the capitol.
Lycus didn’t know if that boded ill or well for her future.
For some reason he couldn’t fathom, he found himself grasping for words of comfort.
“With your charm and beauty, you should be able to have any man wrapped around your little finger in no time.”
Kestrel’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in suspicion. “Thank you for your chivalrous words, Sir. I’m now ready to ride back.”
“I’m not a knight and I’m not chivalrous,” Lycus grumbled, wondering why he’d even bothered to try to make the woman feel better. “And you have leaves in your hair.”
He reached out to pull a dead brown leaf from her fiery tresses.
At first, she flinched, but then she remained still and allowed him to remove one leaf, then another.
The little raptor’s hair was soft and beautiful shining embers in the dappled winter sunlight, but he knew she wouldn’t welcome praise from the likes of him.
Once her hair was free of leaves, they rode in silence back to the castle.
Even though they returned through the servants’ entrance, there was no way to avoid everyone.
Especially this afternoon. The castle was even more crowded than usual, with courtiers milling about the corridors and whispering excitedly about something.
A hush fell over them all when Kestrel and Lycus walked by.
The sight of Kestrel’s torn dress, red face, and scratched cheeks sent them into a flurry of speculating looks and whispers.
From the fearful glances Lycus received, he could only imagine what they assumed he’d done to her.
He glared back at them. Let them think the worst. After being a glorified chaperone far too often, he could use the reminder of his cruel reputation. It would keep people afraid.
“Bring wine to Lady Goshawk’s chambers,” he barked at the first servant to make eye contact with him. The fates knew she could use a drink after her wild ride. They both could. On second thought…he frowned at her reddened ears and nose from the cold. “Bring hippocras. Hot.”
“B-but, the hippocras is for the nobles.”
With a snarl, Lycus seized the servant by the collar of his shirt and bent down until they were face to face.
“She is Lord Aylmer’s ward, proclaimed so before the entire noble court.
Are you saying a noble-born woman under the protection of the Lord Paramount of Wurrakia and who attained the rank of a blue-robed healer isn’t noble enough for the vat of spiced wine the kitchen keeps brewing all winter? ”
“N-no, s-Sir Wolf.”
Lycus almost corrected the man, but then realized that pointing out the fact that he wasn’t a knight wouldn’t help his argument.
He released the man, who made a shaky bow before scurrying off, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll have the hippocras brought to Miss Goshawk’s chambers at once.”
When at last they reached Kestrel’s rooms, her maid rushed to her, trembling with excitement, at first not even noticing her mistress’s disheveled state. “Miss! The Queen Mother was just here!”
Kestrel gasped. “Kerainne Leonine?”
Millicent nodded.
“By the fates!” Kestrel cried out before the maid could say more. “I must speak with her. Fetch my blue damask gown.”
“She already left, Miss.” The maid spoke in a rush. “But I heard everything. The King—”
Before she could say anything else, there was a knock at the door. Lycus opened it to admit a shaky-eyed chambermaid with a flagon of steaming hippocras and two glasses. He took the tray and nodded in both thanks and dismissal.
Millicent and Kestrel both eyed him in curious surprise, as if they’d forgotten he was still in the room.
The maid recovered first. “Thank you for accompanying Miss Goshawk on her ride, Master Dane. I can look after her from here.”
“I’m sure you can.” Lycus matched her artificial tone as he lifted the flagon to fill the cups. “However, I’d like to hear more about this visit from the Queen Mother. And as the ride was cold, I had hippocras brought up for the lady.”
As Kestrel accepted the warm cup he offered, she regarded him with a suspicious frown. “No doubt you want to report everything to your master, Gerard.”
Though the second cup was doubtless meant for Millicent, Lycus filled it for himself and took a deep drink.
“For one thing, Lord Aylmer is my master. For another, I have no need to report anything to him, as his father keeps him apprised of more than he needs to know. And he has Lord Vargus to fill in the rest. Now, let’s hear what Kerainne Leonine had to say. ”
Millicent scowled at him, but as they both knew she had no ability to remove him. With a sigh, she marched to the small sideboard and fetched her own mug, taking her sweet time in filling it before continuing.
“From what I heard, the King is vexed that your father was arrested and executed without being informed, as his conspiring with Mephistopheles was treason against the world, not merely Wurrakia.”
Lycus held his breath, expecting Kestrel to be distraught at the reminder of her father’s terrible crime. Thankfully, she seemed to have processed it, for she merely gaped at Millicent in shock.
“Lord Aylmer didn’t inform the King?” Her eyes were wide with disbelief. “But he’d paid three visits to Raijin since Mephistopheles attacked. And attended one Conclave meeting!”
“Apparently His Lordship cited the write of sovereignty as reason to have not informed him. The Queen Mother wasn’t at all satisfied with that excuse, as treason is one of the excluded crimes from that document.
” Millicent took a deep drink. “She’s said to have been quite angry when she learned the full details of Lord Cregan’s crime.
One can only wonder about our lord’s reasoning behind neglecting to report it to the crown. ”
Lycus was fairly certain he knew why. This would be the second time someone in Wurrakia had allied with the King’s enemy.
Lord Aylmer was probably afraid of being blamed for Cregan’s treason.
But he kept his theory to himself, knowing that if he joined the conversation, the women would be too nervous to speak openly.
“Kerainne then asked about you,” Millicent continued.
“Me?” Kestrel tilted her head to the side in a manner as birdlike as her namesake. “Why would she care about me?”
“She didn’t want to see an innocent punished.
And though she didn’t protest his plans to betroth you to a knight of his choosing, she still wanted to speak with you directly to make sure you’re all right.
When she learned you were off on a ride—” she paused to level a glare at Lycus as if the ride were his decision, “—she decided to take her leave, but warned Lord Aylmer that the King may want to speak with you directly about your father’s crime, so he’d best leave you alive, healthy, and accessible. ”
Lycus agreed with the Queen Mother’s concern. It wasn’t unheard of for a lord’s new bride to perish of a mysterious accident. Especially if said bride came with an estate like Kestrel’s. Though Kerainne Leonine’s warning held some weight, it didn’t count as a direct command.
“She should have ordered him to postpone a betrothal,” he said aloud without thinking.
“Only the King can command our lord,” Millicent countered, giving him an odd look. “But that may well be what happens. Either way, Miss Goshawk will be wed eventually, so I must prepare her in finding a good match. That will require some woman-to-woman talk, so you may take your leave.”
For a moment, Lycus was tempted to stay to further vex the maid, but truly, he had no reason to remain. Besides, supper time was nearing and he didn’t want to miss out on the better cuts of meat. It was bad enough that the lords and ladies got the very best.
He finished the rest of the hippocras in a large swallow and inclined his head toward Kestrel before departing her chambers.
On his way down to the barracks, he received more sly looks from the braver men at arms, while women servants cowered with fear and exchanged whispers once he’d safely passed. How many had talked about Kestrel’s state when they’d returned to the castle?
Damn that foolhardy woman and her impulsive decision to go racing into the woods in an impractical dress. He would be glad of the day she was married off and his days of being a glorified chaperone and an instrument of torment came to an end.
Except…the thought of Kestrel’s impending marriage didn’t make fill him with the jubilation that it should have.
Maybe she’d made his life a little less boring.
Or maybe he’d had too much wine on an empty stomach.