Lady Thief (12 page)

He glared at her, and though she regretted
his anger she did not mourn her words.

“My dear, while the laziness of my sewing
maids and grooms is highly questionable, I have always seen to the
care of my beasts.”

Before Marianne could apologize Archer ran
inside, panting heavily.

He went to Marianne, but when his eyes found
his lord standing farther down the stables he straightened his
spine and controlled his breathing, though he could do little more
but wipe the dripping moisture from his forehead and nothing about
the bright red heating his cheeks.

“My lord, milady, sir Guy Alan Holton is on
his way.”

Marianne’s breath stopped in her throat.
Her
father?
Here?
To what purpose?
She had all but assumed she had been
disowned by the man when he left the wedding celebration without so
much as bidding her farewell.
Now he was unexpectedly on his way.
When she remembered to suck air into her tightening lungs her heart
thrashed in her chest.

William came into the light.
“When is he
expected?”

A loud whinny answered his question and
Archer and several other grooms ran to pull the doors open wider
for the animals.

Three horses, old, thin, and panting for
breath trotted into the stables with two mules pulling a rickety
cart with few items tied to it.

Despite her humiliation and his previous
angry words at their last meeting, she could not help the
excitement building in her chest, or the way her hands clasped each
other tightly when the horses stopped just in front of her and
William.

Holton looked down at her, found her eyes and
smiled the warmest smile he had ever given her.

Clovis, one of the men she had hired to help
her abduct William, hopped down from his own tired horse and bowed
low to them, keeping his face pointed at his feet.
He did not
straighten his back.
“Milord, Milady.”

William’s smug smile told her that he
recognized Clovis, and he delayed permission for the man to
stand.

Marianne imagined he played out the irony of
the switch in their positions now that William was no longer being
held at his mercy in a church.

William stood rocking from heal to toe,
scratching his chin as though thinking of the most proper greeting
to fit the circumstances.

The grin did not leave his lips or eyes.
Marianne cleared her throat.
He had enough fun torturing the poor
man.

William eyed her as though he very nearly
forgot her presence.
With a slight roll of his eyes, he spoke.

“Stand straighter.”

Clovis’s neck rolled as he swallowed deeply
before doing as he bid, and William, having decided he was not
finished with the man, smirked again.

“Greetings, my old, buck-toothed friend.”

Clovis paled and averted his eyes.
Marianne
cast him a sympathetic glance but he would not look at her
either.

Marianne stood closer to William and took his
wrist without thinking.

“Remember your promise.” She was nearly
ashamed of how desperate she sounded to her own ears.

“I have not forgotten it.” He replied without
looking at her.

Despite his reassurance she did not feel any
better.

Sir Holton, seemingly tired of being ignored,
stepped down from his horse.
He stretched, popping bones in his
back and appeared nowhere near as surly as when she had last seen
him.
He wore clothing that was badly aged and frayed near his
underarms.

She puzzled over why he would wear such faded
garments when he loudly insisted on dressing in the finest robes
they owned on the day they were to formally present themselves to
William.

He dusted himself, though he had no dust on
him, and came with his arms outstretched and embraced her tightly,
the first time in years.

“‘Tis a blessing to see your lovely face
again, my sweet child.”

Marianne froze, not just due to his strange
words but also his touch.
Uncertainty ran through her veins.
She
felt William’s eyes on the back of her head, silently demanding
answers she was unable to give.

Her father stood silent for less than a
moment before he squeezed her.
“Do I need to coax my own daughter
into holding me back?”

The question was so light hearted and
wonderful that she did just that and nearly burst into tears.

“You are not angry with me?”

He stroked her back with tender affection.
“No, dearest.
I was a fool, and I have missed you.” He held her at
arm’s length.
“You look so like your mother, I can tell I left you
in good hands.
I hope to stay so that I might make it up to
you.”

William spoke up.
“Stay?”

Marianne did not hear him.
“Of course you may
stay, for however long you may need.”

“For how long?” William demanded.

Sir Holton grinned broadly and held his
daughter close.
“Do not fret, milord, I will not be intruding on
you for long.”

***

William’s eyes slid shut and he suppressed a
defeated moan.
The man had answered his question
without
answering it.
And he could not voice his suspicions on Holton now
with Marianne looking so delighted at the prospect of having her
father stay.
He would have to wait until later, until he could
speak with the man alone and ask him why he chose to pay a visit to
his castle uninvited and without warning.

“
I won’t be intruding on you for
long.
” Could be as much as several weeks.
William did not know
if he could take having that man under his roof for so long.

Having blood relatives stay for such a long
period of time was enough of a problem, but Marianne was so happy
at the mere thought that he could hold no rage inside of him that
she did not ask for his permission to allow the man to stay.

She offered him as much time as he would like
for God’s sake!

No matter, ‘twould seem that if he wanted
answers he would have to wait, but not for long.

William turned to Archer.
“Find Adam and have
a room prepared with warm ale.
The sun is out but the air is
chilled.”

Holton shivered for emphasis.
“Aye, ale would
chase away this frost in my chest.
Thank you, milord.”

At least, the man did not have the audacity
to approach him and put his arm around William’s shoulder again.
But hearing him declare that he had left his daughter in good
hands, when he most certainly did not care if he left her in the
forest, grated on William’s nerves.

William donned a friendly grin usually
reserved for Bryce, Nicholas, or Hugh.
He did not want to raise
Marianne’s suspicions and ruin her happiness.
He knew the man
really did have the intention of visiting his daughter, but his
hasty retreat at the marriage celebration, and his quick return
riding an old animal in obvious need of maintenance was too odd for
him to ignore.

He glanced at Archer and the other man from
Holton House as they settled the old horses into spare stables.
They watered and fed the poor beasts who were in no condition to
drag anything.
William’s suspicions grew.

“Perhaps we might have some ale together, and
I might introduce you to a few colleagues of mine, provided that
Bryce has not cut off someone’s limb, forcing the others to flee
with him.”

William took great pride in watching the bit
of skin under Holton’s eye twitch.
Even though Bryce was capable of
doing so, he would never be as barbaric as to remove someone’s
rightful limb.
Hugh had stamped such barbaric thoughts out of him
years ago.
But even still having Bryce nearby to frighten away the
pests came in handy.

“Of course, milord.”

***

William brought Holton into his solar for the
second time since he married the man’s daughter.
Only this time,
with as much gentle coaxing as he would have given to an indignant
cat, William insisted Marianne remain outside while he spoke with
her father.

William poured the ale and stiffly handed
Holton his goblet.

He made a great show of accepting it and
offering his thanks for the warm drink.
Complimenting the taste of
the ale that was actually quite bitter, and praising William’s
generosity for allowing him to stay for the sake of Marianne.

William could take no more and hissed in a
whisper.
“I do not for one second believe that my wife has done as
I asked and waited elsewhere.
No doubt she is outside that door
this very moment trying to hear what I have to say to you, so
kindly keep quiet.”

Holton’s mouth dropped at being addressed so
warmly the one moment and then spoken to like an unwanted stranger
the next.

“My lord, I—”

“Kindly explain why you are really here,
Holton.
I do not take well to deceivers and will make a great show
of throwing you out on your arse, whether or not your daughter
wants you here, should you keep the truth from me.” William lowered
his goblet from behind his writing table and stared at him levelly.
Holton’s limbs trembled.
“And I shall find the truth.”

Holton lifted the drink to his lips.
William
doubted he tasted the sour liquid as the man eyed the door behind
which his daughter hid.

“Forgive me, milord, but I must inquire as to
what leads you to believe I have an ulterior motive for being here?
Should a man need one to visit his blood?”

William’s eyes narrowed, fist clenching
around his goblet.
“You try my patience.
You leave the wedding
celebration with haste, in your finest clothes and with enough men
to guard a small fortune, and now you return posing as the adoring
father, riding the most neglected animals I have ever seen with
hardly any luggage or men to guard whatever possessions you carry,
and in clothes that appear ten years old at that.
‘Tis a miracle
you were not robbed.
What is the real cause for you to risk
yourself like this?”

William meant his question seriously.
Even he
in his apathy had known to keep his animals in proper condition.
Seeing Holton riding into his stable on horses that were better
used for the dogs was difficult to swallow.

Holton seemed to understand this and
hesitated, thumbing his cup.
Finally, having no other lie to
present him with he nodded and placed his drink on the table that
held the pitcher.
He held one shaking hand in another as though
preparing to plead for his life.
“Before I tell you, might I ask
that you take pity on me and not throw me away, for the sake of my
daughter.”

William’s eyes became slits.
“I have seen the
way you handle your daughter and your servants.
Do not try to use
her to gain what you want!”

William realized too late that he’d raised
his voice, so he bit his tongue.
He turned towards the door and
listened carefully for any sound that might be on the other side.
There was no startled gasp, no sound of feminine shoes against the
floor.
Silence.

He hoped that if Marianne was on the other
side that she had not heard him lash out.
If there were servants
standing out there, hoping to hear a bit of gossip, he would handle
it later.

“You will either tell me why you burden me
with your presence or I will throw you to the wolves.”

Holton paled and shamefully lowered his head.
“I am penniless.”

William was certain he had heard incorrectly.
He leaned forward so that he might hear better.
“I beg your
pardon?”

Holton continued as if he had not heard him.
“I have nothing.
Nearly everything in my home was stripped away to
pay for Marianne’s dowry, I had naught left to pay my debts to Sir
Ferdinand.
I had to give him my land.”

“Debts?
You owed Sir Ferdinand money?”
William had not forgotten that Marianne had kidnapped him to be
away from that creature, and the truth came to him quickly.
“You
offered Marianne to him to pay off a debt you owe?”

Again, Holton nodded, and he refused to look
William in the eye.
He was like a child being reprimanded, and
whatever small remaining respect William held for him vanished.

“What sort of debt?”

Holton’s fists clenched under the scrutiny.
“Gambling,”