While Angels Slept (22 page)

Geoff had a
smirking grin on his face as he caught sight of his massive cousin.  Leaning
casually against Charles’ enormous desk, he waved a hand at Tevin.

“Come in,
cousin,” he sounded suspiciously as if he was gloating. “See who I have found?
Why, it’s the lovely Lady Penden. Shame on you for keeping her locked up in her
room.  Why on earth would you be so cruel?”

Tevin cocked an
eyebrow.  “Because she is in mourning for her husband. It is not proper for her
to be socializing and well you know it.”

Some of the grin
left Geoff’s face; he wasn’t expecting that answer.  His gaze moved to Cantia,
raking over her in a manner that made Tevin’s blood boil.  “Mourning?” he
repeated. “Why should she do that? Penden has been dead over a month.  She’s
far too young and lovely to waste her life in mourning.”

Cantia had been
watching the exchange on pins and needles; the moment Tevin walked into the
room, she felt a sense of relief and joy that she could not begin to describe. 
It was as if her savior had walked into the room and it was all she could do
not to run to him for protection.  But in the few short sentences exchanged,
she immediately understood where Tevin was leading the conversation.  He was
trying to help her in a way that no one could dispute, not even Geoff.   Being
the sharp woman that she was, she would help her own cause.  She knew what she
had to do, and she had to do it quickly.

With a muffled
sob, she suddenly put her hand over her face and turned away from them.  The
soft sob turned into a flood of larger ones, pitiful and deep.  It was drama at
its very best. Geoff stood up from the desk, his dark eyes wide with surprise.

“What’s this?”
he demanded. “Why is she weeping?’

Tevin couldn’t
tell if the tears were real or not, but he was thankful either way. It made his
reasoning much more stable.  He sighed heavily as he looked at his cousin.

“Geoff,” his
voice was low with admonishment. “The woman is distraught. You really should
have been more considerate. She is in no condition to entertain you.”

Geoff lost all
of his smugness.  “I did not ask her to entertain me. I simply asked to be
shown Rochester. It is my holding, after all.”

“And I could
have shown it to you.” Tevin moved towards Cantia and gently took her by the
arm. “She was in her chamber for a reason and you really should not have taxed
her so.  I am taking her back to her room and you will leave her there to
properly deal with her grief.”

Cantia was
sobbing as if her heart was broken.  Tevin had a good grip on her as he led her
towards the door.  Geoff just stood there like a dolt, watching the scene with
a mixture of outrage and astonishment.

“She was fine
until you came into the room,” he told his cousin. “Why did she suddenly burst
into tears when you appeared?”

Tevin cast him a
long look. “She more than likely kept her composure simply not to upset you. 
But she can control it no longer.”

Geoff’s brow
furrowed. “I do not want her to mourn any longer. It has been long enough. She
must sup with me tonight and I will have no more weeping. I do not like it.”

The problem was
that Geoff meant every word.  He was childish and demanding in such ways. 
Tevin continued with Cantia towards the door.

“Have pity,
cousin,” he said steadily. “The woman has lost her husband and her grief has
not spent itself. Allow Brac Penden that mercy before you seek to erase him
from her mind.”

Geoff pursed his
lips and put his hands on his hips.  “I am not attempting to erase him, for
God’s Sake. I just want to talk to the woman.”

“There will be
other time for that,” Tevin was through the door. “Go entertain yourself
elsewhere. Leave Lady Penden to her sorrow.”

Geoff would not
be quashed so easily. He went to the door, hovering in the archway with an
imperious stance as he watched Tevin gently help Cantia up the steps. “And
don’t think that I am not aware that you hid Val from me, either,” he yelled
after him. “Do you hear me? Do not hide her from me again!”

Tevin didn’t say
a word. He didn’t have to.  When he was out of sight, Geoff went back into the
solar and, in a fit of rage, smashed Charles’ big oak desk with the hearth
shovel.

Tevin heard the
sounds of crashing furniture as Geoff’s temper tantrum gained speed.  But he
maintained a steady grip on Cantia as they reached the third floor landing.

“Are you all
right, sweetheart?” he asked quietly.

She stopped
weeping in an instant, the violet eyes turning to him without a hint of
redness. “Of course,” she replied, her gaze moving back down the stairwell
towards the sounds of anger below. “But thank God you came when you did.”

Tevin didn’t
like the sound of her voice. “Why do you say that? Did he move against you
somehow? Did he try…?”

She shook her
head, winding her hands around his forearm and laying her cheek against his
enormous bicep. “He did nothing. In fact, he was quite friendly and curious.
But the way he looks at me… I feel as if he is undressing me with his eyes and
I want no part of the man. He makes my skin crawl.”

Tevin’s recently
abated anger threatened but he fought it.  Silently, he took her to the fourth
floor, knocking softly on the bolted door.   A demanding little voice shouted at
him from the other side.

“Go away!” Hunt roared.
“I won’th open this door!”

Tevin looked at
Cantia, who couldn’t help but grin at her son’s bravery.  He fought off a smile
as well.

“’Tis me, Hunt,”
he said quietly. “You may open the door.”

It was several
long seconds before the bolt was thrown, with some effort, and the door creaked
open.  Hunt’s big eyes peered at his mother and Tevin before he allowed them
inside.  Tevin lifted an eyebrow when the boy slammed the door behind them and
shoved the bolt into its socket.

“You make a fine
sentry,” he told the lad. “A man would think twice before crossing you.”

Hunt gazed up at
him, his face suddenly slack with surprise. “Really?” he asked, awed. “Did I thound
fearsome?”

“Terribly.”

He grinned
proudly, looking over at Arabel to see if she heard.  But the young girl with
big black eyes was looking at her father.

“Where is Cousin
Geoff?” she asked.

Tevin went to
sit on the bed next to her. “He is down in the solar,” he replied, taking
Arabel’s hand and kissing it sweetly. “I have decided to send you and your Aunt
Val and Lady Penden on an adventure. Would you like that?”

She took the
bait of the swift change in subject. “An adventure? Where?”

He smiled at her
enthusiasm, his dark eyes twinkling at her. “To a faraway castle. You can
pretend you are the Princess Fair and hide away from the evil dark knight who
wishes to abduct you.”

She grinned at
her father. “Can I give this castle a name?”

“I suppose so.
What would you name it?”

Arabel’s eyes
were alight. “Castle Mandragora!”

Tevin’s eyebrows
lifted. “Mandragora? Where did you hear that?”

The girl giggled
nervously, looking between her father and Cantia. “I heard someone speak of it
once,” she said. “’Tis another name for mandrake. I just like the name. It
sounds mysterious.”

Tevin cast her a
reproachful look. “Mandrake is used by witches and half-wits. What would you
know of it?”

Arabel shrugged,
glancing down at the big yellow dog when it brushed against her. “Some of the
servants at Thunderbey were speaking of it, once. One of the women wanted it
for her husband. She said it was an apro… aprodisiac. I did not ask what it
was. Do you know?”

Tevin cleared
his throat and averted his gaze, glancing up at Cantia with a pleading
expression.  Cantia could see the panic in his eyes at the young girl’s
question and she fought off a grin.

“I believe it
has something to do with medicinal purpose,” she said evenly, answering for the
stricken father. “But I like the name, too. It sounds very powerful.”

Arabel was
successfully diverted from any more questions about aphrodisiacs. “Are we going
soon?”

Cantia nodded.
“As soon as I can pack a few things.”

Arabel’s
expression was aglow with the possibility of another adventure; she’d spent
most of her life safely locked away at Thunderbey and now she was about to have
two great adventures all in the span of a couple of weeks. It was the stuff
that young girl’s dreams were made of.

“The sooner the
better,” Tevin grasped Cantia’s arm gently and their eyes met. “Hurry and pack.
I would have you gone within the hour.”

Cantia gazed
steadily at Tevin, not voicing what she was thinking;
when will I see you
again?
 But she smiled after a moment, nodding obediently as she moved for
the wardrobe and pulled out two large traveling satchels. Tevin watched her,
thinking the same thing she was, his heart squeezed with sorrow.  She began
shoving garments into the bags and he tore his eyes away only to see that
Arabel was watching him intently. He felt a jolt, as if she could read his
expression and know what was in his heart.  He smiled warmly to cover his
thoughts.

“We do not have
to pack for you, I would wager,” he went to her, laying an enormous hand on her
blond head. “You’ve hardly been here long enough to unpack. Where is your
baggage?”

“On the wagons
that Cousin Geoff brought with him,” she told him.  “But what about Gerta and
Mary? Will they come, too?”

She was
referring to the two maid servants who had tended her since birth.  Tevin
thought a moment before shaking his head. “I think not,” he stroked her head
gently. “I must get you away quickly and those two will only slow you down. 
They will be safe here.”

“But who will
take care of me?” Arabel asked.

“I will,” Cantia
said before anyone else could respond; she looked up from packing and noticed a
few pairs of astonished eyes were on her. She smiled at Tevin and then Arabel.
“I have only had a son all these years, my lady. I have always wanted a girl.
It would be my pleasure and joy to tend you until such time as I am no longer
needed. Would that be all right?”

Arabel nodded
timidly, looking to her father to see what his reaction was.  Tevin, however,
wasn’t quite sure what to say. “That is very generous of you, my lady,” he said
hesitantly. “But Arabel requires more than usual tending. She cannot… well, she
cannot….”

“She is a
strong, lovely young lady and I look forward to helping her,” Cantia
interrupted him, winking at Arabel. “It will give us a chance to become better
acquainted.”

Arabel smiled
brightly while Tevin’s eyes were riveted to Cantia. He wasn’t sure what more he
could say; she seemed so determined.  As his dark eyes stared at her with some
uncertainty, Cantia simply smiled at him and went back to her packing.  He
continued to watch her, every graceful move she made, until she was finished
with one satchel and almost finished with the second.  Then she stood up.

“I must get some
of Hunt’s things,” she told Tevin. “May I go to his room next door?”

Tevin nodded
silently, moving to open the door of the chamber and peering outside to make sure
Geoff wasn’t lingering close.  Quietly, he extended a hand to her and she
slipped her delicate hand into his as he took her out of the room.

“Hunt,” he
addressed the young boy, now lying on the floor with his big yellow dog. “Bolt
the door after we leave. Do not open it until I return.”

Hunt leapt up
and slammed the door when Tevin and his mother quit the room. He hit Tevin in
the rear as he shut it.  In the dark hall landing, they could hear the lad
throw the bolt loudly.   Cantia giggled softly as Tevin merely shook his head.

“He is going to
make a fine sentry,” he whispered, reiterating his previous opinion.

Hunt’s small
chamber was cluttered with toys and old rushes.  A bone for the dog lay near
the sooty hearth.  Cantia tripped over a cart fashioned with twigs as she made
her way to a big chest near the wall.  Tevin shut the door quietly and bolted
it as she opened the chest and began removing garments.

“Good lord,” she
held up a pair of breeches with a big hole in the seat.  She stuck her hand
through it. “How on earth did this happen? That boy destroys more clothing than
I can keep track of.”

As she tossed
the ruined breeches aside, Tevin walked up behind her silently. She was
muttering to herself about a warm sweater that had a huge rip on the sleeve
when he suddenly grabbed her from behind.  Cantia gasped as his mouth slanted
over her tender neck.

“I do not know
when next I will see you,” he murmured against her flesh. “The mere thought is
driving me mad with sorrow and loneliness.”

She murmured softly
as he suckled on her shoulder; it sounded like a kitten’s purr. “You know where
I will be,” she tried to sound confident, not sorrowful and lonely herself.
“Darland is not too far.  We will be quite safe.”

“I will send a
contingent of men along for protection,” his hands were moving over her torso,
feeling her softness, memorizing it for the lonely days to come. “I promise
this separation will not be long. I can hardly stand the thought of it now.”

She turned in
his arms, winding her arms around his thick neck.  Their gazes met and she
smiled as he kissed her nose. “I am looking forward to coming to know Arabel
better. She seems like a very sweet girl.”

He kissed her
forehead, her temple. “She is,” he muttered. “But you should know that she has
no control of her bodily functions and must wear a type of garment usually
reserved for infants. More than that, she has started her womanly cycle and….”

Cantia cut him
off before he embarrassed himself too much; she could see that he was
uncomfortable speaking of such things. “Not to worry, Father,” she smiled at
him. “It will be no trouble at all.”