In The King's Service. Margaret Moore
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him back. “Is this your idea of honorable conduct, sir knight?” she demanded. “Do you think that because I’m crippled and homely I must be desperate and so easily, willingly, seduced?”
“God’s wounds, no!” he said as he regained his balance. “I swear to you, my lady—”
“Swear all you want, but kissing me seems an odd way to woo Laelia. Or am I a means to practice your technique?”
Sir Blaidd stiffened, his back as rigid as a lance. “I had no intention of kissing you when I came here, and I’m not in the habit of seducing my host’s daughters, however tempting they may be.”
“Then what was that kiss about?”
“If you don’t know, then it was a stupid mistake, and one I won’t make again,” he retorted, his deep voice fiercely angry.
Good. Angry men she was used to and could handle. Men who tried to seduce her, however… “I wouldn’t try seducing Laelia, either,” she warned. “First, I’m onto your game. Second, Laelia may look and sound a bit dim, but I assure you, when it comes to men and their tricks, she’s seen them all.”
Sir Blaidd sidled closer, seeming taller, more menacing, every inch the fierce warrior and champion of tournaments. “If it’s impossible for me to seduce either of you—supposing that was my despicable plan—then your warnings are quite unnecessary, aren’t they? And I must say that kiss was rather amazing for a modest young maiden of limited experience, which leads me to wonder what exactly you were doing here at this time of night. You don’t strike me as devout, so a sudden urge to pray seems unlikely.” He ran a haughty, impertinent gaze over her body. “Did I interrupt something? Were you waiting for somebody else?”
“How dare you suggest such a thing!”
“How dare you suggest that my motives are dishonorable?”
“You kissed me!”
“You kissed me back!”
“I had no choice.”
“Of course you did. You could have stopped me at any time. But you didn’t, and what’s more, you enjoyed it.”
“Oh, you are an expert on women’s feelings, are you?”
“Expert or not, I know when a woman’s desire matches or exceeds my own.”
“Exceeds? Of all the arrogant, pompous, self-righteous—”
“Yes, you certainly are.”
“You…you base, loathsome blackguard!” she cried, wrenching open the door, determined to get away from him. “Don’t you ever come near me again!”
She limped off into the night.
“Trust me, I won’t!” Blaidd muttered as the chapel door creaked to a close.
Every Welsh curse he knew tumbled out of his mouth in a low rumble of frustration and anger. How dare she call his honor into question? Granted, kissing her had been a little…well, a lot…
Well, he shouldn’t have.
He let out his breath slowly. God save him, he’d been an idiot. An idiot totally overwhelmed with desire. An idiot so overwhelmed with desire that he’d forgotten that he was here because King Henry himself had sent him to verify if Lord Throckton was plotting treason or not.
He wouldn’t be able to do that if Lord Throckton sent him packing the day after he’d arrived because he’d presumed to kiss the man’s daughter. He should have been able to control himself, no matter what the circumstances or how tempting the lady. After all, he was no youth anxious to experience love, like Trevelyan.
“Fool,” Blaidd mumbled under his breath as he left the chapel and headed toward the apartments.
He reached the chamber he and Trev were sharing and cautiously opened the door, which didn’t squeak like the one in the chapel. He quietly crept into the comfortable room with its two beds. A brazier stood nearby, along with a chest for their baggage, and a small table bearing a ewer and basin for washing. There were no tapestries or carpet, or even a stool to sit on, but Blaidd had slept in worse places.
Someone was in one of the beds—Trev, to judge by the tousled hair. Blaidd hoped the lad had already fallen asleep, thereby sparing him the need to explain anything.
Trev was not asleep. He sat up abruptly and said, “Where have you been? I was starting to get worried.”
“I was looking for you,” Blaidd truthfully replied.
Trev hugged his knees and regarded him quizzically. “I’ve been right here for a long time.”
Blaidd sat on the end of his bed. He might as well make a point, and incidentally turn the conversation away from his own whereabouts. “And before that, you were looking for that maidservant, Meg.”
Trev blushed. “How do you know?” Then his eyes widened. “Were you spying on me?”
Blaidd was in no mood for more indignation, especially from a stripling youth. “I happened to see you looking for her in the courtyard, as anybody could have.”
“How did you know I was looking for her? Maybe I was searching for you.”
“I saw her leave the kitchen, and you came hot on her heels. If you were looking for me, I don’t think you would have been so disappointed when you didn’t find me.”
Trev stared at his toes and shrugged his shoulders. “All right. I wasn’t looking for you.”
“She’s a servant, Trev,” Blaidd said not unkindly. “You’re a young nobleman who’s a guest in her master’s household. She wouldn’t want to risk offending you.”
He saw dismay flash in Trev’s eyes, and took pity on the boy. “Look, Trev, I’m not saying that’s the only reason she talked to you. It could be she really likes you. But you’re not equals. You have power and rank, and she has none. And we are guests here. It would be an abuse of your host’s hospitality to dally with his maidservants.”
“What if a woman…you know…what if she’s interested?”
Blaidd recalled what his father had said to him about such situations. “With such things come responsibilities, provided the man is honorable and not some lustful lout. What if the woman got with child?”
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh. Have you enough silver to give her a tidy sum to raise it? Would you be ready for a young man to show up at your gate one day claiming to be your son? Would you be willing to acknowledge a bastard?”
“I hadn’t thought of all that.”
“No, I didn’t think you had.”
“But with a whore, there wouldn’t be—”
“You’re not going to go with any whore while you’re my squire. Do you understand me?”
Blaidd didn’t often use that tone of command, but when he did, it always got results, and this time was no different. Trev swallowed hard and nodded.
A twinge of guilt assailed Blaidd. He’d hardly acted as an honorable knight himself tonight. And given the possible repercussions, it might be wise to prepare Trevelyan for a likely departure, as well as give him as much of an explanation as necessary. “We might have to leave tomorrow.”
Trev’s mouth fell open. “Why? Because I was looking for Meg?”
“No. Because I quarreled with Lady Rebecca.”
A devilish gleam lit Trev’s eyes. “After all your warnings and admonitions to me about the proper behavior of a guest?”
Blaidd bent down and pulled off his boots. “Yes.” He glanced up. “And no, you don’t have to gloat. I know that was a stupid thing to do.”
Trev didn’t