tales of the latter kingdom 08 - moon dance (24 page)

I nodded, and if perhaps my own smile wavered a bit, I did not think anyone would blame me overmuch for that. “I look forward to seeing all of you again very soon.”

He let go of my hands then, so I might embrace my aunt, and then Carella and Theranne as well, although I thought Carella would have been glad enough to dispense with that particular display of affection. After that, there was nothing to do but allow Mayson to take my hand in his so we might follow his father down the corridor and out the main entrance to the castle, which stood open, letting in the bright sunlight and a warm summer breeze. Outside waited their two mounts, and horses for myself and Tarly as well.

Steffan the footman went ahead and fastened the satchels he carried to the saddle of Tarly’s horse, and then assisted both of us up onto our mounts. She did not appear very pleased at being so high off the ground, and I doubted I looked very happy, either; while I had been taught to ride, I would not say I possessed a great deal of skill. But we did not have far to go, and it was a cheerful, sunny day, and so I supposed matters could have been worse.

Well, except for being dragged off to marry a man I did not love.

Lord Elwyn and Mayson mounted their horses with far more skill. As they did so, a group of five men came from the stables to join us — his lordship’s escort, although one could argue he hardly had need of such a thing in these times of peace. But still, no man of his rank would ride about the countryside unescorted, and so we all waited while the guards fell in around us.

Then it was time to ride.

Even though I almost lost my precarious seat, I had to turn in the saddle so I could get one last glimpse of my family disappearing behind me. They all stood on the steps of the castle, the building itself a great grey pile rising up behind them, the bright clothing they wore a startling contrast to the drab stone. Their hands were raised to wave me goodbye — well, all except Carella, whose arms were crossed and whose lips seemed to form a pout I could see from yards away.

A lump grew in my throat, and I forced myself to look straight ahead, at the tall, proud forms of father and son on their fine horses, at the guards with their livery of green and gold. Surely this would not be so terrible. Mayson loved me — or at least he wanted me — and certainly Lord Elwyn was very agreeable. In time I would come to accept my new life, and I would forget all about the silver-eyed man I had met in the depths of the forest, would forget about the feel of his lips on mine and the way he had awakened both fire and ice within my veins.

No,
I thought then,
I will never forget him. I will not allow myself to. And all is not completely hopeless, for I am not yet Lord Mayson’s wife, and perhaps I can still find a way to escape this forced marriage.

Perhaps those were foolish words, and vain hopes. But I could not allow myself to give up hope, for without it I was surely lost.

CHAPTER 14

Bellender Rise was far grander than Mirfeld Hall, an edifice made of the same grey granite but more massive in scale, with large wings extending from the central rectangular structure and many towers and turrets of various sizes. From the spires on top of those turrets fluttered banners in the green and gold of the Bellender family colors. I supposed they soon would be my colors as well, unless I could think of some way to stop this farce.

A veritable throng of servants came out to greet us, and I was spirited away to a sumptuous suite like something I might have imagined a princess would live in, with a sitting area and a separate bedroom, and an enormous tiled bath chamber with a tub large enough to fit two or three people. That thought brought a flush to my cheeks, and I thrust it away. I certainly did not want to imagine sharing a bath with Mayson, although I did not know for sure precisely what intimacies were involved when it came to marriage. I could only hope he was not quite as unschooled as I.

Tarly unpacked my things, hanging them up in the enormous wardrobe, and then she bustled about as she disposed of the rest of my belongings, the brushes and combs and shoes and all the little oddments of one’s existence. When she lifted the little box containing my jewelry from the satchel, however, I moved forward and took it from her, saying, “I will put that away, Tarly. Thank you.”

One of her sandy eyebrows might have lifted slightly, but otherwise she showed no response, and only said, “Of course, my lady. Whatever you wish.”

Usually she was not so formal, but it seemed our new surroundings had cowed her somewhat as well. I took the box and placed it on the shelf in the wardrobe, and reminded myself to remove it someplace safer when she was not looking. I did trust Tarly, but that box contained the few things of actual value that I owned, and I wanted to make sure I could give them a secure resting place. Besides, the last thing I wanted was to attempt to explain whence had come all those precious stones….

While we were busy with these tasks, one of the maids came and paused at the door, and said that Lord Elwyn and his son wished to see me once I was done settling in.

“Of course,” I replied, although my heart began to beat more quickly than I would have liked. Mayson and I had not exchanged above ten words that day. Perhaps he felt he had very little to say to me, now that his goal had been accomplished. Or perhaps he simply did not feel comfortable speaking confidences to me in the presence of his father. Either way, I could not help but be a bit trepidatious at the thought of going to see both of them. But I knew I could not demur, so I added, “I am done now, actually. If you could show me the way?”

The maid dropped a quick curtsey and inclined her head. “Yes, my lady. If you will follow me, please.”

I was certainly not used to that sort of deference, although I supposed I should get used to it, now that I was to marry the heir of the estate, and one day would be the Countess of Bellender Rise. No, that seemed impossible. I could not marry Mayson. My heart was given to another.

And yet here I was.

After nodding at Tarly in farewell, I followed the other maid — a young woman only a few years older than myself — out of my suite and down several flights of stairs, and then across a large landing to a pair of double doors. Here she paused and knocked, then said, “My lord? The Lady Iselda is here to see you.”

A pause of only a moment, and Mayson was there, opening the door and smiling down at me. “Of course. Thank you for bringing her here, Elyth.”

The girl curtseyed and hurried off. There was nothing I could do save enter the suite, and follow Mayson as he led me down a short corridor to a large sitting area where his father waited next to the fireplace. It was an impressive structure, carved of stone and with basilisks serving as caryatids at either end. No doubt in the winter, when it held a roaring fire within, it would be even more impressive. Now, however, with the hearth cold and unused, there was something bleak and rather sad about it, as if it knew it had a good while to wait before its days of usefulness returned.

Or perhaps I was merely placing my own feelings of worry and isolation on something that had no feelings at all, was only an object to be used when it was necessary, and otherwise ignored. Then again, that notion hit a little too close to home as well.

“You are well settled in?” Lord Elwyn asked. For the first time, I noticed that a small table stood next to him, and on that table were three silver goblets. Now he lifted one and extended it to me, even as Mayson stepped forward so he might claim his own drinking vessel as well.

“Oh, yes,” I replied as I took the goblet from Lord Elwyn. “The suite you have provided is lovely. I had not expected anything so beautiful.”

“The least I could do, for my son’s affianced wife,” his lordship said. “You have made us both very happy, Iselda. So let us drink to your upcoming wedding, and your joining with the Bellender family.”

I knew there was no way to refuse, and so I did not even try. Instead, I lifted my goblet and clinked it against Mayson’s, and then against Lord Elwyn’s. For the briefest instant, I thought I saw a cloud of confusion in Mayson’s eyes, as if he was not quite sure what we were toasting. Then his expression cleared, and he smiled at me, and I thought I must have imagined that flash of uncertainty.

“Yes, we should all drink to that,” he said. “For this is an auspicious day, with even greater ones to follow.”

The best I could do was maintain my own somewhat wavery smile before I sipped at the wine. It was a pale gold, almost as pale as the silver goblet which contained it, and was quite cool. Lord Elwyn must have been keeping it in one of his deepest cellars.

“Now, my dear,” his lordship said, “I fear we must broach a rather unpleasant subject.”

“Erm…yes?” I managed before swallowing more wine. I could not imagine what he might be hinting at. Had he somehow looked past my watery smile and tentative enthusiasms, and seen that I was not quite as enamored of the prospect of becoming his son’s wife as everyone wanted to believe?

In a way, I hoped that was exactly what he intended to discuss. For then I could tell him that this had all been an awful mistake, and that I should be sent back to my aunt and uncle forthwith. A pleasant fantasy, even if I doubted it was one that would come true.

But of course that was not what he had meant at all.

“I refer to your father,” Lord Elwyn went on. “While some eyebrows might be raised at the prospect of excluding him from the festivities, because of his current disgrace, I cannot in good conscience recommend that he attend. But my son and I wanted to speak to you about this in private, so we might know your mind. If your heart is set on having him present, then of course we will accede to your wishes.”

A little bubble of laughter rose to my lips, but I somehow managed to choke it back. “Oh, no,” I said at once, in tones of such utter sincerity that I knew father and son would have no choice but to believe me. “I have no desire at all to have him attend. Why, we have not spoken in years. I believe my last letter from him came two years ago. I cannot even recall whether it was on my birthday or — no, it was at Midwinter, I think. So you see, there is no connection I wish to maintain.”

At my words, Mayson’s expression softened, and he came closer so he might take my hand in his. I did not even bother to attempt to pull it away, for I knew better than to make such a display in front of Lord Elwyn. “You see, Father?” Mayson said. “It is just as I told you. Her aunt and uncle gave her a worthy home, but she is still quite alone in the world.”

His lordship gave his son a fond glance. “Yes, it seems you were right. I should have trusted your judgment, for of course you have spent the last month in Lady Iselda’s company, and so know her very well.” He looked over at me before continuing, “I will respect your wishes, my lady, and do my best to ensure that you and my son have the perfect day you both deserve.”

I began to stammer my thanks — false though they might be — and he raised a hand.

“It is the least I can do, as your new father. We will continue with the preparations, and if there is anything you should wish for the ceremony, please be reassured that we will do everything to make matters proceed just as they should.”

Everything except releasing me from this regrettable obligation, that is,
I thought, but I only smiled. Lord Elwyn had no way of knowing that my feelings for his son were not quite as deep as they should be, and that I in fact loved another.

I only said, “You are all kindness, my lord,” and he smiled at me.

“It is easy to be kind, when I look forward to having such a lovely and worthy daughter-in-law. But now, Mayson, she is probably wearied from the ride here, and would wish to rest until dinner. Help her back to her room, for I doubt she remembers the way.”

“Of course, Father.”

Mayson put his hand on my elbow and guided me from the chamber. While I would have preferred a less intimate touch, at least Lord Elwyn’s instructions seemed to indicate that I would have some time to myself, a small space to try to regroup and come to terms with my new life.

During the climb up to my suite, neither Mayson nor I spoke. It was only when we stopped in front of my door that he said, “You are very quiet, Iselda.”

“Oh, well,” I replied. “It is only as your father said. I am not used to such long rides, and I am feeling rather tired. I am sure I will be quite myself by the time dinnertime arrives.”

Whether he accepted this explanation or not, I was not sure, but he did not contradict me. Instead, he took my right hand and pressed a kiss on my palm. “You will be very happy here, my love. I will make sure of that.”

Then he bowed and turned away, and I let myself into my room. It was only a moment later that I paused, heart pounding much harder than it should, and tried to tell myself that an echo of a threat hadn’t underlain his parting words.

Dinner went smoothly enough, however, with Lord Elwyn explaining more of his plans for the wedding, and how he intended to make it a great event, even with so little time to prepare. How precisely he intended to accomplish such a thing, when my cousin Adalynn’s wedding had required several months of planning, I was not sure. But then, he was an earl, and so had far more resources at his command than an ordinary man, or even an ordinary baron, such as my uncle.

So I smiled and nodded at the appropriate times, and did my best to seem enamored of his son, even while I inwardly had begun to catalogue what I had seen in the castle so far — how many doors, how many guards, how many opportunities for escape.

Deep down, though, I knew such plans were all for naught. I would not be able to get away. The household at Bellender Rise was far larger than what I was accustomed to at my aunt and uncle’s home, and the chances of escaping detection frighteningly small. Beyond all that, though, I could not find it within me to bring such disgrace upon Aunt Lyselle and Uncle Danly. Even if I did somehow manage to get away and return to them, the scandal would be well-nigh insurmountable. I did not care much if my own name was to be dragged through the mud, but how could I do such a thing to those kindly souls, who had stepped in and given me a home so I might not be outcast forever?