A Knight and White Satin by Jackie Ivie

Author:Jackie Ivie
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: American Light Romantic Fiction, Historical romance, Romance - Historical, General, Romance, Romance: Historical, Historical, American Historical Fiction, Romance & Sagas, Fiction, Fiction - Romance
ISBN: 9781420108842
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2010-10-15T23:06:06.390000+00:00

Chapter 15

“Edwin? See to the chamber.”

Dallis stirred from the comfortable spot in Payton’s arms at the sound of his voice through his throat. It had to be close to midnight now. Payton seemed to wait for that event before coming back to the table where Dallis sat. She’d long since given up standing on the stool, and had moved to the comfortable chair he’d gotten to use. That’s where he’d lifted her from, and she hadn’t demurred one bit.

“Seth-the-Silent. Alone. Awake,” Edwin came into the hall to report, shutting the door behind him. “He was only disturbed twice. By the daughters. Marion and Elyse. Or so, he says. Here. You ask him.” The last came as Seth left the chamber behind him, shutting the door as he did so.

“Jesu’, Mary, and Joseph. ’Tis worse than a-fore!” Payton swore.

“Why…was Seth in Payton’s bedchamber?” Dallis lifted her head to ask it. None of them met her eye, Payton included. And she looked to each one.

Edwin cleared his throat. “The Widow Meryck serves mead that is too strong. Her daughters need a father’s hand with directions. That’s what ’tis.”

“You should na’ try to be Redmond. You lack his way of speaking.” That was Martin. He chuckled when he finished.

“Well, mayhap MacCloud should be here to assist with this. Then, I would na’ have to take his lead.” That was Edwin again.

“Well, doona’ look to me. I dinna’ see him leave.”

“He has pressing business, lads. Pressing.” Payton informed them.

“What could be so pressing at this hour—?” Edwin stopped his words and his eyes opened wider.

“We have our own pressing matters, lads. We’ve sleep to gain. And escape to plan. Early. First light.”

Dallis snuggled back against Payton’s throat. “Escape? Again?”

Payton nodded, rubbing skin against her nose with the motion. “We dare na’ give the widow another day. Or, her daughters. Why, if it weren’t vastly cold outside and the dead of the night, and if I’d na’ already lost a man this eve, I’d be for marching right to the stables and taking my leave now, Lady Dallis Dunn-Fadden. To do so would create more incident than MacCloud could contain, but that would be his problem, na’ mine.”

“That is na’ verra generous of you,” she told him. “Considering.”

“Considering…what?”

“Dismiss your men, and I’ll tell you,” she answered.

“One stays. As guard. Martin? Two hours on. Then relief.”

He nodded.

“You need a guard? Still?” she asked.

“The women doona’ sleep in this household, My Lady. That means we canna’, either.”

Martin answered her and then nodded at the look she couldn’t prevent. Dallis let the shock and disgust seep into her, and that’s what he saw.

“Have I told you yet that I hate this castle?” Payton asked, to no one in particular.

“Ceaselessly, My Laird,” came the reply. “Go. Rest. Both of you. We’ll na’ let anyone disturb you.”

Rest was not on Payton’s mind when he entered the chamber, setting her on her feet before he turned and dropped the bolt down. And then he moved to the adjoining door to her assigned bedchamber and slammed a bolt down on it as well.

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