The King's Traitor (Kingfountain #3)(22)
“Why have you come?” Lady Sinia asked politely.
Owen could only imagine how he looked in her eyes. She looked so beautiful, polished, and regal. And here he stood in his dirty boots and sweat-stained tunic. With a scraggly half beard and smudged eyes, his odor clashing with the vase of fresh flowers.
“Well, my lady, it’s really a simple matter,” Owen said offhandedly. “King Severn wishes to enhance the relationship between Ceredigion and Brythonica.” He paused again to admire a curtain, deliberately adding to the suspense. He nodded approvingly, then turned and faced her. He hated himself. He hated what Severn was making him do. What he was trying to make him become.
Get this over with, he chided himself.
Owen let out a breath and then marched up to the duchess. Roux’s hand went for his sword pommel, as if he feared Owen might attack her. The servants gaped at his rudeness and effrontery. Etayne reached for a dagger.
He dropped to one knee in front of Lady Sinia and took her dainty hand in his dirty one, causing a gasp of shock from some of the observers.
“I have come to Plumerie,” he said, deliberately butchering the name of her capital, “to offer you my hand in marriage. My king commands me to wed you, and I must obey. Loyalty binds me, just as it will bind our duchies under the throne of Severn Argentine. What say you, my lady? I must bring my king your answer.”
He stared into her eyes, gritting his teeth, loathing himself for what he was doing.
He couldn’t see Lord Roux’s face, but he could imagine his expression from the tone of his voice. “How dare you,” he growled with barely suppressed outrage. “You, sir, have exceeded all propriety. How dare you speak to her thus!”
Owen tried to look abashed, to give Sinia a helpless shrug to communicate that none of this was his own choice. But he was surprised by the pleased look on her face. The delight in her eyes. This was not the reaction he had expected.
“Yes, my lord,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Yes, I think I will have you.”
My lord Kiskaddon,
The king has arrived back at Kingfountain from the North. There is much ill will between the new duke and the population of the duchy. Catsby has occupied Dundrennan for not even a fortnight and he has already shipped many of the treasures of the palace to his manors in East Stowe and Southport. I thought you’d want to know. While he tries to do this secretly, the servants are appalled and outraged at his blatant plundering. He has also dismissed many of the loyal families who have served the Horwath line for years, and brought in his own men. He may not listen to reason, but I implore you to speak to him as you are highly regarded in this corner of the realm. His actions are stirring the bitterest enmity. One final note—the king has requested companionship for the daughter of King Iago and Queen Elysabeth. There is a foundling at Dundrennan that was requested, a lad about her own age by the name of Andrew. He’ll be sent to Kingfountain shortly. When do you expect to return from your visit to Brythonica?
Kevan Amrein
Kingfountain Palace
CHAPTER EIGHT
Secrets
A pit opened up in Owen’s stomach. He had the queer sensation that he had finally been outmaneuvered, though he had no idea how. Her response had so surprised him that he found himself momentarily rendered speechless, his mouth partway open. He shut it, still at a loss for words, and slowly rose, staring at Sinia incredulously.
It did not take long before Marshal Roux rushed up to his side. “It takes some gall, my lord,” he said, his voice raw with anger and accusation, “to come hither with such tidings. My lady, I implore you to reconsider such a blatant attempt at extortion! We have not defended Brythonica these many years to surrender it to another king without a fight!”
Owen watched the duchess’s reaction closely, looking for a sign that his hunch was correct, that Lord Roux was the true power behind Brythonica. Perhaps the duchess saw marriage to Owen as her only escape from the man. She still had not released her grip on Owen’s fingers.
But her gaze contained no fear when she turned it to Roux. It was pragmatic, patient. “Lord Marshal, I thank you for your advice and many years of loyal service. I do not make this decision lightly; you may be sure. Long has my duchy been vulnerable to attack. We have enjoyed a long season of peace due to our alliance with Ceredigion.” She returned her gaze to Owen. “I see wisdom in cementing the alliance. I know you wish to return promptly to your king, Owen, but may I beg you to remain for a few days? I would care to show you my domain and discuss terms of the betrothal that would mutually serve our interests. Would that be agreeable to you?”
Again, Owen was dumbfounded, and the throbbing vein in Marshal Roux’s forehead told him he was not alone in that sensation. “My lady, I implore you to heed my warning!” Roux said. “If you allow this alliance to proceed, then everything we have fought for, everything your father fought for, will be ruined!”
Owen felt rankled by the objection, although he had expected it all along. He pulled his hand away and turned to meet the eyes of the lord marshal. “I don’t think it’s your place to reverse the word of a duchess, my lord,” Owen said icily. “Is she beholden to you in some way?”
Roux’s eyes blazed with white-hot fire.
Lady Sinia reached out and touched Roux’s arm. “My lord, truly. I do not make this decision rashly or lightly. I hold your counsel in the highest respect and regard, as I always have.”