Page 71 of Wolfehound
That was a question Carlton couldn’t lie about. Everyone at Folkingham knew he had a daughter. That was established. But his palms were starting to sweat as he faced down the man at the other end of the table.
“I do,” he said. “Bria is her name.”
“Was she born of your wife? And are you her father?”
“That is an insulting question,” War growled. “Be careful how you address a man when it comes to his children.”
Tyrus looked at him. “It was not meant to be offensive, my lord,” he said. “It is a simple question. Either his wife gave birth to his daughter or she did not. Mayhap the child is adopted.”
War glanced at Carlton, wondering how in the hell the man was going to face this line of questioning, and Scott couldn’t even look at him. His focus remained on Tyrus, unmoving, unwavering.
Like a wolf staring down its prey.
It was time to take charge.
“Le Mon, if you have something to say, then come out with it,” Scott said. “This is not a tribunal. We do not have to answer your questions, nor do we have the time. De Royans does not have to discuss his family with you, in any way. If there is something on your mind, then say it and let us be done with thisfoolishness. We are too busy for whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish, so get on with it.”
He was pushing le Mon, but that was by design. The man was trying to eke out answers by cornering Carlton with his questions. The hope was that Carlton would say something that would give the entire situation away if, in fact, there was anything to give away.
But Scott wasn’t going to let him.
Sensing that his tactics weren’t working, Tyrus focused on Scott.
“My apologies,” he said. “As I said, I was not attempting to be offensive, merely direct. The point of my questions is this—we were told by a priest who took the confession of a dying knight, a knight who served under your father and Lord de Royans during the final battle against Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, that your father, the Earl of Warenton, disobeyed Edward’s orders and did not deliver Llywelyn’s daughter to Sempringham Priory as commanded. Instead, he gave the child over to Lord de Royans to raise as his own while sending a decoy to Sempringham. Since I have been to Sempringham and interviewed the woman in question, I have come to the conclusion that she is not Gwenllian of Wales. That means I would like to see Lord de Royans’ daughter. The archbishop demands it.”
The air was full of tension. It bled from the walls, the table, the floor after that pointed and determined speech. Everything le Mon was repeating was nearly exactly what had happened, which could have only come from someone who had been part of it.
The reality of this situation was becoming clear.
Colm de Lara had stabbed his old allies in the back with his deathbed confession. He’d started something in motion that could not be easily stopped. Scott thought that if the man wasn’t already dead, then he would have surely killed him because ofthe trouble he had caused. A young woman’s life hung in the balance, not to mention all of the collateral relationships and people involved. As he struggled to come up with a steady reply, he heard a voice come from behind.
“If you would like to see Lord de Royans’ daughter, then I shall fetch her for you,” Liam said as he crossed the floor of the great hall, having come from the direction of the servants’ entrance. “We have nothing to hide and you will tell the archbishop that. No one has done anything wrong except you, coming into a noble home and throwing around gossip and rumors.”
Seeing a very big knight coming in his direction with an enormous dog at his side, le Mon stood up. He also collected his sword, though he didn’t unsheathe it. He simply watched, tensed, as Liam came to stand between Scott and Carlton.
“I do not know you,” Tyrus said evenly. “Please identify yourself.”
Liam looked the man up and down as if sizing up the competition. “The man soon to marry Lord de Royans’ daughter,” he said. “I could hear what you were saying when I entered the hall. You have come to see my wife, so you will deal with me.”
“You still have not told me your name.”
“Liam Herringthorpe, garrison commander of Easington Castle. A royal property, in case you did not know.”
That seemed to bring some clarification to Tyrus, but he was still on his feet, ready for a fight. “Then you are Lord Herringthorpe’s son,” he said.
“Brilliant deduction,” Liam said sarcastically. “In fact, I stood at that doorway over there and heard nearly everything you said. That is one of the most outlandish stories I have ever heard. Are you mad? Or just ridiculous?”
“Liam,” War snapped softly. “Still your tongue, lad.”
“Or what?” Liam said, looking at his father. “Or that man at the end of the table is going to fight me? It seems to me that he’s come to insult Lord de Royans, demean you, and call Lord Warenton’s father a traitor. Someone has to stand up to him, and since he seems to be focused on the woman I am to marry, it is going to be me.”
Tyrus remained standing, remained poised. He also remained calm. “It is a simple question with a simple answer,” he said. “All I am asking for is to meet de Royans’ daughter. Given the situation, I have been tasked with determining whether or not the rumors are true.”
Liam sighed sharply. “Did it ever occur to anyone that the ramblings of a dying man were just that—ramblings?” he said. “Pure fantasies? You may not realize this, le Mon, but there is more than just one woman in this world with black hair and blue eyes, or indistinct brown hair and brown eyes, or however you put it. You cannot base your judgment solely on a physical description. And what you are doing now is accusing William de Wolfe, a man who is infallible, of treason. A dead man who cannot defend himself. I find that astonishingly cowardly.”
More harsh words. This time, War didn’t silence his son. He agreed with him. Everyone was looking at Tyrus now because the burden of proof was on him.
“No one is accusing de Wolfe of anything,” Tyrus said, maintaining his composure. “But I have been tasked with a job. If you show me de Royans’ daughter, we can just as easily be finished with this.”
