Page 77 of Wolfehound
The old man shook his head. “Then de Royans’ daughter is the devil to your angel,” he said, chuckling. “Hair as black as night and eyes the color of a summer sky. I hear that people in Wales are dark, you know. She was brought by the master from Wales a long time ago. A foundling, they say. But she’s a beauty.”
Tyrus had his answer. It had been so easy that it had almost been child’s play. Whoever Liam had presented in the hall as Bria de Royans, if that was even the name of Carlton’s daughter, wasn’t who Liam said she was.
He’d been lied to.
Damn.
“I think I just saw her walk by,” he said, his attention now turning toward the kitchen yard. “What is her name?”
“Lady Cambria.”
Cambria.That was why Liam had called the other woman “Bria.” Now, things were starting to make a little sense. Tyrus pointed toward the kitchen.
“She went into the yard over there,” he said.
The old man snorted again. “It’s the dogs.”
“The what?”
The old man stood up and began pointing off toward the kitchen yard. “Dogs,” he said again. “She raises dogs. Sells the puppies for a tidy sum, so I’ve heard. That’s where she keeps the dogs. Are you looking to buy one?”
Tyrus shrugged. “I hadn’t thought about it,” he said. “I suppose I could take a look.”
The old man came away from the horse, gesturing to the gate in the stone wall. “In through there,” he said. “She’ll be in there with the dogs if you want to look for one. All men should have a dog. They’re fine companions.”
Tyrus had his answer. In fact, he had everything he needed. Liam Herringthorpe and the rest of them weren’t going to make a fool out of him. He had what he wanted now and he was going to finish it.
“Thank you,” he said, gaze on the gate. “I’ll see for myself. Mayhap I do need a dog.”
He started to head toward the gate as the old man called after him. “Tell her you’ll take good care of it,” he said. “She’ll only sell you a dog if you tell her you’ll be kind to it!”
Tyrus waved at him in acknowledgment, but his focus was on that gate. He was in no rush as he made his way to it, peering through the small iron grate in the middle of the panel that gave him a view to the yard beyond. It was a normal kitchen yard, with chickens and goats and a sheep that was gnawing on a fencepost over in the corner. There was a lone female servantover by what looked to be a well, and then closer to him there was a series of small pens, each one with a shelter in it.
And then he saw her.
Huddled on the ground with a servant beside her as she peered into one of the shelters was, in fact, the black-haired woman. Tyrus watched her for a moment, his mind working quickly on the best way to handle the situation. Whatever he did, it was going to have to be fast. He had to get to her, and get her out of Folkingham, before Liam or anyone else showed up. He would have a fight on his hands if he didn’t move swiftly enough, and given the fact that Scott de Wolfe and War Herringthorpe were both here, he wasn’t entirely sure it was a fight he could win.
Opening the gate, he made his way in her direction.
“My lady,” he said evenly. “My apologies for disturbing you, but the man in the stable said that you have puppies to sell. May I trouble you with a question about them?”
She looked at him, startled, and Tyrus was struck by the color of those blue eyes. They were positively glowing, a color he’d never seen before. Along with her black hair, he had to admit that he’d never seen a more beautiful woman. But the moment she saw him, he could see something in her expression that suggested fear. Panic, even.
He had to act fast.
“My deepest apologies if I startled you,” he said quickly, holding out both hands to show her that he was not a threat. “I simply wanted to know if you had any puppies for sale. I’m told they are fine dogs.”
She stood up to face him. “Who are you?”
He shook his head. “My name is Ty,” he said. “I was simply passing through and stopped here because my horse… He seems to be lame. The man in the stable said that you are Lady Cambria.”
The servant boy was now standing alongside the woman with the blue eyes, and she leaned over, whispering something to him. He bolted out of the pen area and ran off. When the child was gone, the fear in her expression seemed to ease.
“You’re a traveler, then, Sir Ty?” she said.
He nodded. “I am,” he said. “A dog would keep me company on the road.”
“A dog is for more than simply running alongside your horse,” she said. “My dogs are the best in Lincolnshire. They are big, strong, and loyal. Men pay me a great deal for one of my dogs.”
