Page 154 of Historical Hotties
“I came to tell you…,” Kristina paused when she saw how close he had come; very properly, she traced her steps back down the stairs and stood at the bottom, putting distance between them. “I wanted to tell you that I fear our Lady Carington has heard… well, she has heard gossip and I thought to forewarn you. Since you have been acting as her protector, you have a right to know.”
Creed’s expression did not change except to cock a dark eyebrow. “Know what?”
Kristina swallowed; Creed intimidated her even though he had never been anything other than kind to her. She began to wring her hands. “She… she has been told of your trip with Queen Isabella. It may have frightened her.”
Suddenly, a great deal made sense; Creed glanced over his shoulder at the bolted chapel door before refocusing on Kristina. The girl was uneasy; he could read it in her face. But he had known her for several years and she was not the malicious type. Her companion, however, was.
He sighed heavily. “Lady Julia.”
It was a statement, not a question. Kristina nodded reluctantly. “She told her. I tried to stop her, but she would not listen.” She took a step towards him, her blue eyes wide and honest. “We all know how Julia feels about you, Sir Creed. She is not threatened by me because she knows I am pledged to another, but Lady Carington is new and exciting and blindingly beautiful, and I can already see that Julia is sharpening her claws.”
Creed’s gaze was steady on her. “Then Lady Julia is in for a beating. Lady Carington will tear her down to size and never think twice about it. If I were you, I would warn your friend to retract her claws and her tongue before she finds herself in a dire predicament.”
Kristina lifted her slender shoulders. “She will not listen to me, my lord.”
“Then she will listen to me.”
Kristina shook her head vigorously. “Nay, my lord, please do not. If you do, she will know I have told you. And I must live with her.”
Creed understood. Though he felt nothing but irritation at the moment for what Lady Julia had done, he nonetheless forced a smile for Kristina’s sake. She was a good girl and tried to do the right thing.
“As you say, my lady,” he said quietly. “And thank you for telling me the truth.”
Kristina bobbed a curtsy and fled, her blond hair wagging in the breeze as she walked briskly in the direction of the keep.Creed’s gaze lingered on her a moment before he made his way back up the steps to the chapel. Putting his ear against the door, he could hear sniffling.
He did the only thing he could do. He went for Ryton.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Damn that girl,”Ryton snarled as he pushed past his brother. “If I am not saddled enough with Jory’s antics, I have to also deal with a spoiled girl who cannot keep her mouth shut.”
Ryton had been seated at the worn table in the knight’s quarters, enjoying his first quiet meal in days. With his brother’s appearance and subsequent request, he found he’d lost his appetite. In the bright sun of the bailey, he paused long enough for Creed to catch up to him.
“What have you done to Jory and Julia in a past life that they would seek to make you so miserable?” he half-demanded, half-wondered. “Why on earth would she tell Lady Carington about the rumors?”
Creed sighed heavily; he had wished in the past that he’d never accepted the assignment to escort young Isabella to England, but now more than ever, he wished he had run at the first suggestion of such a mission. It was returning to haunt him in more ways than he could comprehend.
“You know why,” he said in a low voice. “She is not above such irresponsible behavior.”
Ryton nodded his head sharply; aye, he knew why. “That girl has had eyes for you for the past six months. Can she not get it through her thick skull that you are not the least bit interested in her?”
“Apparently not.”
“So now I must undo her viciousness.” Ryton turned the corner for the stairs that led up to the chapel. “Well? Have you even tried to talk to her?”
Creed cast him a long glance. “Of course I have. She will not talk to me. As I told you, I suspect the only person who has a moderate chance of reasoning with her is you. And I would suspect she wants someone else to be her shadow from now on. I do not think she wants anything more to do with me.”
There was something in his tone that made Ryton look at him. His dusky blue eyes studied his brother a moment. “What is her opinion to you?”
Creed met his brother’s gaze, suspecting that there must have been too much regret in his tone. He’d tried to keep it from the conversation. “Nothing, except she and I must cohabitate here at Prudhoe together for an unknown duration. I had built a trust with her. I am sorry to lose it, considering I worked hard to achieve it.”
Ryton’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer. As they mounted the top of the steps near the old oak door, he focused on his brother. “True enough,” he replied. “You are the only one who can handle her. If not you, then I must assign Burle and I told you my fears of him before. He will not be firm enough with her, not in the least.”
Creed had nothing more to say to that. With an impatient sigh, Ryton moved towards the door as Creed hung back. Ryton knocked softly on the old wood.
“My lady?” he called. “It is Sir Ryton. I would like for you to open this door. I must speak with you.”
There was a long pause during which time Ryton knocked again. When they heard her voice, it was muffled and dull.
