Page 49 of Katherine the Vixen

Like everyone else in the hall, Katherine had been taken aback by Siaspar’s sudden announcement. They were going to England? Why?

She had quickly concluded that it did not matter what Siaspar’s motivations were, as long as she was able to see her family again. They had been apart for more than three months already. This was unheard of. Before she’d left for Wales, she had never spent more than two days without seeing at least one of them. And now there was a member of the family she still had to meet, her baby brother, James.

Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of going back home, at least for a while. What would her parents make of her new appearance? It was not just the rich clothes that would shock them; for the last few weeks she had been feeling stronger, healthier. No more crippling tiredness, no more cracked fingers and weary legs. Her appetite had never been better, and for the first time in her life, she had been able to eat sufficiently. She suspected that she had put on weight and looked better for it.

Her family would hardly recognize her dressed in a grand lady’s clothes, and they would⁠—

Her mouth fell open as realization hit. Why was she supposing that she would go with the retinue? On what grounds would she be asked to go? The new wardrobe was completed, but even if it weren’t, there was no reason why they should take her, a servant, on such a journey. Siaspar was simply going to do what his union to an English lady allowed him to do, build connections, reinforce his position and protect his hard-earned status.

She did not begrudge him the opportunity. Heavens knew, he had paid a high enough price for it by marrying a woman who hated him, but she could not help a feeling of… Was it helplessness? Jealousy? Dismay? Not only would she not get to see her family, but she would also be without Siaspar for weeks on end. What would she do?

Desperate not to betray her anguish, she turned to face the window.

A moment later, the men had left the hall. Immediately, the three ladies erupted in exclamations of delight.

“Did you hear that? We are going to England!”

“Oh, my lady, I thought this day would never come.”

Unable to share in the joy, Katherine asked to be excused. The permission was given with an impatient wave of the hand.

As she was crossing the bailey, she spotted Siaspar with his squire and two other men over by the stables. Their gazes locked and it seemed to her that he indicated she should go to the herb garden. Heart thumping hard in her chest, she headed that way. What did he want to tell her?

Fortunately for her peace of mind, it wasn’t long before he joined her.

“Don’t worry. You are coming with us to England,” he said without preamble, stopping a mere foot away from her. “Of course, you are.”

She closed her eyes as relief washed through her. That he had wanted to reassure her immediately meant as much to her as the fact that he had put an end to her agony.

“Thank you, my lord. But how will you justify your decision to take someone like me along with you? It is odd to say the least.”

He made a dismissive gesture. “Let me worry about that.”

His confidence was heartwarming. How wonderful to be able to rely on someone to anticipate your every wish and smooth the way for you.

“Besides, I suspect that my wife,” he winked, knowing that his use of the word would not have escaped her notice earlier, “will be too delighted to leave this country of brutes to question any of my decisions. You saw her. She was positively glowing at the thought of going back home.”

“Yes.” Indeed Katherine had not missed it. For once Lady Malpas had looked like the pretty lady she was.

“She will do anything to get on my good side and make sure I do not change my mind—until the departure at least. Then I give her a day to revert to her usual sour self.”

“Perhaps.”

Or perhaps not.

Once they were back in her country, Siaspar might start to see a different, more amenable side to his wife. Lady Malpas, for all her faults, was not an ugly woman and she could be charming when she wanted to be. If he had not sent her away after she had tried to kill him, nothing would make him put her aside. If, her mood improved by the new environment, she started to mellow toward him and stopped complaining endlessly, could he not fall in love with her? If he bedded her but once and she fell with his child, Siaspar would be too honorable to abandon her.

He needed this alliance, she knew, so why would he not try to make it work if his wife finally started to behave as she should? It would make sense and she could not blame him.

And yet… That thought inexplicably galled her.

“Lady Malpas needn’t worry, though,” Siaspar said with decision, as if that discussion was painful for him as well. “I will not change my mind. Before the week is over, we will be on the way to England.”

“Another castle! Look, over there. It must be the third one we have seen since we left.”

Lady Malpas’ voice carried all the way to the stream where Katherine was washing the bowls the women had used earlier. Siaspar’s low, rumble reached her ears next.

“I am amazed that you should be surprised, my lady. Don’t you know that your king’s father built castles all over Wales to establish his domination over the country after the Treaty of Aberconwy in ’77?”