Sigefrith had only just tucked Hilda away with her doting husband and gone to join a lonely-looking Cenwulf in a corner of the hall when Malcolm came running up to him.
Cenwulf scowled down on the boy for the interruption, but Sigefrith knew well that Malcolm would not have been so unmannerly without good reason.
“A word with you,” Malcolm whispered to him, with an apologetic shrug for Cenwulf.
“Excuse us,” Sigefrith said, and Cenwulf grunted and walked off to the window.
“I beg your pardon,” Malcolm panted, and he swallowed before continuing. “I just saw Eadgith running out across the court. I thought you should be told. She seemed to be crying, not to say sobbing.”
“What? What happened?”
“I don’t know. I was only going up the stairs as she was running down.”
“What could have happened?”
“Hilda!” they both said at once.
“Damn that girl,” Sigefrith said. “Some cruel joke of hers, no doubt. You said she ran across the court?”
“Aye.”
“I suppose I know where she is going. Listen, Malcolm. I shall go find Eadgith and get her side of the story, but I want you to go find out what you can without being found out yourself.”
“Of course,” Malcolm said with a smart bow.
“You must excuse me, Cenwulf,” Sigefrith said.
Cenwulf turned back to them, nodding his head wearily. “By all means.”
Sigefrith jogged out across the court and up the far tower – up and up the stairs until he reached the very top. He paused a moment at the door to the room that had been hers, panting heavily. “Damned if I’m not getting old,” he muttered to himself before knocking on the door, behind which he could see a light.
“Go away!” the girl sobbed.
He smiled to himself despite her distress. “It’s only your old, ugly dragon!”
“Oh, Sigefrith!” she spluttered. “You’re not ugly!”
He chuckled to himself and opened the door, but the sight of her sobered him at once.
Her slender shoulders shook with the sobs she held back for his sake. This was clearly not some small insult on Hilda’s part. The Lord knew there had been plenty of those, but he had never seen her so affected.
“What is it, honey?” he asked.
That only caused the sobs to break loose.
“What is it, then?” he soothed. “Has Hilda been cruel?”
“Hilda?” she cried. “No.”
Not Hilda? What had happened?
“You can tell me, honey. You know you can tell me anything. Everything. Even now.”
“It’s my – my – my father!” she gasped.
“Your father?”
What could Leofric have done? He truly did adore his daughter, and it was not at all likely that he would have insulted her or said something to injure her. She was certainly accustomed to his griping about her betrothed, and even if he had suddenly had the idea to forbid her marriage, he didn’t think Eadgith would believe it… or take it without putting up a fight… or not tell him at once.
What could Leofric have done that would hurt his daughter without yet being a deliberate injury? But then, knowing Leofric as he did, he suddenly thought he knew.
“I shall guess, honey, and you may tell me if I am correct, and you may both forgive me if I am wrong… Did you find your father with a woman?”
“Yes!” she sobbed.
He smiled in relief and leaned his cheek against her hair. That was all! Well, that was Leofric. Could she indeed be so innocent as to not even realize that Leofric was Leofric? Then he had another thought that might better explain her woe.
“Well, honey,” he said gently, “I know it’s dreadful of him, but we must simply forgive the old sinner as we always do. Some men do not take their marriage vows quite as seriously as they ought, and I think that you now know that your father is one of them. But I hope you believe that there are others who take no oath lightly, and that one most seriously of all. And also that I am one of the latter sort. Hmm?”
“Oh, Sigefrith, of course I do,” she said, and she bravely dabbed at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.
“That’s it, wipe your eyes and let’s consider this,” he said.
She nodded and sniffed in the most adorable way.
“Did he know you saw him?”
She nodded.
“Did he look as if he felt guilty?”
She hesitated a moment, but nodded.
“That’s all right then. I know it isn’t easy for you – not that you were ever silly enough to think your father a paragon of virtue, I believe – but it is perhaps a good thing that he knows that you disapprove of his behavior. I have often reminded you that your opinion of him is dearly important to him, and I believe he will be doing a lot of thinking tonight. Some good may come out of it, though I suppose it’s difficult for you.”
She nodded.
“Perhaps you won’t understand why, but I hope you will obey me if I ask you not to mention this to Leila, or to anyone else? There are times when the truth is better left unsaid.”
“If you think…”
“You may understand when you are older, but you trust me now, don’t you? Your father does love Leila, and it would only hurt her, and do no one any good.”
“But then why would he…”
“The one thing does not require the other – at least to the minds of some. Will you trust me? I don’t know how to explain it to you yet.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. Now, as much as I should like to stay a while here with you – and although this is the night of all nights when your father can hardly object – I have a good number of guests awaiting my company, not to mention my daughter, who is expecting a birthday surpassing Margaret’s.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You aren’t the one who should be sorry tonight. But I forgive you all the same. So let’s dry our eyes once and for all and go down to them. And I know that you will be brave and smile, even at your father, because that is what a great lady would do. Isn’t it so?”
“I shall try.”
“Then you will succeed.”
Chapters
What a great man...now why didn't Eadgith tell him it was Matilda her father was kissing?