Page 57 of Katherine the Vixen

“You are mocking me, my lord. Worse, you are taking the defense of a servant over me, your wife.” Her eyes narrowed. “I wonder why that is.”

“There is no need to wonder, I can answer your question right now,” Siaspar hissed. “I have a profound aversion for unfairness and I lack the patience to deal with absurd accusations so early in the morning. So unless you can prove that something of yours is indeed missing or that you have been inconvenienced in any way, I suggest that you let Katherine go and allow her to attend to the stitching that seemed so important only a moment ago.”

There was no gainsaying him in this mood, and this time, his wife did not insist.

Though she would have liked to thank him for coming to her aid, Katherine took care not to look at him before walking away. Lady Malpas was already suspicious of the level of interest her husband was taking in her and no wonder. He had been taking her defense more forcefully than he should have.

She felt suddenly very miserable. The three of them seemed to be stuck in a nightmare where Lady Malpas went out of her way to create problems for her and Siaspar solved them before the situation could get out of hand. How long before he tired of the thankless task and sent her back to where she belonged?

Unsurprisingly, once she reached Lady Malpas’ bedchamber, Lady Helen could not indicate to her which dress was in need of mending. Still, the woman more than made up for it by asking her to start embroidering a shirt collar with an extremely complicated pattern. Katherine sat down in a corner and spent the rest of the day attending to it in silence.

The following morning she stayed at the castle. She knew that if she asked Lady Malpas if she could go and see her family, she would be denied and she could not risk leaving again without permission, even at night. Her movements were likely watched, and Lady Malpas was sure to confront her on her return, choosing a moment when Siaspar was nowhere near to take her defense.

Should she leave for good, as Annette had suggested? No one would miss her, the ladies in waiting would consider themselves well rid of a woman who had been imposed on them and whose status had never been clearly defined. Her family would welcome her with open arms and she doubted Lady Malpas would go to the trouble of requesting she came back, even supposing she knew where to look. She had long exhausted her purpose.

So yes, perhaps she should leave while she had the chance, and go back to people who loved and respected her, to the good man who was ready to marry her, to the safe future that had been planned for her.

An image of the sea she had seen from Siaspar’s window flashed through her mind. She had sworn that day not to turn away from her hopes and dreams anymore, and make her own destiny. It had seemed an enticing proposition at the time, a possibility even. Now she was forced to see that it was not that simple. Having the will to do something was one thing; having the means to actually do it quite another. Unfortunately, the path she had chosen led somewhere people like her were not allowed to go.

There was one thing she could do, though. Refuse to be a pawn in Lady Malpas’ hands any longer and leave her employ. It was tempting, but one thing prevented her from walking out of Allerby that instant. Or rather, one person. If she left, she would never see Siaspar again. The mere thought made her nauseous and told her she wasn’t ready yet.

The needle was pushed through the shirt collar with decision. As long as Siaspar wanted her to remain, she would remain. His interest in her might wane soon anyway, so she might as well wait a few more days.

The following morning, he came to find her.

Katherine was sewing by the window, in the inevitable company of Lady Malpas’ ladies in waiting. Not that it could really be called company. Lady Helen, her daughter, and an English lady who had joined them since they had arrived at the castle plainly considered it below their dignity to include her in their conversation. They never addressed a word to her that did not pertain to the tasks they wanted her to perform. As she was still working on the embroidery of the shirt collar, that day the opportunity to exchange more than two sentences had not arisen.

Everyone stood up at Siaspar’s entrance. Lady Helen welcomed him as graciously as she could, which merely meant she did not spit at him.

“My lord. Can we help?”

“I hope you can. I have come to ask if any of you ladies knew the area. I have a desire to go fishing but do not know any good spots.”

The three ladies looked at each other helplessly. Not only had they no notion of what could constitute a good fishing spot, but they would never have agreed to accompany him into the forest.

“I could show you a lake that is not too far away,” Katherine volunteered, when it became obvious no one else was going to offer any suggestions. “I grew up in the area.”

“Excellent.” He nodded at the shirt in her hands. “But I see that you are busy. I hope the matter is not too pressing?”

“As a matter of fact, my lord, we cannot suffer much delay,” Lady Helen answered in her stead. “The shirt the girl is embroidering is destined as a present for her ladyship’s brother. I know she wanted to give it to him as soon as possible to thank him for welcoming us under his roof.”

“Indeed. Well, in that case, you had better drop the puppy you are brushing,” Siaspar said roundly. “Surely such a trivial task can wait until the more pressing matters have been attended to? You will pick up where Katherine leaves off. I expect the shirt to be finished tonight. As you said, my brother-in-law has been a most gracious host and I wish to express my gratitude to him.”

Katherine worked very hard at maintaining a straight face as she handed a discomfited Lady Helen the shirt and needle. As usual, Siaspar had come to her rescue and spared her from any blame—and, more importantly, allowed her to get rid of the wretched embroidery. She walked through the door without a backward glance.

Once they reached the courtyard she turned to him.

“How did you know I hated embroidery?” she asked in that easy manner that had become the norm between them.

She had no doubt that he had asked Lady Helen to finish the shirt collar because he had understood she was getting bored with it. Of course he could also have meant to annoy the other lady. There was no love lost between him and “the old bat.”

Siaspar winked. “Trust me, it wasn’t hard to guess from the way your face was scrunched up when I walked in the room.”

So his eyes had gone straight to her upon entering the room… She reddened at the thought.

“Well, yes, I do hate it,” she admitted with a small smile. As much as she loved making garments for everyone, she had never liked decorating them, unlike Annette. The two of them had always worked well together, their skills and preferences complementing each other. “So thank you. I would much rather spend the morning outside, seeing real leaves and flowers than inside, embroidering them. It’s such a beautiful day.”

“It is. Let’s make the most of it.”