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“This is very tiring work, Severin.”
“Aye,” he said, nipping her bottom lip between his teeth, “would you believe me if I told you that most men would prefer battle to this wearisome job?”
Her laughter rang out. Trist raced up his bare master’s back to peer down at her over Severin’s shoulder.
“Aye, my lord, and most women would doubtless prefer shoveling ashes out of the ovens to this demanding task.”
Trist mewled loudly. And Severin thought it was strange to be lying on top of a woman, laughing and speaking nonsense and enjoying it quite a lot.
14
THEY DIDN’T LEAVE FOR ROSEHAVEN THE FOLLOWING morning. A messenger arrived just as Hastings finished drinking a goblet of Gilbert the goat’s milk. She rose quickly when she heard shouts from outside.
It was a messenger from Langthorne. Lord Severin’s mother had disappeared.
He asked very softly, “How is this possible? My mother was guarded constantly. I selected the women myself before I came here to Oxborough. What happened?”
The messenger didn’t like the lord’s voice. He swallowed, got a grip on himself, and said, “It appears that one of the women became ill. Your mother asked to tend her and the other woman agreed. When she returned to the sick chamber, your mother was gone. I’m sorry, my lord. Sir Roger has mounted a search. His master-at-arms, your man Thurston, told me I should come to you. He is worried. Sir Roger did not wish to tell you yet, but Thurston said it was your right to know. By the time I left Langthorne, they had still not found her.”
Severin stared at the man a moment, then waved him away. “Get him ale,” he called to Alice. “His voice cracked from thirst even as he spoke to me.”
Hastings knew, however, that the messenger’s voice had cracked because he’d been terrified that Severin would kill him.
“I fear I must go to Langthorne, Hastings. There is no time for this Rosehaven, no time for anything else.”
“We will leave within the hour, Severin.”
He arched a dark eyebrow. “I would make better time were I to have just men with me.”
“You will see that I shan’t slow you. Besides, when we find your mother, perhaps I could give her some herbs that would make her better. What is her illness, Severin?”
“She is mad.”
Madness? Hastings wondered if her father had known about this. Surely he hadn’t, else he would never have picked Severin to continue his line, not if there was madness in it. “Tell me more specifically what she does or says or how she acts.”
“She can act very normally, converse with you like she is still the lady of the keep, then, suddenly, her eyes will go blank. She will say strange things. She will not know who she is or who you are. Several times I saw her throw herself to her knees and try to hit her head against the stones. Then she will sleep for many hours. When she wakes, she is usually normal again. But nothing is ever certain. That is why I had two women to keep close to her.”
“Ah.” It sounded like no madness Hastings had ever heard of. It sounded very strange indeed.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I must consult the Healer before we leave. Do you wish me to try to help her?”
“Very well, but Gwent and some of my men will accompany you. I don’t want to take a chance on losing you.”
She said nothing to that. She’d gone into the forest more times than she could count over the years to meet with the Healer. But now she was married and her husband wished to guard her. Protect her. Was he afraid that she would fall and hurt her toe? No, certainly not. She decided that protection from a man who made her feel as he did perhaps wasn’t such a bad thing at all.
“Give me leave to worry about you now, Hastings.”
She blinked up at him. “Do you now so easily read my mind, my lord?”
“Your thoughts are sometimes as clear to me as Edgar the wolfhound’s.”
That made her laugh. Without thought she kissed him, in front of the messenger, in front of all the people who were in the great hall.
“Aye, those thoughts of yours are simple and straightforward, but I mind not, Hastings. Take care and come back to me quickly.”
She frowned, saying, “Why wouldn’t this Sir Roger want you to know immediately that your mother had disappeared?”
