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my lord,” she gently chided. “Can you not be more specific? I am to be chatelaine, after all.”

      He frowned. “I’m not certain. Eua can tell you. Or Dalfrid.”

      “And they are?”

      “Eua has been serving in the household since before I was born, and Dalfrid is the steward.”

      While Roland’s answers were short and to the point, at least he was talking to her, and she took that as an encouraging sign. “I understand you have a twin brother. Does he live in the castle, too?”

      “Gerrard is my garrison commander.”

      “I look forward to meeting him. How fortunate you are to have someone you can trust in that position.”

      “I trust him to look after his own interests, and that means protecting Dunborough. And the men like him.”

      “Then I’m sure I’ll like him, too.”

      “Most women like Gerrard,” Roland brusquely replied. “He can be a very charming fellow when it suits him.”

      Given the slightly hostile tone of his response, Mavis answered cautiously. “I have sometimes wished for a brother.”

      “You are close to your cousin, are you not?”

      “She’s like a sister to me.”

      “You set some store on her opinion, then.”

      “Of course, as your brother’s must influence yours.”

      “I don’t care what my brother thinks.”

      There could be no denying that Roland was absolutely, grimly sincere. And yet... “Except in matters of defense of the castle, I assume.”

      “Should Dunborough need to be defended, I will take command.”

      “What, then, does Gerrard do?”

      “He assigns watches and trains the men.”

      She was about to suggest that wasn’t much responsibility for the lord’s brother when Roland said, “I should perhaps warn you, my lady, that my brother’s favorite pastime has always been to mock me.”

      She simply couldn’t imagine anyone mocking Roland. “No one likes to be teased. Some of the young men who came to DeLac were apparently under the misapprehension that I would enjoy such cruel sport. I quickly let them know that if they mocked anyone, and especially Tamsin, I wouldn’t even look at them. I would never make sport of you, my lord, or think kindly of anyone who did.”

      When Roland didn’t answer, she decided it might be best to speak of something other than his brother. “I didn’t think my father was going to let me take Sweetling. That’s my mare. Don’t you think she looks sweet, my lord?”

      “She’s a fine horse,” he allowed, his tone somewhat lighter, although his expression was still grim.

      “Yours is beautiful. Hephaestus is his name, is it not?”

      “Yes.”

      “That’s unusual. Wasn’t Hephaestus a god?”

      “The blacksmith of the gods, and lame.”

      “Oh, yes, I remember now! He’s also called Vulcan, isn’t he? Did you name him Hephaestus because he’s as black as the smoke from a smith’s forge, or a blacksmith’s anvil?”

      “I like the name, and he’s a clever beast.”

      “You sound proud of him.”

      “He is the first horse I have ever truly owned. The first I chose for myself.” He slid her another glance, not so sharp or searching. “Despite my father’s wealth, I’ve had little I could call my own.”

      “I can say the same,” she replied, thinking they had this in common, at least. “That’s why I thought he wouldn’t let me have Sweetling.”

      Roland raised his hand to halt the cortege. They had come to a bridge over a swiftly moving, narrow river. Tall beeches and aspens lined the banks, and a part of the edge sloped down to the water. The trees were bare, the ground hard and one bold squirrel chattered at them from above.

      “We’ll rest and water the horses here,” Roland announced, sliding from the saddle.

      “I’d like to walk about a bit,” Mavis said, looking at him expectantly.

      He helped her dismount, then abruptly turned and marched off along the bank of the river, away from where Arnhelm, Verdan and the rest of the men were watering the horses and ox.

      It was too cold to simply stand and wait, so Mavis gathered up her skirts and followed her husband. His pace was brisk until he came to a halt some distance from the others in a pretty spot shielded by graceful willows and where the clear water rushed over the rocks beneath.

      He appeared startled when he saw her. “You should stay with the wagon,” he said. “There is a wineskin and some bread and cheese.”

      “I’d rather be with you.”

      To that, he said nothing. But since he didn’t appear angry and he didn’t send her back, she said, “Isn’t it a pity winter has to come? I wish it could always be summer.”

      “I like the cold.”

      “Because you’re from Yorkshire, I suppose. I’ve heard the dales are quite windy and barren.”

      “And cold.”

      Clearly he didn’t care if he was painting an attractive picture of Yorkshire or not. Nevertheless, he was talking.

      “If Yorkshire is cold, I hope your castle will be warm.” She decided she would have to be bold if she were to learn if he desired her, or had only wed her for the alliance. “Although if it’s chilly inside as well as out, we’ll simply have to spend more time under the blankets.”

      She might have been wrong, but she thought his cheeks turned pinker, as if he was blushing. She would never have guessed that a man like Roland would blush, yet apparently he did.

      But he was also frowning, his eyes hard as stone, and he very sternly said, “It will be warm enough.”

      Such an answer and such a look might have dismayed and silenced her before, but because of that blush, she dared to say, “Nevertheless, we shall have to spend some time beneath the blankets if we’re to have a child.”

      “A child?” he repeated, as if such a thing had never occurred to him.

      “You do want children, don’t you, my lord?” she asked.

      “What nobleman doesn’t want an heir?” he replied. He tugged down his tunic. “You took me aback. Having only recently become the lord of Dunborough, I hadn’t yet considered an heir of my own.”

      She took some comfort from the knowledge that he hadn’t married her only to produce an heir.

      “I’m happy to hear you want a child, my lord,” she said softly. There was a chance, of course, that the child could be a girl, but she was not going to suggest that. Once, in a rage, her father had told her that daughters were useless except in trade, and she didn’t want to learn that Roland shared the same opinion.

      “Can I assume then, my lady, that you also wish to have children?”

      “Yes.” She took a chance that she might hear something that would upset her and added, “A child will also strengthen the alliance between our families.”

      “I had not considered that.”

      Did that mean he hadn’t considered that a child would strengthen the alliance, or that he hadn’t considered the alliance at all when he asked her to be his bride?

      He studied her face with even more intensity. “So you will do your duty?”

      “I

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