David snorted as he settled back in his chair, the only chair at the entire table. Every other seat was a bench.
“They are still here,” he said, “but Maddoc put an end to their battle. By now they are probably picking themselves up off the ground, wondering what hit them.”
Adalind turned her smiling face in Maddoc’s direction. “Did you champion me, then?”
Maddoc still wasn’t over the shock of Adalind having become such a beautiful creature, made worse when she smiled. Her smile was no longer bucked-tooth, but white and radiant. He returned her smile, modestly.
“That is my job,” he said. “I am sworn to champion everyone in the Earl of Canterbury’s household and you happen to fall under that directive.”
Adalind stared at him, her smile fading after a moment. “Of course,” she said, taking her eyes off of Maddoc to claim a cup of wine. “Ever the loyal servant, Maddoc.”
Maddoc could sense her happy mood fading. All of that radiance seemed to dim suddenly and he found himself repeating their conversation, wondering what he had said that might have upset her. Was it the fact that he had said it was his job to champion her? All seemed to sober after that statement. He wondered why.
“I would like to hear of your stay in Winchester,” he tried to keep the conversation going, feeling oddly confused at the moment. “Did you enjoy your time spent?”
She shrugged, toying with her wine. “There were times when I enjoyed it,” she said. “I enjoyed the parties and the festivals. Oh, and Grandfather, I ran into an old friend of yours at the Street of Merchants a few months back. He sends his greetings.”
David was sipping at his ale. “Who?”
“Lord Forbes,” she said. “A very big bald man. He lives at Dunster Castle. He had some grandchildren with him, all girls. He says to tell you that you have not cornered the market on female children.”
David started laughing. “Gart Forbes,” he shook his head at the memories. “Other than Maddoc and his father, Gart was the best knight I have ever seen. A truly powerful and frightening man. Before your Uncle Daniel was born, Gart and I used to joke about all of the female children I had. I once told Gart that I was going to trade him two of my girls for one of his boys.”
Adalind grinned because he was. “Would you still do such a thing?”
David shook his head. “Of course not… although there were times when I would have gladly traded away your mother’s sisters. Emilie had two younger sisters, and then Emilie and I had three girls in a row before Daniel was born. Then….”
Adalind cut him off. “Then my mother had two girls, Aunt Caroline had two girls, and Aunt Catherine finally had a son.” She shook her head, teasing. “How do you put up with so many women?”
“It is not easy.”
He was snorting into his cup as he said it, taking a long drink. Smiling at her grandfather, Adalind glanced at Maddoc to see that he was grinning also. She pointed a finger at him.
“And you,” she said. “How old are you now, Maddoc?”
Maddoc met her intense green gaze. “If you recall, your mother and I were born on the same day three years apart,” he replied. “I have seen thirty-one years.”
Adalind cocked her head thoughtfully. “And you have not yet found a wife? I find that astonishing.”
Maddoc’s humor faded somewhat as he reached for his own cup of wine. Before he could reply, David answered.
“Addie,” he admonished softly, sternly. “’Tis an inappropriate question. You….”
Maddoc lifted a hand, cutting him off. “She does not know,” he defended her. “She has been away for many years. She could not have known.”
“Know what?” Adalind’s focus shifted between Maddoc and her grandfather.
Maddoc looked at her. “I did have a wife,” he said, his tone somewhat quiet. “In fact, we were married about six months after you left for Winchester Court. But she died in childbirth before we had even been married a year.”
Adalind’s jaw dropped, her eyes round with horror. “Oh, Maddoc,” she gushed softly. “I had not heard. No one ever told me.”
He shrugged, returning his attention to his drink. “There was no reason to, I suppose,” he said. “As I said, it was a long time ago.”
Adalind was still mortified. “If it was shortly after I left for Winchester Court, it was no more than four or five years ago.” She shook her head, putting a soft hand on his mailed arm. “I am so sorry, Maddoc. I did not mean to sound callous. I did not know.”
The twinkle was back in his eyes as he looked at her. “I know you did not. No harm done.”