Page 66 of The Forsaken (Echoes from the Past #4)

FIFTY-SIX

Kate used her uninjured hand to carry the pitcher of hot water to Guy’s bedchamber.

Joan had much to do in the kitchen, so Kate had offered to bring up the water as an excuse to get Guy to herself for a few minutes.

She found him sitting by the cold hearth, his boots tossed carelessly aside and his cloak and doublet on the coffer seat beneath the window.

He looked tired and drawn, and held his right arm against his side as if it pained him.

“It gets stiff from the cold,” he explained.

“How are your headaches?” Kate asked quietly as she set the pitcher down on the stand.

“Still there. They’re quite severe at times, especially when it’s stormy outside,” Guy replied. “I wasn’t much use to Warwick. He was glad to see the back of me. There’s only so much guard duty one can perform.”

“I’m sure he valued your service.”

“Warwick was duty-bound to retain me for a period of one year. He needs all the support he can muster in the north, and the Earl of Stanwyck is a valuable ally who can raise a good-sized army when called upon. Warwick took me on as a favor to him, nothing more.”

“Surely, a loyal man, even if not as proficient with a sword as some, is still better than two skilled fighters with divided loyalties.”

“I suppose, but it’s a bitter truth to swallow that you’re no longer as useful as you once believed yourself to be. I can still fight for my liege, but I’m not strong enough to survive a prolonged battle.”

“Oh, Guy,” Kate breathed. She thought Guy had learned to see his own worth in Warwick’s service, but the swagger she’d seen earlier was nothing more than defiance and a refusal to allow Hugh to guess at his insecurities.

Guy was still a valuable asset to his lord, but it seemed his confidence had been undermined by his injury and his faith in himself would not be restored unless he distinguished himself in battle or died trying.

“Enough about me. I’ve missed you, Kate.” Guy crossed the room and stood close to her. Too close. She took an involuntary step back, earning a rueful smile from Guy. “How have things been at home?”

“The same.” Kate shrugged. “Nothing much changes around here.” She didn’t mean to sound ungrateful or displeased with her life, but there was an edge of bitterness to her voice.

Guy’s gaze slid down to her waist, and then back up again, making her cringe with shame.

She shook her head. “I’m not with child. Hugh is angry, Guy. He blames me.”

“I’m sorry, Kate. I know how much Hugh wanted children. It might still happen,” he added, but his optimism rang false.

“I don’t hold out much hope. Not anymore.

Hugh believes me to be barren, and now that he doesn’t stand a chance of inheriting my father’s fortune, he sees me as nothing more than a hindrance to his plans for the future.

If I were to die, he’d be free to marry again, and believe me, he wouldn’t tarry. ”

She was grateful that Guy didn’t insult her by arguing that she was wrong and Hugh loved her and would mourn her.

She’d always been able to talk frankly to him, and he did the same in return.

Being able to speak openly, even if only for a few minutes, reminded her once again how emotionally isolated she’d become and how desperately she longed for a sympathetic ear.

“I must be going. Hugh will wonder what I’m doing up here,” Kate said.

She poured the hot water into a basin and motioned toward it.

“You’d better wash up before the water grows cold.

I’ll see you downstairs. The food is simple, but it’s plentiful, and you look half-starved,” she joked.

The only part of Guy that looked hungry were his eyes, which were fixed on her as if he were trying to memorize her every expression .

“Not a day went by when I didn’t think of you,” he said. He didn’t come closer or demand a response. He was simply stating a fact.

Kate bowed her head. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him and how happy she was that he was back, but taking such a liberty would lead to more truths and more revelations, so she nodded in acknowledgement and fled Guy’s chamber before he could see the tears quivering on her lashes.

By the time he came down a half hour later, Kate was calm and composed.

She sat at the table with her hands folded demurely in her lap as Hugh said grace.

He was in such high spirits that he’d invited Joan, Alf, Jed, and Walter to share their meal, and treated them as honored guests rather than individuals he’d bullied for years and rarely thanked for their service.

“A toast to my brother’s homecoming,” Hugh exclaimed as he raised his goblet in Guy’s direction. “I’m so happy to see you, brother.”

“And I you,” Guy said, his gaze on Kate.