Choose the Sky: A Medieval Romance (Swordcross Knights Book 2) by Elizabeth Cole Page B

from your people? They’ll obey if I tell them so.”
    She said nothing for a moment, still gazing at the scene. Then she took a deeper breath, saying, “It’s no great matter. Constance has leave to enjoy the company of a guest. After all, it will only be a short time until your retinue has to leave again.”
    Perhaps
, Luc thought.
    After supper, Domina excused herself.
    “What do you think?” Luc asked Octavian, once they were alone at the table.
    “Of the lady? Or her castle?”
    “Everything.”
    “It all looks quite normal.”
    “Her people are looking at us in a strange way,” Luc insisted.
    “Everyone always looks at me that way,” Tav said simply, “so I hadn’t noticed. If you think it’s strange, you may be right. On the other hand, maybe you’re determined to see a problem where there is none.”
    “The king would not pursue the matter if he wasn’t concerned.”
    “He’s not infallible. The evidence against the lord Godfrey is not strong enough for the king to issue any proclamation. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? He needs more evidence than he has now.”
    “You’re right,” Luc admitted.
    “Remember that story of Godfrey on crusade. It’s not in character with a man who would become a traitor.”
    “Stories are often exaggerated,” Luc said.
    “Perhaps,” said Tav. “But is that the action of a man who would betray the king he swore fealty to?”
    Luc knew exactly what Octavian meant, though he remembered Drugo’s damning accusations as well. “Here’s another reading of your story,” he said. “Godfrey’s action in Jerusalem showed he was a man who wanted peace. Perhaps he thinks the empress will bring peace, and that’s why he’s switching sides.”
    “We won’t know until we ask.”
    “You can’t ask that outright!” Luc warned. “We must be circumspect.”
    “This is your mission,” Tav said. “I won’t say a word, for I want no part in your politics. I’m only here to lend you aid.”
    “Thank you.”
    “But for what it’s worth, I think you’ve been given a task far more difficult than you deserve. And for what?”
    For an earldom
, Luc thought. But of course he could not say that. So all he said was, “Because I owe the king my loyalty.”
    * * * *
    The very next day, Luc began to work on his ostensible reason for being at Trumwell Castle. He walked along the castle’s walls and parapets. He consulted the man in charge of the garrison in Godfrey’s absence.
    Haldan had an open countenance and broad smile, but there was something in his eyes—a calculating look—that made Luc wary. Yet, just as with Domina, perhaps Haldan’s concern was nothing more than suspicion of a stranger.
    Luc thus kept his questions mild as he probed for information.
    “You think Godfrey a good master?” he asked Haldan.
    “I could not ask for better!” Haldan said. “Trumwell is a good place for me. I plan to stay here for a long while,” he added, with an outsized confidence that struck Luc as boastful.
    “And the lady Domina? Does she concern herself with the castle’s defense?” Of course, Luc remembered her clear voice reciting Trumwell’s strengths back when she’d stood before the king. But he wanted to hear Haldan’s thoughts.
    “She does,” Haldan noted, his tone souring. “Too much, for a woman. She forgets her place.”
    “What’s her place?” Luc asked.
    The big man smirked. “Oh, I can think of a few places for her, like that big fancy bed she’s got in her chamber.”
    Luc felt a strong desire to challenge Haldan to single combat. “You say that about the lady of the castle?” He spoke very quietly, because that was the only way he wouldn’t start yelling.
    Haldan noticed Luc’s lack of amusement, but he forced a chuckle out. “Just a joke, sir knight.”
    But it wasn’t just a joke—Luc recognized lust as well as anyone else, and that’s what had been in Haldan’s voice. A true knight would immediately leap to Domina’s