De Wolfe Pack 05 - Walls of Babylon (16 page)

“Pull!” Kenton commanded. “If you do not pull, he will get away!”

Teague was trying as hard as he could but the fish seemed stronger than he was. It was only a small pond, one inside the kitchen yard where they kept a supply of fish, but the trout had grown fat in the winter time feeding off of the algae in the pond and they were more than a match for three small boys.

It was cold in the shadow of the keep this day even though the sun was shining and the sky above was a bright blue. The boys were crowded around the pond with a fishing line and hook that Kenton had given them. It all started when Tab told the man one evening over mutton stew that he didn’t know how to fish, nor had he ever been fishing, which prompted Kenton to remedy the situation. Gerik, who could make just about anything, helped Kenton make three fishing lines for the boys to use.

Even now, in the cold of the kitchen yard, Kenton and Gerik were teaching their young captives to fish using the lines. Gone were the days of keeping the boys confined to the fourth floor apartments; that had ended the day Kenton had returned from Manchester with Lady Thorne. The family was allowed free rein about the castle and Lady Thorne was freely permitted to return to her duties as Lady of Babylon as if she and her family were not prisoners. Much had changed after that day, in fact.

Kenton had changed.

But the knights hadn’t said anything about the obvious change in the man and his attention towards Lady Thorne and her brood. A good example of his change in attitude was the fishing. The Kenton le Bec of old would have never done such a thing and he certainly would not have done it with captive children. But he was doing it now and he had Gerik roped into it. Not that Gerik minded because he could be a rather relaxed character at times. He wasn’t thinking what the other knights were thinking:
what has happened to le Bec?
But, wisely, no one said a word. No one wanted to enrage le Bec.

As Kenton and Gerik lingered around the edge of the castle pond, supervising, the fishing was going well enough for Tab and Teague but Tiernan hadn’t had a bite since they’d started. The three-year-old was quite frustrated to the point where his mother had to intervene. Bundled up against the cold, Nicola helped Tiernan toss the line and tug on it to lure the fish in. Kenton was helping Tab while the big, bear-like knight was being quite patient with Teague, who became very upset when a fish he thought he caught swam away. He’d tried to pull on it just like Kenton told him to but the fish still escaped. Frustrated, he kept tossing his line into the murky water, hoping to lure it back.

Tiernan, the silent child, was the first one to catch a fish, which utterly discouraged Tab and Teague. Tab was determined not to let his baby brother best him and continued trying very hard while Teague, eventually bored and dejected, left the pond and ran over to the corral where the lambs were huddled with their mothers. He was more interested in playing with a lamb, which he carried out of the corral and ran to show his mother. The little lamb’s legs were dangling as Teague excitedly brought the little beast to display to his mother and brothers. When he put the little creature on the ground, the lamb took off running and, delighted, Teague and Tiernan followed. So did Nicola, trying to keep control of her frisky twins.

Now, there was only one child fishing in the murky castle pond but Tab was determined to catch as many fish as he could. He confiscated his brothers’ fishing lines and tried to work all three as Kenton and Gerik helped.

“Pull, lad,” Kenton encouraged Tab again. “But not too hard; you do not want to tear the hook out of his mouth. He’ll get away if you do.”

Tab was biting his lip, concentrating on all three lines. “But he is pulling away from me.”

“Then you must pull harder. Show him that you are in command.”

Tab glanced at the knight even as he started to become entangled in the fishing lines. “He is just a fish,” he said. “He will not know I am in command. He only understands fish things.”

Kenton grinned. “That is true,” he said. “But all creatures understand force. You must show him your force is stronger than his.”

Tab pondered that idea for a moment. “That is what men do, isn’t it?” he asked. “Try to prove their force is stronger than someone else’s?”

Kenton’s smile faded at the simple but true concept of war, and life in general, from the young lad. “That is quite true,” he said. “You are very astute.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means wise.”

Tab liked that thought. He felt complimented, praised even. In fact, this entire afternoon had been filled with something he’d never experienced before – a man taking an interest in him with something as small as fishing. Not even his own father had ever done that. But this big knight, the man who had conquered his castle, was taking a great deal of interest in him and his brothers. That was utterly new in Tab’s world.

With that in mind, he tried very hard to manage the three lines. In some way, he wanted to make Sir Kenton proud of him and what he was doing. He liked it very much when the man gave him his approval, filling a need in the boy that had never been met. It was a need Tab never even knew he had.

“I am going to show this fish that I am bigger and stronger than he is,” he declared. “I will show
all
of the fish I am bigger and stronger. I will catch them all!”

Kenton stood next to the boy, his smile returning at the lad’s boast. “You can try,” he said. “But it may prove difficult. Fish are very fast.”

“I am faster!”

“They may not wish to be caught, then.”

Tab was resolute. “I will catch them, anyway,” he said. “When I catch them, I will cut their heads off and eat them!”

Kenton snorted, putting a big hand on Tab’s blond head. “I believe you.”

Tab looked up, grinning openly at Kenton before returning his attention to the tangled fishing lines. When Gerik, standing a few feet away, tried to help untangle them, Kenton waved his knight off. This was Tab’s fight, after all, and they would let him fight it alone. It seemed that all the boy needed was a bit of encouragement, which Kenton was happy to provide.

Kenton’s gaze moved from Tab to the boy’s mother several feet away as she trailed after the twins. The boys were playing with the little lamb and Nicola meandered after them, smiling at her little boys and their frolics. Kenton was starting to notice everything about her now, from the way her hair fell against her neck to the dimple in her chin when she would smile. If he’d merely been fascinated with her before, the past several days had seen him become completely enamored with her and everything about her. Every movement, every word enthralled him. His attention increasingly on her, he couldn’t help but move in her direction. It seemed the most natural of things.

Nicola, meanwhile, had no idea she was being stalked. She had moved away from the pond and was following the twins as they played with the little lamb, which was becoming quite frisky and playful. It would jump in the air and try to head-butt the little boys, who were delighted at the antics. Nicola stood back, grinning, as Teague was butted by the little lamb and fell over, giggling.

“My lady,” came a quiet, deep voice from behind. “I fear we may have an issue.”

Nicola turned around to see Kenton standing behind her, a faint smile on his face. She smiled in return, instantly, as she had so many times over the past few days. Ever since the return from Manchester, Kenton was ready to smile at her and she was ready to smile in return. Gone was the serious, stone-faced knight she had first become acquainted with. Gone was the belligerence between them. These days, there were no arguments. Thankfully, there was peace.

“What issue is that?” she asked.

Kenton threw a thumb over his shoulder at Tab, who was standing by the pond’s edge with Gerik behind him. “Young Tab has declared he will not stop fishing until he has caught every fish in the pond,” he said. “I have tried to suggest that such a thing may not be possible but you may wish to speak with him as well.”

Nicola looked at her eldest boy with two fishing lines in his hands. She laughed softly. “He is quite determined once his mind is set,” she said. “But I will see what I can do.”

Kenton nodded, his gaze lingering warmly on her as it had so often over the past few days. “I am sure that you can move mountains with him,” he said softly. “At least, you could with me.”

Nicola looked up into his handsome face, feeling quite warm and giddy by his statement. He had flirted with her quite heavily over the past few days but it hadn’t gone beyond that. He hadn’t even kissed her. It was as if he were trying to charm her into submission first, which she nearly liked better. She’d never had a man try to charm her in her life.

“How flattering, my lord,” she said, lowering her lashes coyly. It was something she’d learned to do with him as of late, something he seemed to like a great deal. “You are too kind.”

He snorted. “I tell the truth,” he said, eyeing her. “I was wondering, in fact….”

He trailed off and she cocked her head, smiling at him. “What were you wondering?” she asked.

He cleared his throat softly. “I was wondering if tonight after sup, if you would join me in the solar for warmed wine and conversation,” he said, somewhat awkwardly. He wasn’t a man used to
asking
anything; all he ever gave were commands. “I would be pleased if you would be agreeable.”

Nicola smiled broadly. “Conversation?” she repeated, toying with him. “Whatever could we speak of?”

“Many things.”

“You must give me an example.”

Kenton pursed his lips. He could see that she was jesting with him. “We will discuss how obstinate you are. And how beautiful.”

She laughed softly. “May we also speak of how forceful and determined you are?”

“Those are my good qualities.”

Her laughter grew. “Then I would be honored to converse with you about such things,” she said. “I must put the boys to bed first but I would be happy to join you when I have finished.”

“Then I shall look forward to it.”

Nicola flushed sweetly, flattered by his invitation. So much had changed between them over the past week that it was as if they were two entirely different people who had only just met, and whose attraction to one another had been obvious and strong from the onset. She was so caught up in gazing at the man, who was looking at her rather bashfully, that she was genuinely startled when the lamb butted Tiernan, catching the boy off balance, and he fell down on a rock. He howled at his scraped knee.

Forgetting the sweet flirt with Kenton, Nicola picked her son off the ground and soothed his tears. He had a bit of blood, and his breeches were torn, so she begged leave from Kenton and took both twins into the keep with her.

Kenton watched her go, his gaze lingering on the seductive sway of her hips as she walked. In fact, he couldn’t see anything else but her. He was consumed by the shapely vision, recalling snippets of her voice and flashes of her smile now that she was out of his sight. He had no idea how long Conor had been standing next to him when he finally noticed the man. He tried not to appear surprised or off-guard, but he couldn’t quite manage it. He flinched.

“God’s Bones,” he muttered. “Why would you sneak up on me like that?”

Conor was looking at him with a glimmer in his eye. “You have always heard me approach before.”

Kenton knew exactly what he meant. He’d been very distracted with Nicola, so distracted that those uncanny senses he usually had, like feeling a man sneak up on him, had been dulled. Rather than become angry about it, because it was the truth, Kenton simply shrugged and avoided acknowledging what Conor already knew. He tried not to appear embarrassed.

“What do you want?” he asked simply.

Conor threw a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of the inner ward. “Wellesbourne and de Russe have need to speak with you,” he said. “Are you available?”

Kenton nodded. “I am,” he said as he began to move towards the ward. He was eager to move past the fact he’d flinched like a woman when Conor came upon him. “Where are they?”

Conor moved with him. “By the stables,” he said. “They were looking for you. I told them I would send you to them.”

Kenton‘s gaze was moving to the ward and the stables beyond as he approached the gate in the wall that separated the kitchen yard from the rest of the inner ward. “Did they tell you what they wished to speak of?”

Conor shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “Do you want me to accompany you?”

“You may as well.”

They passed through the kitchen gate, an arched portal that was built into the thickness of the wall. A very heavy iron grate was built into it, separating the kitchen yard from the inner ward. Kenton and Conor moved into the inner ward, which was crowded with men camping in various circles. Since there were so many men stationed at Babylon now, what men couldn’t fit into the keep or hall had to stay outside in the elements, so the inner ward was peppered with small encampments that surrounded small fires.

Smoke from those fires lingered heavy in the cold air, so much so that Kenton’s eyes were stinging because of it. As he and Conor approached the stables, they were met by Wellesbourne and de Russe emerging. Wellesbourne smiled, that easy smile that came so readily to him, at the sight of Kenton.