Free Gem of Gravane (The Northern Knights) by Amber Dane Page A

in him and he shoved
the image aside. He had other concerns at the moment.  Ignoring the
curiosity pulling at him, he crossed the room to the chairs on the other side
of the bed and sat down. “Come. Sit.” 
    He watched her rushing to do so,
and then heard her curse under her breath as she caught herself doing it. He
did suppress a smile then and repeated his question about her cousin.
    She answered after expelling a
shaky breath. “My father tolerated me because ‘twas what he promised my mother.
He went into the afterlife despising me for not being the son he so badly
wanted. Thomas I guess filled that void and my father gave him whatever he
wanted. They were very close. Within a week of my father’s death five years
ago, Thomas began his thievery. At first, he started by dipping into the rents,
tenant tax payments, then…”  She paused as the burden of holding it in for
all these past years caused a shiver to run through her frame.
    “His greed turned him to
you.” Aric finished for her, his words packed with anger and he nodded for
her to continue.  “Go on.” 
    “My father had given him
guardianship over my dower lands and over…me. that is until…” Danielle
stopped and swallowed. 
    “Until William lay waste to England
and ordered you to marry, you mean?”
    Her nod was stilted and defiance
flashed in her eyes. So she’d not really wanted this marriage either.  The
thought bothered Aric and he sat up straighter.  He watched her
closely. Opening up was not something she was used to, her cheeks reddening
were a sign of that.  He knew how hard it was for her to swallow all the
changes. He would not argue with her on it.
     “Well then.  I am not so
sure your father gave him everything. He did not give your cousin what he most
coveted and that is Gravane in its entirety. His guardianship ended with
your marriage . So, I doubt your father was as fooled by Thomas as you
would like to think.”   
    Danielle’s eyes widened on
that.  Could he be right? Nay, her father had hated her. Yet, his trusted
steward had indeed come to her aid. Now that she thought about it, all the
pushing and prodding from the faithful steward for her to keep separate ledgers
had been will and strong determination. He had made it seem as if it’d been her
idea. Danielle felt her lips tug at the corners and warmth filled her heart.
The aged man had been with Gravane since the days of her grandfather and had
sat by her mother’s side often.
     “The separate
ledgers? Your idea?” Aric asked her. 
    She nodded vigorously. “And
the steward,” she added with a smile. “He is a wise old man.”
    Aric nodded in agreement. “Wise
indeed and so are you, Danielle. Very wise.”
    Danielle shivered, rubbing her
arms. “If…If I had not, Gravane would have fallen to Thomas’s greed…to total
ruin. Not to say that naught has been unaffected, as it has. My people…Some of
them, well…There is discord amongst several here.”
    Aric’s soft touch on the back of
her hand encouraged her to continue.
    “His greed knows no bounds. Nor
does his…temper.” Revulsion coursed through Danielle as she absently rubbed her
cheek remembering all too well that day Thomas had made it clear he’d not
listen to her or any woman. 
    Silence.
    Danielle watched the scar above
Aric’s brow turn white as his eyes watched her intently. Licking her lips, she
went on. “He tried to undermine me on several occasions, using his temper as a
means to get me to give in to his wants and by bringing his sister here.” She
looked away from him then as she finished. “Rose only made things here…much
worse.”
     “And you thought to tell no
one of this?” 
    “Who was there to tell?  Who
could I trust to tell? Most of the people here do not want to
listen to a woman let alone take orders from one. We both well know no one
cares to have things run by a woman during these times.”
    Aric said naught for it was the
truth.  The awkward