Free Never Kiss A Stranger by Heather Grothaus Page B

looks fine to me.”
    “Well, Bevan overpowered him, of course,” Judith Angwedd simpered proudly. “But now Piers is nowhere to be found, and we believe him to be quite dangerous. He isn’t here, is he?”
    “No,” Sybilla said without hesitation. “I would have been informed had a troubled man come upon Fallstowe’s gate. Why would you think him to come here?”
    Judith Angwedd looked uncomfortable for only a moment. “Bevan and I are to appear before the court of King’s Bench in less than a fortnight—perhaps Piers travels there with the idea that he will plead his delusional cause with Edward. Fallstowe lies directly in the path between Gillwick and the crown, and so I thought …” She paused, letting her wide teeth flash for an instant. “You haven’t had any horses stolen, have you? Chickens? Anything of the like?”
    Sybilla laughed out loud. “I’ve not counted them myself, but no, I’ve not heard that our henhouses have been breached. I’m sorry I cannot be of any help to you, Lady Judith.”
    “I see. Well, if you would happen to—”
    At that moment, Graves leaned close to Sybilla’s shoulder, so that the visitors could not hear him. Sybilla held up a palm to Judith Angwedd, signaling the woman to petulant silence.
    “Has there been word from Lady Alys, Madam?”
    Sybilla’s brow creased. Likely this Piers had wandered into the forest or the river and was either dead or had in some other way made himself of no consequence to Fallstowe or its inhabitants. But as far as Sybilla knew, Alys had yet to return to the keep, and the youngest Foxe sister was just foolish and headstrong enough to engage anyone she came across to her own cause now that she was to wed.
    “Shall I send a rider?” Graves asked when Sybilla had yet to answer.
    Sybilla gave only the briefest nod, and Graves made not a whisper of sound as he left to do her bidding. As Sybilla turned her attention back to the fuming JudithAngwedd and her purple son, she heard the approaching cackle of Etheldred Cobb. A sharp pain began throbbing beneath the delicate tissue of her temples. Sybilla wanted nothing more than to dismiss Judith Angwedd from the hall and retire to her rooms for the evening, leaving the Cobbs to a lonely supper. But she would not, as long as there was even the slightest chance Alys could have run upon a dangerous person.
    “Lady Judith,” Sybilla began, seeming to have to force her mouth to form the words. “Fallstowe entertains other guests this evening.” She stopped, and Judith Angwedd’s face fell into an offended scowl. The woman’s discomfiture suited Sybilla, but she forged ahead with the invitation. “But I would be pleased if you and your son would join us for a meal before taking your leave.”
    Judith Angwedd’s padded eyes widened to the best of their ability, and after one stunned moment, she curtsied.
    “It would be our honor to dine in such a grand hall as Fallstowe’s, Lady Sybilla,” the woman simpered.
    “Why, Judith Angwedd, it’s been three years, I’d wager.” Etheldred Cobb entered the hall with Clement and maid Mary on her heels, and the old woman seemed unreasonably pleased to see the Gillwick party.
    Judith Angwedd straightened and her brows rose. “Lady Etheldred, Lord Clement. What a lovely surprise. You remember Bevan, of course. What brings you to Fallstowe?”
    “Yes, ho there, Bevan. Eating well, I see.” Etheldred Cobb pulled her own sizeable mass onto the dais and took a seat at Sybilla’s table as if the chair had been inscribed with her name, while her maid moved alone to one of the common tables on the floor. “Clement and I decided to stay on a bit after the winter feast. Strange—I don’t recall seeing you among the guests.” The slight flew through theair with the surety of the straightest arrow. “And, of course, with Clement and Lady Alys soon to wed … well, pray God one day you may know how loathe young people in love are to part from one another,