Free Susan Spencer Paul by The Brides Portion Page B

quickly refuse to do anything that you ask, and I’ll have lost the only power I have over him. It’s too much of a risk.”
    “Then let me write to him!” she pleaded, holding out an entreating hand.
    He shook his head. “He’ll go to the king the moment he knows you’re here. Impossible.”
    With a sound of exasperation, she turned her head to look out the window again. “We are still at odds, then.”
    “What about de Burgh?” Alexander of Gyer asked. “What do you know of him?”
    “Little, my lord,” she said with a slight shrug. “I’ve not even met him, I don’t think, unless it was as a child. I don’t remember him, if I did. But I thought you had already decided he is plotting with my father. Do you think he might somehow be useful?”
    “I don’t know,” he answered thoughtfully. “We’ve never gotten along, as I told you, but even so, I’ve never thought that de Burgh wished to actually war with Gyer. He is an unreasonable, stubborn-headed dog, true enough, but is that reason to make him send his people to their certain demise?”
    Lillis ignored this insulting slight to her betrothed and instead offered up a new idea. “I know! I shall make having the dam torn down a contingency of my marriage. If my father wishes me to wed de Burgh he’ll have to tear the dam down first. What could be simpler? I don’t know why we didn’t think of it earlier.” Her voice was filled with excitement.
    He thought this over briefly, then frowned. “I cannot think your father will tear the dam down for such a reason. He’ll probably threaten to keep you a maiden at Wellewyn your whole life long rather than lose his power over Gyer. You’d have done better to stay at the convent and take up the veil.”
    Lillis was undaunted. “Perhaps I could make certain that the marriage contract is written so that I will keep control and ownership of the land after my marriage. I’ll demand that it be made a part of my dower. Would that not settle matters?”
    “I should like to see you do it!” he replied with a bitter laugh. “Do you truly think either your betrothed or your father would agree to such a demand after all their careful planning? I doubt it very much.”
    “Oh!” Lillis snapped. “I give way! Nothing is acceptable to you. I’ll grow old in this place while you try to make a decision.”
    Alexander gazed at her sympathetically. “I’m sorry. I know this is as unpleasant for you as it is for me. More so, as I have my freedom.” He sighed and raised one arm to lean against the side of the window opening. “What a troublesome knot we must untie!”
    Lillis was about to agree when the door to the room flew open. They both turned to find Willem standing there, breathless and tense.
    “Alex! There’s a fire in one of the tenants’ villages.”
    “Damn!” Alexander pushed from the window, his face pale. “Where?”
    “The northern fields.” Willem’s expression was grim. “It’s bad, Alex.”
    The Lord of Gyer was already on his way to the door. “Take Lady Lillis back to her room,” he barked, “and meet me at the stables. I’ll gather the men.”
    Lillis didn’t need to be told. She obediently went with Willem.
    “No one will be harmed, do you think?” she asked anxiously as they made their way up the stairs.
    “I hope not,” he replied. “We can only pray that the rains of yesterday will slow the fire and keep it from spreading.”
    “Does anyone know how it was started?”
    “No,” he said, then added tersely, “Dunsted probably.” She could hear the anger in his voice, and cringed.
    Surely Jason de Burgh would never countenance his people doing such a horrible thing! No, the fire must have been started by accident, from a fallen candle or a smoking fire pit. These things often happened; it would make more sense than suspecting someone of deliberately setting it. Lillis hoped this was so. She knew only too well who would be blamed if Dunsted was responsible for the