Page 2 of Cadell the Dragon

She had never had cause to thank him, quite the contrary. The gift of that manor she had never liked had contributed, she was certain of it, to the failure of her marriage.

How ironic that the only time any of her brothers had taken an interest in her they had ended up creating more problems. Because as soon as Rhun had found out about the manor, he had taken her there, arguing that she would be safer in her own country. But Johanna had not wanted to be safe, she had wanted to be with her husband, the man she had married precisely because he had taken an interest in her. She had not wanted to spend months alone, waiting for a sign from him, wondering if he would ever come back to her, worrying that he would not.

Johanna swallowed, and looked at the man by her side, a rather dour knight called Sir Paul Parish. He had agreed to escort her, but she could tell he was not happy about it. He had already warned her that he would take her to Bryn Glas as requested but would ride back to England as soon as he had seen her safely settled, being of the opinion, as most people she knew, that Wales was populated by uncivilized ruffians.

“Here we are at last, my lady. Good Lord, the place looks as if it has seen better days,” he added rather unnecessarily.

Did he really need to point that out? It was not as if it were not screamingly obvious.

A leaden weight settled in Johanna’s chest. This was going to be even more difficult than she had feared.

But Bryn Glas’ sad state was the reason she had decided to come, she reminded herself. Now that she was a widow, she needed a project to distract herself, she needed to give herself the sense that she had a purpose. She would be useful here.

In a place that needed her, hopefully she wouldn’t feel alone and ignored and bored.

“Yes, it has seen better days,” she agreed, refusing to let Sir Paul see how dejected she was. “Which is precisely why I’m here. To set things to rights. I am mistress of the place and I take my responsibility seriously.”

The people working here would be relieved, she imagined, to see that someone was finally taking an interest in them.

As Rhun’s wife, she’d not been able to do anything that made her feel fulfilled.

As his widow, she intended to begin a new, more satisfactory life.

“Have you heard?”

Cadell stormed into the solar of Castell y Ddraig without bothering to knock. He had ridden straight there from the tavern, his mind in too much turmoil after what he’d heard to go anywhere else. He needed to share his news with someone for fear he would explode.

Siaspar ap Morgan, the man he considered as a brother, arched a brow at his forceful entrance. It was clear he didn’t appreciate being interrupted while he was alone with his wife. Cadell clenched his jaw. He should definitely have knocked, but he was too agitated to behave normally.

“Tell me you’ve heard as well,” he demanded. “Tell me it is true?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Siaspar sounded worried, and no wonder. He would be wondering if they were under attack, not an unreasonable assumption in this uncertain climate. He exchanged a swift glance with Katherine, who was standing by his side. She, too, was frowning.

Cadell berated himself for causing them worry, but he had been too desperate to think about the impression his bursting into the solar would give them.

“So?” Siaspar lifted a brow. “What have you heard?”

“Lady Johanna arrived at Bryn Glas last night.”

“And?”

Despite the terse question, it was clear that Siaspar had understood the importance of the news. He had crossed his arms over his chest, a sure sign that he was listening. But, of course, his foster brother knew all about the feelings Cadell had harbored since the moment the beautiful lady had arrived at Castell y Ddraig some ten years ago.

Cadell had been a sixteen-year-old lad at the time, rather untried in matters of the heart—and he’d instantly been smitten. The English lady, slightly older than he was, had proved the most fascinating he had ever seen. Fascinating was definitely the right word. She had not been merely beautiful, even if with her dark looks, she had been stunning, but what was more important, she had been intriguing. Why she had drawn him so much had been hard to explain, though. Perhaps it was the way she looked around with huge, eager eyes, as if everything interested her. Perhaps it was the way she talked to people, as if she were genuinely listening to what they had to say, not just being polite. Perhaps it was that she was unique.

Yes, that had to be it. She was a woman like no other. He’d sensed it at the time, despite his lack of experience in anything related to women. A decade later, he was more certain of it than ever.

“She’s back, and she’s now a widow,” he told Siaspar, finally coming to the heart of the matter.

“I see.”

His brother stole another glance at his wife, an English woman herself. The two of them had married only recently, after his marriage to another English woman chosen for advancement had been annulled. That union had been a disaster, but thankfully, Siaspar was now married to a woman who, despite her low birth, had turned out to be the love of his life.

“I will leave you two alone,” Katherine declared, making her way to the door.

Cadell smiled at her, grateful for her discretion. He liked her a lot, but this conversation would be better conducted in private. As soon as the door closed, he started to pace around the room. Now that his secret was out, he didn’t know what to do.

“Do you want to see her again?”