‘It’s the finest room in the keep after mine.’
‘Not there!’
‘Why not?’ Sir Ralph’s lips curved again. ‘It’s just a room. Or are you afraid of ghosts?’
Constance tensed, seized with the alarming conviction that the baron was trying to goad his own son into violence. There was no doubting the malevolent flicker in his eye or the deliberate taunt behind his words, even if she didn’t understand it. Only the reference to ghosts coming so soon after meeting Lady Adelaide made her feel more apprehensive. She had no idea what his father was really implying. She could only look around in dismay and wish that they’d stayed outside in the rain.
‘Maybe I am,’ Matthew answered at last, the muscles in his neck bunching so tightly she was half-afraid they might snap. ‘But there are still other guest chambers, I presume? We’ll use one of those.’
‘Do what you want.’ His father shrugged. ‘Only you’ll find those rooms a little cold and my servants have better things to do than light unnecessary fires.’
‘I’m perfectly capable of laying a fire by myself.’
‘But it takes time. Perhaps you ought to think of your wife’s comfort instead?’
‘You’re telling me to think of my wife’s comfort?’ Matthew’s expression was like granite.
‘So it would seem.’ Sir Ralph’s eyes narrowed, honing in on his son’s as if he were taking aim. ‘How does it feel?’
Chapter Twelve
Matthew stormed into one of the guest chambers, ramming his shoulder into the door so violently that it hit the wall behind with a resounding thud. The room within was cold and dark and bleak. Just like his temper.
Are you afraid of ghosts?
His father’s taunt had pursued him all the way up the stairs, destroying any hope of their putting the past behind them. He’d barely made it halfway across the hall before it had caught up with them again. Apparently nothing at Wintercott had changed in his absence!
No, he conceded, that wasn’t entirely true. The castle itself had expanded again—there were at least a dozen more buildings than he remembered—but his father was still the same hard-hearted tyrant who enjoyed nothing more than asserting his dominance over everyone and everything around him! The lascivious way he’d looked at Constance had been bad enough, making Matthew’s skin crawl and his fingers curl into fists, but offering the east chamber had been a deliberate attempt at provocation... His father knew full well how he felt about that room, not to mention the reasons why. He’d known exactly the effect his words would have, which was doubtless the reason he’d used them, but to do it in front of Constance was low even for him.
‘Matthew?’
She was standing behind him, looking so bewildered that he felt his heart wrench alarmingly. He was tempted to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, but he had a feeling that doing so would only lead to questions and they were the last things he wanted to deal with. He owed her some kind of explanation, but the truth wasn’t something he felt like sharing with anyone, not tonight anyway.
‘Here.’ He put his candle down on a chest and pulled a stool towards her instead. ‘Come and sit. I’ll make a fire.’
‘That can wait.’
‘It can’t. You’re shivering.’
‘No.’ She put a hand out to stay him, her fingers brushing lightly against his chest. ‘I don’t understand what’s going on. I know you said your relationship was difficult, but what just happened?’
‘Our father just happened.’ Alan’s voice from the doorway made them both spin around. ‘Causing strife is what he does best. It’s just about the only thing that makes him happy any more, but you have to admit he’s very good at it.’
‘Then he must be feeling very pleased with himself now.’ Matthew couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.
‘Immensely. I haven’t seen him look this happy since I fell off my horse and broke my arm.’
‘You broke an arm? When?’
‘A couple of years ago. A lot’s happened since you went away.’ Alan gave him a pointed look and then shrugged. ‘But that’s not why I’m here. I came to offer you your old room back.’
‘Why?’ Matthew regarded his younger brother suspiciously. Judging by his behaviour so far, he wasn’t overly pleased to see him again either. So why offer him his chamber?
‘It’s not for you.’ Alan jerked his head towards Constance as if he knew what he was thinking. ‘I just don’t want my new sister freezing to death on her first night here. Something tells me we’ve made a poor enough first impression.’
‘Oh, no...’ she started to protest.
‘Oh, yes.’ Alan gave a twisted smile, revealing a dimple in his left cheek that made him look like his old self for a moment. ‘But you’re kind to deny it. That scene just now was regrettable, but you caught us by surprise. We weren’t sure when exactly to expect your arrival. In any case, the east chamber will suit me perfectly. It won’t take long for me to move a few belongings and I’m not afraid ghosts.’