Soon he was completely covered again and she was breathing more freely. He tied his shirt laces and then pulled on his outer tunic over his shirt.
Suddenly someone knocked on the door. “Go, hurry!” Avelina whispered desperately.
Lord Thornbeck hurried to the little room at the far end of the chamber as Avelina walked to her door. “Who is there?” she asked loudly, checking to make sure Lord Thornbeck was out of sight.
“Guards. Open the door.”
Avelina opened and stood in the doorway. “Yes?”
“We are looking for Lord Thornbeck.” They wore the colors of Geitbart, red and black.
Avelina shrugged. “I am sorry I cannot help you.”
The guard stuck his head in and looked around. “You are to tell one of us if you see him.”
“Is the Duke of Geitbart looking for him? Or are Lord Thornbeck’s guards looking for him?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “He is missing. Have you seen him?”
“No, but if I do see him, what should I tell him?”
“Tell him the Duke of Geitbart wishes to speak with him.”
“Of course. I will.”
She could tell he was trying to decide if he should bow to her or just leave. In the end he simply turned to leave. Three other guards were behind him and they went down the corridor and knocked on Magdalen’s door.
Just as Avelina was about to close the door, Geitbart pushed it wide and stepped into the room.
27
“LADY DOROTHEA,” HE said. “No, that is not your name, is it? What is your name?”
“Avelina Klein of Plimmwald.”
“Avelina. Yes.” His face twisted into a wry smile. He seemed to be perpetually leaning forward in an aggressive way that seemed in contrast to his rather short and paunchy body. He had sharp angular cheekbones and bushy black brows that came to a point in the middle above each eye.
“Do you wish to speak to me about something?”
He moved over to the chair and sat down. “I wish to know where Lord Thornbeck is.”
“Apparently he is missing. Your guards just informed me.”
“I thought you might know where he is.” He fingered the goblet on the table beside him that Lord Thornbeck had drunk from earlier.
“Why would I know where he is?” Her hands were starting to shake.
“He chose you at the ball, did he not?”
“Yes, but when he found out I had deceived him, he was very angry with me. He had me sent to the servants’ quarters, until Magdalen demanded that he let me sleep here. He knows I am only a maidservant. He could have no further desire to even talk with me.”
“He risked his life to rescue you from the wolves, did he not?”
She shrugged again. “He heard screaming. He would have risked his life to save anyone.” A lump rose into her throat at the truth of the words.
The duke’s small, sharp gaze roamed the room, seeming to take note of everything. No doubt he took in their discarded bandages. Hopefully he could not tell that one of them belonged to Lord Thornbeck.
“I wonder that he has not sent you away.”
“He would have, but he said he would wait until my injury is healed.”
“Very compassionate of him.”
Avelina despised the mocking tone of his voice and curve of his lips. He was like a small dark rooster who claimed every chicken in the henhouse as his personal property—every chicken, every egg, and even the humans who fed him.
“Since I do not know where Lord Thornbeck is, there is nothing more I can do for you. I suppose you have things to do.”
But the duke made no move to get up from the chair. He simply continued to finger the goblet beside him.
“I heard the margrave was very helpful in putting out the fire in the west wing an hour ago.”
“It is his castle. I am not surprised he would want to protect it.”
“You were also seen near the fire.”
“I was curious.”
The duke’s gaze settled on the basin of water, turned gray from the soot she and Lord Thornbeck had washed from their faces and necks. He inhaled a deep breath before speaking. “Lord Thornbeck was a knight before he injured his ankle and became Margrave of Thornbeck. Did you know?”
“Of course. Everyone knows.”
“I would imagine he knows how to sword fight very well.”
“I would imagine that is true.” From the muscles she had just seen on his back and arms, she would guess he was very good at it.
“If you see him, tell him I want to challenge him to a sword fight, just him and me.”