“Let us not talk of this now,” Meredydd said swiftly, a smile creasing her pretty face. “You heard Lord Maginnis, Daffyd.”
Garrick held up his palm. “’Tis not my wish to marry your daughter.”
“But” —Meredydd gulped, and her hand flew to her throat as she took in Morgana’s disheveled appearance— “Morgana is a lady.”
Daffyd snorted, and Morgana had to bite her lip to keep from shouting at them all.
Garrick said, “I have no need of a wife. I have but a mission for your daughter. Because of her sorcery and powers I wish Morgana to help me find my son.”
Meredydd’s smile fell. Her gaze darted from Morgana to Garrick, and Morgana cringed inside when she realized that her mother thought she had lain with the lord — the twigs in her hair, her torn and dirty clothing, the late hour.
“Mother, ’tis not as it seems,” Morgana tried to explain.
Her mother said woodenly, “I do not understand.”
“’Tis not my intention to wed Morgana, but to use her powers, if they exist, to find Logan. For this, I am prepared to bargain with you,” Garrick said, his handsome face reflecting his silent agony over his son. Morgana did not doubt that he suffered, yet she did not trust this warrior from the north, baron or no. The vision had been too clear. This man promised death for Wenlock.
She drew away from the lord who would be her master and had to fight to keep her sharp tongue from betraying her true feelings. “I will help you, my lord, but I will not leave Tower Wenlock.”
Garrick’s gaze moved from her face to Daffyd’s grave countenance. Did her father also believe that she had lifted her skirts to the baron? Shame caused her cheeks to flame crimson, and Morgana’s insides twisted. A glance of understanding passed between the two men, and Morgana realized that her fate had been sealed — by this beast who would use but mock her powers and by a father she had disobeyed. Her voice trembled. “I will not—”
Her father threw her a dark look for her impertinence.
Garrick removed his gloves and, as if there had been no interruption from Morgana, said to Daffyd, “Not only will I pay you well, but I will keep Morgana at Castle Abergwynn for a year and, with the help of my sister, Clare, turn her into a proper lady. Several of my knights would willingly wed her, though she is older than most would prefer. One man has already talked to me of her, and I promised to speak to you.”
A yelp escaped her. What man? The lust-filled eyes of Garrick’s knights came back to haunt her again, and Morgana could suffer his indignities no longer. “Father, you cannot barter with my life,” she said, but even as the words passed her lips, she knew she had no choice in the matter. Her father and the baron could choose her destiny. “By the teeth of the dogs I’ll not—”
“Nay,” her father commanded. “We will have no chanting of spells or curses within this hall!” He tilted his head up to meet the power of Garrick’s gaze. “I will accept your offer,” he said, ignoring Morgana’s swift intake of breath. “My daughter is wayward and untamed, and I have protected her.” His angry gaze swung to Morgana. “But this night she has not only lied and disobeyed me but has also cast off her home, leaving it open to attack.” He motioned to his vassal, and the knight tossed a rope onto the floor to tangle in the rushes.
Morgana felt as if her heart had dropped through the smooth stones of the floor. Tears of regret threatened her eyes, though she would not shed even one small drop — not in front of this beast who would take her from her home.
“Did you, Morgana, escape this castle by this rope and leave it dangling unattended?” Daffyd asked, his face florid, his lips white.
She nodded bravely. “Aye.”
“Did you know that an enemy could scale the castle walls and take us unawares?”
“I did not think—”
“’Tis obvious you did not think!” Daffyd roared, his voice rumbling to the timbers overheard. “Did you disobey me?”
“Aye, Father, but ’twas to protect the castle—”
“Enough, daughter!” he said, deeply wounded, his face twisted by disappointment. “You leave me no choice. This will be your punishment. You shall ride with Baron Maginnis whenever he decides to leave, and you will not be welcome back to this tower. You will marry a man the baron chooses for you, and you will not argue! Nor will you ever set foot in Tower Wenlock again!”
Meredydd’s face drained of color, and her fingers tightened in the sleeve of her husband’s tunic. “Do not do this, Daffyd,” she pleaded, her voice a rough whisper. “You are angry now, and you should be, but ’twill fade. Do not cast aside our firstborn. Do not!”
Daffyd shook his head. “Hear you me, Morgana?”
Morgana nodded stonily, unbelieving. Surely her father would forgive her. Yea, she had disobeyed, but this banishment with the lord of Abergwynn from the north? Nay, this could not be happening. In the morning, when Daffyd’s anger had passed, he would retract his hastily spoken words. “Banish me if you will, Father,” she said bravely, her throat thick, her chin thrust forward, tears beginning to form. “But please be merciful and do not send me to Castle Abergwynn.”
Daffyd’s mouth opened and closed. “’Tis the best place for you.”
“Nay.”
“I will ensure her safety,” Garrick said.
“He is from the north, Father. He will destroy us all!”