‘I don’t understand. Why should a boat builder hold a grudge against Jonathan?’ Her voice shook.
Gawain raised an eyebrow. ‘We have no reason to suspect that the craftsman who built the boat killed your brother. Anyone with a knowledge of boats would be quite capable of drilling holes in the bottom. Maybe your brother wronged a shipwright’s wife and he was intent on revenge.’
‘Jonathan could be very cavalier in his treatment of my sex, but he would not seduce another man’s wife,’ she said firmly.
Gawain stared at her thoughtfully. ‘How can you be so sure?’
She returned his stare. ‘I knew him well and it was not in his nature to seduce a married woman. You will just have to take my word for it.’
He nodded slowly. ‘I will do so unless I discover you are wrong.’
She hesitated. ‘All right, I accept that because you didn’t know him. Anyway this is not helping us discover who killed my father.’
‘It could be that he had an inkling of who might have done away with Jonathan and he made the mistake of confronting the person he suspected.’
‘I—I see.’ She was silent a moment and then her eyes widened suddenly. ‘Do you think my father could have been killed by a religious fanatic?’
He marvelled at the way her mind so quickly grasped hold of possibilities. ‘It has occurred to me that he might have been involved in printing some of the teachings of the heretic Martin Luther,’ he said cautiously.
‘Father was religious, but Jonathan was not. And I cannot believe that Father would be so foolish as to become involved in such a dangerous activity.’
‘People can behave out of character when they strongly believe in something. Especially when they are grieving and deeply disturbed in their minds.’
She had a strange feeling that he was not only referring to her father, but someone else he knew, and wondered who it could be. ‘That could easily apply to the murderer, too,’ she said, moistening her lips that suddenly felt dry. ‘If so, they could have a grudge against my family and I could be their next target.’
Gawain hesitated before saying, ‘It is possible, but I gave my word to your father that I would take care of you if aught were to happen to him and I will do so.’
She gasped. ‘Why should you make such a promise to my father when you were barely acquainted? What did he offer you?’ she demanded suspiciously.
Gawain knew that the moment had come to tell her the truth. ‘Shares in his business, but that is neither here nor there as I am not a poor man, Mistress Llewellyn. No doubt what I am about to say will vex you, but on your father’s death I became your legal guardian.’
She was taken aback. ‘Why should he ask you to do that? There were other people he could have asked. His lawyer and man of business, for instance.’
The muscles of his handsome face tightened. ‘I asked your father that same question. It might seem strange to you, but he trusted me. I refused at first, for I did not wish to be burdened with finding you a spouse but he persisted.’
‘But I do not wish to marry,’ blurted out Beth.
‘So your father told me and frankly I do not believe it,’ said Gawain with a shake of the head. ‘Especially now your reason no longer exists.’
An angry sparkle lit her eyes. ‘You are mistaken. I presume he will have left his business to me, so there is naught preventing me from taking control of it when I return to London. I will be able to support myself financially, so I have no need of a husband.’
‘Impossible,’ he stated, coming to halt outside his tent. ‘It was your father’s wish that you marry and you will do so. Nothing you say will persuade me otherwise. Now inside before you attract even more attention to yourself than you have already done.’ He untied the flap and drew it back and ushered her inside.
‘I—I will not s-stay here with you! I will not marry you!’ She flung the words at him, making a bolt for the tent entrance, wondering whether Sir Gawain had designs on her himself and if he wished to have complete control over her, having killed her brother and her father?
Gawain seized hold of her and swung her against him. ‘Where did you get that crazy notion from? I already have a wife, so do not be thinking me responsible for your father’s death in order to get my hands on his business through you.’
Beth was stunned. ‘A wife! You have a wife? Where is she? Is she here with you?’
A flush darkened his cheeks because he knew that he was going to have to lie to her. ‘It really is none of your business, but, if you must know, she is tending an elderly sick aunt back home in England.’
‘I—I see,’ said Beth, wondering why she was having difficulty visualising him as another woman’s husband. After all, he was handsome and strong, extremely attractive and possessed land and money. ‘May I sit down?’ she asked abruptly, her knees giving way.
He seized her arm and pulled forwards a stool. ‘Naturally you are upset by the thought of having to obey a man who is almost a complete stranger to you, but it was your father’s wish.’
She clenched her fists. ‘It was wrong of Father to make arrangements for my future without discussing it with me. Why could he not treat me as he would have Jonathan?’
‘I am sure you know the answer to that,’ said Gawain, pouring wine from a barrel into a pitcher. ‘You are not stupid.’
‘Aye, because I am a daughter and not a son,’ she said bitterly.
‘Perhaps he also knew you well enough to know that you would argue with him if he told you the truth.’
She jerked up her head and glared at him. ‘As I will argue with you. Do not think I will fall in with your desire to get me out of the way. I will not marry and become some man’s possession, having no say in my own business.’
He said calmly, ‘We do not need to discuss this now. Will you take a cup of wine, Mistress Llewellyn, and some bread and cheese? It is all I can offer you at the moment.’
The calmness of his manner frustrated her because she so wanted to vent her hurt and anger on someone. ‘You said earlier that you came to the notice of the king. Why do you not eat at Henry’s table?’ she muttered.
‘If you must know, I’ve had a surfeit of rich food since I’ve been here. Besides, those who fawn around the king these days are not to my liking. When I was at court it was because I had trained as one of the king’s Gentlemen of the Spears, his élite mounted bodyguard.’
‘Then what were you doing wrestling half-naked if you held such a position?’ she asked.
‘I used to wrestle with Henry but now I cannot.’ He glowered at her.
‘Why not? Because you would defeat him and the king is not a man to suffer defeat lightly?’ she surprised him by saying.
Gawain shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t admit that, but the truth is that whilst fighting here in France a few years ago, my shoulder was dislocated. Now the joint has a habit of coming out of its socket when put unduly under stress and the pain can be debilitating. It does not happen often, but enough to embarrass me in front of my king and peers. Besides, I could no longer be relied on to defend the king if he were in danger, so I had to beg leave to resign from my position.’
‘That must have been very upsetting for you,’ said Beth, struggling with conflicting emotions. ‘You must miss the life of a warrior.’
‘Hardly that of a real warrior,’ he said stiffly. ‘Although life at court could be amusing, as well as exciting. As it is, Henry summons me to play board games or dice with him. He is an inveterate gambler and I have some skill.’