Kathryn stared at her, shocked.
“—That you fought him off and escaped into your room," Bethany continued, “and that the only reason he didn’t break down your door was that Master Daniel came along and stopped him.”
Things clicked into place. No wonder everyone was treating the man so poorly. They thought he had tried to force himself on her—a maiden he was sworn to protect.
“And you believed this?” The anger echoed through Kathryn’s voice.
“We had no reason not to,” Marlena answered from next to her.
Kathryn gave her a questioning look.
“You looked horrible this morning. You spent all day avoiding him, and when we asked if you wanted to talk about it, you said no.”
Enlightenment dawned on Kathryn, and she nodded. “I see.” She tried to keep her voice very level as she spoke. “Tell me something. Does Lord Mylan seem like a man who would accost a maiden?”
The girls looked at each other.
Bethany shook her head. “Not really.”
“And do you think any man would try such a thing in an open doorway with a bed just a fathom away?”
The girls looked around at each other again.
“Only if he were desperate,” Bethany answered again.
“Think carefully before you answer this next one.” Kathryn’s narrowed eyes held a strong warning in them. “Do you think a man who can stare down a dragon, without a shield, is desperate?”
“No,” Bethany answered, her head bent in shame.
All the girls looked ashamed.
Kathryn’s hands were clenched in anger. “I did have a disagreement with our good lord, but he did not hurt me. And he certainly never shoved me down.”
This had to be Lillian’s way of getting back at Patrick for refusing her. Such a rumor could be enough to destroy any man’s reputation. “Have you all been passing this story around?” The looks on their faces told her all she needed to know. “I see.”
How was she going to set this straight? Even if she came out and told everyone the truth, the damage had been done. This wasn’t the worst lie that she had ever heard, but it was obviously coloring everyone’s view of the poor man. She would have to deal with Lillian.
The sound of the main door opening drew all of their attention.
“Master Daniel,” Kathryn cried in surprise. It wasn’t Daniel that shocked her. It was the view of the back end of a man over his shoulder that had her pushing her sewing from her lap and jumping up. “Is he…?” Kathryn’s heart clenched at the possibilities. No one had seen Patrick for most of the day.
Daniel met her halfway around the table. “He’s fine.” He paused so she could turn Patrick’s face to check on him. It was a little red from hanging upside down, but he seemed okay.
Kathryn ran her fingers through his hair, surprised by how soft it was. “Where did you find him?”
“He found himself an out-of-the-way spot with a skin or two of mead,” Daniel explained. “Some rest will see him right.”
She snorted with disgust. “Some Prince Charming.”
Daniel laughed at her. “He may be many things, but a prince he is not.”
Kathryn paused with her fingers tangled in Patrick’s hair. “But, he said he was.”
“He would never be so brazen,” Daniel scoffed.
“He said he was the king’s son,” Kathryn countered.
Twisting around, he looked into her eyes. “He may have been raised by the queen, but he is no prince.”
She cocked her head in question.
“This man’s life is as complicated as he is heavy. Let me find a place to drop his sorry carcass, and I will explain.” Daniel turned towards the door leading to the living space.
Having heard Kathryn’s and Daniel’s exchange, the maidens dropped their work and followed. The story of a would-be prince was something not to be missed.
Daniel sighed as half of the girls led the way and the rest followed.
“He’s a prince?” Marlena asked.
Apparently, this explanation was not going to wait until he got Patrick back to his chambers. “No.” Daniel shook his head. “He’s an orphan the queen took in.”
A murmur went through the girls.
“So, he is a prince,” Bethany stated.
Daniel took a deep breath to keep from snapping at the women. “No,” he said again. “Although the queen may call him son and the prince claims him as a brother, he lacks the bloodline to be a royal.”
The women were quiet as they took this in.
Darkness met him as he pushed Patrick’s door open. “Why’s the fire out?” Daniel asked. He knew the man had been gone for most of the day, but there should still have been some embers left. The room was stone cold.
The girls were oddly silent.
“Never mind.” He turned towards the bed. He could relight the fire once he had put Patrick down.
Kathryn skirted around him to pull the covers back. “Wait.” She stopped as soon as she picked up the blanket.
Daniel paused as she reached her hand down to the mattress.
“This is wet.” She rubbed her fingers over the soggy bedding.
Daniel could hear the maidens behind him shuffling their feet. No wonder Patrick was up in the tower drinking. A castle full of upset women could ruin anyone’s day.
“My room.” Kathryn turned to lead Daniel across the hall. More of the women had come out of their rooms to see what was going on. Spotting the one responsible, Kathryn altered her course.
Lillian didn’t see Kathryn’s hand move until it landed squarely on her cheek with a resonating crack.
“How dare you,” Kathryn hissed.
Raising her hand to her stinging cheek, Lillian turned back to meet Kathryn’s glare.
“First you come on to our lord like some wanton harlot, and then you besmirch his good name when he refuses you,” Kathryn accused the younger woman.
A gasp circled through the maidens.
Daniel had been shocked when Kathryn had attacked the other woman without warning, but this left him flabbergasted. He knew something had occurred yesterday, but no one had been willing to share the rumors with him as he hunted for the missing lord. This went a long way to explaining why the man had gone on a drinking binge. He was going to have to have words with the men.
An evil smile turned the corner of Kathryn’s mouth. “You should probably pack you things and go back to the village. If there’s truth to the stories told by the baker’s son, then you should have nothing to fear from a dragon looking for maidens.”
Lillian’s face turned bright red at the accusations. Screaming with rage, she launched herself at Kathryn.
Cursing, Daniel dropped Patrick to the floor and tried to find a way between the shrieking women. They were a mass of hair and claws that he wasn’t sure how to penetrate. Lillian gave Kathryn’s hair a good yank, putting a little space between them and giving Daniel an opening. Grabbing one in each hand, he ripped the girls apart. He wrapped Kathryn up under his arm, forcing her to bend over as he tossed Lillian back into a group of girls. “Get her out of here,” he ordered.
The maidens wrapped hands around Lillian’s arms, pulling her back before she could regain her balance and get to Kathryn, who was still struggling under Daniel’s arm.
“Patrick can deal with you both tomorrow.” He turned and forced Kathryn into her room, leaving Lillian in the capable hands of the other women. Kathryn stumbled as he released her and pushed her farther into the room. “Cool your head, girl,” Daniel snapped as he went back out to collect Patrick.