"Pray, continue, sir," Alice prompted gently.

"A marriage was arranged for him by his family. The lady was an heiress. It was considered a fine match and Sir Matthew was, by all accounts, much pleased. But that did not stop him from lusting after the young daughter of one of his neighbors. Her father held the fief of Scarcliffe. My grandfather tried to protect his only child but Sir Matthew convinced her to meet him in secret."

"The woman was your mother?"

"Aye. Her name was Margaret." Hugh turned the cup between his hands. "Matthew of Rivenhall seduced her. Got her with child. And then he went off to give service to his liege lord. I was born while he was in Normandy."

"What happened?"

"The usual." Hugh moved one hand in a negligent gesture. "My grandfather was furious. He went to Rivenhall and demanded that Matthew be forced to marry my mother when he returned from Normandy."

"He wished them to break Sir Matthew's betrothal?"

"Aye. Sir Matthew's family made it plain that they had no intention of allowing their heir to throw himself away on a young woman who could offer only one small, rather poor manor as a dowry."

"What of Sir Matthew's betrothed? How did she feel?"

"Her family wanted the marriage to take place as much as Sir Matthew's did. As I said, it was considered an excellent match."

Alice nodded in comprehension. "So no one wished to see the betrothal severed, is that it?"

"Aye." Hugh glanced at her and then he looked into the dying coals on the brazier. "Least of all Matthew of Rivenhall. He had no intention of abandoning his fine heiress for my mother. But he did come to see her once after he returned from Normandy."

"To tell her that he loved her and would love her always even though he must wed another?" Alice asked quickly.

Hugh's mouth quirked upward at the corner in a humorless smile. "You seek to salvage a romantic ending for this tale?"

Alice blushed. "I suppose I do. Is there one?"

"Nay."

"Well, then? What did Matthew of Rivenhall say to your mother when he met with her and learned that he had a son?"

"No one knows." Hugh took another swallow of wine. "But whatever it was, my mother apparently did not care for it. She murdered him and then took her own life. They were both found dead the following morning."

Alice's mouth fell open. It took her several tries before she could speak. When she did so, the words emerged as a squeak. "Your mother murdered your father?"

"So they say."

"But how? If he was a great knight, how could she possibly manage to kill him? Surely he would have been able to defend himself against a woman."

Hugh looked at her with grim eyes. "She used a woman's weapon."

"Poison?"

"She put it in the wine she served to him that night."

"Dear God." Alice stared down into the red wine in her cup. For some reason she no longer had a taste for it. "And then she drank the wine herself?"

"Aye. Vincent's father, Matthew's younger brother, became the heir to the Rivenhall estates. He was killed three years ago. Vincent is now the lord of Rivenhall."

"And he bears enmity toward you because he believes that your mother murdered his uncle?"

"He was taught to hate me from the cradle even though he became lord of Rivenhall because of my mother's action. In truth, I was taught to return the favor."

"Who had the rearing of you?"

"My grandfather for the first eight years of my life. When he died I was sent to live in the household of Erasmus of Thornewood. I was fortunate in that I did not become a foundling."

"But you were denied your birthright," Alice whispered.

" 'Tis true that I lost Rivenhall, but that part no longer matters so far as I'm concerned." Hugh's mouth twisted in cold satisfaction. "I have lands of my own now. My grandfather's manor is mine, thanks to Sir Erasmus."

She thought of how she had lost Benedict's inheritance and swallowed a small sigh. "I am pleased for you, sir."

Hugh seemed not to hear her. "Scarcliffe has suffered much since my grandfather's death twenty-two years ago. In truth, it had fallen into decline even before he died. But I intend to make it plump and profitable once more."

"A worthy goal."

"Above all, I shall hold on to it for my heirs." Hugh's hand tightened around his cup. "By the blood of the devil, I vow that Vincent will not be able to do the same with Rivenhall."

Alice tensed at the chilling tone of his voice. "Why is that?"

"Rivenhall Manor is in very poor condition these days. 'Tis not at all the fine, prosperous land it once was. Why do you think Vincent enters every joust and tournament he can find? He is attempting to make enough money to save his lands."

"What happened to them?"

"Vincent's father was devoid of all sense of responsibility. He squandered the income from the Rivenhall estates to finance a trip to the Holy Land."

"He went on Crusade?"

"Aye. And died in some distant desert as so many did, not from a Saracen's blade, but from a foul disease of the bowel."

Alice frowned. "I believe my mother wrote of the many illnesses that afflicted those who went on Crusade."

Hugh set aside the empty wine cup. He rested his elbows on his knees and loosely clasped his hands. "They say Vincent's father was born wild and reckless. He had no business sense and no notion of duty to his own family. There was a reason why his people were so devastated by the loss of my father, you see. Everyone knew that his brother would ruin the estates. And he very nearly succeeded. Unfortunately, he died before he could complete the task."

"And now Sir Vincent is desperately seeking to save them."

"Aye."

"What a sad tale," Alice said.

"I warned you it did not have a romantic ending."

"True, you did."

Hugh slanted her an odd glance. "In some ways 'tis no more sad than your own tale."

"What happened to me and my brother was my own fault," Alice said grimly.

Hugh's expression darkened. "Why do you say it was your fault? It was your uncle, Sir Ralf, who deprived Benedict of his inheritance."

"He was able to do so only because I was unable to defend my father's manor." Alice rose restlessly and moved to stand closer to the dying brazier. "I did my best, but it was not good enough."

"You are too hard on yourself."

"I shall always wonder if there was something more I could have done. Mayhap I could have phrased my arguments to Lord Fulbert more cleverly. Or found a way to convince him that I could manage the defense of my brother's lands until Benedict came of age."

"Alice, hush. Your uncle no doubt meant to take your brother's lands from you the moment he learned of your father's death. And Fulbert was likely pleased to see him do so. There was nothing you could have done."

"You don't understand. My mother trusted me to protect Benedict's inheritance. She said that in spite of what my father believed, Benedict would one day prove that he was a worthy heir." Alice twisted her fingers together in front of her. "But I failed to give my brother his opportunity. I failed."

Hugh got to his feet and crossed the carpet to stand directly behind her. Alice shivered as his powerful hands settled on her shoulders. She experienced an almost overpowering urge to throw herself into his arms again as she had done earlier that afternoon. It was all she could do to resist.

"Alice, you are possessed of a brave and bold spirit, but even the bravest and the boldest cannot win every battle."

"I did everything I could but it was not enough. I felt so alone." With a small cry, Alice spun around and buried her face against Hugh's broad chest. Her tears flowed in silence, dampening the front of his black tunic. Her shoulders shuddered.

It was the first time she had cried since her mother had died.