The cavern was large. Its depths were lost in the shadows that shrouded the far end. The gray light of the rain-drenched day did not reach more than a short distance into the interior. There was an air of perpetual dampness about the place. Somewhere water dripped on stone.

"Next time I must remember to bring a torch," Alice said.

"Aye. Without one we cannot see much, can we?"

"Nay." She refused to admit that she was glad that they had a good excuse not to go deeper into the cavern. " 'Tis unfortunate that we must limit our investigations today, but it cannot be helped."

Hugh rested one hand against the rocky wall and looked out over the village and fields of Scarcliffe. "There is a fine prospect from up here, even when rain is falling."

Alice saw the pride of possession in his golden eyes. "On a clear day one would be able to see a great distance."

"All the way to Rivenhall."

The dangerous softness of his tone made Alice uneasy. She recalled the healer's words. The seeds of revenge were planted in the past. They have sent forth a dark herb that poisons this land.

Alice told herself that she did not believe in legends. She gazed out into the rain and wondered why the healer's words had held the ring of truth.

"Well, Alice?" Hugh said after a moment. He did not turn to look at her. His attention was still on the landscape spread out before him.

"Well what, my lord?" Alice leaned down to examine a chunk of dark stone.

"It seems to me that you have had ample time for contemplation. What is your decision?"

She froze over the dark stone as his meaning became plain. She stifled a groan of dismay and sought refuge in a pretense of misunderstanding. " 'Tis an interesting bit of rock but I do not believe that it is all that unusual. I would like to find a sample of the stone that was used to build the keep. Now that is a most interesting sort. I have never seen its like."

"I was not talking about that damned stone and well you know it." His gaze flickered briefly with cold impatience. "Have you made up your mind to wed me?"

"Bones of the Saints, my lord, it has been a mere three days since you requested my decision. I would point out that both of us have been extremely busy during that time."

"Busy? You have done little except choose a clumsy oaf of a steward."

"Elbert will make you an excellent steward," she countered. "And how dare you accuse me of idleness? I have hardly had a chance to think, let alone to weigh the merits of such an important matter as marriage."

Hugh said nothing for a moment. Then he lowered himself onto a rocky outcropping and rested his elbows on his knees. His gaze remained fixed on the distant lands of Rivenhall, which were shrouded in a rainy mist.

"Do you hate this land, Alice?"

She was startled by the question. "Scarcliffe? Nay, my lord. I do not hate it."

"You find it ugly."

"Nay, that is not true. I'll grant you that it is not a gentle landscape, but 'tis an interesting and varied place."

"Scarcliffe will soon flourish. I will see to it."

"I do not doubt that, my lord."

"What of the keep?" he persisted. "Do you dislike it?"

"Nay. As you noted, it appears strong. Easily defended." She paused, wondering where this line of inquiry was going. "And, in truth, 'tis more comfortable inside than it first appeared."

"So you do not object to making your home in it?"

"Uh, well, as I just said, there is nothing in particular to object to in the keep."

"I am pleased to learn this." Hugh picked up a small pebble and tossed it carelessly down the sloping hillside. It was a surprisingly playful gesture, a gesture at odds with his decidedly stern nature. "If in future you do discover that there is a problem with the keep you will tell me about it and I will see that it is remedied at once."

"Aye, my lord. Thank you." Alice watched him skip another pebble down the wet hillside. She wondered what sort of childhood Hugh had experienced. A short one, no doubt, just as her own had been. A bastard would have been forced to assume the mantle of manhood early in his life.

"So, you do not find the manor to be unpleasant and you are content with the keep," Hugh concluded.

"Aye, my lord," Alice said warily. "I am content."

"Then there is no reason to put off the marriage, is there?"

Alice threw up her hands in exasperation. "My lord, I begin to perceive why it is that they call you Hugh the Relentless."

"I do not care to waste unnecessary time."

"I assure you, we are not wasting time. I need every bit of it that I can get." She sat down on a large rock near the mouth of the cave and opened the sack the miller's son had given her. "Would you care for a bit of fresh-baked bread?"

Hugh frowned at the loaf as she withdrew it from the sack. "You are attempting to change the subject."

"Very observant of you."

"Alice, I am not a man who is much given to hesitation or delay."

"I am learning that truth all too well, my lord." Alice tore off a chunk of the bread and handed it to him. "But in this matter, I fear you must learn patience."

Hugh pinned her with his hunter's eyes as he reached out for the bread. "How long will it take you to make up your mind?"

"I have no notion." She nibbled determinedly at her portion of the loaf.

Hugh tore a large chunk out of his bread and chewed grimly.

Silence fell. So did the rain, heavily and steadily.

After a moment Alice cautiously relaxed. Hugh was apparently willing to let the subject of marriage drop, at least for the moment.

She took another bite of the crusty bread and indulged herself in the fleeting pleasure of Hugh's company. It was good to sit here alone with him, to pretend that they were friends and partners and that they would share the future together. Surely such a fantasy did no harm.

"Elbert is creating havoc in the keep," Hugh said after a long interval. "Do you think you should choose another to carry out his duties?"

Alice pulled herself out of her warm reverie. "Elbert will learn quickly. I spoke to several possible candidates for the position and he was by far the most intelligent and eager. Give him time, my lord."

"That is easy for you to say. As you choose to dine alone in your chambers, you have not yet experienced the adventure of taking a meal in the great hall with the rest of us. I assure you, Elbert's supervision makes it an unforgettable event."

Alice glanced at him. "If you find it unpleasant to dine in the great hall, why do you not do as I do? Have your meal sent to your private chambers." She hesitated and then added, very daringly, "Or you could join me, my lord."

"That is not possible."

Alice felt her face grow hot at the unequivocal rejection of her offer. "Forgive me for suggesting it. I did not mean to overstep my bounds."

He shot her an irritated look. "Do you not realize that a lord must take his main meals in the company of his men?"

Alice shuddered delicately. "I cannot imagine why. The rude conversation and the crude jests are enough to ruin any meal. I have no interest in the obnoxious chatter about weapons and jousts, nor in all that talk of the glories of past battles or the hunt."

"You do not comprehend. One of the ways in which a lord secures the bonds between himself and those who serve him is by dining with them." Hugh munched bread. "A strong lord is as tied to those who depend upon him as they are to him. He must let them see that he respects them and appreciates their loyalty."

"And he does that by dining with them?"

"Aye. 'Tis one of the ways he accomplishes it."

"Ah, that explains it." Alice smiled in sudden comprehension. "I wondered why a man as intelligent as you was willing to tolerate the coarse manners that are so common in great halls."