The Uninvited Guest by Sarah Woodbury Page A

closet, but out of
nowhere, his tone had turned just this side of hostile.
    Hywel’s eyes flicked to Gareth and then back
to Gwen. “Gareth knows?”
    “ Yes,” Gwen
said.
    Hywel cleared his throat.
“Gwen, you get to work. We have a castle full of people to
question. Time you got started.” Hywel jerked his head in the
direction of the ad hoc opening. “Gareth and I have other business to
discuss.”

Chapter Eight
     
    H ywel didn’t say anything more until he and Gareth reached an
isolated corner of the kitchen garden. Then he stopped and turned
to face Gareth. “So … you know about Anarawd?”
    “ Yes.” Gareth looked
directly back at his prince. Earlier, when they’d been in the cell,
Hywel’s mention of his alibi for Enid’s murder had brought an
unexpected rage upon Gareth. It had risen so quickly, he’d choked
on it. He’d told Gwen to swallow her anger and mistrust of Hywel if
they were to continue working for him, but he found in that moment
that he couldn’t do it.
    “ And? I can tell by your
tone that you are angry,” Hywel said. “I cannot blame you for
that.”
    Sweet
Mary . As quickly as it had come over him,
Gareth’s temper faded. He ran a hand through his hair and looked
down at his boots, trying to think of what to say. Then he
straightened his shoulders, resolving to air his grievances and
settle this one way or another. “Why didn’t you tell me yourself?
How could you feel that you owed Gwen an explanation, but not one
to me?”
    “ Ach . You have it wrong.” Now it was Hywel’s turn to look away,
not as sure of himself as he’d first seemed. “I’d given Gwen the
knife, so she knew what I’d done without me telling her directly.
And then … weeks passed before I saw you. With the fighting and the
rebuilding of the castle at Aberystwyth, it was an easy
conversation to put off. I couldn’t settle upon the right way to
tell you, and as the months wore on—”
    “ It never got any easier.”
Gareth finished the sentence for him. “Gwen and I are to be wed.
Did you think she would say nothing to me?”
    “ Of course not.” Hywel
paused. “I am sorry.”
    “ Sorry you didn’t keep it
to yourself?”
    Hywel coughed a laugh. “I
will not apologize for …” Hywel glanced around and lowered his
voice. Even in an isolated corner of the garden, he feared to
implicate himself if someone other than Gareth should overhear him,
“… what I did to Anarawd. To say I regretted it would be another
lie. I am sorry I
misled you.”
    Gareth placed his hands on his hips and
gazed into the distance. The summer vines were brown, brittle now
and barely clinging to the garden wall. Most of the work of
preparing the soil for next summer had been done, with all but a
few winter herbs harvested.
    “ It makes it difficult to
trust you, my lord,” Gareth said. “Just now, in regards to the mark
on Enid’s palm, Gwen and I discussed keeping the information from
you. Perhaps we needed a clue that you didn’t know about to ensure
that we remained one step ahead of you, if you killed
her.”
    “ So why did you show it to
me?”
    “ We have to trust you,”
Gareth said. “And pray that you don’t abuse our trust
again.”
    Hywel put a hand to Gareth’s shoulder. “In
the matter of Anarawd’s death, the whole truth did not come out,
but justice was done nonetheless. What I did has no bearing on
Cadwaladr’s guilt.”
    When Gareth didn’t respond, he added, “Do
you accept that?”
    Gareth filled his lungs and then let the air
out. “As far as Cadwaladr is concerned. Yes. I accept it.” He went
over Hywel’s explanation in his mind, relieved that Hywel hadn’t
asked for his forgiveness, because he didn’t know if he could have
given it. Or if it was his to give. Gareth had known from the first
that Hywel had a devious and intelligent mind, and one that didn’t
suffer fools gladly. But in performing this deed, and covering it
up, Hywel skated very close to Cadwaladr’s