Midnight Eyes by Brophy, Sarah (well read books .TXT) 📕

Without comment, Robert took the strangely warm ring and walked quickly to the door, eager to tell Imogen the good news about their exile.

William’s disgusted mutter of “I really don’t like you” reached him as he opened the door.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” Robert said with a smile as he looked over his shoulder, “I’ve never been none too fond of you, myself.”

William’s startled laughter followed Robert down the hall as he left the room a free man.

“If you don’t stop humming, Robert, I may have to actually leave this bed so that I can kill you,” Gareth said through gritted teeth, “and at the moment, I find the thought of leaving this bed truly perverted.”

“You never were a morning person, were you?” Robert asked with a good-natured smile, feeling very happy to be alive as he stepped into the copper tub that the servants had brought to the chamber Gareth and Matthew had been sharing. His impatience to be with Imogen raged inside him, but when he saw her this time, he wanted it to be without the least vestige of the dungeons clinging to him. This was the start of the rest of their lives and he wanted to do it properly this time. Still, he raced through his bath, not wanting to waste any more time away from Imogen than he had to.

“How very observant of you,” Gareth said sarcastically. “I am certainly not a morning person, not when that morning is separated from the night by only a few moments of sleep. I also find it does my humor no good to be confronted by a disgustingly happy madman asking me whether he can have a bath and borrow some clothes so that he can go and seduce his wife. Again.” Gareth yawned and pulled the blankets up to his chin. “I’d say I’m actually displaying remarkable tolerance by not strangling you.”

Robert chuckled as he began to scrub the soap into his scalp, groaning with happiness at the sensation. “You should be grateful that I haven’t taken your head off your shoulders for daring to bring Imogen to the court and then letting her go down into the dungeons last night,” Robert said with a smile as he enthusiastically lathered the suds. “I left you to look after her, not to give her an education in the king’s justice system.”

Gareth rolled over and shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry about that. I knew you wouldn’t be best pleased but, at the time, I was more afraid of her than I was of you. Since you have been gone, the woman’s turned into a complete harpy.” He shuddered delicately. “At least they had the good sense to chain you to a wall. Her, they left free to terrorize the populace, and I’m man enough to admit that she frightened the hell out of me.”

“Wise man.”

“I thought so,” Gareth replied modestly.

“Spare me,” Matthew said flatly, his gaze never wavering from his hands as they expertly sharpened Robert’s sword.

Robert only laughed again as he ducked his head under the water to get out the last of the soap. He stood up once he was finished and casually wrapped a cloth around his hips, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction. “God, that’s good. I feel almost human again, which is novel after so long spent living like a caged animal.”

Gareth opened an eye and gave him an assessing once-over, taking in his faded bruises and weight loss. “Well, I don’t care what you think you feel like, you look a starved mess.” He closed his eyes and rolled over onto his back. “And that is no mean feat when you consider the obscene amount of food you forced me to watch you put away when you first got here.”

“Well, you had better keep your eyes averted as I intend to eat a lot more before this day is over. I aim to take full advantage of the king’s erratic hospitality after so much time spent in his less-than-inviting dungeon.” He smiled teasingly. “You’re getting squeamish, Old Man.”

“Old man?” Gareth murmured without opening his eyes. “I’m younger than you.”

“Only by twelve months,” Robert reproved as he began hunting for some clothes. “And as for how I look, a bit of good food and soft living should see that off nicely.”

“I wouldn’t get too ready for that soft living just yet if I were you, Boy.” Matthew’s face, when Robert spared him a glance, was the picture of gloom and despair.

“Why ever not? Surely I have done enough hard living for the time being?”

“Aye, that’s as it may be, but there seems to be one little detail you have overlooked.” Robert raised a questioning brow, his attention caught. Matthew looked down at the sword blade, its length glowing in the early-morning sunlight. “You seem to have forgotten that the brother still lingers on the scene.”

Robert laughed with relief and grabbed a deep blue tunic, pulling it over his head. When his face reemerged, his eyes glowed with an almost feral light. “You have got it wrong, Old Man. I haven’t forgotten that bastard for a second. I’m looking forward to sending him off to Hell with his head under his arm, but that’s not my idea of hard living. It will be a pure, unadulterated pleasure.”

“Will you want any help?” Gareth asked conversationally.

“No, the disposing of the big brother is a pleasure I intend to keep for myself. I am going to enjoy reaching down the son of a bitch’s throat and pulling off his balls.”

“Graphic,” Gareth murmured appreciatively.

“I liked it,” Robert demurred with false modesty.

“Like small boys playing at war,” Matthew said in disgust as he leaned the sword in the corner.

“You don’t like the plan? I kind of thought that he deserved it.” Robert paused a moment. “And worse.”

“It’s not a question of whether the worm deserves it or not,” Matthew growled with barely restrained impatience, “but what I’m questioning is why his painful demise hasn’t already