She had done much thinking in the last hours, and already knew what she would reveal. “One of my father’s men.”

“I should not have let him go, then. It was careless of me. Did he come to take you away?”

“He came to give me information about Genith. Dylan betrayed me. He did not take my sister to them. They have received word that Dylan and Genith fled to Eire.”

“That must be a great disappointment to you. I read the letter that Genith wrote to me before she left. In it she told me that your father had arranged a different marriage for her and that she felt obliged to fulfill his wishes.”

“Aye.”

“Who was this other man?”

“Since it will not happen, it no longer matters.”

“I suppose it does not. Genith surprises me. I think there was more to her than I saw. I would not have said she had it in her to defy you so boldly.”

His words touched a quiet anguish that existed below the bleak shame she had faced these last hours. Genith had surprised her, too. She had not fully known her sister. With Genith gone for good, now she would never have the chance to.

She had been hiding from the sadness of that, but now it deluged her. She remembered their parting on that snowy hillside, and Genith’s tears and Dylan’s patience. Dylan had known what he intended to do, and Genith’s soul had suspected. Only she herself had been ignorant. She had been so distracted by the grand design that she could not see what was right in front of her.

She would never see her sister again. Genith’s betrayal of duty suddenly seemed insignificant compared to that.

She dropped her gaze so that Marcus would not see the trembling she felt in her lips. At least this conversation had taken the path that she wanted. She forced composure on herself, and walked through the door he had opened.

“She is truly gone for good this time, Marcus. Even Carwyn Hir cannot hand her back to you. The marriage the King offered to you will not happen. Cannot happen.”

“So it would appear.”

He sounded far too calm. That chilled her more than harsh anger. “Any responsibilities you had regarding my father’s men are also ended, since they were attached to this marriage.”

“You make a good point.”

“Needless to say, there is also no reason for me to stay here. Edward’s request about that was also tied to the marriage.”

“The clarity of your reasoning is impressive, Nesta. It would seem that Edward and Stratford’s simple strategy for appeasing your father’s men and returning Llygad’s home to his family has completely fallen apart.”