Hallam’s gaze moved to the dais, where Covington was greeting Edward and demanding the man sit next to him.
“If you really want to know, I will tell you, but not here,” he said. “Sit at the dais, at the end of the table, and I will sit with you. Let de Wrenville think I am keeping an eye on you.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Nay.”
With that, he pushed past Caius, leaving the man confused. Confused and wary. He followed Hallam as the man made his way to the dais, claiming a seat on the end just as the other knights were claiming their seats in various places around the table. Caius came up behind Maxton just as the man was preparing to sit well away from Covington and muttered in the man’s ear.
“Take the seat on the other side of de Wrenville,” he said. “I do not want to sit with him.”
Maxton was already halfway into his chair but he stood back up without question, heading around the table and taking a seat by Covington’s left hand as Caius sat down the table, at the end, with Hallam on the corner next to him.
Immediately, the food and drink began to come.
“Now,” Caius said casually, not looking at Hallam. “What is this all about?”
A wench came by, placing big pewter cups of ruby-red wine in front of them. It was warmed and Caius downed two big swallows while Hallam simply put the cup to his lips, blocking Covington’s view of his mouth so that he could speak.
“Understand something, my lord,” he mumbled. “My family has served the House of de Wrenville for three generations. I am a legacy knight.”
“And?”
“And although I serve de Wrenville, I will be the first one to admit that what he has done to Hawkstone is reprehensible,” he said. “I obeyed his orders and I commanded his army. That is because I am faithful to my oath. But it does not mean I approve of what he has done.”
With that, he took a big drink as Caius digested his statement. His focus was on the room because from where he was sitting, he couldn’t really see Covington or Edward as they engaged in conversation.
All the better for him.
“Have you spoken to Wolverhampton about this?” Caius finally asked.
“I have not,” Hallam said. “He has spent all of his time with de Wrenville.”
“Yet you tell me,” Caius said. “Why?”
“Because you are in command of William Marshal’s army,” Hallam said. “Let us be perfectly honest, my lord – that was the only reason he married Alice de Gras; to get his hands on William Marshal’s power. I am telling you this because if you give him control of the army, he will raze Hawkstone, but I fear it will not stop there. This is a pivotal moment for him – if you give him control of the army you brought, he will not give it back. He will summon more. It will give him the sense of unlimited support and that is what he wants.”
Caius listened to all of it without surprise. It was exactly what he’d been discussing with Edward and the others not an hour earlier. Although Hallam seemed to be surprisingly open, Caius couldn’t be sure that anything he said wouldn’t make it back to de Wrenville. On the other hand, the knight was confessing things that would probably infuriate de Wrenville were he told. It might jeopardize the knight himself.
Unless that was part of de Wrenville’s plan to get information out of him.
Caius couldn’t be certain this wasn’t a trap.
“Thank you for the warning,” he said. “Your candor is appreciated.”
Hallam could tell that Caius was being cautious, which was prudent given the situation. As the food began to come and great trenchers were place in front of him, he leaned in Caius’ direction one last time.
“I understand your reluctance to believe me,” he said. “I realize I look like a traitor and, in truth, I am, but de Wrenville is unworthy of the men that serve him. I would appreciate it if you would not mention to him what I’ve told you. He would have no issue throwing my corpse in the moat, either, and that is where I am trying not to end up. I simply want to survive this situation until I can figure out how to relinquish my oath to a tyrant in the making.”
Caius didn’t say anything as a big trencher was placed in front of him. It was some kind of meat pie, baked with minced meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, and spices. There was a gravy all over it along with boiled carrots, onions, and white-colored beans. It smelled delicious and he delved into it, stuffing his face because he’d not eaten all day.
All the while, however, he was thinking of Hallam, of Covington. Hallam had fallen silent, eating his meal, and Caius was trying not to be obvious about watching Covington as the man drank heavily and discussed the great attributes of his son. It occurred to Caius that like his son, Covington couldn’t hold his liquor, either.
Something else occurred to him, too.
“How did Marius de Wrenville become a favorite of the king?” he asked Hallam. “De Wrenville has no great political connections, so how did Marius end up at John’s side?”
Hallam sighed heavily. “How do you think?” he said. “Marius brought the king the prettiest maiden he could find. Gifted her to John, you might say.”
“And this is recent?”
Hallam nodded. “This past summer.”
Caius found himself looking at Covington as the man practically shouted something at Edward. “Why now?” he asked. “Why would Marius try to get close to the king now? Why not five years ago? Or ten years ago? Why now?”
Hallam was drinking more than he was eating, finishing off his warmed wine. “Because while the first Lady de Wrenville was alive, she would not allow her son to stray,” he said. “Lord de Wrenville was always the ambitious sort, but while his wife was alive, it was more that he needed the best horses or the best food or the best furnishings. His father left him a good deal of money from coal and sheep, and he liked to spend it. Marius learned the love of excess from his father, but Lady de Wrenville was the lid on the pot, so to speak. They both worshipped her and her death hit them both very hard. After that, the ambition de Wrenville had seemed to eat him up. Strangely enough, he wasn’t always like this. But Lady de Wrenville died, diamonds were discovered in the River Roden on Hawkstone property, and it was like the greatest evils of Covington and Marius were no longer restrained. In answer to your question, I believe that Marius endeared himself to the king for the same reason Covington married Lady Alice – to gain Hawkstone.”
Caius looked at the man. “But I do not understand why they want it so badly,” he said. “It is a property, like any other.”
Hallam shook his head. “Not like any other,” he said quietly. “Lord de Wrenville told me once that he believed his wife and Rupert de Thorington had a love affair years ago. I believe there is some retribution there.”
Caius’ eyebrows lifted at the surprising information. “Do you believe that is true? Or just the delusions of a man trying to justify his actions?”
Hallam suddenly looked uncomfortable. His gaze moved to Covington, who was now so drunk that he was sitting on the table as he had a lively discussion with Edward and Maxton.
“I do not know,” he said after a moment. “But I should also tell you that in a fit of rage, Covington once said he thought Marius might be de Thorington’s son.”
Caius’ jaw dropped. “But he intends to marry Marius to Lady Emelisse.”
Hallam looked at him, a rather sickened expression on his face. “The ultimate degradation to the House of de Thorington, wouldn’t you say?”
Caius thought it was all quite disgusting. “That means his grandchildren would be the result of half-siblings marrying. That would be affecting his own bloodlines.”
Hallam waved him off. “When it comes to punishing Hawkstone, no humiliation is too great, not even the sacrifice of the House of de Wrenville.”
Caius was horrified at the thought. “Do you believe Marius is de Thorington’s son?”
Hallam shook his head. “Nay, because he looks just like Covington,” he said. “He behaves like him, too, so I do no
t believe that at all. I do not know why Covington even entertained the thought. A man will think many things when his wife betrays him, I suppose.”
It was shocking news to say the least. Caius needed to speak to Edward about it but before he could say another word, Covington was suddenly heading in his direction. There was an empty chair between Caius and young William, and Covington plopped down into it. His round face was red with all of the drink he’d ingested.
“Viper,” he said to Caius. “As soon as the snow eases, we will take the army to Hawkstone and finally crush it in one final blow. The majority of my army is still there, you know. They have control of everything but the keep, but that will end soon. Did you convince Lady Emelisse that she must tell her brother to surrender?”
Caius met the man’s gaze, but he could feel the entire table looking at him. He was the one who had control over William Marshal’s troops, so his word was the only one the army would obey. But this wasn’t the time nor the place to tell Covington that he wasn’t going to support his push against Hawkstone, especially since Covington was drunk. Caius didn’t make a habit out of discussing military plans with a drunk man who could easily forget what was said.
But he did answer his question.
“Lady Emelisse and I did not discuss her brother’s situation,” he said. “And this is no weather to wage a battle. If I were you, I would recall my army from Hawkstone. It is not fair to expect the men to live in a broken-down fortress while snowstorms rage. Men have a right to be in their own warm beds during weather such as this.”
That wasn’t what Covington wanted to hear and he frowned greatly. “This is my battle,” he said. “I will say when we fight, and as soon as this snow eases, we will take The Marshal’s army to Hawkstone and finish this once and for all.”
Caius was fully prepared to deny him. He wasn’t a man for negotiations or foolery, and over the course of the day, he’d truly come to dislike Covington. More so after what Hallam had just told him. It was that dislike that had him leaning towards telling Covington everything he and Edward had discussed, with the de Lohr and de Wolfe armies departing. He was rather looking forward to Covington’s temper tantrum as a result. Before he could speak, however, Edward was beside him, hand on his shoulder.
“Mayhap you should see to Lady Emelisse again,” he said. “Mayhap explain to her the situation? I will entertain our host while you are away.”
Caius looked at him in confusion before realizing it was Edward’s attempt to defuse the situation. In fact, Hallam was already up, departing the table and heading out into the snowy night, which told Caius that he was going into the keep to let Lady de Wrenville know that Caius was to have access to Lady Emelisse again. In any case, it was clearly a ploy to get Caius away from de Wrenville and more demands for the use of the army.
Caius chose to go along with it.
Silently, he stood up and walked away from Covington even as the man was speaking to him. He could hear Covington calling after him, angrily, and Edward calling for more drink. As Caius retrieved his fur cloak and prepared to face the swirling snows outside, a figure appeared beside him.
It was William.
“May I assist you, my lord?” he asked. “My father told me to come with you.”
Caius almost told the boy to turn back, but he thought better of it. If he needed to send a message, William could do the job. Besides… it was time the lad learned that not all duties were accomplished on the field of battle.
If William truly wanted to become a great knight, Caius would help teach him.
“Hurry, then,” he said. “Get your cloak and come with me.”
William was fast. He grabbed his heavy leather cloak, and his gloves, and donned everything about the time Caius opened the door and grabbed the rope that was attached to the keep.
William was right behind him.
They trudged their way across the bailey to the keep, which fortunately wasn’t too far away. They made their way up the wooden steps, which were slippery and frozen over, and William slipped halfway up but was able to catch himself. Together, they made their way into the foyer of the keep, shoving the door shut behind them to block out the howling winds. Caius pulled off a glove and wiped the snow from his face.
“We have spent this entire winter without serious snowfall, and now this,” he muttered, wiping his face one last time.
Then, he looked at William, who wasn’t fussing or wiping at his face. He was simply standing there, looking at Caius and waiting for instructions while his lower lip trembled with the cold. Caius pulled off his other glove and handed it over to William before removing his cloak. He shook it off near the door, slinging it over William’s arm.
“Now,” he said quietly. “What I say will not leave your lips. Is that clear?”
William nodded firmly. “It is, my lord.”
“Good,” Caius said. “Everything I say to you from this point on is in confidence unless I tell you otherwise. The first thing you need to learn is the value of keeping silent. Someday, it may save your life.”
“Aye, my lord.”
Caius glanced around the entry, with Covington’s solar door nearby. He eyed it for a moment before returning his focus to William.
“You have heard us speaking of de Wrenville’s insatiable greed when it comes to Hawkstone,” he said softly. “He has Lady Emelisse here and, at some point, it is quite possible that we will remove her from this place without de Wrenville’s permission. While I am speaking with her, I want you to nose around this keep and find another exit than the entry door. Learn this keep as much as you can, for I will have questions when I return.”
William nodded sharply and Caius turned for the stairwell that led to the upper floors. Leaving the squire to investigate the layout of the keep, Caius headed up the stairs, assuming they hadn’t moved Lady Emelisse from the last place he saw her. He found himself wondering where Hallam had gone because the keep seemed empty. He didn’t even see a servant as he made his way to the top floor. He was just nearing the top of the stairwell when he heard Hallam’s quiet voice.
What he heard from that moment on changed the course of the evening.
And his mission.
CHAPTER NINE
“He will be here any moment,” Hallam was saying softly. “I believe he wants to do what is right. He does not seem to be siding with your husband.”
“But what does that mean?” a woman replied. “You know I have not involved myself in my husband’s military plans but, in this case, I must. I fear what he plans for Lady Emelisse. Do you know?”
It took Caius all of two seconds to realize it was Lady de Wrenville. He paused as he reached the top, listening to their conversation with curiosity.
“I do,” Hallam said softly. “He plans to marry her to Marius.”
Lady de Wrenville gasped. “Him?” she said, evidently horrified. “Hallam, that will be a horrible fate for the lady, especially after everything that has gone on over the years. Does she know?”
“I do not believe so.”
Lady de Wrenville began to pace because Caius could see her shadow on the wall.
“Then you must speak with Sir Caius,” she said decisively. “He is the one in command of my uncle’s army, is he not? You must convince him not to support my husband and you must convince him to remove Lady Emelisse. Mayhap I am caring too deeply about things that do not concern me, but I have been here long enough to see the situation for what it is. He married me to gain an army and he will have Marius marry Lady Emelisse to gain a fortress. I do not wish my fate upon her, not in the least.”
Hallam didn’t say anything for a long moment. “If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else,” he murmured. “He needed military support that a marriage could give and he discovered you. But it could have been anyone else who could provide him with a big army.”
Lady de Wrenville sighed heavily. “It just happened to be me,” she said. “I have always wondered how he found me.”
Hallam drifted closer to her; Caius could see his shadow as well. “I suspect it came through the king,” he said. “In fact, my suspicion is that this entire situation came through the king. Marius has his ear and, undoubtedly, John knew about the conflict with Hawkstone. It is my suspicion that John suggested the marriage with you to gain William Marshal’s military support. If the king is controlling Marius, then he is controlling Covington. And if Covington calls for aid from The Marshal, that means the king controls The Marshal to a certain extent.”
Lady de Wrenville shook her head in awe, her shadow moving on the wall. “I see that now,” she said. “But my parents did not. They were so happy with a marital offer that they did not look beyond the offer itself, or the implications. At thirty years and four, my time for finding a husband was over ten years ago. They knew another offer would not come along so they took it.”
Hallam’s shadow was moving closer to her. “Had I known of you before this, they would have had another offer,” he said softly. “From me. But God has not been kind to us.”
“Nay,” Lady de Wrenville said, resigned. “Even so, I cannot stand by and watch Marius marry that girl. Knowing what I know, I shall intervene if I can. God only knows what Marius will do to her if he becomes her husband.”
Hallam’s voice was gentle. “You have endured a tragic fate, yet you will make sure another does not meet the same fate you have,” he said. “You are noble and kind and true, my lady. Your heart has a great capacity for love.”
Lady de Wrenville stopped pacing. “For you, it does,” she murmured. “I have said it before, Hallam. You are too fine a man to be serving this monster I have married. I wish…”
He shushed her softly. “No more,” he said. “Sir Caius shall be here any moment. If I can convince him to remove Lady Emelisse, I shall. I promise.”
Caius had heard enough. He decided that was the moment to make an appearance and he stomped the last few steps, making his approach obvious as he came to the top of the steps. He appeared in the doorway as Lady de Wrenville and Hallam turned to him, both of them trying not to look as if they’d been caught doing something they perhaps should not have been. Hallam was the first one to speak.
Winter of Solace (The Executioner Knights Book 5) Page 11