He simply didn’t look at William.
“There was no personal stake in this,” he said to the men focused on him. “It was simply Kerr’s pride that was wounded. Edward did what he had to do in order to turn the man away. He is leaving and that is the most important thing, I should think. The method does not matter; it is the leaving that does. Our families are safe.”
Edward thought that Kieran seemed to be verging on a confession of what had really transpired, but he managed to walk the fine line between truth and fiction. Fortunately, everyone seemed to be in agreement with him although there was a good deal of confusion that the standoff had ended so abruptly. Still, there was also a good deal of respect for a man who could deter Scots bent on vengeance.
Taking Edward and Kieran at their words, a massive sense of relief flooded the men as they began to head back towards the keep where the women were, happy that their celebratory evening had only been briefly interrupted. No one seemed to ask Edward any more questions, but he hung back as the crowd turned for the keep, watching and waiting, praying no one pressed him on what, exactly, was said. All that mattered was that the Scots were leaving. He was, frankly, surprised that Torston hadn’t at least pressed him, considering this was his situation. Edward was beginning to think he might emerge from this entire circumstance unscathed when he caught sight of his father approaching him.
“What did you say to them, Eddie?” William asked quietly and curiously. “Scots simply do not leave because you offer them cows. Tell me everything that happened.”
So much for emerging unscathed. As Edward debated just what to tell him, Kieran came over to join the conversation.
“Niven Kerr was righteously upset that this was not his son’s wedding celebration,” Kieran said before Edward could speak. “Eddie’s negotiations were brilliant and… original. You would have been proud, William.”
William looked at Kieran, eyed Edward, and then looked at Kieran again. “That does not answer my question,” he said. “Tell me the conversation.”
Kieran couldn’t lie to the man. He was being asked a direct question and he would not lie to a man he had served with, closer than a brother, for over forty years.
“He did what he had to do, William,” he said quietly. “It does not matter what was said. All that matters is that the Scots are leaving. Is that not the most important?”
“I told Niven Kerr that he should be grateful his son did not marry Lady Alys,” Edward said, realizing his father was not going to let this go and that Kieran was putting himself in a bad position of verging on lying to his liege. “I told Niven that Lady Alys was… imperfect.”
William wasn’t following him. “How do you mean?”
“I mean that she has terrible breath, missing teeth, and a third leg she hides beneath her skirts.”
William stared at him as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what he was being told. Then, the dark eyebrows lifted. “You told them what?” he hissed. “Alys has missing teeth and a third leg?”
“I did.”
Kieran had closed his eyes tightly as Edward confessed his terrible negotiation tactic, but his eyes quickly opened and he spoke up to defend the young knight. “Given the wounded pride of a Scotsman, there was nothing that Edward could say that would deter the man from his vengeance if he truly thought he was wronged,” he said. “Edward had to make him glad his suit was rejected. What better way to do that than to imply that the object in question, in this case Lady Alys, was harboring a dark secret?”
William looked at Kieran as if the man had suddenly lost his mind. “And you let him do this?”
Kieran eyed Edward reluctantly. “I did not know that was his plan until he’d already spoken of it,” he said. “William, your son negotiated us out of a battle. Niven Kerr will return home with fifty sheep, twenty cattle and twenty gold marks feeling quite relieved that his son didn’t marry Lady Alys de Royans. Is that not the most important thing at all? Or do you really want Jordan and Penny to be caught up in a siege?”
William’s expression was one of shock and horror, but Kieran had a point. His attention returned to Edward. “Did you really tell him that?”
“I did, Father. I wanted to send him home without bloodshed and this seemed to be the way to do it.”
William thought on that. He had to take a moment of pause to calm down his reaction of wanting to wrap his hands around his son’s throat.
“While I understand the goal of sending Kerr home was achieved, the method by which that achievement was made was questionable, Edward,” he said. “What if that gets back to de Royans? Do you think he will be pleased that you told Niven Kerr that Alys is an abomination?”
Edward stood his ground. “Do you want me to save Alys’ honor by calling Niven back here and tell him I lied?”
William rolled his eye. “Of course not,” he said. “But telling the man that…”
Edward cut him off. “He is gone. You wanted him gone. I did what I had to do and I am sorry if I disappointed you, Father. I suppose it would not be the first time.”
With that, he turned and walked away, heading towards the keep as William and Kieran stood there, watching him go.
The old knights were thinking many things at that point, not the least of which was the fact that Edward had, indeed, saved them from a siege. As William watched his son’s tall, proud form, he was coming to think that perhaps Edward was right – the end result was peace and, in the long run, that was all that mattered.
But still…
“He has a gift, William,” Kieran said softly. “He is just like your father. He opens his mouth and the words flow like honeyed wine.”
William sighed heavily. “He is very much like my father in nearly every way,” he said. “My father was stubborn, confident, and brilliant. That is Edward. But my father was also devious and shrewd. Those are two qualities that I’ve not yet seen come out in Edward. But after tonight, mayhap I am seeing them for the first time.”
Kieran could hear the sadness, the regret, in William’s tone. “He handled Niven Kerr like a sculptor molding clay,” he said. “What he told Niven was the means to an end. The only person it was cruel towards was Alys de Royans should she ever find out, but I doubt she will. So Edward told a lie or two about her. What does it matter? No one knows but you, me, Edward, Niven, and his son. Simply to save their pride, I would seriously doubt Niven would tell anyone what Edward said. No man wants to admit he nearly married his son to a toothless woman with a third leg.”
William put his hands to his face as that terrible vision struck him anew, rubbing his eye as if to rub away the very thought. Then, he chuckled. Surprising sounds were coming from his mouth as Kieran looked at him strangely.
“William? Are you well?”
William pulled his hands away from his face, a smile on his lips. “He is creative,” he said. “That is something my father never had – creativity.”
Kieran grinned. “And he has the wit to make everyone believe it. That is the mark of a true diplomat, William. By the time Edward was finished, even I wondered if poor Lady Alys really had a third leg.”
“God, don’t ask her father that.”
“And I suggest you not tell him that.”
William nodded, slapping Kieran on the shoulder as he turned for the keep. All was well again as the knights inside the keep opened the gates to the stairwells to let the women return to the hall.
But that was when the panic began.
CHAPTER FIVE
It had been a ruse.
That was the unfortunate truth of the matter. Niven Kerr was determined to lay siege to The Lyceum and collect the prize of Lady Alys, and it was apparent that his entire meeting at the gatehouse with Edward had been to take attention away from the wall by the postern gate, the one portion of the wall that had some level ground where ladders, built with trees from the nearby forest, were able to mount the walls.
One by one, the Scots were going over the wall.
&nb
sp; That was what the soldiers of The Lyceum discovered and what all of the knights, who had been gathered in the inner bailey, discovered when a wounded soldier sounded the alarm.
Alarms and horns were sounding all over The Lyceum.
Edward realized they’d been duped when he’d entered the hall and the soldiers were unbolting the massive doors that opened out onto the paved courtyard. There were at least two Scots on that courtyard, maybe more, and they charged the doors as the soldiers struggled to close them.
Over by the gated stairwells, Scott, Troy, Hector, and Thomas heard the screaming and the scuffle, and hastily ushered those women who had already emerged from the stairs back inside so they could bolt the gates again. Patrick, Apollo, James, Nathaniel, Kevin, Torston, Daniel, and others charged the Scots who were trying to get into the hall. Patrick was the first one to make a kill, the biggest knight in the room, but there were more Scots trickling in from the wall breach. Not enough to truly rush the hall, but enough so that the knights charged out into the courtyard while The Lyceum soldiers bolted up the hall doors, keeping everyone inside safe.
Edward, however, ended up outside without any protection or any weapons other than a dagger he usually kept on his belt. His brothers and cousins and friends were armed to the teeth, so he let them take the lead until he could at least arm himself. There were scattered Scots around the courtyard, trying to get to the gatehouse to open it for the rest of the Scots lying in wait outside. The Lyceum gate guards were putting up a hellacious fight.
Truth be told, Edward was so furious that he’d been lied to by a man that he’d lied to that rage fed his actions. In truth, he considered their actions punishment for him trying to dupe them in the first place but, clearly, they’d been cleverer than he was. He’d been smug about tricking them when, in fact, they’d had a trick of their own.
It was Edward who had ultimately been fooled and he didn’t take that lightly.
Niven and Finlay were going to feel his wrath.
Therefore, he set out to find the father and son who had masterminded all of this. As his brothers struck down more Scots flooding into the courtyard and the soldiers on the walls tried to stem the tide, Edward collected a short sword from a fallen Scotsman and headed to the walls himself. He figured that Niven and Finlay would be trying to get into the complex themselves, given that they were the ones most affected by Alys’ marriage. Edward couldn’t imagine they would remain idle while their men stormed the walls. As he picked up the sword and the wooden shield lying near the fallen Scotsman, someone came up beside him.
“Edward, you are without protection,” Daniel said. “Get back towards the keep and stay out of the fighting.”
Edward lifted an eyebrow. “A de Wolfe does not stay out of the fighting, not even me,” he said. “I may not be the greatest warrior of the family, but I can hold my own in a battle. And I intend to find Finlay Kerr.”
“Why?”
“Because Niven may have lied to me in negotiations, but if I hold his son hostage, he will have no choice but to comply. I am not going to permit my mother and sisters to fall victim to that smelly bastard.”
Edward thought strategically. In his field, there was no other way to think. Instead of thinking of death and mayhem, or even of protecting the keep, he was thinking of ending the battle through other means.
It was the diplomat in him.
And it was something that Daniel could see. It was an admirable position, but the fact remained that Edward was a de Wolfe. There was nothing to admire about that family of killers, yet Edward seemed different than the rest. Still, if Daniel wanted to start his systematic destruction of everything William de Wolfe held dear, he could start with his middle son.
An easy target.
The truth was that because Edward was so poorly armed, Daniel could kill him quickly and blame it on the Scots, but something told him to refrain. Edward wasn’t bloodthirsty like the rest of his family and, in fact, might even be of some use to Daniel at some point as his seeds of vengeance sprouted roots. He might need Edward.
He didn’t want to dispose of a potential asset.
Not yet, anyway.
“It is not your fault the man lied to you,” he said after a moment. “Clearly, he told you what you wanted to hear, anything to divert your attention away from what he was truly doing.”
“I should have been smarter about it.”
“Then you really intend to go and find him?”
“I do.”
“Then I should go with you,” Daniel said, looking around to see if he could spot the escort of Deauxville Mount men that he’d brought with him. As soldiers raced for the walls, it was difficult to spot them. “I think you need bodyguards. If I can find more of my men, I will…”
Edward suddenly whirled on him, short sword and all, and began to attack him, using that small sword and the fact that he wasn’t weighed down with protection to his advantage. He caught Daniel off-guard, but he managed to get his shield up just as Edward sailed into him. Stumbling backwards, Daniel kept his shield up and didn’t try to fight back as Edward plowed into him so hard that he eventually drove Daniel to his knees.
“Edward!” Daniel grunted as a sword blow forced his shield into his chest. “What is the matter?”
Edward was so angry that he was red in the face, sweating. But he stopped hacking at Daniel and stood back, breathing heavily with exertion.
“I am no weakling that needs a bodyguard,” he said. “I have trained in the finest houses. I am a de Wolfe and we can always fight our own battles.”
Daniel dared to lower his shield, looking at Edward in surprise. “It was not my intention to insult you, only help you.”
Edward was still righteously angry, but he forced himself to calm. With a heavy sigh, he reached down and pulled Daniel to his feet.
“I know,” he said. “But… I suppose I’ve been listening to people my entire life tell me that I’m not a warrior because I do not choose to lead the armies like my brothers do. That does not mean I cannot fight as well as they do.”
“I can see that.”
“It simply means I choose to focus on diplomacy over bloodshed.”
“Then I am sorry if I offended you.”
Edward shook his head, calming sufficiently as he reached out to pat Daniel on the shoulder. “And I am sorry I attacked you.”
Realizing whatever fury Edward had towards him was eased, Daniel grinned. “Thank you for showing me that you are not an easy target,” he said. “I will not forget that.”
Truth be told, he meant that sincerely, for Edward would never be a simple target.
He was forewarned.
But Edward had no idea the depths to which that statement held when spoken by Daniel. He had no idea the man’s meaning ran into something sinister and grave. In fact, he wasn’t thinking of Daniel at all as he looked to the pockets of fighting going on around them. He was thinking of the fact that there seemed to be more Scots coming off the wall than less, and the soldiers on the walls were giving them a heavy fight. There was a bigger battle going on than before, but one thing was for certain.
All of those Scots were all rushing for the keep.
For the women.
There was a good deal of sniffling and weeping going on in the upper floors of The Lyceum.
It was a waiting game, with quiet fears being expressed within the solid chambers of The Lyceum while outside, chaos reigned as a siege went on. But as most of the women huddled in two of the big chambers on the north side of the keep, more seasoned women, those who had lived through many such sieges, watched the activity from the catwalk above the great hall.
The de Wolfe, de Norville, and Hage women were watching from the lancet windows to the paved courtyard below. Caladora and Cassiopeia were watching at one window along with Penelope, while Jordan and her daughters, Katheryn and Evelyn, watched from another window along with Troy’s wife, Rhoswyn, and Patrick’s wife, Brighton. Scott’s wife, Avrielle, was st
anding over with Jemma and her daughters, Rose and Moira, all of them peering through the third lancet window and into the mess below, knowing their sons and husbands and fathers were mixed up in it.
Rhoswyn, being that she was Scots and a Kerr by birth, was particularly upset with the situation. Tall and beautiful, she had been raised as a warrior since her father had no sons, so even though Troy had not wanted her to be involved in any negotiations with her own kin, she was still strong and fit for the task. She stood next to the window, leaning against the stone and watching the madness below.
“Niven the Bull,” she muttered, shaking her head. “He’s a madman. Wait until I tell my father what he’s done. He’ll not forgive him.”
Jordan looked at Rhoswyn, putting out a comforting hand to the woman’s arm. “If he survives,” she said. “William will kill him with his womenfolk tae protect. If Niven survives this, there will be hell tae pay. Mark my words.”
Rhoswyn looked at her, nodding her head, disgusted by the actions of her family member, however distant.
Standing over by her mother, Cassiopeia heard the comments, and she was very interested in what was going on below. Her own father and brothers were in danger, that was true, but so was someone else.
Don’t say it! She scolded herself inwardly. She couldn’t admit she was concerned for someone she’d never shared a good relationship with.
Damn you, Edward!
Damn the man for making her feel concern for him. She had seen Edward down below when the breach was first alerted and she’d watched his older, better-armed brothers rush out and slay Scotsmen. She’d even watched as Edward armed himself with a sword from a fallen man. And then he’d faded from her view as he went off into the night.
Because he was out of her sight, that made her think of him more. Her imagination was running wild with the possibilities of Edward’s fate when she couldn’t see him. When last they’d spoken, the words hadn’t been pleasant. He’d saved her from Daniel’s cloying presence and she’d barked at him. But her barking was her way of masking the odd feelings Edward seemed to be stirring in her, feelings she didn’t want to entertain. Edward was a great man in King Edward’s court and she refused to entertain any hope that he could…
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