“Indeed, my lord. And it always will.”
Adam smiled faintly. “I hope so,” he said. “The lord of Deauxville Mount those years ago was a man named Daniel de Troiu. I am sure you have heard that name.”
“I have, my lord.”
“He was a great ally until… well, it does not matter. I am rambling on about foolish things that make no difference now. Suffice it to say that I am honored to have you here. Anyone from Deauxville Mount will always be welcome here. In fact…”
He trailed off, looking at Daniel intently over the tabletop as if there were something more on his mind. Daniel cocked his head curiously.
“Is there something wrong, my lord?”
Adam opened his mouth as if to say something but reconsidered. After a moment, he shook his head. “I was going to say that you look like someone I knew, once,” he said. “But do not listen to me; my eyesight is terrible these days. Paris will attest to that.”
“Everything about you is terrible these days, my lord,” Paris muttered.
Adam looked at him, shaking his head reproachfully. “If I did not love you like a brother, I would send you away from here,” he said, pointing to Hector. “Your son shows me the respect you do not. I will keep him on instead. You can go live with William.”
Paris fought off a grin. “He would not have me, my lord.”
“I do not blame him.” At that moment, Adam caught movement over near the entry. He lifted his head, perking up. “Look, Cassiopeia has arrived. And who is that with her? It looks like Edward de Wolfe. God, not him. Why is he with her? Does he not know she only has his utter destruction in mind?”
Hector started to laugh as Paris answered. “Things are different with them now, my lord,” Paris said, not wanting to say too much in front of Daniel, who was rising out of his seat, his gaze fixed on the approaching pair. “Daniel, why not go and greet them? I am sure Cassie will be glad to see you.”
Daniel didn’t have to be told twice. As he headed off across the vast hall, making a straight line towards Cassiopeia and Edward, Adam spoke up.
“Tell me, Paris,” he demanded quietly. “Why are things different between those two? She used to torment him terribly as a child.”
Paris nodded impatiently, watching Daniel closely as he greeted the pair congenially. No anger, no irritation, even though they kept him waiting. Paris thought that was a good show of manners.
“It seems that several years and a good deal of maturing has eased their strain,” he said to Adam. “Edward has come to court Cassie, as well.”
Adam looked at him in shock. “Surely you jest!”
“Not at all.”
Adam returned his surprised gaze back to the three young adults, watching Daniel amiably put his hand on Edward’s shoulder. But in watching the young knight from Deauxville Mount, the thought that he’d had earlier, the one he would not speak of, came to mind again.
“Paris,” he said slowly, “a thought has occurred to me.”
“What is that, my lord?”
“I have seen de Motte from time to time ever since he arrived at Deauxville Mount, but something has just occurred to me. Mayhap it is the way the lighting in the hall falls upon him now.”
“Upon who?”
“De Motte. Does he look familiar to you?”
Paris shook his head. “I do not think so. Why? Who does he look like?”
Adam puffed out his cheeks, as if knowing what he was going to say would sound silly. “My eyesight is terrible, as you know,” he said again. “However, to me, he looks a good deal like Daniel de Troiu.”
Paris was watching the three young people finally come back towards the table. He was watching Daniel in particular. “That’s odd,” he said. “I never noticed that before. I remember de Troiu well. He had dark hair and bright blue eyes.”
“De Motte has those same eyes.”
Paris stared at the young knight a moment longer before shaking his head. “Mayhap,” he said. “But it is not possible. He is Thaddeus de Motte’s son, and Daniel was killed well before de Motte was born.”
“They even share the same name.”
Paris put up a hand to emphasize the unlikelihood of what Adam was suggesting. “Impossible,” he said again. “It is merely a coincidence, but a rather strange one, I will admit. Now that I look at him, he does look like de Troiu – handsome and tall.”
“With those distinctive eyes.”
“I have seen eyes that color before that had nothing to do with de Troiu.”
Adam didn’t press the point, but even as Daniel de Motte sat down at the table with Edward beside him and Cassiopeia going to sit next to her father, Adam couldn’t help but think that de Motte looked a great deal like Daniel de Troiu.
Or perhaps it was simply the power of suggestion.
Turning back to the expensive wine in his cup that Paris had stolen from him, he put the thought from his mind.
The feast at Northwood was in full swing.
Daniel sat at the very end of the big feasting table that also served as the high end of the hall, or the dais, with Teviot’s family and the de Norville family supping happily on boiled beef and carrots. As the feasting and merriment went on, Daniel carefully watched the table and the occupants. There were the Earl of Teviot and his wife, a French woman from Rouen, and two of their three daughters. The fourth child and third girl, the eldest, was already married, and their only son was in London.
Oddly enough, the heir to the Teviot dynasty wasn’t much of a soldier. He was a businessman. Andrew de Longley was in London managing and negotiating contracts for Northwood’s export of very fine wool. Northwood had some of the biggest herds in the north, and Andrew had made the castle, and the family, extremely wealthy. In fact, Andrew’s deals with the wool merchants’ guild in Paris was all the family could speak of as Daniel listened to them gush about their missing son.
And then there was the House of de Norville.
There was Paris and his wife, Caladora, an older woman who looked a good deal like Cassiopeia. There was Hector, the eldest, and his wife, Evelyn, who was a de Wolfe daughter. Even if Daniel hadn’t already known that, he would have been able to tell simply because she looked like her father. They had four children, two boys and two girls, who were also at the table. Paris’ second son, Apollo, was serving at Berwick Castle, and the youngest son, Adonis, was evidently at Roxburgh Castle along with another old Northwood knight, Michael de Bocage.
That left Cassiopeia as the youngest de Norville offspring, and she sat down at the end of the table along with Edward and Daniel. She was positioned between her sister-in-law, Evelyn, and Edward, with Daniel across the table from them. Various other knights were at other tables, and the hall was filled with senior fighting men, but Daniel had eyes only for Cassiopeia.
In fact, he’d chosen to sit across the table from her simply so he could watch her.
He had plans.
Something unexpected had happened. Since her return to the hall with Edward earlier in the evening, Daniel had been able to see that there was some kind of attachment between Cassiopeia and Edward. That had caught him off-guard, especially since Edward had warned him off of the woman at The Lyceum. Apparently, it had been a ruse. He wasn’t in full panic mode yet, but as he watched the two of them in quiet small talk, he was rapidly approaching that state.
He couldn’t let Edward win.
The fact was, he liked Edward. That wasn’t even an issue. But this situation was too important to allow personal feelings to enter the picture. He wasn’t sure how he was going to rid himself of Edward, but he knew he had to think of something. Whatever it was, it had to be permanent enough so that Edward would never return and the de Wolfe family with their big knights and big armies wouldn’t come after Daniel, who would be the obvious suspect if anything physical happened to Edward.
An injury…
A death.
But Daniel wasn’t going to kill him.
He’d have to think o
f something else.
The evening had turned rainy as a storm rolled in from the east, and the gentle sounds of thunder could be heard overhead. A fire snapped in the massive hearth and with the cluster of bodies in the hall, it was warm and stale inside the enormous chamber.
Over in the corner of the hall, near the door, a pair of entertainers had come in for the evening, a man with a lute and another man who carried a large satchel over his shoulder. As the dinner conversation went on and more wine was served, the man with the lute stood up and began to strum a tune as his companioned followed him around, singing with a lovely high-pitched voice. As the pair headed for the dais, Edward spoke up.
“Thank God that James is not here,” he said. “The man would have stolen that instrument long ago and sung enough lewd songs that even Aunt Caladora would have taken a stick to him.”
Seated next to him, Cassiopeia started to laugh. “I seem to remember his antics even when I was younger,” she said. “He and Adonis would sing together. Sometimes your brother, Scott, would even join them.”
Edward smirked. “James has the soul of a poet, the heart of a warrior, and the mind of a naughty child,” he said. “He keeps my mother angry and my father laughing. I adore the man.”
Cassiopeia continued to laugh, thinking of Edward’s very large, very hilarious brother. He was well-loved by all of the families. In fact, she was so upswept in thoughts of de Wolfe that she didn’t even notice that Daniel had come to her side of the table until he gently took her hand.
“I was denied a dance at The Lyceum, my lady,” he said. “Would you be good enough to dance with me now?”
Cassiopeia was mortified. “Now?” she said, looking around hesitantly. “But… but no one else is dancing.”
Daniel smiled encouragingly. “Then we shall be the first,” he said. “Will you please indulge me?”
Cassiopeia looked to her parents. Her father was nodding his head faintly, trying to encourage her, while her mother had a dubious look on her face. Cassiopeia had no idea what to do, but Daniel was starting to pull her to her feet.
“V-Very well,” she said reluctantly, nearly tripping because Daniel was tugging on her. But Edward carefully righted her, pulling the edges of her skirt off of the floor so she would not trip again. She smiled gratefully at Edward as Daniel continued to pull her away. “What is the rush, Daniel?”
Daniel had a good grip on her hand as he pulled her around the table. “No rush,” he said casually, even though he was moving quickly and his grip was like iron. “I simply feel like dancing and thought you might enjoy it, too.”
By this time, they were over by the hearth, which had rushes and dogs in front of it. Daniel whistled to the traveling minstrels, motioning them over to where he was standing, as he used his foot to clear away the rushes so the wooden floor beneath was exposed. As he pushed the rushes away, he had to release Cassiopeia, and she backed away, arms folded in front of her so Daniel couldn’t grab her hand again.
“Daniel, I do not feel like making a spectacle of myself in front of everyone,” she said firmly. “I am not an entertainer and I will not be the only couple dancing for all to see.”
With that, she quickly turned away, but Daniel was right behind her. “No one will be watching, I swear it,” he said. “Everyone is busy eating. They will not pay any attention.”
He reached out, grasping her by the arm and forcing her to stop, but his grip was like iron. Biting and hard. Cassiopeia struggled with her reaction.
“Please let go of me,” she said politely. “I am not a wench to be grabbed at.”
Daniel immediately dropped his hand. “I apologize,” he said. “It is simply that… well, I watched with great envy as Edward danced with you at The Lyceum. I so wanted to have that opportunity as well.”
He was so polite and well spoken, but that grip he’d had on her told Cassiopeia there was no gentleness in the man. He was used to getting what he wanted and pushy when he didn’t get it.
“There were many other people dancing which is why I was not reluctant,” she said. “But here… there is no one else dancing and I will not make a spectacle of myself. I am sorry.”
As she turned away again, she heard him behind her.
“What can I do, my lady?” he asked. “Nothing I seem to do is right in your eyes. What can I do that you would view favorably?”
She paused, turning to look at him. Unfortunately, he was becoming something of a pest now. He was demanding and that didn’t sit well with her. Or perhaps, it was because she really had no interest in him at all because he was here at her father’s insistence. In fact, perhaps if she was honest with him, he might simply realize there was no chance with her and he would go away.
And then there would only be Edward.
She had to take the chance.
“Come with me,” she said.
With that, she began to wind her way through the feasting tables, heading to the entry of the hall. There was a small foyer there and alcoves where travelers or messengers would sit. It was a special feature of the keep with many hidden doors, staircases, and alcoves. She headed straight out into the darkened foyer, lit high above by a hanging iron chandelier of candles, and faced Daniel, who was right on her heels. In fact, she put her hands out to push him back so he wasn’t so close to her.
“Daniel,” she said, trying to be both frank and polite. “Before this goes too far, I must be perfectly honest with you.”
He nodded, attentive to every word. “I hope you feel as if you can be, my lady.”
Cassiopeia eyed him for a moment before speaking. “Surely you have sensed that I am not exactly receptive to your suit.”
He grinned. “I am confident I can change that.”
“But that is the problem – you cannot,” she insisted. “Since I have known you, you have been demanding and aggressive, and pulling me up from the table just now and dragging me off to dance is hardly what I call polite behavior. I sense you are used to getting what you want but, with me, that will not be the case. Although I am sure you are pleasant enough, the only reason you are here is because my father wishes it. It is not because I want you here. I do not mean that to sound cruel, but it is the truth.”
He looked at her, the smile on his face fading even though he struggled to maintain it. “I see,” he said. “I apologize, then, if my behavior has been off-putting. That was never my intent.”
She nodded patiently. “I am sure that is true, but that is how you have come across to me. I do not appreciate men who are aggressive and demanding.”
“May I ask you a question, my lady?”
“Go ahead.”
“Does this have to do with Edward?”
She shook her head. “Even if Edward was not involved in any of this, and it was only you and me, I would feel the same way. There are some people we are attracted to and some we are not, no matter how hard we try or wish it. I am sorry to say this is the case with you. I am sure you are a nice man, but I am not interested in a betrothal with you.”
That wasn’t what Daniel wanted to hear. He simply looked at her, a forced smile on his lips, struggling with everything he had not to lash out at her.
That was his first reaction.
But he curbed it.
So she thought she was in control of this situation, did she? Ha! Daniel had never let a woman control him and he never would. Cassiopeia was a haughty, delusional woman who was about to get a dose of reality. There was no way he was going to let this opportunity slip away, not now. Cassiopeia de Norville was his last chance to become part of the de Wolfe crowd, to bring forth a plan he’d spent nearly his entire life concocting, and he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.
Fight!
“Let us be honest, my lady,” he said, his smile turning into a grimace. “You prefer Edward.”
“I have known him all my life,” she said truthfully. “We have much in common. His brothers were married to my sisters, God rest their souls. He is a m
ore preferable match, though that is no reflection on you. It is simply better for me.”
“Does your father think so? If he wants me here, then there must be some doubt in his mind.”
Cassiopeia shook her head. “There is no doubt,” she said. “He simply wanted me to make the right decision and thought if I had more than one choice, it would ensure the confidence of my decision.”
Daniel could see that she truly believed that she was in control of this betrothal when that was far from the truth. Women never had a say in their husbands and now that Daniel knew the truth of the matter, he was going to take things into his own hands.
Fight!
“Let me explain something to you, my lady, and I hope you understand what I am about to say,” he said. “Since the moment I saw you, you struck me as being a lovely, cultured woman, the kind of woman any man would be proud to be married to. Because of my impression of you, I spoke to your father, who gave me permission to come to know you. This was all done in good faith. What has not been in good faith, however, is your willingness to allow that part of the bargain to come to fruition. You have been resistant every step of the way no matter what I do. It seems to me that you have been set against me from the beginning.”
Cassiopeia couldn’t deny it. “As I said, I do not like men who are aggressive and demanding, and you were that from the very start. You gave me no reason to want to come to know you.”
“You never gave me the opportunity.”
“And I will continue to not give you the opportunity. I have been honest with you. Please respect my wishes.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to leave.”
There it was. She wanted him gone and Daniel had no intention of leaving. He went from a man genuinely trying to be kind and polite to a man determined to do what it took to win.
He was going to win this.
Turning on his heel, he marched away from her, heading back into the hall. His focus was on the high end of the room where the dais was, where Edward was sitting, now in conversation with Hector as they sipped Teviot’s fine wine. Edward was at the end of the table, in the seat vacated by Cassiopeia, and Daniel headed right for him.
BlackWolfe Page 18