by Alexa Aston
Chapter 24
They waited in the antechamber while Sister Shiloh spoke with the abbess. Michael held Elysande’s hand in both of his.
“I’ll never let you go,” he promised her.
She giggled. “So I’ll accompany you to the training yard? You’ll hold your sword in one hand and my hand in your other as you instruct your men,” she teased. “Or mayhap you’ll hold my thread while I weave a tapestry. You can make sure nothing tangles.”
He nuzzled a soft spot just below her ear, sending wondrous chills through her. “I’ll do all of that. And more.” He gave her a wicked grin. “I’ll accompany you into your bath, my lady. And sit ever so close to you in the water. My hand will never leave yours. Unless you can think of better places for it to rest.”
She remembered his fingers pleasuring her and felt the heat rise up her neck. The thought of him in her bath with her, touching her, brought delicious tingles.
“I see the idea grows on you,” he murmured, his teeth tugging on her earlobe.
“Michael!” she protested, pushing him back. “We’re sitting in a convent. The abbess is in the next room. She could step out at any moment.”
He raised her hand to his lips and brushed them along her knuckles slowly, causing her insides to warm, reflecting the happiness and love she felt for this man.
“She’s already seen us kiss, sweetheart. I think she knows what passes between a man and a woman. Especially when they love one another as much as we do.”
Her resolve began to weaken.
“I see a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.”
She let the smile grow.
“And I see—”
The door opened. Michael sat back in his chair, but he kept her hand in his. That small gesture pleased Elysande to no end. This man—this honorable knight—would soon be her chosen husband. They would be a love match from the start.
She remembered how he’d made love to her. How he’d done things that she had never dreamed existed.
And how she couldn’t wait to be with him again, their bare skin touching, their bodies joined together as one.
The abbess approached them. Michael’s mother followed behind her, a peaceful look on her face.
“Sister Shiloh has fully explained the situation to me. I agree with her that this is not the place for you, Lady Elysande.” Her eyes flicked to Michael. “I would wish for you to treat your wife-to-be with honor and respect, my lord.”
“I’ll do my best, Abbess.”
“And your mother has also decided to leave our sisterhood and accompany you to Sandbourne.” The nun looked over her shoulder. “We will miss your loving presence, Sister.” Her eyes twinkled. “But I believe you’ll be an asset to your family and help raise your grandchildren to be loving servants to Christ Almighty.”
The abbess kissed Sister Shiloh on each check. “Go say your goodbyes to the others. Godspeed to you all.”
The trio left the abbess. Sister Shiloh stopped along the way at a small cell. “I have a few things to gather. It won’t take me long.”
She rejoined them minutes later with a small bundle in her arms. Elysande realized that Michael’s mother had very little in the way of material possessions and determined to see her clothed and jeweled as the lady she was. She knew Michael would agree.
They gave her some time with her fellow sisters to say their farewells. When she returned, her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Elysande supposed it was hard for her to leave the women who’d given her shelter and companionship all these years, but Elysande knew the future would prove bright for them all as they stepped into the warm sunshine in the courtyard.
“I suppose I’ll no longer be known as Sister Shiloh,” she told them. She looked at Elysande. “You should call me Orella. My, I haven’t said my name in so many years. I’d almost forgotten it.”
Elysande put an arm around the former nun’s shoulders. “You’ll get used to hearing it, my lady.”
They reached the oak gate and stepped through it. Elysande froze in her tracks as her eyes swept across a huge group of soldiers amassed outside the walls of the nunnery.
“There are so many!” she proclaimed in wonder.
Michael took her hand. “They’re all here for you, my love. Your uncle and I both brought many men to search high and low for you. Come. Let’s rejoin them.”
As they moved toward the gathered soldiers, a cheer went up. It rang loud and long. Though Elysande knew she pinkened in embarrassment, it thrilled her that so many men had devoted their time to rescue her before she reached Lord Ingram’s estate.
Geoffrey stepped out to meet them, along with a man she didn’t recognize. She saw he smiled at Michael’s mother.
The knight bowed low and took the noblewoman’s hand, pressing a kiss to it. “Lady Orella. ’Tis been many years since your beauty graced Sandbourne. You were sorely missed.”
“I thank you, Sir Charles.” Orella turned to Elysande. “This is Sir Charles, one of Sandbourne’s most trustworthy knights. He is the one I told you of.”
Elysande smiled at the older man. “So you’re the famous storyteller, Sir Charles.”
The knight beamed with pride. “I do know a few stories, my lady. Mayhap, once you’re ensconced as mistress of Sandbourne, I’ll tell you one as we sit by the fire some evening.” He grinned. “Or mayhap, I’ll wait and tell my tales to your many children.”
She found herself blushing again as Michael laughed aloud.
Geoffrey said, “The men we sent north have now reunited with us.” He looked to Michael. “Would you like us to accompany you to Sandbourne?”
“Nay, my lord. We have two stops to make before returning there. First, we travel to Hopeston to see Lady Mary. I would hope that you’d join us.”
Geoffrey nodded. “I assume you wish to speak to my sister about your upcoming marriage.”
“We will.” Michael looked to Elysande.
She said, “We would like to bring Mother and Avelyn back to Kinwick. It is our desire to wed there, with your permission, Uncle.”
Joy filed Geoffrey’s face. “Ah, Mary will like that, indeed. Merryn, too.” He thought a moment. “And from there, I can take Alys and Avelyn to London. The king and queen will have returned by then.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Michael added. He looked at Elysande and then his mother. “Then I will take the two most beautiful ladies in the land home with me to Sandbourne.”
“I like this plan,” Geoffrey told them. “Come. We ride to Hopeston.”
Sir Charles held out a hand to Lady Orella. “My lady? Would you care to ride with me?”
She placed her hand in his. “I’d like that very much, Sir Charles.”
Michael led Elysande to a waiting Tempest. “And you’ll ride with me,” he said, a smile lighting his handsome features.
He lifted her into the saddle and mounted behind her. Strong arms came around her and drew her closer to him. She leaned back, inhaling the wonderful mix of leather, horse, and man.
Her man. Her honorable knight.
“Oh, my,” came Lady Orella’s voice across the space separating them. “Is . . . Is that Tempest? I see the resemblance from when he was a colt. I gave him to you on the last day we were together. The memory of watching you ride away on that horse has helped sustain me all these years. I always remembered your bravery that day, my son.”
“Aye, Mother,” replied Michael. “He’s more than just my trusty steed. He’s another treasured memory, along with the stone, that has helped keep you in my thoughts all these years.”
Lady Orella smiled warmly at her son. With that, they were off.
They rode the rest of that day and through half of the next. Elysande remembered journeying along the same route when her family had come to Hopeston. This time, circumstances were vastly different. Before, she had been a girl who’d seen little of the world. Now, she arrived at Hopeston as a woman. One in love with the most wonderful knight in all of England.<
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They rode through the gates and across the baileys. She caught sight of Avelyn and her mother. Both lifted their skirts and came running to greet them.
Michael jumped down and then lifted her from Tempest. Elysande fell into her mother’s arms, then Avelyn’s, kissing them both.
“Such a large army of men,” Lady Mary remarked. “Whatever is up, Brother?”
Geoffrey kissed his sister’s cheek. “We have much to tell you, Mary. Can you feed our men? We’ve been on the road for many days. I know the men are famished.”
“I’ll see to it at once. Please, invite everyone into the great hall for ale. I’ll have the servants bring bread and cheese, and then we can dine once Cook has calmed down and organized the kitchen to feed such a large group of soldiers.” Lady Mary parted from the group.
Elysande linked arms with Avelyn as they started walking up the stairs to the keep. “I have so much to tell you.”
Her sister smiled. “And does it involve a certain knight you rode in with?”
She nodded. “But it also involves you.” Elysande couldn’t contain the news any longer. “You’re going to court. At the king’s request.”
Avelyn’s eyes grew large. “Me? At court? You do not jest?”
“King Edward specifically asked Uncle Geoffrey to bring you when he returns Cousin Alys to London. You’ll be in service to Queen Philippa.” Elysande paused. “Even better, the queen is going to find you a husband.”
Avelyn crushed her in an embrace, squealing for joy.
“I see you’ve shared the news with your sister,” Geoffrey said.
“I couldn’t help myself, Uncle. Avelyn has long dreamed about going to court.”
“You’ll have to promise me to keep an eye on Alys,” he said to his niece. “As bossy as she’s become, she’ll probably try to give the king advice on how to run his court.”
Avelyn beamed. “I will, Uncle. May I tell Mother?”
“Of course,” he said.
She ran off in search of her mother. Elysande watched as the Kinwick and Sandbourne men pulled the trestle tables from the walls of the great hall. Servants quickly brought pitchers of ale and food for them to eat. Lady Mary returned and invited them to the solar.
Once there, her mother said, “You must tell me everything. I feel quite a lot has happened since I last saw my girl.” She gave her daughter’s hand a squeeze.
Elysande looked to her uncle and nodded. Geoffrey recounted their original trip to Kinwick and the attack on the road, which they knew came from Lord Ingram’s men.
Her mother gasped when she heard this. “But I’d rejected Lord Ingram’s suit. I can’t believe an honorable man would go against my express wishes and try to kidnap my daughter and force her into marriage.”
Elysande met Michael’s eyes. He took up the tale.
“Speaking of marriage, my lady.” Michael took Elysande’s hand. “I have fallen madly in love with your daughter. We’ve come today, in part, for me to ask your blessing upon our union. I would seek to make Elysande my countess.”
“Countess?” Her mother’s eyes widened. “You are . . . an earl?”
“I am, my lady. My father, the Earl of Sandbourne, recently passed. I have taken the title.” He looked to where his mother quietly sat, still in her nun’s garb. “And this is my mother, Lady Orella. She will return to Sandbourne after many years away.”
Lady Mary grew flustered when she caught sight of the woman in the corner. “I am sorry, my lady. I did not even see you sitting over there. I was so caught up in being with my child again. Forgive me for not acknowledging your presence.”
“’Tis quite all right. And please. Call me Orella.” She waved a hand down her body at her dress. “I’m sure you’re wondering about this nun in your midst.”
“I’m wondering about a great many things now.” Her mother chuckled. She looked over at Michael. “But as to my daughter?”
“Aye, my lady. Lord Geoffrey wrote the king, and he is agreeable to the match—if you are.”
Her mother’s eyes met Elysande’s. “I have only to look at my daughter and see the happiness that radiates from her. I think a marriage between the two of you would be a very good match, indeed.”
“We thought, mayhap, we could marry at Kinwick,” Michael added. “’Tis your girlhood home. Lady Avelyn has yet to see it. Lady Merryn always welcomes a wedding when it comes her way. Would this please you?”
Lady Mary nodded in approval. “It would. Let us drink to the marriage of these two.” She stood and raised her cup. “To my darling Elysande and her charming husband-to-be. May you and the earl live a long and blessed life, and may your union be one filled with love and many children.”
A cheer went up and they all toasted the happy couple.
Geoffrey took up the story and told his sister of Elysande’s abduction from Kinwick, at the hands of Lord Ingram’s men. He explained that she escaped her captors, glossing over the details, and how they found that she’d taken sanctuary at the Convent of the Blessed Sisters. He went on to describe how the king wished for Avelyn to accompany Alys to court in order to serve the queen.
“I’m quite overwhelmed by all this incredible news,” Lady Mary proclaimed. She glanced at her daughter. “Still, I feel everything is as it should be.” She took Elysande’s hand and then Avelyn’s. “I will miss each of you beyond words, but you’ll start a new life away from Hopeston. I know God richly blesses you both.”
“I can’t wait to meet the king,” Avelyn said, excitement in her voice.
Lady Mary asked, “Have you met him, Geoffrey? They say he is a good man and that the queen is the kindest of women.”
“I have, Mary. The royal couple has come to Kinwick on summer progress in previous years. The king wrote that they will return again next summer. Mayhap you would like to visit then and meet them?”
“As long as they don’t come to Hopeston afterward,” she said. “I’ve heard it’s quite costly to entertain the royal court.”
Geoffrey groaned. “My coin purse is still empty from their last visit.” He looked at Elysande. “You and Michael would also be invited to visit at the same time, Niece. I think the king would enjoy meeting you since he will already know your sister.”
“To think by then I’ll be a married woman—and one meeting the king.” She smiled. “I think I’ll enjoy that, Uncle.”
*
They set out the next morning for Kinwick with two wagons in tow. Trunks held all of Elysande’s clothing and personal items that she wished to take to Sandbourne, while others held clothes for Avelyn to take to London. Lady Mary promised to send coin with her daughter so she could have some new clothes made at court. Michael laughed at Avelyn’s concerns about being in fashion.
He rode with Elysande in front of him, once again. His arm rested against her waist, holding her close. She had wanted to ride Morningstar, but he’d selfishly rejected that idea. He convinced her it would be unnecessary to bring the horse and her foal all the way to Kinwick, only to double back and go to Sandbourne. Michael promised her that once they settled in at Sandbourne, he would send for her horses. She had readily agreed, which let him know she secretly enjoyed the time spent in his arms on the road.
They’d traveled no more than a few hours when he heard the restlessness that came in waves from the back of their small army. His senses went on high alert as he looked to his left, where Sir Charles rode with his mother. The knight’s face showed his concern as they heard the first clash of distant swords at the rear.
“Something’s afoot,” he told Geoffrey. “We must secure the women.”
Michael motioned to Hammond, who rode behind him, Avelyn in the saddle with him.
“Gather the women now,” he ordered. “I want a guard of no less than ten surrounding them.”
His friend gave a curt nod and called out to several behind him as he slipped from his horse and pulled Avelyn from the saddle. Michael did the same with Elysande as Geoffrey leapt from
his horse and removed his sister. Charles already had Michael’s mother on firm ground and hustled her over to the other women.
Michael placed his hands on Elysande’s shoulders. “Stay together. Don’t stray from the men who protect you.” He ushered her to a thick oak standing near the side of the road and waved for the other three women to join her. Immediately, a ring of knights formed around them, their swords drawn.
His gut told him who approached and engaged them.
Lord Ingram.
Chapter 25
Elysande put her arm around Avelyn and drew her close. She felt the tremors of fright running through her sister’s body. They echoed those she experienced. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. Even her teeth began chattering as fear paralyzed her. Both her mother and Lady Orella joined them, their faces white as ghosts. The women huddled together, their backs against the large oak. She recognized a few of the knights that closed ranks and encircled them from her stay at Kinwick, including Hammond, a friend of Michael’s. The others wore the colors of the Earl of Sandbourne. Though she was not yet their countess, she knew these men would protect her with their lives.
She leaned forward, trying to see through the thick wall of men that surrounded them. They stood shoulder to shoulder, their long swords drawn as they awaited action. Elysande saw how still their bodies were, yet she knew they were coiled and could spring into action in the blink of an eye.
The clanging of swords rattled the peace of the early September day. Guilt poured through her. The fighting that went on around them was because of her. Lord Ingram had some twisted wish to make her his bride, despite denials from her mother and the king. The nobleman had unleashed his men against those from Sandbourne and Kinwick.
And that meant men would die this day.
Her legs shook so that she didn’t trust herself to remain standing. She slid down the tree, bringing Avelyn with her. Her sister buried her face in Elysande’s shoulder, not wanting to see what went on.
Elysande stared ahead and found she could observe what happened from ground level. The height of the knights in front of them and their wide shoulders that had kept her from viewing the action as she stood no longer blocked her sight. Each soldier’s stance left his feet slightly apart, ready to move quickly. It was that gap that allowed her to watch the fighting.