Rodrick was the living image of Baudoin de Montbryce, and Gallien knew his mother took solace in that. The boy had supported his grandmother throughout the ordeal of the journey and the interment, solicitous of her needs.
Gallien inhaled deeply, chewing his bottom lip. “My mother has aged. I fear she will not outlast my father by much.”
Robert smiled. “She is like me. I lost interest in life after Dorianne’s death. A marriage bed is a cold and lonely place when you have shared a great love and your partner dies. Carys loved my brother with an enduring passion—but I don’t need to tell you that. It’s that love that will see her buried here with Baudoin when the time comes, though her Welsh roots call to her.”
Gallien hesitated, but what he wanted to say, had to be said. “You probably don’t want to hear this, oncle, but I would prefer to be buried at Ellesmere. Étienne feels the same way.”
Robert was pensive for a while. “It makes sense, I suppose. In some ways Ellesmere is my home too, though I have lived in Normandie for most of my life. One’s birthplace always beckons. It’s ironic. My father lived in England and longed for Normandie. I live in Normandie and often think fondly of England.
“Speaking of your brother, what’s this about six children?”
Gallien laughed. “Étienne is enamored with Tandine de Villiers. Her six stepchildren are wards of the earldom, thanks to my father. He petitioned King Henry to grant de Villiers Hall to Tandine. If Étienne marries her, he will get the hall as her dowry.”
Robert chuckled. “This is why he is anxious to get back to England. But why has he waited this long to wed her. It’s what, six years since they met?”
Gallien grimaced. “He hesitates because he knows neither Peri nor I will ever set foot in that house again.”
Robert chuckled. “Bad memories. Caen has the same effect on me. I can’t travel through the town without bile rising in my throat.”
A noise in the corridor caught their attention. Alexandre, hurried into the gallery, his face flushed, his breathing labored.
“What’s wrong, mon fils?” Robert asked, coming slowly to his feet with the aid of his cane.
Alexandre swallowed hard. “King Henry is dead. He died at Lyons-la-Forêt yesterday, the first day of December. Messengers have been sent to summon Maud back from Anjou.”
The hiss and crackle of the fire’s flames filled the gallery as the three men looked from one to the other.
Robert swayed, his knuckles white on the head of his cane.
Alexandre’s breathing steadied.
The knot in Gallien’s gut tightened. The day he had long dreaded was upon them, but his duty was clear. He thrust his clenched fist into the air. “King Henry is dead. Long live King Stephen.”
Alexandre lifted his chin, one hand fisted at his side, the other pressed to his heart.“Le roi est mort. Vive la Reine Maude! Long live Queen Maud.”
He turned on his heel and stormed out of the gallery.
About Anna
Thank you for reading INFIDELITY. If you’d like to leave a review where you purchased the book, and/or on Goodreads, I would appreciate it. Reviews contribute greatly to an author’s success.
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I was born and brought up in England, but I’ve lived most of my life in Canada. I was an elementary school teacher for 25 years, a job I loved.
After that I worked with my husband in the management of his businesses. He’s a born entrepreneur who likes to boast he’s never had a job.
My final “career” was as Director of Administration of a global disaster relief organization.
I then embarked on writing a romance because it was something I’d always wanted to do. I chose the medieval period because it’s my favorite to read.
I have a keen interest in genealogy. This hobby has had a tremendous influence on my stories. My medieval romances are tales of family honor, ancestry, and roots. As an amateur genealogist, I cherished a dream of tracing my own English roots back to the Norman Conquest—most likely impossible since I am not descended from nobility. So, I made up a family and my stories follow its members through successive generations.
I want readers to feel happy that the heroes and heroines have found their soul mates and that the power of love has overcome every obstacle. For me, novels are an experience of another world and time. I lose myself in the characters’ lives, always knowing they will triumph in the end and find love. One of the things I enjoy most about writing historical romance is the in-depth research necessary to provide readers with an authentic medieval experience. I love ferreting out bits of historical trivia. I hope you come to know and love my cast of characters as much as I do.
Escape with me to where romance began and get intimate with history.
Infidelity Page 19