It was evident that Maddoc knew these men. He sheathed his broadsword, making a conscious effort not to gape at the group. After a few moments of studying the other faces, he hissed.
“I do not believe my eyes,” he said. “De Norville, Hage and de Bocage. What in the hell are all of you doing so far from Northwood Castle?”
William de Wolfe was an excruciatingly handsome man with golden eyes and well-shaped dark brows. It was all that could be seen through the open visor. He was also a very large man, as Adalind had previously noted. She studied him closely, curiously, as he reined his frothing charger near Maddoc and threw out a gauntleted hand. Maddoc took the extended hand, holding it strongly.
“We were in London on business for the earl,” he said. “There is great disharmony on the Scots border and Longley sent us to the king to solicit support.”
Maddoc grew serious. “That is nothing new,” he said. “Is the threat serious?”
De Wolfe half-shrugged, half-nodded. “Serious enough,” he replied. “We suffered through a siege last month that went on for days. Bad weather was the only thing that drove them off in the end.”
“What more support do you need? Perhaps de Lohr can spare me.”
De Wolfe grinned. “I should only be so fortunate, my friend,” he said, “but you may have problems of your own. While we were in London, we heard your name mentioned a few times so we thought we’d pay you a visit. Last I had heard, you were at Canterbury so we took a chance that you were still here.”
Maddoc still held on to the man’s hand, forced to let it go when the horses caught wind of each other and, sensing a battle, began to get excited.
“I am still here,” he said. Then his brow furrowed. “To what regard did you hear my name spoken?”
William didn’t reply right away. In fact, he deliberately avoided the question as his golden gaze fell on Adalind, surrounded by men-at-arms. He dipped his head in her direction.
“My lady,” he greeted.
Maddoc sensed William’s hesitation to answer his question, which both intrigued and disturbed him. But he took the man’s lead and focused his attention on Adalind.
“This is the Lady Adalind de Lohr de Aston,” he introduced her to the collection of knights. “Lady Adalind is the eldest grandchild of David de Lohr, Earl of Canterbury. My lady, these are my very close and dear friends, Sir William de Wolfe, Sir Paris de Norville, Sir Kieran Hage, and Sir Michael de Bocage. A more powerful group of knights you will never meet. They serve the Earl of Teviot, whom I fostered with. The five of us fostered together.”
Adalind still wasn’t quite over her initial fear of four strange knights. But she dipped her head politely as each man was introduced.
“My lords,” she said.
Maddoc’s bright blue eyes glimmered at her. “Prepare yourselves, gentle knights,” he said. “I have great and shocking news for you. Adalind is my betrothed.”
That drew a reaction from the knights. “Good Gods!” de Norville exclaimed. “You mean you actually found a woman who would have you? I find that astonishing.”
The others were chuckling and Adalind could see that they meant it in humor. She smiled timidly as she spurred her little palfrey forward, heading towards the castle that was in plain view. After this fright, even though it had turned out for the better, she found that she was anxious to return to the safety of Canterbury.
“I do believe it is the other way around,” she said as she trotted past. “Ask Maddoc about the annoying little girl who used to follow him around everywhere and you shall see that I am the fortunate one.”
The knights watched her go by with various expressions of amusement and, perhaps, a greater measure of curiosity. Any woman to win du Bois’ heart was a woman worth a second look. The men-at-arms began to follow Adalind, as did Maddoc. He waved his big arm at the group.
“Come along, lads,” he said. “Let us spend the evening together reliving good memories and drinking to the future.”
It was an attractive invitation and one they had hoped for. The collection of armored men turned their horses for the castle as de Norville spoke.
“Perhaps I shall try to convince the woman that I am a better prospect for her than you are,” he said.
Maddoc’s gaze was on Adalind’s blond head. “Do that and I shall kill you.”
De Norville glanced at de Wolfe as they followed. “So we have heard,” he replied casually.
Maddoc turned to look at him. It was at that moment he began to suspect why they had come.
You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.
At the heart of time, love of one for another.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“The ap Athoe family is very powerful in Wales,” de Wolfe said. “They are related to the Welsh princes and command thousands. Those two foolish whelps you whipped are declaring they are going to bring half of Wales down around Canterbury and take Adalind as a prize.”
The group of knights from Northwood, plus Maddoc, Gerid, and David were crowded into David’s solar. It was inching towards sunset, the sky turning shades of pinks and golds, casting slender fingers of light through the lancet windows of the solar. A fire crackled softly in the hearth and David’s big, gray Irish wolfhound was spread out in front of it. David had to keep rolling the dog out of the way so he could warm his legs.
“The ap Athoe brothers came to Canterbury, uninvited, in an attempt to woo my granddaughter,” David said frankly. “They made a nuisance of themselves, were pushy and rude, and when I told them to leave, they essentially ignored me, so Maddoc did his job. He removed them. But it was not without a fight.”
De Wolfe was leaning against the wall, helm removed, as was most of his armor. He was rather swarthy looking in a magnetic sort of way, as if those golden eyes held untold mysteries of life and love. He was a deeply introspective man, calm and wise, and had a natural air of command about him.
“According to those two idiots, Maddoc unfairly ambushed them and they barely escaped with their lives,” he said. “Of course, no one believed them, but what happened?”
David shook his head with disgust. “They tried to attack him, two against one,” he replied. “I saw the entire incident. Maddoc was perfectly justified in what he did. The issue is not that Maddoc defeated them – the issue is that the two of them were too stupid and unskilled to make a good fight. It was over before it began, once Maddoc pushed them both down the stairs. They were humiliated, pure and simple.”
De Wolfe grinned, glancing over his shoulder at de Norville, Hage, and de Bocage. As the latter two snorted, de Norville wasn’t holding back his laughter. The mental image of strong, serious Maddoc shoving those two down the steps was a comedic gem.
“I would have liked to have seen that,” de Norville said. A tall, blond man who was a great admirer of the female sex, he was one of the most arrogant men Maddoc had ever met, but a wise and loyal companion. It made for an odd combination. “Maddoc, those two were making a nuisance of themselves in their attempt to get to young Henry. It would seem that the ap Athoes were threatening to create an incident over this if the king did not intervene.”
David lifted his eyebrows. “They went to Henry with this?” he rolled his eyes. “God’s Beard, what a pair of dolts. What in the hell do they want? Adalind? Because I can tell you for a fact that I will defend her until the last stone of this castle. Those morons are not going to get their hands on her.”
“Truthfully, I do not know if their demands met Henry’s ears,” de Wolfe said. “But they were creating quite a ruckus until the captain of the guard finally banned them from the Tower. After that, the brothers seemed to think that was an act of war and threatened to return to London with an army. That is when we thought we should take a detour to Canterbury to inform you of what happened. I did not want you to be surprised if half of the Welsh border turned up on your doorstep one day.”
David merely shrugged. “Although I appreciate the effort you went through to del
iver the message, I am unconcerned,” he said. “Those two will more than likely burn themselves out by the time they reach home. It would take a good deal of money and effort to lay siege to Canterbury, as we are quite far from the Welsh border. My brother, however, is not. He is right along the Marches at his fortress of Lioncross Abbey. They could harass him just to make a point.”
Maddoc was looking seriously at David. “Should I ride for Lioncross and warn him, my lord?”
David shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “I will send a messenger but no more than that. I simply cannot believe that those two pups would create so much drama over their own bad behavior. Had they left when I ordered them to, none of this would have happened.”
Maddoc simply nodded, glancing to de Wolfe and de Norville with a rather resigned expression. There wasn’t much any of them could do about it but hope the brothers grew weary of the subject and moved on.
By this time, Hage and de Bocage were up from their seated positions, moving to the large pitcher of wine that had been brought in earlier. They had already drunk most of it, being weary, and were looking for more. But David was at the end of his patience with the subject at hand; he was sick of hearing about the ap Athoe brothers and their quest for vengeance. He was anxious to move on to better things.
“Come,” he said, standing up rather stiffly as the dog at his feet stirred. “Let us retreat into the hall and dine together. Let us speak of something other than foolish Welsh pups I wish I had never met.”
The group of knights was more than pleased with that idea. It had been a long ride from London and now that they had delivered their message, the time had come to reap the rewards of de Lohr’s hospitality. Maddoc began herding them towards the door.
“I suppose we shall get to sup with the Lady Adalind tonight, eh?” de Norville said as he turned to Maddoc. “I am anxious to see what has you so smitten.”
Maddoc kept a straight face at the man’s braggadocio manner. “She has a sister,” he said. “She is not yet spoken for. I could put in a good word for you.”
De Norville made a face at him. “Never,” he declared. “I intend to live freely and by my own rules until such time as I can no longer walk or feed myself. Then, and only then, will I consider a wife.”
Maddoc snorted, looking over at Hage and de Bocage as they wandered in his direction. “And you two?” he wanted to know. “You were both attached at the hip, even as young squires. I see nothing has changed after all of these years. They used to call the pair of you the Bull and the Tree. Remember?”
Kieran Hage came from an old Saxon family whose seat was Southwell Castle in Nottinghamshire. His father, Sean, was the current Earl of Newark, and Kieran had been named for his father’s long-dead brother. Kieran had the broad Hage build and blond hair, and his manner was rather subdued and thoughtful. He grinned as he glanced over at his best friend, the extremely tall Michael de Bocage. The knight was at least a head taller than even the tallest man. A tree, indeed.
“They still call me the Bull,” Kieran said. “Even my wife.”
Maddoc’s eyebrows lifted. “So you married? I had not heard.”
Kieran pointed at William. “I married his wife’s cousin,” he replied. “Scots.”
Maddoc looked at William with some confusion. “Scots?” he repeated. “Not the kind you are having difficulty with, I hope.”
William grinned, a sort of sly gesture. “It is a long and detailed story,” he said. “Feed me before I delve into it. I will need all of my strength to get through the story.”
With a smirk, Maddoc moved with the group out into the entry hall and then deep into the smaller feasting hall where a veritable mass of culinary delights were laid out for all to sample. Already, there were several people at the table, including de Lohr’s family. Much to de Norville’s delight, they were all women.
Emilie sat with David in the center of the feasting table, a gracious and lovely hostess for the visiting knights. Adalind sat with her mother and Willow, who was seriously eyeing the visitors and, in particular, de Bocage. Along with his height, he was very handsome with his blue eyes and dark hair. Willow didn’t even seem to notice that all he did was respond to Kieran once in a while or laugh at jokes. He never really said much of anything. Nor did he take the lead in the conversation, but that didn’t preclude her interest. She never even noticed the man had a bit of a stammer, which more than likely explained why he was so quiet. Willow had been eyeing Gerid over the past few days but with the introduction of the handsome stranger, she was shifting loyalties.
After the guests were seated, Maddoc had taken a seat between Adalind and Christina. His gaze was warm on Adalind, who was looking quite luscious in a gold brocade surcoat and he was looking forward to the evening of introducing her to his friends. He hadn’t taken two bites of his food when a soldier bolted into the warm and fragrant hall, heading directly for David.
“My lord,” the man said, “we have sighted an army approaching.”
Maddoc didn’t hesitate; he was on his feet. “Lock down the gatehouse,” he ordered, already moving to quit the hall. “Send out the scouts. Did we receive a missive or warning?”
The soldier moved to Maddoc’s side as David, Gerid, de Wolfe and the other visiting knights jumped up from the table and began to follow as well.
“No missive, my lord,” the soldier replied. “Our scouts spotted them a few miles south towards Ashford. They are moving in our direction, a battalion of men and animals.”
Maddoc’s mind was quickly processing what he was being told. “Ashford,” he muttered. “Chilham Castle is in that direction.”
“De Digges is loyal to Pembroke,” David said. His mind was working furiously as well. “Pembroke and de Burgh are allies.”
Maddoc looked over his shoulder and glanced at the man. “Do you suppose Walter ran to de Digges and demanded his army?”
David shrugged. “It is as good a theory as any.”
Maddoc didn’t like that theory at all, but it unfortunately made sense. He looked at the knights trailing after him, unimaginable firepower at his disposal. De Wolfe himself was called “The Wolf” by the Scots because of his cunning mind and vicious bite. He was, perhaps, the best commander in the entire north of England and his reputation was legendary. Maddoc’s gaze fixed on William.
“Your assistance would be appreciated, William,” he said quietly. “De Digges carries nearly two thousand men. This could be bad.”
De Wolfe nodded coolly. He was collected and calm, as were the others. This was what they were born and bred for, fighting men whose lives involved death and defense on a daily basis. A siege was nothing out of the ordinary. It was the fabric of their existence.
“I am at your disposal,” he said to both Maddoc and David. “Little does de Digges know what he is up against. We shall make short work of him and be back in the hall before dawn.”
Maddoc wriggled his eyebrows. “It is not de Digges that concerns me,” he said, shoving the entry door aside as the group began to descend the stairs into the dark and cold bailey. “It is de Burgh. If it is truly him, and he truly seeks some kind of twisted vengeance, then I will seek the man out and destroy him. He threatens me, Adalind, and everyone at Canterbury, and this I will not stand for.”
David should have been the one to caution him again based on de Burgh and his family connections, but he did not. He agreed with Maddoc completely. He was infuriated that the man would move against his castle and, worse, his family. Canterbury was peaceful for the most part but this night threatened to change that. He was bloody well enraged.
Torches on the battlements were now being quickly put out by orders to douse all lights. As the knights came off the steps and Maddoc began to issue orders, he glanced behind him and caught sight of a figure up at the head of the stairs, the entry. It took him a moment to realize it was Adalind. David caught sight of her, too, and waved Maddoc off as he took charge of the knights. When Maddoc resisted, David pointed at Adali
nd to make sure Maddoc understood the silent message, and moved off towards the gatehouse. Maddoc’s attention lingered on the departing group of knights before turning his focus to Adalind.
When she saw he was alone, standing at the base of the stairs, she gathered her skirt and made her way down to him.
“What is happening?” she begged softly. “Will you tell me? I heard you mention de Burgh.”
He was in battle mode, struggling to soften his manner as he gazed at her. After a moment, he held out his hand to her and she took it tightly in both of hers. Her hands were warm and soft as she squeezed his big, rough fingers.
“An army approaches,” he said. “We do not know for sure if it is de Burgh. In fact, we do not even know if they are truly hostile but it would be foolish not to set our defenses. To that regard, I want you to go back inside and bolt the door. Throw the shutters and lock yourselves in. Do not open the doors for anyone but me or your grandfather. Do you understand?”
She looked at him with big eyes, nodding, and he could see the tears coming. “I do,” she whispered. Then she bit off a sob. “Oh, Maddoc, why is this happening? If it is de Burgh, why will he not leave us alone? He is a hateful, hateful man.”
He gently tugged on her hands, pulling her against him. His big arms went around her, their first true and solid embrace that was warm, tender, and strong. Maddoc held her tightly, his face in the top of her head, smelling the faint sweet scent of her hair. It was heavenly. His heart, so recently filled with rage and battle, softened with the feel and smell of her. He’d never known anything so wonderful, melting him, causing all of the anger and aggressiveness he was feeling to drain right out of him. It was a struggle for him to maintain focus.
“He is of no consequence,” he murmured. “If it is him, then he shall be sorely disappointed, for Canterbury will hold and he shall not have what he came for. He shall not have you.”
Adalind was trying to be brave, she truly was. But she was genuinely distressed that they were facing potential danger, with Maddoc in the middle of it. She felt so guilty, as if she were the cause of all of their troubles. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, her eyes closed as she buried her face in his tunic. How long had she dreamed of this moment, to be held by Maddoc in a way that a man holds a woman? It seemed like a lifetime. Now, he was finally hers to hold and she never wanted to let him go, not ever.
Fathers and Sons: A Collection of Medieval Romances Page 42