“I am a wealthy widower,” he said. “Lady Mara is young, beautiful, and healthy. It is perfectly acceptable to marry her so that she may bear me a son.”
Spencer couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “And if she doesn’t bear you a son?”
“Then she shall be a wealthy and respected wife nonetheless.”
“Is that all she is to you, my lord? Someone to breed with?”
Lionel could hear the judgment in Spencer’s tone. He went from a calm demeanor to a frustrated one in a flash.
“That is the purpose of marriage,” he pointed out. “It is not for young knights to live out romantic and lusty dreams. It is to breed empires, of which I intend to do. If you cannot accept that, then I shall release you from your oath and you may seek your comfort and fortune elsewhere.”
Spencer cooled. He could see that Lionel would not be berated or judged for his decision. It was a reasonable one, that was true, but Spencer was not thinking with reason. He was thinking with his loins and with his heart. He was also thinking about Kirk; he couldn’t help it. He pondered his liege’s words, forcing himself to settle.
“That will not be necessary, my lord,” he replied, returning to his obedient demeanor. “But I would assume that Kirk knew nothing of this proposal.”
Lionel was eyeing Spencer for any further hint of rebellion. “I would assume not,” he replied. “If he did, I am sure he would have destroyed the missive.”
“What do you think he will say when he finds out?”
“That is not my concern. My concern is with my family and my holdings.” Lionel was coming to realize how harsh he sounded simply by Spencer’s expression. He was not a harsh man by nature; in fact, he didn’t like to take a stand of any kind. He was fairly passive. After a moment, he took a deep breath and cooled. “Kirk is an excellent knight, Spencer. I admire him a great deal. But he has his choice of women. I do not. This… this is my last chance, lad. When I die, the House of le Vay dies with me and this I cannot abide. I have to do what I can to remedy the situation before it is too late.”
Spencer’s brow furrowed, caught up in le Vay’s passionate speech. “What do you mean before it is too late?” he asked. “You speak like a desperate man. If you want to marry so badly to have another son, I am sure there are many women who would be more eligible than a minor baron’s second daughter.”
Le Vay shook his head firmly, rising from the stool. He gathered his fine robes up around him to keep them off the floor. There was agitation in his movements.
“But it would take time to find such a woman,” he said. “Lady Mara is here, now. I could marry her today without delay.”
Spencer was growing increasingly baffled. “My lord, I have never heard you express importance in another marriage,” he said. “I do not understand your sudden interest.”
“It is not sudden. It is something I have been thinking of for some time.”
“But I do not understand why…?”
Lionel cut him off. “Because I must,” he fired back with more passion that Spencer had seen from the man in a long time. “Time is running out.”
“What time?”
“My time,” Lionel insisted, his words overlapping Spencer’s question. When he saw the look on Spencer’s face, he realized how abrupt he had come across. He backed down, but not entirely. He put a hand to his chest, gesturing to himself in an impassioned plea. “My time, Spencer. The physic says I do not have much longer to live. When I die, the House of le Vay dies with me. Now I see a chance to save it and I cannot let it slip away.”
Spencer sat in stunned silence for a moment. “You are dying?”
Lionel nodded. Suddenly, he wasn’t so passionate. He was exhausted. He returned to his stool and sat heavily. After a moment, he sighed.
“You know that I have not been feeling my best as of late,” he said quietly.
Spencer was very concerned. “For at least a year,” he said. “The physic said it was infirmaries of old age.”
“That is because I told him to tell everyone I was simply feeling my years and nothing more,” he said. “It would seem that I have a mass growing in my belly. It has affected everything about me from my eating to the ability to relieve myself. I do not wish to get into graphic detail but suffice it to say that the mass has grown so much that it is affecting my ability to walk. Soon, I will be crippled and soon thereafter, it will kill me. Whatever it is grows swiftly. The physic thinks it is a cancer.”
Spencer was horrified. But he also understood now why le Vay was so anxious to marry and produce a son before he was unable to move at all. It made perfect sense. After a moment, he simply shook his head.
“My lord,” he said softly, “I do not know what to say to all of this. I take it that Lady Lily does not know?”
Lionel scratched his head. “She does not,” he replied, subdued. “I do not want her to know. She will be a mess, mourning me before I have even passed on. I do not wish her final memories of me to be those of sadness.”
“She will find out soon enough if this cancer overtakes you.”
“Then we shall confront the subject at that time. But until then, not a word to anyone.”
“I swear it, my lord,” Spencer assured him. He eyed the man as he sat on the stool, brushing the dust from his robes. “But I still do not believe marriage to Lady Mara is wise.”
Lionel looked up from his robes. “Why not?”
“Because Kirk loves the woman,” he said softly. “She loves him. Would you ruin her life simply to satisfy your own wants?”
Lionel’s jaw ticked, causing his jowls to quiver. “She is young,” he replied. “I will die soon and all of this will be hers. Kirk can have her when I am finished with her. Meanwhile, I would have you deliver a missive to Edmund when you are feeling better that I accept the terms of betrothal.”
Spencer’s first instinct was to refuse but he knew he could not. “If I must, my lord.”
“You must.” Lionel rose unsteadily from his stool, eyeing the knight on the bed. “For now, I do believe I will attend Lady Mara and explain the course her future is about to take.”
Spencer met the man’s gaze, his disapproval evident. He simply couldn’t help himself. “Would you like me to go with you? She may need comfort.”
Lionel paused by the door. “Let me make this clear, Spencer; from this day forward, the Lady Mara is my betrothed and you will cease any notion you ever entertained where it pertains to her. You will behave perfectly and act perfectly towards her, or I will throw you from the castle myself. Is this in any way unclear?”
Spencer didn’t rise to the obvious challenge. In truth, he had no choice. “It is, my lord.”
Lionel’s gaze lingered on him, cold as ice. “Good,” he muttered. “Spencer, do not pretend that your reaction to this betrothal is on Kirk’s behalf, for it is not. It is simply because you are jealous that I now possess what you wanted. It is envy, pure and simple.”
“Perhaps, my lord.”
“It ends now.”
After the man left the chamber, Spencer sat in silence, mulling over the course the conversation had taken. He was still in shock, over many things. But even with his shock, and his contention with Kirk, all he could think about was how le Vay was stabbing Kirk right where it would hurt him most. Certainly there was jealousy there, but surprisingly, it was not overwhelming. Spencer had always believed le Vay to be a fair and decent man, but in light of the recent conversation, that opinion was now changed.
Dying or not, it didn’t give him the right to take a woman that clearly belonged to someone else. If Lionel had done to him what he was doing to Kirk, Spencer would have killed him.
He knew that if Kirk was aware of the contents of Edmund’s missive, he would do the same.
***
Lionel found Mara, conveniently enough, in Lily’s light and beautiful rooms. He had only sought to speak to his daughter but finding Mara there was a stroke of fortune in his opinion. He thought perhaps
that if he delivered the news with Lily present, Mara would have comfort when the information settled and it would be better for them both. He knew, deep down, that what he was doing was wrong, but he didn’t care. His sense of self-preservation ruled above all else.
“Greetings, Father,” Lily set her needlepoint onto the table next to her chair and rose to greet her father. “How lovely of you to visit.”
Lionel kissed his daughter’s cheek as he collected her hands. “How fortunate that I have found the two most beautiful women at Quernmore in the same room,” he said, looking around the chamber. “It seems quiet in here. Where are your other ladies, Lily?”
Lily waved a dismissive hand. “Off being silly somewhere, I suppose,” she said. “Today, it is simply Mara and me. We are very companionable.”
Lionel’s gaze fell on Mara. “As well you should be,” he said. “Greetings, my lady.”
Mara, a paint brush in hand and a small palette of paints and half-painted vellum on the table before her, stood up.
“My lord,” she greeted.
Lionel’s gaze lingered on her; she was wearing the same sapphire blue silk that she had worn that morning when Kirk had ridden off into the dawn. The dress had belonged to Lionel’s dead wife, although his wife had never worn it as beautifully as Mara did. He found he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“You look quite lovely in that dress,” he told her. “I am so glad you could use my wife’s garments. It seemed a shame to keep them stored away and unused.”
Mara looked down at herself, in the fine dress she could have never imagined owning. “You are very generous to give them to me,” she said. “I can never thank you enough.”
Lionel’s gaze lingered on her delightful rosebud mouth before forcing a smile. “Your enjoyment of them is thanks enough,” he replied. Then he noticed the paint brush in her hand. “What are you doing?”
Mara grinned, somewhat embarrassed. “Lady Lily is teaching me to paint,” she said. “I do not think I am a very good student.”
Lily laughed. “She is a wonderful student,” she corrected. “Mara and I have been here since Kirk left this morning. She was sad at his departure and I did not want her to be alone, so I brought her here and we have been painting ever since.”
Lionel’s gaze moved from Mara to the painting on the table and back again. “She seems to be doing a marvelous job,” he said. “Please; do not let me disturb you. I merely came to see my daughter, whom I have not seen all morning.”
“Sit with us, Father,” Lily insisted, indicating one of her fine chairs. “Please sit and tell us stories to entertain us. In fact, tell us of the days when you used to live in London. Mara, did you know that my father was friends with Henry Tudor?”
Mara was impressed. “King Henry?” she looked at Lionel with some awe. “Was he your good friend?”
Lionel shook his head. “I was friends with Henry only as much as he found me and my army useful,” he said. “I supported him at Bosworth. That was a long time ago.”
“Only thirty years ago,” Lily insisted. “It is not that long ago.”
“You must have been a very young man,” Mara said to him.
Lionel shrugged. “I was young indeed,” he replied, thinking back to that great and bloody day. “That was the last time I saw significant battle. It was such a glorious and tragic day. In fact, I was near Richard when he was killed. I saw it all. I was also near Matthew Wellesbourne when he lost his hand.”
Mara nodded, enthralled. She didn’t pay much attention to history or battles, but everyone knew of the battle of Bosworth Field when Richard the Third was killed by Henry Tudor’s forces. She had never actually met anyone who had been eyewitness to the event.
“I have heard of Matthew Wellesbourne,” she said. “Was he not a comrade of Gaston de Russe?”
Lionel nodded. “Great Gods, you have never seen such big and powerful men,” he said, reflecting. “In the presence of The White Lord and the Dark Knight, men cowered, including me. I swear the ground shook when they walked.”
He said it so dramatically that the women giggled. “What became of them, Father?” Lily asked. “Did they survive into old age?”
Again, Lionel nodded. “The last I heard they had both survived into old age,” he said thoughtfully. “They are still alive but very old, and I have heard tale that they both had gaggles of descendants. In fact, Wellesbourne has sons that serve our king and I believe de Russe’s sons have conquered half of the known world.”
The women grinned. “It is a wonder anyone survived that battle,” Lily said as she collected her sewing. “I am so glad you did, Father. You were not married to Mother at the time, were you?”
Lionel shook his head. “I was barely twenty years and one when Bosworth was etched into the annals of history,” he said. “I did not marry your mother until I was well past thirty years and she was sixteen years of age. It was an arranged marriage, and advantageous. All good marriages are. Lily, your marriage is also a contract marriage.”
Lily nodded, stabbing at the material. “But I happen to like my future husband,” she sighed. “I am fortunate. But Mara is even more fortunate; she and Kirk love one another. Father, you loved Mother, did you not?”
Careful, Lionel told himself. He could see a window opening and he was about to climb through. He was extremely cautious as he proceeded in the minefield between pleasant conversation and life-changing information.
“I did,” he said softly, his gaze on Mara. “I learned to love her. She was a good woman and I was very fortunate. But she was not my first love; no. First loves are not meant to last. They are the loves that teach us what it means to feel for someone and to adore them. That way, the second time around, it is much easier.”
Mara was listening with interest in between brush strokes. The conversation was engaging and flowing easily. She had no idea he was setting her up for the kill.
“How long where you married?” she asked innocently.
“Over twenty years,” he told her. “I miss her. I miss the companionship and the affection. It is something I never imagined I would have again, with anyone. But it seems that I was mistaken.”
Lily looked curiously at her father. “What do you mean?”
It was the obvious question, one that Lionel was looking for. Now is your chance, he told himself. Be careful!
“Since your brother died, I am without an heir,” he told his daughter quietly. “You know this, and you know how I have lamented the fact. All I had was to go to Michael but instead, it will pass to you and your husband, and the House of le Vay will cease to exist. That has always deeply saddened me, as I have wished that your mother and I had been blessed with at least another son to carry on the name. It is a prayer I have had since your brother died but one that has gone unfulfilled until now.”
Lily was still looking at him curiously. She set her sewing down. “Be plain, father,” she said. “Has something happened?”
Lionel stood up; he had to. He was too close to the lovely faces and when he delivered the news, he didn’t want to be so close that he could feel Mara’s tears. He paced away from them, across Lily’s lovely sitting room, and paused by the lancet window overlooking the bailey.
“Something has happened indeed,” he said quietly. “It would seem that I have been presented with a marriage proposal and it is one I intend to accept. I understand that this young lady, the bride that has been offered to me, has a suitor but she must understand that marriages are not made of love and dreams. They are made of politics and breeding and standing. I will offer this young lady the barony of Wyresdale, of course, and all of the wealth related to it. All of this I will offer her; she will never want for anything. Do you not think she will be amiable to such an offer?”
He turned to look at the young women as he said it. Lily nodded, as did Mara. In fact, both girls looked very sincere in their response.
“The young woman will be most fortunate, Father,” Lily insisted. “I am ver
y happy that you have received the offer. But you said that she has a suitor?”
Lionel nodded, coming away from the window as he moved back in their direction. “A knight,” he said. “An infatuation, I am sure. It will pass. What I offer her is much more substantial.”
Lily’s brow furrowed. “That is true; it is,” she said hesitantly. “But… but what of her feelings? If she has a suitor, she must care deeply for him. Have you not considered that?”
“Of course I have,” he said. “I have considered her feelings fairly and I hope dispassionately. Although I am not unsympathetic, I am sure she will understand that marriage to me will be best for her. She seems to come from an impoverish family so the wealth she will acquire when we marry is beyond her dreams. In the end, her suitor will fade from memory because she will know that marriage to me was the right choice. It is the reasonable choice.”
Lily was more confused than ever. “She is impoverished?” she repeated. “How in the world did you come to an agreement with a bride who carries no dowry?”
Lionel was very serious. “She does not need a dowry,” he said. “She will provide me with a son and that is worth a thousand dowries. Make no mistake; I am agreeing to this marriage because it is my chance to have a son, another heir. Lily, as much as I love you, you are my daughter. A man needs a son. I marry again to have one so that the le Vay name will not die. In exchange for a son, I will make this young woman wealthy beyond her wildest dreams.”
Lily didn’t know what to say to all of that. In fact, she was rather embarrassed that Mara had heard all of it. Her father’s thoughts were deeply personal; too personal to be spoken in front of a mere acquaintance like Mara. When she looked at Mara, rather apologetically, she could see that Mara’s attention was on Lionel. She held a rather innocent expression, as if the passion of Lionel’s words truly had no meaning to her. She didn’t know the man at all, so her opinion of his feelings was superficial at best. Lily returned her attention to her father.
“Then I am happy for you,” she finally said. “Who is this young woman? Do I know her?”
Lords of Eire: An Irish Medieval Romance Bundle Page 95