A Tournament Knight

by A Tournament Knight (lit)

  Now that he was comfortably seated, Forwin motioned for Jacqueline to come over to him. "Nicholas, this is my new wife, Jacqueline Montacute. Her father is the Earl of Salisbury."

  Nicholas took her hand and brushed a lingering kiss upon it. "An honor to meet you, my lady. I look forward to getting to know you better."

  Jacqueline snatched her hand away and wiped it on the skirt of her gown. She did not at all like the knowing smile the minstrel wore on his lips.

  Not missing what she had done, Nicholas chuckled. "I see the lady has a mind of her own." He then turned back to Forwin. "Do you think you can handle such a one as she, my lord?"

  Forwin smiled. "Have no fear, my friend. I know how to control her. What do you think of her?"

  Shifting his attention back to Jacqueline, Nicholas nodded. "You chose well, my lord. I find her very agreeable."

  "Good, good. Now let us eat, then you can entertain us."

  Not taking his eyes from Jacqueline's face, the minstrel replied, "As always, my lord. I will do my best."

  In response to Nicholas's words, Jacqueline shivered. She had a very strong suspicion the minstrel was not just talking about his planned performance that evening.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The evening left Jacqueline feeling even more unsure of what went on between Forwin and Nicholas. That there was something going on, she felt was a given. There were double meanings in most of the words which passed between them. A few sly looks sent her way by both men, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end.

  It was not until after she had been dismissed did she finally begin to relax. Now, sitting on her bed dressed in a nightgown, she brushed out her hair. Even though it was only shoulder length, the strokes of her brush helped to calm her nerves. Something was afoot, and it was only a matter of time before Forwin made his move. Jacqueline just hoped it would happen soon.

  Having expected that there was something planned, it was no great surprise to her when her chamber door was thrown open by Forwin. Once he stepped inside, she could see Nicholas was following behind in his wake.

  Forwin's pallor was, if anything, worse. There now was a grayish tinge to his face. "The time has come for you to do your duty, my dear. I want an heir and you are going to give me one."

  Instinctively, Jacqueline inched back on the bed until her back came up against the headboard. "I will fight you. I will not allow you to lay one finger upon me."

  Her husband laughed at her. "Put your fears to rest. It will not be I who touches your lovely body, but Nicholas. Do you not find him appealing?"

  Jacqueline's eyes shot to Nicholas's face. He smiled at her. "What … what do you mean?"

  "If I do not produce an heir, my lands could revert to the crown. I will be damned if I let that happen. So Nicholas and I have reached an agreement. He will do what I am no longer able to. I will then claim the child he gets from you as mine."

  "My father must not know of your plans. If he did, he would never have given me to you."

  "Of course he does not. I am no fool. I let your father believe what he wanted. He thinks I will give my lands to him."

  Shocked, Jacqueline quietly asked, "What did he ask you to do?"

  "Why he had me sign a will bequeathing my lands to you. If I did not accept and do what he wanted, he would never have allowed our marriage to take place."

  So this was what the earl would gain by her marriage to Forwin. The man's greed knew no bounds. "You have no intention of letting that happen, do you my lord?

  Forwin nodded his head in approval. "Smart girl. Your father will never claim my lands as his. He thinks he has me under his boot, but he does not. I have drawn up another will. In this one I leave all my lands to your child."

  Jacqueline put her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back the laughter which bubbled up inside her, but she could not control it. As she started to laugh uncontrollably, the two men in the chamber stared at her as if she had lost her sanity, which made her laugh all the harder.

  Taking her by the shoulders, Forwin shook her until she ceased her outburst. "What is wrong with you girl? This is no laughing matter."

  Breaking free from Forwin's grasp, Jacqueline then asked, "Did my father promise you a maiden bride?"

  Forwin narrowed his eyes at her. "Aye, he did."

  She chuckled, the laughter once again threatening to rise to the surface. "Well he lied to you. I am no longer a maid. My father stole me away from the man I love on the day we were to wed. So you see, my lord, I could very well already be with child."

  She could see Forwin had not been expecting that bit of information. He stood there speechless. Nicholas looked equally shocked. Jacqueline bet he was picturing all the wealth he was to gain turning to dust.

  "I hate my father. Not only has he destroyed my only chance of happiness, he killed my brother. My twin. I feel nothing but revulsion for him. It makes me extremely happy to see he is finally going to be denied something he wants."

  Forwin finally seemed to come to his senses. "What should we do about this? What if you are not with child?"

  "Then I will submit to Nicholas."

  Reaching out a hand to grab her by the chin, Forwin forced Jacqueline to look him in the eye. "If you are not truthful, my girl, I promise it will not go easily for you. If you prove not to be with child and try to thwart me, I will personally hold you down as Nicholas has his way with you. For however long it takes."

  Delivering his final threat, Forwin motioned for Nicholas to follow him, and then he quit the chamber. When the door shut tightly behind them, Jacqueline breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

  That had not been an enjoyable experience, but she had gained valuable information. Now all had been revealed to her. Her father's well laid plan was falling apart.

  Crawling under the covers on her bed she started to think. She had been only trying to put Forwin off when she told him she could be with child. But now, reflecting back to the last time she had been with Terric, she realized it could very well be a great possibility. She was late, something that had never happened to her before. Feeling so despondent about what her father had done to her, she had not been paying attention to the passing of weeks.

  Letting her hand drift down to her belly, Jacqueline gave it a gentle caress. She prayed Terric's child was indeed growing inside her. Then she would have a part of him to cherish. It also would be her salvation. Forwin would not be able to touch her then.

  * * * *

  Terric cursed the earl for his ability to cover his tracks so well. Each time he left the Isle in search of the man, he came up against a dead end. The earl was not at any of his residences, nor had he made an appearance at any of the tournaments in which Terric had participated.

  Lady Elizabeth was not happy with Terric's decision to still go to every tournament in the circuit. She had felt he was wasting precious time that could be better used in searching for Jacqueline. Terric did not agree with that. Tournaments were the ideal place to hear the latest gossip, as they had agreed upon before. Since the earl was a powerful man, he definitely garnered more attention from the gossip mongers. They had to find the earl first and foremost to be absolutely sure he was the one who had indeed taken Jacqueline. And Terric could not think of another way that would provide that information faster.

  Though he was now convinced the earl was responsible, he still had some nagging doubts, but he kept them from the Lady Elizabeth. She would be very disappointed in him if she ever found out.

  He had yet again returned from a tournament with no leads whatsoever. Not relishing the idea of telling Lady Elizabeth of his failure once again, Terric slowly pushed open the hall doors. To his surprise the hall was empty.

  Walking over to the stairs, he detected the faint sound of voices coming from above. Figuring it was best to face the music now rather than later, he climbed the stairs.

  The voices were coming from the solar. Lady Elizabeth and Sir Guy seemed to be having a much heated argument a
bout something. When Terric entered the solar, they both fell silent.

  "I am sorry, my lady, but my luck has run out once more. I found nothing."

  Lady Elizabeth sadly shook her head. "Sit down, Terric. We have had some news during your absence."

  And it was not good news, Terric surmised. Hoping to allay some of his fears, he turned to look at Sir Guy. The older man jerkily shook his head in denial.

  Bracing himself for the worst possible news, Terric focused his attention upon Lady Elizabeth. "I think I will keep standing, if you do not mind. Now tell me what you know."

  "The earl has sent us a missive, informing us where Jacqueline is."

  "And?"

  "It seems my husband was not fooled by Jacqueline's performance in London after all. As such, he took her and married her off to Forwin, the Earl of Somerset."

  An acute wave of pain washed over him. This, Terric felt he should have expected. But even if he had been expecting the pain he was now feeling it would not be any less now that he knew. "Then it is over."

  Rising to her feet, Lady Elizabeth adamantly shook her head in denial as a reaction to his simple statement. "I refuse to let this go. I want you to go to Nunney Castle and find out if what my husband says is true."

  "Nay, send Sir Guy in my place."

  Her voice rising in anger, Lady Elizabeth shot back, "For a brave man such as yourself Terric, you seem to run away when life is not to your liking. Are you going to leave Jacqueline alone again? I can only assume your feelings for my daughter were never true."

  Terric was quick to defend himself. "What would you have me do? Is it not enough that I am already suffering from the loss of Jacqueline? Must you increase my pain by making me see her as the wife of another?"

  Hoping to alleviate some of the tension between Lady Elizabeth and Terric, Sir Guy decided to speak now that they had fallen silent. "I think my lady is thinking more of what the lass must be going through, lad. If it is at all possible, I know Jacqueline would rather have you ride to her rescue than my old self."

  Rubbing his hands over his face, Terric sighed. "All right, I will go to Nunney. But I have a feeling I will not like what I find there."

  "You may not, lad. But you can at least say you tried."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Much to Jacqueline's relief, her suspicions were correct. She was indeed carrying Terric's baby. The village midwife had confirmed it. Even though Forwin's plan did not go as he had exactly pictured, he was still quite pleased with the end result. Especially since he was running out of time.

  Forwin was extremely ill and it seemed unlikely that he would live to see her child born and that made Jacqueline fear greatly for the child growing inside her. But her husband apparently had thought of every possible contention.

  Now that she was already with child, there was no need of Nicholas, or so Jacqueline had thought. Much to her dismay though, her husband did not send the minstrel on his way.

  The child she carried also gave her a small measure of control over her life once more. She was left alone, Forwin only demanding she come to his chamber each afternoon. Perhaps to make sure she had not run during the night, she assumed. There really was no other reason for her to be there.

  She dreaded each sojourn she had to make to Forwin's chamber. Even though he was ill, she still disliked the man. They had reached an even accord, which was something more than they had before.

  One day, like every other day, Nicholas was with Forwin. Her husband was now unable to leave his bed and the minstrel had taken on the role as nursemaid. He was never far away from his charge.

  Pulling a chair up close to the bed, Jacqueline watched as Nicholas propped Forwin up with some pillows. "How are you this day, my lord?"

  "How do you think, you silly fool? I am dying." Forwin answered grumpily.

  Thinking the rest of her stay would progress the same way as all the other of her visits, Jacqueline did not expect Forwin to actually want to speak with her alone. He usually ignored her most days.

  Forwin motioned Nicholas away from his bedside. "Leave us. I wish to speak to my wife." When Nicholas stood his ground, Forwin snapped, "Do as I say. Leave."

  Knowing he had better do as bidden or lose Forwin's generous gratuity, Nicholas prudently made his exit from the chamber. Once alone, her husband enlightened her to the new plan he had come up with. "I have been thinking about what steps can be taken to keep your child safe from your father. And more importantly, my lands."

  Jacqueline braced herself, having a feeling it would not be at all to her liking. "What have you decided to do?"

  "When I am gone, you will marry Nicholas. He will protect my lands, especially with you offered as the prize."

  "I refuse."

  Forwin's face turned an alarming shade of purplish red. "How dare …. How dare you go against me! You will do as I order you to do."

  Nonchalantly, Jacqueline shook her head. "Nay, I will not."

  Her words worsened his condition. He began to wheeze and clutch at his chest. "I suggest you calm down, my lord. If not, you will expire this very moment." After Forwin brought himself back under control, Jacqueline continued to speak.

  "The day I will allow myself to be coerced into another marriage I want no part of is over. There is nothing you can do to me. Now or after you are gone. The only reason I stay is because it will hurt my father. If I need protection, I can easily attain it, in the form of the father of my baby."

  Able to speak now without wheezing, Forwin asked, "Who is this man?"

  "That, my lord, is none of your business. Let me just say he is a much better man than Nicholas."

  Frowin scowled at her. "Nicholas will not be pleased. I have already given him my word."

  Jacqueline laughed at his complaint. "I cannot see such a powerful man as yourself letting a mere minstrel dictate to you."

  His voiced laced with indignation, Forwin said vehemently, "He does not!" He then spoke in a more thoughtful tone. "But he does need to be rewarded for his loyalty to me."

  "Then give him a large amount of gold and send him on his way."

  He seemed to take some time to consider what she suggested. "I can see you are not some insipid miss. You will only do what you wish. I will give Nicholas the gold you have suggested, but he stays here until I am gone. Though he plays the part of being loyal to me, I still do not trust him fully."

  She had to admit she was a little shocked by Forwin's admission. "Then you have taken an awful chance involving him in your plans."

  He shrugged it away. "A man of his caliber, it is expected. He can easily be bought." Forwin eased himself back down on the bed. "Now leave me. I suggest you say not a word of this conversation to Nicholas. I would hate to see you come to harm."

  Happy to be dismissed, Jacqueline left the chamber. She had much to think about.

  * * * *

  Nicholas was growing impatient. Forwin was not expiring fast enough for his liking. The old fool just seemed to linger on and on. And with each visit from the young chit who was his wife, he seemed to will himself to live another day. Nicholas did not like it one bit. The time had come to help matters along.

  Looking down at Forwin asleep on the bed, Nicholas knew it could be so easy. If he wanted this over here and now, there was no one who could stop him. All he had to do was take one of the many pillows on the bed and place it over Forwin's face. The old man would be unable to dislodge him. But that would make the end come too quickly. It would not do to draw suspicion to himself.

  Nay, that was not a possibility. But tonight, when Forwin's evening meal was brought up to him, Nicholas would make his move. He would increase the dose of the poison he was slowly feeding to Forwin.

  Of course the fools had no inkling of what he was about. They were all so trusting, or his acting abilities were better than he originally thought. Even Forwin had been easily taken in by his charade. He did everything Nicholas suggested. That is before he married Jacqueline.

 
The woman was not so easily fooled and Forwin seemed to listen to her more than he did to him these days. So far she had changed the direction of his plans. But he would not allow her to mess them up any further. He had invested too much to let it slip through his fingers now.

  * * * *

  Jacqueline had feared the worst when her father had brought her to Nunney. But this new life which was not one of her choosing, she was finding tolerable.

  She had found friendship and allies among the castle staff. The kitchen became the central hub of life at Nunney, at least for herself. She avoided the part of the castle where Forwin resided as much as she possibly could. Except for her daily visits with him of course. The ever present Nicholas made her extremely uncomfortable.

  He had done nothing menacing toward her, but having him watch her every move while in his presence made her skin crawl. And the man damn well knew it.

  On this particular day, Jacqueline decided not to give Nicholas the upper hand. When she had to encounter him, she would just simply ignore the man. Entering the kitchen, she received a warm greeting from Mabel.

  "How are you this day, my lady?"

  "Very well, Mabel."

  The cook smiled and shook her head. "You are lucky. When I carried all of mine, I was sick as a dog in the beginning." Mabel had four sons, all working in various positions within the castle.

  "I suppose I am."

  Moving to the worktable, Jacqueline took some of the bread dough Mabel was working with and began to knead it. "Has Nicholas been down yet today?"

  The cook sneered in disgust. "Nay. Which pleases me. I have had enough of that one's demands. The way he struts around here, you would think he was master of Nunney."

  Jacqueline could not agree more. Mabel was right. Nicholas already acted as if Nunney were his. So much he knew. "Aye, he does. But for now he is harmless."

  Mabel shot her a questioning look. "And what exactly do you mean by that? We all know there is more than one reason why that knave is still here. He cannot be looking after our lordship out of the goodness of his heart. That minstrel does not own one."