After reaching the bailey, Nicholas found Sir Guy there. “I will give you one warning, and one warning only. Should you ever return to Nunney, for any reason at all, I will be sure to give you cause to regret it.” Nicholas didn’t respond. “Your horse is saddled and awaits you at the stable. I suggest you leave now.”
Nicholas walked past the older knight, then turned back around. “She might have won this time, but she has trifled with the wrong man. I will make sure she gets her own.”
“I would expect no less from you. Try if you wish, but you are finished.”
After giving one last snarl of rage, Nicholas stomped away. He was far from finished with them.
Chapter Twenty
Beth pulled the hood of her cloak closer around her face and shifted from one foot to the other. Would he never leave?
She peered around the corner of the pavilion she stood behind, checking to see if Terric had left his. His horse was still picketed out in front of the pavilion. She groaned to herself. A quick second later, she shot back out of sight as the flap opened. After counting to ten, she stepped into the open. He was just disappearing from view.
Beth picked up her skirts and crossed the space between the two pavilions. Not bothering to announce her presence, she pulled open the flap, stepped inside, and pulled it back closed.
A look of shock crossed Edwin’s face when he saw her. “What do you here, my lady?”
Beth shook off her hood. Edwin watched her every move. Not really sure why she did it, she reached up and pulled her unbound hair from beneath her cloak. The long, light blonde tresses tumbled down her back. His breath hitched.
“I need your help, Edwin.”
“I thought…” His voice cracked, but Edwin cleared his throat and tried again. “I thought you were with Lady Jacqueline.”
“I am.” Edwin appeared to think over what she had said. Looking at him, really looking at him this time, she realized he was quite handsome. All the other instances she had been in his company, she really had never noticed his good-looks. Grief had overshadowed a lot of her senses.
“You mean Lady Jacqueline is here? At this tournament?” he asked, his smile widening while he spoke.
“Aye, she is. That is why we need your help.”
He seemed not able to tear his gaze from her. “What exactly would you have me do?”
Beth smiled brightly. “Jacqueline is going to challenge Terric in the list. All you have to do is make sure he accepts.”
“She what?” He furiously shook his head. “There is no way I can accomplish that. Terric will recognize William’s name when he receives the challenge.”
“She will not be using her brother’s name. She will be keeping her name unknown.”
“All right, then I can somehow manage what you ask.” He frowned. “I thought Lady Jacqueline was with child. How can she ride in the list in that condition?”
Beth shook her head. “Jacqueline is no longer with child.”
“She lost the baby?”
“Nay, do not be ridiculous. Jacqueline bore a healthy son, a month past.” Beth paused to make sure she had Edwin’s full attention. “Terric has a son.”
Edwin let out a whoop. “I knew it. I knew the babe was his.” He picked up Beth’s hand and placed a lingering kiss upon it. With his lips hovering above it, he looked deeply into her eyes. “I am your servant.”
* * * *
The start of the tournament circuit did not bring him much excitement this time around, not like previous years. It felt as if he were only going through the motions. The anticipation of meeting opponents in the list was gone. Nothing felt the same since he had lost her.
He had come full circle now. He was at Portchester Castle in Portsmouth where he had first met Jacqueline posing as William. He had not realized then that she would change what he wanted out of life. The dream of earning enough coin through tournament ransoms so he could buy land was not so pressing anymore. What good would the land be without Jacqueline? She was the one and only woman he wanted as his wife. Without her, owning property held no interest for him.
Edwin quietly helped him don his armor. Terric blandly accepted his assistance. “Who is my first opponent?”
Standing behind him, Edwin said, “I am not sure. This knight has chosen to keep his identity hidden.”
Terric turned to look over his shoulder at his squire. “Who else did this unknown knight challenge?”
“Only you.”
“Just me?” Terric found that surprising. Why him?
Edwin nodded. “Aye, just you.”
Terric was curious as to the knight’s identity. More importantly, why he had been singled out?
Edwin slapped Terric on the shoulder, signaling he was done arming him. Once they arrived at the list, the unknown knight was already waiting. A blank white shield was on the knight’s left arm. With his helm in place, there was no way to tell who he was. Even the knight’s young squire was unfamiliar to him.
Terric took to his end of the list, then accepted his first lance from Edwin. At the first pass, both lances shattered as they impacted against the hard surface of their shields. After the second pass, he found something vaguely familiar about his opponent’s form. Why he did, he could not put his finger on.
After taking up his third and final lance, he closely watched as the unknown knight readied for the final pass. The sense of familiarity grew. Terric kicked his horse in its sides and started down the list. His opponent followed suit.
A quarter of the way down, Terric watched as the knight, who barreled toward him, adjust the aim of his lance. He cursed under his breath. With only a moment to spare before they met, he threw his lance away, forfeiting the match. He quickly turned his horse around as his opponent left the list with some hurry.
Edwin met Terric as he returned to his end. He gave his master a timid smile. Terric leaned down and grabbed him by an ear. Edwin danced on his toes, trying to escape his grasp.
“You knew all along. Did you not, Edwin?”
The squire started to nod, but then seemed to think better of it. “Aye, I knew.”
“Why did you not see fit to inform me?”
“Well, you see, I figured no harm would come of it. They were so desperate, and I so much wanted to help them, and—”
“Enough!” Terric bellowed. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper under control. “I believe you have stated your case, or should I say, buried yourself deeply enough. All I want to know is one thing. Where are they?”
Edwin swallowed audibly and pointed in the direction of the pavilions. “At the very far end. Out of sight.”
Even before Edwin had said his last word, Terric released him and set off in the direction Edwin had indicated. Just as his squire had said, Terric found the lone pavilion not far from the main group of tents. It sat behind a small copse of trees that created a natural screen.
Terric picketed his horse next to the one already out in front, then roughly unlaced his helm. He pulled it completely free from his head as he stepped through the entrance.
She had only had enough time to remove her own helm. Terric stared at Jacqueline. Seeing her still dressed in her armor made his temper simmer all the more. Trying not to give it free rein, he punched out each word through his clenched teeth. “Just what in hell were you doing out there today?”
Jacqueline closed the distance between them. She pulled off one of her gauntlets and placed her palm on his cheek. “Getting your attention.”
He grabbed her wrist in a vise-like grip, then pulled her hand from his face. “Why could you not seek it in the usual way?” He released Jacqueline and took a step away.
“I need your help, Terric. I could not afford to take the chance of you refusing to see me.”
“You need my help,” he said blandly. “What about your husband? Can he not do it?”
“Nay.” Jacqueline stepped closer again. “Nay, he cannot. Forwin is dead.�
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All at once, his world right itself. Jacqueline was free, but there was still something that caused him to tread carefully. “What of the child? Forwin’s heir.”
“You left Nunney before I could explain.”
“So you could tell me how you came to sleep with another man and bore his child?”
Jacqueline shook her head and smiled. “Terric, do you actually think I would give myself to Forwin? Well, I did not.”
He wanted so much to believe her, but the child could not be so easily dismissed. “You have not answered my question, Jacqueline. I did not ask about our meeting at Nunney. Changing the subject will not deter me.”
“As you wish.” Jacqueline put some space between them. “I gave birth to a son a month ago. Your son.”
Terric shook his head in denial. “That is not possible.”
“Why not? I was only married to Forwin for seven months. He died on the same day our son was born.” He said nothing. “Terric, add up the months.”
“If what you say is true, then you were already with child when—”
“We were to wed. Aye. It was the night at the grand tournament, I think.”
Terric removed his gauntlets and set them on the ground next to Jacqueline’s. “All right, I believe you. Now what? You are a wealthy widow able to be independent. You do not need me.”
Jacqueline reached up, lacing her fingers through his hair at the back of his head. “How can you say that with all seriousness? My feelings for you have not changed. I love you, Terric. I always will.”
With a clang, their armor met. Terric pulled Jacqueline into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. Waves of intense pleasure swept through his whole body. He had craved her touch for months. Groaning, he gripped the edges of her armor, hating the barrier it created between their bodies.
The sound of a babe crying caused Jacqueline to quickly pull away. He looked over his shoulder and found Beth standing inside the entrance, holding a babe that was making his displeasure known to all. She appeared to be completely frazzled from the baby’s fretting.
“Sorry, Jacqueline, but he will not stop crying. I have tried everything. You are going to have to nurse him or he will not settle.”
“What the little lord wants, he gets,” Jacqueline said with a smile. “I just have to remove my armor, then I can feed him.”
Before Terric could go to Jacqueline’s side to assist her, Beth stepped around to face him and held out the crying bundle of baby. His first inclination was to back away, but curiosity to see what his son looked like won out in the end. Tentatively, he held out his arms to accept the infant. Beth gently passed him the small bundle before going to help Jacqueline in the removal of her armor.
Careful of the steel encasing his arms and chest, Terric pulled the blanket back to have his first look at his son. The baby’s face was bright red. His eyes were tightly screwed shut with tears streaming down his soft cheeks. With hands fisted, he waved them in the air in indignation. Terric chuckled at the infant’s display of displeasure.
“Come now, little man. It cannot be as bad as all that.” At the sound of a new voice, the baby stopped crying and opened his eyes. Terric found himself looking into ones the same color as his own. Though their child had taken after Jacqueline in looks, the boy’s eyes matched his. Terric felt a sense of connection with this small being he held, and a strong feeling of protectiveness. The baby whimpered, unhappy that Terric was not giving him what he wanted. He filled his lungs with air, then wailed once more.
Jacqueline touched Terric’s hand. “This is your son, Jordan. Before he brings too much unwanted attention, I had better feed him.”
With great reluctance, Terric allowed Jacqueline to take Jordan from his arms. Once she was comfortably seated in a camp chair, she put the baby to her breast. His cries instantly ceased. Enthralled, he could not pry his gaze from his son as he suckled.
“Tell me what could be so dire that you must enter the list to gain my attention, Jacqueline.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jacqueline took a moment to collect her thoughts, then told Terric all that had happened since her father had stolen her from Carisbrooke. She did not leave out any details, even explaining why Forwin had brought Nicholas to Nunney. She also told him the lie she had given about already being pregnant, only to find out later it was the truth.
Replete, Jordan stopped sucking and fell asleep. Jacqueline switched him to her shoulder and patted his back. She continued her tale. “With Forwin gone, and Nicholas on the loose, my father will find out how he was tricked.”
Terric was aghast at what Jacqueline had endured. If only he had stayed at Nunney long enough to have found out what was really happening, she would not be so vulnerable now. “I was a fool to leave you with those two.”
“Do not blame yourself. You did not know. You are here now, and you can still save me.”
“I will not abandon you like that again, I promise. Whatever it takes, I will do to keep you from your father’s clutches.”
“That, Sir Terric, is exactly what we had hoped you would say.” Having been momentarily forgotten, Beth broke into the conversation. She breezed past Terric and went to the entrance of the pavilion.
She pulled the flap back and signaled to someone, who obviously had been waiting for just that. Terric was not at all surprised when Edwin stepped inside. What he had not expected was a priest closely following his squire. Terric looked at Beth, who smiled sweetly.
“If you want to keep Jacqueline safe, marry her. Here and now,” she said.
Still holding their child, Jacqueline stood, watching for his reaction. Terric closed the space between her and himself. He went to her side, put his arm around her shoulders, and turned her to face the priest. “Well, Father, it looks as though you have a marriage to perform.”
With Beth and Edwin acting as witnesses, the ceremony became a very simple matter. Jacqueline’s mother had procured a special license so the banns could be overlooked. Beth had been given possession of it before she had left Carisbrooke with Sir Guy. Lady Elizabeth had known it would be put to use.
Once the priest pronounced them man and wife, Jacqueline kissed Terric. After their lips parted, she smiled lovingly into his eyes. His job now complete, the priest departed. Terric had to give him credit. He had not blinked an eye at the bride being dressed as a man.
A sense of euphoria wash over him. Jacqueline was his. “Now, wife, are there any other plans you have inside your pretty little head? Something I should know about?”
“Nothing too drastic, husband. We go home to Nunney. The longer we are absent, the more I worry.”
“Then we leave within the hour. I can finally claim you as my own. No man will take you from me again.” Seeing he had everyone’s attention, Terric continued. “Once we all are behind Nunney’s walls, we can breathe a little easier.”
* * * *
He had not anticipated on it taking so long. He had assumed it would be no great feat to gain the presence of the Earl of Salisbury. Who would have guessed the man traveled around so much?
After a month of just missing the earl, Nicholas finally arrived in time to try to gain an audience at Castle Rushen on the Isle of Man, one of the earl’s other holdings. After presenting himself as a traveling minstrel, he had gained entrance into the castle. To have speech with the earl proved to be no easy task. The man had no tolerance for those beneath him, and being styled the king of the Isle of Man did nothing to change the earl’s attitude. He let no one forget that title.
The evening of his arrival, Nicholas had performed in the banqueting hall in the state apartments. The hall was the largest room in the castle. It had an enormous fireplace that was necessary to keep such a huge room heated during the winter.
After what Nicholas had thought was a perfect performance, he tried to speak with the earl. He had approached the raised dais, but the earl had in no way acknowledged him. Feeling like a fool standing there, he had finally given up.
His time was running out, though. He would be permitted to stay at Rushen for only a few more days, then he would have to move on. The Earl of Salisbury was not a man one could annoy and not expect to suffer some kind of consequences.
As the final notes from his lute faded into nothingness, Nicholas accepted the goblet of wine one of the pageboys offered him. It was welcome after his performance to wet his dry throat and give him the confidence needed to confront the earl. He swallowed all the drink in two large gulps, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. It was time to face the dragon.
As before, the earl ignored him when he stood before the dais. Not wanting a repeat of the previous evening, Nicholas loudly cleared his throat. The earl glared at him. After executing an elaborate bow, which he hoped would impress the earl, he spoke. “My lord, I wonder if I can have a moment of your time.”
Saying the earl was perturbed by Nicholas’ impudence in addressing him personally was putting it mildly. He looked at Nicholas with complete revulsion.
“What could a lowly minstrel possibly have to say that I would deem of any importance?” With a negligent wave of his hand, he dismissed him. “Be gone, before I have you thrown into my dungeon.”
Nicholas felt a moment of hesitation. He had heard much about the earl’s dungeon during the short time he had been at Rushen. It was situated beneath the guardroom within the keep. Prisoners had to be lowered by ropes. Scarcely a ray of light penetrated the gloom in that miserable place.
Willing to take his chances, Nicholas persevered. “My lord, please do not belittle what I have to impart to you. It is of grave importance.”
The earl surged to his feet and leaned upon the trestle table to stare at him. “Have you no sense? I thought I made myself perfectly clear.”
Knight of Her Life Page 17