He was feeling a bit embarrassed at her praise. “It was my duty and my pleasure.”
Avrielle’s big eyes glistened at him. There was something more in her eyes than simple gratitude, he thought, and he was both intrigued and frightened by it. Was it… dare he say it… interest? God’s Blood, the mere thought was ludicrous!
“I am glad,” she simply said, finally tearing her eyes away and looking about the garden. “Thanks to you, I no longer feel the urge to hack at this earth, although this once used to be a lovely garden. This winter was harsh and very wet, so I did not spend any time here tending it. After Nat died… well, I did not feel like tending it at all other than to claw at the earth, and now it is suffering. I suppose that I should like to revive it if I can, but that would take effort. With a new infant, I am not sure I can spare the time.”
Scott looked around the garden, too. As he’d noticed before, it was filled with growth, some dead, some dormant, and nearly all of it overgrown. There were a few spots of color where spring flowers had pushed up through the mud, but he believed her when she said it used to be beautiful. He’d noticed that the first time he’d ever seen it.
“Surely the child will not take all of your time,” he said. “That is why you have a nurse. With the child tended, you can do other things, like coax your garden back to life.”
Avrielle shrugged. “Mayhap,” she said. “There is a man on the outskirts of Kendal who sells flowers and seeds for farming and gardening. Nat used to take me every spring to visit him to get seeds for my garden. I suppose I should like to visit him one of these days to see if he has anything left for purchase. The time for planting is nearly over.”
Scott looked at her. “Why not go tomorrow?”
She looked surprised. “I… I do not know if that is possible,” she stammered, unprepared for his suggestion. “A venture like that takes planning, and I cannot go alone. My father is quite busy these days so I suppose I will have to wait until he can escort me.”
Scott put his hands on his hips, looking around the garden one last time, before giving a shrug. “I do not have anything terribly pressing,” he said. “I will escort you. Can you be ready to depart at dawn?”
Avrielle looked at him in surprise. “You will take me?”
Scott nodded. “Certainly. If you will allow it.”
Would she allow it? At the moment, Avrielle couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do. Spending more time with a man she clearly had a good deal in common with, that she found some comfort with, was an inviting prospect, indeed. A smile crept onto her lips.
“Can we bring Sophia and Stephen?” she asked. “It would do them good to get out of the castle for a day. They always liked to go with me to see the man, anyway. He gives them sweets.”
Scott nodded. “Indeed,” he said. “Getting a sweet is a good enough reason as any for them to go.”
“And a wagon? We will need it in case he has flowering plants that I may purchase.”
“Aye, my lady.”
“Oh – and a pallet in the back of the wagon for the children. They have been known to sleep the entire way back home.”
“It shall be done, my lady. Anything else?”
Avrielle shook her head, positively aglow with the prospect. “Are you sure you have no other pressing duties?”
He gave her a half-grin, a sort of knowing smirk that set her heart to racing. “Nothing more pressing than you,” he said quietly. “Or your children. I will be ready for you at dawn on the morrow.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Scott.”
She grinned. “Scott.”
He nodded, satisfied that she could make a habit of calling him by name, and turned for the old, half-rusted gate. “I have duties I must attend to now, one of which involves you, so I will beg my leave of you for now.”
She cocked her head. “What duty involves me?”
“Speaking with the king’s messenger.”
She immediately sobered. “Is he still here?”
Scott nodded. “He is,” he said but refrained from telling her that the messenger had heard the rumors, too. Something in him wanted to protect her from that shame. “He is anxious to return to Edward so I must… explain things to him and send him along his way.”
There was anxiety on her face now. “Will you tell him I am unable to travel? If he sees us leaving tomorrow at dawn, he may think you are lying.”
“You will leave that to me. Meanwhile, should you need anything, send for me.”
“I will,” Avrielle nodded, watching him walk towards the garden gate, thinking he had a rather proud and attractive walk. She rather liked watching him walk. “Thank you, Scott. For everything… thank you.”
He glanced at her as he pulled the gate open, casting her a hint of a grin. It was there and then it was gone, but the effects lingered.
If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn he was flirting.
Avrielle watched him until he disappeared through the gate. After that, she was quite aware that she had a smile on her face as she, too, left the garden after him. But it also set her to thinking about someone who might have watched Scott go through the gate and then her shortly thereafter. Even though their encounter had been completely innocent, that was how rumors got started, as they’d discovered this morning. While Avrielle realized she probably should have been more careful, a large part of her didn’t care. Men were going to think what they wanted to, no matter if she was careful or not.
Besides… she should be so fortunate should Scott de Wolfe really show her that kind of attention.
She couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face for the rest of the day.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Scott found the messenger in the great hall just as he’d been told.
It was rather dark in the hall at this time of day, the hearth having died from the morning blaze and the constant haze of smoke lingering about the level of a man’s head. Scott entered the hall, pulling open the heavy, weathered door, immediately on the hunt for the messenger.
But it wasn’t any royal messenger; the man was a knight. Scott saw that the moment he approached the man who was sitting at one of the big, scrubbed feasting tables with a deck of wooden picture cards, several of them laid out before him. Scott wasn’t looking at the cards, however, even though they were a curiosity that was new to England. He’d only heard about them but he surely didn’t care to inspect them. He was primarily focused on the messenger, who didn’t look up until Scott was nearly on him. Then, he was startled and stood up quickly.
“Well?” the messenger demanded. “Where is de Wolfe? Or are you another one of his men coming to tell me that he is unavailable?”
Scott’s gaze was intense. “I am de Wolfe,” he said in a tone that left no room for doubt. “I understand you have been making demands of me and my men, and I am here to address your behavior.”
The knight’s demeanor changed dramatically when he realized he’d just been disrespectful to the very lord he sought. The arrogant man visibly demurred.
“Lord Bretherdale,” he said, taking a step back so he could bow in formal greeting. “I am Gillis Aston. My apologies for my rudeness, my lord, but since I have arrived, I have been told you were indisposed repeatedly. As much as that is your right, I am under orders from Edward. The king has ordered me to return with an immediate reply to the missive that I delivered to you.”
Scott maintained an expression that would have sent even the most stalwart man cringing. “So you resort to threats and bullying in order to carry out those directives?” he said. “I do not bow to the will of others, Aston, and certainly not to your will.”
“Do you bow to the king’s will, my lord?”
“That is a foolish question.”
Aston knew he was in a bad position and he struggled to maintain his respectful-but-firm demeanor. “I am merely reiterating that I am here on the king’s business and I have my orders.”
Scott’s gaze l
ingered on the man, not a crack in his stone-hard façade. “As do I, and I am quite certain they are more important than yours,” he said. “You do not make demands at Canaan, Aston. Do you understand?”
“Aye, my lord.”
“That is good. Because I have been told that you have heard the rumors regarding Lady du Rennic and have made mention that you would deliver this rumor straight to Edward in an attempt to leverage my response to his missive.”
Aston could see that Scott was incredibly angry; it was in everything about him. It was an increasing struggle to hold his ground.
“Without any message from you, my lord, I would have little choice but to tell the king what I have heard,” he said evenly. “But your man explained that Lady du Rennic is in no condition to travel because she recently bore a child.”
Scott’s eyes had a deadly gleam to them. “The woman has a newborn infant in addition to two very small children,” he said. “I am liege of Castle Canaan and that includes her occupants. I was also the liege and friend of the lady’s dead husband. I will, therefore, instruct you in this manner. You may tell Edward that Lady du Rennic will not be traveling to London because she is in no condition to do so.”
Aston nodded. “Aye, my lord,” he said. “But Edward will want to know when you feel she will be ready.”
“Not any time soon. Tell him Canaan is under my control and that he should not worry.”
Aston sighed faintly; it was clear that he wasn’t happy with the answer. “My lord, forgive me, but you know that Edward will require more of an answer. He will want to know when the lady will be ready to travel. If you could give me an estimate, I would be grateful.”
Scott pondered the question; the messenger was right. Edward would want more of an answer, especially since he already had a husband selected for the lady.
God Bones… Scott didn’t like that at all.
The more he thought on it, the more he couldn’t stomach the idea of Avrielle in the hands of a Scottish lord who was only out for the riches and political connections of Canaan. A political wife like Avrielle, with three small children as dependents, would be relegated to a life of loneliness and emptiness. She might even be abused, and her children… well, they would not live a pleasant life as their mother’s new husband would more than likely view them as unwanted baggage.
And Avrielle… it wasn’t fair that a woman of such feeling and beauty should be viewed only as property and nothing more.
Nothing more…
An idea occurred to Scott at that moment, so swiftly that it startled him. He told Avrielle that he would delay the king’s directive as long as he could. Certainly, he could tell the king that she wasn’t able to travel, but that would only hold out so long. At some point, she would have to go to London or her potential husband would have to come to Canaan. But… what if he told the king the lady was already married…
… to him?
It was madness, all of it. Perhaps it was impulsive of him, too caught up in the emotions that Avrielle had caused him to feel, emotions he was certain he’d buried long ago. But he’d been wrong… she’d brought something out in him he’d forgotten about, something that was starting to take over his senses. Was it his business that Lady du Rennic was to marry another? Of course it wasn’t. It wasn’t his business in the least.
But he couldn’t stand the thought of it, nonetheless. Why or how, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he couldn’t let her go to someone else.
He knew what he had to do.
“I want you to listen to me and listen carefully,” Scott said. “This is information that will only reach the king and no one else. If I hear you have spoken of it to others, I will find you and I will kill you. Is this in any way unclear?”
Aston shifted a little, nervously. “It is not, my lord.”
Scott took a step towards the man, staring him down with his razor-sharp gaze. “Then listen well,” he growled. “The lady’s husband took an arrow for me four months ago. Were you aware of that?”
Aston shook his head. “I was not, my lord.”
Scott cocked a blonde eyebrow. “The man gave his life for me,” he said. “There is something he spoke to me of on his deathbed that no one knows of, not even Edward. As he lay dying, Nathaniel du Rennic begged me to look after his wife and children. He asked me to marry his wife and take care of her. I have tried to ignore this request, but I find I cannot. I am honor-bound to fulfill it. The rumors of Lady du Rennic emerging from my quarters this morning were true because… because she is now my wife. You will return to Edward and tell him that. Tell him that I will soon come to him and tell him myself, but I have not yet had the time. Tell him that Castle Canaan and the Fawcett Vale are in my hands now, permanently. Now, repeat what I have told you.”
Aston was trying to keep the shock from his face. “That you made a promise to Nathaniel du Rennic upon his deathbed to marry his wife and you have. You will come to Edward when time allows and tell him yourself.”
Scott nodded shortly. “Excellent,” he said. “Now, get out of here. I do not want to see your face again.”
Without another word, the messenger picked up the wooden cards he had strewn about the feasting table and shoved them into his saddlebags. In fact, he couldn’t seem to move fast enough, trying to vacate de Wolfe’s presence before the man let loose on him. He could see the unpredictable nature in de Wolfe’s eyes and he had no desire to be caught up with one of the de Wolfes in defending himself. Especially not against the man known as the Black Adder, the de Wolfe that lived in the shadows.
He knew he would lose.
With his saddlebags in hand, his cloak, and his weapons, Aston pushed past Scott and practically stormed from the great hall. Scott would have felt some relief at his departure had he not seen Stewart standing just inside the door, stepping aside as Aston rushed out. Scott knew simply by looking at Stewart’s expression that the man had heard everything. Now, he was feeling cornered.
Guilty.
He had to think fast.
“How long have you been standing there?” Scott’s question was steady.
Stewart, looking the least bit shocked, was trying not to appear that way as he stepped towards him. “Long enough,” he said, clearly trying to figure out how to speak on what he’d just heard. “I was on the battlements when I saw you cross the bailey into the hall and I knew you were going to speak to the messenger. I came to see if I could help you in any way. I did not come in to eavesdrop, my lord.”
“I would never think that of you.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
An awkward silence followed. In looking at Stewart’s expression, Scott knew he had to explain himself. He motioned the man forward.
“Come here,” he said quietly. “Sit down. We must speak.”
Stewart did as he was instructed, planting himself on one of the splintering benches and looking up at Scott expectantly. Scott scratched his head thoughtfully before sitting down beside him.
“How long have you served me, Stu?” he asked quietly.
Stewart didn’t hesitate. “Nine years this November, my lord.”
Scott nodded faintly, thinking on everything that had happened in those nine years. “That is long enough to know a man,” he muttered. “You were with me when my two younger children were born.”
“Aye, my lord.”
“You were there when I lost them along with my wife.”
“Aye, my lord.”
Scott fell silent a moment as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he pondered where the conversation would go. For some reason, he felt like talking. He felt like telling Stewart everything that was on his mind, as if he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. It was an extraordinary moment of weakness for him and he knew it, but he also knew Stewart. He knew the man would not judge him, no matter how foolish the conversation became. He glanced at the man.
“Your devotion to me has been admirable,” he finally said. “You remai
ned with me after… after the accident when not every knight in my service did. Why?”
Stewart met his eye. “Because you did not need to be abandoned when you needed support the most.”
Scott sat up, rather touched by the statement. “That is a most compassionate attitude,” he said. “I never asked you why you remained with me, not once. I had eleven knights and all but you and Milo fled after Athena’s loss. Even the addition of Jean-Pierre and Stanley and Raymond… they were not my knights. Those were knights my father sent, knights you have mostly dealt with. In these four years, I have hardly had any dealing with them at all.”
Stewart was starting to realize that this was going to be a rather honest conversation, something that surprised him greatly. He hadn’t seen this level of honesty or interest from Scott since before that dark day those years ago. He’d seen a congenial, likable man transform into something that only he and Milo seemed to be able to communicate with. But even in that communication, Scott kept them both at arm’s length. As if there was no memory of the camaraderie before the accident, before the situation turned so terrible.
It was strict professionalism, cold and precise.
“It is the chain of command, my lord,” Stewart said simply. “They are junior knights and they understand their places, but they are loyal to you. We all are.”
Scott could see that Stewart was still maintaining the strict protocol, even in this rather relaxed conversation. That was because Scott always demanded such a thing, but in this moment, Scott didn’t much feel like that strict protocol. His guard was down. Human feelings were on the surface.
“Stu,” he finally said, his voice low. “I will speak on this subject once and then I will never speak of it again. I have never thanked you for staying with me. I have been through four years of hell, darkness as you cannot even comprehend, and there were times when the one constant around me was you. You were something familiar that I could always depend on, but I have never told you that. I do not know why I tell you this now only that it seems appropriate.”
The Original de Wolfe Pack Complete Set: Including Sons of de Wolfe Page 191