“If you promise to no longer fight against me, I believe we can come to an equitable arrangement,” he finally said. Then he spoke with irony. “If I do not agree with you, then I can see it will only cause trouble. You have many friends who are willing to defy me in order to support you.”
Gallus looked to the men around him, men who still had their swords drawn. A wry grin creased his lips. “They are good men, Your Grace,” he said. “They are men I would willingly die for.”
“As they would evidently die for you.”
Gallus eyed the king, his men, and the crown soldiers who were now standing around looking rather confused. From the threat of a fight one minute to the discussion of peace the next, they weren’t sure whether to wield a sword or sheathe it. The mood of the conversation was ebbing and flowing, with the king no longer entirely agitated over what was transpiring. In fact, he seemed to be calming a great deal, but a measure of confusion in his expression lingered.
Truth be told, Gallus was still confused, too. He wasn’t entirely sure this was what he wanted to do or even if it was the right thing to do. He still had his convictions. But his wife, as well as his brothers, has asked that he at least try. For their sakes, he was willing to. He still couldn’t stand the sight of the fair-haired, gangly man several feet away who ruled England, but that didn’t much matter. He had family and friends to think about. Much like Henry, it would be a mess if he didn’t agree to least try.
“Would you accept Isenhall’s hospitality, then?” he finally asked Henry. “I have some very fine wine from Spain that should keep the conversation flowing nicely.”
Henry shrugged. “I do not believe I have much of a choice,” he said. Then he pointed at de Serreaux. “Come back to me where you belong. We are going to Isenhall to feast.”
De Serreaux immediately lowered his sword and went back to Henry’s side, but his dark eyes were glittering with mirth. They all saw it. That caused Curtis to grin, followed by de Moray, as the older men ordered the youngers to lower their swords.
They were grins of relief and of understanding; understanding a stubborn king who had a difficult time compromising. But he had. Davyss and Hugh, weapons now placed back in sheathes, moved to Henry’s side once more but the king looked at them both with disapproval.
Still, he didn’t say anything. He was simply glad to have a de Winter by his side again and didn’t much consider Davyss’ recent stance against him a failure of loyalties. Deep down, in the jumble of his convoluted mind, he understood.
He wished for such loyalty from his friends and men, too. All men did.
It was an oddly peaceful and quite conclusion to what could have been a battle for the ages. It was better than any of them could have hoped for. As the group began to filter out of the cathedral into the dawn of a new day, Chad and Alessandria remained behind.
For them, the conclusion had greater meaning. Even though it was a situation that had consumed them for weeks now, in the case of the Lords of Thunder, it was a situation that had been a part of their daily lives for the past several years. Now it was over and there were no dead bodies on the ground. That very fact still had Chad reeling.
“I would not have believed this entire happening had I not seen it with my own eyes,” he said. “Did you have any idea that Gallus and Max and Ty were coming in behind you like that?”
Alessandria, still looking a bit shocked, shook her head. “I rode all the way from Isenhall and never saw them,” she said. “If they saw me, they certainly made no attempt to contact me.”
Chad shook his head, baffled. “Amazing,” he muttered. Then, he squeezed her, still in his grip. “And you; what you did today… were you truly going to turn yourself over to Henry as a hostage? Why would you do such a thing when I worked so hard to keep you from him?’
She struggled not to feel foolish. “When you said that Henry was coming to Isenhall, I thought you were trying to spare me the real reason,” she said. “I knew he was most assuredly upset because you had taken me away so I thought… I hoped… that if I turned myself over to him, he would no longer be angry and try to raze Isenhall. I was trying to save the lives of the people that I loved, including you.”
His smile turned gentle. “You love me?”
She flushed deeply, averting her gaze. “Did you not know that, Chad?” she asked. “You are a brilliant man. Surely you knew.”
He shook his head, grinning. “Tell me,” he murmured in that deep, raspy tone she loved so well. He pulled her closer. “Let me hear it in your own voice.”
Gazing up into his handsome face, Alessandria realized this was the moment she had been waiting for her entire life. Up until a few minutes ago, she was fairly certain she would never have the opportunity to tell him what was in her heart. Since that drunken night they’d spent together when the two of them became one, and she had realized her love for him, she’d never had the opportunity to tell him. Perhaps this was the moment as it was meant to be, telling her of her love for him even as she had just attempted to prove it.
“I could not let you face Henry if there was any chance I could save you,” she whispered, feeling warm and giddy. “You – and all of your friends and family – have been so very kind to me, Chad. Your father and mother and sister were very kind. Even your knights were kind. Gallus and Tiberius and Maximus and their wives have been gracious and generous. They are my family, Chad – I have never known family in my life, ever. Not with my father or my brother, yet with these strangers – and with you – I have known more love and happiness than I have ever experienced in my life. Of course I love you. I cannot remember when I have not loved you.”
He stroked her cheek gently, deeply touched by her words. “And you loved enough, and were unselfish enough, to give yourself over to a man who would hold you hostage.”
She nodded. “If it would save you, I would do it a thousand times over.”
His smile deepened and he bent down, slanting his lips over hers. It was a kiss of pure magic, of pure joy, and as the sun continued to rise and the sky turned from blues to pinks, Chad held Alessandria against him, cherishing the feel of her in his arms. He would never be without it.
“Even if you did not tell me that you loved me, your actions have told me so,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “I love you, Aless. I will love you for always and forever, until the sun ceases to rise and the stars fall from the sky. Even then, I will continue to love you. There will be no end to what I feel for you.”
His words warmed her soul. “Then you are not angry that I came?”
He shook his head. “Nay,” he admitted. “Your motives were pure, as is your heart and your soul. I am a fortunate man, indeed.”
She smiled, vastly relieved. It was a tender moment between them but it was interrupted by people entering the cathedral as Matins approached, and the priests were beginning to filter in as well. They were up by the altar, preparing for the coming mass. It was no longer just their private moment.
“Mayhap we should leave now,” Alessandria said, indicating the incoming throng of worshippers. “Mayhap we should return to Isenhall.”
Chad looked around, noting the people, but he was mostly interested in the priests. An idea occurred to him and a faint smile creased his lips.
“Not so fast,” he said. He nodded his head in the direction of the altar, far across the hard-packed floor of the cathedral. “We were denied a marriage last night. Mayhap we should speak to the priest while we are here.”
“Why?”
“So he can marry us now, of course.”
Alessandria’s eyes widened. “Now?” she asked. “Will you ask him to marry us this morning?”
Chad’s answer was to wink at her. Taking her by the hand, he led her to the front of the church where two brown-robed priests were preparing to intone the mass. The priests shied away from Chad somewhat, considering they had seen the entire confrontation with Henry and several other knights. They recognized Chad as having been part of that
group but when Chad explained his wants, the priests didn’t seem so wary of him. At least he had a genuine purpose for being there. Then, a generous donation of coinage made the men of the cloth plainly eager to do Chad’s bidding.
Finally, Chad would have the wedding he wanted.
Therefore, as the sun crested the horizon in the east, shining its great and golden glow across the land, Chad and Alessandria stood at the great Norman entry to St. Mary’s Cathedral while the canon, a man who knew the de Shera family well, intoned the wedding mass as another priest, several other acolytes, and about half of the town of Coventry watched. The questions were asked of the intended couple, the responses given, and once that part of the ceremony was completed, Chad and Alessandria followed the priests into the cathedral to finish the mass.
Theirs was a relationship that had started in a priory and now came full circle in a cathedral, and Alessandria thought it was all quite perfect. Nothing could have been more heavenly or more appropriate. When she finally left the cathedral later that morning, it was as Lady Thorndon, wife of Lord Thorndon. Her husband, a worthy man from a fine family, collected his steed from the livery across the street and returned his new wife to Isenhall Castle. The lady’s extended family, upon hearing the news, threw a grand feast for the occasion in which the King of England, a man who had once been their mortal enemy, was an honored guest.
All things happen as they should, Alessandria thought as she watched Henry and Gallus and her husband, as well as a host of other knights, drink fine Spanish wine long into the night. It was a surreal experience, to be truthful, and a glorious feast, an unexpected ending to a most unexpected day.
The one thing that was expected, however, was her new husband’s behavior when he’d had too much wine. With all of that rich red wine flowing, it was only a matter of time before the breeches came off and strains of Tilly Nodden could be heard.
Unfortunately for Henry and the others, Chad and his love of good wine had him flashing his buttocks repeatedly, cheered on by Tiberius, Chris, Arthur, and William. De Serreaux, fairly drunk himself after a most strenuous day that nearly saw him lose his position as the leader of Henry’s Guard of Six, took great offense to Chad’s bare buttocks and took to throwing pieces of ember at him, trying to hit the pale white backside with something that was on fire.
Twice, he’d made contact, causing Chad to smack the man on the side of the head with a piece of kindling, much to the amusement of the others. De Serreaux thought it was humorous as well, but his Guard of Six cohorts saw it as a challenge. Soon enough, Chad and his cousins were locked in games of chance against de Serreaux and his comrades while Henry and Gallus found themselves trying to keep the peace between the drunken knights. It was a complete turn of events, with Henry and Gallus as peacemakers now, that went on long into the night. As odd as it sounded, it was something of a bonding experience for Henry and Gallus. After that, they understood each other much better.
Alessandria was tolerant of her husband’s drunken antics. She rather liked watching him behave like a fool because he was really very funny. The man who would one day be the Earl of Canterbury deserved the chance to relax and laugh with friends, she thought. She certainly wouldn’t begrudge him that, as the path to this moment in time had been a difficult one for them both.
But Jeniver and Courtly soon closed ranks around Alessandria, removing her from the loud and drunken men, and escorted her to her small borrowed chamber on the top of Isenhall’s keep to prepare for her coming wedding night.
Alessandria made no hint, of course, of the fact that this would not be her first sexual encounter with Chad as Jeniver and Courtly helped her to dress in a fine dressing gown made from silk that belonged to Jeniver. Douglass didn’t participate because, being heavily pregnant, she had retired early for the night, so it was Gallus and Maximus’ wives assisting their cousin with her toilette in preparation for her new husband.
Alessandria appreciated their efforts, loving the women as she would sisters. The days of Lady Orford and her terrible daughter were long gone as she finally found acceptance with her cousins’ wives. The whole world had come full circle for her and she swore that she would never again take life, or love, for granted. It was to be treated with the greatest of care, something to be treasured, always.
Alessandria tried to stay awake that night, waiting for her husband’s return, but her exhaustion had the better of her and she ended up falling asleep on the small bed she was expected to share with him. She happened to awake at one point when she felt the bed give, having no idea what time it was, and she opened her eyes to Chad’s naked buttocks perched on the side of the bed as he drunkenly tried to remove his breeches and boots at the same time.
Your husband has a bread-dough arse and I want to sink my teeth into it!
Old Lady du Bexley’s words suddenly popped into her head. Of all the times to remember such a thing, that time was now, but it was actually quite appropriate. His buttocks did look like two unbaked bread loaves. As Chad struggled to remove his clothing, Alessandria would have the last laugh. She did exactly as Lady du Bexley wanted to.
She sank her teeth straight-away into his taut, delicious buttocks.
After that, Chad seemed to lose his penchant for flashing his arse when drunk and no one could seem to figure out why. But Alessandria knew… and so did Chad. Having discovered a wife who liked to bite him, Chad was less apt to give her the opportunity, at least in public. But in private, he rather liked her gnashing little teeth. Now, she was the only one who saw his arse. He had promised her that much.
Love, laughter, and family. Those were the things that made life worth living.
The de Lohr dynasty lived on.
EPILOGUE
Canterbury Castle, early May
1267 A.D.
If nothing else, Chad had always been entertaining.
Daniel knew this because he’d watched his son grow from a very active, somewhat devilish boy into a man who hadn’t left much of the boy behind when he’d become an adult. There was still a great deal of boy left in Chad, as Daniel was witnessing now, as the man celebrated the birth of his first child.
Katrine, they had named her, in honor of Liselotte’s mother and also in honor of Chad’s twin sister who had died at birth. A little girl that Daniel could still see, even now, with her perfectly formed features and sweet little face. His heart still ached for his baby girl, just a little, but holding Chad’s daughter had helped ease that pain. He hoped, through Katrine, that his long-dead daughter might perhaps live again, just a little.
And she was a big baby, too. It had taken Alessandria nearly two days to give birth to the child, struggling to bring forth a fat baby with downy-red hair who screamed the moment she was born until the moment her mother put a nipple in her mouth to feed her. Daniel had been given the pleasure of holding the baby well after her birth, when she had been fed and swaddled and was snug as a pea in a pod. But his joy in holding her had been brief because Liselotte wanted to hold the baby, and then Chad wanted to hold her again, so Daniel had been forced to admire the baby in someone else’s arms, mostly.
But he truly hadn’t minded in the least.
That had been a week ago. Chad had sent word to Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius on the birth as well as everyone else he could think of, including the king. He wanted everyone to know he had a healthy, beautiful daughter. It never even crossed his mind to be disappointed that it wasn’t a son. To Chad, it didn’t matter in the least. He couldn’t have been more thrilled.
His joy was evidenced in the fact that he’d celebrated the birth, nightly, since it had occurred. His wife was still bed-bound and couldn’t join him in the hall, but Chad celebrated enough for the both of them. He’d given up excessive drink at the request of his wife and Daniel hadn’t seen the man drunk or even tipsy since their marriage, but the birth of little Lady Katrine seemed to weaken her father’s resolve to behave himself. Therefore, every night since Katrine’s birth had been somet
hing of a party with Chad front and center.
Even now in the great hall of Canterbury, the big hall they rarely used, Daniel watched the man as he sang a very noisy chorus of Tilly Nodden with his brothers and fellow knights. Rhun du Bois had a terrible singing voice and his tone-deaf baritone could be heard throughout the hall of Canterbury, causing Stefan and Perrin to throw things at him to force him to be quiet. It was quite hilarious to watch but Rhun would not be deterred. He sang bravely as bread crusts and even utensils were flung in his direction.
So Daniel sipped his sweet Spanish wine, listening to the terrible singing, and laughing at the antics of his sons and his knights. These days at Canterbury, there was much to be joyful for as well as grateful for. He was reflecting on that gratitude when he was joined by Liselotte.
Into the noise and smoke of the hall, she emerged from one of the smaller doors that led to the kitchen yard. It was dark outside, as night had fallen, but the kitchen was cooking full-force for the men in the hall. Daniel could smell the freshly baked bread as the scents wafted in behind his wife. He smiled at her as she came to the table.
“Has Chad dropped his breeches yet?” Liselotte asked as she sat beside her husband.
Daniel poured his wife a cup of wine, handing it to her. “Nay,” he said, grinning. “But I am sure that will come at some point.”
Liselotte accepted the wine. “He has not flashed his buttocks this entire week, has he?”
Daniel was silently laughing. “He has not,” he said. “He has threatened once or twice, but he has yet to complete the deed.”
Liselotte sipped the strong, sweet wine. “Let us hope that he does not,” she said. “Aless has asked me several times if he has taken to flashing his buttocks and I have told her every time that he has not. In fact, she has sent me down here to tell Chad to go attend her. She wants him up in the chamber with her, not down here with the men.”
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