Fearsome Brides

by Kathryn Le Veque

  He lay there a moment. Then his eyes opened as he pondered the deeper implications of her question.

  “Battle is never a pleasant thing,” he muttered. “This confrontation has been a long time in coming.”

  “With de Montfort?”

  “Aye.”

  “But what of Hugh?” she wanted to know. “Is he truly the enemy now?”

  He sighed heavily. “How much of that did you hear?”

  “I heard you say that he was with the enemy, but that is all. Is that true?”

  “I would not lie.”

  “I did not mean that. I simply meant… would he really do such a thing? Does he hate me so much that he would feel the need to punish you for it?”

  He shifted so she was tucked against his shoulder. His hazel eyes stared off into the darkness of the room. “He does not hate you,” he murmured. “I believe Andrew was correct when he said that Hugh was jealous; jealous that I would listen to your wishes over his. As I had to grow up, so must Hugh, only he does not yet realize that.”

  She fell silent a moment, contemplating his words and the deeper meanings. She could do nothing about Hugh but she hoped, for her husband’s sake, that he would come around soon. But as she thought on Hugh, she also thought on something else, something that had been lingering in her mind as she had listened to her husband talk to his men. It was something she did not want to face but knew she must.

  “What… what if you do not return from this battle?” she finally whispered. “Do you have any instructions for me?”

  Davyss pulled back and looked her in the eye, seeing that the great gray orbs were filling with tears. He shushed her softly, cupping her face and kissing her cheek tenderly.

  “I want you to do what makes you happy,” he stated. “I want you to live where you are comfortable living and raise our son in the manner you feel best. I trust you. But remember he is a de Winter, the heir to a great family name. If I could make one request, it would be that you allow him to fulfill his destiny as a de Winter. That would make me proud.”

  She couldn’t help it; she blinked and fat tears coursed down her cheeks. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him down against her.

  “I love you, Davyss,” she whispered against his ear. “Please know that I love you very much. I will always do my best to honor both you and the de Winter name.”

  His arms tightened around her, holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe. “And I love you,” he murmured. “I will do my very best to return to you whole and sound.”

  She sobbed softly in his ear and he pulled back, wiping at her cheeks and kissing her tears away. He didn’t want their last few hours together to be spent weeping. In truth, he was overwhelmed by her declaration of love, so much so that he could hardly think of anything else. He could hardly believe the joy that the last few days had brought, the discovery and happiness. If someone had told him on his wedding day those weeks ago that he would grow to love the beautiful spitfire of a woman he had married, he would have laughed at them. But the proof of that love was in front of him, something so unexpected and strong that it overshadowed everything else. When he should have been focused on an impending battle, he found he could only think of the woman in his arms.

  “Now,” he said, kissing her nose as he wiped the last of her tears. “I must ask you something very serious.”

  She sniffled, wiping at her nose. “What?”

  He looked semi-serious. “I had assumed you would stay here at Hollyhock while I am away, but my mother says that I should ask you where you want to go. She says she doubts you will want to spend endless days with a frail old woman.”

  Devereux appeared puzzled by the question, a smile playing on her lips. “I do not know. I have not thought on it. Why? Where would you have me wait for you?”

  He lifted a big shoulder. “Wherever makes you happy. Do you want to return to The House of Hope?”

  A light came to her eyes. “Would you let me?”

  He could see, in those few words, how much it meant to her to return to her charity. His mother had been right again. “If that is your wish,” he said. “But I will send you back with a contingent of soldiers. My wife must be amply protected.”

  She nodded eagerly. “Anything you say, Davyss. I would like to go home, only….”

  She averted her gaze and he gently tapped her chin, forcing her to look up. “Only what?”

  She pursed her lips as if she knew foolish words were about to spill from her mouth. “Only I was wondering… will you and I have our own home together, a place to raise our children, or will we always travel between Wintercroft and Hollyhock like a band of gypsies?”

  He laughed. “If you wish for us to have our own home, then we shall. There are several of my holdings to choose from for just that purpose.”

  “Holdings?”

  “Aye,” he nodded. “In addition to Wintercroft, there is Castle Acre Castle….”

  She shook her head vigorously, making a face. He nodded swiftly. “So you do not like Castle Acre Castle; I understand. There is also a small castle at Threxton and, of course, Norwich Castle.”

  “Norwich? I have heard my father speak of it. Is it not the king’s castle?”

  “It is mine. I am the garrison commander for the king.”

  She appeared to mull over the information. “Then I suppose I shall have to see these two places in order to make a decision. But it must be before the baby arrives. I do not want to be moving around after he is born.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Do you think the men will listen if you tell them that you must hurry up and get the battle over with so that you may return to your pregnant wife?”

  He cocked a dark eyebrow, a wry expression on his face. “Not at all,” he said dryly. “Every man there has a wife and will undoubtedly understand my dilemma. I believe it would be a fair statement to say that we all fear our women more than each other.”

  Devereux grinned in response. They lay there until just before dawn, with gentle touches, conversation and sweet kisses between them. When Davyss finally rose to dress, Devereux rose with him. In between dry heaves, she dressed, assuring her concerned husband that she was well enough to see him off. He wasn’t entirely sure but did not dispute her. When they were both dressed, he escorted his pale and weary wife downstairs.

  Lady Katharine was already waiting for them in the foyer. Her little dogs rushed Devereux, who this time tried to outsmart the dogs by kneeling down and speaking sweetly to them. If they didn’t like strangers, then perhaps it was up to her not to be one. Her behavior confused the little beasts for a moment but soon the tails began to wag. Before she realized it, the dogs were jumping on her and licking her hands. Lady Katharine watched with approval while Davyss just rolled his eyes.

  “Mother,” he turned to Katharine as his wife played with the little dogs. “My wife would like to return to The House of Hope while I am away. I will send fifty men later today to escort her back to Thetford. She will stay at her father’s house.”

  Katharine waved a gnarled old hand. “No need,” she said. “She may stay at Breckland Castle.”

  Davyss shook his head. “She does not want to stay at Breckland, Mother. She wants to stay at her family’s home.”

  Lady Katharine opened her mouth to insist that Davyss’ wife stay in her luxurious castle but recounted her own word from the day before about letting the woman stay where she was more comfortable. So she veered off that subject and onto the next. “As she wishes,” she replied. “But there is no need for you to feather men from your troops, men you will need in your upcoming conflict. I will send her with my own personal guard.”

  Davyss pursed his lips irritably. “Your personal guard is full of old men and cripples. I do not want those men guarding my wife.”

  Katharine’s thin eyebrows shot up. “Yet they are good enough to guard your mother?” she said, outraged.

  Davyss leaned down and kissed her on the cheek to soothe her ruffled feathe
rs. “Although I thank you for your very kind offer, you will keep your soldiers. You need them. I can spare a few from the thousands at my disposal.”

  Lady Katharine eyed her son, not entirely soothed, but kept her mouth shut. Davyss winked at her, moving to Devereux as she remained crouched with the dogs.

  “Can I tear you away from your new friends for a moment?” he asked, taking her elbow and helping her to stand. “I have a long day ahead of me so let us say our farewells now.”

  Devereux gazed up at him, forcing a smile. Tears stung her eyes but she fought them; she didn’t want his last memory of her to be of hysterics. She wrapped both hands around his enormous arm, laying her cheek on his mailed bicep as they walked to the front door. As they passed the elaborate solar, she could see Lucy and Frances inside the chamber, seated on one of the many luxurious chairs before a blazing hearth. She waved at them but only Lucy waved back. Frances seemed her usual dour self. Proceeding to the massive oak-door entry, they were met with pale gray fog as Davyss opened the door.

  “Will you send word to me?” Devereux asked him softly.

  He nodded. “If I can,” he replied, moving to take both of her hands in his massive gloved ones. “It should take us several days to reach Lewes and, after that, I have no way of knowing when or if I will be able to send a missive you. But I promise I will try.”

  She smiled bravely, her heart breaking but refusing to show it. She had never faced this kind of separation before and was unsure how to deal with it; Davyss was going to war, something she detested yet something she was bound to by marriage. Never had she imagined she would be facing this situation; seeing off someone who had come to mean the world to her. It was possible he would never return. But more tears would not magically stop him from going so she was determined to be brave. She squeezed his hands, standing on tip-toe to kiss him on the cheek.

  “I shall miss you,” she whispered. “Please take care of yourself. Try to stay away from flying arrows and sharp blades.”

  He smiled in return. “I will do my best,” he replied softly, his gaze moving over her lovely face. “I have much to live for.”

  He leaned down to kiss her cheek but that wasn’t good enough. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him and lifting her off the ground. Devereux wrapped her arms around his neck, her feet dangling a foot off the floor.

  “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

  “And I love you,” she breathed.

  Davyss gave her a good squeeze and set her to her feet. By this time, Lady Katharine had walked up beside them. Davyss bent down and kissed his mother again.

  “I will send word to you when I can also,” he told her. “Take good care of my wife.”

  Lady Katharine waved him off. “You needn’t worry. I have a feeling she can take care of herself.”

  “That may be, but there is no longer just her to consider. We must consider your grandson as well.”

  Lady Katharine’s eyes widened but that was as far as she went in displaying emotion. “What are you saying, Davyss?”

  His eyes glimmered warmly as he took Devereux’s hand, kissing it sweetly one last time. “It means that we have granted your request. You will meet your grandson in the winter.”

  “Do you know this for certain?”

  “Fairly certain.”

  Katharine’s gaze turned to Devereux, who only had eyes for her husband. She could see the radiant look on her face in spite of the paleness. She remembered that look, once, years ago when Grayson was still alive. Katharine had that look, too, when she was pregnant with Davyss. A faint smile creased the old, wrinkled lips.

  “Excellent,” is all she would say.

  Davyss knew his mother had much more to say about it but, being a rather austere lady, she would not become emotional in public. He winked at his mother, kissed his wife’s hand again, and trudged off into the early morning fog. Devereux stood in the open doorway, listening to her husband’s voice as he barked commands. It filled her with comfort and pride. She continued to stand there, listening to him, as the army eventually moved off in the fog.

  Even when the last man was gone, she continued to stand there, listening to the army move in the distance but unable to see them through the mist. When the sound vanished completely and all seemed eerily still, she realized that Katharine was standing next to her.

  She turned to the old lady with a timid smile. “I would hazard to say that you have spent many a moment such as this, watching your menfolk go off to war.”

  Katharine nodded faintly. “Many a moment, indeed,” she said quietly. “My father, my brother, my husband and my sons. It never becomes any easier.”

  Devereux’s smile faded. “I have never had to do this before.”

  “It will not be the last time.”

  Devereux’s gaze lingered on the old woman before returning her attention to the open door and the fog. She stood there, gazing out into it as if hoping to see Davyss suddenly returning. Her heart hurt for so many reasons that she could not isolate just one; all she knew was that it ached fiercely. She turned back to Katharine.

  “May I speak, my lady?” she asked.

  Katharine lifted a thin eyebrow. “Of course. You do need permission to speak to me.”

  Devereux gave her a lop-sided smile, somewhat humbled, and continued. “When you and I first met, it was not under the best of circumstances,” she said. “I… I suppose I simply wanted to apologize for the harshness between us on that day. I was not on my best behavior.”

  Katharine’s old lips flickered with a smile. “I seem to remember a very angry woman telling me that she would not marry into a family so entrenched in oppression and politics.”

  Devereux half-nodded, half-shrugged. “Forgive me. When you accused me of ignorance, you were correct. I did not know both sides of the situation.”

  “And you feel that you do now?”

  She nodded faintly, moving to close the massive oak panel. “I believe I am learning,” she said truthfully. “Your son has helped me understand a great deal.”

  Lady Katharine took Devereux’s elbow as they moved towards the warm solar, smelling of fresh bread and rushes. It was the first time that Katharine made a companionable move towards Devereux, who did not take it lightly. She patted the elderly woman’s hand.

  “And you have helped my son learn a great deal,” Katharine replied. “I believe this marriage has been good for you both.”

  “It has.”

  “Excellent,” Katharine said as they entered the solar. “I am pleased to hear this.”

  Devereux’s smile broadened as she and Lady Katharine exchanged knowing glances. Silent words of understanding and approval passed between them, establishing the beginning of a relationship between them. By this time, Lucy was on her feet, moving to greet Devereux. Lady Katharine moved to her favorite chair, ringing a little silver bell for her servants and her dogs. Devereux went to the table set with fine dishes of food, trying not to become ill at the sights and smells.

  Lucy chattered and Frances remained predictably silent as they broke their fast, but Devereux couldn’t follow the conversation. She was still focused on Davyss, her longing for him growing by the minute. She had grown inordinately attached to the man since his arrival at Thetford and now his sudden absence had her feeling hollow and sad.

  Eventually, Lucy’s prattle pushed her to the point of agitation and she excused herself quickly, retreating to the bedchamber she and Davyss had shared. Stretching out on the mattress, she could smell him on the sheets and she inhaled deeply.

  The tears quietly came. She missed him already.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Lewes Castle

  May 15, 1264

  “He will show you complete absolution and mercy, Davyss,” Hugh’s young face was grave. “It is over. All of it is over. Why must you be so stubborn?”

  Davyss wasn’t shackled or bound as some of Henry’s other knights were, something he should have been grateful f
or. Even now, Philip, Andrew and Edmund were bound and guarded. But they had stripped Davyss of Lespada and the rest of his weapons, items that were in Hugh’s possession now. Davyss stood amidst a cluster of tents in the early morning hours, facing off against his brother as chaos went on around them.

  The Battle of Lewes was over on the morning of the fourth day. The fields surrounding the small town and castle ran red with blood from de Montfort and Henry’s troops, and in the end, it had been a bad decision by Prince Edward and a bright one by de Montfort that led to Simon’s victory.

  Even though Henry’s troops were nearly double the size of Simon’s, the Earl of Leicester had made the smarter choices with the limited men he had. Edward, ever-confident, had failed to listen to Davyss’ advice and it had cost him the battle. Henry and Edward’s men were being corralled and processed, prisoners of war now that the battle was concluded. It had been a disaster for Henry’s forces and now they were all prisoners, including Davyss.

  Davyss answered his brother. “My allegiance is to the king, Hugh,” he said quietly. “I cannot change loyalties as easy as you can.”

  Hugh’s face flushed. “I had no choice. I had to pledge to de Montfort or you would have killed me.”

  “Do you truly wish to delve into that subject right now? I would advise against it.”

  Hugh’s face flushed deeper. “It was not my intention to hurt your wife but she should not have confronted me. Had the woman known her place, none of it would have happened.”

  Davyss was starting to lose his cool. Exhausted and beaten, his patience was limited as they veered off the subject at hand and into very dangerous territory.

  “If you say another word about my wife, I will kill you where you stand,” he growled “Do you hear me?”

  Hugh couldn’t help himself, perilous as it was. “I am glad that she is not dead,” he said firmly, extending a hand to his brother to emphasize his point. “Uncle Simon told me that she survived her fall. But I will not apologize for a confrontation that she started.”

  “I warned you, Hugh.”