by Robyn Carr
She looked into her lap and said quietly, “Nay. There is no one.”
He lifted her chin with a finger. “Your eyes say otherwise. In your eyes I see a love lost.”
“You are mistaken, sir knight. I cannot lose a love I’ve never known.”
“You have loved no man?”
She took a light spirit she hoped he would not sense was forced. “Do you bid me sing songs better held in my heart? Nay, I will not tell you what a maiden dreams,” she said, smiling coquettishly. “Nor will I tell you how many hearts I hope to break.”
Tedric did not laugh. “You gave your colors to Sir Conan at the contest of arms.”
For a moment her eyes widened, but quickly she smiled. She reminded herself not to react to the name. “I knew of no other,” she replied innocently. “Would you have me give no tokens at such a contest?”
“You do not care for him overmuch?” he asked, still serious.
“Of course I care for him. He has married my sister and that makes him a brother of mine.”
Tedric stood straighter and cleared his throat. “I should like to speak to your father and make my proposal.”
Chandra’s heart fell. “We are only friends, Tedric.”
“We do not know each other well enough to be more. With your permission, lady, I will speak to Medwin.”
Total confusion overtook her. “I tell you true, I am not prepared for your offer. I must have time to think on the matter.”
“I hope not for very long. I grow anxious to take a bride of my own. And I think your father could be persuaded in my direction.”
She greatly feared he was right. After all, he had seemed a fair choice for Edwina, whose dowry was much richer. “Surely there must be maids of richer means than I, Sir Tedric. And in your many travels you must have left hearts aching.”
“I assure you there have been none to outshine you. Your beauty alone bodes of riches unexplored.”
Chandra felt the rush of color to her cheeks. His compliments had not embarrassed her earlier because he did not direct them with such intimacy. “I must be ready to attend my sister, Tedric. May we talk of this later? When the hall is again quiet and I can think of myself?”
“Chandra, where is the need for deep thought? Either you care for me or you do not. My family has as much wealth as yours.”
She looked at him in some surprise, for she had not considered wealth or lack of it, and his tone seemed more irritated than before. “You have a fine family,” she replied.
“Is it because I bring no great inheritance from my father that you delay?”
“Nay, Tedric. It is my sister’s wedding day and there is no urgency in my decision. I have another year at least before I must make haste in--”
“There is no reason for your hesitancy save one: there must be another who occupies your thoughts,” he said gravely.
“There is no one, Tedric. And I will give you my answer later. Now I must see to my other duties.”
She started away, but he caught her arm to draw her back.
“Do not play me as you would a puppet, Lady Chandra. I will not dance on a string for your amusement.”
She jerked her arm away, and for an instant he was taken aback by the sharp flash of her blue eyes. Young though she was, she was neither afraid nor intimidated by his anger. She faced him bravely. “If you truly wish my consideration, Sir Tedric, do not act the knave.”
He made to snap back at her but bit his tongue as they were joined by a tall, overbearing presence. Sir Thurwell towered over them both. He gave his tawny and unruly hair a shake as if to throw it out of his face and smiled mischievously at them. “Lady Chandra,” he nodded. “Tedric,” he nodded again, purposely not using the knight’s title before his name. “A grand wedding, is it not?”
Chandra did not know him well, but she felt a special closeness to him now, a kinship begun because she knew they both loved Conan and strengthened because he had obviously come to her aid. “Grand indeed,” she smiled. “Has the bridal couple returned from the village?”
“Yea, lady, and I venture to guess they’ve had enough of celebrating. Lady Edwina has returned to her chamber.”
“Then I must attend her. Will you excuse me?”
“I would deem it an honor if you would allow me to escort you there.”
“Of course, Sir Thurwell. With pleasure.”
She rested her hand atop his and they strolled through the garden toward the hall, smiling at those they passed and talking in a lighthearted fashion of general things. It was not until they were in a quiet place in the hall that he stopped her and spoke to her seriously.
“It would appear, my lady, that you had more than you could handle with Sir Tedric. Has he insulted you?”
“I do not know what made him angry,” she replied in some confusion.
“He is oft a surly tempered lad,” Thurwell remarked. “Have a care when you are alone with him.”
A feeling of security washed over her. Thurwell’s size boasted of strength, and his age, for he was probably twenty years her senior, spoke of a fatherly and protective nature. She gently touched his arm. “It is kind of you to warn me, but Tedric is harmless, I think.”
Thurwell frowned slightly. “Just so that you are aware,” he advised. “And if there is a problem, I am at your call.”
She smiled her thanks, more appreciative of his offer than she could say, and, patting his arm warmly, she turned to go to her sister.
Thurwell would have returned to the gardens and to his drinking horn, but he was sidetracked in an otherwise empty gallery by Tedric.
“Do you court the lady Chandra?” he asked Thurwell somewhat officially.
“Nay, lad,” Thurwell replied in an amused tone. “I only seek to protect her from foxes and wolves.”
“Do you challenge my manners with the lady?”
Thurwell leaned back against the wall and scratched his rusty beard lazily. He looked on the smaller man’s rigid form with humor. “I think it unchivalrous to accost the lady publicly, but if that is the way you court a damsel, who am I to call you unmannerly?”
“And who are you to question me?”
“I am a knight and my code binds me to protect ladies from braying jackals and fools. That is who I am.” His tone was final and his patience was at an end, but he did nothing to soothe the hot-tempered knight. He started to brush past him, but Tedric grabbed a glove from his belt and cast it to the floor in challenge.
Thurwell looked at the gauntlet and laughed out loud.
“ ‘Tis the day of Sir Conan’s wedding and I will not play your games. It would be taken as a bad omen to spill the blood of a child on a noble wedding day.” That said, he easily moved Tedric out of his way and quit the hall.
Tedric stood in silent rage, his gauntlet lying on the floor. If the challenge had been issued in the presence of others, Thurwell would not have dared treat him so.
This threesome, Thurwell, Mallory and Conan, was the worst irritation to Tedric. They laughed at him, never taking his challenges seriously. Now that Conan no longer served Sir Theodoric, Tedric was not a part of that group. He had hoped that when Mallory and Thurwell left Anselm in the fall they would not return, but he should have guessed that they would continue to be most often at Conan’s call, protecting and serving him as if he were a great young lord.
“Someday they will hearken to me,” he said aloud, though there was no one there to hear him.
As he stooped to pick up the glove, the knowledge that Thurwell could have easily beaten him was an inflaming thought. He tucked the glove into his belt and vowed to accept the fact that Conan was the stronger in arms. It would be useless to try to prove himself in battle. He must use his wits. “I am smarter than Conan,” he thought with growing pleasure. “I can find a way to ruin him without lifting a finger.”
He gave his gauntlets a pat and went again to the gardens. For the rest of that day and the day following, he watched the wedding guests closel
y. He found first the puzzle and soon after, the missing piece.
***
Lady Udele walked through the courtyard after breaking the fast. She looked at the flowers that lined the walk. Phalen was not a rich hall, but the gardens were exquisite. She vowed to return to Anselm and make their gardens richer.
“Good morningtide, lady,” Tedric greeted with a bow. “I thought the day could not shine brighter until I saw your lovely face.”
Udele stopped short and gave the young man a suspicious look. She could think of no reason for him to treat her with such pleasantness. “Good morningtide, sir,” she returned casually.
“It is a stroke of luck that I find you walking here, for I have longed for a few moments of your time.”
“To what purpose, Sir Tedric?” she asked coldly.
Tedric looked over her shoulder at the women behind her. “Alone, if I might be so bold.”
Though she did not think it a good idea, she could not deny the presumptuous knight a moment of privacy, for she wondered at his business. She turned to her women. “Wait for me in the hall. I will be along shortly.”
Tedric watched as the women walked away, and then, before giving his attention to Udele, he looked about the garden to assure himself that they were alone.
“This is a place of great conspiracies, madam. Were you aware of the secrets held by the flowers?”
Udele straightened her spine indignantly, her actions urging him to get to the point, but Tedric seemed unhurried.
“Many lovers meet in this place late at night--lovers who cannot exchange their promises in the light of day.”
“What is it you wish to tell me, Tedric?”
“I will tell you first, lady. And then I will mayhaps tell the world. Conan and Chandra met here last eventide, long after the others had retired. Conan is not entirely pleased with his hasty choice of bride. It seems he loves Lady Chandra--”
“Slander!” Udele hissed. “You are a fool to believe such--”
“I heard him tell her so. He said he could not have known how he would have regretted this day.” Tedric shook his head in mirth. “What luck, this, madam. Conan will not look so mighty when he is caught tampering with his wife’s young sister.”
Udele took a deep breath and composed herself. “You know so little of my son, Tedric. Do not hold your hopes on the event of that. Conan will not weaken to any such lust. His promise is good to the end!”
“You may be right, lady,” Tedric said. “ ‘Twould be in good measure to see Chandra wed to a man who can keep a strong hold on her.”
Udele was amused by Tedric’s forthright manner. “And who would that be, sir knight?” she asked with a smile.
“Why, I would be honored to have Lady Chandra.”
“Then I wish you the best, Tedric.” She turned and began to walk away.
“I had hoped you would offer aid,” he admitted brazenly.
“I?” she said, turning. “How do you need aid, sir, when your courtly manners and eager pursuit should set the matter done?”
“I have a strong family, true, but no lands and little money. I lost one bride to a richer groom and do not relish the thought of losing again. Gold or silver would quicken Medwin’s mind.”
Udele laughed outright. “Find another source, sir. And do not think to threaten me with my son’s misbehavior; he will not shame our family by dallying with Chandra. He is not a fool.”
“Love has made fools of stronger men,” Tedric pointed out, his attitude casual. “Even our king has forgotten himself on occasion. But then who would reprimand the king?”
“But Conan--” Udele attempted.
“Yet a knight who casts his honor aside for the brief pleasures of love--an adulterous knight--that is another story. It would take the brave Falcon a very long time to restore his reputation. He would not be among the favorites, that is certain.”
Udele turned her back on Tedric. “Conan would not,” she insisted, voicing more assurance than she felt.
“Conan was not the only one to declare his love in this garden,” Tedric said knowingly.
Udele turned and looked at him with open curiosity, completely unprepared for what more he had to offer.
“It appears your daughter, Edythe, has also cast her lot. She is also in love. Ah, love! Everywhere I look I see love! But poor Edythe! The knight she has chosen is poor and has so little.”
“And who might that be, sir?” Udele asked.
“Why, Sir Mallory, as a matter of fact,” Tedric returned with an air of superiority.
Udele almost grimaced but caught herself. She had long thought it a handicap to have a daughter. Edythe could add little to the family estate and in all probability would only take her portion to another family. That was a fact of life that Udele had come to accept, but she would not accept Edythe’s marriage to a penniless knight who would not even add prestige to their name. Mallory would only become one more person to share what had been accumulated.
“I do not think a marriage between them will come to pass,” she said.
“Ah, perhaps not, if you are quick, madam,” Tedric said. “But I think riches unimportant in Lord Alaric’s mind. Reputation is all, and Mallory has acquired a good one--though I suspect it has been through good luck and not good deeds.”
“Alaric is not a fool. His daughter will have a rich husband.”
“Alaric is not a fool,” Tedric mimicked. “And he loves Mallory as if he were his son.”
Udele feared that Tedric was right this once. She looked at the young knight in expectation.
“I could tell Alaric this very morn, and Edythe would not deny it. I think the wedding could be done before summer touches the land.”
“Perhaps they will tell Alaric themselves,” Udele mused.
“Nay, that will not be. Mallory has made Edythe swear to silence to allow him enough time to build a case for himself. He fears Alaric would have him banished. Edythe knows her father better, guessing he would simply insist that they marry. The lass is most eager to be found out. You still have time to find a richer husband for your daughter.”
“If you do not betray the lovers to Lord Alaric,” she said, understanding Tedric’s motives quite well and trusting him very little.
“My needs are simple, lady. Help me into marriage with Chandra and I will hold silent. Not one word about all I have seen and heard will pass my lips.”
“Why do you want her if you believe she is in love with Conan?”
Tedric smiled knowingly. “She is property also, though not as rich as what Edwina holds, and, looking at the two, Chandra is more the prize in herself. It will not be hard to possess her.”
Udele thought quickly. It would never do to allow Conan the slightest opportunity to lose his head and disgrace himself and their family by an adulterous, even incestuous, alliance with Chandra. And there was no denying the maid’s beauty and other strengths. Should Conan lose the battle and succumb to her charms, Tedric would be close at hand to expose them. Conan’s strengths and oath would be ridiculed. It could greatly affect his position, which would greatly alter his ambitions.
And the matter of Edythe would not be difficult to rectify if the lass stayed quiet about her love for Mallory. Alaric would not worry heavily over her reluctance to marry. It was an accepted fact of life that many maids found disfavor with their fathers’ choice of groom.
The matter of dealing with Tedric caused considerable distress, but Udele was not foolish enough to show it overly much. “You will allow me some time? It is not a thing I can manage in one day.”
“A little time, lady, but I am impatient for support.”
“I will send word to you in not very long. I think perhaps I can help you, if marriage with Chandra is what you truly desire.”
“It is, madam,” he said with a smile and a slight bow.
She clicked her tongue. “So you, too, are smitten.”
He made a fist with one hand and lightly struck his chest, his eyes tw
inkling. Udele’s response was a grimace of distaste. She did not think it showed strength to be such a victim of love’s tender call when estates were more logical. She turned and left him standing alone on the garden path.
“Smitten indeed,” Tedric said softly as Udele disappeared from sight. He laughed outright. “And it will not be too painful to hold as my own the one thing Sir Conan loves and cannot touch!”
Sir Conan’s absence from Stoddard Keep could not be a long one, not even for his wedding. Many of the things that Edwina loved were loaded onto carts, and the servants whose only chore it was to see to this lady made ready. A litter was provided for Edwina, and her horse, the mare that Conan had gifted her with some months before, was tethered at the rear. Edwina could never ride all the way to Stoddard.
Edwina was understandably tearful at her departure. Laine was to go soon to the convent at Thetford and could not be visited by her family for a long while. It was the last time the sisters would all be together at their father’s home.
Tedric had watched the departure of Conan and Edwina and now stood just outside the door of the hall to watch as Alaric’s family prepared to go. Pierce, the hulking manservant who had served Lady Udele since before she left her father’s house, inspected the saddles and lifted Edythe into hers. He stood ready at his lady’s horse, waiting for her to come.
Udele came from the hall with Medwin, chatting amiably about the festivities, promising to keep close contact between Stoddard and Anselm and making Edwina’s well-being her personal obligation. As she passed Tedric he bowed.
“Farewell, my lady,” Tedric smiled. The eyes he met were not warm and friendly. Bright green brimmed with suspicion, but Udele smiled.
“Farewell to you, Sir Tedric,” she said sweetly.
“I am in hopes that our paths cross again soon, my lady. I so enjoyed your company I despair to think of how long it will be before--”
“Perhaps you will have occasion to venture near Anselm,” she said. “You must stop to visit with us if you do.”
Tedric bowed again, his lips curving in a knowing smile. “I hope that is the case, lady, but of course, if you have need of me, you have but to send word.”