Border Brides

by Kathryn Le Veque

  James seemed surprised at her declaration at first, then pleased. “Christopher de Lohr is my great-grandfather,” he said, warming to the conversation as he shifted out of professional mode. “My father was a son of Christopher’s eldest son, Curtis. Who is your grandmother?”

  “Brielle,” Diamantha replied. “She was Christopher de Lohr’s second daughter.”

  James smiled brightly. “She was only three years older than my grandfather,” he said. “They are brother and sister. I met her, once, when I was very small. She is still alive, is she not?”

  Diamantha was thrilled to find a relative here amongst strangers. “Indeed she is,” she replied. “She lives far to the north with my grandfather, who is still alive also. He is a son of the great warlord, Ajax de Velt.”

  James, in his comfort, sat down on the bench that was situated next to Diamantha’s stool. He, too, was very happy to discover a new relative.

  “Ah, yes, de Velt,” he said, pondering that information. “A great warlord, indeed. Ruthless and savage in his younger years.”

  Diamantha nodded. “You know of him, do you?” she asked. “Well, I suppose most people in England do. His legends are quite frightening but he eventually settled down, thankfully.”

  James lifted his eyebrows to agree. “Thankfully, indeed,” he agreed. “I heard tale that the man used to… well, I suppose that is not a story for female company. Suffice it to say that I am honored to know that I am related to Sir Cortez’s new wife. I must write my grandfather to tell him of this happenstance. He will be quite thrilled by it.”

  Diamantha grinned, pulling the cap off of Sophie’s head and allowing the little girl to slip from her lap. She held on to the back of her dress, however, so the child couldn’t wander too near the flames of the hearth.

  “What a small world this is,” she said, studying James and seeing that he had the very blond de Lohr hair and sky-blue eyes. He was perhaps five or more years older than she was; not too terribly old. “Since our great-grandfather had seven children, I knew there were many cousins that I have not met yet. Imagine finding one here at Sherborne.”

  James nodded. “Indeed,” he agreed. “I remember my father telling me that there were at least a hundred of us descended from Christopher, possibly more. And, of course, Christopher’s brother, David, had many children as well. There is an entire branch of the de Lohr family in Canterbury that I’ve not yet met, although I did come across a cousin at Falkirk by the name of Macsen du Bois. His mother is descended from David de Lohr, but Macsen must look like his father’s side of the family because he was an enormous man with black hair. He looked like a big, shaggy bear.”

  Diamantha giggled. “Mayhap someday we will be able to visit our family in Canterbury,” she said. “Honestly, I have spent most of my life in Northumberland. Only when I married did I move south to Dorset. Robert kept me at Corfe Castle most of the time. He said there was not much worth seeing outside of the beauty of Dorset.”

  James’ smile faded at the mention of Robert Edlington. “I knew your first husband,” he said softly. “Rob was a good man. His was a great loss.”

  Diamantha sobered quickly. She thought perhaps that she could see something in James’ expression, something more than just general sympathy. There was grief there, too.

  “You knew him well?” she ventured softly. “Was he a friend?”

  James nodded. “He was,” he said. “We slept in the same shelter the night before the battle at Falkirk. He sat up all night… well, it was only soldier’s talk. He was unable to sleep and kept us all awake because of it.”

  Diamantha was very interested. “What talk?” she wanted to know. “What did he say?”

  James wasn’t sure he should say any more, but he was cornered. He’d already broached the subject and could not refuse her question. “He spoke of you and he spoke of his mother a great deal,” he said quietly. “He said that his daughter looked just like his mother. He said that he missed her very much. But you… he said the longing for you was unfathomable.”

  Tears sprang to Diamantha’s eyes and she lowered her head, unwilling to let the man see her agony. She was trying so very desperately to be strong through all of this but other than Cortez’s story about Robert’s death, this was the first she’d heard about him in those final hours. The tears popped out onto her cheeks and she wiped them away quickly.

  “I miss him,” she whispered. “Thank you for telling me that.”

  James watched her lowered head. “I am sorry to have upset you,” he said quietly. “That was not my intention.”

  She nodded quickly and patted his hand to let him know that she wasn’t angry with him. “I very much appreciate that you told me,” she said, struggling to be brave. “Mayhap someday you will tell me a little more about your night with him before the battle.”

  James nodded, although he wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. He had been at Corfe Castle when Cortez had gone to collect his bride so he knew there was some animosity between them. Certainly it was no love match and rumor had it that it was because Lady Edlington, or now Lady de Bretagne, was still in mourning for her husband. He felt very badly for the situation in general, but he knew something Diamantha did not – he knew Cortez. He knew the man and his character. As he watched her lowered head, he thought to reassure her somehow.

  “My lady,” he said softly. “Forgive me for speaking on a subject that is none of my affair, but I would like to say… I would like to tell you that although I am very saddened for your loss of Robert, please know that Cortez is a very fine man also. I realize he can be… abrupt. And quick to temper. But no finer knight has ever walked this earth, and he has a true and solid sense of honor. He is also generous and emotional to a fault. I have seen it myself. Do not… what I mean to say is that he will be good to you and to your daughter. You must not despair. He will be kind to you if you will let him.”

  By the time he was finished speaking, Diamantha was looking at him with an expression between hope and doubt. It was rather strange, but very powerful. It was clear that she wasn’t quite sure what to say to him.

  “I am not in despair,” she assured him, although it was a lie. “But I am grateful for your concern.”

  James opened his mouth to reply when boot falls suddenly filled the chamber. They were harsh and loud against the dusty wood floor, creaking the joists with their power. James stood up from the bench, swiftly, to see that Cortez had entered the room. He was soaking wet from head to toe, his black hair plastered against his head, but he had a basket in his hand that was somewhat dry. It was covered by a cloth and the man’s gaze seemed to be on Sophie as he approached. He didn’t look at Diamantha and he barely looked at James.

  “My lord,” James greeted. “Your lady wife and her daughter are settled in and tended. They were just drying out.”

  Cortez’s gaze was mostly on Sophie. “Very well,” he acknowledged. “You may see to your other duties, de Lohr. I will send for you if I need you.”

  James nodded smartly and, with a brief smile to Diamantha, quit the room and took Merlin, who had been lingering in the shadows, with him. He also motioned to the servants to stay out of the room, and quickly, those remaining in the chamber cleared out. The mood of the chamber had changed the moment Cortez had entered and no one wanted to be a part of it. Very shortly, it was only Cortez, Diamantha, and Sophie, clustered near the hearth. The only sounds filling the cold, stone-walled room were those of the rain outside and the snapping fire.

  Diamantha was watching Cortez closely but he seemed exclusively focused on Sophie, who had somehow managed to find a small straw broom and was pretending to sweep the hearth. She swept up clouds of ash dust as Cortez sank down onto the bench formerly occupied by James. He set the basket down beside him.

  “Lady Sophie,” he said. “I thought you would like to know that General is in his own stall now eating his supper. He is well.”

  Sophie stopped sweeping and turned to him. “Where is he?�
�� she wanted to know. “I want to see him.”

  Cortez pointed to the windows and the rain that was dripping down on the inside of the walls from the open sills.

  “It is raining very badly,” he told her. “General is warm and safe right now. I will take you to see him when the rain stops. Meanwhile, I found something in the stables that I think you and your mother might like.”

  Sophie let the broom fall to the ground and made her way over to him just as he pulled the cloth off the basket. Inside were two small kittens, a multi-colored one and a white one with black spots. Sophie squealed with delight as Cortez lifted the multi-colored kitten out and handed it to her.

  “I brought you a kitten because I thought you might like to take care of him,” he said. “I did not want you to be lonely without a pet since General cannot come inside.”

  Sophie was thrilled beyond words. She was surprisingly gentle with the kitten, cuddling it and cooing to it. Diamantha watched her daughter with a smile on her lips until Cortez reached in and grasped the other kitten, handing it over to her.

  “And this,” he said softly, “is for you. I did not want you to be jealous that I gave your daughter a gift and I did not bring one for you.”

  Diamantha looked at him, their eyes meeting, and feeling that familiar jolt of excitement. She took the kitten, the sweet little thing, and cuddled it against her breast. “I would not have been jealous,” she said softly, averting her gaze. “But I thank you for the gifts, for both of us.”

  Cortez looked at her, then, because she was looking away, down at the kitten in her hands. Over near the hearth, Sophie sat down and put the kitten on the ground between her legs, teasing it with a piece of straw from the broom. As the little girl giggled and played, Cortez focused on Diamantha.

  It had been difficult to ride for an entire day away from her, ignoring her for the most part, at least outwardly. But inside, his attention, his focus, was on her as it had never been on anyone in his life. The woman filled his thoughts and mind like nothing he had ever known, and he felt so very badly that things had not gone well between them. He knew he was to blame, at least for most of it, but he was at a loss as to how to handle it. He’d never known animosity like this before with a woman he was fond of. Or, at least, powerfully attracted to. Aye, he was fond of her, too. He’d caught glimpse of much to be fond of.

  “Have you been made comfortable?” he asked softly. “Have you eaten?”

  Diamantha nodded. “James and Merlin have been very attentive and we have been well taken care of,” she replied. “But we’ve not yet eaten. There is food on the table. We simply haven’t gotten to it yet and I do not know if we ever will. We have been interrupted by the kittens.”

  Cortez grinned at her unexpected touch of humor. It gave him hope that perhaps things were not as bad as he thought, that sense of dread in the pit of his stomach that made him wonder if he’d ruined two lives in the course of his impatience. In fact, he sighed heavily, unwilling to continue with the polite but tense conversation. He was a man of many words. If something was wrong, he righted it. He wanted to right this in the worst way.

  “My lady, I must say something,” he said quietly. “I realize that the past three days have been quite difficult between us but when the difficulty eased, I saw moments of such brilliance. It was as if the sun had emerged from the clouds, so bright and hopeful this vision. I will take responsibility for much of the animosity between us because I know you believe I have pushed my way into everything. I have been demanding and impatient. But it is only because I believe that what I am doing is right. Robert asked me to take care of you and it took me three months to do it. I did not want to delay any longer.”

  Diamantha’s head shot up and she looked at him with big eyes. She opened her mouth to dispute him but thought better of it because she remembered James’ words, he is a good man. Perhaps he was, but she was still uncertain, about everything. She grunted softly and looked away.

  “I would like to believe that,” she said quietly. “But I would also believe that there was some selfishness in your actions. You said yourself that you have been widowed these three years. Were you not just the least bit eager to be widowed no longer?”

  He knew she was right. He nodded his head after a moment. “Aye,” he said honestly. “You are correct. I wanted a family and I did not want to wait any longer. I am sorry if that caused you to resent me.”

  She glanced at him. “I do not resent you,” she said. “In fact, I suppose I should apologize for my demands which you consider unreasonable. I know you believe so, but they are not unreasonable to me.”

  Cortez was caught off-guard by the apology. It softened him greatly. All of the resentment he had been feeling since they had departed Corfe seemed to slip away. He didn’t want to stay angry with her; he didn’t want to be bitter. He had a new wife and in spite of everything, he was genuinely thrilled. He just wished she felt the same way. With a sigh, he raked his fingers through his dark hair.

  “I know it is because you do not want to be separated from your daughter,” he said softly. “I understand. I am sure there aren’t many young ladies who have traveled the length of England. Sophie will have something to tell her grandchildren about, if she even remembers the journey.”

  Diamantha was starting to feel very badly for manipulating the man so. He was being rather acquiescent about the entire circumstance, as if they’d never had bitter words. As she looked at him, she knew that it was time to clear the air between them. She didn’t like unspoken forgiveness, or allowing time to dissolve harsh words spoken in haste. She sighed heavily and looked at him.

  “I thank you for understanding my position,” she said, “but there is something more I must say to you. Please understand that I hold nothing against you personally for this marriage. I know you were doing what you told Robert you would do. I suppose my hus… that is, I suppose Robert was really only thinking of me in the end. He wanted to make sure I was taken care of and I will honor his wish. I want you to know that I will try very hard to accept this situation but I am sure there will be times when I falter. You must forgive me for those lapses. My world has changed so drastically over the past few months that I am still overwhelmed by it all.”

  He was gazing at her, into those miraculous dual-toned eyes that were so haunting yet so lovely. “I understand,” he said. “And you will forgive me for charging in and creating the chaos of a rutting bull. When one has lived alone as I have for the last three years, one thinks very selfishly.”

  Diamantha smiled faintly, stroking her purring kitten. “I have no such excuse for being selfish other than Robert always let me have my way in everything,” she said, shrugging with resignation. “It is what I am used to.”

  Cortez grinned. “I will also try to let you have your way in everything, too,” he said. “But there will be times, very few I am sure, when I would like to have my own way. Will you allow this?”

  She cast him a long glance, her grin broadening in a rather coy gesture. “It would depend on what it is.”

  He laughed softly. “I will plead to your good graces, madam,” he said. “Actually, this is one of those times when I would like to have my own way.”

  She looked at him, a smile still playing on her lips. “What would that be?”

  His expression sobered as the black eyes grew intense. “I would like for you to call me Cortez,” he said softly. “And mayhap when you are comfortable enough, you will call me ‘husband’. I can think of no greater honor.”

  It was a sweet request and one she could hardly refuse. Graciously, she nodded. “Of course,” she replied. “The honor would be mine. You may call me Diamantha if you wish. I will not protest.”

  His smile was back. “I would like to, very much,” he said, thrilled the conversation was growing pleasant. He was very curious about her and took the opportunity to find out more about the woman he had married. Pleasant times like this had been very rare. “It is an unusual name. How did your
parents come by it?”

  Diamantha shrugged. “My sisters all have unusual names,” she said. “I have two older sisters, Leticia and Avocet. My mother’s name is Evanthe. They are all old family names. I am named for a grandmother, generations back, whose name was Diamanda. My father changed it to Diamantha just because he liked it.”

  “I like it, too,” Cortez concurred. “Do you have brothers?”

  She nodded. “Three older brothers,” she replied. “Tobias, Cace, and Corbin. They are all great knights.”

  “And you are the youngest of the family?”

  “Aye,” she replied, eyeing him with some curiosity. The conversation was flowing well and just as he had asked about her, she would ask about him. “And you? What of your family? Helene told me once that your mother was Spanish.”

  Cortez nodded. “Indeed she was,” he said. “She married my father, Gorsedd, who is from a very old Welsh family. I have a younger brother, Andres. There are just the two of us, as my mother died when Andres was about two years of age. My father never remarried.”

  Diamantha looked at the man with some sympathy. “I am sorry to hear that,” she said. “What was her name?”

  His grin broadened. “Allegria de Montoya y la Rosa,” he said in a very fluid Spanish accent. “Her family is very old and very wealthy. I have spent time with my grandfather, her father, in Spain. I fostered for some years in Spain before returning to England. Many years ago, King Edward thought it would be an excellent exchange to send me to foster in the house of my grandfather while my grandfather sent a few of his Spanish grandsons to foster in England. My father, Gorsedd, was a retainer for Edward when he was young. It was Edward who helped broker the marriage between my parents.”

  Her brow furrowed slightly. “The king brokered a marriage for a mere knight? That is strange, is it not?”

  Cortez shook his head. “My father is related to the ap Gruffydd family,” he said quietly. “We descend from the Princes of Powys, so Edward sought to make an alliance somewhat with the Spanish house of Rosa, hereditary rulers of the ancient Spanish kingdom of Zaragosa. It’s all very complicated, but suffice it to say that it was a political match, although my father did love my mother a great deal. He was devastated to lose her.”