The Centurion

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Luckenburn Tower

  The smell of roasting mutton filled the great hall of Luckenburn Tower, a structure that was more of a small castle than a tower. There was an enormous wall, twenty feet high, with a great hall built into the side of it along with a three-storied tower. That tower contained rooms where Douglas slept, as well as his newborn son and his son’s nurse. That was on the top floor while his men had the run of the rest of the floors. Luckenburn was a men’s castle.

  But Douglas intended to change that.

  After his visit to Makendon Castle, he had a lot of intentions – namely, to marry the Lord of Makendon’s lovely daughter. Alyx, they called her. She looked like an angel with her curly blond hair and big, blue eyes. But Douglas had realized fairly early on that he wasn’t the only one with aspirations toward the young woman and, being a man who was used to getting what he wanted, he wasn’t going to give up easily.

  There was a certain English knight who needed tending to.

  On this night, smoke was heavy in the hall as dogs roamed the room, looking for food or affection or both. Some of them were even under the table at Douglas’ feet and, being that he was partial to dogs, he didn’t kick them out of the way as much as he just shoved them aside with his feet. Dogs needed to be comfortable, too, he’d tell his men, so none of them were really allowed to displace the dogs. Therefore, men and canines coexisted like equals in the smelly hall.

  After Douglas had visited his son, he’d come to the hall, planting himself in his customary seat at the end of the feasting table as the men around him scarfed down the mutton and gravy. That included his cousin, Robby the Red, who had helped himself to a generous portion of mutton and bread. As Robby chewed with is mouth open, belching now and again, Douglas sat at the head of the table and pondered his visit to Makendon.

  It was heavy on his mind.

  “What ails ye, Doogie?” Robby said, mouth full. When Douglas looked at him, puzzled, he indicated his still-full trencher. “No appetite?”

  Douglas looked at the food. No, he wasn’t hungry. He collected his cup instead and took a long drink of the cloudy ale. “I’ve been thinking about the lass at Makendon,” he said. “I want her, Robby. I’ll not accept anything less.”

  Robby shoved more meat into his mouth. “Her da dinna seem tae appreciate yer offer,” he said. “She’s too precious for the likes of ye.”

  Douglas shook his head. “’Tis more than that, I think.”

  “What?”

  “Ye saw the way the Sassenach from The Lyceum ranted about the offer,” he said. “Only a man with some interest in the situation would do that.”

  “Of course he has interest. He has tae fight ye if yer offer is refused.”

  Douglas tapped Robby on the head, hard enough to make the man wince. “Use yer pia mater,” he said. “The knight has been fighting us for a long while. I’ve seen the man, many times. He’s a tough opponent. It was the lass he was protecting, not himself.”

  “What do ye mean?”

  “I mean he wants tae marry her himself,” Douglas said. “I could tell by the way he reacted. He wants her, Robby, but I am going tae have her.”

  Robby lifted his eyebrows as he returned to his food. “He’s de a fuil,” he muttered. “Of her blood, Doogie. He’s Sassenach, like she is.”

  That statement made Douglas swill more ale. “If de Ameland marries her tae the knight, it willna bring him peace,” he said, almost angrily. “In fact, it will bring him more war than he can imagine. He knows I bring Clan Gordon with me. He knows we’ve beaten down both The Lyceum and Makendon.”

  For once, it was Robby who retained the level head in the conversation. Between the two of them, that was unusual.

  “That may be, but ye canna destroy them,” he said. “They’ve not fought back, Doogie. They’ve only defended what was theirs. If they gather their allies and fight back…”

  Douglas waved him off. “They never fight back and we grow bolder,” he said. “If de Ameland marries his daughter tae the knight, I will bring hell. Mark my words.”

  Robby swallowed the bite in his mouth. “He’s allied with William de Wolfe,” he pointed out. “Did ye forget? He’ll send word tae de Wolfe and we’ll have Northwood Castle and her allies down around us. We’ll not survive that and ye know it.”

  Douglas was riding high on confidence; confidence that he had made the better offer for Lady Alyx and that the threat of the greatest knight on the border, William de Wolfe, and the de Wolfe allies didn’t bother him.

  He wasn’t going to cross that bridge unless he had to.

  At the moment, he had a castle to bring to its knees.

  “I’ll send a missive tae de Ameland tonight,” he said firmly, ignoring Robby’s advice. “I’m going tae reiterate my offer for his daughter and tell him that if he lets her go near the knight from The Lyceum, that I’ll take back my offer. If I do, I’ll unleash hell on the man. He’ll not want that.”

  Robby’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, thinking that Douglas hadn’t heard a word he’d said about de Wolfe and Northwood Castle. The death of Douglas’ wife had crushed the man and now he was looking for a replacement, something to cling to, and he’d found it in the English lass.

  Never mind that he didn’t even know the girl. It was the fact that she was pretty and eligible, and represented something Douglas was desperately grasping for – the end of the crippling loneliness he’d been experiencing. Though Douglas wouldn’t admit it, Robby had never seen it more plainly than now.

  There was no use arguing.

  “Nay,” he finally said, returning to his food. “He’ll not want that.”

  “Then ye’ll take the missive for me. Tomorrow.”

  “I’ll send someone, aye.”

  That seemed to satisfy Douglas, at least for the moment. The ale he was so heavily drinking was starting to flow through his veins, muddling his thought processes.

  “I’ll sweeten the deal,” he said, pouring himself more alcohol. “I’ll tell de Ameland that if he lets me court his daughter, I’ll stop stealing sheep altogether. I’ll even start buying them from him. Surely that’s a better offer than anything that Sassenach knight can offer.”

  Robby simply nodded his head and kept on with his meal. It was best to let Douglas get it all out of his system and believe he had a solid plan than disagree with him. When Douglas set his mind to something, it was difficult to change it.

  The next day as dawn broke over a dewy countryside, a rider set off from Luckenburn Tower, heading for Makendon Castle with an extension to the original marriage offer.

  The stakes had been raised.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The Lyceum

  It was the evening of his return from Makendon Castle and Torston had spent the afternoon going about his duties, refusing to meet Lady Lilia and fuming about the fact that she had arrived. On top of everything else, now he had to deal with the unexpected arrival that was most unwelcome.

  But it was symbolic resistance because he knew, eventually, he would have to show his face. But until such time, he was sending a message to her –

  You have come uninvited and I will see you at my convenience.

  At least, that was the message he intended she should understand until Lionel was informed of the lady’s arrival and insisted on seeing her. Because Torston didn’t want to accompany him, Jess went with him to not only control the old man somewhat, but to report back to Torston on what was said. It didn’t take Jess long to return to him because Lady Lilia was kept away from Lionel by a hawk of a nurse known as Lady Antonia, who had only succeeded in offending Lionel.

  That was when Torston stepped in.

  Now, he had no choice.

  The keep of The Lyceum was divided on the upper floors and that was for safety’s sake in case one of the well-protected stairwells was breached. The majordomo had placed Lady Lilia and her entourage in the western section of the keep, on the top floor, where there were three big rooms for her t
o enjoy. Each floor was guarded by its own heavy iron gate, so even if one made it up the stairwell, there was another heavy gate protecting each floor.

  It was this heavy gate that Torston faced, commanding Morley to use his keys to open it. Morley did, reluctantly, and went in first with Torston bringing up the rear. The majordomo wanted to keep the peace; that was clear. Torston genuinely wasn’t sure how much peace there was going to be once he finished chastising Lady Antonia for being rude to Lionel.

  He was soon to find out.

  As soon as they entered the first of the chambers, which had several trunks in it and two women carefully unpacking everything, the sight of a very big knight alarmed the ladies so that they began calling out to Lady Antonia right away.

  Torston was irritated but he wasn’t irate, so he didn’t charge deeper into the rooms out of sheer propriety. He would allow Lady Lilia and Lady Antonia the illusion that those at The Lyceum had some manners. But he stood at the door, his enormous arms folded, as a woman in a severe wimple emerged from doorway leading back into the rest of the chambers.

  Her dark eyes were fixed on him.

  “What is the meaning of this, my lord?” she demanded. “Why do you invade our sanctuary?”

  Torston spoke before Morley could answer. “Because I am Torston de Royans,” he said in a tone that was decidedly unfriendly. “Are you Lady Antonia?”

  That introduction seemed to change the woman’s manner dramatically. “I am,” she said, wide-eyed with surprise. “My lord, we were not informed that you would be attending us. We were told you were indisposed and, of course, we greatly respect your position and your duties. Had we known you were coming, we most certainly would have made all due preparations. I apologize that we did not properly greet you.”

  She was a smooth talker. Torston could see that from the outset. She was also the one who had offended Lionel, according to Jess.

  Silver-tongued bitch…

  “Lord Harringham came to convey his greetings earlier,” he said. “You will tell me of that conversation and mind you do not leave anything out because I have a witness. What did you say to the lord of this castle?”

  Something in the woman’s dark eyes flickered, like a shadow falling over her face. It was quickly there, quickly gone. In that brief moment, however, Torston was certain he saw defiance. Perhaps even anger.

  Undoubtedly, there was something more behind the façade than an obedient lady.

  “He did not introduce himself, my lord,” she said evenly. “He entered this chamber and began pawing through my lady’s trunks, touching her personal belongings. When confronted, he explained that he was examining her treasures. Then he addressed me as Matron and demanded to be introduced to the noble goddess.”

  Torston cocked an eyebrow. “And your response?”

  “He upset my ladies and I asked him to leave.”

  “He is the lord of this castle. You do not ask him to leave.”

  “He was demanding and rude.”

  “He can be anything he wants to be and you will not dispute him. Is this in any way unclear?”

  It was obvious that the woman was trying hard not to argue with him, which went against her aggressive nature. “It was not explained to me until after he left who, exactly, he was,” she said. “I had no way of knowing, my lord.”

  “But you know now. You will make amends.”

  “What would you have me do, my lord?”

  He wasn’t even sure she was sincere in her question, which told Torston the woman was someone to be wary of. She simply had that air about her and he didn’t like it. If the nurse had such a manner, he was terrified to know of his betrothed’s behavior.

  He had the feeling that he was in for a bout with tyranny.

  “You will attend sup this evening,” he told her. “You will apologize profusely to Lord Harringham for your behavior and you will address the man as Great Caesar. Lord Harringham is a student of the ancient Romans and prefers that mode of address.”

  Antonia’s brow furrowed. “Great Caesar?”

  “Aye.”

  She blinked as if coming to terms with that. “As you wish,” she said, her gaze moving to Morley, who was still standing there. “I was not told of this.”

  Morley cleared his throat nervously. “There has not been the opportunity, my lady,” he said. “When Lord Harringham came to visit you, I was not here and he did not introduce himself. You had no way of knowing.”

  Antonia was still looking at Morley as if greatly displeased by his explanation, but she didn’t respond. She returned her attention to Torston.

  “If it pleases you, my lord, I will make amends,” she said. “But since you are here, I would be greatly honored to acquaint you with Lady Lilia. She has come a long way to see you.”

  Torston wasn’t feeling particularly magnanimous. “And that’s another thing,” he said. “You were not invited here. Why did you come?”

  Antonia tried to force a smile which, on her severe face, looked unnatural. “My charge, Lady Lilia, has been looking forward to her marriage with you with great excitement,” she said. “At the end of this year, she will be of age, but you must forgive a young girl her anxiousness. She wants so badly to see you and to come to know you, and I could not deny her. Surely you can understand that, my lord. We did not come to annoy you, but so that you could come to know the lady you will marry.”

  Torston actually understood that explanation. Naturally, the lady was excited to marry him. Any young woman would be. Now he was torn between denying any such meeting and getting it over with. It would have to happen sooner or later, so he reckoned that he might as well get it over with.

  “Then let us be reacquainted,” he said. “I have only seen her once and that was many years ago. I do not have an overabundance of time at the moment, so let us be brief. Get on with it.”

  Antonia jumped at the opportunity, holding up her hand to beg him to remain where he was as she scooted off. He could hear her in the next chamber, speaking quickly to someone, followed by a lengthy silence. As they were waiting, Torston turned to Morley.

  “You’d better put the girl by me tonight during supper,” he said. “But that nurse… after she apologizes to Lionel, send her away. Servants do not eat with the lord.”

  Morley nodded. “I get the distinct impression she is far more than a servant,” he said. “She is a chaperone and should not be sent away if her unmarried charge is in the presence of her betrothed. Moreover, I seriously doubt she would leave and then we’d have a battle on our hands.”

  That was more than likely true. Torston cast him an impatient expression but he didn’t argue with the man. He just didn’t get a good feeling from that nurse but he was sure it was personal preference and nothing more. He tended to be opinionated when it came to people – he either liked them or he didn’t, and he wasn’t shy about it if he didn’t. He was just starting to get restless when the nurse suddenly appeared again, followed by a small woman in an expensive, silken gown.

  The woman had her head down, looking at the floor, so he couldn’t really see her face, but he had to admit he felt some curiosity. Antonia had the young woman by the arm as she presented her to Torston.

  “My lord, meet Lady Lilia Ragsdale de Weese,” she said. “Lady Lilia is the de Weese heiress. Her father was Baron Whitwell, a distant member of the de Winter family. You know the House of de Winter, of course. They are Norfolk.”

  When the girl didn’t lift her head fast enough, the nurse put her hand beneath Lilia’s chin and lifted it enough so that Torston could get a good look at her face. What he saw did not hugely impress him; she was pale, faintly pretty, with big brown eyes and a pert nose.

  “My lady,” he greeted. “Welcome to The Lyceum.”

  Lilia dipped into a practiced curtsy before replying. “Thank you, my lord,” she said in a squeaky voice. “It is an honor to become reacquainted with the celebrated Torston de Royans. I have heard tale of your greatness my entire life and
this is a distinct thrill for me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that we are to be wed. I will be the most fortunate woman in England.”

  It was a practiced speech. Considering the nurse was so well spoken, Torston wasn’t surprised. He could see that the entire moment had been coached handily. He lifted his hand, crooking a finger at her. Lilia looked at him curiously, then in fear when she realized he wanted her to come closer, and both she and her nurse began to move in his direction.

  Torston held out a hand to the nurse.

  “You remain,” he said. “I wish to speak with the lady, privately.”

  Antonia’s face darkened. “My lord, that is most…”

  He cut her off. “You will be in the same room so nothing unseemly will happen,” he said. “You can watch us the entire time. But I wish to speak to the lady alone. There is nothing outlandish about that and, by law, is my right if I am to be her husband. Stand here with Morley and observe.”

  With that, he held out a hand to Lilia, who paled at the sight of it. In fact, she recoiled. Then she looked at Antonia in terror, who was clearly unhappy about it. But she nodded, curtly, and Lilia hesitantly placed her hand in Torston’s. He led her all the way over to the end of the chamber, by the door, where there was a small alcove and a window that overlooked the northern side of the castle.

  “My lady,” he said as he let go of her hand and faced her. “I have a few questions that I would like an honest answer to. Will you do this?”

  He could see her swallow hard. “Aye, my lord.”

  “Was it your idea to come before the end of the year, before the contract came due?”

  She swallowed again and began blinking rapidly, as if fighting off tears. “You… you are displeased, my lord,” she said. “I am sorry if you are displeased. It was never my intention to displease you.”

  Torston could see that she was about to burst into tears. She had a rather weak, squeaky voice, sounding very childlike. And he sounded like a man – a big, mean, frightening man. He began to feel the least bit remorseful for scaring the little creature.