The de Lohr Dynasty

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  He shook his head. “Nay,” he murmured. “I have been forced to swallow my pride in order to tell you that, but now I do not think emotions make a man weak. At this moment, with you by my side, I feel like the strongest man in the world.”

  Emilie put a soft hand on his cheek, kissing his cold lips sweetly. David wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he kissed her deeply. He was so very grateful to be back in her arms again. It meant more to him then he could express.

  “I am here to stay if you will have me,” he said when they paused between heated kisses to catch their breath. “I will not be going back to Lioncross. If your father will accept my oath, I will swear fealty to Canterbury.”

  Emilie’s brow furrowed with some confusion. “But what of your brother?” she asked. “You are sworn to him.”

  David shook his head, releasing her as he went back to building the fire. “Not any longer,” he said. “We fought. I will not be seeing or speaking to my brother anymore.”

  Now Emilie was very concerned. “But why?” she asked. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  He paused in stacking kindling into the hearth. He wasn’t sure he should tell her everything but the true was that she would soon be his wife and it was her right to know about her husband and his relationship with is family. Besides, he felt the need to confide in her. The only person he’d ever confided in was his brother, so this was something of a strange experience to bare his soul to someone else.

  “We fought over his wife,” he finally said. “She delivered a daughter a few months ago.”

  Emilie thought that sounded like good news; she wasn’t sure why such a thing would distress him. “I think that is lovely,” she said. “Is the babe healthy?”

  He nodded. “She is very healthy,” he said. “Her name is Christin and she looks just like my brother’s best friend, Marcus Burton. It is his child and my brother will not see reason. Everyone knows it is not his child but him.”

  Emilie lifted her eyebrows, shocked at such scandalous news, but she tried to remain objective about it. She didn’t want to say anything that might offend him. “And you told your brother your suspicions?”

  He shook his head, striking the flint and stone and producing a small flame on the first try. “I confronted his wife and gave her the opportunity to confess,” he said. “She denied it, of course, and the discussion became heated. She slapped me and I slapped her back. I should not have done it and I regret that I struck her, but you must understand Dustin to know that she is always willing to fight, no matter what the situation. I did not strike her first and I will swear to that, but hitting her in return… I am not one to strike a woman, in any case, but I did. It was very wrong.”

  Emilie was astonished to hear such a confession. “I do not believe it,” she said staunchly. “You would no sooner hit a woman than… than my father would or Brick would. You are not that kind!”

  He was feeling increasingly ashamed for his actions. “Mayhap not under normal circumstances, but I did slap her when she slapped me,” he said. Then, he looked at her. “I do not offer excuses, Emilie, but mayhap an explanation. It was simply a heated argument that went out of control. When Chris found out what had happened, he banished me from Lioncross and from his service. I have been disowned.”

  Emilie was coming to see now why he’d been so emotional when he first saw her. There had been a good deal of angst and sorrow and regret building up inside of him, about many things. It didn’t even bother her that he had slapped his brother’s wife; given the situation, being struck first, she didn’t put any blame on him. As far as she was concerned, he was provoked. She put her hand on his.

  “It does not matter,” she said firmly. “You have come back to me and here is where you shall remain. My father will be happy to have you and your sword.”

  David smiled wryly. “And Brick?” he asked. “I am sure the man will be thrilled to death to see me on a daily basis. He did seem rather pleasant when I arrived, however, unless it was a ruse. Mayhap is waiting outside for me even now with an ax in his hand.”

  Emilie grinned although she was thinking back to that September day when Brickley had returned from the skirmishes with John’s mercenary army. It had been about a month after David had departed, after their betrothal and subsequent sorrowful parting. Brickley had returned fully prepared to resume his pursuit of her but both she and Lyle had informed him that such a thing was no longer possible because she had been betrothed to David.

  At the time, Emilie had still been quite upset with David, hurt with his inability to speak of his feelings for her, but she never let on to Brickley. He was, in fact, hurt enough to know that his offer of marriage for her had been formally, and finally, rejected. So the two of them had lingered in their own worlds of hurt for a while, not speaking to one another, and the friendship between them forever changed.

  Emilie wasn’t sorry for the change but there were times she wished Brickley was still her friend and they could speak on things without the angst of emotion coming between them. But that friendship had been irrevocably damaged and something else had taken its place, something oddly cold and formal. Emilie could now speak to Brickley, and he to her, but their conversations were usually only necessary ones. The camaraderie was gone. And Brickley had changed as well, a man who seemed to have lost some of his joy in life. He kept to himself, resigned to a world without Emilie in it.

  It had been a difficult change to watch.

  “Brick is a changed man,” Emilie finally said. “He knows of our betrothal and he is resigned to it. He knows that Papa will send him away if he does not behave.”

  David lifted his eyebrows in understanding. “Has it been awkward for you, being at Canterbury with him?”

  Emilie shook her head. “Nay,” she said honestly. “We simply do not speak anymore.”

  David had to admit he was glad to hear that. He was glad that the situation with Brickley had calmed down because the last thing he wanted to do was fight the man off at every turn. He blew at the fire, sparking it into a healthy blaze, before standing up and pulling Emilie up with him. He wrapped his arms around her, gazing down into her sweet face.

  “Then I am glad for a peaceful situation,” he said. “And am looking forward to our life together more than you know. With everything that has happened with my brother, I am thankful that you are my way to happiness. I have longed for this moment more than you know. Have you considered a wedding date, then?”

  She smiled, relishing the feel of the man against her, something she had hoped to feel again but, in spite of what she had told him, wasn’t truly sure if she ever would. At the moment, she felt as if she was living a dream.

  “I have not,” she admitted. “But I would like for it to be soon.”

  “So would I.”

  “Mayhap in the spring when the weather is better? It will give me a chance to finish my wedding gown.”

  He kissed her. “Whatever you wish,” he said. “I am completely at your whim.”

  Emilie liked hearing that. She put her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. It was such a joyous embrace because when she’s awoken that morning, she had no idea that David would come back into her life on that very day. Therefore, the day itself had turned out most beautifully and unexpectedly. All of the hurt and sorrow she’d felt for the past four months had miraculously been erased.

  Strange how those few words spoken by David, declaring his love for her, had worked such magic for her delicate heart.

  All was well in the world again.

  PART THREE

  THE LION ROARS

  “War, I say! – end as you well began!”

  ~ Song of Roland c. 1040 A.D.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  He was tracking his prey.

  After Emilie had left him to return to tend the sick in the great hall, David had laid down on his borrowed bed and taken a long nap. He’d slept like the dead, heavily and deeply, and when he awoke, the sky outside was t
urning pink shades of sunset. He lay upon his bed for a few minutes, orienting himself and coming to the realization that he hadn’t dreamed his reunion with Emilie.

  He was here at Canterbury, and here to stay.

  He could still feel the texture of her skin in his hands and the smell of her hair in his nostrils. No dream could compete with the reality of Emilie in the flesh and he lay there a moment, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he should thank God for the fact that Emilie didn’t turn him away when he’d shown up. As he’d told Emilie once, he wasn’t particularly pious, but in this case, he might change his mind. After the terrible happening with Christopher, it was as if God knew he needed a haven and comfort. David had found both in Emilie. Perhaps a little prayer was indeed in order.

  It was just a few words, really. Just enough to let God know he was grateful for his blessings. Then David thought that he should probably rise and seek Lyle out. He needed to speak with him about the situation with Christopher and he hoped that Lyle would accept his oath. He started to roll off the bed when two big black dog heads suddenly popped up from the floor of the chamber and before David realized it, he was being smothered with those two hairy beasts that belonged to Emilie and her sisters. The dogs were as big as he was as they jumped into bed with him.

  Quickly, David shoved them out of his bed, scolding them, and wondering how in the hell they had gotten into his chamber. They hadn’t been there when he had fallen asleep. But the dogs were ill behaved and kept jumping on to the bed next to them, big slobbery dog kisses on his face, and he kept shoving them off the bed. Then he grabbed at his boots, next to the bed, and shoved his feet in, preparing to make a swift exit from the over-excited dogs. But the moment he put his feet in his shoes, he knew that something was very wrong.

  Pulling his feet out, that were now strangely slimy, he stuck his hand in and pulled out eggshells. Someone had put eggs in his shoes and it didn’t take a great intellect to figure out who. Frustrated, and knowing he should have seen this coming, he shook the eggshells out of his boots. All the while, however, he was plotting his vengeance. Those two wicked devils that pretended to be little girls were about to meet their match. He’d vowed it before and had never had the chance to carry out his threat.

  Now, he had the chance.

  So he put his shoes back on and opened the door, letting the happy dogs out into Lyle’s solar beyond. The room was empty, cold and smelling of smoke. The dogs were running around in Lyle’s solar, jumping up on the table and knocking things around, but they didn’t seem very willing to leave David behind. They seemed to want to stay close to him. David was fairly certain that Nathalie and Elise had let the dogs into his chamber just to annoy him, and in that realization, he knew what he was going to do to them.

  He was going to make them pay.

  Going back into his borrowed chamber, he flipped the straw mattress off the bed to reveal the new rope frame beneath. He untied the entire rope, long enough to tie two girls up with, and took it with him as he left the chamber. The dogs danced around him, happily, and he managed to coerce them back into his chamber. Once they were in, David shut the door and the hunt for his prey began. He was afraid if he didn’t respond now, it would forever set the tone of their terror against him.

  So he began to stalk. The keep was seemingly deserted at this hour and he suspected the girls might still be in the keep, being that they had been ill and more than likely would remain where it was warm. He also suspected that was how they knew he was here, since they were bottled up in the keep. They had crept into his room while he had been sleeping, put eggs in his shoes, and left the dogs behind to annoy him. Well, they were about to get their just rewards for poking the bear.

  Rope tucked away in his hand, he made his way out of Lyle’s solar, disgusted by the feel of the egg that was still in his boots, now squishing around his toes. The stairwell leading to the upper floors was directly across from him and he quietly made his way to the steps, slipping up the stairs to the floor above. The level was darkened and quiet, and he peered into the two chambers that were on this level only to find them empty. He didn’t even hear any sounds. The spiral staircase continued on to the floor above and he made his way up to that level in complete and utter silence.

  The top level was dark with another two chambers on either side of the landing. One chamber seemed to be empty but he could hear voices in the other chamber. The door was shut but light emitted from underneath the door jamb, and David pressed himself up against the wall, adjacent to the door, and listened very closely.

  Voices he didn’t recognize, but they were young and female. He didn’t hear Emilie in the mix, and truly had no idea where she was, but the chamber contained more than one young females and willing to bet it was Nathalie and Elise. His victims! He hoped it was them because he had something very special in store. Keeping himself pressed against the wall, he knocked. And then he waited.

  The door opened rather swiftly after his first knock and he spied the youngest daughter, Elise, as she took a step out into the landing to see who was there. Immediately, he grabbed her, pulling her away from the door. Terrified, Elise shrieked and her cries brought Nathalie running. The middle Hampton sister rushed out of the room, only to be grabbed by David as well. Now, he had both of them, like two cats in a snare, and he shoved them both against the wall. He wasn’t being rough with them but he was being firm. Nathalie, the stronger of the two, bellowed and fought.

  “Unhand me!” she roared. “How dare you touch me! I will tell my father what you’ve done!”

  David had her wrist and her sister’s wrist together, wrapping the rope around the limbs. “Excellent,” he said. “I hope you do. Then I will tell him about the dog shite in my helm, the egg in my shoe, and I will also tell him about the time you sabotaged my bed by cutting the ropes. Three times you have made a fool of me, ladies. There will not be a fourth.”

  Infuriated that David had the audacity to seek revenge, Nathalie began smacking him around the hand and shoulders with her free hand, struggling to break away, but David had her tied quite snuggly to her sister, who had stopped fighting back and was now standing there, weeping loudly. David dodged most of Nathalie’s furious slaps as he secured one knot before grabbing that same flailing hand and holding it fast against Elise’s free wrist. He wound the rope around the, back to back, tying up their arms and securing their bodies together. Soon enough, the girls were tied up to the point where they couldn’t readily move except for their feet, but because of the way David had tied them, loose feet weren’t doing them much good. Natalie continued yelling while Elise wept.

  Once his quarry was trussed up, David stood back and took a look at his handiwork. He had tied them tightly but not tight enough to hurt; just enough so they couldn’t really move. He folded his arms across his big chest smugly.

  “Now,” he said. “I want to hear an apology for the nasty things you have done to me. If it is sincere enough, I might untie you.”

  Nathalie, tied securely against her sister, was mad enough to spit. “You will be punished for this,” she threatened. “You are an arrogant swine, David de Lohr! And I care not that my sister thinks she is in love with you! I would rather kiss a pig than marry someone like you!”

  David cocked an eyebrow at her. “That can be arranged,” he said. Then, he looked at Elise. “And you? What do you have to say for yourself?”

  Elise had nothing to say. She simply wept. With Nathalie snarling and Elise refusing to speak, David unfolded his arms, picked up both girls together in a bundle, and carefully carried them down the spiral stairs.

  At first, Nathalie started to kick, throwing him off balance, but he cautioned her from doing that lest they all fall down the steps to their deaths. She was less apt to kick at the walls after that but she kept trying to kick his knees, which amused him to no end. She was a fighter, this one, so he was careful in the way he handled her. He didn’t want to make a mistake and end up dropping them both. Poor Elise would pay
for her sister’s resistance.

  It was therefore slow going to the entry level of the keep. Once down the stairs, he headed across the foyer to Lyle’s solar. It was still empty, fortunately, and David was able to make it to his chamber door without interruption. He set the girls on their feet and opened the door.

  The big black dogs with the enormous tongues greeted them and David lifted the girls once more, carrying them into the chamber. The dogs were excited to see all of them and didn’t try to run out, which made it easy for David to shut the door behind them. In the tiny chamber with the girls tied up and the two dogs, David managed to lay the girls into the floor where the dogs could lick their faces and they couldn’t do anything about it. In fact, the dogs were particularly amorous and slobbered all over Nathalie and Elise’s faces while the girls screamed and cried, begging David to release them so that they could at least defend themselves. He stood by the door, hands on his hips, watching the girls being licked to death.

  “Consider this your punishment for the terrible tricks you have played on me,” he said. “In fact, it is my understanding that no one has been safe from your antics so consider this vengeance from every man you have taunted and tricked over the years. I am quite sure they will award me with a prize when they hear of this.”

  One of the big dogs was licking Nathalie’s face so vigorously that she was turning red. “You… beast!” she sputtered in between licks. “I will tell… my father! He will… punish you!”

  David laughed, without humor. “Somehow, I think not,” he said. “If you take your punishment like a man and not tell anyone, then I will consider this matter settled. You will never again play a trick on me or any other man at Canterbury. But if you cry to your father like a weak, silly child, know that what you are enduring now is only the beginning. You will know torture such as you have never comprehended and I will make it so. Now, what is your choice?”