“I said that I did not wish to marry before I came to know you,” she said softly. “That opinion has now changed.”
He lifted his eyebrows, surprised. “It has?”
She nodded, coyly. “It has,” she confirmed. “Moreover, what is done… is done. We cannot take it back. I would not want to. But I do not want you to feel as if you are forced into marriage, Chad. That would not be good for either of us.”
He shook his head, still holding her hand. “I do not feel forced into anything,” he said. “As the heir of Canterbury, I will be the earl upon my father’s death and it is my duty to provide a son to perpetuate the family. I had to marry some time. I have never found a worthy candidate until I found you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Never more sure about anything in my life.”
“You are not saying it simply because… because of what happened last night? Do you feel obligated now?”
“I do not feel any sense of obligation. What I do is of my own free will.”
Alessandria was certain that if her heart swelled any more from sheer delight that it would burst. She squeezed his hand and he kissed her fingers again, their warm gazes locked in the dim light of the room. Everything was so wonderful and serene, happiness such as they had never known cloaking them like a mist, penetrating. They were giddy with it.
It was happiness they were sharing together at this very special moment, unexpected yet welcome. The situation could have been so much worse and in that relief, there was elation. There was the understanding that the feelings between them were plain and that last night’s passion had only been a prelude to a lifetime of it. But soon, Alessandria’s smile faded.
“What of Henry?” she asked. “You said that he wants to marry me to one of his knights. What shall you do?”
Chad shrugged. “I will marry you and that will take care of the situation,” he said. “Henry cannot do anything to dissolve our marriage.”
“But he will be angry.”
“That cannot be helped.”
Alessandria wasn’t sure she felt better about that particular part of the situation but he seemed fairly resolute. “Shouldn’t you ask your father first?” she said. “He may not want you to marry me, after all. He did not want me to stay at Canterbury because of the king and if you wish to marry me, he may not approve. He may not want anything to do with me.”
Chad frowned. “Are you trying to discourage me?”
She shook her head quickly. “Of course not,” she said, trying to be logical and reasonable about the situation. “I have never dreamt of having a husband or being married. Truthfully, I never thought I would have the opportunity which is why my intention was to join the cloister. All of this is happening so quickly… we are being impetuous, you know. Everyone will think so, including your father.”
Chad knew that. He squeezed her hand and stood up from the bed. “Whether or not we are being impetuous, all of that was decided last night when we’d both had too much to drink and our feelings became evident,” he said. “All I can tell you is that this feels like the right thing to do, whether I know you two days or two years. I will not turn you over to Henry and when we arrive at Isenhall, the first thing I shall do is ask Gallus for your hand. No one else is worthy of you, Aless, and it is my intention to make you my wife. I swear I will do all that I can to be a good husband.”
So much for trying to keep a level head about the situation. Alessandria was swept up in his words, in the utter delight of knowing he wanted her and that she wanted him. Was it love? She was fairly certain it was, for her at least. She wasn’t sure what he was feeling, perhaps only great affection, but in any case she was overjoyed at what had become of a drunken night. Instead of ruining her future, it had cemented it.
“It is all happening so fast,” she repeated, her voice a soft murmur. “When you took me from Newington, all I wanted to do was go back. I wanted to go home. Now… I want to stay with you. Do you think that is love?”
He shrugged, averting his gaze. “Only you can determine if it is.”
“Do you love me?”
He looked at her, then, his gaze guarded. “I do not know,” he said honestly. “Clearly, I hope that I will someday if I am going to marry you. I do not know what I am feeling, only that I cannot let you go. I must have you for my own, Aless. I cannot explain it any better than that.” He paused. “Why would you ask such a question? Did… did I tell you I loved you last night?”
Her eyes twinkled. “You do not remember if you did or not?”
He shook his head, trying not to look too terribly ashamed. “If I told you that to try and coerce you into bed, then I am very sorry. It would have been a terribly manipulative thing to do.”
She bit her lip, trying not to laugh at him. “Rest assured, you did not tell me that you loved me,” she said. “But you did show me your buttocks.”
He clapped a hand to his forehead. “Great Bleeding Lucifer,” he groaned. “Did I drop my breeches again?”
Alessandria couldn’t help but laugh at him now. “Again?” she repeated. “That was not the first time?”
He turned his head, unable to look at her. “I have been known to do that when I have had too much to drink,” he said. “You may as well know that half of England has seen my lily-white arse.”
She laughed uncontrollably. “Lady du Bexley said that your buttocks looked like two unbaked bread loaves that she wanted to sink her teeth into.”
She was off in a fit of giggles while he cringed. “That woman?” he said, disgusted. “Christ, I hope I can leave this place without her saying something about it. The mere thought makes me shudder.”
“Then mayhap you should not drink so much in the future so your breeches will remain where they belong.”
He looked at her, then, giving her a half-grin. “I will try, I promise,” he said. “I would not want to embarrass you by displaying body parts only meant for my wife to see.”
She flushed deeply and the conversation died, but it was not unpleasant. In fact, the mood was still quite warm and she gazed at him rather coyly, smiling up at him as if she had a very shocking secret. He had much the same expression. They had said all that they needed to say and there wasn’t anything left now except to move forward, to proceed with the plans they had made.
Marriage.
Alessandria couldn’t believe it even as she thought on the word, over and over. She never thought she would have the opportunity and with the whirlwind that had enveloped her in the past two days, she was still overwhelmed by all of it. Her world had been the simplicity of the priority for so long, but for the past two days, it was as if she were living on another planet. Perhaps a moonbeam had swept down to earth, taking her with it when it returned to the cold and bright moon. A dream state, to be sure.
It was the most marvelous feeling on earth.
“Then we must be on our way,” she said. “If you can find a servant to bring me warmed water, I can quickly dress and be ready to depart in little time.”
Chad kissed her hand one last time and climbed off the bed. He thought she sounded eager to be on their way; truth was, he was eager, too. The sooner he could speak with Gallus about marrying her, the better. He didn’t want to wait. He wondered if, deep down, his sense of determination was fed by Henry’s resolve to take hold of Alessandria. He didn’t want the king to get his hands on her. But the more he thought on it, the more convinced he was that it had nothing to do with Henry and everything to do with him. He, quite simply, wanted the woman. Nothing more, nothing less.
“I will find someone to send you water,” he said, moving for the door. But he paused before opening it and looked at her, embarrassed. “You said that I asked someone to bring us food last night?”
Alessandria nodded. “The majordomo.”
Chad pursed his lips, embarrassed to ask the next question. “What does he look like?”
Alessandria grinned. “He is a bald man.”
Chad blew o
ut his cheeks, relieved. “That should make it a bit easier, then. I will return as soon as I can.”
Alessandria simply nodded and he winked at her before opening the door. But instead of proceeding outside, he came to an abrupt halt, evidently looking at something in the doorway. Curious, Alessandria sat up to see what he was looking at, just in time to see him picking something up from the floor.
The first thing he brought up was a bowl of cool water that smelled like roses. It even had rose petals floating in it and he put it on a small table in the chamber. The next thing he picked up was a tray that was covered with a cloth; when the cloth was pulled away, it revealed cheese and bread and the remainder of last night’s baked pears. He set that on the table, too, as Alessandria gasped in delight. The very last thing he picked up was a sack made of roughly woven hemp that contained more bread, more cheese, whole ripe pears, apricots, and a big hunk of cold beef that was wrapped tightly in leaves and tied off with twine.
“I do believe the majordomo remembered what I had asked of him even if I did not,” Chad said with some mirth, setting the bag of food down on the small table, which by now was very crowded. “I will have to thank him and Lady du Bexley for their generosity. Now, I will go down to the stables now to make sure the horses are prepared. Please be ready to leave when I return.”
Alessandria nodded. “I will.”
His smile returned, his gaze upon her warm, as he quit the room and shut the door quietly behind him. No sooner was the door shut than Alessandria was leaping out of the bed, completely nude, and gasping because the chamber was cold. Even the weak fire in the hearth wasn’t enough to stave off the cold morning dew. Hopping over to her satchel, which was still next to the door where Chad had placed it the night before, she went about preparing herself for the day to come.
It was odd, really. She had fine dresses, food to eat, and even soap to wash with, which was far more than she’d ever had at Newington. There, mornings had been very simple with icy water to wash with and soap that was very rough on the skin, and rough woolen garments to wear to for both the day and the night. It had been a plain and uncomfortable existence at that time, one that, until yesterday, she had been determined to return to.
Strange how her mind could be changed so swiftly.
Now, she had possessions and enough food to eat and a man who clearly adored her. The old life in the priory seemed like years ago. It wasn’t unusual that she should prefer comfort and affection to the austere existence in the priory. She’d only wanted to stay there because she didn’t realize such luxuries and emotional comforts existed. Now, she knew. God would not have presented this new life for her had he not wanted her to accept it.
It was the life she wanted. She would never go back to the priory again.
A new world was dawning and she intended to embrace all of it.
CHAPTER TEN
One week later
Westminster Palace, London
“Daniel de Lohr sent me a missive, Torran,” Henry said as the knight stood in front of him. “He has explained what happened and assured me that the House of de Lohr stands behind me. But what you are telling me is something completely different.”
Torran was caught off guard by the news that the Earl of Canterbury had sent a message to the king that had reached him before the Guard of Six made it back to London after leaving Canterbury a week ago. It was true that it had been very slow travel with de Garr, who wasn’t much improved from his beating even after a week, but to know that de Lohr had sent a messenger to make it to Henry before the Six did was something of a shock to Torran. It was also a very shrewd move by the earl. Already, he could see that Henry wasn’t pleased by anything that was happening.
“Your Grace,” he said, exhausted and impatient. “I do not know what the Earl of Canterbury told you, but the truth is this – his son, Chad, was informed of your intention to take the de Shera woman from Newington Priory and pledge her in marriage to me. Chad and his men made it to Newington before we arrived and spirited the girl off to Canterbury Castle. We followed them to Canterbury and when we arrived, the earl was informed of your orders and he told me that he had no intention of relinquishing the girl. Then, he drugged us with some kind of… of sleeping potion while allowing his son to escape Canterbury. Fortunately, we awoke just as Chad was leaving and tried to prevent him from escaping with the de Shera woman, but we were overwhelmed by Canterbury knights.”
Henry of Winchester, King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine, was clearly displeased with the news. Tall, with fair hair, a receding hairline, and one droopy eyelid so common to the Plantagenet line, he pondered what his trusted knight told him. He pondered it with irritation.
“And you did not follow Chad?” he asked.
De Serreaux shook his head. “Nay, Your Grace.”
“Why not?”
“Because the earl kept us locked up for the rest of the day until Chad was well away from Canterbury, Your Grace,” he said. “After that, there was no point in trying to follow him and the earl would not tell us where he had gone. That is why we returned to London to inform you of the situation.”
Henry simply stared at de Serreaux, his frustration building. Finally, he turned away from the man and wandered over to one of the two massive hearths in the room. It was an audience chamber of sorts, more informal, and the place where Henry had done most of his planning and scheming since his return from Evesham. The walls were paneled with wood carvings, exquisitely crafty by Savoyard artisans engaged by Henry’s wife, Eleanor. Scratching his ear, Henry stood next to the fire, watching the flames dance.
“Why is nothing ever easy?” he sighed, heavily. “Do you know what I hear, de Serreaux? I hear not only incompetence, but betrayal.”
De Serreaux was prepared for the lashing he was about to receive, but the mention of betrayal was unexpected. “We did not betray you, Your Grace,” he said. “Your guard has never, at any time, betrayed you.”
Henry shook his head. “I did not mean you,” he said. “I meant you as the incompetent. The betrayal, it seems, comes from those I believed close to me.”
De Serreaux didn’t like being called incompetent. He wasn’t, in fact. He was very competent. But he’d walked into a no-win situation with Canterbury and he knew that Henry wouldn’t see it that way. Because of the insult, he didn’t ask Henry what he’d meant by the betrayal statement. He simply waited for the king to continue talking.
“Did you hear me?” Henry said. “I fear that men who have fought for me may not, in fact, be completely loyal to me. That is an unfortunate thing.”
De Serreaux responded neutrally. “Indeed, Your Grace.”
Henry looked pointedly at him. “Aye, indeed. How did Chad de Lohr know of my plans for the de Shera woman?” he asked. Then, he pointed an angry finger at Torran. “I will tell you how he knew – when I spoke of those plans, I was surrounded by men I believed to be loyal to me but there was one man in attendance who has a relationship to the de Sheras. Bose de Moray, as much as I love the man, is related to Tiberius de Shera. Bose’s daughter married de Shera. It would be natural for Bose to feel some loyalty to the House of de Shera even though he fought flawlessly for me. He always has. The man is beyond reproach, but in this case, it is clear that he thwarted my plans for the de Shera woman. He should not have done that.”
De Serreaux lifted his eyebrows, questioningly. “De Moray is more loyal to you than almost anyone else, Your Grace,” he said. “He would not betray you.”
Henry scratched his ear again. “Not when it came to my life or crown, he would not,” he agreed. “I have trusted my life to Bose many times over. But when it comes to the House of de Shera, his loyalties are torn.”
De Serreaux wasn’t sure what to say to that. “But you sent the man to negotiate a surrender with the Lords of Thunder, Your Grace,” he said. “You must have trusted him enough to do that.”
Henry sighed heavily yet again. He was feeling his age this night, un
happy with the way things were changing. Men had changed during his captivity with Simon de Montfort; the whole world had changed. De Moray and de Lohr had changed. Nay, he was not a happy man. He had returned to a world in turmoil.
“The Lords of Thunder will not surrender,” he said. “They will never support me. It goes against the natural order of things for them to support me. Bose can no more convince them to side with me than I can convince the sun to give way to the moon.”
“Then why did you send him, Your Grace?”
Henry shrugged; it was a very good question. “Mayhap I still hold out hope,” he said, less anger in his tone. “If anyone can sway the Lords of Thunder, Bose can. And I very badly want Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius under my wing. They are great knights and noble men, and I respect them. But the only person who could have told Chad de Lohr about my plans for the de Shera girl is, in fact, Bose de Moray. In that move, he has shown me that his loyalties are in question. Whether or not he convinces the Lords of Thunder to swear fealty to me is no longer the issue. Bose has proven to me that he cannot be trusted. Blood, as they say, is the strongest bond of all and he is linked, by blood, to the House of de Shera.”
De Serreaux didn’t have much more to say to that, fearful that any more discussion might make it seem as if he were defending de Moray if, in fact, it was really Bose who had told Chad about Henry’s plans for Alessandria de Shera.
“What would you have me do, Your Grace?” he asked. “Will you have me seek Chad de Lohr and discover where he has taken the girl?”
Henry shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “Logic dictates that he would only take her one of two places – either to Isenhall Castle or to The Paladin. I cannot imagine he would take her anywhere else. Why would he? She belongs with her kin. If I were Chad, that is where I would take her. It makes the most sense.”
De Serreaux mulled over the situation for a moment. “Why not ask the Earl of Canterbury?” he said. “Surely the man would not refuse to tell you.”
The de Lohr Dynasty Page 209