England's Greatest Knights: A Medieval Romance Collection

by Kathryn Le Veque

  “I tried to find you when I went to London,” William said from his position near the door; his voice was quiet, as steady as he could manage. “No one knew where you had gone. Not even St. Alban.”

  Brogan looked over at him. “That is because I did not tell anyone. I simply… left.”

  The baby stirred in her sleep and Avalyn motioned for William to take his daughter. William put the babe on his shoulder, gently rocking her, as Avalyn returned her attention to Brogan. Her expression was serious.

  “It is true that I sent William to London to make sure you were all right, given the rampant emotions of our separation,” she said quietly. “But William was unable to locate you and we did not know what had become of you.”

  “I realize that,” he said. “I left England altogether. I could not stomach to be here any longer.”

  “Did you return to Saxony?”

  “Aye.”

  Avalyn began to understand. The question of Brogan’s disappearance those years ago had haunted her; she had been concerned that he had ended up in the Thames as he almost did the night they met. Satisfied with his whereabouts over the past several years, her thoughts then shifted to the purpose of his visit. “Then why did you come back to Guerdley Cross? Did you come to see if I still loved you? If I would still marry you?”

  He wasn’t offended by her natural question; he merely lifted his big shoulders again. “Nay,” he said. “I assumed that a woman of your beauty and wealth would not remain a widow for long. Moreover, I cannot marry you. I married myself a few years ago. I have two small daughters.”

  A good deal of the tension surrounding his visit vanished with that statement. “Truly?” Avalyn realized she was very glad to hear that. “And Lake? How is she?”

  He smiled faintly, that same handsome gesture that used to turn Avalyn’s limbs to mush. “She is a beautiful girl of ten years on the verge of womanhood and I am already fighting off suitors,” his smile turned gentle. “My wife is the only mother she has ever known. They adore each other.”

  Tears sprang to Avalyn’s eyes and she stood up, moving over to the bench where he sat. As she sat beside him, her hand came to rest on his arm. For the first time since his appearance, her guard was down and the tension in her limbs had disappeared. Suddenly, she was looking at a very old, and very dear, friend.

  “I am so thankful to hear that,” she murmured. “I have so longed to know what became of her. And you have two more daughters?”

  He nodded, gazing into the face of the woman he had loved so well, once. “Her sisters are Eve and Aglethe. I am afraid it is to be my lot in life to have a house full of beautiful daughters and armies of suitors at my doorstep.”

  Avalyn laughed. “No doubt,” she sobered, studying his strong features. “And your wife; where did you meet her? Is she a good woman?”

  “She is the best,” he said quietly. “We met in Calais, after I had left London with Lake. She was the daughter of a merchant I purchased some goods from. Her name is Lorette and it was she who encouraged me to come to Guerdley Cross.”

  “She did?” Avalyn was surprised. “She is in London, then?”

  He nodded. “Seeing to my mother’s shop. Lake is with her. Lorette thought it would be best for me to come and see how you had fared all of these years.”

  Avalyn’s smile returned. “She sounds like a wise and generous lady,” she said softly. “But I do not understand why she encouraged you to come and seek me out?”

  He sighed, patting her hand as it still rested on his arm. “I met her when I was dealing with the devastation of your loss. She knew how I felt about you. More than anything, she believes that I thought I had abandoned you. Though I’ve not spoken of you in years, when we returned at the event of my mother’s death, seeing the bread shop again brought back many memories. Then when St. Alban told me what had happened, Lorette thought I should come to Guerdley just to make sure you were all right.”

  Avalyn gazed at him, her smile broadening. She squeezed his arm gently. “Just as I sent William to make sure you were all right all those years ago,” there was sweet irony in that realization. “I thank you for your concern. As you can see, I am quite well and quite happy. And I see that you are the same.”

  He nodded, looking over at William as the man gently rocked the baby. “I could not have selected a better husband for you,” he said. “If it could not be me, then I am glad it was someone who loved you as much as I once did.”

  Avalyn looked to William as well. “You were the one who taught me to love, Brogan,” she said. “Having learned the art with you, it was easier the second time. William has been a wonderful husband and father.”

  Brogan simply nodded, feeling better than he had in a long time. Their lives had come full circle, though not with each other, and each of them was blissfully content. He patted Avalyn on the hand again and stood up. She rose beside him.

  “Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “It looks like we both achieved glory even if it was with different people. But know this; I do not regret anything. If I had it to do all over again, I would still do it exactly the same way.”

  She smiled in agreement, moving to William and their infant daughter. Inglesbatch shifted the baby, putting his arm around Avalyn’s shoulders. Brogan just stood there and looked at them both, many thoughts rolling through his mind at the moment. More than anything, he felt satisfaction.

  “I just wanted to make sure you were all right, Avalyn,” he said quietly, knowing there was nothing more to say. “I feel much better knowing you are in William’s hands.”

  She smiled faintly. Then she moved to him, reaching up to kiss him gently on the cheek. “And I feel much better knowing you are in Lorette’s. Please give her my thanks and my fondest wishes. And Lake… you will hug her for me every night, will you not? She does not remember me but that does not mean I cannot still give her a gentle piece of me, every day, through you. Will you do this?”

  “Of course.” He was starting to feel emotional again, knowing how much he loved Lake and his family. “I owe you and Lake everything, Avalyn. You saved my life that night on the Thames, but it was Lake who kept me going after we were separated. Were it not for you, I would have none of the joy and richness I have now. I suppose that is what I wanted to say to you most of all. I wanted to thank you for showing me that life was something worth living and that there are indeed good people in this world.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes again. She nodded at him as he begged his leave, his gaze lingering on William a moment, conveying silent thanks for everything the man had done for him. He was almost to the door when they heard his soft voice again.

  “You will tell Ty who is father is some day, won’t you?” he asked, his hand on the old iron latch. “I should like him to know if you feel it appropriate.”

  Avalyn didn’t answer; she looked at William. The man had loved Ty since the moment of his birth, when he first held the squirming infant and swore he would honorably raise him. William was the only father Ty had ever known, and William could not have loved the boy more had he been of his own flesh. Avalyn would therefore leave the decision up to William.

  Inglesbatch’s gaze lingered a moment on the massive Germanic soldier with the heavy accent. He knew that Avalyn would not respond out of respect to him.

  “He will know,” William finally said. “When the time is right, he will know. But this I vow; your son will have what you never knew. He will inherit the Guerdley Cross baronetcy and vast wealth. He will also be a knight of the realm, the finest knight this land has yet seen. This I can do for him where you could not.”

  A knight. Brogan could feel the emotions again stirring within him. His son would have what he had been denied. William was again doing him a favor he could never repay. He smiled at Inglesbatch.

  “It is right for a man to have two fathers, is it not?” he asked softly.

  “I think so.”

  “If he should wish to seek you someday, where shall
he find you?” Avalyn asked.

  The corner of Brogan’s mouth twitched. “In a bread shop in London. I’ve come home to stay.”

  “Then I shall be sure to send his brothers along with him,” Avalyn’s eyes twinkled. “Your daughters will need husbands, will they not?”

  Brogan snorted. “The mere thought gives me a belly ache.”

  With a smile, he quit the keep. William and Avalyn stood there a long time, each lost to their own thoughts. The moment was warm, the lure of a bright future on the horizon. When they finally looked at each other, it was with the fondest of reflection, the warmth of their love for each other.

  “Are you all right?” William asked softly.

  She nodded, pressing herself against him, feeling his big arm go about her and his lips on her forehead. “That was surprising, to say the least.”

  He sighed. “You do not want to know what I thought the moment I first saw him.”

  “I know what you thought. And you were wrong. Did you have so little faith in me?”

  “Nay,” he kissed her forehead again. “I did not. I know that we are stronger than that. But it was still shocking.”

  She gazed up at him, unable to remember when she had not been without this man who would do anything for her, sacrifice anything for her. She touched his face, gently kissing his cheek.

  “We have achieved glory, you and I.”

  “I heard him say the same thing. What did he mean?”

  The baby cooed and they looked down at her, cooing in return as parents do. Avalyn took William by the arm, leading him towards the front door and into the beckoning sunlight beyond. Just as they reached the entry, the boys came darting down the stairs from the upper levels and roared past them, shouting and playing. Avalyn and William watched them race down the steps and into the bailey, grinning when Dru fell down and Boone tripped over his brother. The boys started beating on each other. It was chaotic, loud and wonderful.

  “I don’t think I have to explain glory to you,” she said as she watched her children play. “I think you can figure it out for yourself.”

  He could.

  * THE END *

  About Kathryn Le Veque

  Medieval Just Got Real.

  KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, an Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Historical Fiction. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY’s HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD’Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She was also a quadruple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2015.

  Kathryn’s Medieval Romance novels have been called ‘detailed’, ‘highly romantic’, and ‘character-rich’. She crafts great adventures of love, battles, passion, and romance in the High Middle Ages. More than that, she writes for both women AND men – an unusual crossover for a romance author – and Kathryn has many male readers who enjoy her stories because of the male perspective, the action, and the adventure.

  On October 29, 2015, Amazon launched Kathryn’s Kindle Worlds Fan Fiction site WORLD OF DE WOLFE PACK. Please visit Kindle Worlds for Kathryn Le Veque’s World of de Wolfe Pack and find many action-packed adventures written by some of the top authors in their genre using Kathryn’s characters from the de Wolfe Pack series. As Kindle World’s FIRST Historical Romance fan fiction world, Kathryn Le Veque’s World of de Wolfe Pack will contain all of the great story-telling you have come to expect.

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