The Agents of William Marshal Volume II: A Medieval Romance Bundle

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Evan audibly gasped and inched his way towards the chamber door as John held up a calming hand.

  “Evan, listen to him,” he said. “Know your place and you shall remain in one piece. Cross my Lord of the Shadows and you will cease to exist. Sean is beyond reproach and you would do well to remember that.”

  As Evan settled down, rebuked, John turned to Sean. “Gerard already has a plan to steal Lady Christin away,” he said. “Since de Lohr is here, you will have to help us by making sure de Lohr is none the wiser to his daughter’s abduction.”

  Sean nodded. “I will do all I can, your grace,” he said. “What is the plan?”

  “She seems to stay to the apartments next to the keep,” John said. “Gerard says there is a postern gate there that leads to the farm fields below. He can remove her from her apartment and take her through the postern gate where horses will be waiting, along with about a hundred of my men, and he must do it sometime during the day when her father is occupied and less likely to look for her. When she does not show up at the evening’s feast, Gerard and the escort will be several hours away by that time.”

  Sean could see the logic in that plan because it took Christin out of Norwich the easiest way, bypassing the gatehouse guards who would undoubtedly question a man carrying a screaming woman.

  “Where would you have me, your grace?” Sean asked.

  “Go with Gerard,” he said. “Stay with him. Help him remove Christin if you must, but cover his retreat to ensure no one follows.”

  Sean nodded, but it was clear that he wasn’t happy. “I will ensure the mission is a success, your grace,” he said. “But may I make a suggestion?”

  “Of course.”

  “Let me go instead of Gerard. He has no self-control and it is very possible that Lady Christin will not reach your son a maiden. You do not want her sullied by one of your guards.”

  John scratched his chin. “Nay, I do not, but I want you with me, so I have little choice but to send her with Gerard,” he said. “I will make it clear to him that he is not to touch her. If he does, it will be at the risk of his life.”

  “I hope that is enough, your grace.”

  John did, too. He had other things to worry about, like Christopher de Lohr at Norwich, so his attention was stretched.

  “Go and find Gerard now,” he said. “He should already be moving the escort down to the gate in the farm fields below, where the postern gate leads. Make sure your plans are coordinated with him. Meanwhile, I will bathe and dress for the feast this evening. And take Monnington with you.”

  Sean immediately headed out of the chamber, crooking a finger at Evan as he went. The young lord was too terrified to refuse, so he moved slowly as Sean held the door open for him. Once they were through the door, however, the situation changed dramatically.

  The master’s chamber had a narrow staircase that led down to the floor below, steeply pitched and curved in a half-spiral. The second the door to the king’s chamber was closed, Sean grabbed Evan by the neck and slapped a hand over his mouth so the young lord couldn’t scream. Taking him to the top of the stairs, he hurled Evan so fast and so powerfully down the stairs that the man ended up hitting the ceiling of the stairwell before plunging to his death to the floor below.

  Sean stood at the top of the steps, hearing him hit. He swore he could hear the bones crunch.

  “That is for Christin, you little bastard,” he whispered through clenched teeth.

  Almost immediately, Sean could hear people gasping as they found the dead man at the base of the stairs and he quickly went down the steps, telling everyone the young lord had slipped and fallen. He was convincing enough that he was believed, a terrible tragedy on the day of the king’s celebration.

  But then again, no one was foolish enough to contest the Lord of the Shadows.

  When John heard what had happened, he didn’t contest him, either. But he didn’t believe him. Still, it didn’t matter; Evan Monnington had served his purpose.

  There was a young woman to abduct.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Just because her father had chased her away so he could speak to Alexander didn’t mean she was going to stay away.

  Christin was on the hunt.

  She ran into Kevin near the keep and he mentioned that The Marshal was calling his men together to discuss the feast that night. But when she headed down to The Marshal’s encampment, she happened to see her father entering The Marshal’s tent along with Bric, her Uncle David, and Alexander. Knowing her father was in that meeting meant she would stay away unless she wanted to blow her cover.

  Therefore, she hid.

  The meeting went on for about an hour and she’d managed to work her way behind his tent, listening to everything that was being said. She never heard her father speak, but she heard Alexander speak up on several occasions and it set her heart to fluttering. Even the sound of his voice made her sigh. She hadn’t seen her father since he’d sent her away so she didn’t know what was said between him and Alexander, but she intended to find out. She knew her father was very protective, and caught off guard, which made for a bad combination. The idea that he might have ruined her budding relationship with Alexander gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  So, she waited.

  She knew the meeting couldn’t last forever and, in truth, she’d only been to a few of these all-gathered meetings. If Susanna was there, then she was usually there, but The Marshal still had ideas about women and them participating in men’s games. He needed women like Susanna and Christin, but he still didn’t fully pull them into his fold. But Christin wasn’t offended by it because she was grateful for as far as she had come.

  Towards the end of the meeting, the conversations drifted and men began to leave. Mostly, Christin had heard everything she already knew about John, and about the alleged threat from within, so it really wasn’t anything she hadn’t heard before. When the meeting started breaking up, however, she peered around the side of the tent and watched her father and uncle head back to their encampment.

  She saw Bric, Peter, Caius, and Kevin depart also. It occurred to her that her father must know Peter to be part of The Marshal’s spy ring considering they were both in on the very same meeting. That thought didn’t give her much hope about the man’s mood considering it was probably the second dose of important news he’d received that day – first her romance with Alexander and then the confirmation that Peter was an agent for The Marshal.

  The poor man had already had a hell of a day and it wasn’t even time for the feast yet.

  With men drifting out of The Marshal’s tent, Christin waited for Alexander to appear. Maxton and Kress were still inside the tent, along with Alexander, so she went back to the spot where she’d had the best luck eavesdropping only to hear that William knew of Alexander’s romantic interest in her. Christin sighed faintly, knowing her father must have told The Marshal. She wondered what kind of trouble she’d be in for now, but part of her was glad that it was out. Perhaps a little sooner than she would have liked, but at least it was out in the open now.

  She hoped Alexander wasn’t in too much trouble for it.

  Unfortunately, William kept his voice quiet as he spoke to Alexander, so she could only catch bits of the conversation. Maxton and Kress never said a word; it all seemed to be William and, on occasion, Alexander, but he wasn’t speaking very loudly either. It all seemed to be calm and quiet, which was good. Or, so she thought. Finally, she heard the tent flap move and she peeked around the corner of the tent to see Alexander heading towards the gatehouse that led up to the keep.

  Swiftly, she followed.

  Since she didn’t want her father or William to see her, she had to dart through The Marshal’s encampment, essentially running to catch up with Alexander. He was just crossing the bridge into the keep when she came up behind him.

  “Sherry?”

  Startled, he came to a halt and whirled around. “Where did you come from?”

>   Christin threw her thumb over her shoulder, a vague answer. “That way,” she said. “I saw you come out of William’s tent.”

  “You did? Where were you?”

  She wasn’t going to lie to him. She was, if nothing else, an honest person, so lying to people she cared about didn’t come naturally.

  “I was behind William’s tent, listening to everything he said,” she confessed. “I heard him say that he knows about… us.”

  Alexander nodded slowly. “He does,” he said. “Is that all you heard?”

  She gazed up at him, the breeze whipping her dark hair across her face. “I did not hear any details, if that is what you mean,” she said. “What else did he say?”

  He regarded her for a moment. “Your father asked that I not speak to you for the rest of the day, you know.”

  “Are you going to listen to him?”

  Alexander glanced around to see if he saw Christopher or David, or any other Marshal man. When he didn’t note any familiar faces, he took her by the elbow.

  “Nay,” he said quietly. “Come with me.”

  She went with him, gladly. He was walking rather quickly and led her straight back to her apartment block. Before proceeding inside, however, he paused.

  “Who is in the building?” he asked.

  Christin instinctively glanced up at the gray-stoned building. “At this time of day, it is difficult to tell,” she said. “Since there is a great feast tonight, it is possible that Lady de Winter has the women in the kitchens to oversee the preparations. Why?”

  “Because I must speak with you privately and this may be the only place that I can do it.”

  Christin didn’t say another word. In fact, he sounded rather ominous so she was eager to get on with it. Opening the door, she led him inside, calling a few times to see if anyone was about, including Wynter. Receiving no reply, she bolted the entry door.

  “My chamber is upstairs,” she said quietly.

  He stopped her before she could head up the stairs. “Won’t they question the fact that you have locked the entry door?”

  She shook her head. “Not when I explain that I was afraid of the king,” she said. “They will not question that. Just make sure you are not discovered. I may have to push you out the window to escape.”

  He gave her a wry smirk and let her lead him up to her chamber on the second floor, the one with the view of both the keep and the garden. Admitting him inside, she closed the door quietly and bolted that one, too. Then, she faced him expectantly.

  “Well?” she said. “What do you wish to speak of?”

  They were quite alone, behind two locked doors, and Alexander found that he was having trouble focusing on anything else but her. Not The Marshal or her father or the king filled his mind. It had only been a few hours since he’d last seen her, but he felt as if it had been a million.

  There was something about the woman that grew more beautiful each time he saw her. Her dark hair, long and curling, her dark brows arched over eyes of a pale gray… there was nothing about her that was unspectacular and he wanted this relationship to work so very badly. He never knew how badly until this very moment.

  He took a deep breath.

  “Your father and I had a serious discussion when you left,” he said. “He was not happy, Cissy. Surely you know that.”

  “I know,” she said, sobering. “Did he ruin things for me, Sherry?”

  He looked at her, grinning. “Hardly,” he said. “But he did bring up a few things about me that you must be aware of. I thought we would have time to discover one another, not give you an entire accounting of my life for the past twenty years all at once, but it seems that might not be the case. Before you and I proceed, there is something you must know about me.”

  “Continue.”

  “I used to have a harem.”

  She cocked her head curiously. “A harem?”

  “That means I had a group of women at my disposal,” he said. “To fulfill my needs. When I returned home from The Levant, I took my time. I ended up at the Lateran Palace in Rome with the Holy Father. Whilst there, I provided a service for him. If he had an enemy, I would deal with them. If he wanted me to do something sly and deadly, I would do it. In return for this service, he provided me with a house of my own and twelve women.”

  She scratched her head curiously. “They took care of your home?”

  He tried not to grin at her surprising innocence in the matter. “Nay, sweetheart,” he said, putting his hands on her arms. “I am trying to tell you that these women were provided to me to take care of my needs. As a wife would take care of a husband.”

  Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. “Like a brothel?”

  Quickly, he shook his head. “Nay, because they belonged only to me,” he said. Then, he sighed heavily. “I was unmarried. I was not betrothed. There was no one woman who had my loyalty. I took a few of these women to my bed because, sometimes, men have physical needs. Now do you understand?”

  “Oh,” she said, an expression of hurt crossing her features even though she pretended otherwise. “They were… special to you?”

  He shook his head. “Nay,” he said quietly. “I did not feel anything for them. They were simply possessions.”

  “Is that what a woman is to you? A possession?”

  “God, no,” he waved her off. “I am trying to be completely honest with you about my past by telling you something unsavory that your father brought up. But I will tell you what I told him – although I cannot undo the past, I can make a promise for the future. I will never disrespect you, I will always ensure you are safe and warm and happy, and I will be faithful to you for the rest of my life if you decide that I am the man you want. Upon my oath, I swear this.”

  Christin believed him without hesitation. He was a knight of the highest order and men such as Alexander did not take a vow upon their oath lightly.

  They meant it for life.

  “I believe you,” she said, her eyes glimmering warmly at him. “Did my father?”

  Alexander chuckled, a nervous gesture because he honestly wasn’t sure if she would have accepted his vow so easily. “I think so,” he said. “Your father and I have known each other a very long time. He was concerned about my past, as he should be. He is a father protecting his daughter. But men have pasts; most do not live like priests until they marry. I want you to know that you can ask me anything about my past and I will answer you honestly. I say this because I am certain your father will tell you things he knows about me and I do not want you to be surprised. I want you to hear the truth from me.”

  She appreciated that he was being forthright. “You are an Executioner Knight, a legend,” she said. “I am sure you did not gain that reputation by living in a monastery for the past twenty years.”

  He laughed softly. “I did not,” he said. “And your father knows that.”

  Her smile faded. “Do you think he will try to dissuade me?”

  Alexander shrugged. “It is possible,” he said. “He tried to chase me away but I would not go. I have found the woman I wish to spend my life with and I will not leave her, no matter what.”

  It was a sweet thing to say and Christin’s smile returned. “He cannot say anything that will shake me, either,” she said. “I am sure he wishes I would marry a stalwart young knight with no past and a bright future. I am sure every father wishes that for his daughter. But there is no young, stalwart knight in England that could turn my head from you, Sherry. I have made my choice.”

  Alexander looked at her, fortified by her declaration but knowing they more than likely had a difficult road ahead of them. In fact, he knew of one right away.

  It might change everything.

  “You did not hear what William said to me?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Nay.”

  Alexander averted his gaze, thoughtfully, trying to find the best way to tell her what he must. It was difficult for him to spit it out, but he had to.

/>   Better now than later.

  “He is not happy about our association, either,” he said quietly. “He fears that it will impact any tasks we are assigned together, and he is not wrong. He has the same concerns with Achilles and Susanna, although so far, they have proven him wrong. Still, he is afraid our emotions will get in the way of our judgment.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that he wants to separate us,” he said softly. “It means that he wants to put space between us to either kill what we are feeling for each other or, if that is not the case, at least give us time to think. We are not to serve together unless absolutely necessary.”

  Christin’s brow furrowed as she listened, genuinely trying not to become upset. She was struggling to be pragmatic, to see things from The Marshal’s perspective, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

  “He is siding with my father,” she said after a moment. “Surely, my father must have spoken to him and told him what happened. There is no other way he would have known.”

  Alexander knew that. “I am sure he did speak with him.”

  “Then you lied to me.”

  “When did I do this disgraceful thing?”

  “You told me that my father wasn’t trying to ruin this for me. Clearly, he is.”

  He could see that she was becoming upset no matter how hard she was trying not to. He admired her strength in the matter; a lesser woman would have been in tears by now. Christin was stronger than that.

  But she wasn’t unbreakable.

  “Come with me,” he said, reaching out and taking her by the hand. He led her over to the bed. “Sit down, please.”

  She did, gripping his hand tightly. He could feel the tension, the fear, in her grip so he sat down beside her and took both of her hands in his, holding them against his thigh. Looking her in the eyes, he could see how much she was struggling with the situation.