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

by Kathryn Le Veque

  “I am sorry,” she said. “I have not eaten since yesterday and you seem to be in such a hurry. I thought I should eat it all immediately.”

  “Poor woman,” he said, taking her by the arm and turning her for the church door. “It appears as if you have been starving to death and I had no idea.”

  She laughed softly, her white teeth flashing. “I was not starving,” she said. “But I was hungry. I have become accustomed to it over the past three years, not eating so my brother and father could. They were the ones doing the fighting, after all. Unfortunately, my manners have suffered because I tend to eat very quickly. Thank you for the meal, however. It was delicious.”

  He pulled open the door of the church. “Let us get through this and I shall take you to an inn and feed you until you cannot hold anything more,” he said, his voice suddenly quiet because they were entering the church. “Your days of fear and starvation are over, Emelisse, I swear it.”

  She looked at him, his declaration meaning something to her. She’d gone the past three years eating when she could, and what she could, so that the thought of plentiful food was something of a dream to her. That’s why she ate so fast. She was always afraid that she would perhaps have to share it, or afraid someone would take it away from her entirely. She had learned to eat quickly, as she’d told him. He must have seen the awe and bewilderment in her eyes, for he simply winked at her.

  It was a most reassuring wink.

  They entered the domain of St. Alkmund’s Church. For being in a relatively small village, the church was quite large. The red stone that it was built with was evidenced all over the inside, with great red pillars supporting the pitched roof. The floor was dirt, and uneven in places, and the entire sanctuary smelled of earth and mildew.

  As they entered further into the sanctuary, they could see in places along the wall where water had pooled, possibly from the melting snow outside. It was the water giving the place such a moldy smell. Where the water was in places, the foundation had settled a bit and there were cracks along the wall.

  The church also had the distinction of having glass windows, at least on the windows at the altar. There were three of them, overlooking the church, and white beams of sunlight streamed in through the thick panes. Some churches had designs in glass in their windows, but these windows had no designs. No images of saints. They were simple, like the town around them.

  There was something pure in the simplicity.

  “My mother was buried here,” Emelisse said softly. “Now you can see where I would like my father and brother buried. Before we depart, would it be possible to visit my mother’s grave? She is in the churchyard outside.”

  Caius nodded. “Of course,” he said. “But we must find a priest first. Do you know where one might be?”

  She pointed to the east side of the church, where there was a small, heavy door. “The cloister is through there,” she said. “We have not attended mass since de Wrenville started his attacks. Papa was afraid to leave the fortress for fear of what would happen when we were gone, so I fear that I do not know who the priests are now. Sometimes, they change.”

  Caius understood. Taking her hand in his, he went on the hunt, looking for a priest. The door leading to the cloisters was locked, or so he thought, until he realized that the door was simply improperly hung and jammed. Letting go of Emelisse’s hand, he put both hands on the door and lifted it, a considerable task for even a man of his superior strength, pushing it into place as he opened it up.

  A small, covered arbor was beyond the door and he could see small outbuildings that were more than likely residences for the priests. He took a step outside, pulling Emelisse with him, and had no sooner stepped underneath the arbor when he heard someone calling to him.

  A big, bearded, and rather young priest was coming towards him, looking at him with disapproval.

  “Is there something you require, my lord?” he asked, but looked to Emelisse before Caius could answer. “Women are not allowed here.”

  Emelisse was already rushing back into the sanctuary as Caius faced off against the surprisingly large and virile priest.

  “My lady and I wish to be married,” he said steadily. “I am prepared to pay handsomely for it. Will you do this?”

  The priest’s eyes narrowed at him, peering at him strangely, but Caius dug into his coin purse and pulled out several pence which, for a poor parish, was a good deal of money. The lure of coinage was enough to stop his scorn and his reluctance. He turned to see Emelisse standing just inside the door in the sanctuary before returning his focus to Caius.

  “And you have her family’s permission?” he asked.

  “She has no family.”

  The priest hesitated. Caius produced another coin.

  The priest hesitated no more.

  William was just heading up the road towards the red stone church when he saw Caius and Emelisse emerging from the church yard. As he watched, Caius took Emelisse’s hand and led her out into the muddy road beneath the bright but cold sunshine.

  William ran towards them to catch up.

  “Forgive me for the delay, my lord,” he said. “I could not find a suitable livery, so I had to take the horses to the other end of town and stable them there.”

  Caius paused, shielding his eyes from the sunlight as he looked north. “Where?”

  William pointed. “Up that road,” he said. “A farmer has a big, white barn and the horses are inside. I promised him that he would be well-paid to feed and shelter them.”

  “Good,” Caius said. “And he shall. While my lady wife and I retreat to the inn next to the church, I would have you do a few things for me.”

  William grinned, looking between Caius and Emelisse. “You have married already?”

  As Emelisse nodded, flushing, Caius answered. “We have,” he said. “A short ceremony with three priests present. I asked that they record it in their book along with births and deaths, and it was. We have proof should de Wrenville contest it.”

  William kept smiling, most at Emelisse, who seemed mortified that he was looking at her so. The thought of marriage, and the marital bed, titillated the young man. Caius thought it was all rather comical, but he snapped his fingers so William would look at him and not his embarrassed wife.

  “De Wolfe,” he said. “Look at me. I need you to do something for me.”

  William turned to him eagerly. “My lord?”

  “First, go and pay the man for the horses,” Caius said, digging in his coin purse and putting several coins in William’s open palm. “When you are finished with that, I want you to walk the village, looking for any signs that we have been followed.”

  Emelisse looked up at him with some fear. “Do you believe we have been?”

  Caius looked over her head, down into the bustling heart of the village. “It is difficult to say,” he said. “They will find the dead soldier eventually and knowing you escaped, they will probably think you killed him. But Morgan and I are both missing, so they might think it was one of us even though rumor will say we had gone after you to bring you back. In any case, it is possible they might try to find us by sending men into the surrounding villages. It is possible that they could come here.”

  That didn’t ease her fear, but she didn’t question him. She simply nodded, understanding that, even now, there was still a risk. But Caius didn’t dwell on it. He returned his attention to William.

  “While you were watching for Winterhold men, I want you to find a vendor who sells rings,” he said.

  “Rings, my lord?” William cocked his head.

  Caius held up his hand, wriggling his fingers. “You know – rings,” he said. “Wedding rings. My wife needs a wedding ring.”

  William nodded with understanding. “Of course, my lord,” he said. “Should I send him to the inn so the lady can select one?”

  Before Caius could reply, Emelisse shook her head. “I do not need to select one,” she said. “I do not even need a ring, truly.”


  Caius looked at her. “Aye, you do,” he said. “I want you to have one.”

  There was something both flattering and possessive in his statement. He was looking at her with warmth in those black eyes so capable of changing when the mood struck him. Already, she knew that about him. He wanted her to have a ring, so she would. Truth be told, she wanted the world to know she belonged to him, too. There was something binding about a wedding right because he cared enough to give her one. Therefore, she conceded the point without a fight and returned her attention to William.

  “Something simple is fine,” she said. “A simple gold band is sufficient.”

  She held up her hand and then held William’s up, comparing the size of their fingers. Even at William’s young age, he had a big hand, so she looked for the finger that was closest to the one she would put the ring on. She settled on the smallest finger on his left hand.

  Armed with his orders and a general idea of the size of ring he needed to find, William took off for the livery. Caius took Emelisse by the hand once more and turned her in the direction of the inn that was across the avenue from the church.

  “The White Bear,” he said as he read the sign on the inn. “It looks like a big place. I hope their food is good.”

  Emelisse could read the sign, too. Her father had taught her to read as a child. With every step they took, she was growing more and more nervous. She could hardly believe that she was married to a man she would have believed well beyond her reach.

  “I am sure it is quite sufficient,” she said. “It has been here a long time. I can remember seeing it when we would come to town for mass.”

  Caius’ gaze returned to her, lingering on the woman he had just married. He had briefly wondered if he would feel any regret in this moment, but he found that he did not. In fact, he was quite excited about it. Surely it wasn’t for the property he had just acquired through her, or any wealth or political connections, for she had none of those. He was simply excited about her.

  This woman who could make his heart jump with merely a look.

  “Tell me about your life before Winterhold,” he said as they strolled towards the structure. “You told me once that it was so peaceful you never even raised the drawbridge.”

  She smiled faintly. “Nay,” she said. “We never did. The chains were rusted because it had been in the same lowered position for so long. Caius, I wish you could have seen Hawkstone before de Wrenville decided he wanted it. It was like… like a paradise. As a child, it was a wonderful place to grow up.”

  “And it will be again,” he said. “To raise children, I mean. I will spare no expense in restoring it.”

  She came to a halt, looking at him. “That is not why I married you,” she said. “I do not expect you to pay for the restoration of the castle.”

  He shrugged. “It is of little matter,” he said. “The property became mine when I married you. But if you feel so strongly against me spending my money for it, we can use The Roden Twins. I am sure they will be more than enough to pay for it.”

  Emelisse suddenly lowered her gaze, an expression of pain crossing her features. Caius’ brow furrowed.

  “Why do you look like that?” he asked. “What is the matter?”

  She looked up at him, the pain in her expression becoming heavier by the moment. She finally pulled her hand from his and turned away, wandering back the way they had come. Concerned, he followed, grabbing her by the arm so she couldn’t move any further.

  “Emelisse, what is wrong?” he demanded softly.

  When she finally looked at him again, there were tears streaming down her face.

  “Oh… Caius, forgive me,” she begged, her lower lip trembling. “I lied to you. I never thought… I was trying to save my own life and I lied to you. I am so sorry.”

  He frowned. “What about?”

  She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand. “The Roden Twins,” she said. “And… and our allegiance to France.”

  He dropped his grip from her, his expression hardening. There were a great many things rolling through his mind at that moment, not the least of which being the fact that he had trusted her so implicitly through this whole situation. He was usually much less trusting with people he didn’t know, but with her, it had come easily. He had staked his reputation for her. He had even fallen for her.

  Aye, he could admit that. He had fallen for her. Therefore, her words were like a punch to his gut.

  He was trying very hard not to feel a horrific sense of dread.

  “You had better be extremely clear on what you are about to tell me,” he said.

  He sounded cold and hard. Emelisse had never heard that tone from him before, but she didn’t blame him. It was a secret she had been sitting on for almost a year, something she had learned to bury deep as if it had never happened. It was something she had never planned to speak of, but now… now, she felt as if she had no choice.

  Better sooner than later.

  “I… I should have told you this before,” she said. “My father and brother swore me to secrecy and I promised I would never, ever speak of it. I never intended to. But you are my husband and Hawkstone is yours, so you must know that we no longer have The Roden Twins.”

  “Why not? Where are they?”

  She hung her head, miserably. “It is true that my father has never even been to France,” she said. “That was not a lie. But my mother’s family is French and they have property in the Loire Valley. The family name is le Leroux and they are powerful warlords near Angers.”

  His cold expression didn’t change. “Go on.”

  She took a deep breath. “A year ago, when it was clear de Wrenville would eventually overrun us, my father wrote to my mother’s family and asked for assistance,” she said. “They responded, but it was not favorable. They wanted something for sending aid – money. My father sent them the only thing of value we had, The Roden Twins. They never came and they never responded. My father was so ashamed that he made me swear never to tell a soul. If anyone asked, I was to tell them that someone stole The Roden Twins.”

  Caius had been waiting for something more devastating but, so far, none of what she said was anything close to shattering. He lifted his eyebrows.

  “That’s it?” he said. “Your father sent the diamonds to France and he was cheated out of them?”

  She nodded solemnly. “Caius, he was so ashamed,” she said miserably. “He was ashamed that my mother’s family did not think enough of us to send us help. They took our diamonds and simply kept them.”

  Caius scratched his head. “Is that where de Wrenville got the idea that you were loyal to the king of France?”

  She shrugged. “It is possible,” she said. “He had men watching us constantly – who came, who left, where they went. It is possible someone told him we had been sending missives to France.”

  “And that is all there is to the situation?”

  “That is all, I swear upon my mother’s grave.”

  It all made perfect sense to Caius and he realized that he was relieved beyond measure. Emelisse had such a guileless way about her that he didn’t sense any deception. He was usually very good at sniffing out lies and subversion, but he genuinely didn’t sense any of that with her. The woman had told a lie, small as it was, and she had confessed before things got out of hand. He appreciated that.

  He appreciated her.

  Reaching out, he cupped her face in his two big hands.

  “When this situation settles, I will send an army to regain those diamonds,” he said. “And your mother’s family will know what I think about people who take expensive tokens in exchange for empty promises. But you will swear to me this very instant that you will never again lie to me or withhold the truth. Never again. I told you that my trust is given only once and although this situation was extremely minor, you were not as honest as you could have been about it. You even offered them up to me if I would bring my army to Hawkstone. If I had agreed, what were you g
oing to do?”

  She eyed him remorsefully. “I do not know,” she said. “I did it out of desperation, truly. I hoped something would come to me when it came time for payment, but I truly do not know. I suppose I am not very good at negotiating.”

  “You were very good. You had me believing that you had The Roden Twins.”

  She shrugged. “But I did not,” she said. “I am truly sorry for lying. I suppose I did not tell you all of it because at the time we discussed such things, I did not really know you. I still do not really know you, but you are my husband now and you must know everything. Even our embarrassment.”

  He smiled faintly, letting her know that he wasn’t angry with her. In fact, he understood her reasoning. “Then promise me that you will never lie to me again.”

  “I swear it,” she said fervently. “With all my heart, I swear it.”

  He believed her. Perhaps it was foolish of him to, but instinct told him that she was true.

  He hoped his instincts weren’t wrong.

  They turned back to the inn.

  The White Bear was a two-storied timber structure on the corner of the main road through Whitchurch and a smaller road that ran parallel to the church. The road around it was full of mud puddles and dirty banks of snow, and Caius had to lift Emelisse over the filthy snowbanks in order to get her to the front door. She was wearing Lady de Wrenville’s traveling dress, which was too long, and already the bottom of it, in spite of her best efforts, was wet and dirty.

  Caius opened the heavy, beaten door and the world of The White Bear appeared. It was warm and stale and crowded, packed with patrons in the enormous common room, which had a sunken middle that didn’t have any tables or chairs. People were simply gathering in the middle of it, eating food from their hands or downing their drinks. Some were even sitting on the floor.

  On the perimeter of the common room, however, it was raised and the floor was wood. There were tables and chairs on this level and every single one of them was crowded. Because of the inclement weather the night before, and the icy temperatures this morning, People didn’t seem to want to leave the warm, stuffy chamber.