“Alice, my sweet, what joys you teach,
With some wine and a good deal of piffle.
My love for you grew,
Until the time that I knew
That Alice had a phallus, ’tis true!”
When he was finished, he giggled uncontrollably, drinking more of her wine. But Alice wasn’t insulted by the nickname or the song. She’d heard it before, from her youth when boys wanted to tease her, and she had learned to ignore being called ugly since Hallam told her it had no meaning. He thought she was beautiful and that was all that mattered to her. Hallam had given her that confidence.
Nay, she wasn’t bothered in the least.
“No one forced you to marry me,” she said. “It was your choice.”
He snorted rudely. “And it was a stupid choice,” he said, slurring his words. “I was stupid to do it because you are absolutely worthless to me. Your uncle will not even let me use his army. There is no alliance with William Marshal.”
Alice wasn’t going to fight with him. Her only concern was for Hallam, who was in the alcove just behind her, hiding behind the heavy curtains. She was terrified that Covington was going to discover him, so she wanted the man out of her chamber, however she could manage it.
“They should be serving the evening meal in the hall at this time,” she said, trying to distract him. “Go and eat. We shall discuss this on the morrow when you are not drunk.”
Covington looked at her as if greatly insulted by her words. “If I am drunk, it is your fault,” he said. “All of this is your fault, Ugly Alice. You were supposed to be the solution to the problem, but you are not a solution at all. You did not know that, did you? That my marrying you was strategic.”
Alice had never tried to feel hatred for Covington, only pity, but at the moment that pity was being pushed out in favor of unadulterated loathing.
“I knew,” she said. “The only people who did not know where my parents. They were stupid enough to accept your offer.”
Covington stared at her a moment before breaking down in laughter of sorts. “What do you know?” he asked. “Tell me what you know. I want to hear it.”
“I know that you married me for the alliance to William Marshal.”
His eyebrows lifted in surprise and, after a moment, he started clapping as if applauding her brilliance. “Very good, Lady de Wrenville,” he said sarcastically. “You do, indeed, know why I married you. Who told you? My son?”
“No one told me,” she said coldly. “I could see that you had an ulterior motive. Mayhap I am ugly, as you call me, but I am not stupid. I am smarter than you can imagine.”
Covington looked at her as if interested by her boast. “Is that so?” he said. “Are you smart enough to know that if this situation does not remedy itself, things will not go well for you?”
Alice wasn’t intimidated by his veiled threats. “Please enlighten me.”
Wine pitcher in hand, Covington staggered in her direction. “You are a worthless mistake, but I am going to allow you to redeem yourself,” he said. “You will write to your Uncle William and demand he allow you to utilize his army. Not me, mind you – you. You will tell him that you wish for his army.”
Her brow furrowed but as he drew closer, she was wise enough to move away from him. He had never struck her before because he made a point of staying away from her, but there was always a first time. She didn’t like the look in his eyes.
“I will do no such thing,” she said. “You are my husband. That request should come from you.”
She had moved to put a table between them and Covington was nearly too drunk to move around it. He ended up slamming his hands on the surface.
“I did make the request,” he said, trying to set the pitcher down but he ended up spilling it. “That army you see camping outside of my walls is the result of that request, but they will not do anything until your uncle, and his knights in command of the army, say so. You will write your uncle directly, do you hear?”
Alice backed away from the table as he came around it. She was backing herself into a corner of her chamber and the alcove containing Hallam was at Covington’s back now. She hoped it would give Hallam a chance to escape but, so far, he hadn’t moved.
“He will not listen to me,” she said. “Why should he? I am a woman making demands in a world of men. If he will not respond to your request, what makes you think he will respond to mine?”
Covington charged her, hands out like claws. He’d only meant to grab her, but he tripped as he tried to run, which propelled his body against hers. His hands landed on her shoulders, but they found their way to her neck. As Alice screamed and banged her head brutally against the wall behind her, Covington began to squeeze.
“You worthless, foolish bitch,” he seethed, banging her head on the wall again to knock her senseless. “This is all your fault. I thought you would bring me a great alliance with your uncle, but you have done nothing. Now, you are going to do as I tell you or I will squeeze the life from you. Do you –?”
He was abruptly cut off when someone grabbed him from behind. Hallam pulled Covington off Alice and in the same motion, threw his arm across the man’s throat. Using his other arm, he rammed it against the back of Covington’s head, pushing it forward. In his anger, his panic, he torqued Covington’s neck as hard as he could. He could hear the bones snap as he broke the man’s neck.
Covington was dead before he hit the ground.
But Hallam didn’t care. He was still in offensive mode, ready to kill anyone who would dare touch his beloved Alice. He stepped over Covington’s body, kicking it, as he pulled Alice away from the wall she was slumped against. He swallowed her up in a crushing embrace as she shook off the ringing in her ears, bursting into hysterical sobs.
Hallam held her tightly.
“All is well,” he whispered quickly. “Everything is well. I have you, Alice. He cannot harm you any longer.”
Alice sobbed as she threw her arms around him, coughing intermittently because Covington had choked her.
“What… what happened?” she wept, pulling away from him to see Covington lying face-down on the floor. “Hallam! What happened?”
Since Alice was essentially unharmed, Hallam forced himself to calm. He took the time to look at the body of his liege but as he looked at the man, he felt absolutely nothing other than hatred and rage. In fact, he lashed out an angry booted foot and caught Covington in the hip.
“Bastard,” he grunted. “Bloody goddamn bastard. He was trying to kill you, Alice. I was content to remain quiet in that alcove through the insults and the demands, but when he touched you… I could not let him kill you. You know that.”
Alice was struggling to compose herself, wiping the tears off her face, still rubbing at her throat where Covington had grabbed her.
“But… what will you do?” she gasped. “He will awaken and he will want to know what happened. What shall I tell him?”
Hallam looked at her. “He will not awaken,” he said. “He is dead.”
Alice’s eyes widened and she gripped Hallam, clinging to him. “God’s Bones,” she hissed. “You killed him?”
Hallam nodded stoically. “I told you that I could not let him kill you,” he said. “Alice, if that shocks you, I am sorry. But when I saw him grab you, I had to act. For everything he has done, for the sins he has committed against you and everyone else, he deserves this. Mayhap it is wrong of me to feel so liberated and satisfied at his moment, but I do. And I am not sorry in the least. I feel more relieved than I have ever felt in my life.”
Alice looked at him. His jaw was set, his features emotionless, and she could see he meant every word. She knew that Hallam was a knight, and a very good one, but he’d killed with shocking ease when she was in danger.
It was at that moment she began to realize the depths of his feelings for her.
Taking a deep breath, Alice looked down at Covington’s body again and realized she felt relieved, too. So deeply, deeply
relieved. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she turned to Hallam again, the shock and awe of the situation written all over her face.
“You saved me,” she said softly.
“I had to.”
“I know,” she said, reaching up to gently touch his face. “I know, my darling. I am not angry, of course. I completely understand and I am infinitely grateful for your intervention. But we have a problem now. What will we do? Covington’s body must not be discovered here.”
Hallam nodded faintly, feeling incredibly cold as he looked at Covington again. Cold in the sense that he felt no more for the man than he did for a dead animal. Covington was an animal as far as Hallam was concerned. He’d always known it, but now he could admit it. Damn the man to hell for touching Alice.
He’d deserved what he’d gotten.
But Alice was correct – they had a problem.
He struggled to move past the emotions of the situation and focus on what needed to be done.
“Marius is here,” he said. “As much as I abhor lying, if he discovers what I have done, my life is over. Everything is over.”
“I know.”
Hallam released her, moving to crouch down next to Covington’s body. He rolled the man onto his back, inspecting him from head to toe without touching him. Specifically, he was looking at Covington’s neck to see if there was any visible damage.
He could see nothing.
That gave him an idea.
“When last I saw Covington and Marius, they were drinking heavily in Covington’s solar,” he said, standing up. “I must find out where Marius is.”
“Why?”
“Because I must move Covington’s body out of here and I do not want him to see,” he said. “Wait for me here. Do not leave and lock the door after I have gone.”
“But where are you going?”
“Please, love. Just do as I say.”
Alice nodded anxiously, following him to the door and doing as she was told once he departed. As she waited with the cooling body of her husband, Hallam escaped down the stairs to the entry level. Pausing at the bottom of the stairwell, he listened for any signs of life and activity, but heard nothing.
With stealth, he made his way towards the solar door, which was open. Peering inside, he could see that it was empty. In fact, the entire keep seemed to be empty, which led him to believe that Marius was in the hall, feasting. It was time for the evening meal and he could smell the cooking meat. Peering from the solar window that faced the great hall, he could see the dirty, melting snow drifts surrounding the hall and men milling in and out.
It was time to move.
Quickly, he made his way up the stairs, knocking softly on Alice’s door. She opened it swiftly and he pushed his way in.
“Help me,” he told her. “I am going to move Covington’s body down to his solar and leave him there. We will make it look like an accident, as if he fell while drunk.”
Alice nodded quickly, watching as he rolled Covington onto his side and lifted the man into his arms. Covington wasn’t particularly heavy, but Hallam was strong. He carried the man out of Alice’s chamber as she followed close behind.
The stairs, being narrow, were a little difficult to maneuver, but Hallam managed to get them both down without falling and breaking his own neck. He could feel Alice holding on to his tunic as he dashed into the solar.
“Close that door,” he whispered loudly.
Alice shut the door, watching anxiously as Hallam dumped Covington on the floor. Literally, he dumped the man so he fell in a heap, so he appeared as if he had naturally fallen that way. Then, he looked around and, spying the wine pitcher, he poured a little on to the sole of Covington’s shoes before throwing the pitcher to the ground at his feet so it looked as if it had been dropped in a fall.
In fact, it looked exactly as Hallam had planned it. Covington appeared as if he had slipped on a dropped pitcher of wine and had fallen awkwardly. Hallam stood there a moment, surveying his handiwork, before finally shaking his head.
“This is a lie, all of it,” he muttered. “I am not a man given to lying, but in this situation, there is no choice. Marius would execute me if I told him the truth. Worse still, I have no way of knowing what he would do to you. He might even blame you. Please do not think deception comes easily to me, Alice. It does not. But in this case, it is… necessary.”
Alice came beside him, putting her arm around him as she lay her cheek on his arm. “You were protecting me,” she whispered. “But Marius would not understand that, and neither would anyone else. As the man’s wife, he can do with me as he wishes, including strangle me should he so choose. We can never tell anyone what has happened.”
Hallam sighed faintly. “I know.”
“Come,” Alice said, tugging on him. “We must go before we are discovered.”
Hallam nodded, following her to the solar door. They exited silently, shutting the door behind them. Alice headed for the stairs, but Hallam did not. She paused, puzzled.
“What is it?” she asked.
He tipped his head in the direction of the great hall. “I must go to the hall and eat as if nothing is amiss,” he said. “I always eat in the hall and if I do not show my face, it will look strange. You retreat to your chamber. I will come to you later.”
Alice nodded, forcing a smile at him. “All will be well,” she murmured. “I love you, my darling. For what you have done for me… I love you with all my heart.”
Hallam smiled weakly, waiting until she headed up the stairs before quitting the keep and heading for the great hall, which was full of soldiers on this freezing night. He took his usual seat at the dais and even asked Marius where his father was. Marius, who was exceedingly drunk, simply shrugged.
Hallam didn’t press him.
As he sat down two chairs down from Marius and began his meal, he started to think that the position with Caius looked better and better.
He had to get out of this place before all hell broke loose.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Covington’s body was discovered.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Whitchurch
By Caius’ best guess, they had been asleep for nearly twelve hours.
Shocked, he opened his eyes to a dark room and a hearth that was barely flickering. He could hear some bustle on the street outside which told him it was close to dawn. The farmers were up, pulling their wagons into town to sell their wares when the market opened, and Caius rubbed his eyes orienting himself, before looking to the woman burrowed in his arms.
Emelisse was sleeping like the dead, pressed up against him as if she had been sleeping that way her entire life. His arms were around her, as if he, too, had been sleeping that way his entire life.
It was the most natural thing he’d ever experienced.
His gaze drifted over her in the early morning light, and he could see fine details of her features as she slept peacefully. He found himself looking at the shape of her face, the adorable pert curve of her nose, and the way her lush lips were delightfully parted in sleep.
Everything about her was delightful.
And the reality was that she was now Lady d’Avignon.
My wife.
Even as he said it to himself, he could hardly believe it. The events from the day before seemed like a blur but, in the same breath, he could see it all very clearly. He clearly remembered arriving at Hawkstone and discovering that Caspian had died on the same day his father had. He remembered clearly that Emelisse was determined to take her brother’s place and maintain the integrity of the keep until death – hers.
That had distressed him. Women weren’t meant to die a prolonged death like that. Had he proposed marriage simply to get her out of that keep? The truth was that he hadn’t, but the missive from Lady de Wrenville had certainly given him the excuse to get Emelisse out of the keep by proposing marriage.
But he didn’t regret it.
He had slept better last
night than he had ever slept in his entire life, wrapped up snugly with Emelisse as if it were always meant to be. It was strange how he couldn’t seem to remember his life before he met her. Oh, there were things he did remember. He had always had a very sharp memory, so he wasn’t literal in the sense that he couldn’t remember his life before her. It was simply that he couldn’t remember how he had ever breathed without her by his side.
A smile came to his lips as he imagined Maxton’s face when he told him all of this. Strangely enough, he wanted to speak of it. He was eager to, happy to. Caius had always scoffed at Maxton and the other close friends who had married for love, and now he seemed to be in that same brotherhood.
… love?
He found himself looking at Emelisse again, wondering if love was what he felt for her. He had only known the woman for just a couple of days, so surely, it was impossible for him to have fallen in love with her.
… wasn’t it?
He simply did not know. All he knew was that he felt warm and happy and fulfilled but, in the same breath, he felt confusion and chagrin and possibly embarrassment. He’d spent so much time laughing at those who succumbed to the weakness of love that he was going to have to swallow his pride and admit that he had probably succumbed, too.
But it was pride that he would gladly swallow.
Lost to his revelry, he had to force himself to focus on the moment at hand. A new day was dawning and they needed to get moving. Very carefully, he disengaged himself from Emelisse and climbed out of the bed. He had no idea what had happened to William, but assumed the young man was somewhere down in the common room, waiting for him. He felt rather bad that he had left the squire to fend for himself and then he looked over at Emelisse.
He didn’t feel too bad.
It was worth it.
He went on the hunt for his clothing, noticing that he had tossed it off in all directions when passion had struck. He found his breaches by the bed, his boots somewhere near the end of the bed, and his tunic against the wall. Over on a small table was a basin of freezing cold water that had been brought up the night before specifically for Emelisse to wash in, but she had never used it. It smelled like roses, but Caius splashed it all over his face and hair, washing his hands in it, before he found his breeches and pulled them on. The tunic and the boots went on, as well.
The Agents of William Marshal Volume II: A Medieval Romance Bundle Page 143