Nathalie kept turning her face but every time she did, the dog’s big tongue would find her. “I will get you for this,” she yelped. “Do you hear me? You will not be safe!”
David had to admire the woman; she wasn’t going to back down. A foolish quality, but a brave one.
“Is that your final answer?” he asked.
Nathalie screamed when the dog began licking at her ears. “Untie me now!”
David shook his head. “Mayhap later,” he said. “If I were you, I would think very carefully about my next move. Consider my offer. If you do not, then you will be the one to suffer, not I. I am bigger and smarter than you are, Nathalie Hampton. Remember that.”
Natalie only yelled. As David watched, the dog that had been furiously licking Elise suddenly lifted its leg and peed on her feet. Elise screamed and cried as David fought off the giggles. It was cruel, that was true, but for what those girls had done to him, to Brickley, and to any number of Canterbury soldiers, they deserved everything they were getting and more.
Leaving the girls on the floor with the happy, licking, and peeing dogs, he left the chamber and quietly closed the door on them. He would come back in a few minutes and release them, but for now, they deserved everything they were getting. Perhaps it was the start of all-out war between him and the girls, or perhaps it would be a ceasefire. In any case, he couldn’t help the laughter as he stood at the door and listened to them wail in disgust.
He hadn’t laughed so hard in years.
*
Emilie couldn’t figure out why her sisters seemed to subdued.
The supper that evening was a warm and fragrant affair in the smaller hall, with her father, David, Brickley, Lillibet, Nathalie, and Elise present, only Nathalie and Elise, who were usually fairly active during their meals, simply sat and picked at their food. Emilie did notice that every time David moved, they would jump and look at him with big, frightened eyes. Emilie wasn’t quite sure what it all meant, but she suspected something had happened between David and her sisters that she wasn’t aware of. She made a mental note to ask him later, for Nathalie and Elise’s behavior was very curious.
Elise had come to sup in the hall as she always did, with her box of people placed on the table next to her trencher. Usually, she took her people out but tonight they remained in their box. As Emilie’s attention lingered curiously on her sisters and their behavior, Lyle and David had been having a rather detailed conversation about the winter weather and the dozens of winters they had known since their childhood. Brickley wasn’t much in the conversation, nor was Lillibet. Everyone else at the table seemed relatively quiet except for Lyle and David. Lyle seemed particularly talkative. After nearly an hour of conversation, he finally turned to the rest of the table.
“It seems that I have been doing all of the talking and monopolizing David’s time,” he said. “’Tis simply that I am glad to see him, as I am sure we all are. I am only sorry I was not here to greet him when he arrived but I understand that Brickley was most hospitable.”
Everyone looked at Brickley, who seemed rather uncomfortable that all eyes were on him. He cleared his throat softly, reaching for his wine. “It was my duty, my lord,” he said. “With you away at Denstroude, I greeted him in your stead.”
Lyle nodded, sobering somewhat. “The entire garrison at Denstroude has this terrible illness that has passed through the town,” he said. “I took more men to reinforce the ranks. It does no good to have a garrison that cannot defend itself.”
Emilie was listening with concern. “Mayhap I should go to the garrison, Papa, and see to the men,” she said. “This sickness is quite bad.”
Lyle shook his head. “The garrison commander has his sister to tend them, Mistress Juliann,” he replied. “You know the woman, of course.”
Emilie nodded. “I do.”
“She has the situation well in hand. You are needed here, Emilie.”
Emilie couldn’t disagree with him. “There are a lot of sick,” she admitted. “I do not believe the physic has slept more than a few hours all week. Lillibet and I have been trying to give the man some relief by tending the ill so that he can sleep.”
David, seated between Emilie and Lyle, spoke up. “And you?” he asked. “I hope you have not let yourself get too tired.”
Emilie smiled at him. “I am not too tired,” she said. “Do not worry about me.”
He frowned, lightly done. “Of course I shall worry,” he said. “It would not due for you to become ill before we are married.”
Emilie shook her head, patting him on the hand that was on the tabletop. He grasped her fingers and they smiled at each other, a warmth radiating from them that everyone in the room could feel, even Brickley, who was trying not to notice any of it.
Brickley had his back partially to the happy couple as he sat back in his chair, nursing his wine. Lyle kept glancing at the man even though Brickley seemed resigned to his place in Emilie’s life, in which it was clear he had no place at all. Still, Lyle didn’t want the man deliberately hurt. He knew Emilie and David weren’t holding hands to insult to Brickley, but Lyle could only imagine how the odd knight out was feeling even if he wasn’t showing it.
“Emilie,” Lyle turned to his daughter. “David and Brick and I had a long conversation before sup whilst you were still tending the sick. I have accepted David’s fealty and Brickley will be taking command of Denstroude Castle. With David here, there is no need for two knights and Brickley is happy to command the garrison.”
Emilie had not yet heard this news; she had been so busy with sick villagers up until supper time that she hadn’t had much chance to speak with her father since his return from Denstroude.
“That is excellent news,” she said, approval in her tone. “I am glad to see that you were able to come to a satisfying conclusion for everyone. As I recall, Brickley rather likes Denstroude. It is much closer to the sea and he likes the sea. Is that not correct, Brick?”
Brickley looked up from his wine, his expression rather dull. He didn’t like it when she called him Brick; it sounded too informal, too affectionate as she used to be in days past, and it hurt his feelings. But he didn’t voice his thoughts. He simply nodded.
“Aye, my lady,” he replied. “I grew up by the sea. I have always been fond of it.”
He didn’t seem hugely excited but he didn’t seem depressed, either. There seemed to be a tense peace around the table now that David had joined their family. At least, no one was arguing or glaring or seemingly upset about it – namely, Brickley. Emilie was quite relieved, to be truthful. But this was the first time they had all sat together since the betrothal announcement, so she was hoping for the best from Brickley’s perspective. The man may have been resigned to the situation but that didn’t mean he didn’t have the right to be bitter about it. If he was, he wasn’t showing it, thankfully.
“Speaking of growing up, Brick, you have not said much about the son you visited back in August,” Emilie continued. “You mentioned it when you returned to Canterbury but I have not had the opportunity to ask you how Huxley is faring.”
The reality behind that entire statement is that she really wouldn’t talk to him at all, fearful to strike up a conversation with him on any subject that wasn’t absolutely necessary for fear he would turn the focus back to his feelings for her. Somehow, he always found a way to do that. But here in front of David and her father, it was safe to ask him about his son. Plus, it was a way to include Brickley in a conversation that he’d so far been left out of.
But when Emilie spoke of Huxley, Brickley simply looked at her. If she really cared about my son, she would not have waited three months to ask me.
The bitterness was starting.
“He is well, my lady,” he said. “He is already as big as I am and running Barnwell Castle. He even has a young lady he has his eye on.”
Emilie smiled. “That is wonderful to hear,” she said. “A man should get married young, I think. Don’t you, David?”
David snorted into his cup. “A man should get married when he is ready to get married.”
Brickley looked back to his wine and took a large gulp. “Some men are ready sooner than others,” he said, wiping the back of his hand. “Some men are ready but there is no bride to be had.”
Lyle, sensing the conversation might very well take a downturn at that moment, spoke up quickly.
“David, have you heard of any news from London,” he said, even though he’d already asked the man that same question in their conversation before supper. He was just speaking on the first that came to mind but quickly amended his question. “Of Eleanor, I mean. She usually winters in the Aquitaine, does she not? I am curious to know if she is returning to London considering Richard’s current status.”
David knew very well that Lyle was trying to prevent him and Brickley from getting into a verbal tussle but he graciously allowed the man to lead them along another subject. “As far as I have been told, she is still in France,” he said. “I do not know if she will be coming to England. She hasn’t for quite some time, even though Richard left her to rule in his stead as Regent. She has done so quite ably from France with the help of Richard’s chancellor.”
Lyle nodded. “Longchamp has not had an easy time of it, especially with John running amuck,” he said. “I have lived a long time and I swear to you that I have never seen family dynamics such as those between Henry and Eleanor and their children. As a younger man, I fought with Henry against his sons, you know. It always seemed to me that Henry was rather hurt to have his sons turn on him as they did.”
“And his wife,” David put in.
Lyle chuckled in agreement. “And his wife.”
“Speaking of family,” Brickley said to David from across the table, “when you and Lyle spoke before supper you mentioned that you and your brother were at odds now. I thought the de Lohr brothers were unbreakable.”
It was clear that Brickley had too much drink in him. In fact, that was what he had been doing most of the evening and now his tongue was loosened. Lyle spoke before David could.
“That is none of your affair, Brick,” he said quietly. “It does not matter why David has sworn fealty to me. His relationship with his brother is none of your concern.”
Brickley shrugged. “He spoke of it right in front of me when he was discussing the subject with you,” he said. “If he wanted to keep it a secret, he would not have mentioned it in front of me. Now I am curious to know what happened that would drive him back here to Canterbury. It took him four months to come back to Emilie, but that is none of my concern, either. I was simply curious what happened, ’tis all.”
So now Brickley’s true feelings on David’s return was starting to surface. Although the man appeared reconciled to the situation, some wine in his veins proved that he wasn’t as resigned as he pretended to be. Lyle was growing quite annoyed with Brickley but David quieted him. This was directed at him, after all. Brickley could say all that he wanted but the fact remained that Emilie belonged to him, so David kept that in mind. Nothing Brickley could say could hurt him or Emilie, in any way.
“Do you have any brothers, Brick?” David asked after a moment.
Brickley shook his head. “I do not,” he said. “It is just me and my son.”
David toyed with is cup as he watched the man across the table. “I see,” he said. “Then suffice it to say that sometimes there are misunderstandings. Sometimes it is best to put space between brothers. Men have strong opinions sometimes that are not easily changed. But that is not the real reason I came back to Canterbury; it was to be with Emilie. Surely you can understand that reason above all else.”
It was a bit of a barb at Brickley, who frowned as David finished his sentence. He poured himself more wine. “I do,” he said. “But what happens when your brother recalls you? Are you just going to leave her again?”
“That is not going to happen.”
The conversation was on the verge of turning ugly. Lyle clapped his hands, calling for more food and wine and sweets to be brought to the table, and servants began to scurry. Emilie held David’s hand under the table, smiling encouragingly at him when he glanced at her. She could see what was happening, too, and how difficult Brickley was being.
She wasn’t the only one who noticed, however. Across the table, Nathalie was somewhat aware, too, but she’d stopped pining for Brickley long ago. He had made it clear he held no interest for her so she had moved on, now to a young farm boy whom Brickley had brought in to help reinforce Canterbury’s ranks when he left to fight against John. With nothing of interest to hold her attention at the supper table, she grew bored quickly with the subject of two knights vying for her sister’s affections, especially when one of those knights was her arch-enemy, David de Lohr.
In spite of what had happened earlier in the day, Nathalie didn’t consider the war between her and David over in the least. It was true that he had subdued and humiliated her, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. No man was going to get the better of her and especially not a buffoon like David. Now that he was occupied with her father and sister, she would be free to leave the table and do as she pleased to his possessions. At least, that was the way she looked at it.
“Papa?” she asked politely from across the table. “May Elise and I be excused?”
Lyle eyed his younger daughters, who had come to the supper table this evening looking rather wet and dirty, and Elise smelled of dogs and piss. But he didn’t give much thought to it, much as he didn’t give much thought to the fact that the girls now wanted to leave the table. He waved a hand at them.
“Go,” he said. “Take Lillibet with you. She will see you to bed.”
Nathalie, rising from her feet, was clearly unhappy that her father had consigned them to Lillibet. It would mean her plans for revenge against David would be ended for the night, for Lillibet wouldn’t let her out of her sight.
“Nay, Papa,” she said, but when she noticed her father looked surprised at her refusal, she hastened to explain. “Lillibet spends so much time with us. I am sure she would like to spend time in adult conversation for a change.”
Elise, with her box of wooden people in her arms, nodded. “She spends too much time with us!”
Lyle frowned at his daughters. “That is because you are young and foolish,” he said. “Lillibet, go with them. Make sure they go to bed.”
Lillibet was on her feet, already moving for the girls, who were very unhappy with the chaperone. They frowned at just about everyone at the table, Emilie and David included, but when they came to David, their expression seemed to change quite a bit. Elise looked away, swiftly, while Nathalie’s eyes narrowed dangerous. David didn’t react but he met her stare, boldly, as Lillibet shuttled them from the room.
Emilie hadn’t noticed the glare her sister had given David but she did notice that the Roland and Cid were not where they usually were under the table. By now, they would be up and following the girls form the hall.
“Where are the dogs?” she wondered aloud. “It seems strange not to have them beneath the table.”
Lillibet wasn’t quite out of the room yet, trailing behind Nathalie and Elise. “They are in the barn,” she said, spit flying out onto her clothing. “Nathalie and Elise are punishing them for some reason, so they are tied up in the barn. Do not worry; I made sure they had water and a bone. They will do well for the night.”
Lyle scratched his head. “Why would the dogs be punished?” he wanted to know. “What did they do?”
Lillibet shrugged. “They would not tell me, my lord,” she said. “They would only tell me that they do not want the dogs in their chamber tonight.”
As Lyle and Lillibet discussed the mysterious reason behind the dogs’ incarceration, David could hardly keep a straight face. At least Nathalie and Elise hadn’t told of the incident this afternoon, instead, locking away the dogs that had been used as a torture device so David couldn’t use them again. They were sm
arter than he gave them credit for.
Victory, at least for tonight, would be his.
“Now that the children are gone we can drink to excess and spout foul language,” Lyle said, breaking David from his mental victory celebration. “It is probably better that Nathalie is gone. She seems to become quite strange when we discuss anything that has to do with Emilie’s wedding. She seems to hate the mere mention of the word.”
David looked at Emilie curiously, but she merely shrugged. “Not to worry, Papa,” she said, thinking that her sister hated discussion of marriage because of her failure to attract Brickley. Even though that episode was over with, still, the bitterness lingered. “I am sure it is nothing at all. David, Papa asked you about Queen Eleanor earlier. Have you actually met the woman?”
The subject was gracefully changed away from anything painful or awkward, like weddings and unrequited love, expertly done by Emilie who seemed to have a knack for the art of conversation. She knew what would be a better issue to discuss and she moved the discussion in that direction. David was happy to comply.
“I have,” he said, looking to Lyle. “Have you, my lord? I know you spent a good deal of time supporting Henry back in the day.”
Lyle, reaching out to pick up one of the sweet cakes the servants had brought, shook his head. “I did not meet her personally,” he said, shoving the cake in his mouth. “I have seen her on a number of occasions but I have never met her. An extremely powerful woman, she is. She has been married to kings and birthed at least one.”
David thought on the rather tall and fair Eleanor, now in her advanced years. “She would have made an excellent king herself had she been born male,” he said. “She seems to like my brother a great deal. Chris thinks she even tried to seduce him, once, although he fended her off and fled in terror.”
That comment even brought a weak smile from Brickley as Lyle lifted a cup as if to salute Eleanor’s lusty libido, even at her advanced age.
The de Lohr Dynasty: Medieval Legends: A Medieval Romance Collection Page 145