WolfeBlade: de Wolfe Pack Generations

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Andreas, her knight in shining armor, a man who had shown her a glimpse the world she never thought she would know.

  And now, here she was, back home in a place she hated, with a father she hated, with no future and no way to reclaim her child. The past six months had been her greatest effort to try and forget about what had happened, but much as her son had been a reminder of the shame brought upon her family, her father was a reminder of that child she had lost. Every time she looked at him, she felt hatred anew.

  It was just one of the things she hated about returning home.

  More strange things were happening at Falstone these days.

  When Gavriella had returned from London, there had been a new female servant who shadowed her father everywhere he went. The woman had been sent by an ally, she was told, but not even Lukas could tell her just who the ally was. He was very suspicious of the woman, but Merek didn’t seem to mind having her around. Lukas had discovered why when he had walked in on them in Merek’s solar and the woman’s head was down between Merek’s legs.

  That told Lukas everything he needed to know.

  The woman’s name was Giddy and she was quite clever. Over the past six months, she had gone out of her way to separate Merek from everyone else. She ate with him in his chamber, she was with him while he conducted business in his solar, and wherever Merek went, she trailed along behind him. She was obedient and quiet, and always tried to be as inobtrusive as possible, but it was obvious that she had a stranglehold on Merek.

  These days, he wouldn’t go anywhere without her.

  Then came the madness.

  Somewhere in the past six months, Merek seem to have developed a madness that ebbed and flowed. It seemed to be better in the morning and worse in the evening. He conducted business with Lukas in the mornings, because by mid-afternoon, he was almost completely incoherent.

  Giddy was always with him, madness or no, following him around and tending to him, and Lukas was convinced that the woman had something to do with whatever was happening to Merek de Leia.

  But he couldn’t prove it.

  Merek would rage at anyone who suggested that he separate from Giddy. When Gavriella had returned from London and saw what was happening, she’d even suggested it to her father and he lashed out at her, nearly hitting her in the face. After that, Gavriella stayed away from him and away from Giddy, who had tried to befriend her at first, but Gavriella made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with her.

  These days, Falstone was something of a horrible mess.

  And now, the Scots were on the rampage.

  As Gavriella sat on the floor of the vault and cut away pieces of rotten turnips, she tried not to think of what her life had become. What Falstone had become. If things hadn’t been bad enough when she left, they were worse when she had returned. But she was jolted from those moody thoughts when Iva returned with the cook and two more servants, taken from the keep. They were maids, but they could use a knife as well as anyone, so Gavriella handed her knife over to the cook, a woman named Jocosa, as she stood up and brushed off her hands.

  “Lukas tells me that we’re expecting an army here by this evening,” she said. “We’ll need to make great batches of stew in the iron pots used to boil the hides. We have turnips, carrots, onions, and the sausages we made when we slaughtered the pigs in the autumn. We can boil the sausages with everything and make a nice stew.”

  Jocosa was already on the ground, tossing the cut turnips into a big basket she’d brought.

  “I’ll add barley to it,” she said. “I can make it last a few days, depending on how many men we’re feeding. Do you know?”

  Gavriella shrugged. “Lukas says at least two thousand,” she said. “We do not know how long they are staying, so you’ll have to plan to feed them for at least a month. Can you do that?”

  Jocosa looked around the vault. She was a big woman, round and strong, and she knew her business. “Aye, my lady,” she said after a moment. “I’ll determine what to feed them without using everything we have. Leave it to me.”

  That was Jocosa – a woman who never had a harsh would or a negative comment. Truthfully, she was one of the people who kept Gavriella sane around this place and Gavriella smiled, patting the woman on the shoulder.

  “You have my thanks, Jo,” she said. “I must see what Lukas is doing about their accommodations. I suppose we should house the knights in the keep, so I should make room for them.”

  Leaving Jocosa to handle the turnips, Gavriella headed out. The vault had two exits – a narrow staircase to the floor above and then a second exit built right into the wall, with exterior stairs that led up into the bailey. She had seen Lukas go in that direction, so she followed.

  It was an icy day. They’d had snow two days before that had melted, but the freezing temperatures had turned everything to ice. The bailey was caked solid and there were frozen ponds throughout. Given that Falstone had limited space inside that crusty, frozen bailey, Gavriella knew that they were about to be crammed full of men with the incoming army and the horses.

  It was about to get quite cozy.

  Rounding the keep, she came into the main body of the bailey. The enormous gatehouse was directly ahead and she could see men scurrying about, including Lukas, who was speaking to one of his men. When he looked up and saw her approach, he excused himself and made his way in her direction.

  “The army has been sighted a few miles out,” he told her. “Our scouts have seen them moving towards us and it looks like more than a thousand men. There are at least five knights that our scouts saw, mayhap more he did not.”

  Gavriella lifted her eyebrows. “I wanted to ask you where you wish to house the knights,” she said. “We have those two chambers on the ground floor of the keep that the servants use, but they can sleep elsewhere if we need to house the knights.”

  Lukas nodded. “It would be the polite thing to give the knights their own chambers,” he said. “If you could see to that, I would be grateful.”

  Gavriella smiled. “I will,” she said, noticing that he seemed rather harried. “Do not worry so, Lukas. We shall feed them and house them. There is nothing to be concerned over.”

  Lukas cast her a long look. “Nothing except your father,” he said. “I have not even told him yet.”

  “I will do it.”

  “It should come from me.”

  “Then let me tell him that you will come to him when time allows. He is probably already watching the bailey and wondering what the activity is about.”

  Lukas resisted the urge to look up to the top floor of the keep where Merek’s chamber was located. “He’ll send that bitch down here to demand answers,” he muttered. “Mayhap you’d better tell him what has happened so he will not send her down here to get in my way.”

  Gavriella patted his arm. “I will,” she said. “I will keep her away.”

  “You seem to have better luck at it than I do.”

  She could hear the frustration in his voice. He turned away, heading back to the commotion at the gatehouse as Gavriella turned for the keep.

  No one wanted to deal with Merek these days with that woman by his side.

  Taking a deep breath, she headed inside.

  The keep of Falstone was cylinder shaped, and quite large, with several chambers on each level except for the top level, which had one great room belonging to Merek. The first level, accessed by stone steps in a fortified forebuilding, contained an entry hall, her father’s solar, a small hall, and three smaller chambers. This was where she planned to house the knights. The level above that was a level with two large bedchambers, one belonging to Gavriella, and then her father’s level on top of that.

  Heading up the stairs to the keep entry, she found one of the male servants in her father’s solar, sweeping out the ashes in the hearth, and she instructed him to start preparing two of the chambers for at least five knights and perhaps more. Beds needed to be brought in and mattresses needed to be prepared.
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br />   There were logistics to preparing guest accommodations and she sent the man off to do her bidding before taking the mural stairs that led to the upper floors. She has just come off the stairs onto the level where her bedchamber was when Giddy suddenly emerged from the stairs that led up to her father’s chambers.

  Their eyes locked.

  “You, there,” Giddy said imperiously. “Gavriella. Your father wishes to know why his men are running around like mad. What is happening?”

  Giddy never addressed her formally. Her manner always conveyed little respect. That had started when Gavriella had made it clear she wanted no friendship with the woman and it continued even now. Giddy was an older woman with big breasts and big hips, wearing garments that were always tightly cinched at the waist to make her breasts look larger. She had red hair, piled on top of her head, and Gavriella thought she wore rouge because her cheeks were always unnaturally red. Giddy, which probably wasn’t even her real name, was clearly a low-born woman who tried to throw her weight around.

  Even with the lord’s daughter.

  Gavriella eyed the woman a moment before pushing past her without answering.

  She could hear Giddy calling after her, demanding she stop, but Gavriella ignored her. She continued up to her father’s chamber to find the man sitting in front of the hearth, enjoying a big pitcher of wine. Gavriella had noticed that her father seemed to drink quite a lot these days, always spurred on by Giddy.

  The woman was constantly supplying him with drink.

  “Greetings, Father,” she said without a hint of warmth. “Lukas has asked me to tell you that he will join you shortly to provide more information, but he has received a missive from the House of de Wolfe.”

  Merek had the cup in his hands, half-filled with wine, as he turned to his only child. There was no hint of warmth in his gaze, either.

  “De Wolfe?” he repeated. “What do they want?”

  Giddy came around behind Merek’s chair, standing over him as she eyed Gavriella angrily.

  Gavriella wouldn’t even look at her.

  “There has been some trouble with the Scots,” Gavriella told her father. “De Wolfe seems to have had a good deal of trouble with them and he fears they are heading in our direction to cause trouble, so he is sending men to reinforce Falstone against a potential Scots attack. Lukas will give you more detail when he can, but that is the commotion you have been seeing. We are preparing for the army’s arrival.”

  Giddy’s hand went on Merek’s shoulder, Gavriella was certain, in a possessive gesture just to irritate her, but Gavriella still wouldn’t look at her. She was focused on her father, who seemed concerned that de Wolfe was sending an army to them.

  “We’ve not had trouble from the Scots in years,” he said. “He must have more reason to send men to protect us. I would speak with the commander of the army when he arrives.”

  Gavriella nodded. “I will tell Lukas that,” she said. “Anything else, Father? I thought to house the knights in the keep because there is really nowhere else to put them. We shall be quite crowded, but we shall manage.”

  Merek nodded and started to stand up, but Giddy pushed him down. “Rest, my lord,” she said. “Your knight will come to you. You need not strain yourself.”

  Merek did as she asked, like a man with no will. Gavriella peered at him. “Father?” she said. “Do you require something?”

  “If he does, I shall do for him,” Giddy interrupted.

  There was something controlling in the woman’s tone and Gavriella did look at her, then. “I was not speaking to you,” she said. “I was asking my father.”

  Giddy stiffened. “I am capable of bringing him whatever he needs, Gavriella.”

  Gavriella’s eyes narrowed. “You will address me as ‘my lady’,” she said. “You are only a servant, after all. Know your place, Woman. You will show me the respect I deserve, as the lord’s daughter.”

  Giddy’s pink cheeks grew pinker. “I have Lord Merek’s confidence,” she said, sounding like a snarl. “If anyone should know her place, it should be you.”

  Gavriella had had enough. She’d gone around a few times with Giddy before, but the woman didn’t seem to get the message. She walked up to her father’s chair, putting her face in Giddy’s.

  “You are a servant and nothing more,” she hissed. “We do not even know where you came from. You showed up here one day telling us you were a gift from an ally, but which ally? I am going to start sending out missives to every ally and neighbor we have and ask them if they sent you. Should I do that, Giddy? If you cannot tell me more, then that is what I need to do.”

  “You’ll do no such thing. I am no business of yours.”

  “Any business of Falstone’s is my business also. I am going to find out where you really came from if you will not tell me.”

  “I do not answer to you.”

  “And you do not belong here.”

  Outraged, Giddy lifted a hand as if to strike her, but Gavriella was faster. She slapped the woman, open-palmed, as hard as she could. Giddy’s coiffed hair went flying everywhere and she staggered, nearing falling over into the hearth.

  Gavriella was on top of her.

  “Did you truly think to strike me?” she demanded, pushing Giddy back to her knees when the woman tried to stand up. “Strike me and I shall have you thrown in the vault for striking the lord’s daughter. I’ll leave you there to rot. Do you understand me?”

  Giddy was furious. “And the men would do your bidding only because they know you shall reward them,” she seethed. “I know what you’ve done, lady. I know that you are not as pure as you want everyone to believe.”

  Gavriella’s eyes widened. She was about to wrap her hands around Giddy’s neck but her father was on his feet, grasping her by the arms and pulling her away.

  “Nay, Gavy,” he said. “Go, now. Prepare for our guests.”

  Gavriella yanked herself from her father’s grasp. “How can you keep her here, knowing how she treats me?” she demanded. “Why do you keep her here, Father?”

  Merek waved her off, giving her a feeble push towards the chamber door. He didn’t want to talk about the situation, or deal with it, and he headed back to his chair as Giddy stood up and brushed herself off. This was the Merek they’d been dealing with since Giddy had arrived – apathetic, befuddled, weak.

  Very weak.

  Infuriated, Gavriella focused on Giddy.

  “Your days here are numbered, wench,” she said. “Do not become too comfortable. As soon as I find out where you really came from, I’ll throw you out myself.”

  All Giddy had to do was put her hands on Merek, possessively, and the message was clear. Unless Merek dismissed her, she wasn’t going anywhere. And she probably wouldn’t leave even if he did. She had a good thing going and she wasn’t going to let it go so easily.

  Enraged, Gavriella quit the chamber and slammed the door.

  She met Lukas when she was halfway down the stairs.

  “Is he –?” Lukas began.

  Gavriella cut him off. “He’s with that… that whore,” she said, close to tears because she was so angry. “I told him about the army. He’s expecting you.”

  She pushed past him but he grabbed her before she could get away completely. “What happened?” he asked, genuinely concerned. “Why are you so upset?”

  Gavriella was trying to stave off the tears. “Lukas, how can we get rid of that woman?” she asked. “It is bad enough here with my father the way he is, but she makes the situation so much worse. What can we do?”

  Lukas sighed heavily. “I have tried, my lady,” he said. “Your father wants her here.”

  Gavriella shook her head in frustration. “I have been hearing the same thing since I returned from London,” she said. “Mayhap I could give her some money to go away. Mayhap that’s what she is after, anyway. I have a very bad feeling about her, Lukas. She is after something.”

  “I know,” Lukas said quietly. “I feel the same
way. If I wasn’t such an honorable man, possibly she could meet with an accident and we could be done with her. But so far, she’s really done nothing but keep your father company. She’s not stolen anything that I can see, and she hasn’t done anything treacherous.”

  Gavriella wasn’t satisfied. “She’s rude and insufferable,” she said. “I am going to offer her money to see if she will go away.”

  “If your father finds out, he may become angry.”

  Gavriella looked at him. “My father and I have been at odds for some time now, Lukas,” she said. “One more thing will not make any difference. But I do apologize for being short with you. That woman has me up in arms. My father is waiting for you and I am off to ensure the knights have a soft bed and a clean chamber.”

  Lukas smiled faintly at her. “Your efforts are appreciated,” he said. “And do not let Giddy get the better of you. That is what she wants. You are far better than she is and she knows it. Do not let her use that against you.”

  Gavriella took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm. Lukas was like the big brother she never had, always kind to her, always protective. There had never been anything romantic between them, not even before he married his wife. Gavriella had simply never felt that way about him. He was more like family and that was the only way she would ever look at him. In any case, she was glad to have him around.

  He was the one stable thing around this place.

  “Thank you, Lukas,” she said. “I do not know what I would do without your kindness. I will not let her get to me.”

  “Good,” he said. “I’d better see to your father before that cow comes looking for me. And you must see to those chambers. Make haste, my lady. The de Wolfe army approaches.”

  Gavriella nodded and continued down the stairs, pushing Giddy out of her mind. She had other things to focus on. Men to bed, food to provide. All in a day’s work as the chatelaine of Falstone.