His Rival's Daughter (Stafford Family Book 1)

by Catherine Woodville

  “Guests are arriving,” Norma said, out of breath. “Your father sent me to find you. He wants you to be in the courtyard to greet them.”

  “Who is coming?” Elizabeth asked, lifting her skirts and taking long strides toward the castle, but Norma just shook her head. Of course, Elizabeth realized, Norma did not know. Her father was not the type of man who would explain anything to the servants.

  The wedding was still a week away; it was too early for the guests to arrive. It had to be someone else, she thought, but who? Regardless, it was wise to go and greet them. Elizabeth did not want to make her father angry. His fury was the last thing she needed.

  When Elizabeth crossed the great hall and entered the inner ward, she counted a dozen knights riding in through the inner gates. Her brother was at the head of the group, and Elizabeth sent him a happy smile. Finally, he was back. She wanted to run down the stairs to greet him, but a man next to him attracted her attention and the joy was instantly gone.

  Sir Humphrey Harrington was talking to Edward, but his pale blue eyes were peering at her. He was a man Elizabeth wanted to avoid. She took a deep breath to calm her rising pulse, put a polite smile on her face, and went to greet the men.

  Elizabeth admitted to herself that Humphrey was a very handsome man, even though he was about ten years older than she. His dark, curly hair hung to his shoulders. He was tall, strong, and although his body was massive, there was not an ounce of fat on him. He was a perfectly beautiful man. But there was something in his eyes that scared Elizabeth. They were the palest blue, almost colourless. She had heard the maids describe Humphrey’s eyes as sky blue, but to Elizabeth they looked like the pale eyes of a corpse. Regardless, they did not seem to scare the maids in the castle. Almost all of them had shared a bed with this man, and each of them would do it again if he asked.

  Elizabeth made a curtsy when she reached the men. “Edward,” she looked up at her brother and her polite smile warmed. He answered her smile with his own. She was happy to see him return. Reluctantly, Elizabeth looked up at Humphrey. Her heart tightened in her chest when she saw his expression. It reminded her of a wolf looking at a trapped rabbit. Nodding her head, and bending her knees in a barely polite curtsey, she acknowledged him, “Sir Humphrey.”

  “Lady Elizabeth,” he said politely.

  Elizabeth’s palms started to sweat, and it was all she could do to keep from wiping them on her dress. She refused to let him know she was discomfited. His bold stare made her feel completely naked. His regard made her want to wash everywhere his gaze touched.

  “Food will be served shortly,” she said to the men, her voice trembling.

  “Sir Humphrey,” she looked up at him and met his stare, “I will order a maid to show you to your chamber first.”

  Elizabeth turned around and headed towards the keep, not waiting for the men to dismount. She preferred to stay as far as possible from Humphrey when he looked at her like that.

  Her mind went back to the child she had helped care for as a result of Sir Humphrey’s abuse. A peasant woman had called for her skills as a healer. The child had been beaten by Humphrey because he was not quick enough at performing some small task Humphrey had given him. When she’d questioned Humphrey about it later that day, he had replied, “Bah! What difference does it make if a peasant child dies? His parents will soon make another one just like him.”

  When they entered the great hall, Elizabeth called Norma, who was waiting for her at the door, and ordered her to show the men to their chambers.

  “I need to speak with Sir John first,” Humphrey said, turning his back to Norma. “Where is he?”

  Elizabeth gave Norma a questioning look.

  “My lord is in his cabinet,” the maid said with a bow, pointing to the door at the furthest end of the hall.

  Silently, Edward and Humphrey headed there, leaving Elizabeth behind.

  “Why would they want to see my father?” Elizabeth mused, glancing at Norma, but the maid only shrugged.

  Elizabeth rubbed her chest, where an uneasy feeling persisted. When the men had almost crossed the great hall, Edward turned around. Seeing that Elizabeth was still standing at the door, he gestured for her to follow them. No, this could not be right. Father would not allow Elizabeth to participate in a meeting in his private chambers. If Edward wanted her to be there, then it was something very bad, or something very important. Maybe both. Edward motioned again. Making the sign of the cross over her chest and sending up a quick prayer, she took a deep breath and followed.

  Elizabeth lifted her skirts and rushed to the men. She caught up with them just as they entered the study.

  It was a small room with a large wooden table in the middle of it. A sturdy, richly carved wooden chair was at its head. Two benches stood, one each, on the left and right sides of the table. There was a single, faded tapestry depicting a hunt scene behind the carved chair at the table’s head. A large window let light in across the room from the entry.

  John de Vere, Earl of Harmton, was sitting in the chair, talking to a man Elizabeth had seen at the castle before, but to whom she had never been introduced. She remembered his bright red beard. When her father saw the party entering, he dismissed the man and greeted Edward and Humphrey. Elizabeth, he ignored.

  “Finally, you have arrived,” he said with a cheerful smile, and got up from the chair. He patted Humphrey on the shoulder. “Will you stay for my wedding, lad? You know you are like a son to me. You must be with me on that special day.”

  Harmton laughed. Indeed, this cruel man, that happened to be her father, had warm feelings only for Edward and Humphrey. Elizabeth suspected that her father saw Humphrey as a replacement for her twin brother, who’d died in infancy. In Harmton’s eyes, he had two sons. Humphrey was just like him. Unfortunately, her father had never wanted a daughter. Sometimes he behaved as if he did not have one.

  Humphrey smiled back. “’Tis my pleasure, my lord.” He paused and spoke again. “There is another matter I want to discuss with you.”

  “What is it?” Harmton’s eyes sparkled with interest.

  “With your permission, Lord Harmton, I would like to marry Lady Elizabeth.” Humphrey made a formal court bow, and waited for Harmton’s answer.

  Elizabeth stared at Humphrey in shock. Slowly, she leaned against the wall, feeling lightheaded and needing support. Her eyes turned to her father. To her utter horror, he was smiling.

  “No. Please, say no,” Elizabeth spoke aloud before she realized what she had done. She regretted her words immediately, her hand going to cover her mouth, as if to trap any further words from escaping.

  Harmton’s eyes were cold and hard, the smile instantly gone from his face. “Who allowed you to come here?” he howled at her. “This discussion is for men only. You have no place here. Leave!”

  “Father,” Edward stepped in for his sister. “It was I who asked her to come. I think Elizabeth has a right to know whether she will be married or not.”

  Harmton moved his angry eyes to Edward, his lips forming a thin line, his voice rising with each word, “I am her father, and only I decide what she needs to know and what she does not. I decide whether she will marry or not. She doesn’t need to know any of it. She will do what I order her to do. She knows what will happen if she disobeys.”

  He glared at Elizabeth. When she didn’t move, he shouted, spittle flying with the words, “Leave! Now!”

  Elizabeth quickly obeyed. She had learned long ago how dangerous it was to argue with her father. He never forgave a woman who disobeyed him. Never.

  Elizabeth’s chest rose with the deep breath she took to calm herself as she shut the door behind her. She slowly exhaled and leaned against the cold wall. She froze in place as the muffled voices from the cabinet met her ears, and she tried to catch every word.

  “Women,” Harmton grumbled, calming down. “I hope that Jane Shore won’t be as nosy as my daughter.”

  There was silence for a moment before the earl spoke
again. This time his voice sounded joyful. “I’ve just learned an interesting bit of news about my soon-to-be bride. Apparently, she is Baron de Broke’s lover.” He laughed, rubbing his hands together. “Back to the business at hand, though. You know, Humphrey, how long I have wanted you to marry my daughter? You are the best husband I could choose.”

  “No,” Elizabeth whispered on the other side of the door. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears. Her father was about to agree to Humphrey’s proposal. In her worst dreams, she could never have imagined that one day she would become Humphrey’s wife.

  “I agree to a marriage between you and Elizabeth.” She heard her father’s statement and felt her legs go weak. She blinked to clear her suddenly blurry eyes. She could not start crying right there, where anyone could see her.

  “But I don’t want the betrothal to be official yet,” Harmton said. “My wedding is imminent, and I don’t want to distract form it by making the announcement of your betrothal. When my wedding and bedding are over, I will discuss the details of an arrangement with you for my daughter’s hand.”

  He paused for several long moments. “Then we will talk about your wedding.”

  Elizabeth released a sigh of relief, sagging against the wall. A nervous giggle escaped her throat, and she covered her mouth with her hands again. At least she was not betrothed yet. She still had time to come up with a plan to stop her marriage to Humphrey.

  ***

  Elizabeth could not tell how much time had passed since she learnt about her upcoming betrothal to Sir Humphrey. Had it been several hours or only a few minutes? She had gone back to the garden, among the rose bushes. She needed more time away from the bustling preparations in the castle to calm down, come back to her senses, and to think what to do about this newest development.

  Elizabeth was sitting on a bench, her face buried in her palms. She had run out of tears some time ago. She came here when she was angry or upset. The soothing scent of flowers and the dulcet sounds of birds singing made her realize that there was hope. But it did not work this time.

  It was so silly of her to ask her father to say no. It was like asking Humphrey to find another wife. Elizabeth took a heavy breath and looked up into the sky, her chin trembling. With shaking hands, she wiped away tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. There had to be someone who could help her.

  Suddenly, she sat up straight. Edward. How could she forget about her brother? He would help her! Elizabeth only needed to explain how frightened she was of Humphrey. He would listen to her, she was certain. Elizabeth rose from the bench and began to pace behind the bushes. She needed to talk to Edward as soon as possible, before the matter got even worse. But when? He was always with Humphrey.

  Suddenly, she heard the sound of rapid footsteps coming toward her, and Edward stepping from the walkway between the bushes to greet her.

  “Here you are,” he said with a cheerful smile and stopped a couple of steps away from her. “I knew I would find you here.”

  Elizabeth could not believe her own eyes. She peered around him. Edward was here and he was alone. It was exactly what she needed.

  “I need to talk to you,” she whispered.

  Quickly, she sat back down on the bench and patted the empty space next to her. Edward smiled and accepted her invitation.

  “What do you want to talk about?” he sounded concerned, reassuring Elizabeth.

  “I don’t want to marry Humphrey,” she stated boldly. “I don’t love him.” Edward burst out laughing before she could say more, and Elizabeth stopped talking. She blinked in surprise and then frowned. She did not expect such a reaction.

  Edward looked at her puzzled expression and stopped laughing at once. He took both of her hands in one large palm and covered them with his other hand. He held her hands tight and spoke, looking right into her eyes.

  “My sweet young sister, people don’t marry for love. They marry for convenience, money, and power, but not for love,” he lifted his hand and stroked her cheek with such tenderness that Elizabeth wanted to cry and beg for help, but her pride stopped her from doing so. Her brother continued, “One day, love will go away, but money and power won’t. You are too young to understand what I am talking about.”

  “But I’ve seen the results of his temper. He almost killed a peasant child for being too slow. When I confronted him about it he pushed me. I fell and was bruised for a week as a result. How could you support my marriage to a man who is violent toward those weaker than he is?”

  He was silent for a moment, as if he were trying to find the best words to help her understand. “Humphrey is a good man, and he is my best friend. I trust him. Believe me, he is a much better man than our father is. I give you to Humphrey to save you.”

  “You give me to him?” Elizabeth slowly repeated his words, refusing to believe what she had just heard. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You knew that he wanted to propose, did you not?”

  Edward nodded.

  “Yes. I knew it. Humphrey has had this idea for a few years now, but he was not sure that our father would approve the wedding. Now that you have grown up into a beautiful woman, old enough to go to court, I told Humphrey that he had to take a chance. Our father could find you a husband at any time. But I prefer my friend to take this place rather than a stranger.”

  Elizabeth snatched her hands from his, her entire body shaking. Tears of despair flooded her eyes. The only person in the world who loved her, her brother, had betrayed her. He was giving her away to Humphrey.

  Her entire world crumbled around her. Why? Why would Edward be so cruel to her? He had been the only man she had ever trusted, and now he’d betrayed her.

  “Do not be afraid, sweetheart,” Edward continued, the softness disappearing from his voice. “Don’t be naïve. Humphrey is rich. He is your best option. He will give you everything that our father should have given. You will be a wealthy woman, and,” he looked at her dress with a grin, “you will be able to change your old clothes for rich gowns that a lady as beautiful as you should wear.”

  Elizabeth had had enough. She could not bear to listen to him anymore. Slowly, she got up, too angry to look at him. It was clear that Edward believed Humphrey was a good match.

  “Humphrey will never be able to give me love,” she glanced at Edward, wishing her look could hurt him as much as his betrayal wounded her. “This man is not capable of such feeling.” She turned around and silently walked away. Her brother was on her enemy’s side. She was alone against the three of them.

  ***

  Night had fallen over the castle and darkness flooded Elizabeth’s chamber. The hearth and two burning candles by the bedside were the only sources of light, too dim to allow anyone to see beyond their meagre illumination.

  The castle was quiet at this late hour. Only the rare shouts of the guards on watch broke the silence outside. Norma helped Elizabeth take off the day dress, leaving her mistress standing in a linen chemise. She was too excited about the news of Elizabeth’s impending betrothal to stop talking or recognize her mistress’s bad mood.

  “You are so lucky to wed Sir Humphrey, my lady,” Norma said, dreamily rolling her eyes, as she folded the dress and put it away. “He is so good-looking.”

  She gave a heavy sigh and winked, “He is so good in bed. And I can tell you that his codpiece is not padded.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes flashed, but Norma did not seem to notice. She carefully folded her lady’s green linen dress into the wooden coffer.

  Norma’s words made Elizabeth’s stomach squeeze with revulsion. She had only a vague idea of what happened between a man and a woman in bed, but she knew for sure that she did not want to do it with Humphrey. The very thought of being naked and sharing a bed with this man made her sick.

  When Norma returned to Elizabeth, she removed the headpiece and took a golden ribbon out of her mistress’s hair. An auburn waterfall cascaded down Elizabeth’s back.

  “Did you see how he was looking at you during dinne
r?” Norma giggled. “I thought he would kiss you right there.”

  “I do not wish to hear about him again.” Elizabeth clenched her fists, trembling with rage. Her firm voice allowed no objection.

  Norma lifted her eyes, full of surprise at Elizabeth’s words. “Forgive me, my lady. I speak too much. He is your betrothed and I should not talk about him this way, spreading gossip about his abilities as a lover.”

  Elizabeth clenched her teeth, her chest rising with her deep breath.

  Norma was a young beautiful woman. How could she be so charmed by Humphrey? Why did Norma think Elizabeth cared that other women spoke about him? He was not her betrothed. Not yet. She did not care who had shared a bed with that man.

  Elizabeth sat on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes when Norma started combing her hair. Gentle touches of the maid’s hands relaxed her and worries of the day were instantly gone.

  The door flew open and a dark silhouette appeared at the entrance to the room.

  The women jumped up and stared toward the door, grasping each other’s hands. The large form was in silhouette against the light from the hallway and the women could see nothing for some time.

  “Who is there?” Elizabeth’s voice trembled.

  Instead of an answer, a large shadow separated from the doorway and stepped into the chamber. The dark form took a few steps and, to her utter horror, in the dim light of the hearth, Elizabeth recognized Humphrey. He was drunk and could hardly stand on his feet.

  His eyes were peering at Elizabeth, slowly moving from her face to her chest, and remaining there. A lustful smile froze on his lips.

  “’Tis my chamber,” Elizabeth said, feeling embarrassed. “You are not allowed here.” She pulled a wolf skin from the bed and covered herself from Humphrey’s hungry stare.

  “Soon you will be my wife.” He moved towards Elizabeth as a predator who was about to catch his prey. “I have every right to be here.”

  Norma stepped between her and Humphrey. “My lord,” she gasped as he sent her flying across the room. She fell in a heap against the far wall.