Masters of Medieval Romance: Series Starters Volume 1

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Antillius continued. “You will recall that I offered my daughters to you and your men this morning,” he said. “You will recall why. My people are a dying race and I explained to you how important it was for my daughters to bear sons, strong sons, to continue our family. I am a desperate man, de Wolfe, but you already know that. When you and your men left this morning, there were no takers to my offer, so the lady agreed that there would be at least one taker.”

  Gaetan didn’t like the sound of that at all. “What could she possibly agree to?”

  “I agreed that I would allow you to marry Lygia in my stead,” Ghislaine said hoarsely. She was looking at the ground, unable to face him. “I told Antillius that I would insist you marry Lygia so that at least one of his daughters could bear sons from a man of new blood. And your sons will be the strongest and greatest of them all.”

  Gaetan was horrified at the mere suggestion. “How could you agree to such a thing?” he demanded. “That you would give up –?”

  Ghislaine cut him off as she burst into tears. “I had no choice!” she said. “If I did not agree, then they would not help you, and if they did not help you, you would die. Your men would all die. Do you not understand, Gaetan? I did it because I love you. I would rather have you alive and married to another than a dead memory of my life that could have been. I did it to save your life!”

  Gaetan was beside himself. He looked at the top of Ghislaine’s head as she stood there and wept before turning to look at Antillius. For a man that had only gratitude in his expression just moments before, now there was only hatred as he faced off against the man he’d considered an ally.

  “How could you make such a bargain with her?” he hissed. “You have put her honor on the line and now mine with your unreasonable demands. How in God’s name could you manipulate her like that? Because she loves me, she agreed to your demands. Only a vile man would take advantage of a woman like that.”

  Antillius was faced with a very angry warrior. Not that he expected otherwise. He was torn between defiance and remorse.

  “When your family is dying off, see if you would not make a deal with the devil to save them,” he said quietly. “I am sorry, de Wolfe. I truly am. But that was the price of my assistance. If you have any honor in you, you will abide by the lady’s bargain.”

  Gaetan had never felt more hollow, more devastated, in his entire life. He understood Antillius’ point of view; he simply didn’t agree with the man’s methods.

  “So you would force me into a marriage with your daughter, knowing that I love another woman?” he asked, incredulous. “Surely there is another way.”

  Antillius was deeply pained by the grief he’d brought about. “I wish there was. This morning, I asked you if you would be willing to marry your men to my daughters but you evidently refused and did not have the decency to tell me. Therefore, I must do all I can to provide at least one of them with a good husband and to ensure the survival of my family. Please forgive me, de Wolfe, but this is something I had to do.”

  Gaetan simply stared at the man. As a warrior of consummate honor, Gaetan was a man who stood by his word. He had never broken his word, not to anyone. Even though he’d not made this bargain, Ghislaine had and, if he didn’t go through with it, he would be destroying her credibility and his right along with it.

  Oh, God… is it really true? Must I do this?

  He was, therefore, at a loss; he couldn’t even look at his men, knowing they heard the real reason behind the unexpected help they’d received against Alary. It was heartbreaking in so many ways because now they, too, knew his honor was on the line. They were watching him to see what he would do. Would he refuse? Or would he keep a bargain that would destroy his emotions as well as Lady Ghislaine’s? His honor, especially in front of his men, was the most important thing to him. His men had to know he was unbreakable, no matter what the cost.

  Realizing he had no choice, he turned away from the group, still holding Ghislaine’s hand.

  “Give me a moment, if you will,” he muttered. “I must speak with Ghislaine.”

  Antillius watched the big man as he turned away, pulling a sobbing woman up against him. He almost called out to them to apologize again but he thought better of it. His apologies meant nothing. If he was truly sorry, he would have broken the bargain himself but he wasn’t willing to do that. As he stood there uncomfortably, listening to the lady’s weeping, a deep voice spoke.

  “There is no need for Gaetan to marry your daughter, my lord.”

  Antillius found himself looking at Aramis, the man who had defended his daughters against the Men of Bones. He rather liked Aramis, in fact.

  “Unfortunately, there is,” he said to him. “Mayhap it is not the most savory bargain, but you will not interfere.”

  Aramis shook his head. “I must,” he said. “If you are looking for a husband for Lygia, please consider me instead of Gaetan. I would consider it an honor.”

  Antillius looked at Aramis in surprise. In fact, even Gaetan came to a halt, having heard his knight’s offer. “Aramis?” Gaetan said hesitantly. “Nay, man… you cannot do this.”

  Aramis turned to look at Gaetan, his dark eyes glimmering with warmth. “Do what?’ he asked. “Marry a lovely accomplished woman? Are you so selfish that you would try to keep me from every beautiful woman in Mercia? I am quite serious, Gate. I spent time with Lygia and her sisters last night and Lygia is a lovely woman. I would consider it an honor to marry her in your stead.”

  Gaetan’s mouth popped open in shock as he looked to Antillius, who was looking at Aramis with equal shock. But somewhere amongst the disbelief, hope and joy sprang forth. “Is this true?” Antillius asked. “You would actually… but why did you not say anything before now?”

  Aramis cocked a dark eyebrow. “When has there been the opportunity, my lord? We have had very little time to speak that was not full of death or panic.”

  He had a point. Antillius looked to Gaetan, who was heading back in his direction with his attention solely on Aramis.

  “Truly, Aramis?” Gaetan asked, astonished. “You would do this?”

  Aramis looked at Gaetan. “Aye, I would.” His gaze moved to Ghislaine, who still had tears on her cheeks even though her sobbing had come to an abrupt halt. He smiled at her. “Sometimes when you love someone, you would do anything to make them happy. Is that not so, Lady Ghislaine.”

  Sometimes, when you love someone… Ghislaine understood what he meant immediately. Because Aramis loved her, he was willing to do what was necessary to see her happy. In this case, it meant marrying Lygia so Gaetan would be freed from the bonds of Ghislaine’s bargain. Rather than see Gaetan forced into marriage so he could sweep in and be a shoulder for Ghislaine to cry on, Aramis saw greater honor in seeing her happy.

  Aramis was prepared to sacrifice himself for her joy.

  “Oh, Aramis!” Ghislaine gasped when she realized the depths of his offer. “Thank you!”

  She launched herself at Aramis, throwing her arms around the man’s neck as he stumbled back from the force of the blow. Momentarily surprised by her action, he began to laugh as he timidly put his arms around her to give her a squeeze. But not too much; Gaetan was watching. In fact, when he saw the expression on Gaetan’s face, he took his arms away from her to show that he wasn’t touching her at all.

  “See?” he said. “I am not touching her. It is she who is holding on to me.”

  Gaetan had to laugh. It was the most astonishing moment of his life, realizing that Aramis was willing to sacrifice himself for his and Ghislaine’s happiness. The man he’d known for years, the man he considered to be a brother, was displaying just how extensive his loyalty was. Gaetan was humbled by the gesture, touched beyond measure. As he pulled Ghislaine off of the man, he turned to Antillius.

  “Will you accept his offer, then?” he asked. “Lygia could find no greater husband than Aramis. He is one of the finest men I have ever known.”

  There was no doubt in Antil
lius’ mind as to whether or not he would accept the offer. In truth, he was extremely relieved by it. Now, he didn’t have to break up a man and woman who were clearly in love with each other, and Lygia would be getting a very fine husband. He looked between Aramis and Gaetan, a smile on his lips.

  “I am honored by the offer,” he said. “Of course I will accept it. I am sure Lygia will be quite pleased. But I have two more daughters… well, they need husbands also and….”

  “The lass with the titian hair is quite beautiful,” de Lara said, interrupting him. “Although I have not met her yet, I would like to. Would you introduce us, my lord?”

  Antillius looked to de Lara, thrilled beyond measure. “That is Verity,” he said eagerly. “I would be happy to introduce you. Thank you, my lord. Thank you ever so much.”

  Behind de Lara, de Moray cleared his throat loudly. “I suppose that leaves the last one for me,” he said. “It would be my honor, my lord.”

  Antillius was astonished. His bargain with Ghislaine had only brought a husband for one daughter, but the loyalty of Gaetan’s men to ensure that their liege and Lady Ghislaine were permitted to wed brought forth three marriage offers to make sure Gaetan didn’t have to worry about any of Antillius’ daughters. Ever. Now, they were spoken for and Antillius could not have been more delighted.

  It was better than he had ever hoped for.

  It was a good day, indeed.

  “We shall return home on the morrow and feast,” he told them all. “Let us celebrate this great victory and this fine alliance between Norman and Tertium. I could not ask for greater allies and fathers to a new generation of strong sons with both Roman and Norman bloodlines. Truly, they will be the greatest sons of all.”

  It was the ravings of a man who was extremely happy at the course the future had taken. Aramis, Luc, and Marc went to herd Antillius away from Gaetan and Ghislaine, moving with the man towards the dead on the road and turning the discussion away from the sudden betrothal of all three of them and back to the victory at hand. It was their way of giving Gaetan and Ghislaine some privacy for, undoubtedly, there was much to say between them. A future that had very nearly come to an end.

  But a future that was now bright for all of them.

  Around them, the other knights wandered off, including Kristoph, leaving Gaetan and Ghislaine alone in their disbelief with the turning of the tides. So much had happened that it was difficult to absorb it all. But in spite of the grief and shock they had endured, one thing was certain – they were still together and nothing could ever tear them apart. The bond they shared and the bonds of the Anges de Guerre were things that would never leave them. Norman or Saxon, it didn’t matter. Honor was honor, and love was love, and in this new world, both had a place.

  “Are you angry with me for making such a bargain, Gaetan?”

  Ghislaine’s soft question met his ears and he turned to look at her, that face he loved so well illuminated by the weak light as evening fell around them. Smiling, he shook his head.

  “I understand why you did it,” he said. “I cannot say I would not have done the same thing if the situation was reversed. I suppose it only helps me to understand the depth of your feeling for me and I am more honored than you can ever know. I am not sure what I have done in my life to be worthy of someone like you.”

  Ghislaine smiled, falling into his embrace when he wrapped his arms around her. “It is I who am honored,” she whispered. “But thank God for Aramis. I cannot believe he would sacrifice himself so.”

  Gaetan held her against him, gazing down the road to see his three knights in the darkness, wandering through the dead with Antillius. “I can,” he murmured. “Only a man of great honor and feeling would make such a noble sacrifice, and that is the kind of man Aramis is. He did it for you but he also did it for me. That is the bond of brotherhood, my lady, something you would not understand.”

  She looked up at him. “But I do,” she said sincerely. “I understand that you would die for each other a thousand times over. I understand that you would make great sacrifices for each other, as Aramis and Luc and Marc just did. And I understand that they would bargain away their own happiness just so you would have the chance to live.”

  She meant her bargain with Antillius in her last sentence. Gaetan smiled down at her, feeling more love and contentment than he had ever known. If someone had told him those weeks ago when he came aboard his ships to the shores of Pevensey that he would have met a woman in battle that he would come to love with all his heart, he would have thought they were mad. Warwolfe was not a man prone to love, in any sense. But on this night, it was Warwolfe who finally learned that love takes many forms, the most beautiful of which were sometimes the most unexpected.

  Gazing into Ghislaine’s eyes, Gaetan knew that the battle for England had only been the beginning, not only for the Norman occupation of the country, but for him personally.

  It was the moment that Gaetan de Wolfe’s life truly began.

  EPILOGUE

  ‡

  The Book of Battle

  Immediate Present Day

  “Usually, these boards are a closed session, but in your case, we’ve made allowances.”

  Abigail already knew that. It was her viva voce, or viva, which was her final board review to determine whether or not she received her Ph.D. in Medieval History. She was here to defend her eighty thousand-word thesis that had taken her three years to write.

  Sitting in a lecture hall at the University of Birmingham, she was facing a board of seven people, all of them hand selected from some of the most reputable and important Medieval and ancient historical academics in the world. She even had one guy from the Sorbonne in France whose sole focus was Medieval military battles – Hastings, Crécy, Agincourt, Towton, and everything in between. He’d been called in specifically because of the subject matter of the Battle of Hastings, but all of them had been invited to listen to something that no one had ever heard before.

  The Book of Battle.

  Abigail turned around and glanced into the audience behind her to see Queensborough and Mr. Groby sitting there, smiling encouragingly at her. Even grouchy Queenie seemed rather pleased by the whole thing. There was also another woman in the audience who’d been allowed to listen in because during the last year of Abigail’s studies, Anne Smith de Wolfe, a professional genealogist and owner of a company called Digging Up Your Roots, had been a massive help to her in ironing out the history of Warwolfe and his descendants. She was married to a de Wolfe, in fact, which made all of this right up her alley.

  Now, it was time for Abigail to face the music, as it were. She had seven experts in her field, who had been experts longer than she’d been alive, and she was ready to take them head-on.

  “We’ve all had the opportunity to review your dissertation, Abby,” her advisor, department head Dr. Sykes continued to speak. Then she grinned. “Of course, I’ve been looking at this and discussing it with you since it started, but our other panel members have only seen it as of late. I believe Dr. Sorkin wishes to begin the inquiry, so let’s start.”

  Abigail turned to the scholar from the Sorbonne, who was looking at something on the table in front of him, his glasses halfway down his nose. When he realized the attention was on him, he glanced up at Abigail.

  “The Book of Battle,” he said in his heavy French accent. “You list this as your main source.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “This is not a published resource.”

  “No, sir.”

  Dr. Sorkin was silent for a moment. “Young lady, if what you say is true, this source is potentially one of the biggest finds in the world of Medieval history. You do know that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Where is the book?”

  Abigail looked at Dr. Sykes, who spoke up. “It is here,” she said, waving forward a department associate who had been sitting off in the shadows. “If you are worried about its authenticity, don’t. We’ve spent the past six months h
aving it analyzed by independent sources. I will show you the reports. It’s completely authentic and we have two independent lab sources that date the book back to the era of William of Normandy’s conquest. This is the real deal, gentlemen.”

  Dr. Sorkin was quite interested in the box the associate put on the table. In fact, they all were. As Dr. Sykes stood up and put on a pair of white gloves that were on top of the box, she spoke to Abigail.

  “Abby, do you want to speak about this now?” she asked. “Because, honestly, I think this is the only thing everybody really wants to know about.”

  A few titters of laughter came from the panel as Abigail nodded. She was a little nervous, but she knew this subject backwards and forwards. In fact, she was rather excited to finally speak openly about something she’d been keeping to herself for the most part for the past three years. This is what she’d studied hard for and researched until she saw the material in her dreams. Sometimes, she even saw her subject in her dreams.

  Warwolfe.

  This was the moment Gaetan de Wolfe and his men began to shine for all the world to see.

  “As you know, my dissertation is entitled The unsung heroes of the Norman Invasion and their impact upon the Conquest,” she said. “It has been my goal, since the beginning, to give a voice to those men who helped the Duke of Normandy conquer England. The man didn’t do it all by himself and it was my goal to discover who made the biggest impact in his plans for conquest. Of course, as you know, information about the Battle of Hastings is fairly limited. There are only a few trusted sources in Barrow, Bates, Hallam, and other related scholars, but any first-hand account has been impossible to find. When I started visiting the Battle of Hastings museum a few years ago in my quest to find resources for my paper, I became acquainted with Mr. Peters Groby, who was a docent, but he had also lived in the village of Battle his entire life.”

  She turned to point out Mr. Groby, who lifted a hand to wave at the panel. Abigail continued to speak even though she was looking at Mr. Groby and Queensborough, seated next to him.