Connie Mason (35 page)

“My lord, Sir Waldo’s captain of the guards wishes a word with you. He awaits you at the portcullis.”

“Do you know what he wants?” Drake asked, puzzled by this new turn of events.

“Nay, but he was quite adamant about speaking to you in person.”

“Very well,” Drake said, hurrying off.

The scene that greeted him beyond the portcullis stunned him. Ranged behind their captain, whom Drake recognized immediately as Sir Hugh, the man whose gifts
of food and water had kept him alive in Chirk’s dungeon, was Waldo’s army. The portcullis was raised and Drake stepped through.

“What is this all about, Sir Hugh?”

“ ’Tis simple, Lord Drake,” Sir Hugh explained. “We wish to swear fealty to the Black Knight, the new lord of Eyre.” As if on cue, every man knelt before their new lord.

Drake looked out over the sea of eager faces and a lump rose in his throat. It had never occurred to him that one day he would command the kind of respect these men now accorded him.

“How did you know?”

“Word spread like wildfire. It reached us a short time ago. I speak on behalf of everyone present. We offer our fealty to you, Lord Drake of Eyre and Windhurst.” He fell to his knee and held out his hand, palm upward. Drake placed his foot in it.

“Rise,” Drake commanded. “I accept your fealty.”

“What are your orders, my lord?” Sir Hugh asked, rising.

“Stay tonight for the feast. On the morrow, take the army to Eyre to protect my demesne from predators. Tell the steward to expect me soon to inspect my estate, and inform the bailiff that I intend to go over the books with him upon my arrival.”

“What is this?”

Waldo appeared at Drake’s elbow, his anger palpable. “I came to address my men. Why are you giving them orders? You have no right to command them.”

“They are no longer yours,” Drake said. “I am the new lord of Eyre. Every man present has sworn fealty to me.”

“Every man?” Waldo asked, clearly stunned.

“Aye, every man. I have ordered them back to Eyre. Windhurst cannot support so great a force.”

“Wait!” Waldo shouted to Sir Hugh. “I command you to stay.”

“We serve the Black Knight now,” Sir Hugh replied. “Lord
Drake is a worthy lord; we will serve him well. We are no longer yours to command.”

Having had his say, Sir Hugh saluted Drake and led the men back to their campsite.

“You will pay for this, Drake,” Waldo said in a hiss. “You think you have it all now, but there is still Raven. Naught can change the fact that she is my wife.” His voice vibrated with menace. “The only way you will have her is dead. Think about that, Sir Bastard.”

Then he whirled and marched away. Had Drake seen Waldo’s menacing expression he would have slain Waldo on the spot, for Waldo’s eyes revealed his intention to exact retribution on the two people he hated the most.

The hall was crowded for the midday meal. The king looked harried when he and the priests appeared, and Raven wondered if Edward had reached a decision yet. She sat beside Drake at the high table, trying to remain calm despite her anxiety. She felt Waldo’s evil glare upon her and refused to look at him. He had not been invited to sit at the high table and she was grateful, but his malevolent gaze rested on her far too often for her peace of mind.

Raven chewed thoughtfully on a succulent piece of roasted venison that Drake had put on her trencher and turned her attention to Duff and Lady Willa. Seated side by side, they seemed to have found common ground as they chatted comfortably with one another. Unlike Drake, whom Willa feared, Duff seemed to have captured her fancy. Raven had to admit that Duff was a handsome and unassuming sort of fellow, except when Waldo goaded him into doing things that went against his nature.

Raven had been surprised when Duff sought her out and begged for forgiveness. He expressed regret for forcing her into a marriage she abhorred and vowed that he would do nothing to hurt her again. They had made a tenuous peace,
and Duff had told her she was welcome to return to Chirk, that he would keep her safe if she chose to seek his protection from Waldo.

Raven suspected Duff would become an entirely different person without Waldo’s evil influence; it seemed Lady Willa had already discovered Duff’s good qualities. She smiled as an idea suddenly occurred to her. Duff had no betrothed, nor to her knowledge did he have a mistress. He was two years older than she and should have taken a wife long ago. When she saw Lady Willa blush at Duff’s outrageous compliments, Raven’s spirits rose.

“What are you smiling about?” Drake asked, leaning close to whisper in her ear.

“Look at Duff and Lady Willa,” Raven answered. “They seem quite taken with one another.”

Drake glanced at the pair and grinned. “Think you Lady Willa likes Duff better than me?”

“I hope so. Mayhap I will ask her whom she prefers. I believe the king wishes her to be happy, and Duff needs a wife.”

His gaze caressed her. “I always knew you were clever.”

After the meal the king cloistered himself with the priests again and Drake left to train with his knights. Waldo slunk off on his own to sulk, and Duff joined Drake.

Raven cornered Lady Willa before she left the hall. “May I have a word with you, Lady Willa?”

For a moment she thought Willa would refuse and was relieved when the lady grudgingly acquiesced. “Very well, Lady Raven. What is it you wish to discuss?”

Raven led her toward a deserted spot near the hearth. “My brother appears quite taken with you.”

“Your brother is a gentleman. He does not frighten me like . . .”

“Like the Black Knight,” Raven said, completing the sentence. “Why do you wish to marry Drake if you dislike him?”

“I must obey the king,” Willa said. “But I did not know
the Black Knight would be so . . . so frighteningly male. So virile.” She gave a delicate shudder. “I had hoped for someone like . . . Lord Duff. But I will obey my king and endeavor to make Lord Drake a good wife. Do you intend to leave with your brother? This marriage may not be to my liking, but I will not allow my husband to keep a leman.”

“Mayhap this marriage is not to Drake’s liking, either,” Raven suggested. “He will not give me up, you know. If you prefer Duff, as I believe you do, you should make your preference known to the king. Duff is as good a catch as Drake. Better in some ways, for he does not keep a mistress. His lineage is impeccable, and he is wealthy.”

“Lord Drake is wealthier now that he is an earl,” Willa mused thoughtfully. “The match would be a good one.”

“Are you prepared to deal with Drake’s enormous capacity for bed sport?” Raven asked. “He is a sensual, masterful lover.”

Willa blanched. “I have already informed him that once I am increasing he will no longer be welcome in my bed. And that we will only do
that
again should he desire more than one child.”

Raven nearly laughed in Willa’s face. “I can imagine what he said to that.”

“Is he so insatiable then?” Willa asked, clearly shaken. Raven hoped Willa was having second thoughts about marrying Drake.

“Aye, but ’tis not a bad thing.”

Willa grimaced. “I would not like it.”

“Then I suggest you set your sights elsewhere. Mayhap on Lord Duff. He is the kind of man who will honor your wishes. Mind you, Duff was not always a good brother. Lord Waldo led him astray. But Duff has apologized to me, and I truly believe he intends to change his life. You are exactly the kind of woman he needs to keep him from following unscrupulous men like Waldo.”

“Do you really think so?” Willa asked hopefully. “Lord
Duff
does
seem to like me. And he strikes me as a man who would not be overly demanding.”

“Think on it, Lady Willa,” Raven encouraged. “Then make your decision wisely.”

“You want the Black Knight,” Willa said.

“Aye, I want him, my lady.” She splayed her hands over her stomach. “And so does our child.”

She smiled and whirled away, leaving a speechless Willa in her wake. She had no idea Waldo had been lurking in the shadows, not close enough to hear their words but near enough to see that Raven had said something to shock Lady Willa.

“What did my wife tell you?” Waldo asked as he sidled up to Willa.

Willa started violently. “Oh, you frightened me.”

“What did my wife tell you that was so shocking?” Waldo persisted.

“I do not think your wife likes you overmuch.” Willa sniffed.

Waldo gave a snort of laughter. “Tell me something I do not know. Nevertheless, Raven is mine. If she were out of your life, mayhap Drake would pay you more heed.”

“Nay, he would not. Drake is right. We would not suit. Besides, Lord Duff looks upon me with favor. Mayhap I can persuade the king to give me to Duff instead of to Drake.”

So much for enlisting Lady Willa’s help, Waldo thought as he strode away. There had to be some way to get Raven alone; all he had to do was find it. He was convinced that the only way to hurt Drake was through Raven. Somehow, before he left Windhurst, he would have his revenge upon Drake and Raven.

The servants paid Waldo scant heed as he left the hall. He made directly for the stables. No one was about this time of day, so he saddled his own horse. Chickens and geese
scattered as he rode through the inner bailey. Drake caught up with him at the portcullis.

“Where are you going?”

“I feel in need of exercise. Am I a prisoner at Windhurst? Have I not the right to come and go as I please?”

“I will instruct the gatekeeper to allow you to pass freely,” Drake replied. “ ’Tis not my intention to keep you at Windhurst any longer than necessary.”

Sawing on Zeus’s reins, Drake rode off. Waldo smiled slyly and continued through the raised portcullis. He wandered aimlessly along the cliffs before he realized the possibilities they offered. He found a place where his horse could easily negotiate the steep path and reined the destrier down the cliff to the rock-strewn beach below. He saw the cave by accident as he absently scanned the cliffs. The opening was above high-tide level and he dismounted to explore it. To reach it, he had to climb over rocks embedded in the cliff’s face. To his surprise he found an unlit torchlight lying on the ground outside the cave, and he realized he was not the first person to enter the cave.

He struck a light to the dry branches and it caught immediately. Guided by the light, he wandered deeper into the cavern and saw signs of recent activity. Smiling with satisfaction, he doused the torch and left it where he had found it. Then he climbed down to the beach, where his horse awaited him. When he returned to the castle, his mind whirled with nefarious plans involving Drake and Raven.

The king was in a jovial mood during the meal and entertainment Drake had arranged that night. The portcullis had been left open so that the men camped outside the walls could attend the feast and come and go at will. The hall was crowded. Edward said nothing of his decision concerning Raven’s fate, nor did he mention his private conversation with Lady Willa
earlier that day, but he did have a twinkle in his eye that Raven was hard put to identify. She fidgeted nervously throughout the oppressively long meal.

Drake’s solid presence beside her failed to cheer her as it usually did. For some reason she could not dispel a deep sense of foreboding.

After the jongleur had spun his last tale, the king rose and motioned for silence. “I propose a toast,” he said, raising his cup to Drake. “To Lord Drake, Earl of Windhurst and Eyre.” A loud cry of “Hear, hear!” echoed throughout the hall. The king drank deeply, then turned to Raven. “And to the new lady of Windhurst and Eyre!”

At the back of the hall, Waldo cast down his cup and spit out an oath. A stunned silence ensued as all eyes turned to Waldo.

“Come forward, Sir Waldo,” Edward commanded.

Waldo charged forward, his chin jutting out pugnaciously. He stopped before the high table, glaring at the king, at Drake, and especially at Raven.

“You cannot do this, sire,” Waldo railed. “My marriage to Lady Raven is legal and binding.”

“ ’Twas not consummated,” Edward returned. “My decision is made. Since my presence is no longer needed, I intend to leave tomorrow. My daughter is expecting a child and I promised to return to London in time for the birth. I had not intended to remain at Windhurst so long.”

“Are the priests in agreement?” Waldo challenged. “Are they willing to set aside a legal marriage?”

“They agree with me. The marriage was not consummated; no legal marriage exists. ’Tis within my power as king of the realm to annul the marriage, and I have done so.”

“But the pope—”

“It matters not what the pope decreed; the marriage still smacks of incest to me. Besides, you did not ask my permission to marry.”

“What about Lady Willa? Was she not intended for Drake?”

“Aye, but neither party was willing. It appears that Lady Willa prefers another.” He blessed Lady Willa with a fond smile. “Lord Duff has asked permission to wed her.”

“Lord Duff!” Waldo sputtered. “That spineless toady!”

Edward dismissed Waldo with an angry chop of his hand. “Be gone; you offend me! The decision was mine to make and I made it.”

His face mottled with rage, Waldo gave the king an insolent bow and strode away.

“The feast tonight is a true celebration,” Edward announced grandly. “Will Father Ambrose and Father Bernard please come forward?” The two priests rose from a bench close to the high table and approached the dais.

“Before I leave Windhurst, it would please me to see Lord Drake wed to Lady Raven and Lord Duff wed to Lady Willa.”

Duff, looking properly smitten, and Willa, shyly accepting the king’s edict, were escorted by the king’s own squires to the center of the hall. The ceremony uniting Duff and Lady Willa was short but moving. Afterward the entire assembly offered rousing cheers to the newlyweds. Raven was the first to congratulate her brother and his new wife, thrilled that Duff had finally escaped Waldo’s evil influence and become his own man. Duff had done many things she found hard to forgive, but in time she hoped the family would be reunited.

Then it was Drake and Raven’s turn. Though this was the happiest day of her life, Raven could not shake her persistent feeling of dread. She blamed it on her pregnancy, for she had heard that expectant mothers were often fanciful and weepy. Yet the fact remained that while Waldo lived, she would never know peace.