Serpent (35 page)

The Month of May, Rhydilian Castle

Penelope had never known loneliness like this.

Twenty-three days after Bhrodi’s departure for Dolbadarn Castle, Penelope found herself up on the battlements of Rhydilian, watching the sun rise. In the forest that surrounded them, she could hear birds chirping and woodland creatures chattering. Everything was coming alive as the sun began to rise, signaling the start of a new day. Unlike the past several days, this morning was without the heavy mist and Penelope could see for miles. Rhydilian was perched in a perfect spot to survey the great and mysterious land.

It was beautiful, that was true. It wasn’t quite like the land she came from, which had great hills and dales but no big mountains, but it was just as clean and lovely
. To her left, to the northeast, was the marsh where the great beast roamed and she found herself studying the distant marsh for any signs of the creature. The Serpent of legend, Bhrodi had told her, a being that he was one and the same with although she didn’t think that was quite true. The beast of the marsh killed without conscience and Bhrodi most definitely had a conscience. He had a heart and soul as well. As she watched the landscape, she felt his absence tremendously.

Penelope
had spent a total of a week with the man and already she felt as if she had always been with him. He had marked her, as she had marked him, and his departure on that misty morning over three weeks ago had been a bittersweet one. He had kissed her and hugged her, and told her how much he would miss her, but he stopped short of declaring his love for her. He may as well have said it because his actions spoke far louder than words; his love for her was in his eyes, in his smile, and in his touch, and Penelope had reciprocated in kind. Still, she hadn’t told him that she loved him, either, fearful that her statement would have met with indifference or, worse, rejection. So she had kissed and hugged him, too, and told him that she would miss him. She begged him to return safely to her.

But twenty-three days after his departure, she was coming to sorely regret not having told the man she loved him
. Thinking back, she supposed that she had been falling in love with him all along but the morning he had spoken to his vassals about Dafydd’s request for aid had been the morning she realized that she loved him very much. Bhrodi de Shera was a proud, arrogant, and powerful man, but he was also sweet and gentle and humorous. So many qualities she had fallen in love with because, in many ways, he reminded her of her father. She couldn’t help but love him. And now he was gone and she had not told him of her feelings. Her regret was growing by the day.

As was her concern
. Bhrodi had sent two messengers back to Rhydilian in the time he’d been away, men who had relayed the situation in and around Dolbadarn. Everything had been calm for the first week but after that, the English had been drawing close and there had been several skirmishes as a result. The castle was still intact but Dafydd, she was told, had long since fled and Bhrodi had gone with him. That was the last thing she had heard and that had been nine days ago. Her anxiety for more news was therefore growing.

As she stood on the battlements and pondered her thoughts, she heard movement off to the right and turned to see
Kevin emerging from the stairwell. The man had recovered quite rapidly over the past three weeks thanks to the initial care he had received from Bhrodi’s old surgeon. The puncture wound to his torso had not grown poisonous, which had been a miracle, so it was simply a matter of the man gaining back his strength. He was well on his way, very nearly back to normal. She smiled at Kevin as he approached, noting that Thomas was not far behind him. The two always seemed to travel in a pair. Her smile was meant for her brother as well.

“Good morn to you both,” she said. “The day is half-over. Where have you been?”

Thomas yawned. “Sleeping,” he said, eyeing Kevin. “That big bull keeps me up half the night with his snoring so I must catch sleep when I can.”

Kevin
gave him a wry expression. “Do not blame me,” he said. “You are up late playing games with Lady Tacey or telling her stories. If you must blame anyone for your lack of sleep, blame her.”

It was a sensitive subject with Thomas; over the past several weeks, he had become rather fond of Tacey, and she of him, and they spent a good deal of time together. At first, Penelope thought it was simply his brotherly instincts but now she wasn’t so sure. Thomas was showing distinct signs of affection towards the girl
, which she very much approved but she wondered if Bhrodi would. Therefore, the subject was treated very carefully.

“Tacey sleeps all day and is up all night these days,” Penelope told
Kevin what he already knew. “The baby will not let her sleep at night and Thomas is kind enough to sit up with her so she will not be alone.”

Kevin
grunted. He had things to say about that, thinking what Penelope thought about the situation, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to get into an argument with Thomas, who was very touchy when it came to young Lady Tacey, so he changed the subject.

“It seems very odd to look over the Welsh countryside and not be at war
in it,” he said. “It seems very odd to be here in the first place.”

Penelope’s gaze moved out over the landscape. “I know you are well enough to return home,” she said. “I appreciate that you have remained here with me to help me oversee Rhydilian.”

Kevin braced his big arms against the parapet. “You do not need any help,” he said. “We simply did not want to leave you alone in a strange land with strange men under your command.”

Penelope shrugged. “There are only fifty of them,” she said. “Bhrodi took his commanders with him and his entire
teulu
contingent. The men he left me with are rather old to fight. I suppose if I needed to, I could best every one of them so you really do not have to worry about leaving me alone with them.”

Thomas reached out and
yanked her braid in an affectionate gesture. “That is the thanks we get for remaining behind to protect you?” he asked in mock outrage. “If that is as much as you think of us, then we will leave today and good riddance to you.”

Penelope giggled and took a swing at him, which he easily pushed away. As the siblings squabbled good-naturedly,
Kevin caught sight of something on the road at the base of the mountain. From what he could see, it was a lone rider and on his current path it would take him straight to the castle.

“Look,” he said, grasping at Penelope to pull her away from her brother.
“A rider approaches.”

Penelope’s smile and good humor vanished as she hung over the parapet, her eyes straining to see what
Kevin saw. It was very far in the distance but, gradually, she came to see the rider as well. Her heart leapt into her throat.

“Mayhap it is a messenger!” she gasped, filled with fear and excitement.

The knights didn’t respond. They continued watching, as Penelope did, as the rider drew closer and closer. Within several minutes, they were able to make out small details and it was Thomas who spoke first.

“That is Edward,” he hissed. “Penny, it’s
Edward
!”

He meant
their brother. Three years older than Thomas, Edward had ridden out with their father and now, for some reason, he was returning. Any scenario Penelope could come up with for his return was not a good one. She tried not to panic as she fled the battlements with Kevin and Thomas on her heels, flying down the narrow spiral staircase from the battlements until she reached the ground below. In the shadow of the great gatehouse, she shouted at the sentries to open the gate. Slowly, the ropes and chains choked back on their guides, creaking and groaning, and the old gates began to give way.

Penelope
stood her ground as they moved, standing in the mud and cold as the panels yawned open and she could see Edward approaching. She couldn’t stand it; she ran out of the gates and met Edward on the road.

“Edward!” she cried as he reined his frothing charger to a halt. “Why are you here? Has something happened?”

Edward de Wolfe was exhausted from his ride; he’d been awake for two straight days and then on the road since dawn when his father had sent him to Rhydilian with a missive. He didn’t have the time or patience for his sister’s demands.

“Inside,” he boomed. “Get inside now!”

Startled, Penelope ran back inside the gates with Edward on her heels. It was Edward who gave the command to close the gates as Kevin and Thomas came forward to meet him. Thomas grabbed hold of his brother’s horse as the man nearly fell off while dismounting. Penelope was at his side, holding on to him to keep him from pitching to his knees.

“What has happened, Edward?” she
begged. “Is Papa well? Has something happened to him?”

Edward pulled off his helmet, facing his sister and brother and cousin. He was tall, like his namesake, William’s father Edward, and he also had Edward’s golden-hazel eyes. In fact, he was very much like his grandfather, well-spoken and politically savvy. That was why William had chosen him to ride for Rhydilian. Edward was the perfect messenger.

“Our father is well,” he assured her. “But much has happened. Let us go someplace where we can speak in private.”

It wasn’t much of an answer, which frightened Penelope even more.
Shaken, she led the way into the keep, calling for warmed drinks as they entered the small feasting hall. Together, the four of them sat around the scrubbed feasting table as Thomas helped Edward shed his weapons and pieces of plate. He was piling everything upon the table as Edward spoke.

“Have things been peaceful around here?” he asked.

Penelope nodded. “Very peaceful,” she said. “Why do you ask?”

Edward looked around the table
at Kevin and Thomas. “Dafydd ap Gruffydd has not come here, has he?”

Everyone shook their heads. “Not that we have seen,”
Kevin replied. “Why, Edward? What is this all about?”

Edward sighed heavily; where to start?
His exhausted mind struggled to find a starting point to his complex message.

“When we were returning to England after leaving Penny’s wedding, we came across English soldiers who told us of Edward’s victory at
Castell y Bere,” he said. “They also told us that Dafydd ap Gruffydd was on the run and Father thought he might come here.”

Penelope shook her head again. “He did not come here,” she said
, hesitating on how much she should tell him, afraid of putting Bhrodi in danger if she told him everything. “But… but he sent word to Bhrodi. He asked for Bhrodi to support him against Edward, and Bhrodi left over three weeks ago. Edward, what has happened? Why are you asking such questions?”

Edward could see that she was growing increasingly upset and hastened to ease her. “Father knew that Dafydd had fled and, suspecting he was heading for Rhydilian, he went in search of
our king,” he said. “Edward told Father that he was planning on destroying Dafydd and when he was finished with the Welsh prince, his next target was Bhrodi.”

It wasn’t surprising news but Penelope was beginning to feel sick. “So why have you come?”

Edward put his hand on hers. “Because we engaged Dafydd about a week ago in Snowdonia,” he said. “We saw Bhrodi’s
teulu
, Penny, and so did Edward. De Shera was quite instrumental in preventing our king from getting ahold of Dafydd. Now Edward knows that Bhrodi is indeed fighting for Dafydd which makes him in breach of the marriage contract. Edward is furious to say the least and it is all Father can do to keep the man from riding to Anglesey and laying siege to Rhydilian.”

Penelope’s eyes were wide at the news
. “So you’ve come to tell me to leave?” she asked. Then, she shook her head firmly. “I am
not
leaving, Edward. This is my home and my husband’s home. He has left me in charge of it and I am not deserting. If Edward comes here, I am going to fight him until the death.”

Edward sighed heavily, shutting down his answer as the serving women appeared and put food and drink on the table
. He waited until they left the hall before speaking again.

“I am not telling you to leave,” he said in a low voice. “But you must know what you will be facing; if Father cannot control the king, and it is quite possible he cannot, then Edward will come down around Rhydilian to punish Bhrodi for siding with Dafydd. How many men did your husband leave you?”

Penelope was ashen. “Fifty,” she said, trying not to sound frightened. “But they are old. They could not fend off a siege by the king.”

Edward took the cup of wine that Thomas handed him and drank deeply. “You should know that Father has given me permission to bind and gag you to remove you from this place,” he said, glancing to Thomas and
Kevin. “He commands you two to help me remove her should it come to that. He does not want her here if Edward comes.”

Penelope looked around the table in shock
. Her anger was roused. “You will
not
remove me,” she said flatly. “I will fight you if you try.”