Strangclyf Secret (5 page)

The king gave her cheek a
paternal pat. “I am sure you’ll not displease Bernon.”

Her eyes grew wide and a
touch of awe laced her lyric tone. “But you do not know me, Your
Grace. I have a tendency to ramble when I get nervous. I might
start speaking and not stop, which you would surely find a mite
tedious. Then Bernon would wish to instruct me, which, I can tell
you, I am not looking forward to at all, considering his size. Then
there is the fact that—”

Bernon leaned down and
hissed between clenched teeth, “Silence yourself,
woman!”

She immediately blushed,
bowed her head, and clasped her hands in front of her.

He wiped a hand over his
face. Mortification would be a mood lift right now.

“
Bernon, harness your ire.
I find the dear’s candor refreshing.” Matilda frowned at her
husband and took hold of his arm. “Do you plan to keep this child
on her knees all night, William?”

Placing a hand over his
tiny wife’s fingers, William sighed. “You may rise, Lady
Strangclyf, and tell me more about the holding you passed on to
Bernon. I would hear the truth of the mysteries spoken of the
place.”

Barwolf stood and stepped
back next to Bernon, keeping her head bowed.

King William glowered at
her continued silence.

Bernon considered the
notion of tossing his bride over his shoulder, so he could take her
to his chamber for a firm lecture. “The king asked you about
Strangclyf. You should not keep him waiting.”

Barwolf looked at Bernon
then returned her gaze to the ground and shook her head. Twitters
and whispers could be heard from jealous court woman who seemed
delighted over his bride’s ill-bred display. His peers grinned,
some chuckled, apparently finding a source of entertainment in his
discomfiture.

“
Do you refuse our king to
deliberately embarrass me?” Bernon asked in a tight voice,
clenching his jaw in amazement at her audacity. What was wrong with
her? She raised confused eyes to his. Tears pooled in their depths.
God’s teeth, he hated tears. If she cried, he wouldn’t control his
temper.

“
Is this some kind of test,
Bernon,” she whispered. “You ordered me to silence.”

Stunned, he stared at
her.

“
You see, my friend.” Geno
smiled. “Your bride simply complies —obedient to your
command.”

Bernon favored his
obedient wife with an exasperated look. “You may answer King
William.”

Barwolf turned toward the
king and her face glowed with animation. “’Tis a grand and
bountiful holding, which has protected the southern aspect of
Northumbria since the time of Roman rule. We have three lesser
holdings that also provide coastal defense. Our army is composed of
a full legion of the best warriors in the world divided into
fifty-eight centuries of eighty men. The main fortress is
impervious to attack from without and may be approached only by
water or by passing through a long gorge.”

“
I thought you said ‘twas
taken by your cousin, little wolf,” Geno said. “How, if ‘tis
impervious as you say?”

Barwolf glanced at Geno
then cast a quizzical gaze at Bernon.

The king chuckled. “I
believe you only gave her permission to speak to me,
Bernon.”

“
You may
speak, milady,” Bernon said, sending a
why-me
glance toward heaven.
Honestly, one would think she had been beaten for disobedience. He
frowned at the thought and turned a speculative gaze on
her.

“’
Twas taken from within
after—”

“
Your Majesty, excuse the
interruption,” a soldier called, approaching the king followed by
an armed Saxon. “This messenger has arrived with news of an attack
by Earlingsson. The Vikings should land near Norwich by dawn
tomorrow.”

Barwolf gasped, stepped
behind Bernon, and tugged on his tunic.

“
Not now, woman. I would
hear this conversation,” he admonished then returned his attention
to the dialogue.

“
How many ships?” William
asked.

“
Thirty, Your Majesty,” the
Saxon answered. “Each carries about fifty warriors.”

“
Bernon, ‘tis not true. The
Saxon brings false information,” Barwolf whispered.

Bernon turned and frowned
down at her. “What do you mean?”

“
The Saxon is Cedd,”
Barwolf warned, clutching his arm. “He is the one who took me to
the dungeon after my cousin killed my father. He spies for the
rebels. The real Viking invasion takes place at Lothair. I sent
Aurick to counter it last week.”

Bernon faced the Saxon
then drew Barwolf forward and watched the man’s
reaction.

Cedd got a glimpse of her
and his eyes widened. He stepped back, pulling a dagger and placing
the blade against his wrist. Before he could draw blood, Balen
seized him from behind and disarmed him.

“
Rack him and get any
information you can,” King William barked. Two soldiers escorted a
struggling Cedd from the hall amid a drone of excited whispers from
the courtiers.

“
Clear this hall now,” the
king ordered. “Matilda, please remain. Bernon, you and your lady
stay. And you too, Geno. You have been to Strangclyf.”

As the hall emptied, the
king turned his glower on Barwolf. “When did your cousin kill your
father?”

“
Three days ago,
Sire.”

“
Afte never have
overpowered the Strangclyf army with...” Her voice faded and a
horrified expression crossed her face. “’Twas a trick! I sent most
of the warriors because of the numbers the messenger gave me, thus
Strangclyf could not defend an attack from within.” She raised a
penitent expression to Bernon and wrung her hands. “I am so sorry,
Bernon. ‘Tis my fault your holding was taken.”

“
What were you doing
issuing commands to the warriors?” Bernon asked, incredulity
clipping his tone.

Barwolf’s shoulders
slumped, and she pressed a small hand against her left ear. “My
father gave me the duty after Geno departed. ‘Twas punishment for
cutting my hair.”

That was the most absurd
thing he had ever heard. If she was trying to make a fool out of
him with such tales, she would find out what real punishment was
like— just as soon as he figured out how one went about punishing
someone the wind could blow over. Honest to God, he was a trainer
of warriors, not women. “Could this Aurick be in league with the
rebels?”

“
Nay. His loyalty is to The
Strangclyf and his liege. If I send a message to his scribe,
telling him that I am no more, Aurick will immediately seek you out
and pledge his fealty. Should you wish, I will do this now if I may
have a quill, parchment, and ink.”

“
You can write?” King
William asked, surprised. ‘Twas a skill few men possessed and she
was a mere woman.

A blush tinted her cheeks
and she bowed her head embarrassed. “My grandfather insisted I
learn a long time ago, so I could keep accounts for my husband’s
coffers. Father Marcel took care of other matters until a few years
ago when he preached to my father and was dismissed. Now ‘tis also
my duty to record all transactions, births, deaths and such, write
and read all correspondence, and keep accounts for the decoy
coffers. The last was my punishment for letting Padarn keep his
lord’s share of his crops two years ago.”

“
You what?” Bernon clenched
his jaw and balled his fists.

Barwolf took a defensive
step backward and turned a fragile gaze onto his hands. “Padarn
hurt his back after the sowing. His wife had to care for five
children and had another on the way. By the time he recovered, most
of his crop was lost. His family would have starved that winter. I
still do not understand why my father got so angry.” She raised her
hand and rubbed her ear. “When the others heard of Padarn’s plight,
they gave extra and more than made up for the loss of his
share.”

“
What were you doing
collecting shares to begin with?” he asked, pinning her with his
glare. Did she truly expect him to believe this
nonsense?

“
I got that duty when my
father disagreed with the way I settled the dispute between Aiken
and Merton over who should marry Sherard’s daughter. No one told me
‘twas not appropriate to ask Willa who she wanted.” She ended on a
lame note.

Damnation! Her tales were
too outrageous to be made up. What in perdition had William gotten
him into? Bernon wiped a hand over his face. “Do you expect me to
believe
you
were
responsible for settling disputes at Strangclyf?”

“’
Twas given to me as
punishment three years ago when I decided to whitewash the interior
of the great hall. ‘Twas a bit gloomy and I thought it would cheer
the place.”

“
And just what in perdition
did your father do while you were running the holding?”

“
He spent most of his time
trying to make a son, so Strangclyf wouldn’t have to pass through
me. ‘Twas the reason Father Marcel preached to him about
fornication.”

Silence reigned as the
king and queen stared at his bride. Geno didn’t seem surprised. His
friend looked at Bernon with a sad expression.

Barwolf sucked in a deep
breath then leveled her eyes at his chest and spoke rapidly. “I am
sorry you got hampered with such an inferior bride, milord. You may
as well know my other flaws. I am slow to wake. I am too soft and
too weak. I trust too easily. I am too nice. My hips are too wide.
My waist is too small. My father also said I have the damning eyes
of a jaded tart. I am too short and an eyesore since I cut my hair,
which was my only redeeming feature. I was born the wrong gender. I
murdered my twin brother by pushing him out of my mother too soon,
so I could have more room. And I worry about things that are not my
concern, like your arm, which still plagues me.”

She paused to draw a
breath. When she opened her mouth to continue, Bernon cut her off.
“Is there truly more?” he asked dryly.

“
Aye. I will probably never
please you, but I’ll try anyway because I want a new name. That is
a flaw too. Why the Lord in heaven doesn’t strike a hideous
unworthy creature like me dead is a mystery for the great minds of
our time to ponder. My father claimed ‘twould make the world a
better place for men to live. Grandfather told me a long time ago
not to give my husband the secret of Strangclyf until our marriage
was consummated. But if you think you cannot tolerate my company
for one night, then I will give it to you anyway and you can send
me away. If I were a man, I wouldn’t want me either. Did I mention
my unfortunate temper? Sometimes I—”

“
You will cease speaking
now,” Bernon commanded, recovering from his shock.

She raised wide eyes then
quickly bowed her head and clasped her hands.

Bernon stared at her in
disbelief. The woman possessed no pride whatsoever. Even he who
disliked most women recognized his bride’s worth. Did she truly not
know her own value as the lady of so great a holding? Especially if
she possessed even half of the skills she claimed.

He heard a small sniff and
clenched his jaw. ‘Twas not enough that she had labeled herself a
hideous unworthy creature and took ownership of every flaw known to
mankind while the king and queen listened. She had to end her
spectacle by crying in front of them too. He wasn’t even angry with
her. He was angry with the recreant who made her think this way.
“Your Grace, may we make use of your great chamber, so my lady may
prepare a missive for this Aurick?”

“
Aye, Bernon,” King William
replied, disbelief echoing in his gruff tone. “When you return, we
will dine then discuss strategies for seizing
Strangclyf.”

Bernon nodded to his king,
turned toward Barwolf, and lowered his voice. “Come,
ma petite.”

She remained motionless
and didn’t acknowledge the command. Bernon’s eye twitched. She
would not dare disobey him after her disastrous
behavior.

Geno leaned toward him.
“She doesn’t disobey you, my friend,” he whispered. “She probably
didn’t hear you. She has been struck so many times she is deaf in
her left ear.”

Bernon stepped in front of
Barwolf, cupped her jaw, and raised her face to his. “You are mine
and I possess no inferior property. Now come. We will send a
message to this Aurick.”

~ * ~

Queen Matilda watched the
young lady’s jaw go slack at Bernon’s words. Her gaze followed the
newlyweds as they left the hall. “You have done well with that
match, William.”

“
Aye, my queen,” the
Conqueror agreed, following the pair with his eyes. “He will give
her pride.”

“
True.” Matilda arched a
brow. “And mayhap she will give him back his heart.”

Barwolf dusted sand over
the parchment, shook it off, then calmly held the document toward
Bernon. Thank the Blessed Lord she had finally gotten back a
modicum of composure and hopefully she wouldn’t lose it in front of
her husband again…at least for another day.