The Conqueror (Hot Knights) (19 page)

When they had climbed the stairs and were out in the open air, Edeva turned to look at him, her eyes yearning. He made his expression stern. “Go to the bedchamber and await me there.”

The look of tremulous hope she gave him nearly made him weaken. She was so lovely, so beguiling. The sight, of Alan approaching across the yard brought him to his senses. “Go, Edeva.”

She hurried off, moving with that proud grace he so admired.

Alan shot her a glance, his eyes narrowed. “Will you do as she bids? Do you spare her brother?”

“Yea, I do.”

“Your pity is misplaced.”

“I do not think so. What profit is there in hanging an old man and a boy?”

Alan exploded. “To show the others how we deal with rebellion! To make an example of them!”

“We have already done that. We hung the prisoners we took when we first arrived. If that did not deter the rebels then nothing will.”

“But what of the villagers? The Saxon servants? They will think you soft!”

“Nay, they will think me reasonable and compassionate. I would not have them hate me nor believe me to be heartless monster.”

“A commander must be powerful and ruthless, else he will lose all!”

“A commander, yea, that is true, but a lord’s role is different. The war for England is over, Alan. Now we must make peace with her people. They are the ones who till the fields and reap the land’s bounty. They are the ones who will make Oxbury prosper.”

Alan shook his head. Jobert continued, “Can you not see how far we have progressed by gaining the Saxons’ cooperation? The people have returned to the village. The servants do their duty instead of defying us. Have you considered that when the rebels attacked, the villagers did not aid them?

“They were busy putting out the fires, saving their homes.”

“Exactly. The rebels, their own countrymen, have become their enemies, and we, the invaders, were the ones who saved them. I believe there will come a time when the people of Oxbury will begin to work against the rebels. They will not want anything to bring down our wrath upon them—they might even alert us before an attack.”

Alan rubbed at his face, suddenly looking weary. “There is sense in your words, but still, I am dissatisfied. I did not imagine when I decided to follow William that I would end up like this. I no longer feel like a warrior.”

“If you wish to return to a life of war, I will release you from your obligation to me. I’m certain William would be happy to have another knight to fight for him, especially one who has no interest in owning land someday.”

“I did not say that!”

“But ’tis what your words mean. To have land means to be a farmer and an administrator rather than a warrior.”

“A lord must always fight for his land.”

“In Normandy that was true, but one of William’s goals for England was to keep Norman from fighting Norman. To that end, he has outlawed private war. I know the peace won’t hold forever. There are always greedy men who want more. But for now there seems to be enough land for everyone.”

Alan was silent. Jobert wondered what his captain would decide. While he would hate to lose such a capable officer, there was no profit in having a man who desired war over peace in command of his household force.

“Mayhaps you should wed,” Jobert suggested. “Having a wife might ease your restlessness. ’Tis clear you are fond of Wulfget.”

“Wulfget! She is a Saxon!”

“Nonetheless... she seems to have gained your interest.”

“She is...” Alan fumbled for words, “She pleases me, that is true.”

“Have you bedded her?”

“Nay.”

“Why not? She is only a Saxon.” Jobert repressed a smile. He found it rather entertaining to turn Alan’s words against him. The knight clearly felt much more for Wulfget than he was willing to admit.

“I fear to hurt her,” Alan answered. “She is so delicate and slender.”

“Hurt her?”

He nodded. “She is a virgin. You must know that the first time, the woman bleeds and it pains her.”

Jobert raised his brows. He had not agonized greatly when he took Edeva’s maidenhead. He had tried not to cause her more discomfort than necessary, but he had always anticipated that the pleasure he could give her would be much greater than the pain.

“Wulfget is like a rare, lovely flower,” Alan said. “I cannot see her indulging in a crude, carnal act.”

“Mayhaps she would like it.”

Alan shook his head. “She is not like Lady Edeva. She is not earthy and strong.”

Jobert considered Alan’s description of Edeva. The fool had no idea how appealing “earthy and strong” could be. ’Twas a delight to bed a substantial, spirited woman he did not have to worry about crushing beneath him, to know his bedpartner was capable of matching him in vigor and enthusiasm. He did not think he would care to bed a timid thing like Wulfget.

He said, “If you do not have interest in Wulfget as a wife, mayhaps another man would. Edeva has urged me to find husbands for some of the other maidservants, lest we have a crop of bastards next summer. I feel I should marry off Wulfget as well, for the sake of propriety.”

Alan’s mouth dropped open. “How can you think of giving her to another man?”

“You have said you do not want her. And I certainly cannot have you wed a healthy young servant like Wulfget and then be squeamish about bedding her. There is no profit in it for me. If Oxbury is to grow and prosper, there must be babies born of every union where God wills it.”

“Of course I would bed her if she was my wife!”

“For that matter, are you certain Wulfget is still a virgin? Plenty of other men have shown an interest in her. Mayhaps one less chivalrous than you has already planted his seed. If she is with child, I would obviously have to marry her off immediately.”

“She is a virgin yet! I would swear my life on it!” Alan’s face had turned bright red and his eyes were wild. Jobert could almost take pity on the hapless knight—if he did not think too much about the way Alan had always treated Edeva. Mayhaps he would tell her about this conversation, Jobert thought. She might know vindication of a sort to see her provoker suffer the tortures of the lovelorn.

But he got ahead of himself. He was supposed to maintain his suspicions of Edeva until she satisfactorily answered his questions about the raid. ’Twas going to be difficult to interrogate her with all this talk of “carnal acts” fresh in his mind

Jobert excused himself from Alan, certain he had left the knight with enough to think about, and then headed to the hall. He went directly to the area where the wounded men were. There was no sign of Wulfget. Eadelm, the plain brawny girl that Edeva had said she was training as a healer, watched over the men.

Jobert nodded to the maidservant, then went first to Niles’s pallet. The wounded man sat up, “My lord.”

Jobert waved him down.

“Nay, I would sit awhile. Indeed, I fear I will go mad merely lying here.”

“You feel strong enough?”

“Yea, except for my arm. I don’t know if it will ever work right, but at least ’tis shaped like an arm again instead of a lump of mangled gristle. Your lady, I must commend her. She has amazing patience. They say it took her near two hours to sew me up, and all the while her hands stayed steady.”

“She is a very skilled seamstress. Although, I vow, I would rather she practice her art on cloth than the flesh of my knights.”

“I, also.” Niles grinned back at him

Jobert felt unsettled. This was not going as planned. He’d gone to see the wounded men as a reminder of how disastrous the Saxon attack had been, not to hear Edeva’s praises sung.

He gave Niles a few words of encouragement, and then went to see Rob.

The knight greeted him with a cheerful expression. “You see, Jobert? I have found the perfect way to avoid work, to lie around all day with lovely ladies waiting upon me.” Rob smiled warmly at Eadelm as he said this, and the young woman’s homely face grew almost radiant. Leave it to Rob to be chivalrous, even from his sickbed!

“’Tis pleased I am you enjoy lying on your lazy arse,” Jobert said, mouth quirking, “but I vow it can’t continue. There is much work to do. I cannot afford to have you shirk your duties much longer.”

“I will do my best to heal, milord.” Rob grinned back gamely.

“In truth, how do you feel? Is there anything I can get you?”

“Nay, I have everything a man could want, except the food leaves something to be desired.” He made a face at Eadelm. “Always it is gruel, gruel and more gruel she brings me.”

Eadelm approached the bed, looking distraught.

“Nay, nay, you’ve done nothing wrong,” Rob reassured her. He turned to Jobert. “I know she’s done her best for me. And at least I have not fevered. Lady Edeva says that is an excellent sign.”

“It is,” Jobert agreed. “If the wound was poisoned, you would have sickened ere this.”

They were both silent, as if praying that his optimistic words were true. “Has the priest been to see you?” Jobert asked.

“Nay, not since he thought to give me last rites when I was first brought in.”

Jobert frowned. What a useless bastard Father Reibald had turned out to be. He never seemed to be around when his services might be needed. What did the holy man do with his time?

He turned to Eadelm, wondering if she had learned any Norman French. He pointed to Rob. “Take care of him, keep him as comfortable as possible.”

She nodded fervently.

“She understands a little,” Rob said. “I have naught else to do with my time, so I’ve been teaching both Wulfget and Eadelm to speak our language.”

“Wulfget also?”

“Yea, she is eager to learn.”

Jobert nodded thoughtfully. Rob would make a worthy rival for Alan. ’Twould be interesting to see how things played out. If nothing else, worry over Wulfget might distract Alan from his obsession with persecuting Edeva.

Did she deserve to be spared? He wondered as he climbed the stairs. What if she really was a spy and a traitor, and Fornay was the only one who discerned it?

The thought caused a chill along his spine. His feelings for Edeva might well blind him to her true nature. Heaven knew, he was besotted with her, and lovesick men were not known for being rational or wise!

He paused in the stairwell. Should he keep his distance for a few days, and then question her? By then, the intensity of his erotic memories would have ebbed, and he could deal with her more dispassionately.

But his desire for her was not likely to wane, and the cost of the ambush was fresh in his mind. If Rob and Niles healed and all was well, ’twould be easy to forget the deadly trap the Saxons had set... until the next time. Resolutely, he strode up the stairs.

E
deva was sewing when he entered. She sat on a stool by the table, using a lamp for light. He breathed a sigh of relief to see that she remained dressed, her hair braided. If she had waited for him in a provocative pose, his suspicions would have only increased.

He sat down on the bed as his strength deserted him and his ailing body reminded him how pathetic he really was. Gathering his determination, he said “Edeva, I must know what happened in the village.”

She put her sewing aside. “I told you about Leogyth, the child who died?”

He nodded.

“Although the priest refused to come, they had a funeral anyway. The miller said a few words over the body and they lit the pyre. We stood around silently, showing our respect for the family’s grief. Then, all at once, someone shouted that Helwenna’s hut was on fire. I sent Baldric, one of the squires who accompanied me to the village, back to the gatehouse to ask for aid.”

“Why did you take an escort?” Jobert asked. “Why not go alone? They are your people—why would you fear them?”

A bitter look crossed her face. “I sought protection not from the villagers, but from the opinion of your knights. I thought if I had Normans with me, they could report back that I had done nothing questionable nor sinister.”

She took a deep breath and continued. “I could not get Helwenna to leave her hut, nor would any of the village men try to drag her out. She wanted to die there, but all I could think of was her knowledge perishing. When the first knights arrived, I asked them to carry her out, and they did. By then, several other huts were on fire. The villagers grabbed every bucket and tub they could carry to bring water from the river to put out the fires. I sent the knights off to help them and stayed with Helwenna.

“Soon, I heard one of the knights shout that the Saxons were attacking. I left Helwenna and went to see. Smoke was everywhere, but I could make out men fighting at the edge of the woods. I did not know what to do.”

She shook her head. “I ran to help the villagers bring more water. When Fornay and the other men arrived, the attackers immediately disappeared into the woods, except for Alnoth and Withan, who were captured. Fornay grabbed me and accused me of plotting the whole incident. He called me a whore and a traitorous bitch.”

Her face went rigid with anger, and Jobert felt his own body tighten. “Fornay gave me no chance to explain,” she continued, “but ordered me bound like the other prisoners. I took satisfaction in the fact that his men did not want to tie my hands. He had to tell them twice.” She raised her eyes to Jobert’s. “I swear, I did naught but try to help the villagers. I was not part of the ambush. And I did not want Rob to be injured, nor anyone else. I had hoped for peace, that we could all work together.”

Jobert watched her, feeling her turmoil. She had been caught between two loyalties and had tried to do the best for her people. In the end, he believed that she had sided with him, with the Normans.

He rose from the bed and took a step toward her. “What are you sewing?”

“’Tis an altar cloth. Father Reibald said I should make one, that it was my duty as the woman of the household.”

“How near to finished are you?”

“’Twill take a sennight or more to complete it.”

“Then you will have to put it aside’. I’m going to see King William. I could wear soldier’s garb when I speak to him, but there will be courtiers aplenty, and I want to look like a real lord.” He pointed to the coffer in the corner. “I want you to refashion one of those fine tunics for my court garb.”

“Why do you make this journey?” she asked.

“I sent a message to William weeks ago and have not received an answer yet. Since I know that William is coming to London for the Yule season, I have decided to go to him myself.” He sat down on the bed and began to take off his boots. “And while you are at it, find some fine clothes for yourself, Edeva. I’m taking you with me.”

She stared at him. “Why do you want me to go?”

Jobert regarded her thoughtfully. Dare he tell her that he had asked William’s permission to wed with her? What if William refused?

“I wish your company on the journey.” He tossed his boots aside and began to unfasten his crossgarters. Edeva still watched him. He knew she had many questions, but he was too tired to deal with them.

Once undressed, he climbed into bed and closed his eyes. He was weary beyond reason. If he was to be fit to travel, he would have to rest and gather his strength for the next few days.

He heard Edeva moving around the room, and he felt a throb of longing for her. ’Twould be easy to ask her to pleasure him as she had before. But, nay, he did not want it to always be like that. He would not bed her again until he could perform as a man should.

Edeva poked at the dying coals in the brazier and tried to decide whether to have someone fetch more from the hearth in the hall. But she did not want to go downstairs and find a squire. She told herself that she was not prone to taking a chill and there were plenty of blankets and furs on the bed. Besides, she was better off than her brother and Withan, down in that miserable, dank cellar,

Her heart twisted in her chest at the thought. Somehow she would have to convince Jobert to move the prisoners to amore comfortable place before they left to see William.

Jesu, would she ever fathom this man’s mind? She could not imagine why Jobert was taking her to see the Norman king. Was it because he did not trust her at Oxbury without, him? But why was he going? What was this message he had sent?

Mayhaps she should ask one of the knights. But Jobert Brevrienne was a very close-mouthed man, unlikely to share his plans with anyone. Except Fornay, and she would not ask that black-hearted wretch!

She blew out the candle and began to undress. When she had stripped down to her shift, she hesitated. Should she take it off and offer a clear invitation to the man in the bed?

But did he want her? She felt certain that he believed her innocent of plotting against him, but there might be other reasons he would not want to bed her—fatigue, pain, or that he was tired of her. If she slept naked beside him, she would feel a fool if he made no move to touch her. Leaving her shift on, Edeva climbed into bed.

* * *

“I’m going to see William,” Jobert said.

Rob eased himself up on his pallet. Although he still appeared weak, he had not suffered the stinking sickness common to belly wounds. “Sweet heaven, I would like to go.” He grimaced down at his body. “But obviously, I cannot.”

“Even if you were whole, I would not ask you to accompany me. I need most of my knights here, in case there is another attack by the Saxons.”

“You think they will try again? I would have thought the last failed ambush would have convinced them to give up.”

“I’m not certain they will ever give up, until the last one of them is dead.”

Rob nodded.

“I’m taking Edeva with me, which infuriates Alan. But I have my reasons. Indeed, she is part of the purpose for my journey.”

“Which is?”

Jobert frowned and shifted his feet. “Near a month ago, I sent a message to William. I asked for the authority to rebuild the manor and palisade in stone. That was a mere formality—I know that William will not deny that request. I also asked for his permission to wed Edeva. In that matter, I am less certain. They say Norman lords are taking Saxon heiresses to wife all over England, but I cannot do the same without William’s blessing.”

“’Twould be good if you wed with her,” Rob said. “Your hold on Oxbury would be legitimized. The Saxons hold her in high regard, and indeed, she would make a fine wife for any man.”

Jobert nodded. “My plan is to gain William’s approval, then have one of the bishops or priests at his camp marry us without delay. If all goes well, the journey should not take more than a fortnight.”

“Godspeed to you then.” Rob grinned and gave Jobert a merry salutation.

“There is something I need your aid in while I am gone.”

“Ask it, my lord.”

“I want you to keep Alan from mischief, either with the villagers or the Saxon prisoners. I have moved the prisoners to the granary, where it is warmer. I do not want to return and find that they have perished ‘accidentally’.”

“You think Alan would do that, knowing your orders are otherwise?”

“Mayhaps not, but I want to be certain.”

“What can I do from the sickbed? Wulfget says I am healing well, but if Alan gets a notion to defy your orders, I’m in no condition to stop him.”

“Ah, but you are. And Wulfget is the very means of it.”

Rob quirked an eyebrow.

“If you were to pursue Wulfget, I think Alan would forget all about getting revenge on the Saxons.”

“Oh, indeed! ’Twould be my balls he’d want to slice off, rather than the Saxons’!”

“Yea, but he will not act upon his anger, since you are an injured man and his comrade. He has some notions of chivalry.”

“So, all I have to do is set my cap for the fair Wulfget, is that the way of it?”

Jobert nodded.

“’Twill not be such a hardship.” Rob’s gaze wandered to where Wulfget sat near the fire sewing.

“My thanks, Rob. I knew I could depend on you.”

Jobert left the makeshift infirmary feeling pleased with himself. If only things went so smoothly once they reached William’s camp.

* * *

“’Tis not the most pleasant way to travel, is it?”

Jobert’s remark stirred Edeva from her reverie as she considered how to answer him. The weather was cold, with intermittent rain and sleet, and she had already endured much discomfort as her thighs and buttocks adjusted to the travails of riding on horseback. But for all the drawbacks, there was something tantalizing about sitting on a horse with Jobert’s arms around her and his breath against her hair.

Since she’d never been on a horse before, Jobert had decided she would ride pillion and change mounts frequently to keep the horses fresh. She wondered if he found riding close as enjoyable as she did. But, nay, his armor must be freezing and even with his long, marten-lined cloak spread around them, he had to endure the brunt of the weather.

She could lean back and dream, her head against his good shoulder and his big body shielding hers. He had to guide the horse and keep a wary lookout on the landscape around them. They traveled with an escort of six knights and three squires, but Edeva knew that Jobert feared to meet a larger force. She had asked him once if he expected trouble, and he replied that after the crossbow attack, he thought it wise to anticipate attack at all times.

“Should we not stop soon?” she finally said. “I worry that you push yourself too hard, especially with your recent wound.”

“’Tis still a long way to London, and I want to meet with William before the rest of the Norman nobility arrives to ply him for favors.”

For the thousandth time, Edeva wondered what boon Jobert wished to ask of the new king. She wondered even more why he had brought her along. They would be staying the night at an abbey where men and women must sleep separately, so there would be no opportunity for them to make love, and although they conversed about various things regarding Oxbury as they rode, ’twas not likely that he had brought her along simply for company.

If anything, her presence was a burden. That she shared a mount with Jobert slowed their progress, and if they were attacked, having to defend her would be a liability.

Of course, if they gave her a sword, mayhaps they would see that she could defend herself!

She repressed a sigh. Her fighting days were over. Jobert had told her to dress like a lady for this journey, and she knew he expected her to act like one. ’Twas fine enough to dress in silks and samites, but she did not like feeling helpless, nor like a troublesome piece of baggage.

“Are you cold, Edeva?” Jobert asked, shifting so the cloak better covered her.

“Nay.”

“Tired?”

She shook her head. “’Tis you I worry for, not myself.” He grunted intelligibly. Edeva fought back another sigh. She had tried asking some of the squires if they knew the reason for this mission to London. None of them did. Either that, or their loyalty to their lord prevented them from telling her.

She would have to wait to discover Jobert’s plans, “How many more days of traveling do we face?” she asked.

“If we keep at this pace and the weather holds, we should arrive the day after tomorrow.”

Edeva resigned herself to watching the scenery and gave up her quest of unraveling the purpose of their journey.

For someone who had never been beyond the boundaries of Wiltshire, the journey was a revelation. They’d traveled through many kinds of landscape—hills frosted with silver, forests thick and nearly impenetrable, even with the leaves half gone. Valleys crisscrossed by multicolored strips of farmland, dried hedgerows, and coppices. They’d seen rivers and streams, some iced over in the morning.

Foxes, deer, hares and squirrels they had sighted in abundance, but few people. Most of the villages they came upon appeared deserted, yet smoke rose from smokeholes and chickens could be found pecking in the middens, along with pigs rooting for acorns at the edge of the woods. The Saxon inhabitants, observing a troop of Norman knights approach, had clearly fled.

The experience reminded Edeva that many of her countrymen had not resigned themselves to the Norman yoke. To their minds, she was traveling with the enemy. Furthermore, she traveled to a place where she doubted that a Saxon would be welcome at all. What would they think of her in London, with her light hair, her height and he unmistakably English features?

Was that why Jobert had ordered her to dress herself in finery? To use rich garments and jewelry as a means of distracting people from whom she was, a member of the conquered race?

The idea made her angry. She hoped she would be able to hold her tongue if anyone spoke disparagingly of her countrymen. When she shifted on the horse, Jobert leaned near and said, “We’ll stop soon. Malmsbury lies ahead.”

* * *

“Thank you for your hospitality, Prior.” Jobert handed a holy man a silver penny as they walked from the rectory. “The meal was excellent, and I trust the beds will be comfortable as well. We have stayed in several English abbeys, and found them to offer very pleasant accommodations.”