The Troubadour's Romance (25 page)

Does she do all this in an effort to please me, or trick me into thinking she can be content? Or does she intend to make Segeland a suitable place, only to find some champion to usurp me?
he wondered.

He was wretched, and yet he had taken the woman as his bride and brought her home because it had seemed the lesser of evils. Better to try to hold her, he told himself, than to try to live with only a memory of her.

He kicked a pile of hay and sent it flying into the air.
“
Women,
”
he cursed.
“
Nothing but deceit that wants to castrate a man.
”
He stomped out of the stable.

Eleven

A matter that had plagued Royce since the meeting at Windsor was the fact that the king had instructed him to view and appraise the Aquitaine property and report his findings. The area of land, the revenues, number of tenants, site of the keep, and amount of stock and produce had not been assessed since Sir Flavian de Raissa had died and left the lands with a castellan. The scarce information concerning the parcel of land was that the only child, a daughter, had taken the veil and so the land had be
come Eleanor
’
s to dispose of, since it fell within her dower demesne. In an act of compassion, Eleanor had let the property fall to Felise, who had been orphaned into her care.

This task, Royce believed, could be accomplished at any time. In the ten days since returning to Segeland he had given the matter grave contemplation. He had come to a decision that was hard earned, wrought of many sleepless nights. He invited one of his favorites, Sir Hewe, to visit his chamber after the evening meal.

Hewe anxiously awaited the topic of discussion. Royce did not hedge.
“
You are on
e of the youngest of my men-at-
arms,
”
Royce said, handing the young man a chalice of
Gascony wine.
“
Yet I would entrust you with a weighty responsibility, if you think yourself capable.
”

Hewe virtually beamed with pride. He was large, strong, and in tourneys and battles he had done well. Hewe believed it was only a matter of time before money and lands would begin to fall his way. He had stayed with Royce after his training because the king took obvious notice of Royce and his men. He could not prevent a boyish smile from spread
ing all over his young face.

Royce chuckled.
“
Don
’
t drink a toast yet, Sir Hewe. You may never forgive me for this in the end. Hear me out.

“
You know as much of this contract with Henry as any of us. I am not a man to protest my king,
”
he stated firmly. Then he threw his arm wide in the direction of the chamber that
Felise
occupied.
“
Neither does it sit well with me to keep a woman prisoner against her family
’
s will to have myself a wife, however rich her dowry.
”

“
But the king has instructed
--
”
Hewe began to argue.

“
We are all aware of His Majesty
’
s instructions, and I will not disobey. If Lord Scelfton or any of his knights reject the orders of the king, I am honor-bound to try to prevent them. But if the lady refuses
--
now
--
I will leave her family to defend her against the crown.
”

Hewe shook his head in confusion.
“
I don
’
t understand .
..
”

“
No, I
’
m sure you don
’
t.
”
Royce laughed uncomfortably.
“
I have been bidden to Acquitaine, to view the de Raissa land that has fallen as dowry to my wife. I will leave in the early morning, and you will stay here with fifteen of my strongest men. Your authority is endorsed by me and I will inform the others.

“
Your obligations are many. You must guard my wife in my absence, sleeping on the floor outside her door if you deem it a worthy notion. Any aggressor attempting to usurp me must be stopped at my gate. And I will not ask the Scelfton men to leave. Since my allegiance is to Henry and yours is to me, you are bound by oath to kill any one of them who defies this order and takes her away.

“
And ...,
”
he began, frowning down on the young man with what he hoped was a convincing expression of determi
nation.
“
If I return to find that you
’
ve tampered with the woman, your head will ride a pike on my wall.
”

“
My lord, I would not,
”
Hewe said earnestly. But the young man
’
s eyes revealed what Royce already knew: the lad had been smitten with his wife from their first encoun
ter. Royce judged that was why the young knight kept a safe distance, spending his nights in the hall seated far from her table and his days on the road far away from her.

“
You cannot avoid being near her while you protect her,
”
Royce said firmly.

“
By my word, my lord,
”
he said.

“
Aye, I would not have called you here if I doubted that. I know her fairness; I know well her charms. Twill take a strong and noble sort.
”

Hewe gave a sharp nod of affirmation. In fact, trusting Hewe was only part of the test. Royce could have chosen a seedy old warhorse like Sir Trumble to sleep outside the lady
’
s door. Trumble, in like, was a
strong and trustworthy vassal ..
. and the woman gave him a wide berth because of his age, size, and homely face. Still, he had decided upon Hewe, youthful at two and twenty, strong and virile, hand
some. It was also in his mind to know something of his wife, and her loyalty.

“
You have a burdensome chore,
”
Royce continued.
“
Do you think yourself equal to the task?
”

Hewe may have had his doubts, but he nodded resolutely just the same.

“
Unfortunately, I have not yet mentioned your greatest challenge.
”
Royce sipped from his cup and looked at Hewe over the rim. He saw the young man gulp uncomfortably. He had already given him chores worthy of an army of men.
“
You must find a way to understand the workings of her mind. She must not be taken from me, she must not be assaulted or abused. But if it is her desire to leave this place, you must find it in yourself to look the other way as she flees.
”

Hewe
’
s eyes grew wide and disbelieving.
“
My God,
”
he muttered under his breath.

“
Yea, you must do it. And then, upon my return, you must contend with me.
”

“
But, my lord, how am I to know
--
”

“
You have your eyes cast to lands and vassals of your own, Sir Hewe. It is a simple matter to mount a trusted steed and draw your sword or brace your lance, to ride toward opposition with but one quest, to win. But it takes a greater wisdom to deal fairly with your troops, coax the villeins to plant and harvest, offer reward and punishment as befits the circumstance. I see no better training than in this thing you do on my behalf.
”

“
Have you told the lady she is free to go?
”
Hewe asked.

Royce was silent for a moment, restlessly turning away and then turning full circle to face young Hewe again.
“
Nay, I
’
ll have none of that. If she goes, she and her family must bear the weight of Henry
’
s wrath. I would keep her and her dowry against heaven and hell, but not against her will.
”
He lowered his voice.
“
Do you begin to understand?
”

Hewe looked down for a moment, sighing heavily. Royce contemplated his friend. Hewe would know that his future depended not only upon his strength, but also upon the wisdom of his actions. But Hewe raised his eyes quickly to Royce, speaking firmly.
“
My word is my life,
”
the young knight said.

Royce rumbled with laughter.
“
And in this case, your word is most definitely your life.
”

Hewe rose, downed the last of the wine, and stood before Royce.
“
As in other contests, Royce, I will give my best.
”

Royce nodded.
“
I will rest easier knowing this. I see there is great hope for you, Hewe. If you pray to the Virgin, mayhap the king will one day thrust some damsel into your arms.
”

Hewe mumbled something low and, by the sound, rueful.

“
Beg pardon, Hewe?
”

“
I said, ah ... I do well enough with my meager gifts.
”

“
What, ho! The young buck does not wish these plentiful mercies
--
riches, beauty...
”
Royce chuckled good-
naturedly. In looking at young Hewe, this vigorous knight on the brink of
his real manhood, he felt
sympathy. Many were the times he wished to return to that part of his life when the future could be planned on a whim.

It was not always a pleasure to be the recipient of generosity such as Henry
’
s. Grave responsibility accompa
nied the king
’
s goodwill. Life would have held less bliss on cold nights with Celeste, but likewise less torment. And Royce would never have tossed upon his pallet with the fear that she would leave him. He couldn
’
t have made himself care enough. Suddenly he
’
d found himself with a new entanglement: a distant and flickering image of the kind of life he wanted more than life itself. And an unreasonable fear of reaching for it.

“
Never mind, Sir Hewe. Do as I
’
ve asked; do it well and you will find a handsome reward for yourself. Just don
’
t ask me what that reward is, yet.
”

When Hewe had gone, Royce filled his cup again, sitting back in his favorite chair. He could view the blazing hearth over his table. For the first time since his meeting at Windsor he felt a certain peace. He wished there was some way to share the feeling, but he knew no one, save some old ghosts in Segeland keep, who would clearly understand.

The demons gave him brief rest. He soothed himself with the knowledge that he had always managed to survive with some measure of dignity. If he returned to find that
Felise
was gone, no living person would witness the pain it caused him. That his soul would weep would not show on his face. Or in his step. Or voice.

Somehow, some way, he would be the master of his life.

Deep in the darkness, the wine nearly gone, Royce listened to the melodious humming of a woman. His head, which was about to fall onto his chest in drunken slumber, rose slightly the better to hear the music.

He felt himself smile, though his brain was sodden and he could not appreciate half of the beautiful sounds. Yet he imagined her, wondering if he actually heard her sing, or if he was experiencing another rapturous dream in which she seduced him.

It was a song of love lost, he realized, though the words were muffled to his ears. The woman had longed for her man and he had gone off to a distant place and forgotten her. In her loneliness she wept every day and sang to the stars and the moon every night.

“
We shall see, fair lady,
”
he mused quietly, his speech slurred with an overindulgence of wine.
“
Who is the love
gone far away? Will it be your husband? Or has some other caught your heart?
”
But though the question came, he did not worry. He smiled and let the beauty of her voice soothe him, and soon he fell onto his bed and found badly needed sleep.

***

There were no more bolts or bars, and her chamber was only a room, not a prison. But
Felise
wondered at the strange invisible wall that had somehow been erected where no barrier had separated Royce from her before.

She had ignored every well-intentioned interference, re
treating to the gloom of this haunted room to be alone. Her brothers, she reasoned,
might thoroughly wish her well-
being as much as they would follow their father
’
s instruc
tions to the letter, but she
’
d had far enough of their meddling. It was fair of them to ask Royce for permission to dispose of those accoutrements that had made this lady
’
s chamber a cell, but Maelwine demanded roughly rather than making a request. And her brother had shown no sympathy for the small boy who
’
d watched his mother
’
s madness in this room.