“Well?” Drake said, hoping his arousal didn’t show through his breeches. “Where have you two been? Devon, I thought you were tending to the injured in the hall?”
Devon nodded, watching as Daniella went straight to Elizaveta. “I was,” he said. “I took Dannie with me to help. A couple of the men are fairly bad off, Drake. Mayhap you should send for a physic.”
Drake’s lust was forgotten as he thought on his injured men. “Very well,” he said. “I will go to the church and see if the priests know of any local surgeons. I will take Elizaveta with me, in fact. She wants to meet the clergy of Spexhall.”
“May I go, too?” Daniella asked. She, too, seemed well enough this morning and unaffected by the events of the previous day. “I would like to know the priests, also.”
Drake looked at Devon, who shrugged. “Let us all go to meet the priests,” Drake said. “Mayhap we can settle in to some sense of normalcy since the events of yesterday.”
It seemed like an excellent idea. As the women went to gather their cloaks, Drake and Devon headed out to the bailey of Spexhall. Cortez was the first person they saw over near the massive portcullis, deep in conversation with a few soldiers and then yelling up to James, who was on the walls, on the very narrow wallwalk that encircled the entire fortress.
Drake had been up there yesterday and, not particularly fond of heights, he was uncomfortable with the narrow wallwalk and the fact that it would be very easy to fall off and tumble the twenty feet to the bailey below. He and Cortez had even discussed rigging some kind of rope railing around the interior of the walk so clumsy men would not kill themselves. He and Devon headed over to Cortez and the conversation that was going on with the men.
Cortez caught sight of Drake when the man was a few feet away. “Did you see your wife, then?” he asked.
Drake nodded as he came to stand next to Cortez. “I did,” he replied. “She was awake as you said she was.”
Cortez grinned. “I know women,” he said. “She was not going to lie about with a new keep to explore.”
Drake laughed softly. “And you were correct,” he said, glancing up above his head where James was looking down upon him. “What goes on here? Are we discussing the rope railing we will be constructing for this horrific wallwalk so we do not all plummet to our deaths?”
Overhead, James grinned. “It is not as bad as all that,” he said. “I have a very free feeling up here, without restrictions. I do not mind it at all.”
Drake frowned. “That free feeling is a free-falling feeling as you launch over the wall to your death.”
James and Cortez laughed as Devon went to the ladder that accessed the wallwalk. Drake saw his brother and called to him. “Do not fall off of that wall,” he said. “If you kill yourself, Mother will kill me.”
Devon waved him off, frowning, as he mounted the ladder. Drake eyed his brother before returning his attention to Cortez. “He has three left feet and not one of them is stable,” he muttered as Cortez snorted. “Actually, I did not come to complain about the wallwalk. I came to tell you that my wife wishes to go into town and meet the priests and see the village. Will you come with us?”
Cortez shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “I will remain here until you return but then James and I must be departing for home. I would like to go this morning.”
Drake nodded, although there was a sadness to it. “I am reluctant to see you both go,” he said. “We have all served together for several years. It seems odd that we will now be separated.”
Cortez lifted a dark eyebrow. “That is your fault,” he said. “You were the one who had to save Brittany in battle. Had you not done that, you would still be one of my knights and not the future Earl of East Anglia.”
Drake smiled, perhaps conceding his heroism. “It was my miserable mistake, I agree.”
Cortez eyed the man a moment. “But you do not regret it.”
“I do not.”
“Even though you received a wife you did not want?”
Drake shrugged, trying not to appear too contrite. There was still a matter of pride left. “I did not want her but she is mine nonetheless,” he said, watching Cortez chuckle because the man knew very well, as they all did, that Drake was smitten with her. “I am not unhappy with the arrangement.”
Cortez rolled his eyes. “That is an understatement,” he said. “I think you rather like that woman.”
“And if I do?”
Cortez slapped Drake on the arm. “I am glad that you do,” he said. “And my wife will be thrilled as well. She always thought you would make a fine husband to some fortunate lady.”
Drake crossed his big arms. “Of course I would,” he said arrogantly. “Your wife is a very astute woman.”
Cortez shook his head at Drake’s prideful boast. “I will tell her you said so,” he replied. “And I am very anxious to return home to tell her, so the sooner you go to the village, the sooner James and I can leave.”
Drake took the hint. Ordering the nearest soldier to go to the stables and prepare the de Winter carriage and both his and Devon’s mounts, he turned for the keep when a rider approached the portcullis. He didn’t think much of it because it was a de Winter rider, a scout sent out to patrol the area, but the man seemed quite excited so Drake came to a halt as the portcullis lifted and the man was admitted.
Concerned with the rider’s agitation, Drake approached him, as did Cortez. Devon and James were coming off of the walls to join them. The rider, seeing Drake approach, called out to him.
“My lord!” he cried. “There is a sizable force approaching from the south, about an hour away. They are heavily armed.”
Drake’s brow furrowed as he listened to the information. “Sizable force?” he repeated. “It could be Edward’s troops preparing to join us.”
The rider shook his head. “I did not see any banners flying, my lord,” he said. “I know Edward’s banner and he is never shy about displaying it. I saw men on foot mostly, men armed with crossbows and axes. They were dressed terribly, with virtually no protection, and two wagons and a small siege engine were being towed by oxen. These men are preparing for battle, my lord, and if they remain on their current course, Spexhall is the only castle they will encounter.”
“De Mandeville,” Cortez suddenly hissed, looking at Drake. “You said they were nearby? Only ten or twelve miles from here?”
Startled, realization struck Drake like a battering ram. He looked at Cortez with some surprise. “Indeed, they are,” he said. “They are not far at all and the men we sent back to them yesterday could have easily reached them in an hour or two. If what the rider says is true, it is possible that they are already replying to my message.”
“Replying with force.”
By this time, Devon and James were listening. “De Mandeville,” James repeated. “I heard that name yesterday from Lady de Winter. The woman who tried to kill her, de Witt’s wife, was a de Mandeville.”
Drake had to admit that he was rather angry that the de Mandevilles did not heed his warning. He was also very insulted. Evidently, they had no fear of him in spite of his punishment of Lady de Witt. In fact, they were more than likely on their way to seek revenge for what he had done to her, just as Elizaveta had warned him.
It would be like poking a beehive. Sooner or later, the bees will sting you.
Damn… had she been right?
“Aye,” Drake said, sighing heavily. “The House of de Mandeville are the mortal enemies of the House of du Reims, and now, evidently, the House of de Winter, as well. Therefore, there is no time to waste if what the rider says is true. Devon, send a rider for Thetford immediately and inform them of the situation should de Mandeville try to move against any of our father’s holdings. Also ask them for reinforcements.”
Devon was listening seriously. “Reinforcements will not arrive in time, Drake,” he pointed out. “A messenger will take a few hours to reach Thetford and then Father must prepare the army, so we are not likely to
see any help until two days from now at the earliest.”
Drake nodded, impatient. “I am well aware of that,” he said, “but we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. I am certain we can repel them, but the addition of Father’s army will show them our strength. I simply do not have enough men here to do that.”
“But what of Edward’s troops?” James wanted to know. “He is sending you one thousand men that should arrive any day now, correct?”
Drake was already mentally assessing what needed to be done in order to secure Spexhall. Already, his little garrison would see more action than he had planned for in just the short time he had been there and he was determined to see it, and the occupants, survive.
“That is correct,” Drake replied, “but they could arrive tomorrow or next week. I have no way of knowing. Come, now; we must shore up Spexhall to withstand whatever the de Mandevilles decide to throw our way – James, you will take the wall. Devon, send the rider to Father and then you will secure the bailey so that any flaming projectiles will not do too much damage. Cortez, will you go to the church and inform them of what approaches? We will take those in the village who wish for protection inside the walls. Meanwhile, I will go to the keep and tell the ladies what we are in for.”
The knights began to move, except for Cortez. He followed Drake as the man headed for the keep. He, probably more than the other two men, knew the stress of the decision to execute Lady de Witt and her husband that had been put on Drake. Lady de Winter had strongly suggested to her husband that he not kill the de Mandeville woman, but Drake felt strongly that he had to send a message to the House of de Mandeville. It was a decision that might cost him. Cortez finally caught up to Drake and grasped him by the arm, halting his momentum.
“What are you going to tell your wife?” Cortez asked quietly. “Drake, whatever it is, do not apologize for your actions. Your wife may have been right about making the situation worse with the de Mandevilles, but it was no great stretch to predict that. You must stand behind your decision for having executed the woman who tried to kill your wife. Your choice to do so was not a wrong one.”
Drake looked at Cortez with turmoil in his dark eyes. “I know,” he said. “But we have only been married these few days. The situation between us is still so fragile. I have not said anything to her about what became of Lady de Witt because she has not yet asked me. I was hoping I would never have to tell her. I… I do not want anything to damage this marriage, Cortez. Call me a fool if you will, but Lady de Winter’s opinion of me means a great deal. I rather… well, I rather like the woman. I want her to like me, too.”
Cortez smiled, putting a big hand on Drake’s cheek briefly, a comforting gesture. “And I believe she already does,” he said softly. “Thank you, Drake, for admitting you feel something for her. Thank you for proving to me that you are the man I knew you to be, capable of deep feeling. If Lady de Winter has half the character I think she has, something we have seen over the past few days, then I am sure she will not be too terribly upset when you tell her the truth. Be honest with her. The woman cannot fault you your honesty.”
Drake was comforted by Cortez’s words. “I hope not,” he said. “Meanwhile, I have to go inside and tell my wife her suspicions were correct about the de Mandevilles and we are in for yet another battle.”
Cortez let him go, watching him as he disappeared into the keep and praying that Lady de Winter had some understanding for what was about to happen. Cortez believed Drake had made the right choice about Lady de Witt and he would stand by the man in all things, including what they were about to face.
He hoped Lady de Winter felt the same way, too.
*
There were feathers everywhere.
Elizaveta and Daniella sat on the floor of the second floor chamber that Daniella shared with Devon, both women with iron needles in their hands, stitching up a feather-stuffed coverlet from Devereux that had torn when Daniella had accidentally tripped over it. The woman had tried to contain the feathers but there was evidently no doing such a thing, so she and Elizaveta were trying to repair the damage done and capture the little white and brown feathers as best they could that were floating about the chamber. As they worked quickly to capture the escaped feathers, they could hear Drake out on the landing.
“What in the name of Bleeding Mary goes on here?” he demanded.
He stuck his head into the room as Daniella gasped. “Drake!” she scolded. “You must not take our Holy Mother’s name in vain like that. That is a terrible thing to say!”
He grinned at her, winking. “Great Bleeding Jehoshaphat?”
Daniella shrieked. “Nay!”
“Great Bleeding Christ?”
“Worse!”
“Great Fat and Bleeding St. Michael?”
Elizaveta burst into laughter as Daniella gasped in horror. “You are a terrible man for saying such things in front of your wife,” she said. “What on earth will she think of you?”
Drake, still grinning, looked at the laughing Elizaveta. “I do not know,” he said. “Wife, what do you think of me?”
Elizaveta shook her head as she put another stitch into the coverlet. “I think you are a cheeky lad who deserves a good thrashing,” she said. “I suspect your mother did not thrash you nearly enough as a child.”
Drake went to Elizaveta, putting a big hand on her head in an affectionate gesture. “I was always able to talk my way out of motherly thrashings,” he said. “Well, mayhap not always, but most of the time. I would simply blame Devon and Mother would beat him instead.”
Daniella rolled her eyes at him and continued her task of gathering escaped feathers. “I would believe that implicitly,” she said. “You have been terrible to your brother over the years.”
Elizaveta, still stitching the coverlet, grinned at her sister-in-law’s indignation before turning her attention to Drake, who had pulled up one of the chairs his mother had sent along and planted himself on it. He sat quite close to her, observing what she was doing with interest.
“What brings you into this feather-filled room?” she asked. “To what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
Drake gazed down at her as she sat upon the floor, his humor taking a hit. So much for the light and meaningless talk; now he was forced to speak on the real reason behind his visit because his wife had asked. He couldn’t avoid a question like that.
He hadn’t been particularly nervous about telling Elizaveta about the de Mandeville approach until this moment and now, looking at her sweet beauty, he realized he was quite nervous. He had hoped to treat it all very casually but he simply couldn’t, mostly because he was genuinely afraid of Elizaveta’s reaction. She had, thus far, proven herself calm and reasonable in all situations that he’d seen her in, so he hoped that behavior would hold. He reached out, stroking her shoulder affectionately.
“I have come to see you,” he said. “I have something deep and meaningful and embarrassing to speak to you about. Dannie, will you give us some privacy, please?”
Daniella, who was picking features up from the corner, stood up and frowned at him. “Now?” she asked, irritated.
Drake nodded. “Please, love,” he said. “Just for a few moments.”
With a shrug, Daniella put her pile of feathers back onto the bed and quit the chamber. Even though the door was open, they could hear her going down the stairs. When her footfalls faded away completely, Elizaveta looked up at Drake.
“Should I stand up and face you for this?” she asked, a twinkle of mirth in her eyes. “Is it quite serious?”
Drake smiled. Reaching down, he plucked the needle from her hand and set it carefully on the floor. Then, he pulled her to her feet and maneuvered her onto his lap. His big arms wrapped around her as Elizaveta, thrilled at the close and warm contact, put her arms around his neck. It was a close and intimate position, one she liked very much. She’d never sat on a man’s lap before, not even her father’s, so this was rather thrilling. She almost didn’t c
are what he needed to speak with her about so long as he held her on his lap while doing it.
“It is quite serious,” Drake said. “I have a confession to make to you and I hope that you will respect that I am being completely honest with you.”
Elizaveta didn’t sense anything horrible; she was still sensing his casual humor. “I will always respect your honesty,” she said. “I hope you will always be honest with me, no matter what.”
He nodded. “I swear to you that I will,” he said. Then, he hesitated slightly. “I should have been honest with you yesterday about this but I had hoped for a little time to pass before discussing it. It seems, however, we must discuss it now.”
“Discuss what?”
He studied her, now at close range. He could see her dark lashes brush up against her brow bone and the pert curve of her nose. He paused to collect his thoughts.
“When we discussed what should be done with Lady de Witt yesterday, you and I advocated two different methods of punishment,” he said. “Do you recall? You were afraid that if I physically punished the woman, it would rouse the de Mandeville anger.”
Elizaveta nodded, suddenly feeling not so warm and humorous. She was feeling rather edgy. “I recall,” she said. “I did not ask you what happened with Lady de Witt. I assumed you would tell me when you had a mind to. What happened?”
Drake drew in a long, thoughtful breath. “I would hope that you would understand that how I respond to aggression, especially at a new post, is essential to maintaining peace,” he said. “The fact of the matter was that Lady de Witt lured you into a false sense of security before trying to kill you. She was defiant until the end, defending her need to kill you without remorse. I had no doubt she would try to kill you again if given the chance and this I could not allow. What kind of husband would I be if I did not eliminate an obvious threat against my wife?”