“My lady, I fear I cannot eat any more,” he said, indicating the small hands that were extended at them. “I do not want to hurt little feelings.”
Jeniver smiled faintly at him before turning to the girls. “Lily, Violet,” she said gently. “Please go and make sure that Taranis has been fed this morning. I know he was sleeping earlier in your chamber but he might be awake now. He will be hungry.”
The mention of the puppy was enough to get the children moving. They fled the table and raced up the stairs to their chamber to check on their most prized possession. Jeniver could hear them upstairs, banging about, as she returned her focus to Davyss who was just finishing up his watered ale. She was still watching him when he set his cup down, her expression hinting at her concerns and suspicion.
Davyss knew Lady de Shera was watching him with distrust she was trying to hide. She had been present in Lady Honey’s chamber the night before when Davyss had arrived and, once he overcame his emotional state at Honey’s health, he had explained why he had come. The politically-astute Lady Honey, in spite of the fact that she was having difficulty breathing and speaking, confirmed that her opinion was the same as Davyss’ – that de Montfort was somehow attempting to betray Gallus. To Honey, it was an unforgivable offense. No man moved against her sons without response.
As Davyss and Troy had planned, it was Lady Honey who worded the missive that Troy so carefully wrote down, the one that would be sent to Gallus. She, too, was fearful it would fall into de Montfort’s hands so she did the only thing she could do – begged her sons to come home because she was breathing her last. She said nothing about armies or de Montfort or even Davyss. It was all about her and she wanted her sons to come home. The missive went out in the wee hours of the morning, heading for Kenilworth.
Now, there was nothing to do but wait until Gallus and his brothers returned. Still, Lady de Shera had misgivings about the entire situation. Davyss could see it in her eyes when he looked at her. As he finished wiping off his face of crumbs, he forced a smile at the woman.
“You have been most gracious, Lady de Shera,” he said. “Thank you for sharing your honey pie with me. I have been dreaming of it for years, wondering when I would have my next taste. When Gallus and I were boys, Lady Honey would make it for us quite frequently. It reminds me a good deal of my childhood.”
Jeniver forced a smile. “I am pleased that you enjoyed it,” she said, but she sounded apprehensive. Hesitantly, she continued. “What will you do now, Sir Davyss? You have sent my husband a missive from his mother begging him to come home because she is dying just so you can speak with him, but what will you do now? Return to your father and await my husband?”
Davyss could understand her concern, her fear of the unknown. “I will return to my father and tell him what I have discovered here,” he said. “I will tell him that we have sent word to Gallus, asking him to return to Isenhall. Rest assured that we will make no move against Isenhall during this time. In fact, I am sure my father will want to visit Lady Honey. They are old and good friends. With your permission, I would like to bid my farewell to Lady Honey before departing.”
Davyss stood up and Jeniver followed. “Of course you may,” she said, moving away from the table with him and heading for the stairs. “But what happens when Gallus returns? You are under orders from the king. Will you disobey him? Or will you lay siege to a castle with a dying old woman inside of it?”
He could hear rebuke in her tone, her fear causing bitterness. “Gallus and I will decide what is to be done, Lady de Shera,” he said evenly. “You needn’t worry.”
Jeniver didn’t like the feeling that he was brushing her off. “I am not trying to be belligerent,” she said. “But you must understand that I am looking out for a dying woman and two small girls. Of course I worry about what will happen. I worry that my husband is being betrayed by a man he trusts.”
Davyss had an eye for beautiful women and he’d been known to steal the virginity of those he was particularly enamored with, but he didn’t like to be questioned by a woman no matter how beautiful she was. In his view, women were to be seen and not heard. His mother, a very strong character who ruled the House of de Winter with an iron fist, was quite good at ordering him around and he was obligated to respond. He wasn’t obligated to respond to Lady de Shera although he did not want to be rude to the woman. He could tell that she was genuinely concerned.
“I worry about the same thing,” he told her as the entered the level that had Lady Honey’s chamber on it. “If I did not care what happened to Gallus, then I would not have sent him the missive, would I? Please trust that we will do what needs to be done in order to preserve you and Lady Honey and Gallus’ children. I would not lift a sword against any of you, I swear it.”
That eased Jeniver somewhat. Nodding with resignation, as his words on the whole were of little comfort, she knocked softly on Honey’s door before lifting the latch and opening the panel. She was very quiet, peeking into the chamber to see that Honey was awake and being attended to by the physic. Coming alongside the bed with Davyss trailing after her, she smiled at Honey when their eyes met.
“Good morn to you, my lady,” she said softly, reaching out to take Honey’s hand. “Sir Davyss is leaving and wished to bid you farewell.”
Honey was having great difficulty speaking this morning. She felt very out of breath. But her eyes had lost none of their fire as she gazed up at Davyss, the mischievous young boy who had grown into a powerful knight. She looked upon him with great fondness no matter who the man fought for.
“Are you returning to your father?” she whispered.
Davyss nodded. “I am,” he replied. “I know he will wish to come and pay his respects. Will you see him?”
Honey was silent a moment as she thought on Grayson de Winter, a man she had once been quite fond of; too fond, in fact. She’d had something of a secret love for the man after her husband had passed away but Grayson never knew, or if he did, he never said anything about it. Honey wasn’t sure she was strong enough to see the man so she removed her fragile hand from Jeniver’s grasp and extended it to Davyss. He took it gently.
“I would wish for your father to remember me how I was, not how I am,” she answered. “Tell Grayson… tell him that I have always treasured his friendship.”
Davyss’ smile faded as he gazed onto the woman with the odd yellow complexion. “I will,” he said. “Are you sure you do not wish to tell him yourself?”
Honey tried to shake her head but she was so weak that it was difficult. “Nay,” she rasped. “You will tell him for me.”
Davyss simply nodded, bending over to kiss the frail hand before releasing it carefully. “I will, I swear it,” he said, glancing at Jeniver. “I am camped over the rise to the east. As soon as you hear from Gallus, please send word. I will return.”
Jeniver nodded, reclaiming Honey’s hand as Davyss quit the room. As the knight went to collect his horse and ride for his father, Jeniver pulled a chair next to Honey’s bed as Violet and Lily brought the puppy into the room so they could be near their grandmother. They didn’t quite understand what was happening to her but they knew she was quite ill. It was quite normal for them to play in her chamber and even with Honey’s illness, that hadn’t changed. Honey didn’t want it to.
As the old physic spooned some greenish liquid into Honey’s mouth, Jeniver couldn’t help but notice that the woman seemed to smell strange, like mold or rot. It was a foul smell that permeated the entire chamber. She was worse today. Jeniver could see it in her eyes.
“It promises to be a fine spring day,” Jeniver said, speaking on the first thing that came to mind so they would not be sitting around in gloomy silence. “There were clouds on the horizon last night but they missed us. Gallus should have the missive by now. I am sure he will be home by tonight. Kenilworth is not very far away, is it? Gallus said it was quite close.”
Honey’s eyes were closed but her mouth worked, trying to wash away the
terrible taste of the green liquid.
“Jeni,” she breathed. “This will be the last day that I remember on this earth. You must do something for me.”
Jeniver struggled not to tear up. Having gone through the threat of death so recently with her father, the pain and fear of losing a parent was still very fresh in her mind. She didn’t want to listen to last requests but she was the only one available. Her heart ached for her husband as she squeezed Honey’s hand.
“What is your wish, my lady?” she asked tightly.
Honey’s eyes opened and fixed on Jeniver. “I fear that I will not be able to speak to Gallus when he finally arrives,” she murmured. “When he comes, you will tell him that whatever he does, he must keep Isenhall intact for future generations. De Montfort is trying to destroy him and he must not let the man win. He must fight.”
Jeniver nodded, putting a soothing hand on Honey’s forehead. “He will fight,” she assured the woman. “You know your son, my lady. He will not let de Montfort best him. He is the Thunder Lord, after all. De Montfort is a mere mortal.”
Honey’s eyes closed after that and her breathing seemed to calm. Jeniver thought she was asleep but suddenly, she began to speak with a strength beyond her fragile body. It was an inner strength, something that brought back memories of the Lady Honey of old. The resolute, strong woman was still there, somewhere, trapped in a body that was betraying her.
“I had a dream this morning that Antoninus was standing at the gates of Isenhall,” she said. “He looked the same as he did when he was young and strong, before age and his health caused him to deteriorate. I saw this man in my dream, as I once remembered him, but he stood at the gates of Isenhall and would not come in no matter what I said. He simply stood there and smiled. Do you know what I think? He is standing there right now, waiting for me to come to him. When I dream of him again, I believe that I might go to him. I… I have missed him.”
With that, she faded off as Jeniver sat beside the woman, her lower lip trembling and tears streaming down her face. She wiped the tears away, sniffling, as the physic bent over Honey to check her pulse. As the physic lifted an eyelid, Jeniver squeezed Lady Honey’s hand.
“If you dream of him again, then you must go,” she whispered. “I will take care of Gallus and your sons, so do not fear for them. All will be well. If Antoninus comes again to the gates, then you must go to him.”
Honey’s breathing became deep and labored and Jeniver looked to the physic with concern. The old, bald man, still bent over Honey, must have sensed her alarm because he turned to look at Jeniver.
“She sleeps now, my lady,” he said in a voice that sounded as if frogs were croaking. “I do not know if she will awaken again, but for now, she sleeps.”
Jeniver kissed Honey’s hand before placing it gently against the woman’s chest. Rising quietly, she herded Violet and Lily out of the room, carrying the puppy in her arms as she went. But before she passed over the threshold of the chamber, she cast a long look at Honey, lying small and pale upon the bed.
It seemed to her that Honey was fighting death, remaining because she was concerned about her sons and about the situation they were in. As Jeniver had told Gallus, perhaps Honey would hang on long enough to see him returned from Kenilworth and now with this latest happening, perhaps she would hang on longer than that. Now, she needed to see her beloved Gallus vindicated. For that moment, Honey was going to hang on as long as she could.
Antoninus would be waiting at the gates for quite some time.
Kenilworth Castle
In his borrowed rooms in the old keep of Kenilworth, Gallus sat before the long, scrubbed table they had been using for their meetings and for an occasional meal. It was a relatively bright spring day outside, with streams of golden light coming through the lancet windows and creating panels of light upon the old wooden floors, but Gallus didn’t notice. At the moment, all he could manage to notice was his own distinct sense of sorrow. He felt hollow.
He’d received a missive from Isenhall that morning, delivered by one of his own soldiers before dawn. He had not been expecting any communication from Isenhall and was dreading opening the missive but he forced himself to. His worst fears came to light when the missive asked him to come home and bring his brothers, as Lady Honey was breathing her last.
It was not an unexpected missive but it was certainly an unwelcome one. Gallus sat alone in his assigned room, reading the missive scribed in Troy’s careful writing and knowing that he and his brothers needed to return home immediately. He had come to Kenilworth reluctantly, knowing how ill his mother was, but Jeniver had convinced him it was the right thing to do. He did not regret that decision because he had been able to confront Bigod about the man’s lies, but now, the call had come from home. He needed to go back no matter what was happening with Bigod. His mother, whether or not she wanted to be, was now his priority.
After an hour of pondering the contents of the sorrowful missive and the choices he would have to make, Gallus finally went in search of Maximus, finding the man down in the stables, bent over the swollen fetlock of his new silver horse. When Gallus informed him of the missive, Maximus simply hung his head. Like his elder brother, Maximus wasn’t ready to face what he must but there was no denying it now. They had to return home.
The third brother was found in the great hall where there was a lively debate going on between some of the barons. De Montfort was there, as was Bigod, all of them breaking their night’s fast over watered ale and cold beef. As Maximus went to the table where Tiberius was to inform his younger brother of their mother’s state of health, Gallus went to the table where de Montfort was sitting. Hughston de Russe was seated next to de Montfort and offered Gallus his seat, but Gallus politely declined.
“My lord,” Gallus addressed de Montfort. “I received word this morning that my mother’s health has taken a turn for the worse. We have been summoned home.”
De Montfort, who had known Lady Honey for many years, seemed genuinely distressed. “Oh, Gallus,” he sighed softly, with regret. “I am deeply sorry to hear that.”
Gallus nodded, not particularly touched by the man’s sympathy. He found that he was very anxious to return home. “As am I,” he said. “We will leave this morning.”
De Montfort was inevitably thinking of the missive he sent to Henry and of the fact that Henry, more than likely, was sending an army to Isenhall. Perhaps the army was there already. That being the case, Bigod could not ride to the man’s aid if Gallus insisted on going to Isenhall alone and running headlong into Henry’s siege. De Montfort struggled to think quickly on how to keep his scheme from falling apart without making it look like he was trying to manipulate a man’s grief.
“Is there no hope, then?” de Montfort asked. “Must you go this day?”
Gallus nodded. “Troy sent the missive,” he replied. “He says my mother is breathing her last. I do not want her to die without her sons around her. I will return immediately but once I see the situation for what it is, I will send word to you as to when you can expect my return to Kenilworth.”
By this time, Bigod was listening to Gallus and he, too, realized that Gallus’ premature return to Isenhall could ruin their carefully laid scheme. Unlike de Montfort, however, he was less subtle about it.
“I am sorry to hear of your mother, Gallus,” he said, trying to sound sincere. “But I am sure she has the best of care, does she not? I am sure she is in very good hands. What good could you do for her if you were there?”
Gallus looked at Bigod with nothing but loathing in his features. “She is my mother,” he said, his tone bordering on hostile. “Mayhap I cannot heal her, but I intend to be at her side to give her comfort. That will be enough.”
As he turned from the table, Bigod stood up. “Then allow me to go with you,” he offered eagerly, suddenly realizing he sounded very odd with his offer. He backed down somewhat. “I… I meant to say that you are welcome to take some of my men with you to reinforce your
ranks. You have men here at Kenilworth, do you not?”
Gallus had little patience for Bigod’s foolery. “I do,” he replied. “They are camping outside of the walls along with a dozen other armies. I do not need your men to reinforce my ranks. My ranks are sufficient. It is not as if I am marching to battle.”
That’s what you think, Bigod thought, but he nodded nervously instead, looking at de Montfort, who was a good deal calmer.
“Gal,” de Montfort said quietly. “Could you not wait a day or two? The last of the barons arrived last night and we intend to hold our first assembly this evening. I would like for you to be here. You are a very important part of this movement.”
Gallus was becoming increasingly agitated by de Montfort and Bigod trying to keep him from returning to Isenhall. It was an effort not to snap at them.
“My mother is dying,” he said through clenched teeth. “I will be at her side while she transitions into God’s care. I am not entirely sure why you think a meeting of the barons supersedes this, but it does not. I am going home. I will send you word as to when you can expect my return.”
By this time, Maximus, Tiberius, their knights, and de Wolfe were standing behind Gallus, having walked up as the last few sentences were exchanged. It was clear that there was agitation in the air. Maximus heard his brother’s tone and immediately geared up for a fight.
“Is something the matter, Gal?” he asked, eyeing Bigod and de Montfort. “What goes on here?”
Gallus shook his head, wanting to head off his brother’s rage. “Nothing of note,” he said. “De Montfort was simply letting me know that all of the barons had arrived and that the first big assembly will take place this evening.”
De Montfort’s gaze moved between Gallus and Maximus, now with de Wolfe standing with them. Unless he wanted a riot on his hands, he would have to let them go. There was no preventing it. As he thought quickly on the problem, and the solution, he realized there was another avenue to take. He had another plan. With that in mind, he waved Gallus and Maximus off.