Trenton tried not to let his words dig into him, but they did. His father had said much the same thing. They made a good deal of sense and, for the first time, Trenton was starting to see the situation from Matthew’s point of view.
Had he truly been so selfish?
“If that is true, then I apologize,” he said. “I deeply, sincerely apologize. But I have been unhappy with women my entire life, for the most part, and in falling for Lysabel, I saw a piece of heaven that I wanted. Is that so wrong?”
Matthew shook his head. “It is not wrong,” he said. “Wanting it is not wrong. But ruining lives to get it is wrong. Do you understand that?”
He was right, but Trenton wasn’t going to admit it. His gaze moved to Lysabel, who was standing over near her father’s table, looking at him with great apprehension. His gaze lingered on her a moment before returning to Matthew.
“I do,” he said. “I do understand. And I am very sorry for being so selfish. But now, I am free to marry your daughter and I beg you for her hand in marriage. I swear to you that I shall be a good husband, and a good father, and I shall provide a safe and happy home for her and for her daughters. I love them all more than words can express. Please give me that privilege, Uncle Matthew. I beseech you.”
Matthew was so tired of this same plea. It was wearing him down. “And what of de Troyes? Do you simply expect me to break a perfectly honorable bargain? If I try and he refuses, there is no court that will take my side of it. I could lose more than my daughter – my reputation will be gone. A man who breaks bargains is not a man to be trusted.”
“You should have never made the offer!” Lysabel cried. The tears began to fall. “You did it to put another marriage between me and Trenton, and you did it out of spite!”
Matthew turned to his daughter, who was wiping furiously at her eyes. “I did not do it out of spite,” he said calmly. “I did it because I felt it was the right thing to do. Moreover, when I made the offer to de Troyes, Trenton was still a married man for all I knew.”
Lysabel was trying desperately not to sob. “But he is not married now,” she said. “Papa… please. I love him.”
Matthew couldn’t look at her any longer. He turned away and went to sit in his chair, rubbing at his forehead as if to rub away the tension and sorrows that had enveloped him. Trenton and Lysabel were in love, and now Trenton was free to marry. But a deal of Matthew’s own making was now the biggest obstacle between them.
“To make you both happy, I must break a contract with an honorable knight,” he muttered. “A man who has never done either of you harm. Are you truly asking me to be so dishonorable?”
Trenton didn’t even know what to say. He was looking at Lysabel, who was weeping into her hand. His heart was broken in so many pieces that he knew he’d never be able to put it back together again if he couldn’t marry her.
That was all he wanted in the world.
“And if I say yes?” he rasped.
Matthew looked up at him, pain in his eyes. There was so much pain there. Over to his left, Lysabel was sobbing softly, and in front of him stood Trenton and Gaston, two of the men he loved most in the world. One word from his lips would keep that love intact, but another word would ruin it forever. He was in a position he didn’t want to be in, trying to find a balance where everyone would understand that he was only doing what he felt best. As he prepared to make a decision that would change his life forever, a soft voice near the chamber entry spoke.
“You do not have to break the contract, my lord. I will.”
Matthew, Gaston, Trenton, and Lysabel looked towards the door to see Ranse standing there. His young face was serious as he stepped into the chamber, his focus solely on Matthew, as his liege.
This conversation only involved the two of them.
“You do not have to break the contract, my lord,” he said again, calmly and quietly. “I will break it.”
Matthew was surprised to see him. “You have heard our conversation?”
Ranse nodded, somewhat sadly. “Aye, my lord.”
“How much of it?”
“Most of it, my lord.”
Matthew lowered his gaze, scratching at his graying head and feeling rather badly that the man had heard things that should have been more gently delivered to him.
“Then I am sorry,” he said after a moment. “You should not have had to overhear a conversation to know that we were discussing your betrothal with Lysabel.”
Ranse’s expression was serious. “But I am glad I heard it,” he said, looking to Lysabel, who was standing near the lancet windows that overlooked the bailey. When he spoke, it was to her. “From the beginning of your father’s offer, I could feel that something was off. He said you had issues to deal with, and in our discussion earlier today, that was very clear. I could tell that you were extremely dissatisfied with this betrothal and I am sorry you felt as if you could not tell me the truth.”
Lysabel’s sobbing had stopped, but as she looked at Ranse, she began to feel overwhelming guilt. Guilt that so sweet and fine a man had to hear the truth the way he had.
“How could I?” she asked. “I told you all that I could, all that I felt comfortable telling you. Had I told you about Trenton, it would have looked as if my father had withheld truths, but that is not why he did not tell you. He did it because he did not wish for there to be any encumbrances on the start of a new life together. Knowing I was in love with another… that would have put an immovable obstacle between us and it was not something you deserved.”
Ranse nodded, appreciating her candor, but his attention moved back to Matthew. “Forgive me, my lord, but I feel as if you did not tell me the truth because you knew if you did, I would have refused your offer.”
Matthew sighed faintly. “That is possible,” he admitted. “But I felt it was an unnecessary burden for you, most of all.”
Ranse wasn’t so sure, but he didn’t counter him. His gaze moved from Matthew to Trenton, who was standing back over by his father, looking pale and worn. There was anguish in every feature.
God, he knew the emotion behind such an appearance.
He knew it well.
“When my wife died, I looked much as you do now,” he said. “I had just lost something that meant a great deal to me and you look as if you are about to lose the same. I do not know why Lord Wellesbourne offered me Lady de Wilde’s hand instead of you, but having heard what I have, I will respectfully decline the offer. If you are worried about me standing in your way, I will not. I could not marry the lady knowing she loved another, and that is the truth. When I marry, I want my bride’s full attention. I think that is only fair.”
Trenton, much like Matthew and Lysabel, was coming to feel badly for de Troyes. He was honestly shocked that the man was being so agreeable about this and he felt guilty for ever thinking terrible thoughts about the man.
“I agree with you,” he said. “And there is some lady, somewhere, who will be deeply honored to bear the name of Lady de Troyes, and I believe she will be very fortunate, indeed. If you are wondering why Lord Wellesbourne offered you Lady de Wilde’s hand in marriage instead of me, it is because I am a man of questionable reputation. I have been married three times, my most recent wife having died in a fire two days ago. So, you see, even though I love Lysabel and she loves me, I could not marry her, and Lord Wellesbourne, as every father should, was concerned for her future and her honor. He did not want her entering into a clandestine love affair with a married man. But before you judge me, know that my marriage to my third wife was an arranged marriage and she hated the sight of me. She did all she could to dishonor the de Russe name, so it wasn’t a marriage at all. It was a union of chains, and I was its prisoner. It is true that I loved a woman other than the female I had married, but it was not a dishonorable love, I assure you. It is one I will take to my grave with me, and beyond.”
It was a succinct, calm explanation of the situation and coupled with what Ranse had already heard, he could
put the puzzle together. He saw what had happened. Nodding his head at Trenton, to thank the man for the honest explanation, he turned back to Matthew.
“My lord, although I am greatly honored by the offer of Lady de Wilde’s hand, you will understand when I say that I have reconsidered and must refuse,” he said. “Last year, I lost the love of my life. It was the worst thing that could have happened to me, so I understand what de Russe is facing at this moment. He is watching his entire life slip away. I had to face the end of what I had, and there was no choice, but now you have the choice. You can make two people happy beyond their wildest dreams. I beg you – on behalf of one who has loved and lost – to do the right thing. Let them be together.”
With that, he turned on his heel and left the solar, walking past Gaston, who put a hand of gratitude on the man’s shoulder. He also walked past Dane, who smiled at him approvingly, and finally Cort, who was also smiling at him. It seemed that Ranse had done right by all of them and once he left the solar, it was Gaston who finally turned to Matthew as the man sat at his table, drained and emotional.
“Before Lysabel and Trenton came into this solar, you had given me the choice of what to do in this situation,” he said, making his way to the table. Reaching out, he extended his hand to Matthew, who took it strongly. They held hands for a moment, silently reaffirming bonds of trust and love and friendship. In spite of everything, those bonds had never been stronger. “Matt, listen to me. I do not have much time left, but in the time I do have, I would like to see my son happy. Let them wed. Please.”
Matthew was looking up at him, fighting off the tears. Gaston had admitted what Matthew didn’t want to hear, the fact that his life, at some point in the near future, would come to an end. To Matthew, it was a dying request.
He would honor it.
EPILOGUE
There were ponies in the wedding party.
The day of the wedding had dawned bright and warm, and guests had been invited from all over England. Even the village of Wellesbourne was in the celebration mood, as Matthew had supplied barrels of wine and two large hogs for a feast. Everyone in and around Wellesbourne Castle was celebrating on this day, cheering the happy couple on the event of their marriage.
But it was an unusual wedding party already. Cynethryn and Brencis had begged to have their ponies with them, and Dewi as well, and deck them out in flowers. Trenton had given them permission for the ponies, but he knew Dewi wouldn’t tolerate being primped, so he had to suffer through Brencis’ sad face when he denied her permission to decorate his warhorse. He had given the girls his approval without asking Lysabel, who hadn’t been around at the time. She had been in her chamber with her mother, and Remington, and Gilliana, Trenton’s youngest sister, and he hadn’t wanted to bother her about it. Or perhaps he simply wanted to make his first fatherly decision.
It had felt good.
Because the wedding had happened within a week of Matthew officially giving his consent, that meant that most things, including the announcements, had been rushed. News of Benoit de Wilde’s death had been circulated shortly before the announcement of the remarriage of Lady de Wilde, and messengers were sent out to all of the de Russe and Wellesbourne siblings.
Unfortunately, most were unable to attend, but a few had managed – William was there, of course, as was his brother, Daniel, a rather serious knight without much of a sense of humor. He was a trainer at Kenilworth and it showed – grim, dedicated, and knightly. William had harassed him about it until Daniel slugged him, drawing blood.
William teased from a safe distance after that.
Matthieu de Russe had also been able to attend the festivities, and he had brought his wife and young sons, who were tormented by Cort and Boden and Gage. Wellesbourne Castle abounded with screaming children and taunting uncles. But it was all in great fun.
Then, of course, there were the ponies in the wedding party.
At sunset on the eighth day after Matthew gave his consent, a priest from St. Peter’s church in Wellesbourne’s village performed the wedding mass at the door to Wellesbourne’s keep, with nearly everyone at Wellesbourne as witnesses. Trenton had never known such happiness and as he looked into Lysabel’s eyes as the priest tied their hands together with a satin sash, he was genuinely choked with emotion. It would have been perfect had a series of unsavory events not interrupted what had been the most momentous moment of his life.
It had all started with Cynethryn and Brencis being led into the wedding ceremony on Honey and Snowdrop, who were no longer lame and covered in flowers that the little girls had woven into their manes and tails. William was leading Cynethryn as Boden led Brencis, with the uncles in charge of managing the girls and the animals. It sounded simple enough. They positioned the beasts next to Lysabel, who rolled her eyes when she saw the barnyard wedding guests. She laid the blame squarely on Trenton, who merely shrugged sheepishly.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. Somehow, one of the ponies had a sour stomach and started to pass gas during the ceremony, which drove most of the younger knights into fits of giggles. Nothing said romance like a pony farting throughout a wedding. It was bad enough, but Gage, who was standing near the offending pony, tried to push the beast away from him. That resulted in the animal lifting its tail and dumping shite onto his feet.
Disgusted, Gage tried to move away, but ended up slipping in the shite, crashing into his brother, Matthieu, who shoved him aside and sent him onto his arse. This startled the ponies, and Lysabel grabbed Brencis as Trenton grabbed Cynethryn to prevent the ponies from dumping the girls.
After that, the animals were banished, and the girls were teary with the loss, but the ceremony proceeded without incident. Lysabel Wellesbourne de Wilde became Lady de Russe, Countess of Westbury, and farting ponies notwithstanding, Trenton had never been so proud in his entire life.
It was done.
Day moved into night, and all of Wellesbourne had joined in the wedding festivities. Even the off-duty soldiers were drunk. The castle was lit up and could be seen for miles around, and the wine and music both flowed freely. Trenton and Lysabel walked hand in hand among the guests, receiving their blessing and well-wishes, as the girls sat sleepily with Alixandrea and Remington, who ended up taking them up to bed when the hour grew late. The last Trenton saw of his mother, it was with Brencis hanging on to her neck, cuddling up to the woman.
Already, they were family.
“My girls love your mother,” Lysabel said softly as she watched Remington follow Alixandrea from the hall. “She is a truly wonderful woman.”
Trenton smiled, his arm around her shoulders and a cup of wine in his hand. He gave her a squeeze as his attention turned to the great hall, with its smoke and laughter and revelry going on.
“Look at Dane,” he said, pointing with the hand that held the cup. “He has only been watching that gambling game. The second my mother leaves the hall, he’ll rush to join it.”
Lysabel giggled when, as predicted, Dane inserted himself into the middle of a gambling game over near the hearth. “He is a grown man,” she said. “Are you telling me that he is still afraid of his mother?”
Trenton looked at her. “Aren’t you?”
Lysabel continued laughing, conceding the point. Her gaze moved over the hall, seeing both family and friends alike enjoying themselves. Cort, William, Gage, and Boden, the troublemakers, were laughing and drinking along with Matthieu and Daniel, older brothers who weren’t quite as silly and gay as the younger knights, but they were enjoying themselves nonetheless.
Markus was also there along with Trenton’s men, Timothy, Adrian, and Anthony, who had come from the village of Westbury to witness the wedding at Trenton’s summons. Trenton had sent a missive to The Horn and The Crown tavern, where they had been waiting for him, and they’d come on the run. He’d only spoken with them briefly when they arrived, and it had been clear that they were surprised by the wedding to Lady de Wilde.
Considering the last time they�
�d seen the woman was the night they’d killed her first husband, to say that they were surprised was putting it mildly. Still, when Trenton explained everything, they understood – in his quest to ensure she was safe after the harrowing events with her husband, Trenton had fallen in love with her. It was as simple as that. Perhaps that was the most shocking of all to them, that the Trenton de Russe they knew could actually show such feeling.
But it was feeling that was exceedingly obvious.
“Trenton?” Lysabel asked over the noise of the hall.
“Aye, love?”
Her gaze was lingering on Timothy and Adrian and Anthony as the men drank heartily with Markus. “When your men return to London, are you going with them?”
Trenton looked at his men, also. He’d been with them for many years, and they’d lived side by side for most of that time. He found it ironic that in the biggest adventure of his life, the one with Lysabel, they hadn’t been with him at all.
But perhaps they weren’t meant to be.
They were from another chapter in his life.
“I will,” he said, “but only to give Henry my resignation in person.”
She smiled up at him. “Are you certain?” she asked. “I do not wish for you to surrender something you love to do. You told me once that you felt as if you made a difference. That you were shaping a kingdom.”
He looked down at her. “That is true, but there is more to it,” he said. “I think I was hiding from something, hiding from what my life had become. I was doing what I wanted to do because there was nothing else for me. But now… now, there is so much more for me. I told your father that I would give it all up for you and I meant it. We shall retire to Deverill Castle for now, but I shall petition Henry for permission to build a new castle at Westbury, something bigger and more beautiful than you can possibly imagine. You deserve something as grand as I can give you.”