A Time of End

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  And here he was.

  “Sean,” Alexander greeted steadily. “What finds you out here? Isn’t the king still inside?”

  Sean nodded. “He is,” he said, his gaze moving between Alexander and Christin. “Where are you taking the lady?”

  Alexander quickly sized up the situation. Sean was a couple of inches taller than he was and built like a bull, but Alexander had the advantage of enormous strength and a sword hand that was better than most. Even though he and Sean were technically on the same side, Alexander was prepared to fight the man in order to remove Christin.

  He was prepared to do what was necessary.

  “I am taking her away until the king leaves,” he said. “You were in the chamber when the king demanded to dine with her, Sean. Did you really think we would allow it?”

  “Who is ‘we’?”

  “Me,” Christin stepped forward. She didn’t really know Sean well but she knew his mission. She knew he had to provide the illusion of being loyal to the king above all else. “I will not sup with the king because if he tries to molest me or, God forbid, succeeds, it will bring my father’s wrath. Dealing with the French will be the least of your worries if my father declares war on the crown.”

  Sean’s gaze settled on her for a moment before nodding. “I know,” he said simply. “I have told the king the same thing but to no avail. But you should know that this runs deeper than his usual interest in a woman. I am afraid I may not have the opportunity to tell The Marshal when he arrives, so I must tell you, Sherry. All of this runs deeper than you think.”

  Alexander wasn’t sure if he was still going to have to fight Sean off, but it didn’t sound like it. At least, not at the moment. He cocked his head curiously.

  “Deeper?” he repeated. “Sean, you should know that we had an incident at Ramsbury Castle a few days ago. Has anyone told you about it yet?”

  Sean shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “What happened?”

  “We had information that Lord Prescombe was a double agent for the French crown,” Alexander said. “We set a trap for him and as it turned out, he had a female French agent working with him. Christin cornered the woman and she told Christin that there is a threat against John under our noses. There is some manner of threat against him we are not aware of and The Marshal believes it may be one of the allies who will be in attendance at this celebration. That is why we are all here; to find out who, or what, this threat is.”

  Sean digested the information. “It is possible that it is one of the allies,” he said. “It is equally possible it is not. It could be an assassin dressed as a soldier or a knight, someone who is able to get close to the king. I will have to shadow him closely to ensure he remains healthy.”

  Alexander nodded. “Indeed,” he said. “It is important you know what we were told. But now with this added threat of the king being interested in Christin… if her father finds out, the king’s days are numbered. It will tear the country apart.”

  Sean sighed heavily as the weight of the situation settled. “It is worse than that,” he said. “If I do not have the opportunity, you must tell William that John has plans for Christin.”

  Alexander and Christin looked at one another, puzzled. “What plans?” Christin asked. “How could the man possibly know anything at all about me?”

  Sean looked at her. “He knows that you are Christopher de Lohr’s eldest daughter,” he said. “He knows you are unmarried. He plans to marry you to his bastard son, Robert FitzRoy. The man is the son of a king, after all, with a great manse in Bishop’s Lynn, and for ties to de Lohr, John is willing to take the risk. He is convinced that marrying you to his son will subdue your father.”

  Christin was genuinely trying not to look horrified. She was also genuinely trying not to run. She held her ground, looking at Sean as if he’d just given her a death sentence.

  “Is this true?” she breathed. “There could be no misunderstanding on your part?”

  Sean shook his head with genuine regret. “Nay,” he said quietly. “There is no misunderstanding. I am sorry, Christin. I have tried to discourage him and I shall continue to try. But at some point, it will look suspicious if I do not support his wishes.”

  Christin understood that. She could see that Sean wasn’t here to take her to John, at least not yet. He was keeping her informed of what was happening. She’d never felt so frightened in her life.

  Alexander.

  She looked at him to see what his reaction was to all of this. He was looking at Sean, staring at the man in disbelief. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded strangely weak.

  “Then hiding her until the king departs Norwich will not matter,” he said. “This is not a whim.”

  “Nay, it is not,” Sean said. “If she escapes him here, there will be another time. John does not easily give up. But if we face it now, we can control it somewhat.”

  “How?” Alexander asked.

  Sean looked at Christin. “I have an idea, my lady, if you would be willing.”

  Christin wasn’t sure how to answer him. She wanted to leave. She wanted to hide out but Alexander and Sean seemed to think that wasn’t a good idea. If John was on her scent, he would not relent until he found her. But she wasn’t so convinced.

  “Why must I face him?” she asked. “Why can I not simply hide away until he forgets about me. There are thousands of women in England. He will find someone else for his son, eventually.”

  Sean lifted his big shoulders. “It is possible,” he said. “It is equally possible that by losing the opportunity to wed you to his son, he will go after one of your sisters. You have three, do you not? Brielle is the sister closest to your age. What if he takes her instead of you? Would that make you feel better?”

  He sounded cold and Christin stiffened. “Of course it will not make me feel better,” she hissed. “My father will go after him, anyway. I must send word to my father to hide all of my sisters until the king grows weary of us and moves on to another family.”

  “My lady, I have served John for years,” Sean said patiently. “He does not forget. The more you elude his grasp, the more obsessed he will become. He went after your mother years ago. Did you know that? Your father saved her, but it took a massive war and great loss in order to regain your mother. John has had an obsession with the de Lohr women for a long time, so this is not something that will simply fade away. You must trust me on this.”

  Christin thought she had heard that at one point, how John and his henchmen had captured his mother. As she struggled with her reply, Alexander spoke quietly.

  “What is your suggestion, Sean?” he asked. “Tell us and we shall do it.”

  Sean looked at him. Something in the way he’d said it made it sound as if he and Christin were a team. We shall do it. Given that he’d been lingering in the shadows when Alexander had kissed her, he could see that something was going on between them but, much to Alexander’s credit, he wasn’t acting like a crazed lover. He was acting like a man who knew his duty and Sean respected that.

  It couldn’t have been easy on him.

  “John loathes ill-mannered women,” he said. “That may seem foolish, but I assure you that it is true. Drinking, loud-mouthed, belching, farting… he cannot stand women who behave that way. He prefers his women young, quiet, sweet-smelling, and obedient. If Christin can behave like she was born in the slums of London, it could very well put him off her scent.”

  Alexander considered that seriously. “And you believe that is the best course of action?”

  “Given what I know of the man, I do. Unless he feels her status as a de Lohr makes her a more worthy a prize over her bad behavior, we must gamble on her disgusting him.”

  It wasn’t a foolproof plan, but strong enough that Alexander was willing to agree with him. He turned to Christin, who was standing there listening to all of it without much of an expression on her face. When she realized Alexander and Sean were looking at her, she simply shook her head in resignation.
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  “I can try,” she said. “I have been called upon to charm men. I suppose I can make a good effort at un-charming one.”

  Alexander nodded in approval. “It will be difficult for you, but I have faith in you.”

  Christin smiled at him, making Sean feel as if he were intruding on something. But it brought up a valuable point.

  “I would suggest no meaningful looks between you two in public,” he said. “If John thinks you are fond of her, it will destroy her attempts in trying to disillusion him.”

  Both Alexander and Christin looked at him in surprise. “Meaningful looks?” Alexander repeated.

  Sean cast him a knowing expression. “They do not call me the Lord of the Shadows for nothing,” he said. “I have been watching you two for quite some time. You just did not see me.”

  When they realized what he meant, Christin hung her head, embarrassed, while Alexander merely smiled. “Is it that obvious?”

  Sean’s lips flickered with a smile. “When you kissed her, it was.”

  Alexander’s smile lingered for a moment, but the light soon went out of his eyes. “Then you understand I will do whatever is necessary to ensure her safety, Sean.”

  The conversation took a somber, if not ominous, turn. “And I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of the king,” Sean said. “Sherry, I understand what is going on and I want to help, but not at the risk of my position. I know you understand that.”

  Alexander did. That was the trouble – he understood more than most. He knew what Sean would do to protect his position and, now, Alexander knew what he would do to protect Christin.

  He could only hope it didn’t come to that.

  “I trust you, Sean,” he finally said. “But I have a stake in this as much as she does. If your plan does not work…”

  “If it does not work, then we will have to formulate another plan.”

  Alexander felt better about that, knowing Sean was willing to go above and beyond. But only to a certain point.

  It was that point that had Alexander’s concern.

  “Then what do we do now?” Alexander asked.

  Sean gestured to the apartments he had seen Christin emerge from. “She will change into her finest gown, come to the feasting hall, and make an absolute fool of herself,” he said, looking to Christin. “You can do that, can you not?”

  Christin sighed, knowing she had no choice. “I can.”

  “The worse you can behave, the better for us all.”

  “I will.”

  Alexander looked at her. “Pretend we are back at the wedding feast in the village and you are drunk on cheap ale.”

  Sean lifted his eyebrows. “Drunk on cheap ale? I am intrigued.”

  Christin shook her head. “Don’t be,” she said. “I made an absolute arse out of myself, and it seems that I shall be called upon to do it again.”

  Alexander grinned. “She vomited like a waterspout.”

  “Don’t tell him that!” Christin said, appalled. She looked at Alexander and Sean, both of them grinning, and pursed her lips wryly. “I will change my clothing and wait for the summons.”

  Sean’s smile faded. “I will come for you myself.”

  Christin nodded, her gaze moving to Alexander. Looking at him made her feel afraid again, fearful that this might not work. After everything they’d said between them, she didn’t want this evening to be the last time she and Alexander spoke of their feelings for one another. She wanted to speak to the man every evening for the rest of her life.

  But she had to get through tonight first.

  “I will see you later,” she murmured. “I will not fail. But if this does not go our way, promise me that you will not do anything foolish. Please, Sherry.”

  Alexander was struggling not to become emotional, an unusual state for him, indeed. “I will not do anything foolish,” he said. “But I will do what is necessary.”

  She shook her head sadly, knowing what he meant. But she had to be clear. “You will not jeopardize yourself for me, do you hear? I can handle myself. But I could not live with myself if I knew you sacrificed yourself for me. Am I making myself clear?”

  She was, but he wasn’t going to give her the answer she was looking for. He couldn’t. “You are the strongest woman I know,” he said quietly. “We will prevail.”

  He said it to give her strength but also to make it clear that, in spite of her pleas, he would do what he felt necessary. Reaching out, he took her hand and kissed it, watching her as she headed back to her chamber, still carrying her satchel. He watched her until she disappeared inside before turning to Sean.

  “I had better spread the word about what is to happen with her tonight,” he said. “I am particularly concerned about Peter.”

  Sean knew that, but something caught his eye emerging from the keep. From where he was standing, he had a clear field of vision. He could see three men moving through the torch-lit darkness and as they moved over near the chapel, it occurred to him who they were.

  “There he is,” he said. “It looks as if he is with MacRohan and my brother.”

  Alexander could see them all, heading to the chapel for perhaps yet another private meeting. “I see him,” he said. “I will go speak with him.”

  He started to move but a Sean stopped him. “How is my brother these days?” he asked.

  Alexander knew that the relationship between the de Lara brothers was strained. More than strained, in fact. He could hear the concern in Sean’s voice and he felt some pity for the man.

  “Well,” he said. “He serves flawlessly, as he always has. He’s with de Lohr now, you know.”

  Sean nodded slowly. “With David,” he said. “I know. Have you heard any news about my father?”

  “You do not talk to him?”

  Sean shook his head. “Nay,” he said, his expression appearing almost vulnerable as he thought of his beloved father. “A few years ago, he was in London and came to the White Tower, where John happened to be in residence at the time. He begged to see me and when I agreed, he wept the entire time. I… I had to leave him at the gatehouse, sobbing over what I have become. It nearly destroyed me, Sherry. Therefore, I do not have any contact with him. I am trying to spare him the pain.”

  Alexander sighed faintly. “I have not seen my own father in over twenty years,” he said. “Like you, it is my choice. I have my own reasons. But my father does not love me like yours does you. He would never show up and beg me to come home.”

  “How do you know?”

  Alexander smiled thinly. “Because I killed two of his sons. I am sure he wishes me dead every day of his life.”

  Sean was too young to go to The Levant with Richard’s Crusade, but he knew what men like Alexander and Maxton and Kress and Achilles had done there. He admired them greatly, but much like himself, they had built reputations for themselves that men feared and loathed. It was difficult to know that doing one’s duty would ruin every other aspect of a man’s life.

  “I am sure to my father, I am dead,” Sean said. “Even so… you have not heard any news of him?”

  Alexander shook his head. “You might ask your brother.”

  “You know that Kevin will not speak to me.”

  Alexander’s gaze lingered on the chapel. “He might if you happened to run into him,” he said. “I will tell him that I am concerned with the security of the postern gate and that he must see to it. Mayhap you will be in the vicinity when he checks it. Meanwhile, I will go and tell Peter and Bric what is to happen tonight. We must all be prepared. Oh, and Sean?”

  “Aye?”

  “If John tries to bed Christin, I will kill him.”

  Sean didn’t say anything for a moment. When he finally did, it was with a grunt. “Sherry…”

  “I am telling you what will happen. It would therefore be in your best interest to prevent it any way you can.”

  “Sherry, if you make a move against the king, I will be forced to treat you like any other threat.�
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  “I understand. You will do as you must.”

  “I will.”

  “So will I.”

  The rules were established, as hard as they were to acknowledge. There was no malice in the discussion, no hard feelings. Simply fact. As Alexander headed towards the chapel, Sean wondered if he’d find himself battling Alexander to the death before the night was out.

  He liked Sherry. He didn’t want to kill him.

  He prayed it didn’t come to that.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Kevin,” Alexander said as he entered the dark, dingy chapel. “Where have you been? I arrived earlier and was told you’d run off.”

  Kevin looked at him. “I did not run off,” he said, offended by Alexander’s statement. “I did my rounds of the keep and the king’s encampment.”

  “Did you discover anything interesting?”

  Kevin shook his head. “John is traveling lightly,” he said. “He’s brought no more than a hundred men with him, which must be giving my brother fits. I heard someone say something about a royal carriage, but I did not see one.”

  “And the keep?”

  “Solid,” he said. “I had the servants bolt the door that leads from the vault into the bailey. It could be an access point for any threats against the king, as they could enter from there, come up the stairs, and mingle in the great hall.”

  Alexander nodded. “Well done,” he said. “But do one more thing for me and check the postern gate. I’ve heard it leads to the farm fields below. It could be another point of easy access we want to control.”

  Kevin nodded. “Where is it?”

  Alexander gestured towards the east side of the keep. “Back behind the keep,” he said. “Make sure it is secure.”

  Kevin would. Heading out into the cold night, this was the precursor work to the evening’s feast and the main celebration that would take place tomorrow. Of course, Norwich had their own soldiers and knights, men who had also checked doors and access points into the castle, so what Kevin was doing was for The Marshal’s peace of mind. He would want to know from his own men how secure the castle and keep were, especially if they were searching for a threat against the king.