A Time of End
Page 16
With that, his lips claimed hers and he kissed her sweetly but with passion that quickly overwhelmed him. He had to fight the urge to ravage her, so the kiss was passionate but not lengthy. They were not in a private place, after all, and he’d probably shown her too much affection already. As he released her from his embrace and picked up both of her hands, kissing each one gently, they both heard a voice from over near the yew tree.
“I believe this is a good time to ask what I have been witnessing.”
Christin gasped and stood up quickly, but Alexander didn’t move. He remained on the bench with Christin’s hands still in his grip as Christopher de Lohr moved from his position near the tree and began the slow, deliberate trek in their direction.
And he did not look pleased.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You summoned me, your grace?”
Sean was standing in the doorway of John’s chamber, the master’s chamber that Old Daveigh and Lady de Winter had surrendered to the king upon his arrival. The chamber was spacious and comfortable, and afforded John a perfect view of the gatehouses that protected Norwich Castle. He could see the groups of nobles coming into the castle to attend his celebration.
So many groups, which John thought was rather impressive. He had no idea so many of them would have attended his feast. He wasn’t well liked in Norfolk and was pleased to see he’d been wrong. The castle was filling up quickly and he could see encampments being set up in the baileys below.
But it wasn’t today’s feast on his mind.
It was last night’s.
“Come in,” he said to Sean as he remained by the window, feeling the cool breeze caress his face. “It seems that everyone in Norfolk has decided to come today. Free food and drink will bring them in, you know.”
Sean entered the chamber, shutting the door behind him. “I believe they are coming to pay their respects to you, your grace.”
John snorted as he came away from the window. Dressed in a silken robe, he was nude beneath it and the robe wasn’t exactly covering him. He’d had a somewhat fit body in his youth that, in his advancing years, was starting to shift and he was getting a belly on him. It was his belly poking through the opening of his robe and being that he was well-endowed, his flaccid member could also be seen. Sean found himself looking the man in the eyes because he didn’t want to see anything else.
It was disturbing enough as it was.
“You are being kind because you know it is not true,” John said. “They are here because Old Daveigh asked it of them. But that does not matter; that is not why I summoned you.”
“How may I be of service, your grace?”
“Christin de Lohr.”
“What about her?”
“You will take her north today.”
Sean was greatly surprised. After the fiasco last night, that was the last thing he expected to hear. “If that is your wish, your grace.”
“It is,” John said. He wagged a finger at Sean as he moved to collect his cup of watered wine. “Last night was a disgrace. I would have believed the woman to have terrible manners for the fact that everything she did was exaggerated. Her manners were too terrible, if you know what I mean. Clearly, she was trying to dissuade me, but I am not easily deterred. I still want her for Robert and you will take her to him.”
Sean’s heart sank. “As you wish, your grace,” Sean said. “But what about Christopher de Lohr? We have discussed how badly this could go for you if you abduct his daughter. Does this not concern you?”
John nodded. “It should, I know,” he said. “But I do not believe Christopher will be a problem for one very good reason – he wants his daughter safe and whole. Control the daughter, you control the father. I know you are trying to protect me, Sean, but do not worry so. Christin de Lohr is the key to controlling the entire de Lohr war machine.”
Sean had heard that before. He still couldn’t believe that John was being so reckless, but the man seemed resolute. He’d already said what he needed to say when the idea was first brought about and he was afraid that any more conjecture on his part would cause John to be suspicious somehow, so he shut his mouth.
He had little choice.
The Lord of the Shadows was obedient in all things.
“As you say, your grace,” he said. “When shall I go?”
“Quickly,” John said, swilling the liquid in the cup. “Today, if you can. I am not sure who will be in attendance today but it is guaranteed that de Lohr allies will be here. Old Daveigh is a de Lohr ally, so whatever you do must not alert him. In fact… I believe I will send Gerard to take her north. You will remain here with me because I will need you to deter Old Daveigh if he becomes suspicious of what I have done. You are a much better persuader than Gerard is.”
Sean nodded. “As you wish, your grace.”
John stroked his chin. “I was tempted to taste her last night in spite of her behavior, but I decided to leave her a maiden,” he said. “That will be my wedding gift to Robert.”
“Does Robert know of your plans or should we send word ahead?”
“Gerard will tell him when he delivers her.”
“Aye, your grace.”
John turned back towards the window, wine in hand. “She thought she was quite clever last night,” he said. “What Lady Christin does not know is that even if she looked like the hind end of a goat, I would still marry her to Robert. Nothing she can do will change my mind. Now, send Gerard to me. There is no time to waste.”
Sean was already heading for the door. He quit the chamber, leaving the king to watch the arrival of the guests and drink his wine, but all the while he was thinking that he needed to find Christin and tell her to get the hell out of Norwich.
Their plan had not succeeded.
Worse still, he needed to find Alexander. The man had to know that Christin was in grave danger. He hadn’t taken ten steps, however, when the chamber door opened again and John was calling for him.
“Sean!” he said. “Return to me. Send a soldier for Gerard. There is something more I need to discuss with you.”
Sean sighed heavily, but he didn’t let John see it. As one of the royal soldiers ran past him, going to find Gerard, Sean returned to the king’s chamber, wondering when he was going to have the opportunity to tell Christin and Alexander of the king’s directive. He was in a bind and he knew it, but nothing on earth was going to force him to show any measure of disloyalty to the king and his wants. He’d worked too hard to get here. For all John knew, Sean was the perfect knight, the perfect bodyguard, and the perfect killing machine.
As the minutes passed and Gerard eventually joined them, Sean could see that this was going to turn out to be a very big problem. He needed to break free of the king and couldn’t seem to do it. When Gerard left with his orders, the king kept Sean with him, discussing a future journey to Nottingham.
But Sean could only think of one thing.
Run, Christin, run!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Well?” Christopher said steadily. “Does anyone want to tell me what I have just seen?”
Alexander’s heart sank. This wasn’t how he’d planned to approach de Lohr about his daughter and, in truth, he was quite shocked to see Christopher in their midst. Releasing Christin’s hands, he stood up to face the man.
In truth, it was all he could do.
“My lord,” he said evenly. “It is good to see you. I was unaware you were attending today’s festivities.”
Christopher was focused on Alexander as if there were no one else around them. Not even Christin. But she saw the way her father was looking at Alexander and she hastened to break his concentration.
“Papa,” she said, putting herself between Alexander and her father. “You did not tell me that you were coming to Norwich for the king’s celebration.”
Christopher’s intense gaze shifted, now looking at his eldest daughter. “I will speak to you later,” he said. “Go to your chamber and wait for me.”
She was afraid of what would happen if she left.
“Papa, please,” she said, trying to stay on an even keel. “What you saw… it was not what you think.”
“How do you know what I think?”
Christin lifted her eyebrows in a gesture that looked very much like her mother. “You think we are out here being foolish and clandestine,” she said. “You think that this is something meaningless and reckless. I tell you that it is not true; it is anything but meaningless and reckless. Sherry and I… he was going to speak to you but he did not know you would be here. If he had, he would have met you at the gate.”
Christopher’s gaze lingered on her before returning to Alexander. “I told you to leave us, Christin,” he said. “Go to your chamber, please.”
“Papa, I…”
“It’s all right,” Alexander interrupted her. “Go ahead.”
Christin looked at Alexander, who was focused in on Christopher with the same intensity that Christopher was focused on him. Knowing she should obey at this point, since her father had every reason to be upset, she nodded in resignation. She was going to have to let Alexander address this since Christopher’s anger was directed at him. But not before she spoke parting words to her father.
“Papa,” she said. “I am going, but know this – I was a willing participant. He did not force himself on me. And… and I adore him. He makes me happier than you can imagine. Please do not ruin this for me.”
With that, she walked away, heading towards the apartment building and her chamber, which happened to have a view of the garden. As she scurried away, Christopher maintained his eye contact with Alexander.
“She does not want me to ruin this for her,” Christopher said. “What, exactly, would I be ruining?”
Alexander could feel the tension. It was like a fog, swirling between them. He’d known Christopher for so long, as they’d served together in The Levant and since, and he’d never once been on the man’s angry side, so this was something new. He knew what Christopher de Lohr was capable of. Rather than become cagey or defensive, he reasoned that the best thing to do was to face it head-on.
He had to be honest.
“Up until yesterday, there was nothing to ruin,” he said. “But yesterday… Chris, I have spent the past several days with Christin, along with Peter and Bric and Kevin, escorting her back to Norwich Castle after the visit at Ramsbury. I’ve known of your daughter for a few years but I’ve never spent any time around her. There was never any reason to. She is a de Lohr and the House of de Lohr is in a class all its own. I never presumed to attain a de Lohr bride, nor did I have any ambition for one. But you have raised a woman of astounding bravery, wit, and charm, and as we came to know one another, I found myself succumbing to her. I do not know how it happened, but it has. As a man who loves his wife, and I have heard rumor that you do, then surely you can understand how these things simply… happen.”
Christopher was still staring at him. He was genuinely trying to decide how to react to all of this. He’d come on the hunt for his daughter and found her in the arms of Alexander de Sherrington.
Sherry.
An Executioner Knight.
“Do not bring my wife into it,” he finally said. “Do not even breathe her name, for this has nothing to do with my wife and everything to do you with you and my daughter. Christ, Sherry, you’re twice her age.”
Alexander cleared his throat softly. “I know,” he said, averting his gaze somewhat nervously. “I pointed that out to her.”
Christopher scowled. “Was this her idea?”
Alexander shook his head quickly. “Nay,” he said. “As I said, it just happened. We were speaking one moment about something completely neutral and in the next moment, we are declaring our feelings for one another. In fact, we discussed when I was planning on approaching you to ask for your daughter’s hand and she was right. Had I known you were going to be here today, I would have met you at the gate. It would have been the first thing out of my mouth.”
Christopher looked at him a few moments longer before finally looking away. He just couldn’t look at Alexander any longer without wanting to wrap his hands around the man’s throat. Turning away, he began to pace, digesting everything and trying not to become angry about it. Anger wouldn’t solve the problem and there was most definitely a problem as he saw it.
“Sherry, you know I greatly admire you,” he said. “You know that I like you personally. You are a fine knight and a loyal friend. But when it comes to my daughter, you must forgive me for being her father and not your friend. Do you understand that?”
“I do.”
Christopher came to a halt and looked at him. “No offense intended, but I never considered you for my daughter,” he said. “Not only are you twice her age, but the things you have done in your past, Sherry… my God, there are a half-dozen situations in The Levant alone that come to mind when you were less than noble when it came to the treatment of the enemy. I have seen what you are capable of. And I am supposed to allow you to marry my daughter?”
Alexander folded his enormous arms over his chest. “And I have seen what you are capable of,” he said in a quiet but firm counter. “That does not make you any less a loving father and husband. It makes you a formidable soldier who will do anything to gain victory. One has nothing to do with the other.”
“Explain.”
“Just because I can kill a man and his child, both of whom have betrayed Christian knights, does not make me an undesirable husband.”
Christopher cast him a long look. “It’s not just that,” he muttered. “I know what you did on your way home from The Levant. It took you eight years to return and I know what you did during that time. You spent some of it at the Lateran Palace as a guest of the Holy Father and you lived like a sultan with a harem. You did not think I knew that, did you?”
Alexander lifted his big shoulders in a dismissive gesture. “It was not as bad as all that.”
His casual reply brought Christopher’s anger around. “Then explain it to me so there is no misunderstanding,” he growled. “You want to marry my daughter? Then tell me why I should consider a man who looks at a woman as no better than a pet.”
Alexander’s jaw flexed. “I was at the Lateran Palace as a guest of the Holy Father,” he said evenly. “But the man used me as a personal attack dog and rewarded me handsomely. I was given a home of my own and twelve women, to be used by me at my discretion. Although I have great admiration and appreciation for women, I am not the kind of man who needs a different one in his bed every night and the women given to me grew fat and bored for lack of use. You did not hear that part, did you?”
Christopher frowned. “Are you telling me that you ignored twelve beautiful women?”
“I did not say that. But I did not have a different one in my bed every night, and there was not one of them that I was fond of or particularly interested in.”
“Then they were whores.”
“Aye.”
Christopher threw up his hands. “And you expect me to allow you to marry my daughter?”
Alexander lifted a dark eyebrow. “Tell me truthfully that you never sought out the comfort of a whore before you married your wife,” he said. “If the answer is no, then I will drop my pursuit of your daughter. I cannot undo the past; all I can do is make you a promise for the future. I will never disrespect Christin, I will always ensure she is safe and warm and happy, and I will be faithful to her for the rest of my life. Upon my oath, I swear this. Now, answer my question – did you ever seek the comfort of a whore before you married your wife?”
It was a clever question, one that had Christopher backed into a corner because he knew very well what the answer was. He couldn’t even lie to Alexander because everyone knew
of the escapades of the de Lohr brothers and Marcus Burton in their youths. He’d been a wild buck in those days, so denying he’d ever found comfort with a whore was stupid. It simply wasn’t true.
Heavily, he sighed.
“Aye,” he said. “But we are not talking about me. We are talking about you.”
“And what I’ve done in my past is no worse than what you have done. Moreover, it will remain in my past.”
He sounded sincere and given that Christopher had known him for so long, he knew that he meant it. Alexander de Sherrington did not go back on his word, in any case. It was true that he couldn’t continue to throw stones at Alexander, knowing he shared much of the same past in certain aspects. He also couldn’t attack the man’s character, which was beyond reproach.
Therefore, he tried another tactic to see if he could shake the man loose.
“You say that these feelings for my daughter have happened within the past couple of days,” he said.
Alexander nodded. “They have.”
“Is it possible they are a whim?”
Alexander smiled humorlessly. “For me, nay,” he said. “I never do anything on a whim. But I did ask Cissy that question.”
“Cissy?”
“She gave me permission to call her by that name.”
Christopher grunted, feeling like he was losing control as his daughter gave out permission for someone to use a family nickname. Even if it was Alexander. But the fact that he wanted to marry Christin made him something of an enemy at the moment.
“And when you asked her, what did she say?” he asked.
Alexander shook his head. “She assured me it was no whim,” he said. “I believe her.”
Christopher didn’t have much to say after that. He’d said what he needed to say and now he needed to digest everything. Perhaps even talk it over with David. And then he needed to take his daughter home to Lioncross and lock her in a chamber and throw away the key.
Well, it sounded good in theory, anyway.