Masters of Medieval Romance: Series Starters Volume II

by Kathryn Le Veque

  “You are to have another grandchild in October,” he told his mother. “I pray for a healthy son to carry on the name of de Shera.”

  Honey smiled broadly as she looked between her son and his wife. She was still holding on to Jeniver’s hand and she squeezed it, tightly.

  “To God the glory,” she murmured sincerely. “Is this true, my lady? Are you certain?”

  Jeniver nodded. “Quite certain.”

  “How do you feel?”

  Jeniver sighed with a rueful grin on her lips. “I have felt better,” she said. “I am very tired, mostly.”

  Honey nodded in understanding. “Well do I remember those days,” she said. “I swear that I could not eat for months. Gallus was the worst. He made me ill constantly. I hope that you are eating well.”

  Jeniver shrugged. “I am doing my best.”

  Honey squeezed her hand. “I have something that will tempt you,” she said, looking to Gallus. “Send the cook to me. I shall have the woman make my famous honey and cheese pie.”

  Gallus was reluctant. “You do not have to do it now,” he said. “Mayhap you should rest a bit. I will take the girls out and….”

  Honey shook her head. “Please, Gallus,” she said. “I have no time to waste. Send the cook to me now.”

  It was a command and Gallus shrugged, heading out of the chamber to find the nearest servant to send to the kitchen. Jeniver remained with Honey and when Gallus left the room, Honey squeezed the woman’s hand.

  “You must convince him to go to Kenilworth,” she whispered seriously. “Bigod will ruin Gallus if he does not go and confront him. I know he wants to remain with me but my fate is sealed. God’s will shall be done whether or not Gallus is here when it happens. He must go to Kenilworth and you must make him. I fear he will not listen to me.”

  Jeniver looked at the woman with both concern and uncertainty. She truly had no idea what was going on at Kenilworth. She had only heard a series of facts out of context. “What is happening there?” she whispered. “What is Bigod saying about Gallus that he must ride to his defense?”

  Honey shushed her. “There is no time to explain now,” she said. “You must convince him to go.”

  Jeniver wasn’t satisfied with that response. “But he wants to stay with you,” she hissed. “I cannot force him to go. He will become angry with me if I push, thinking I am being insensitive about your health.”

  Honey frowned even though she knew the woman was correct. “Then we shall both have to convince him,” she said. “Quiet, now, he is coming. You and I shall discuss this later.”

  Jeniver nodded silently as Gallus came back into the room. “I have sent someone to fetch the cook,” he said to his mother. “Are you certain this cannot wait?”

  Honey cocked an imperious eyebrow. “Has your wife eaten at all this day?”

  Gallus looked at Jeniver. “She had bread this morning,” he said. “I made sure she ate something. Do you not trust me more than that? I will take care of her and my son.”

  Honey was pleased to see that Gallus was concerned for his wife. It was touching, in fact. Aye, the Gallus of old was returning, the concerned and attentive husband, and Honey was glad she had lived long enough to see it.

  “I believe you,” she said, giving Jeniver’s hand a final squeeze before releasing it. “Go and rest now, Jeniver. You have had a long journey and you must rest. I will send the pie in to you when it is finished.”

  Jeniver smiled timidly, thinking on the secret she and Honey now shared, of Honey wanting to convince Gallus to go to Kenilworth. Truthfully, Jeniver would rather that he remain with Honey, but the old woman was determined that her son should attend to what she considered more important issues. Hugh Bigod and the fate of England would survive long after she was gone. Gallus needed to be a part of that world for the good of his own family. But Jeniver still didn’t understand all of it.

  “Thank you, my lady,” she said. “I will be across the corridor should you need me. I can hear you if you call for me.”

  Honey waved her off. “You are kind, but I am content for now,” she said. “Gallus will spend time with his daughters, you shall rest, and I shall rest as well. I am very glad that you and my son have come home, Jeniver. It is good to have you here.”

  Jeniver smiled at the woman, patting her hand before she quit the chamber with Gallus on her heels. The moment she entered the corridor outside, Gallus grasped her gently by the arm, preventing her from continuing on into their chamber.

  “I know what my mother told you,” he whispered. “She thinks to force me to go to Kenilworth, doesn’t she? Well, I will not go, so do not try to tell me to go as well. I will remain here. My mother needs me.”

  Jeniver had to chuckle at his suspicious, yet correct, assumption. “How do you know what she told me?” she asked. “Were you listening to our private conversation? Shameful, Gal. Utterly shameful.”

  His eyes narrowed threateningly at her but he ended up laughing, pulling her into a snug embrace as he kissed the side of her dark head.

  “I can read my mother’s mind,” he said as he released her. “I do not need to hear any conversation. I know exactly what she is going to say. In fact, I am thinking that I should send word to Kenilworth and bring Max and Ty home. They must know how ill Honey is.”

  Jeniver patted his cheek, trying to comfort the man. “I do not even entirely understand what is going on,” she admitted. “Why is Hugh Bigod upset that you went to Wales?”

  Gallus lifted his big shoulders. “I cannot say, exactly,” he said. “The man has had a vendetta against me ever since I married you and now he seeks to undermine my reputation because of it.”

  Jeniver cocked her head. “Why should your marriage to me concern him?”

  Gallus shook his head with disgust. “Because he wanted me to marry his repellant daughter. I married you instead.”

  Jeniver grinned. “You did not tell me that.”

  He threw up his hands, exasperated. “Because it was not worth mentioning,” he insisted. “But Bigod evidently thinks so. The man is out to slander me because of it.”

  Jeniver thought on that for a moment. “Then that is why your mother is so concerned,” she said. “She does not want your reputation ruined by a jealous man.”

  “Exactly.”

  Jeniver watched him as he fidgeted, agitated. “Then I am forced to agree with her,” she said softly. “You must go to Kenilworth and confront Bigod. It is not just your reputation, Gal, it is your entire family’s reputation, including your unborn son. Surely you do not want your son to have to face the seed of slander that Bigod has planted.”

  Gallus gave her an expression that suggested he knew she was right, and logical, even though he didn’t want to acknowledge such a thing.

  “I will send word to my brothers,” he repeated. “They must come home, for my mother’s sake.”

  Jeniver tried to be gentle but honest with him. “Your mother will be quite upset if all three of you are home, sitting around like vultures, waiting for her to die when she knows you should be with de Montfort,” she said, watching the emotions ripple across his brow. “Do you not think that will upset her terribly?”

  Gallus nodded in agreement, although he was unhappy about it. “Possibly,” he said. “But I am willing to take the chance. I will send Troy to Kenilworth to speak with my brothers, but for now, I intend to spend all the time I can with my mother. I… I do not want to leave her for one moment.”

  Jeniver smiled sadly. “She knows that,” she said. “But I believe she is only looking out for your future. If Lady Honey says you must go to Kenilworth, then you had better go. If she was perfectly healthy, would you deny her?”

  “Of course not.”

  Jeniver put her hand on his arm. “Then understand that this seems to be very important to her,” she said softly. “Mayhap in some small way, you are giving her something to live for, something to fight for. If you stay here, hovering over her and waiting for her to d
ie, it might hasten her death. She will be worrying about you and worrying about what Bigod is doing while you are waiting for her to die. Don’t you see, Gal? Mayhap this will give her a reason to hold out. She will want to know what happens when you confront Bigod. I believe she must see it as not only clearing your name, but the de Shera name in general. You represent the family and the family’s honor is in peril.”

  The woman made sense but with his last shred of control, Gallus still resisted. “But I do not want to leave,” he said softly, struggling to make an argument where there was none to give. “I do not want to leave you.”

  Jeniver smiled at him, reaching out to him as he caught her hands and kissed them. There was reverence in his touch. “You will not leave me,” she assured him, patting her chest. “You are here, in my heart. Your son and I will watch over your mother until you return. But you must go… you must do this.”

  He looked at her, resignation in his expression because he knew she was right. He couldn’t fight that kind of logic. But he was precluded from answering when Taranis the puppy suddenly bolted from Honey’s chamber with Violet and Lily in pursuit. Gallus and Jeniver watched them race into the children’s chamber and they could hear squealing and barking going on. Gallus sighed heavily.

  “Go rest,” he told his wife. “I will try to quiet down the wild animals.”

  With a grin, Jeniver did as she was told, listening as Gallus went into his daughters’ chamber and tried to quiet down the excitement. She could hear Violet explaining to her father that the dog must be allowed to bark because that was what dogs did. As Gallus explained to his daughter that dogs were better seen and not heard, Jeniver went into her husband’s chamber and quietly shut the door.

  Her gaze fell on the big, luxurious bed, the one where her child was conceived. She remembered that night quite clearly, of Gallus’ hands on her body, of his touch that could only be described as magic. Thoughts of a dying woman and a barking dog faded as she went to the bed, running her hand over the coverlet and imagining the powerful son that was bred that night. A son in his father’s image, one that would make proud his English and Welsh ties.

  But a son who would look up to his powerful and noble father, one who would confront Bigod and put the man’s slander to rest. Lying upon the bed, it was with dreams of healthy sons and vindicated fathers that finally put her to sleep.

  Gallus left for Kenilworth with Scott the very next morning.

  PART FOUR

  TIDINGS OF CHANGE

  April

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Kenilworth Castle

  16 miles from Isenhall Castle

  He’d spent the last hour missing his wife greatly and agonizing over the fact that he’d left his dying mother. Whether or not it was because she wanted him to was not the issue. Now, he was second-guessing everything. He was a bad son for remaining with his mother and he was a bad son for abandoning her to attend de Montfort’s business. Gallus was never one to be insecure on any decision he had ever made but he was insecure now. There was much at stake, both at home and at Kenilworth. It was a struggle to focus on what lay ahead of him and not focus on what lay behind him.

  But all of that indecision vanished the moment the great structure of Kenilworth Castle came into view. As his gaze beheld the beige walls of one of the greatest fortresses in England, he began to feel his focus return, his focus for his country and for the mission he had been a part of for the past four years. Now, he could feel his sense of duty pounding through his veins. The closer he drew to the enormous bastion of power, the stronger the pounding grew.

  Kenilworth Castle was one of the premier castles in England, a vast complex of buildings, courtyards, and living quarters. It was surrounded by a lake, called the Great Mere, which created a buffer against any attempting attacks. If one couldn’t get close enough to the castle to attack it, then one was out of luck. As Gallus drew near, he could also see scores of men camping outside of the walls, mostly Bigod men. There was an enormous Bigod encampment flying Bigod standards and the closer he drew to the gatehouse, the more contempt he began to feel. Those colors, and those men, reminded him of what he would soon be facing. It was difficult to contain his fury.

  Gallus, Scott, and about twenty men-at-arms bearing the Earl of Coventry’s colors rode up to Kenilworth’s great gatehouse. The drawbridge was fortunately down; otherwise, they would have had difficulty gaining entry. They had no difficulty whatsoever because the sergeant in charge of the gatehouse recognized the de Shera shield and the portcullis was already lifting by the time Gallus and his party arrived.

  Beyond the gatehouse, they entered the vast bale court, or courtyard, that was filled with men and animals, people going about their business, including what looked like an entire contingent of new de Montfort recruits being put through their paces by several de Montfort knights. In all, it was a very busy place as Gallus and his men took their horses to the massive stable block on the east side of the walls.

  Grooms were there to greet them, collecting the horses as the men disembarked. Gallus collected his saddlebags, slapping his horse affectionately on the buttocks as the groom took the hairy beast away. As he turned for the complex of buildings off to the east, he was greeted by a de Montfort soldier.

  “My lord de Shera,” the soldier said respectfully. “Lord de Montfort is waiting for you in his private solar.”

  Gallus looked at the man. “He knows I am here?”

  The soldier nodded. “You were sighted about a mile out, my lord,” he said. “Lord de Montfort left instructions to be notified if you were sighted.”

  Gallus looked at Scott. “So he waits for me,” he said, rather amused by the fact. “I had no idea I was so popular.”

  Scott gave him a half-grin as the men followed the soldier towards the great complex of buildings that comprised the heart of Kenilworth. Many kings, and many lords, had built their own structures at Kenilworth, joining one to another, expanding, so that the whole of Kenilworth’s heart was literally a circle of big buildings with an inner courtyard in the center. It was into this courtyard that Gallus and his men were taken, following the soldier as the man took a sharp left turn and headed to a block-shaped building that had been recently completed by de Montfort himself. Just as they neared the lobby entry, Maximus suddenly appeared.

  “Gal,” he said, rushing to his brother and hugging the man. “Finally, you have arrived.”

  Gallus was thrilled to see his brother. “Indeed,” he said. “I have already been summoned by de Montfort.”

  Maximus turned to de Montfort’s soldier a few feet away. “Go about your business,” he said, rather coldly. “I will escort my brother to Lord de Montfort.”

  The soldier was reluctant to leave. It was clear he was under orders to take Gallus directly to de Montfort. But he wasn’t about to tangle with Maximus de Shera, so he wandered away, disappearing into the lobby entrance to de Montfort’s new block. Once the man was gone, Maximus turned to Gallus.

  “He’s gone in to tell de Montfort that I have detained you,” he said, his voice low. “Quickly, come with me. Send the men-at-arms back out to the stables to await further instructions.”

  Puzzled, Gallus sent his men away as he and Scott followed Maximus into a building that was across the inner courtyard from de Montfort’s new block. This was a very old block, built like a keep, and Maximus took them up the narrow, spiral stairs inside and up to the second floor. It was a tight fit in the dark corridors as they follow Maximus into a rather large, low-ceilinged chamber that smelled heavily of smoke.

  Tiberius was in the room, seated at a table with Garran and Stefan. All three men jumped up and made their way to Gallus, with Tiberius throwing his brother into a bear hug.

  “Gal!” Tiberius gasped. “Thank God you have arrived. How was Wales?”

  Gallus looked at his younger brother suspiciously. “Cold,” he said. Then, he looked around to the group. “Why is everyone so damn glad to see me? What is going on h
ere?”

  Tiberius had him by the arm, dragging him over to the table were a meal of bread, cheese, cold meat, and wine was spread out.

  “Sit,” Tiberius told him. “There is much to explain.”

  Gallus sat heavily, untying his heavy fur cloak and handing it off to Scott, who hung it on a peg by the fire.

  “What’s this I hear that Bigod is trying to undermine me?” he asked the men around the table. “Don’t tell me he has succeeded.”

  Maximus sat next to his brother. “He has not yet succeeded, but not for a lack of trying,” he said. “He is doubly furious now because I am refusing his offer of marriage to his daughter. Evidently, the entire House of de Shera is untrustworthy because we do not wish to marry into his family.”

  Gallus shook his head, disgusted. “How is de Montfort taking it?”

  Maximus poured his brother some wine. “He has told Bigod to shut his mouth many times,” he replied. “There is much business to discuss but Bigod seems to want to disparage the House of de Shera more than he wants to plan against Henry. De Montfort is so frustrated with him that he ordered the man to go home two days ago yet Bigod remains, hiding in his quarters.”

  Gallus took a long drink of the sweet, tart, red wine. “Then what am I to do?” he said. “Do I call Bigod out? Has it come to that? Must I save my family’s honor with finality by challenging the House of Bigod?”

  Maximus drank his own wine. “Do you really want my suggestion?”