Knights of Honor Books 1-10: A Medieval Romance Series Bundle
Page 87
“You think Kenric will ever change his mind?” she asked wistfully, doubting it but hoping nonetheless.
“He would be a fool to try and keep apart from you,” Elysande insisted, “though I may have to take a broom to him to beat some sense into his thick skull.”
She chuckled at the thought of her sister chasing Kenric round the great hall, swatting him with a broom.
“It’s time for you to go. I came to say goodbye here since I’m about to feed David.”
Avelyn kissed her nephew’s cheek and handed him back to his mother. “Then I will also say farewell. Take care of this little one and watch after Mother.”
Elysande laughed. “I daresay Sir Charles is doing a splendid job of that.”
Young David began to stir. “Godspeed, Avelyn. Good luck with the queen.” Her sister left as the babe started to fuss.
She glanced about the chamber. Her trunk and the bulk of her clothes would remain here. They would drop off some items when they called at Kinwick in order to retrieve Alys as they made their way back to London. With a sigh, Avelyn stepped from the room and closed the door behind her.
Michael and Lady Orella awaited her downstairs. Both wished her a safe journey as they walked her outside the keep and began the long descent down the steps. She spied Uncle Geoffrey and Ancel and waved at them. They both mounted their horses.
Then Avelyn’s feet faltered. Michael quickly grabbed on to her arm as she stumbled, preventing her from tumbling down the steep staircase.
“Are you all right?” he asked before his eyes turned to where she stared.
Kenric Fairfax had begun mounting the stairs. He reached them and Avelyn caught sight of a rolled parchment in his hand.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, my lord,” he said, his eyes fastened on Michael’s. “I ask that I be allowed to accompany the escort party.”
She saw Michael glance down and knew he saw the parchment Kenric clutched tightly in his hand.
“Have you news from your brother?”
Kenric shook his head. “Nay, from Lady Doria, his wife. She said Roland is seriously ill and not expected to live. She would have me come and be with my brother at the end.”
“Then you must go,” Michael agreed. “Stay as long as you wish. Send word if you have need of anything.”
“My sister-in-law also made an odd request in her missive.” Kenric glanced to Avelyn. “She asked that Lady Avelyn come, as well. That she had something important to speak to her about.”
Avelyn bit her lip in confusion. Why should Doria Fairfax have need of her? They had only met briefly.
“Avelyn?” Michael asked.
“If Lady Doria requests my presence, I’m willing to make a slight detour. Once I have, Uncle Geoffrey can then see me to London and our appointment with the queen.”
“We should inform Lord Geoffrey of the change in plans.”
Michael and Kenric hurried down the stairs to speak with Geoffrey.
Lady Orella gave her a smile. “Sometimes, our Dear Lord moves in mysterious ways.” She gently patted Avelyn on her shoulder. “Make the most of the opportunity, my dear.” She excused herself and returned inside the keep.
Avelyn made her way down the remaining steps. The inner bailey hummed with its usual activity, accompanied by the escort party. She counted a dozen de Montfort soldiers and Ancel, her young cousin, sitting tall in his saddle. He waved in greeting.
The men finished speaking as a groom led Firefall over to Kenric. He turned and took the reins and then looked to her.
“Would you care to ride with me, my lady?”
Joy burst in her heart, though Avelyn kept her features schooled and coolly answered, “Thank you, my lord. I will.”
He held a hand out to her. She took it and found herself swept up into the saddle, her pulse racing as Kenric secured her against him. Then the lead rider turned and took off, and all the other men followed. Avelyn found herself finally taking a breath.
In Kenric’s arms, she felt as if she had come home.
*
They arrived at Shadowfaire just after noon. Sir Jervis greeted them and made provisions for their horses to be watered and fed and for the soldiers to be brought into the great hall to dine. Geoffrey sent Ancel along with the rest. Avelyn could tell the boy was pleased, being considered one of the men.
“Lady Doria asked that you and Lady Avelyn be brought up to the solar when you arrived, Sir Kenric.” Sir Jervis paused. “I’m not sure if she knew others would accompany you.”
“I’m Geoffrey de Montfort. Lady Avelyn is my niece and I am escorting her to London for a brief visit.”
The older knight smiled. “I do remember Lady Avelyn from her short stay at Shadowfaire. One does not forget such a radiant beauty.”
She sensed the heat springing to her cheeks. “I would wish my uncle to remain with me when I speak with Lady Doria. I hope this won’t be a problem.”
“Nay, my lady,” Sir Jervis assured her. “Please, follow me.”
They accompanied him to the solar upstairs. The room was empty but, immediately after their arrival, several servants entered bearing trays with food and drink for them.
“I’ll leave you to your meal and let Lady Doria know that you’ve arrived.” The knight excused himself.
They ate with little conversation. Avelyn knew Kenric must be worried about his brother. As they finished up, the door opened. Lady Doria had arrived. By a glance, she knew the countess had already given birth. Not only did she appear thinner, but the noblewoman carried a swaddled babe in her arms. But had she delivered a boy or a girl?
The three rose to greet her. Avelyn introduced her uncle and explained why Geoffrey accompanied her.
Then Avelyn asked, “I’m curious, my lady, why you asked me to come today. We exchanged but a few words during my brief visit here. I know Sir Kenric is eager to see his brother and speak to you regarding his condition.”
“I believed it was important for you to hear my words today, Lady Avelyn.” She glanced from her to Kenric. “What I have to share with Kenric also concerns you.”
“But . . . how?”
Doria gave Avelyn a hesitant smile. “It was obvious from your visit here in May that you and Kenric have strong feelings for one another. I saw it in both your eyes.”
“My lady?” Kenric sputtered.
She glanced back to her brother-in-law. “I have something of great importance to share with you, Kenric. It concerns your future. I thought Lady Avelyn should hear what I have to say. If you love one another, you will need each other’s strength to bear this news together.”
Avelyn saw the confusion she experienced mirrored on Kenric’s face. She looked to her uncle, but his features gave nothing away.
“Please. Have a seat,” Doria said, indicating they move away from the table and come to the furniture surrounding the fireplace.
They followed their hostess’ lead and took seats around her as she eased into a chair, the babe asleep in her arms.
“My father died shortly before he signed my betrothal contract. That left my brother as my guardian. And he wasn’t fond of the man I was supposed to marry. Instead of carrying out my father’s wishes, my brother wanted a heftier bride prize.
“That was how I came to be at Shadowfaire. A reluctant bride, far from home, married to . . . a stranger.”
Avelyn could tell by her restrained tone that Doria had most likely had feelings for the man she originally should have married. Her heart went out to the noblewoman for being placed in circumstances beyond her control.
“I discovered that my previously dull life quickly became a nightmare.” Doria swallowed. She kept silent for a few moments before she took a calming breath and continued.
“My new husband was sickly. Cruel both in word and deed. He could not . . . perform . . . his husbandly duties and blamed me for this. He beat me accordingly, night after night.” Her voice became monotone, as if what she related had happened to someone else.
“So that Roland would think you were with child and not touch you,” Kenric said softly.
“Aye. He did stop hurting me.” She gave a snort. “And he actually began to believe I carried his child, but I knew the charade must end. I quit drinking the potion and told him I had lost the babe.”
“But he wasn’t satisfied,” Kenric said.
Doria shook her head. “He insisted that we have a son. That our child must secure the future of Shadowfaire so that his twin could never gain access to it.”
Avelyn watched the shadow cross Kenric’s face. Her heart went out to him, knowing the words cut him deeply.
“But how could you have a babe if he could not . . . help you?” she asked.
The noblewoman hesitated. “When I did not grow with child, Roland told me that he would give me to one of his knights. A man taller and broader than Kenric Fairfax, so that our son would be strong and healthy. I was to lie with him till I found myself with child.”
Avelyn gasped. Then silence filled the room as Doria gave them time to understand her meaning.
“It was awkward at first, but Sir Heymon proved to be gentle with me and kind.” She paused. “We fell in love.”
“And then you found yourself with child,” Kenric said.
Doria nodded. “We weren’t allowed to spend any time alone after that, but I dreamed of becoming Heymon’s wife. I fantasized about leaving Shadowfaire behind and raising my child with the man I loved. His child. Not the demon spawn of Roland Fairfax, but the sweet babe of the most loving man I know.”
The babe began to stir. Doria stood and rocked it from side to side in a slow, steady motion.
“As my belly grew larger, I began to hope that Roland would die from one of his numerous illnesses. I know it was wrong of me to think such wicked thoughts, but I couldn’t help myself.” She glanced down at the child in her arms. “Two weeks ago, I gave birth to a son, the new heir to Shadowfaire. I would be tied to this place—forever.
“But I don’t think I can keep the secret of his birth from others.”
Doria reached and gently tugged away the babe’s knitted cap. Avelyn saw the bright red hair and green eyes as the boy awakened and gurgled sweetly. Doria had brown hair and brown eyes. She knew Roland to have fair hair and blue eyes, as had Lady Juliana.
“The minute the people see Wymund’s hair, they will know who his father is,” Doria proclaimed. “I’ve only seen this shade of hair on Heymon, nary another soul. They will think me unfaithful to the Earl of Shadowfaire.”
She stomped her foot, causing wee Wymund to whimper. “I refuse to live like this. I want to take my son from here and have nothing to do with the vile man lying abed in the next chamber. I want a life with Heymon.”
Doria wheeled and faced Kenric. “And my son should never rule at Shadowfaire. For you, my lord, are the real heir.”
Chapter 26
Doria’s words stunned Kenric. His sister-in-law confirmed what Avelyn had revealed to him.
He was the heir to Shadowfaire.
“Explain yourself, my lady,” he said calmly, though the blood roared in his ears.
She rocked tiny Wymund back and forth as she said, “I discovered it from Roland’s ramblings. He talks in his sleep. More than once, he spoke of you as your father’s true heir.”
Doria began pacing slowly, continuing her rocking motion to keep young Wymund calm. “At first, I thought it no more than mumbled nonsense. Odd dreams Roland might be having. Mayhap, he thought the Earl of Shadowfaire should be a man of strength and courage instead of the sickly coward I’d married.” She shrugged. “So I ignored it and never told him what he’d uttered in his sleep.”
She returned to the chair since the babe had quieted. “Then he caught that fever that killed your mother, my lord. My husband must have had you on his heart with your recent visit here. As I sat by Roland’s bedside, I could understand his mutterings more clearly. He grew quite frantic at one point, sitting up, frightened that you would come and take everything away from him.”
Doria stroked the babe’s cheek. “When the fever broke and he recovered and grew stronger, I finally asked him about it.”
Kenric leaned forward, eager to hear her next words, yet dreading them all the same.
“He laughed till tears streamed down his face. He admitted it was the truth and that Gussalen held a grudge against your father. She was the only one present at the birth and told Walter Fairfax that Roland was the first babe that appeared—when in reality, it had been you.”
Shock reverberated through Kenric. His thoughts whirled like a strong wind and he gripped his knees till his knuckles turned white. Finally, he asked, “Did Roland say how long he’d known the truth?”
“Since childhood.”
Kenric tried to think back. So many times Roland had lorded over him, a sly look in his eye. This had been a great secret for a young child to keep. His brother proved stronger than Kenric had thought.
One questioned burned within him, though. “Did he say if my mother knew?”
Doria gave him a sad look. “Roland said Gussalen told only him. That no one else knew—not even your lady mother. The birth had been a great strain on her and she was unaware of the order her boys came out.” She shuddered. “My husband swore me to secrecy. He said our son would follow him as the next earl. Then the secret would die, with you never being the wiser.
“But I can live like this no longer. Lady Juliana is dead. Gussalen, too. And though she could have verified this abomination, that old witch loved Roland with a passion. If confronted, she never would have betrayed her pet in that manner.”
“So Roland knows,” Kenric said, still finding Doria’s words almost too fantastic to believe.
“He does,” his sister-in-law asserted. “It’s why I sent for you—and a priest. Roland must confess to God of his crime against you. You must have your birthright returned to you, my lord. Shadowfaire should be yours.”
Kenric stood and found his legs unsteady, his hands trembling.
Then Avelyn came to stand by him. She took his hands in hers and gazed into his eyes. Her warmth flooded him, racing through his veins, giving him strength and courage for what lay ahead.
“I’m sorry I doubted you.”
She released one of his hands and placed a single finger against his lips. Desire burned in him at her touch.
“Do not apologize. Go now with Lady Doria. Confront your twin and put your demons to rest.”
He captured her hand in his, turning it upward and pressing a searing kiss into her palm. He sensed the shiver run through her. Kenric longed to take Avelyn into his arms and kiss her senseless, but Roland awaited them in the next chamber. Kenric gave Avelyn a reassuring smile, but he knew long ago that he had given this woman his heart. He looked over to Lord Geoffrey and saw the nobleman wore a satisfied look.
Doria touched Avelyn’s sleeve. “I fear that heated words will be exchanged between these two brothers and I don’t want Wymund to be frightened. Would you keep him safe for me while we are gone?”
“It would be my pleasure.” She took the sleeping babe into her arms.
Kenric could only stare. Avelyn holding a child looked like the most natural thing in the world. In that moment, he knew he wanted to marry her more than anything. He wanted to spend his life with her and plant his seed deep within her. Kenric longed to see her belly grow and then watch her nurse their child at her breast.
Lord Geoffrey stepped next to him. “It’s like being struck by lightning,” he murmured.
Kenric slowly nodded. “I see so clearly now, what’s been before my eyes all this time. I love your niece, my lord, with my heart and mind and soul. She completes me.”
“
She has loved you always. Merryn and I knew this from the time you stopped at Kinwick when you escorted her from London. I’m only glad that you realized it before you became an old man,” he teased. “Now go. Speak with your brother. No matter what the outcome, you have a strong, intelligent, capable woman who waits for you.”
Kenric tore his eyes from Avelyn reluctantly as he watched Doria open the door to the solar. She ushered in the priest that he recognized from his mother’s funeral mass.
Doria brought the man over and said, “This is Father John, my lord. I’ve made my confession to him. He knows that Wymund is Sir Heymon’s son and that my husband ordered me to break my marriage vows and lay with another man.” She paused. “I have also shared what I learned from Roland regarding your birthright. Father, this is Lord Kenric Fairfax, the Earl of Shadowfaire, and Lord Geoffrey de Montfort of Kinwick, along with his niece, Lady Avelyn.”
Kenric nodded at the priest, Doria’s words ringing in his ears.
He was the Earl of Shadowfaire.
He could surrender to bitterness—but that would change nothing. Instead, Kenric decided he must live in the present and look to the future. His brother would no longer have power over him.
“You’ll be welcomed back to your home, my lord,” Father John said. “I’ve heard from others who live at Shadowfaire and they thought highly of you as a boy. I believe you will make a fine earl for your people.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Then shall we make our way to see Lord Roland?” Father John led the way with Doria and Kenric following him.
Before he crossed into the bedchamber, Kenric looked over his shoulder. Avelyn gave him a brilliant smile that filled him with confidence.
The room smelled of death. A few candles burned next to the bed. An elderly servant stood and gave a brief nod before skirting past them. Kenric assumed she’d been left to tend to Roland in case he needed anything.
His eyes fell to his twin. Kenric’s jaw clenched as he saw the bag of bones lying there, swallowed by the bedclothes. Roland looked as if he’d aged a score in the few months since Kenric had seen him. His thinning hair was streaked with gray and plastered to his scalp. No color rested in his sunken cheeks. His cracked lips were split and bloodied. The rest of him looked as if a skeleton had bits of flesh wrapped about it. Always thin to the point of frailty, Roland had wasted away, a victim of this latest illness.