Rufus beckoned to a servant, bidding her follow Kezia to ensure her safety before he poured himself a drink. He sat heavily in the chair before the fire and drained the cup, holding it out to be refilled. He looked up to see his mother advancing toward him. He rubbed his eyes and wished to God he was anywhere else—fighting the Saracen, camping on freezing plains—anywhere but here.
“How did this happen?” His mother’s voice was ice-cold.
“The king was bedding Maud.”
“So? What of it? She was to marry you! I did not think you so squeamish as to turn your nose up at used goods!”
“It was not my decision, Mother. It was that of the king’s. He insisted I marry Kezia. He wanted to keep Maud for himself.”
Lady Charlotte’s brow knitted into a frown.
“But we depended on this marriage, Rufus. Did you not try to make the king see reason?”
“I had no chance, Mother. This might have been your plan, but it never was the king’s, I can assure you. The king’s plan was to please Gilbert de Montmorency by marrying me off in a disadvantageous marriage. But at least it was better than Gilbert’s scheme.”
“And what was his plan?”
“To have me killed.”
“Killed?”
“Aye. Kezia overheard Sir Gilbert’s squire.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “But a few months ago he wished our families to unite.”
“All that is changed. Now that Maud is in favor, so is he. And, with the king behind him, he has no need to join our families. Instead, he will destroy us and double his estates. The moment the king saw Maud, everything changed.”
Lady Charlotte groaned and fell in a chair, as if pushed. “You are sure? Is your information based only on what Kezia overheard?”
“I needed no confirmation of Gilbert’s treachery, nor that of the king. The evidence was everywhere. I’d not trust either of them an inch.”
“But why, in God’s name, did the king wish you to marry this girl, this nobody?”
“The king wished to continue his liaison with Maud and to marry me off to someone who could not further my interests in any way.” He paused. “He chose her precisely because she was a nobody.”
“He wished to marry you to someone who brought you nothing,” said Lady Charlotte, unable to disguise the despair in her voice. “Of course. And he has succeeded, indeed.”
“But she did bring me something. She kept me alive. Without her, I’d be dead. Either at the castle or on my return.”
“It matters not.” Lady Charlotte shook her head in despair. “You should never have married, and you should certainly never have brought her here, to Wanham.”
“I owed her, Mother. Without her, I have little doubt I’d be dead.”
“But you are a skilled fighter.”
“Not at the kind of warfare they practice at the king’s court. Savari is skilled at court combat, not me. No, I had no choice but to leave, and Kezia helped me. And, after what had happened to her sister, and then afterward, at the castle, she wasn’t safe in the forest. I agreed to bring her to family in Norwich.”
“Then why is she still here?”
“Because her family is no longer in Norwich. The ones remaining are enslaved.”
“So, my honorable son could not leave her there.” Lady Charlotte sighed heavily. “Whatever. The marriage must be annulled as soon as possible, and she must go. She must leave. Desertion appears to be the only grounds for annulment in this case. There is obviously no consanguinity, no reason on your part why the marriage should not continue. No, she has to leave one way or another, so you can marry someone else. If not Lady Maud, there’s always the de Courcy girl. It’s not such a good match, and her family doesn’t have the power of the de Montmorencys, but it could work.” She tapped her closed fist to her lips as she thought. “They always wanted the match to use us to regain their castle from the de Montmorencys.” She sighed and looked up. “Yes. Our attempt to bed our enemy has not worked. We will have to join forces with the de Courcys and fight the de Montmorencys instead. That’s settled. Kezia will leave, and you will marry Alice.”
Rufus glanced quickly at William, who averted his gaze. He knew William had long loved the girl.
Rufus tried to contain his impatience. “Mother…” he said, letting the silence continue as he tried to control his temper. “Nothing is settled. Leave matters to me. I will deal with this.”
Lady Charlotte’s gaze was hard as she tilted her head to one side. “You mean you don’t intend to annul your marriage to that nobody?”
Rufus ground his teeth. “Unless Kezia deserts, there are no grounds for annulment and therefore my marriage continues.”
Lady Charlotte’s lips formed a cold white line while her eyes blazed red hot. “Maybe she’s deserted you already with a bit of luck.”
“Nay,” said William. “The maidservant says Kezia is in the stables.”
Lady Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Of course.” She rose from her seat.
“My marriage continues, Mother, whether we like it or not.”
“And I, mon fils, do not like it at all.”
Rufus watched her walk swiftly up the stairs to her solar and couldn’t help think he hadn’t heard the last of this.
Suddenly the door opened wide, and a young woman squealed and came running toward them.
“Rufus,” she said, running into his arms.
“Katherine!” He held her back. “Let me look at you.” He grinned. “You’re becoming more beautiful than ever.”
She blushed. “Do not say such things, brother. For you know them not to be true.”
He frowned. “I don’t speak untruths and it’s about time you looked into the mirror and saw what everyone else sees.”
Katherine shook her head and changed the subject. “When did you arrive? And where did you acquire your new boy?”
“Boy?” Rufus frowned, and William coughed to cover his amusement.
“The new boy,” repeated Katherine. “He took my horse into the stables to rub down.”
Rufus shook his head.
William grinned. “That, Katherine, is your new sister-in-law, Kezia” He glanced at Rufus. “I’ll leave it to Rufus to explain.”
Rufus threw his brother a dirty look.
“Rufus? What is this?” Katherine asked. “Your wife? Your wife is in the stables, grooming my horse? Can this be true?”
He went toward the door. “I will stop her. This is ridiculous.”
“Stopping her from grooming my horse is the least of what’s ridiculous about this!”
“I will explain later.”
Rufus went directly to the stables. “Kezia! Come! You are my wife. Not a stable hand! You must act like my wife.”
“I’m your wife again now, am I?” Kezia shot him an angry look.
“For the moment, yes.”
“Of course, until you get rid of me.”
He took her hand from the horse and forced her to look at him. “Get rid of you? And how do you think I’ll do that, eh?”
She shrugged. “There are many ways for a man to dispose of a woman.”
“And I will do none of them. There are no grounds for annulment, and I will, therefore, honor our marriage vows.”
Kezia raised her eyes to him then and he saw the fear that lay deep within. It cut him to the quick. This brave girl had been taken away from everything she knew and brought to a place she wasn’t wanted.
“Come,” he said, “we must return to the Hall. I will introduce you to my younger sisters. They, at least, will be eager to meet my new wife.”
They emerged from the stable into a courtyard now lit with brazier as all around the sky and land darkened into a deep blue twilight, and continued into the Hall.
“Kezia!” said Katherine coming to the rescue. “Mother has told me you might be in need of a dress. I have some which could be made to fit you, if you’d like?”
Rufus had never been so thankful for Kath
erine’s peacemaking nature as he was now. He was about to follow them inside but hesitated and drew in a deep breath of salty air. He turned and walked through the gateway, along the misty path, drawn by the lure of the sea which had always been his home in a way the flint and walls of the castle never had.
It was completely dark by the time Rufus returned to the castle where he greeted his two younger sisters—Lora and Celestria—who’d just returned from a visit to the nearby port of Yarmouth. Lady Charlotte shot him a disapproving look and quickly busied the girls in their duties. There was no sign of Katherine or Kezia. He sat beside William who pushed aside some paperwork and poured Rufus some wine.
William glanced at his mother and then to Rufus. “So, brother, have you thought about what you wish to do?”
Rufus raised an eyebrow. “If I could do as I wish I’d be sailing away from all this. I’d be on the cog I just saw, sailing toward the Baltic, or to any other place but here.”
William shook his head. “You and I are made from different stuff. For I have no further desire than this land over which our enemies plot.”
Rufus knew his younger brother loved the land more than politics or fighting. It was due to William that they had such a prosperous manor at all: certainly not their father’s efforts, who’d lost more than he’d gained from his inheritance. When their father had died, five years earlier, William had been barely sixteen, but he’d helped his mother establish the prosperous trading agreements which took their goods to Holland, France and beyond, and it had been William who’d ensured the land continued to be rich and productive.
“The land should be yours by rights.”
“But it is yours by law. And I do not begrudge you that.”
“You are a good man, Will.”
“Nay. I’m a pragmatic one.” He narrowed his eyes and Rufus saw the strength which lay deep inside of his brother, like an iron core. He knew that nothing would get in the way of anything Will sought to defend. “But I’ll fight for me and mine.”
“And that’s what we’ll have to do.”
“Alongside the de Courcys?” Will kept his gaze steady, but Rufus knew what he was asking.
“Aye. We have to ally ourselves with them. Mother is right.”
A muscle flicked in Will’s jaw. “And you will marry Lady Alice?”
“How can I when I am already married? Rest assured, brother, the de Courcys will welcome an alliance between our families without me marrying their only daughter.”
William nodded slowly, the tension easing with a sigh. If Rufus’s heart was made of stone, his brother’s was there for everyone to see and he’d clearly lost it to Lady Alice who, as William was the third son and had no great prospects, was out of his reach.
“And you are happy with this?”
Rufus shrugged. “Happiness had nothing to do with it.”
William raised an eyebrow. “I guess she does not attract you enough to bed? The servants are saying she looks like a boy.”
“Aye, a scrawny boy.” Rufus ignored a cough from behind him. “And an ill-tempered scrawny lad at that. Who would want to bed her?” He was talking facetiously, echoing what he knew was being said of them both, all the while remembering the kiss he’d shared with Kezia which had stirred him like no other. The cough came louder, but Rufus drained his cup instead of turning around. The heat of the fire, the pleasure at being in his own home again, not likely to be stabbed in his bed, was making him relax, without the aid of Romani potions, for the first time in a long time. He held out his cup to be refilled. “Who’d want to bed her?” He sighed, knowing he would, given the chance.
A thump in the back caught his attention. He spun round to find Katherine glaring at him, standing beside a young woman with downcast eyes—some friend no doubt.
“Hey! What’s the matter with you?” Rufus asked Katherine.
“Nothing’s the matter with me. But I thought you might want to shut up a minute and greet your wife!”
He glanced around. “Aye, I will when she emerges. No doubt out with the horses again.”
Then Katherine’s companion looked up with eyes that could have shot arrows from them. Cat’s eyes.
“Kezia?”
“Yes. Who else did you think it was?” asked Katherine.
He frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you. I thought it was some friend of Katherine’s.”
“It was clear that was the case,” said Kezia with a scowl.
Katherine put an arm defensively around Kezia. “Well, you were right on that count. She is my friend now. And she also happens to be your wife, so I suggest you treat her accordingly. Come on, Kezia, let’s sit beside my sisters. You’ll at least find their company more convivial than your husband’s.” Katherine shot Rufus another angry glare.
Rufus opened his arms in a gesture of perplexity at William, who merely laughed and joined his sisters. Rufus had his wine cup refilled before advancing toward the table and took the opportunity to look once more upon Kezia.
He could hardly have been expected to recognize her. Gone were the shapeless gowns she’d dressed in before. The remains of the grime and ashes had been washed from her hair, and he could actually see her complexion which before had been hidden by dust from their travels. She’d been invisible at the castle, partially revealed in the forest and now? Now, she was the opposite. She was visible, bright, and everyone was looking at her. Including him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Kezia had never felt so uncomfortable in all her life. Beyond her family, no one had ever looked at her closely but now everybody was. She smoothed down the crimson dress, which was pulled close to her hips by a girdle of silk with gold thread, ornamented with silver gilt. It was so fine, but Katherine had insisted she never wore it. Katherine had dismissed the girdle by saying it had been given to her by a suitor in whom she had no interest. It seemed life at the castle was as complicated as in the forest.
She looked up to see people still stealing glances at her. She twitched her nose and sniffed, wondering if she had anything hanging there. But she breathed freely of the fresh herbs and meat stew. She smoothed her hair, wondering if the strange ornament which Katherine had placed in her hair had come loose. But it hadn’t. She sunk lower into her chair, wishing everyone would look away, but a nudge from Katherine made her sit straighter.
“Remember, Kezia,” Katherine spoke in a low voice. “There is no one to shrink from here.”
“Aye, Aye,” repeated Kezia as she sat up. Somehow Katherine had gauged her nature straight away and had seen how she shrank from people.
“In fact, you must do the opposite,” continued Katherine. “People will take you as you present yourself so you must not hide from anyone.”
“What are you whispering about, Katherine?” asked Lady Charlotte.
“Nothing, Mama,” said Katherine. “We were simply talking about clothes.”
Katherine winked at Kezia and Kezia grinned.
“And what are you grinning at, girl? I don’t see that this is any laughing matter.”
She turned to Lady Charlotte and remembered Katherine’s words. She didn’t look down but caught her gaze head-on. “I apologize, my lady. You’re correct, it isn’t. Your son and I have both been tricked into a marriage which neither of us wanted.”
“So, Lady Winterton.” Lady Charlotte laid heavy emphasis on the word. “Where and when do you propose to leave us?”
The thought made Kezia’s heart sink. She had nowhere to go, no one but these people, some of whom had shown her kindness and consideration, and the others had at least not shown her outright cruelty, which they might have, given the circumstances. “I… I’m not sure, my lady.”
“Not sure? You are considering not leaving us then?”
She shrugged, unable to say that that was exactly what she was considering. “I am considering my options,” she said, lifting her head high.
Celestria grunted a quickly stifled laugh, but no one else was laughing. Lady
Charlotte swilled her wine around her goblet, thoughtfully. “You have courage, girl, I’ll give you that. And what else do you bring to this family, as wife to my son? Other than no fortune, of course.”
“Mother…” said Rufus in a low warning tone.
Kezia shot him a dark look—she still hadn’t forgiven him for his earlier rudeness.
“She married you, mon fils, and I want to know what she brings to this family, other than a quick exit. Well?”
All eyes were on Kezia. Rufus sat forward and was about to speak, but she wouldn’t let anyone speak for her. She sat up to her full height, which was less than any of the others of the family.
“I can kill a man.”
Her words were met with silence and shock. Then William let out a loud guffaw. “You can kill a man!” he repeated and laughed again. He clapped Rufus on the shoulder. “You might not have married an heiress, but we have instead gained a cat with claws.”
Even Lady Charlotte’s eyes brightened with interest. “And pray tell, how have you learned such skills?”
Kezia hesitated and glanced at Rufus, but this was no time to demure. “In the forest, my lady.”
“To be sure,” said Lady Charlotte. “And do you kill randomly or as required?”
“As required, my lady. If someone threatens to kill me or mine. It is either them or us, and I wish to survive.”
Lady Charlotte took a sip of her wine and looked up once more at Kezia. Kezia had no idea of Lady Charlotte’s thoughts except that she doubted they were in her favor. If Rufus was fearsome, his mother was equally so.
“You have no family, Kezia?”
“Only the people who raised me. And I can no longer live with them in safety.”
“Then your killing ways didn’t succeed in protecting them.”
“I wasn’t able to protect the person I loved best.”
“Not from want of trying, I shouldn’t imagine.”
“No. But it took me too long to get to the castle. By then, Ethelinda was gone.”
“Ethelinda?”
“The woman who raised me.”
“Ah, and where had she gone?”
“Buried. In the ground. She died by her own hand rather than suffer the tortures of the king’s men who fancied her for a plaything.”
Defending His Lady (Norfolk Knights Book 4) Page 9
