Brides of the North

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  But a knock on the door shattered the spell and, startled, Cortez pulled away from her and bolted to his feet. Moving to the door, he opened it with more anger than he should have, frustrated that such a beautiful moment had been interrupted. The tiny old man who had led them into the keep with his trusty torch was standing in the darkened stairwell outside, hovering nervously.

  “Ye wanted to see me, m’lord?” he asked. “Is the chamber not to your liking?”

  Cortez shook his head, a wry expression on his lips. “It is not,” he said. “My wife and I require fresh linens and, in the name of Christ, give us a new mattress. God only knows what my father has done to that one. It smells like a sewer. We also require hot water and a bathtub. I saw one on the floor below. Bring it up so my wife might bathe.”

  The old servant bobbed his head nervously and fled down the narrow stairs. Cortez turned to Diamantha.

  “This will probably take some time,” he said. “Mayhap we should join my father in the hall first so that by the time we return to this room, it will be moderately habitable.”

  It was a reasonable plan and Diamantha rose to her feet wearily. She would have liked nothing better than to crawl into bed and sleep for a week, but not in the state it was in. Indeed, they had to wait for the servants to properly clean it. As she turned for the chamber door, Sophie began to stir in her arms. The little girl rubbed her eyes and yawned, and Diamantha gave her a squeeze.

  “Are you finally awake, sweetheart?” she purred. “Open your eyes and look at me.”

  Sophie did, her eyes popped up and she blinked, looking at her surroundings. She was immediately curious. Sophie was, if nothing else, unflappable. She was in a new place and, rather than be frightened, she was interested. She pushed herself out of her mother’s arms and Diamantha set her gently on her feet.

  “Mama?” Sophie looked around. “Are we here?”

  Diamantha grinned at her daughter’s confused question. “We are at Cortez’s father’s home,” she told her. “We are going to go eat sup with him now. Are you hungry?”

  Sophie nodded emphatically but as she did so, she spied her pets over near the fire. She ran to them, falling to her knees beside them. Diamantha went after her.

  “Nay, sweet,” she said, grasping her daughter’s hand. “We will come back to them after we eat.”

  Sophie wasn’t too sure. “But Eleanor and Edward and Father and Clover will be lonely.”

  Diamantha led her gently for the door. “They are warm and safe,” she assured her. “We will bring food back for them.”

  Sophie still wasn’t sure but let her mother lead her to the door where Diamantha paused, handing Sophie over to Cortez.

  “A moment, please,” she said. “Keep hold on her so she doesn’t run back to her pets. If she does, I fear we will never make it to the hall.”

  Cortez held the little girl’s hand tightly, dividing his time between smiling down at the sleepy little girl and watching Diamantha dig around in one of her satchels. She seemed to be searching for something. He waited patiently until she finally pulled forth a bundle of cloth. Carefully unwrapping it, she pulled forth the dramatic necklace Cortez had given her, the one that had belonged to Helene and to Cortez’s mother before that. Rising, she brought it over to Cortez.

  “I thought your father might like to see this,” she said. “It belonged to your mother, after all. Will you please help me put it on?”

  Obediently, Cortez let go of Sophie’s hand and helped Diamantha secure the heavy silver collar. She was wearing her traveling clothes with the neckline that came all the way up to her throat, so the necklace lay against her with the backdrop of blue wool. It was truly stunning. Cortez watched her as she fussed with the necklace to make sure it hung correctly.

  “He will be very happy to see it,” he said confidently. “That piece meant a great deal to him.”

  “Did he commission it for her?”

  He nodded his head. “Aye,” he said, “for their wedding day.”

  “Then your father is sentimental like his son.”

  Cortez grinned. “I suppose so,” he cooed, his dark eyes glittering at her. “You give us much to be sentimental about.”

  Diamantha smiled at him, a warm and genuine gesture, touching the necklace as she took Sophie’s hand and led the little girl from the room, slowly navigating the stairs downward. Cortez was right behind them, closing the door to the chamber and following. When he came to the floor directly below, he saw the tiny old servant and a few others milling about as they prepared to take the tub up to the chamber. He cornered the old man.

  “There is a cage up in that chamber with four small animals in it,” he told the servant, pointing to the ceiling above to emphasize his point. “They belong to my daughter. I have seen dogs all around this place and you will not let them into that room, is that clear? If anything happens to those pets, I will have your head. Do you comprehend me?”

  The old man nodded fearfully, watching Cortez as the man followed the woman and small girl out of the keep.

  The first thing he did before he followed any of Cortez’s other directives was find a small, sturdy table to place the animal cage on, just in case the many dogs milling about the keep wandered into the chamber. He made sure the cage was very safe, up high and away from the floor.

  He didn’t want to lose his life over two kittens, a rabbit, and a fox. It would have been a shameful way to go, but the fact was, he believed Cortez’s threat implicitly. Being that the man was a de Bretagne, they never gave idle threats, and everyone knew that Sir Cortez was the most frightening de Bretagne of all.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Gorsedd wept openly when he saw the great collar necklace on Diamantha. Water poured from his eyes, mucus from his nose, and he kept wiping it all on his sleeve. As everyone took a seat around the long feasting table in the cavernous hall of Coven Castle, it was several moments before Gorsedd could speak.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered tightly as Diamantha sat down between him and Cortez. “I have never seen the necklace look so lovely.”

  Diamantha was truly touched at the man’s reaction. “As I told your son, I will treat this with the greatest of respect,” she said. “It is a truly lovely piece.”

  Gorsedd sniffled away the last of his tears, loudly, as he motioned to the servants to start bringing forth the warmed trenchers of food.

  “I am so pleased you like it,” he said, sitting next to her and gazing intently between her and Sophie, who was seated on her lap. “And this is your daughter? What a lovely lass. What is your name, child?”

  Sophie, who had already grabbed a chunk of soft white bread, spoke with her mouth full. “Sophie Amalia Teodora Edlington,” she said in her rapid-fast delivery.

  Gorsedd laughed uproariously at the adorable child, which startled Sophie. When he saw the fright he had given the little girl, he quickly sought to make amends.

  “Such a beautiful name, truly,” he assured her quickly. “I am sorry if I frightened you. I know I am a loud man.”

  Somewhat eased, Sophie went back to chewing her bread. “I have a pony,” she told him. “His name is General. Would you like to see him?”

  It was the same line she had given Cortez those weeks ago and Cortez laughed, reaching out to gently touch Sophie’s arm.

  “We will eat first,” he told her. “Mayhap you can show him after.”

  Sophie wasn’t particularly put off by the suggestion because her attention was diverted by all of the food they were bringing out. The bread, cheese, and fruit already on the table was now joined by other dishes – fish with apricots and peppercorns, pork with honey and cloves, and a variety of boiled vegetables. Great trenchers were placed before the diners and Cortez began filling Diamantha’s trencher with the fish and the pork. Even as he spooned the items onto her trencher, Sophie was already sticking her fingers in it and eating. Gorsedd thought it was all great fun to watch and he even handed her his own spoon to use, but she wasn’t in
terested. She was happier with her fingers.

  Andres, Drake, Oliver, and James joined them in short order once their duties settling the men were complete. Andres sat across from his father, reaching for the pitcher of wine before he even looked at the food. As Cortez watched, his brother downed two large cups of wine quickly, and Cortez began to suspect that the sobriety his brother had adhered to for the past several days was about to come to an end.

  Cortez’s soldiers began filtering into the room, heading for the feasting tables closer to the door where food had been set out for them. Meanwhile the knights dug into the food with gusto, the finest spread that they’d had in days. There were even serving women about, which lured Cortez’s men somewhat, particularly Andres, who by now was well into his third cup of wine and feeling the familiar flush of alcohol in his veins. When a busty young woman went to put more wine on the table next to him, he smiled leeringly at her and slapped her on her ample behind. She giggled while he laughed lewdly, pinching her arse as she scampered away.

  “Andres,” Cortez said, trying to distract his brother from his lecherous behavior. “Speak to the quartermaster before we leave and make sure we are well supplied. It has been four days since we last restocked and I heard today that we somehow lost a bag of apples. Puzzling. In any case, check with the quartermaster to make sure we haven’t lost anything else. I do not want to set out tomorrow only half-supplied.”

  Diamantha heard his comment about the apples, keeping her head down as she fed Sophie some of the fish. She wasn’t going to confess about tossing the apples to the starving peasants but she somehow suspected that he already knew. He was being tactful by not calling her out for it. Still, she thought it best to change the subject. She didn’t want it known that she had openly disobeyed her husband.

  “Sir Gorsedd,” she said, turning to Cortez’s father. “Cortez tells me that your heritage is Welsh and English. Do you have much interaction with your Welsh kin, living close to the Marches as you do?”

  Gorsedd was sucking on a pork bone. “Not too much,” he said, chewing. “My mother’s family was part of the ap Gruffydd clan, you know. Did Cortez tell you that? At one time, the king thought he could use that to his advantage but my mother’s family is fairly destitute now. Once, they were very powerful, but the tides of fortune have not been kind.”

  Diamantha was listening with interest. “I am indeed sorry to hear that,” she said. “I know that Edward has been quite active in Wales. It is all but conquered now.”

  Gorsedd nodded his head, perhaps thinking on the proud Welsh heritage that was now subjugated to an English king. “That is true,” he replied. “But it cannot be helped, I suppose. The Welsh cannot rule Wales. All they do is fight, anyway, so mayhap Edward believes he can unite the country. He certainly cannot do any worse than generations of Welsh princes have done.”

  Diamantha watched the man carefully. “As a man who is part Welsh, I find your view somewhat surprising,” she said. “Most Welshman I have heard of are fiercely patriotic of Welsh rule in Wales.”

  Gorsedd shrugged as he began to suck on another pork bone. “The only thing I am patriotic about is my family in general,” he said. “Welsh or English, which puts me in an odd position at times. Still, I would give up my life for either side. My grandfather, in fact, did. He was killed in Wales defending his home many years ago. But enough about me, my lady. Tell me of your family, for I am eager to know.”

  Diamantha opened her mouth to speak but Sophie, finished with her fish, squirmed to get off her lap. Diamantha held her tightly.

  “Nay, sweetheart,” she said. “You cannot get down. Stay with me.”

  “She may wander the hall, my lady,” Gorsedd said encouragingly. “The dogs in here will not hurt her. In fact, there is a litter of pups over near the hearth. See the pillar to the left of the fire? They are behind it.”

  “I will take her,” Cortez said, wiping his mouth and standing. He held out a hand to the little girl. “Come along, my lady. Would you like to see puppies?”

  Sophie nearly launched herself out of her mother’s lap, thrilled at the prospect of baby dogs. Diamantha looked at Cortez with some hesitation in her expression.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Surely you would like to stay here and speak with your father.”

  Cortez smiled, already being dragged away by Sophie. “I will return,” he assured her. “You and my father become better acquainted.”

  Diamantha watched him go, with Sophie towing him along. She seemed to like to do that with him, leading around this big man who was sworn to do her bidding. It was rather sweet to watch, and it endeared her to Cortez that much more. If she didn’t know better, she would swear the man was well on his way to stealing her heart. It was a surprising but not unpleasant prospect. Given their rough beginning, she wouldn’t have believed that to have been possible.

  “Do not bring a puppy back,” she told Cortez. “Not even when she begs. Do you hear me?”

  He was several feet away but waved an acknowledging hand. “I hear you.”

  “Promise me?”

  He didn’t respond and she didn’t really expect him to. If Sophie asked for the moon, he would grant it if it was in his power. She was coming to realize that about him. With a smile on her lips and a shake of the head at the adorable picture of Sophie dragging Cortez along behind her, she turned back to Gorsedd.

  “My family is rooted in England,” she said. “My father serves at Norham Castle in Northumberland. He is still alive and in good health. On my mother’s side, it is a bit more interesting. My maternal great-grandfather was Christopher de Lohr, who was King Richard’s champion. Cortez’s knight, James de Lohr, is also a descendent of the man once known as the Defender of the Realm.”

  The light of recognition went on in Gorsedd’s eyes. “Truly?” he asked, looking across the table at James when Diamantha pointed at him. But his attention quickly returned to her. “De Lohr, you say? ’Tis a proud family, my lady. Most impressive.”

  Diamantha was warming to the conversation. “Thank you,” she said. “My maternal grandfather was the son of another great warlord, although he did not have the pristine reputation that de Lohr had. My grandfather was the son of Ajax de Velt. Have you heard of him? He had a heavy presence in the north and also along the Welsh Marches for a time. His method was conquest and he accumulated quite a few castles in his younger years.”

  Something in Gorsedd’s expression changed at that moment, as if a curtain was lowered, from top to bottom. The change started at Gorsedd’s forehead and worked its way down his face. First, his brow furrowed, then, his eyes widened to astonishing proportions. Further down, his cheeks flushed a violent shade of red and his mouth began to work but no sound came forth. It worked and worked, and spittle began to form around his lips. As Diamantha looked at him with concern, she wondered if the man was having a spell. Gorsedd suddenly leapt to his feet and his chair toppled over.

  “De Velt!” he roared. “Are you telling me that you sprang from that bastard’s loins?”

  Diamantha was taken aback at the tone, suddenly very uncertain of Gorsedd’s behavior. “He was my grandfather’s father,” she said steadily. “My lord, if there is….”

  Gorsedd cut her off by bellowing in her face as loud as he could. “Silence!” he screamed. “I never thought I would see the day when de Velt blood sullied the House of de Bretagne, but now you are here and de Velt’s vile deeds have infiltrated those closest to me!”

  Diamantha was seriously considering moving away from the man. She was hoping Cortez could hear what was going on and come to save her from whatever rage his father was suffering from.

  “My lord, truly,” she said, trying to remain calm, “I never knew my great-grandfather and although I know he committed terrible crimes, he….”

  Gorsedd wouldn’t hear her. He began shouting over her. “And now you pollute the memory of my wife by wearing her collar?” he pointed at her, suddenly fixed on the great necklace
on her chest. “You are unfit and unworthy, de Velt spawn!”

  Reaching out, he yanked the beautiful silver collar right off her neck, sending pieces of it flying in all directions. Terrified, Diamantha jumped out of her seat and scurried away from the man while across the table, James and Drake and Oliver were on their feet, moving to protect the lady from Gorsedd’s wild demeanor. Even Andres, as drunk as he was, was focused on his father with concern and curiosity.

  “Father!” he stood up, weaving dangerously as he leaned forward on the table. “What is the matter with you? Why are you…?”

  Gorsedd stumbled away from the table, putting his hands up as if to block out the horrors rolling through his mind.

  “That!” he screamed, pointing at Diamantha, who was now standing behind James and Drake. “That… that whore, that vile creature of de Velt blood, has bewitched your brother! Do you know what her great-grandsire did? He killed my grandfather! He put the man on a pole, driven up through his arse until it came out of his shoulder, and left him to die on a pike in the middle of the bailey of the castle where he was born! De Velt left the man to die a horrific death, squirming on the end of a pole as ravens plucked his eyeballs out! The blood that runs through her veins is the same blood that killed my grandfather!”

  By now, the entire room was deadly silent except for Gorsedd’s shouting. Cortez, who had been over by the hearth with Sophie, picked the little girl up and made haste back to the table in time to hear his father spout his terrible venom at Diamantha. Immediately, he handed the child over to Oliver.

  “Get her out of here,” he hissed. “Find Merlin and tell him to tend her. You will come back once you have delivered her to safety.”

  Oliver took the little girl, who was asking to see the puppies again. He fled the hall with the child in his arms as Cortez went to stand between his wife and father. All the while, the legendary de Bretagne temper was rising, like a cauldron about to boil, and by the time he faced his father, he was purely mad with rage. He simply couldn’t believe all of the slander he was hearing, from his own father no less, shocking and uncalled for. It was difficult to remain in control.