Brides of the North

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  Cortez gazed at his brother, seeing the logic of his request. “I think it is a very good idea for you to stay with him,” he agreed. “If, for no other reason, than to keep the man from getting himself into trouble. If his mind is truly going, then mayhap he needs a minder.”

  Andres nodded in agreement although it was clear he wasn’t too keen on the idea. “Believe me when I tell you that remaining here does not make me happy, but I believe it is for the best,” he said. “At least I can keep the man from charging after you and trying to kill your wife.”

  “That is true.”

  “Will you see him before you leave?”

  Cortez simply nodded, rising to his feet wearily and collecting the pieces of the necklace to hold in one hand. Then, he looked at it, the jumble of silver, and put it back down on the table.

  “I cannot even look at this,” he muttered. “When I see it, all I can envision is father ripping it from Diamantha’s neck. It doesn’t mean the same thing to me as on the day I gave it to her. Now I only see anger.”

  Andres eyed the necklace pieces on the table before looking to his brother. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

  Cortez shook his head. “Nay,” he replied, taking a deep breath to bolster himself. “It is going to be a very long day ahead.”

  Andres was forced to agree, following his brother out into the pre-dawn morning, very cold and very damp, as the sky turned shades of blue and gray with the approaching sun. Cortez’s party was very busy tending horses and hitching up the wagons, and the quartermaster was discussing additional provisions with Coven’s majordomo.

  Everyone seemed to be focused on their tasks as Cortez and Andres crossed the bailey to the gatehouse where the vault was located. Entering the gatehouse on the right side, they traveled down a very narrow set of stairs that led them to the vault below.

  It was very damp and very cold in the hole, surrounded by moist stone and with a single torch illuminating the dark. There were two cells, and very small ones at that. Gorsedd was in the cell on the left, a bigger cell, and he had plenty of fresh straw and blankets to keep him warm. He was also snoring quite loudly when his sons approached.

  Cortez and Andres stood outside of the iron grate and watched the man for a moment as he slept the sleep of the dead. When Andres went to rattle the bars and wake him, Cortez stopped the man.

  “Nay,” he said softly. “Let him sleep. Mayhap it is best, after all. I do not want my last memory of my father to be that of anguish and rage. I would rather have it be one of him sleeping peacefully. That is how I would wish to remember him.”

  Andres understood. He put a hand on his brother’s arm. “You will send me word when you arrive in Falkirk, will you not?” he asked. “I would like to know what you find once you get there.”

  Cortez nodded. “I will,” he said. “Mayhap… mayhap in time you can join me at Sherborne. It would not be the same without you.”

  Andres forced a smile. “You would miss pulling me out of gutters and paying off fathers whose daughters I have compromised?”

  Cortez snorted. “I will not miss that part,” he said. He sobered, gazing steadily at his younger brother. “But I will miss you. Take care of yourself, Andres. It is important that my future children know their uncle.”

  In the cell, Gorsedd snored loudly and rolled around in his straw. The brothers watched to see if he was waking up, but he was not. He slept through their conversation. Cortez turned back to Andres.

  “I must go now,” he said with some trepidation. “As for you, be well as you watch over Father. And if the majordomo is correct and his mind really is going, keep all weapons away from him. I do not want him hurting himself or others.”

  Andres nodded, feeling a great sense of disappointment that Cortez was continuing the great quest for Robert Edlington without him. But he understood.

  “Safe travels, brother,” he wished. “Send me word when you can.”

  Cortez hugged his brother tightly before letting him go and swiftly taking the steps up to the bailey. He realized there was a lump in his throat at the thought of leaving Andres behind, but he was convinced it was the right thing to do. It was with a very heavy heart, however, that he left his father with such a painful situation between them. Mayhap someday it could be rectified. He fervently hoped so. He never blamed Diamantha for it, not in the least. The thought never even crossed his mind.

  Diamantha and Sophie were ready to depart on time. Both of them were bundled up in their traveling clothes as Cortez put them into the wagon. He told Diamantha that his brother was remaining behind to take care of their father, which saddened her somewhat, but she understood. She also knew that Cortez had spent the entire night in the vault with his father, trying to talk some sense into the man. She didn’t ask him about it, though. From the expression on his face, she assumed all did not go well and the thought distressed her greatly. She did, however, ask about the necklace and was told it was unsalvageable.

  The news upset her but she didn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on her daughter and on their day ahead. Cortez, in charge of the pet cage, couldn’t help but notice a fifth pet had been slipped in with the others, one of the little puppies that he had seen in the hall the night before. When he questioned Diamantha about it, she simply shook her head wearily and pointed to Merlin. It seemed that Sophie’s begging had broken the man down and he had brought her one. Cortez didn’t know whether to scold the man or laugh at him. The puppy ended up in Diamantha’s lap as the party from Sherborne left the small bailey of Coven Castle and out into the great countryside beyond.

  The great questing continued.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Trentham, Warrington, Euxton, Garstang, Carnforth, Kendal.

  The towns were becoming an endless parade of colorless, shaggy villages without much difference between one to the next. Seventeen days on the road had left Diamantha with a different perspective about England in general. It was a brutal and unfriendly place for the most part. The people were ignorant and cold, or they were starving, or they were trying to kill each other. England, as a whole, was nothing like her beloved Corfe, which seemed to be a heavenly little enclave in this country that appeared mostly full of sorrow and strife. This journey, so far, had opened her eyes to a lot of things, and not all of it good.

  They were north of Kendal this day, heading for the major city of Carlisle and the Scot border. Even though it was late November, the weather was surprisingly mild and the sun was bright overhead. It as such good weather, in fact, that Sophie had been allowed to ride General with the faithful Merlin walking alongside her. She had ridden the pony most of the day. Diamantha didn’t feel much like riding her mare so she sat on the wagon bench beside the quartermaster as he drove the wagon along the road, soaking up the sunshine. It was a glorious day.

  The land this far north was a deep and rich green as they moved through the wide, rolling hills and heavy foliage that comprised Cumbria. There were birds all about and on more than one occasion they had sighted fallow deer. A few of the foot soldiers had the bright idea to hunt a mother and her two fawns, but Cortez called them off because he didn’t want to upset Sophie, who had full view of the white-tailed fawns. When she turned to Merlin and asked for one, he wisely told her to ask Cortez, who had spent about an hour trying to explain to her why she couldn’t have one. Diamantha was within earshot, and she grinned the entire time.

  Since leaving Coven, the relationship between the two had been quite different. They were more relaxed with each other and Diamantha had felt much more trusting in the man. Beneath the arrogance, the seriousness, and the resolute behavior that had comprised the man, she was coming to discover he was very humorous and very witty. Moreover, he had defended her staunchly to his father, actions which told her he was indeed a sincere and honorable man. He was polite, humorous, kind, and wildly protective of her and Sophie, all qualities of a truly respectable man. Every day saw her heart belong to him just a little bit more.


  Even now, as he tried to explain to Sophie why she couldn’t have a fawn, it was a very sweet and funny conversation. Sophie simply didn’t understand why she couldn’t have the little deer and Cortez did his best to give her the reasons why it was not a good idea. As rational as he sounded, he was losing ground against a three-year-old.

  Finally, Diamantha stepped in to save him. She climbed off the moving wagon and went to walk beside her daughter, taking General’s lead from Merlin. When the weather had been good along their journey, Diamantha had tried to walk some of the way simply because she felt better when she did. Riding all of the time cramped her legs up and walking made her feel much better on the whole. Sometimes she made Sophie walk, too, but that usually resulted in them lagging behind because her daughter had to stop every few feet to pick any flowers that might be popping up this late in the season.

  “Sophie, stop begging for a fawn,” she told her daughter. “Cortez has told you that the little deer needs to stay with his mother. You have several pets already, you do not need more.”

  Sophie was serious with her mother. “But I can be his mama,” she told Diamantha. “I can feed him and put him to bed.”

  Diamantha shook her head. “You do not need another pet,” she reiterated. “In fact, when we stop for the night, we must clean your pet cage. The animals need fresh grass and bedding.”

  Sophie was never much interested in cleaning out her pet cage, so she turned her attention to the doe and fawns that were not far off in the distance. Diamantha, seeing that her conversation with her child was at an end, turned to look at Cortez to make sure he hadn’t suffered too much in the losing battle against Sophie. Truth be told, she simply wanted to steal a glance at him. She was doing that quite a bit these days, watching him when his attention was elsewhere. She found it fascinating to simply watch the way he moved.

  This time, however, he was looking at her rather dreamily and when their gazes locked, he smiled sweetly. Diamantha returned the smile without hesitation. The warmth and attraction that had developed between them had never been instant. It had taken time to cultivate, but now it seemed to be at the forefront of everything between them, especially since the incident with his father. Cortez dipped his head politely at her.

  “My lady,” he greeted happily. “You are looking particularly lovely today.”

  Diamantha’s smile turned modest as she looked down at herself. “I have been wearing this same dress since we left Corfe,” she said, brushing at the dusty blue wool. “How can you possibly say I am lovely?”

  He laughed knowingly. “Because you are,” he assured her, his focus moving to the road ahead. “We will stop for the night in a little while. There is a town not far ahead. Can you last a little while longer?”

  Diamantha nodded, shading her eyes against the sun as she looked up into the sky. “Of course,” she said. “It is such a lovely day. I wish all of our travel days had been like this.”

  Cortez lifted his eyebrows in agreement. As the group trudged along the somewhat rocky and uneven road, Cortez began to hum in his smooth baritone. Diamantha had heard him hum before as they were traveling, more than likely to stave off boredom, and he had quite a beautiful voice.

  “What is that song you are singing?” she asked. “I have heard you hum it before.”

  Cortez turned to look at her, a grin on his lips as he began to sing the words to the song:

  “A young man came to Tilly Nodden,

  His heart so full and pure.

  Upon the step of Tilly Nodden,

  His wants would find no cure.”

  It was a sweet little song, delivered in his beautiful baritone, but the moment he hit the chorus, the entire troop chimed in and the song went from a delightful tune to a rather bawdy song that was better suited to a tavern. Diamantha’s smile fled as she looked around her, at every man singing at the top of their lungs.

  “Aye! Tilly, Tilly, my goddess near,

  Can ye spare me a glance from those eyes?

  My Tilly, sweet Tilly, be my lover so dear,

  I’m a-wantin’ a slap of those thighs!”

  Half of the men burst out laughing as others started another verse on the song. Diamantha was rather shocked at first but she had to admit the words were very humorous and they sang it with great exaggeration. She started to laugh because the men were, because Cortez was, and it really was rather naughty. Even Sophie started giggling loudly, only because everyone else was and she didn’t want to be left out. She was having a fine time.

  Cortez climbed off his charger and turned the reins over to the nearest soldier. He made his way to Diamantha, who was now grinning at her silly daughter, and took General’s lead out of her hand. As he passed it over to Merlin, walking behind the pony, he took his wife in his arms as if to dance with her. He was trying to appear romantic but it ended up coming off as comical as he twirled her about even as they walked. His rich voice filled the air once more.

  “Then our young man, his life less grand,

  Since the day he met our Tilly.

  His love for her nearly drove him daft,

  When he discovered not a puss, but a shaft.”

  The men began to laugh uproariously as Diamantha, realizing what he meant, tried to spank him. Cortez had her tightly and, as she squealed with both delight and outrage, took her on a wild galloping dance up to the front of the column and then back again, straight to the wagon. All the while, the men were singing the chorus of Tilly Nodden, thinking it rather funny that Cortez had let his guard down. He didn’t usually do that, but they were all coming to see that Lady Diamantha was bringing out a side of Cortez that no one really knew existed. He was calm with her, exceedingly considerate, and it was evident to all of them just how much he adored her and the little girl. To be truthful, not even those closest to him knew he was capable of it. It was a fine thing to see, indeed.

  As Cortez came to a halt at the wagon, grinning at his giggling, breathless wife, Drake, who had been at the head of the column watching all of the fun, reined his charger back to Cortez.

  “My lord,” he addressed him. “Penrith is just over the ridge. Do you want me to ride ahead and secure lodgings or do you want to camp outside of town?”

  Cortez looked at Diamantha, thinking that she might like a roof over her head tonight. He turned back to Drake.

  “Lodgings,” he said. “For my wife and I, for Lady Sophie, and rooms for the knights. The men can sleep in the livery or they can camp. It is their choice, but if we find a tavern big enough, order a meal for everyone.”

  “The foot soldiers, too?”

  “Aye.”

  It was rare when Cortez wanted to pay outright for a cooked meal for all of his men, so Drake nodded shortly and was gone, informing James and Oliver what Cortez had just told him. When Drake and James took off together towards Penrith, Cortez took Diamantha’s hand and kissed it gently.

  “A bath and a hot meal for my lady?” he asked.

  She smiled gratefully. “That would be most welcome.”

  He winked at her and let her hand go. “Good,” he said. “Now, let me help you and Sophie back into the wagon so we can secure the pony.”

  Diamantha lifted Sophie off of her pony and carried the little girl to the wagon, where Cortez lifted her up and put her in the bed. Then he put his hands around Diamantha’s waist and lifted her up nearly as easily as he had lifted the child, setting her on the back of the wagon as well. With a wink, one that Diamantha was becoming so familiar with, he went to collect his charger and mounted effortlessly. She watched him as he spurred the beast forward and took point at the head of the column.

  Diamantha realized, as she settled down into the wagon bed with her daughter on her lap, that she was actually happy again. She hadn’t been happy in so long that when it finally did come, it had been like a gentle and gradual breeze, not a slap in the face. As the wagon bumped along the road, she started to think about the point in time when she really did become happy again. She
couldn’t seem to remember the rough beginning with Cortez or the resentment and bitterness she had felt. All she could feel now was the thrill of his smile and the allure of his embrace. Her heart would race at the sound of his voice and melt at the sight of his interaction with Sophie. All of those symptoms pointed to one thing.

  … could it be love?

  She wondered.

  It was called The Bloody Cross and it was the biggest tavern in Penrith. Situated close to the church, it sat in a very busy section of the town, near the street of the Merchants, which was just starting to close up for the night when Cortez brought his party through. They passed by dry goods sellers, spice vendors, and one merchant who had all manner of pre-made dresses hanging from the front of the store. Cortez happened to glance at Diamantha’s face when she saw the garments and, noting her very interested expression, sent his men on ahead to the tavern as he took his wife and daughter to the merchant with the ready-made clothing.

  Diamantha had resisted at first, saying she didn’t have any trunks to pack new things in, but Cortez sent Oliver to buy a trunk or more satchels somewhere while he practically forced Diamantha to pick out some new clothing. Even Sophie was able to receive new clothing, as the merchant, a very tall man and his toothless wife, presented them with loosely-sewn clothing for young children. It was really a rather novel idea, this pre-made clothing, and Diamantha knew she could easily finish the garments for her daughter, so she selected four little tunics for Sophie as well as selecting no less than five new garments for herself.

  In fact, it was Cortez who had selected them. Everything she looked at, he would come up behind her and tell the merchant that they would purchase it. Diamantha soon got wise to his game and stopped looking, telling him that she had more than enough things. But he didn’t think so. He was rather enjoying purchasing things for her so along with the pre-made dresses that were slightly too large for her figure, he purchased two linen shifts, a beautiful, heavy leather robe with exquisite embroidery and fur cuffs on the sleeves, two bars of hard white soap that smelled of lemon rind, and a very pretty tortoise shell comb for her hair.