by Ana Seymour
The punch stopped Ranulf’s words but didn’t alter his teasing smile.
Alyce turned her anger on Thomas. “It was cruel of you to make me come here thinking I was to marry a stranger.”
“Would you have come along more willingly if they’d told you that your bridegroom was the knight you knew as Thomas Havilland?” he asked.
She would have come more willingly if the said Thomas Havilland had come to her himself, explained his absence and told her again the words she’d heard him say just before he’d left her at Sherborne. Shouldn’t that be as logical to a man as it was to her? Though, to be fair, when he had declared his love to her, she hadn’t given him any encouragement.
She studied him, taking her time with an answer. He looked older than he had three months ago. She didn’t remember the lines etched alongside his mouth. Or perhaps it was just that she’d spent two days looking at his younger brother. Seeing them together, the resemblance was more obvious. She should have guessed the relationship immediately.
Ranulf and Thomas were waiting for her reply. “No woman wants to be forced into a marriage—any marriage,” she said.
Thomas looked as if her answer was what he had expected. “But you came, nevertheless,” he said.
“I was given no choice,” she said, glancing at Ranulf.
“I’ve only just now taken the chains off her hands and feet,” Ranulf teased.
Neither Thomas nor Alyce were in the mood for humor. “The king felt that you would be better off with the protection of a husband, especially considering Dunstan’s interest in you,” Thomas said.
“In fact, we had to chase your friend the baron off when we arrived.”
Thomas looked at his brother in astonishment. “Dunstan was there? At Sherborne?” He turned to Alyce for an explanation.
She spoke sarcastically. “Evidently the baron had the same idea as you—that I needed protection. The only difference is that he felt he should be the chosen one.”
Thomas moved a step closer to her and spoke in a low voice. “How long was he there? Did he hurt you?”
Alyce glanced briefly at Ranulf, then decided she didn’t care if Thomas’s brother heard her words. “If you mean did he have his way with me, no, your brother’s arrival prevented that.”
There was a noticeable relaxing of Thomas’s shoulders. “Thank God. Did Dunstan offer you any resistance?” he asked Ranulf. He didn’t seem surprised that his slender younger brother had evidently had little trouble in chasing away an opponent as formidable as the baron.
“Nay. Unfortunately, the bastard made no effort to fight us. I think he was too astonished to hear that Richard was back, especially after everything he and John did to prevent that from ever occurring. All he wanted to do was ride with the news to the prince.”
Thomas turned to Alyce. “You may not like my tactics, Alyce, but believe me, ’tis for the best. Richard is already talking of leaving the country again. Once he’s gone, you’d be at the mercy of Prince John and Dunstan.”
“Unless I have a husband to protect me.”
“Aye,” he said firmly.
They glared at each other.
“Well, then,” Ranulf said briskly, dusting his hands together. “Now that I have reunited you two lovebirds, I’ll just be off to find myself a flagon of ale and some friendly companionship. I’ve enjoyed traveling with you, milady,” he added to Alyce.
She turned her gaze from Thomas to Ranulf and offered him a smile. “Aye, thank you for your courtesy, Ranulf, and for your patience with Lettie.”
“Ah, milady, now there I had no choice,” he said with a wink. “From the fiery look in your maid’s eyes, I was afraid she would have emasculated me if I’d refused to take her along to protect you.”
The woman in question was coming toward them as they spoke, directing two hapless servants who were loaded down with bags and trunks. “Careful not to drag anything in the dirt,” she ordered. “I’ll not have my lady meeting the king in muddy rags.”
Ranulf and Alyce exchanged a smile. “All the same,” she said softly, extending her hand, “I’m grateful.”
“I thought you were leaving, Ranulf,” Thomas said pointedly. He seemed irritated by the fact that Alyce had a smile for his brother, but not for him.
“I wouldn’t mind some ale, as well,” Alyce said to Ranulf.
Ranulf gave his brother a helpless shrug, but couldn’t resist a grin as he took Alyce’s hand and placed it on his arm. “Then we’ll go together to find some, milady. We need to wash off the dust of the road.” Over his shoulder he said carelessly, “You may join us if you care to, Thomas.”
Thomas slapped the side of his thigh in frustration, then turned to follow them through the big castle doors.
“Ye sent for me, Sir Thomas?” Lettie’s tone was wary.
Thomas stood as the little woman entered the small solar where he’d been waiting for her. He motioned for her to sit down. She did so stiffly, obviously uncomfortable with this breach of master-servant protocol. “Aye, I wanted to speak with you,” he said.
Her chin went up. Thomas smiled. Now he knew from whom Alyce had picked up that particular gesture of defiance.
“I’ll not speak a word against my mistress, Sir Thomas, so don’t be expecting it of me.” Then she proceeded to let the words pour out. “She can be stubborn, aye, it’s true, but only because she’s had nothing but people trying to push her around, one way or t’ other, ever since her father’s death. Deep down, she’s as soft as they come, a loving, caring girl with a heart as big as—”
Thomas held up a hand to interrupt her. “You’ll get no argument from me, Lettie. I not only admire your mistress, I’m in love with her.”
The nurse’s gray eyes widened. “Ye are?” she asked.
“Aye. I have been ever since I first laid eyes on her, just after you and she connived to poison my men.”
Lettie flushed. “’Twas pure desperation, milord. She’d been sorely tested, you see, what with all those men coming and going, telling her what to do—”
He interrupted her again. “I’m not blaming her, Lettie, nor you. You were all defending your home, in a manner of speaking.”
The old woman looked relieved, but a little confused. “Beggin’ yer pardon, Sir Thomas, but if ye claim to be in love with the lass, why have ye forced her to come here?”
“Because I want to marry her, and I wasn’t sure if she’d have me.”
Lettie shook her head in disgust. “So of course the most logical thing to make her want to marry ye would be to drag her clear across England, against her will…” She crossed her arms over her ample breasts and pinned Thomas with a scolding gaze. “Why is it that men in love seem to have the brainpower of a pea?”
Thomas gave a rueful laugh. “I don’t know, Lettie. I’ve asked myself the same question. So you think it was a mistake to bring her here?”
“Aye,” she answered firmly.
“When I told her back at Sherborne that I loved her, before I left to join Richard, she didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
Lettie’s face softened. “Ah, young man, sometimes women want a little bit of coaxing. Coaxing,” she added forcefully, “not dragging. Unfortunately, Alyce may need more than most, thanks to all the nonsense Lord Sherborne planted in her head.”
“Her father?”
“Aye, he spent her whole life convincing her that the only reason a man would ever want her would be to take over Sherborne Castle.”
“Surely one glance in the looking glass would convince her otherwise?”
“Nay. She thinks the only reason men want to marry her is for Sherborne alone.”
“Sherborne is a modest holding,” Thomas observed. The Lyonsbridge fortune could buy Sherborne ten times over, but he didn’t mention that to the maid, who looked a little insulted at his characterization of her home.
“It may be modest, but it’s all Alyce has ever known, and she’s not about to let some man take it away f
rom her.”
Thomas sighed. “Philip of Dunstan was far wealthier than she. He may have wanted Sherborne, but he wanted the lady Alyce as well.”
“That’s not the way my lady saw it.”
The room grew quiet as Thomas sat lost in thought. “Was there anything more, Sir Thomas?” Lettie asked finally.
“What would it take to convince her that a man might love her for herself alone?” he asked.
“Ah, milord,” Lettie said, standing, “ye’d best go back to yer minstrel love ballads if ye want the answer to that question.” Then she bobbed a curtsy and turned to leave the room.
“Ye could hear him out, Allie luv,” Lettie said, fussing with her charge’s hair. They had pulled the honey-colored locks up onto her head with a pearl circlet in preparation for her audience with King Richard.
“I have heard him out, Lettie. I find him no different than any other man.”
“Ye’ve never deceived me before, Alyce Rose. But I think ye’re doing it now. Either that or ye’re deceiving yerself.”
Alyce gave a little shriek as Lettie tugged an errant strand into place. “I’m not deceiving anyone, Lettie. He’s more agreeable than Dunstan, I’ll grant you that. But he’s the one who has been deceiving. He didn’t even tell me his real name. And he’s had me brought here for marriage as though I were some kind of chattel.”
Lettie spoke softly. “I think he loves ye, Allie.”
Alyce spoke sharply. “What does that mean? He wants me in his bed? Aye, I have no doubt of that. He wants to be master of Sherborne? Aye, that, too. What else is love, Lettie? Can you tell me?”
Her eyes filled with tears as she turned to her nurse to ask the question. Lettie shook her head sadly. “I’m hoping the day will come when ye find out, lass,” she said.
They both turned toward the door at the sound of a knock. Lettie crossed over and opened it. The visitor had the uniform of a royal page.
“Good day, mistress, milady,” he said, bowing at the waist. “I’ve come to fetch you. King Richard awaits your attendance.”
Chapter Twelve
Even in the isolation of Sherborne, Alyce had heard tales of the great King Richard. The accounts told of how he himself had led the assault, wading ashore at the head of troops, to relieve the garrison at Jaffa. He was a fierce, sometimes cruel warrior. Yet he was also the darling of the troubadours, having written the lyrics for many of their ballads.
The serving maid who had been assigned to her and Lettie in the crammed castle told them that after the Easter holidays the king was planning to head back to the Continent to see to his holdings there and the possibility of another Crusade.
Alyce wondered how the monarch had managed to find the time during his short stay to pay attention to the affairs of Sherborne, which surely must be one of his very minor holdings. Undoubtedly, she would not have merited the king’s attention without Thomas’s prompting. She sighed. If it hadn’t been for Richard and Thomas, she reminded herself, she’d have Prince John and Dunstan to contend with.
She tried to make her pace stately as she approached the hall that the king had adopted for his receiving room during his stay. She knew that Lettie, walking alongside her, was watching her with a critical eye, hoping that for once her charge would behave with proper decorum.
Even if she’d wanted to take a little skip to relieve the tension, Alice probably wouldn’t have been able to in her heavy costume. Over the thick fustian cloth of her undergown she wore a cloth-of-gold tunic that had belonged to her mother. She’d looked at it many times when Lettie had tenderly taken out the garment to air, but she’d never dared put it on. When they’d left Sherborne, Lettie had insisted on packing the beautiful piece, declaring that it was the only thing in Alyce’s wardrobe truly fit to wear in a king’s company.
The receiving room was full of people, mostly men. Alyce’s gaze went immediately to Thomas, who was standing near the front of the room, talking with a man of about his own height. Even at a distance, she recognized the thick chestnut hair and regal bearing of the man called Lion Heart.
His features were handsome, but there was little humor or warmth in his face. Her knees shook slightly as the crowd parted to give her room to approach. Lettie fell behind, leaving Alyce to make the walk by herself.
She spotted Thomas’s lieutenant, Kenton, in the throng, and then Ranulf, who gave her an encouraging smile and a wink. Drawing herself up and trying not to feel the weight of the tunic dragging at her shoulders, she marched straight to the front of the room. When she’d reached the king, she sank low in a curtsy that she and Lettie had secretly practiced the previous evening.
“Your majesty, may I present Lady Alyce of Sherborne?” Thomas said. He extended his hand toward her and she found herself clinging to it as she rose to her feet. When she was standing straight, he kept hold of her, and she didn’t pull away. His hand was warm and solid, and it gave her courage as she faced the king.
Her appearance seemed to make little impression on Richard. He gave her a brief glance, nodded, then turned to one of his courtiers to begin a conversation on another matter. Alyce stood bewildered. This was the man who by rule of law and sovereignty had total power over the course of her life, yet he gave her no more attention than if she had been a mouse dashing across the floor.
Thomas seemed to sense her confusion. He leaned close to her and whispered, “The king has many things on his mind today.”
“And obviously I am not one of them,” she said, not bothering to lower her voice.
The sound drew Richard’s attention. He turned back to her. “Lady Sherborne, is Sir Thomas attending to your needs?”
“I have no particular needs at the moment, your majesty,” Alyce answered. Some distance behind her, she could hear Lettie give a distressed cough.
Richard didn’t seem to have heard her. His eyes were on Thomas. “I see why you wanted her, Thomas,” he said. “She’s a pretty thing.”
Thomas gave Alyce an apologetic glance, but answered respectfully, “Aye, your majesty. Lady Alyce is as lovely as she is intelligent. You’ve made me a fortunate man.”
“I owed you, Thomas.” His gaze flickered to Alyce, then back to Thomas. “And I pay my debts. Remember that the next time I ask for a favor.”
“I shall, your majesty,” he replied with a slight bow.
Richard appeared done with the audience and ready to move on. She’d been dealt with as summarily as a troublesome servant, Alyce thought, her anger rising. Granted, Sherborne was a tiny place, probably unworthy of much of the king’s attention, but no matter how small, he was its feudal lord. By law, she owed him allegiance and he owed her protection.
“Your majesty,” she said loudly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Thomas wince. “I’d like to speak to you about this marriage that you’ve proposed for me.”
The king turned back to her, surprised. For the first time, he focused all the power of his deep blue eyes on her face, and she suddenly understood why he’d been able to inspire loyalty among his soldiers and hatred among his enemies.
“Your marriage? What do you have to say about it, Lady Sherborne?” he asked softly.
It seemed as if the entire room had gone deathly quiet. Even the rustling of the silken robes of the numerous clerics had ceased. Alyce cleared her throat. “I have no desire to be married,” she said.
There was no change in Richard’s expression, but his eyes looked at her with deeper interest. “Indeed?” He looked at Thomas. “I’d thought you said that the lady of Sherborne had already expressed an interest.”
Thomas shook his head. “If you remember correctly, your majesty, I said that I was the one who was interested. I was unsure of the lady’s feelings.”
Richard’s thick eyebrows went up. “Do you have some objection to Sir Thomas?” he asked Alyce.
“Nay, that is—” she stumbled for the words “—I don’t object to him precisely, but to the idea of being forced to marry any man.”
> For the first time, there was a touch of warmth in the king’s face and he appeared to almost smile. “You prefer to manage Sherborne Castle all by yourself?” he asked.
She nodded.
He turned to Thomas. “I’m not particularly in favor of forcing my subjects into marriages they oppose, Thomas. I hadn’t realized that your lady was unwilling. Perhaps we need to reconsider the idea.”
Alyce felt a surge of triumph, coupled with a totally unexpected twinge of disappointment. She hadn’t really thought that the king would listen to her plea to be let out of the match, so she hadn’t taken the time to analyze how she would feel about it if he actually set her free, to ride back to Sherborne an independent woman. And never see Thomas Brand again.
But Thomas was speaking. “I beg your pardon, your majesty, but I believe it’s imperative for this marriage to be carried out immediately.”
“Why’s that?”
Thomas looked around and picked Ranulf out of the crowd. “Tell the king who was at Sherborne when you arrived,” he told his brother.
Ranulf took a step forward. “Baron Dunstan was there with a number of his men.”
Richard’s face darkened. He looked at Alyce. “My brother’s choice for you, I believe?”
Alyce felt her brief flirtation with freedom vanishing. “The baron was an unwelcome visitor. My people and I would have dealt with him,” she said. She waited for Ranulf to speak up and reveal exactly how entrenched the Dunstan troops had been when he arrived, but he remained silent.
“The lady doesn’t seem to fear Dunstan, Thomas. Is he the only reason you request an immediate marriage?” the king asked.
Thomas looked from the king to Alyce, obviously feeling that his case was weakening. He took a deep breath and said, “Might I speak with you in private a moment, your majesty?”
Richard looked surprised, but he nodded. He made a slight gesture with his hand, and all at once the men who had been surrounding him started to back away, giving him space to speak to Thomas without being overheard. One of the courtiers took Alyce gently by the elbow and pulled her back as well.
