The Original de Wolfe Pack Complete Set: Including Sons of de Wolfe

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Stanley shrugged. “I believe that only de Ferrar is involved in this,” he said. “He never named anyone else and the way he spoke with Sadgill led me to believe that this is something only he is a part of. As for the sentries, it is quite possible that they are simply being loyal to de Ferrar and not necessarily privy to what he is doing. They are du Rennic men being loyal to a du Rennic knight.”

  It made a good deal of sense, all of it. Scott was mulling over the situation now, knowing they had a traitor among them, knowing that this wasn’t something they could deal with on their own. This was something that affected all of them, du Rennic men included. In order to build a defense against it, they would need help. If Cumbrian lords wanted Canaan, then those at Canaan would have to present a united front or the defense of Canaan would fail. All of them would fail.

  Scott de Wolfe had failed before on that spring day four years ago. He wasn’t going to fail again.

  “So let me be clear on this – de Ferrar has somehow allied himself with a Cumbrian baron for the purpose of stealing Canaan away,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “The du Rennic knights know nothing, the army knows nothing. The gate sentries are simply being loyal to a du Rennic knight and not covering for his activities, which they know nothing about.”

  He was summing up the situation, thinking it through. Stewart and Stanley watched him as he began to pace.

  “Do we call reinforcements from Pendragon, my lord?” Stanley asked. “If the Canaan army is asked to revolt…”

  Scott cut him off. “They do not follow Adam de Ferrar,” he said, turning to look at them. “They follow Jeremy Huntley. Stanley, did they say how soon they planned to begin this rebellion? Was a timetable discussed?”

  Stanley lifted his eyebrows to emphasize the time-sensitive nature of the situation. “Before the Scottish husband arrives,” he said. “They seemed most concerned about that. They know the messenger has returned to Edward. Give the man a couple of weeks to reach London and then give the Scots lord a month or so to arrive… whatever they do, they are going to do it sooner rather than later.”

  Scott understood. “Then we have little time,” he said. “And we need help. But not from Pendragon or our local allies; it would take time to organize them and I fear we do not have enough of it. The help we need must come from inside Canaan. It’s my guess that Jeremy Huntley does not want to see Canaan overrun with Cumbrian barons any more than I do. I am afraid we will have to tell him and Gordon what we know and ask for their assistance in destroying this threat because I do not want to spend the rest of my life fighting off Cumbrian warlords.”

  Stewart thought that sounded very much as if Scott were planning on staying at Canaan for a very long time. And given what he knew about Scott and Lady du Rennic, it only solidified to him what the future would now bring, one of Scott and a new life here at Canaan. It was a future that was much different from the one Stewart had been faced with for the past four years. Different, but not unpleasant. Still… he wasn’t sure about letting Gordon and Jeremy Huntley in on this bit of information. He was unsettled about it.

  “Then you intend to go on the offensive?” he asked.

  Scott nodded. “I will not wait for Adam to admit Cumbrian lords in the middle of the night to slit our throats.”

  Stewart was hesitant. “Understood, my lord.”

  There was something in his tone that made Scott look at him. “You disagree?”

  Stewart was still hesitant to speak out, mostly because no man ever spoke out against de Wolfe. “It is simply that Jeremy Huntley and his men hate the sight of us,” he said. “Now… now we must seek an accord with them?”

  “I feel it is necessary.”

  “What if they refuse?”

  “Then they will lose Canaan. I do not believe that will be an attractive option to them. Hate us or not, for the good of Canaan, they must cooperate or the results will be tragic.”

  Stewart wouldn’t argue with him. He knew that Scott was doing what he felt was best and he’d never seen the man make a questionable decision. This was a de Wolfe, eldest son of the most powerful knight on the Scottish Marches, and that line of great warriors weren’t in the habit of making problematic choices.

  “Do you have a plan in mind, then?” he asked.

  Scott was chewing his lip thoughtfully. He looked at Stanley. “Given what you heard between de Ferrar and the Cumbrian lord, would you be comfortable speaking on this subject to Gordon Huntley?”

  Stanley nodded without hesitation. “I would, my lord.”

  “Then that is our plan,” Scott said simply. “We will speak to Gordon since there is clearly no time to waste. He is more than likely still in the hall with his grandchildren. Stu, you will summon him to the room where Jeremy is infirmed. Stanley and I will gather Milo and meet you there.”

  There was a sense of urgency in the air now, as if they were racing against an unseen hourglass that was quickly draining. Rebels wanted Canaan and they wanted it badly enough to conspire with a traitor from within. As Stewart headed from the solar on his way to the great hall with its windows glowing with light against the dark spring night, Scott and Stanley headed towards the north and the guard chamber. Scott found himself looking up at the sky as they walked, at the battlements silhouetted against the moonlight. Such beautiful moonlight, which brought him to thoughts of Avrielle.

  She was in danger now because of an ambitious young knight. The last time a woman he adored was in danger, he couldn’t help her. But he would fight to the death for Avrielle against the greedy Cumbrian lord who wanted Canaan so badly. Thoughts of the woman at the mercy of a man he didn’t even know brought such rage to his heart that it was difficult to control it.

  And the children… they would be at the man’s mercy as well. Those sweet, helpless children would possibly be abused or even thrown over the fortress walls into the moat below. There were ancient tales of battles where children were killed by the enemy, tossed over fortress walls or heads smashed into the stone. But Scott wasn’t going to let that happen. He wasn’t going to lose those children, not while he had breath left in his body. Thoughts of ancient battles gave him an idea.

  He knew how to fight this battle… and win.

  God help whoever was threatening those he adored because the Black Adder, the viper of death and shadows, was about to strike and strike hard.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I knew something was happening with Adam,” Gordon hissed. “He would simply leave the fortress and not return for hours. And now you say that he is conspiring with Lord Sadgill for control of Canaan?”

  The moment had come.

  Scott could see that Gordon was genuinely upset at the news of Adam’s collusion. In the cramped guard chamber of the northern gatehouse, with Jeremy still lying on the floor, Scott, Stewart, Milo, and Stanley quietly informed Jeremy and Gordon of the situation that afternoon with the mysterious rider leaving Canaan, the refusal of the gate sentries to identify the rider, and then the subsequent conversation Stanley had overheard between Adam and Sadgill.

  The entire situation had been succinctly laid out for them. Gordon went from shock to disbelief and finally to rage, yet his response wasn’t good enough for Scott. He wanted answers.

  “That is the exact conversation between de Ferrar and Sadgill that Stanley heard,” he said. “You say that you knew de Ferrar was up to something; how did you know, Gordon?”

  Gordon was growing red in the face, so angered was he. “The lad would ride off by himself at least once or twice a week. He would always leave when there was work to be done, or after we’d spoken of plans or of issues concerning the castle. In fact…” he suddenly trailed off, a look of horror crossing his face. “He rode off right after we received Stewart’s missive those weeks ago informing us of your imminent arrival to Canaan. I remember because we were assigning the night watch shortly thereafter and he was nowhere to be found. Jeremy, do you recall?”

  Now, the conversation was tur
ning in Jeremy’s direction and Scott had to admit that he was very curious to hear from the man. Jeremy lay flat on his back, his face heavily bandaged as he stared up into the ceiling and gave no reaction to what he was thinking. He didn’t answer his father right away; he seemed to be considering everything he’d heard.

  Although no one wanted to be obvious about it, everyone in the room was watching him, wondering what his reaction would be to all of this. A knight under his command had been accused of a dreadful crime. Certainly, Adam’s behavior would reflect on Jeremy as the man in charge of Canaan’s troops, so there was a good deal of honor at stake.

  His own.

  “Adam has always been a wanderer,” Jeremy finally said. “He has been in my service for almost five years and he has always been a man who prefers his company to the company of others. He is a solitary man.”

  “A solitary man with a grudge,” Scott muttered what they were all thinking. Folding his big arms across his chest, he leaned against the wall. “I suppose his reasons are his own for what he has done; that is not at issue. What is of issue is the fact that he is conspiring with this Lord Sadgill for control of Canaan. Do you know Sadgill?”

  Gordon nodded. “He is a malcontent,” he muttered. “He had a strained alliance with Nathaniel and never really gave him any trouble, but he always seemed to be one step away from a fight. I suppose he accepted Nathaniel because his family had been in Cumbria for so long, so I believe he considered Nathaniel one of his own. Another Cumbrian lord. But with Nathaniel’s death, that seems to have changed.”

  “Has he ever given you cause to believe he wanted to take the castle?”

  Gordon lifted his shoulders. “Not specifically, no. But as I said, he is known to make trouble in the area to those he believed had no cause to live here. There was a lord to the south in Grayrigg who married the heiress of the Lamb family. When Lord Lamb died and the man inherited the castle, Sadgill waged war on him because he did not feel he belonged here.”

  Scott thought on the faceless Cumbrian lord with an eye towards chasing those he felt unworthy out of Cumbria. “So he convinces one of the du Rennic knights to help him gain Canaan because it no longer belongs to Nathaniel?” he asked. “Is de Ferrar from Cumbria that he would know of, or have an alliance with Sadgill?”

  Gordon shook his head. “Adam is from Dorset,” he said. “He is not from Cumbria. The only link that makes any sense to me is that Adam must have met Sadgill on one of the many times he wandered away from Canaan. I do not know how they struck such a bargain and I surely did not realize that Adam had those thoughts. As Jeremy said, he is a bit of a solitary man. I do not believe he has any friends within Canaan, not even among the knights.”

  Scott thought on those words. “Motives or not, he is conspiring to help Sadgill take Canaan,” he said. “I do not care for his reasons, only that he is trying to take a property that does not belong to him. That is why I have made the decision to tell you all of this; knowing what we know, we must counter this scheme and bring Adam’s treachery to an end. If we do not, I fear Canaan will be in great jeopardy. If he manages to convince the Canaan army to turn against me, then the ensuing fight will raze the castle. Have no doubt; I will fight back. And I will win.”

  Gordon shook his head, disgusted by the entire situation. “There is no disagreement here, my lord. I am glad you have confided in us for, in a sense, this is more our problem than it is yours. Canaan is our home, Adam and Sadgill must not be allowed to continue with their plans.”

  On the floor, Jeremy suddenly made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. “The army will not listen to Adam, no matter what he thinks,” he said. Because of the bandage on his face, his speech was muffled. “I suppose I find all of this shocking to say the least. Adam is a quiet man but he has never shown any disloyalty. I am having a difficult time believing he would turn against us.”

  “I did not lie,” Stanley said, thinking the man was challenging his honesty. “I followed your knight and I heard exactly what I told you. But there is something I forgot to mention – once de Ferrar left, Sadgill was speaking to the men that were still left. One of his men reminded him that he told de Ferrar that command of Canaan would be his, but Sadgill said he only needed de Ferrar to gain the castle. After that, Adam meant nothing to him.”

  That piece of information brought about an ominous tone to the entire situation. Over against the wall, Scott spoke. “Does that mean Sadgill will assassinate de Ferrar once he has completed his task?” he asked, incredulous. “That is a heartless man. But it is also a ruthless and determined one. It tells me that he will not give up until every last man is dead in order to gain his wants.”

  On the floor, Jeremy shifted so he could at least make an attempt to look at Stanley. “I was not challenging your truthfulness,” he said in a surprisingly calm tone. “I am simply saying it is difficult to believe. When you know someone for years and work with him, provide a roof over his head, you assume he is loyal. What you are suggesting is a man of very bad character and I refuse to believe that I have been blind to it.”

  “Based on what I heard and what I saw, Adam has meant that you should be blind,” Stanley replied. “As Lord Bretherdale said, there is no shame in that. Men change. Do you think de Ferrar considered you at all while he schemed with Sadgill? If he has been promised the command of Canaan, what do you suppose will happen to you? I heard Sadgill tell him that if your father did not support their efforts, then he would have to be eliminated. That goes for you as well, I am certain. They will kill you for resisting their plans and then blame you for it.”

  Stanley had said it a little more forcefully than Scott would have liked, given how volatile Jeremy could be, but he made his point. Before Jeremy could respond, Scott sought to soften up Stanley’s statement.

  “The situation is this,” he said to Jeremy more than to Gordon. “You have a traitor in your ranks. That is no reflection on your judgment in men; it is simply the fact that Adam has motives other than those of duty to you and to Canaan. It is his greed or ambition that has overwhelmed his common sense. I chose to divulge the information because it is no longer about de Wolfe and du Rennic. It is about having a common enemy and if we do not unite to defend Canaan, then Canaan will fall into their hands. This is your home and it is my holding. I can summon an army of tens of thousands to take back what is mine should Sadgill manage to capture it. But by that time, the damage will have been done. Possibly your father will be dead; possibly you will be dead. And what of your sister and her children? Do you think Sadgill will treat them kindly? I fear for their safety and I hope you would as well.”

  Jeremy was looking at Scott at this point, absorbing his words. Nothing he’d said was untrue. But it was more than that; something in Scott’s eyes spoke of a deeper emotional tie to Canaan than what he was suggesting. Aye, it was his property. But when he spoke of Avrielle… Jeremy could see the flicker of change in the man’s eyes. An indefinable softness that hadn’t been there before.

  But these were different times. Opinions were changing. Yesterday, Jeremy was still willing to spit in Scott’s eye and call it justice. But after his discussion with Scott today and after the man had overcome his own prejudice to tend the wound of an enemy, Jeremy was starting to feel his resistance fade.

  It was true that he and Scott had always fought side by side in the past with no quarrels, no contention. Jeremy had always been impressed with Scott’s battle skills and his skills as a commander, for he could direct thousands of men with as little as the lift of a hand. It was true that Nathaniel took an arrow for the man and Jeremy still wasn’t over the fact. Was Scott to blame? Jeremy’s reasonable side knew he wasn’t. His reasonable side also recognized that Scott didn’t have to come to him with this situation; he could have just as easily arrested Adam and left the du Rennic knights out of the decision-making process entirely.

  But he hadn’t.

  It all came down to believing what Stanley had told him. Jere
my had known Stanley for as long as he knew Scott, a gruff and not-too-pleasant knight who was hell on the field of battle. He was trustworthy. Moreover, he had no reason to lie about this. There was no purpose in it that Jeremy could see. But it was still difficult for him to admit that one of his men was a traitor.

  “Mayhap we should ask him,” Jeremy finally said. “It is your word against his at this point. Why not ask him what he was doing and tell him you overheard his conversation? Mayhap if confronted, he will confess.”

  Gordon shook his head, one of many in the room to Jeremy’s statement. “You do not seem to understand,” he said to his son. “Adam has gone behind your back to conspire with others. Do you truly believe he will confess? He will not. I am sure he will not. Then you will throw him in the vault until he changes his mind. Meanwhile, Sadgill is still coming, with or without Adam, and if he does not come now, he will come at some point. It is inevitable.”

  Jeremy looked at his father. “Then let the Scottish lord deal with him, the man that Edward has chosen for my sister,” he said. “She is to have a new husband, is she not? Canaan will be his. Why not let him deal with Sadgill if he is to assume the property?”

  The last time they’d been on this subject, it had deteriorated badly and Jeremy had ended up with the wounds he had on his face. Scott found himself praying the man didn’t try bringing up Athena because he didn’t want to end up in a brawl again.

  “Jeremy,” Scott said quietly, “you and I have discussed your behavior and the opportunity to remain here in command of Canaan’s troops. I told you that I did not wish to exile you but your behavior has given me little choice. I will not revisit this subject again except to say this – your sister will not marry the Scottish lord. I have made sure of it, which means Canaan’s defense is up to us. I would like for you to remain here in charge of Canaan’s troops because they respect you. Nathaniel trusted you and I would like to trust you. This is your home; the du Rennic men look up to you. They are your men. With everything you have been told, would you still not wish to defend it?”