As if she needed them!
But it wasn’t only Audric who clung to her like a shadow. Cassius and Sable had come to Castle Questing as well, having become regular visitors to Monteviot. Since Cassius and Sable had no family this far north, Troy was always happy to bring them home to Questing, where Cassius enjoyed his time with the de Wolfe brothers and Sable found great companionship with the woman.
And this time was no different; while Cassius had spent his time with Troy and the other de Wolfe brothers, Sable had remained steadfast at Rhoswyn’s side. They were best friends now, so they were together quite regularly. But when Rhoswyn left the hall to attend the privy, it was not only Audric that she had to evade, but sweet Sable as well. Both were well-meaning, but Rhoswyn wanted to be alone for what she had in mind.
She didn’t need an escort.
Therefore, she felt rather cruel to have ditched her friends in her quest for the chapel, which wasn’t hard to find. It was a long, slender structure built at the far end of the castle complex and the three long, slender lancet windows inlaid with precious colored glass with scenes from the crucifixion told Rhoswyn that it was, indeed, the chapel.
Beneath the bright sliver moon, she quickly made her way to the building.
Once inside, it was cold and dark but for several prayer candles burning up at the altar. It gave the chapel a rather eerie glow, with phantom shadows dancing on the wall. Other than the colored glass in the windows, the interior was rather plain with a dirt floor and carved wooden altar. Timidly, Rhoswyn made her way into the chapel because she was specifically looking for something.
Or someone.
Her heart was pounding with anticipation, and perhaps a little fear, as she moved. Behind the altar was the burial vault for the de Wolfes as well as for the family that had built Castle Questing, the House of Dudforth. In fact, nearly half of that long, slender chapel was dedicated to the burial vault. Picking up one of the prayer candles from the altar for a little light, Rhoswyn could see that there were several tombs and monuments as she entered the dark, spooky area.
But she was looking for one in particular.
Some of the graves were sunk into the ground, with stones announcing who lay beneath, but there were at least six above-ground vaults, three without any effigies, which was usual in these cases, but the other three above-ground vaults did, indeed, have effigies on them. On the right side of the chamber towards the rear, she could see an above-ground vault made from stone that had what looked like a newer effigy on it of a woman.
When she stood alongside the vault and lifted the candle for a better look, she could see that it was the effigy of a woman holding two young children at her side. At the woman’s feet was a wolf, and on the wolf were inscribed words. Rhoswyn held the candle down low so she could make them out.
Lady Helene, beloved wife of Troy
Arista – Acacia
They are simply sleeping
This was who she’d been looking for.
She’d come to pay Lady Helene a visit.
But it was an emotional moment. Tears came to Rhoswyn’s eyes as she held the candle high again to look at the stone effigies, which hadn’t been painted yet. It was customary to paint the stone or wood effigies to look more lifelike, but these effigies remained unpainted. They were gray and somber looking. Moving to the head of the vault, Rhoswyn found herself looking down at the face of a woman, fine in beauty, who, indeed, appeared as if she were only sleeping with her two young daughters beside her. Rhoswyn sniffled, wiping away the tears that had formed.
“I… I dunna have much time, but I… I wanted tae speak tae ye,” she whispered. “Ye dunna know me, but me name is Rhoswyn. I married Troy. M’lady… I dunna even know where tae start, but I think ye helped yer husband a while back. He told me ye appeared tae him in a dream and told him that he needed tae move forward. M’lady, if ye did that, then ye have me thanks. He needed tae hear it from ye. I dunna know if he could have done so without it.”
The only response was the whistle of the night wind outside, singing softly as it blew along the big stone walls. Rhoswyn stood there for a few moments, gazing at the face of the woman Troy had loved before. Instead of jealousy or any sense of competition, all she felt was warmth. Gratitude and warmth. Timidly, she reached out, touching the woman’s cheek.
“I know he loved ye deeply,” she whispered. “I believe that, deep down, he still does. But he loves me now, too, and I love him. I love him so very much. If… if ye were worried about that, then I can assure ye that he is most loved. I will do me best tae take as good a care of him as ye did when ye were alive. I thought ye should know.”
More sounds of the wind, blowing gently against the building. Rhoswyn’s hand moved from the effigy’s face down to the left hand, which was placed over the figure’s belly. The right arm held the two girls. Rhoswyn put her fingers over the stone hand for a moment, warm flesh against the cold rock.
“I… I may come back tae speak tae ye from time tae time,” she said. “Wherever ye are, I know ye still love Troy and I will want ye tae know how he is. I want ye tae be at peace knowin’ he’s well cared for.” She removed her hand from the effigy and stood back, putting that same hand on her gently swollen midsection. “We are expectin’ our first child this summer, in fact. Troy told me that when ye were expectin’, ye spent yer time being sick. I’ve not been sick, thankfully, but I eat everythin’ I can get me hands on. Troy tells me that it means our child will be the greatest son England has ever seen because he’ll be a strong lad.”
She was grinning as she spoke. But the smile soon faded as she gazed at the effigy’s face one last time. She’d said what she’d wanted to say and time was growing short; she knew that Troy, who kept a close eye on her, would come looking for her if she didn’t return soon and she didn’t want him to find her here. This was a moment between her and Helene, and no one else.
She wanted to make it count.
“Sleep well, lassie,” she said softly. “With yer bairns, sleep well. I… I just wanted tae meet ye and tell ye… thank ye. If not for ye, I wouldna know such happiness. I owe ye everythin’. And I will do ye proud.”
The tears were back and she struggled against them, wiping at them. She kissed her fingers and placed those fingers on Helene’s stone cheek before turning away, feeling as if she’d just accomplished something that was needed for the sake of her soul. She’d been wanting to speak with Helene since her marriage to Troy and now she’d finally had the opportunity.
So much had happened in the past six months of marriage, so much joy and discovery, and she knew she owed it all to Helene in a sense. Whether or not she’d really appeared to Troy in a dream, or whether or not it was Troy’s overactive imagination, could be debated. But with a little faith, Rhoswyn was willing to believe that Helene had made her presence known.
And Rhoswyn had been determined to thank her.
Turning away from the tomb, she had her head down as she headed out of the burial vault. Just as she neared the altar, she heard a noise and she looked up, seeing Troy and his mother standing there. Lady Jordan was weeping softly and even Troy had tears in his eyes. By the looks on their faces, Rhoswyn knew they had heard most, if not all, of what she’d said and she felt rather apprehensive about it.
She’d been found.
“I dinna know ye were here,” she said to them. “Why did ye not say somethin’?”
Troy sniffled, wiping at his eyes. “Because that would have been interrupting something unerringly beautiful,” he said, leaving his mother to go to her. “We were just coming out of the hall to look for you when we saw you come into the chapel. Please do not think we were eavesdropping; we simply did not want to interrupt you.”
Rhoswyn shook her head. “I dinna think ye were eavesdroppin’,” she said. “Are ye angry?”
He shook his head, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead. “Never,” he murmured. “The depth of your compassion and honor continues t
o amaze me, Lady de Wolfe. For what you said to Helene… you have my undying gratitude. I know it would have made Helene very happy.”
Rhoswyn was relieved that he wasn’t angry with her for slipping away from the feast or, worse, invading Helene’s sanctuary. But she still wanted to explain herself.
“I felt as if I needed tae show me respect tae her,” she said. “In a sense, I’m followin’ in her footsteps. I know she meant a lot tae this family, so I felt it was right tae honor her.”
“I’d expect nothin’ less from ye, lass,” Jordan said, reaching out and taking hold of Rhoswyn’s hand. “And ye mean a lot tae this family, too. I know Helene is proud of ye. Now, come with me. ’Tis cold in here and we must take good care of ye and the babe.”
Rhoswyn allowed herself to be dragged along by Jordan, who was being very motherly and sweet with her. She cast a look at Troy as she walked away, suggesting that she was quite happy with Jordan’s attentions. It had been a long time since she’d known the warmth of a mother.
Troy moved to follow the pair but something held him back. He found himself turning towards the tomb of his first wife and two youngest daughters, going to stand next to the stone vault and gazing down upon the trio. Normally, moments like this would have been deeply painful for him. But since his marriage to Rhoswyn, since he’d been able to do so much healing, now all he felt was bittersweet memories of what had been. But he did bend over to kiss Helene’s effigy on the cheek, softly.
“You would like her,” he whispered. “She is honest and loving, much as you were, but unlike you, there are times when she scares the hell out of me. Give that woman a sword and she can do some damage. Remind me to tell you more the next time I see you.”
With a chuckle, he winked at the effigy and headed out of the vault, following the path of his wife and mother as they headed back to the great hall where the de Bocage brothers, Case and Corbin, who had come all the way to Castle Questing with their father from Northwood Castle, were trying to engage some of the older knights in an arm wrestling competition and being summarily beaten by Kieran, the strongest man in the realm. Troy could hear the shouting and laughing even as he quit the chapel.
All was well in the world again, with family and friends, and as he crossed the bailey, he imagined that somewhere, in the bright sunshine and rolling hills of a heaven that wasn’t far off, Helene was smiling and laughing, too. She was happy and at peace, and so was he. When his very large son finally made his way into the world four months later, both Troy and Rhoswyn took the baby to visit Helene when he was old enough to travel, but they also brought a very special guest with them –
Troy’s eldest son, Andreas.
Returned from fostering at his father’s request, Andreas was a gentle boy who immediately took to his new stepmother, and she to him. The journey to Castle Questing to visit Helene’s grave was part of the familial bonding and healing for them all. Perhaps some would have thought that morbid to introduce their new baby to the long-dead wife, but neither Troy nor Rhoswyn thought so in the least.
After all, it was to Helene that they owed their very happiness, and it was with great joy that Troy introduced Gareth de Wolfe to Helene and the girls. Andreas was right by his father’s side when he did so. Be joyful, Helene had told him, and he was.
Wildly so.
The darkest de Wolfe was dark no more.
* THE END *
Children of Troy and Rhoswyn
Gareth
Corey
Reed
Tavin
Tristan
Elsbeth
Madeleine
A JOYOUS DE WOLFE CHRISTMAS
A Medieval Short Story
By Kathryn Le Veque
Author’s Note
I have had so many readers ask me “when will Scott and Troy come together again?”. Considering I don’t have any more “Sons of de Wolfe” novels planned for the near future, I didn’t want readers to have to wait until I decided to incorporate that into a later novel. Therefore, A DE WOLFE JOYOUS CHRISTMAS was born.
The short story (and it is short!) revolves around the return of the de Wolfe Prodigal Son, Scott de Wolfe, but also featured heavily in it is James de Wolfe. If you recall your de Wolfe history, James will die in 1282 in Wales, and even I don’t think I can resurrect the man (although never say never). This story is also a tribute to James and we get a brief glimpse into his life, but it’s increasingly difficult for me to write about James, considering what happens to him in the future. Had I known I was going to become so attached to him when he was first mentioned in SERPENT, I may not have let the man fall victim to the Welsh. As Penelope says in SERPENT, “James died in Papa’s arms…” and knowing how attached William is to his children, I’m not even sure I could write that scene without copious amounts of ugly crying.
But… life goes on, as you’ll see within this short Christmas story. It’s to satisfy those of you who have wanted to see Scott and Troy together again, something that was bound to be somewhat of a miracle.
So, enjoy the tale. I enjoyed, very much, writing it.
The happiest of holidays from me to you,
Kathryn
The next generation Wolfe Pack
The Wolfe
William and Jordan Scott de Wolfe
Scott (married to Lady Athena de Norville, issue)
Troy (married to Lady Helene de Norville, has issue)
Patrick (married to Lady Brighton de Favereux, has issue)
James – Killed in Wales June 1282 (married to Lady Rose Hage, has issue)
Katheryn (James’ twin) Married Sir Alec Hage, has issue
Evelyn (married to Sir Hector de Norville, has issue)
Baby de Wolfe – died same day. Christened Madeleine.
Edward (married to Lady Cassiopeia de Norville, has issue)
Thomas
Penelope (married to Bhrodi de Shera, has issue)
Kieran and Jemma Scott Hage
Mary Alys (adopted) married, with issue
Baby Hage, died same day. Christened Bridget.
Alec (married to Lady Katheryn de Wolfe, has issue)
Christian (died Holy Land 1269 A.D.) no issue
Moira (married to Sir Apollo de Norville, has issue)
Kevin (married to Annavieve de Ferrers, has issue)
Rose (widow of Sir James de Wolfe, has issue)
Nathaniel
Paris and Caladora Scott de Norville
Hector (married to Lady Evelyn de Wolfe, has issue)
Apollo (married to Lady Moira Hage, has issue)
Helene (married to Sir Troy de Wolfe, has issue)
Athena (married to Sir Scott de Wolfe, has issue)
Adonis
Cassiopeia (married to Sir Edward de Wolfe, has issue)
PART ONE
BRIGHT WINTER SKIES
Christmas, 1274 A.D.
The de Wolfe stronghold of Castle Questing
The snows were fierce along the borders this year. The first snow of the season hitting about a week before Christmas and possibly dumping an entire year’s worth of snow onto the countryside in just a few days. The beauty of it was that the entire land was white, from the trees to the structures to the meadows – a pristine, pure white that, under bright winter skies, was blindingly brilliant. But the dreary of it, if there was such a thing, was that there had only been one pristine white day in the past week, and it happened to be Christmas Day. On that day, the inhabitants of Castle Questing had emerged from the keep for a day of celebration in the snow.
The first one bolting from the entry to Questing’s keep was eight-year-old Penelope de Wolfe. With her dark braided hair trailing behind her, she dashed out into the snowy bailey and headed towards the gatehouse, while her nieces and nephews and cousins ran out behind her. With children screaming and frolicking under bright blue skies, the day promised to be, at the very least, a noisy one.
Truthfully, the days past when the snow was billowing out of the sky had alread
y been noisy and crowded inside the walls of Castle Questing. It was a big keep and could easily house dozens of people, but it was at capacity. A wedding was to take place on Christmas Day and not only had the groom’s family come to Questing, but all of the de Wolfe extended family were in attendance as well. Even though some of the families weren’t connected to the de Wolfe household by marriage or by blood, they were headed by men who had served the head of the House of de Wolfe – William – in some capacity over the years, and had faced life and death with the man, so they were therefore considered family.
It was a grand gathering, indeed.
This included the houses of de Bocage, Ellsrod, Gray, de Fortlage, de Longley, and Payton-Forrester. More had been invited for this festive occasion, but those were the only families who could make it before the snows hit. With such heavy snow on the ground, they were all bound to their locations, meaning that travel in the north was difficult if not impossible.
For the coming wedding, which would take place at sunset on this very eve, several of the younger knights had set out for Kelso Abbey to bring a priest back to Questing to perform the wedding mass. William de Wolfe and his Scottish wife, Jordan, were great benefactors of Kelso, so the monks had been more than willing to perform whatever religious ceremonies needed by de Wolfe. Troy de Wolfe, along with his brother, Patrick, brothers Hector and Adonis de Norville, and cousin Alec Hage had set out for Kelso the day before, during a snowy downpour, to bring the priest back to Questing. Although Kelso was a mere ten miles from the de Wolfe seat, in weather such as this, even a simple trip was an effort.
The Original de Wolfe Pack Complete Set: Including Sons of de Wolfe Page 239
