“You are right,” she admitted, “but I must hear you deny both.”
Gavin’s fingers teased over her lips, and he smiled. For now, it was easy to speak the answers she longed to hear. “I am not a brigand or one of the princess’s hirelings. I knew nothing of the attack on the village or at Lord Daron’s until I witnessed them. Since there is trouble all over your land, it is not difficult to be around when peril strikes. You were at the village and Baltair was at Daron’s, both in hiding. Should I question and doubt you too?” he teased.
Alysa’s eyes studied him intently, then she smiled. “I knew you could not be evil. Forgive me for asking such questions.”
“There is nothing to forgive, m’love. You would be unwise if you ignored possible clues that could help your people. Why did Baltair reveal such a thing to you?” he asked.
Although she loved this man and felt she could trust him, Alysa knew this was not the time to expose herself. After all, he was here with fellow warriors who might not be trustworthy or loyal to him. She had to be patient and wary. “Baltair spoke with Princess Alysa and related many terrible things to her,” she said. “You witnessed the attack; surely you realize how suspicious it was. Isobail journeys around the land duping the peasants and nobles, trying to turn them against Prince Alric in her favor. Princess Alysa fears that Isobail is after the Crown itself, and she fears she will be forced to battle her stepmother for it.”
This news alarmed Gavin. “I saw Isobail many times during my travels, and Princess Alysa speaks truthfully, but foolishly. Isobail is powerful and clever, and many cling to her. To challenge her would mean certain death. You must warn Alysa to be careful.” “There might be little time, Gavin. Alysa believes her father’s illness comes from slow poisoning. She cannot prove it, but she has arranged to safeguard his food and drink every day. Alysa must be right, as Prince Alric grows stronger each day since Isobail’s departure. Only a servant named Leitis, and now Baltair, know of her actions. Alysa must do something to rescue her father, but he is too weak to flee.”
“Your note said you wanted to hire me. What did you mean?” he asked. Apprehension filled him as he recognized the direction she was taking. He and Giselde had not known that others were working against Isobail, which could place the two groups at cross-purposes. He had to learn all he could, then hopefully dissuade the untrained fighters before they endangered all of them. He had not wanted to involve his precious Thisbe, but it was too late.
Alysa licked her lips and tried to control her suddenly rapid breathing. “Princess Alysa wishes to hire you… to help her get her father safely to Cambria, by abducting him if necessary.” She watched Gavin’s astonishment mount by the minute. She hurriedly went on, “Until Baltair’s return, Prince Alric did not know what was happening around him. He refused to heed Alysa’s warnings, since he did not believe his wife would dare to commit such treachery. Isobail has duped him, yet Alric is too feeble to challenge her, even though her strikes are becoming bolder. Two feudal lords have been slain and replaced, and I fear for the lives of others. When Prince Alric is well enough to travel, Alysa wants to escape with him to Cambria. There, she can persuade King Bardwyn to send loyal knights here to defeat Isobail. She will need the help of a clever guide and a strong guard to reach her grandfather. You said you have friends here with you. Can she not hire your men as her escort? Name your price.”
“Money is nothing in this matter, sweet Thisbe. But survival is, survival for your ruler and my men. The moment Prince Alric was missed, Isobail would send warriors, perhaps the raiders, after us. Even if Prince Alric was strong enough to travel swiftly, which he is not, I have only six men, and she has many. If Princess Alysa’s suspicions are right, we would be chased and captured… and perhaps slain. It is too dangerous and foolish to risk at this time. You said there is no proof against her; that is what you need to gain the people’s support, and King Bardwyn’s. Alysa could never bring charges like these against Damnonia’s beloved regent without it, plenty of it,” he emphasized.
“But how can I gather such proof?” she asked frantically.
“As I travel around, I will see what I can learn. It is not enough to suspect Isobail is behind the trouble; we must prove it. If I discover anything of value, I will tell you so you can pass it along to your mistress. Keep your eyes and ears alert, and I will do the same for you. But take no risks, m’love,” he cautioned.
“If things grow worse at the castle, would you help… us flee?”
“The moment you feel you are in danger, come here and wait for me. I will protect you with my life,” he vowed.
“My life does not matter, Gavin, only that of my… ruler.”
“Nay, sweet Thisbe, your life does matter, to me. No woman has pleased me as you do. If you avoid trouble, I will take you with me when I leave this land,” he teased, hoping to lighten her heavy mood.
Dismayed, she scolded, “This matter is grave to me. I cannot avoid trouble as long as I must seek ways to help Prince Alric. If danger strikes and you cannot help us, I will find someone who can, or I will handle everything myself. Do not worry about me, for Piaras, the castle’s knight trainer, taught me how to fight. I can use a sword, bow, lance, and knife. Have you forgotten how easily I escaped you when we first met?”
Gavin knew she was serious, and his deep concern caused him to miss unwitting clues to her identity in her words. “Promise you will do nothing until I can study this situation and choose a safe path to travel.”
Alysa’s face brightened with happiness and relief. “You will help us?”
“I will try, but you must tell no one about me. If news of my intrusion reached the wrong ears, we could all be cast into Isobail’s dungeon. As you said, you do not know whom to trust. Sweet Thisbe, there is a heavy price for my work,” he hinted roguishly.
“Name it, and Princess Alysa will pay it,” she replied.
He shook his head. “Only you can pay it, sweet Thisbe. The price is you, here with me when I can endure your absence no longer.”
A scarlet flush swept over Alysa’s face. “I am to pay you by…”
He chuckled, hugged her tightly, and shook his head again. Dark gold waves shifted with his movement, and his green eyes gleamed with reborn desire. “Nay, not like that, m’love. It was a jest. When you come to me, it must be because your desires match mine. Without desire, our union would be bitter.”
Alysa’s eyes observed him for a time, then she remarked, “You are a strange man, Gavin. Will I ever know you?”
“One day you will know me perhaps too well. I wonder how you will feel about me then,” he -teased. Gavin was overjoyed that she had not mentioned Squire Teague, or summoned help from his rival.
“I cannot imagine feeling any differently than I do now,” she said.
“And how is that, sweet Thisbe?”
Alysa gazed into his sparkling eyes and grinned. “One day you will know that answer perhaps too well,” she playfully retorted.
Gavin nibbled on her ear, then murmured, “Perhaps I know it now, and that is why I feel your exquisite trap closing around me.”
“You must not fear such an imprisoning snare, or you would be fleeing swiftly. Why do you linger here in such peril?”
He leaned his head backward to fuse their gazes. “For once in my life such a womanly snare does not frighten me. I wonder why.”
Musical laughter filled the air. Alysa drew his mouth to hers and kissed him soundly. Before he could claim her lips again, she murmured dreamily, “Yea, I wonder why…”
Within moments they were making love.
Eleven
Giselde lovingly stroked a drawn image of her deceased daughter, and murmured, “Soon I can reveal myself to Alysa. Rest well, Catriona, for I will guard our little one and avenge your murder. It has taken me years to hone my skills and to find the right allies. Now I have both, and it is time for revenge and justice. By the gods who serve and defend us, I swear the Evil seed of your traitorous husband a
nd his wicked whore will never sit upon the throne of Damnonia or any land. If need be, I will die seeking Isobail’s destruction.”
Trosdan, the Druid High Priest and wizard, observed Giselde worriedly, for she was treading slippery ground. He wished he could reveal the truth about Alysa and Gavin to the woman, but the runes had forbidden it. Perhaps he should not be concerned about that matter, for Giselde would learn the truth herself very soon. “I thought your hatred for Alric had lessened, Giselde,” he hinted.
The elderly woman confessed, “Yea, it is hard to despise a man who has grown so weak in mind and body. Alric is no longer the handsome man who stole Catriona’s heart so long ago, and he is being punished terribly for his betrayal of her. Yet Damnonia’s prince has only himself to blame for his troubles. Now he must pay for his foolish greed. Poor Alric is like a careless hunter who trapped himself in his own clever snare. Only he can free himself, if he desires escape. So far, he has made no attempt to do so. How can I forgive him for becoming entangled with Isobail for a second time? For giving her the chance to slay my only child? And for placing Catriona’s murderer within striking distance of my granddaughter and the Crown? My only concern is protecting Alysa and her inheritance.”
As painful memories invaded her mind, Giselde muttered, “Alric said everyone here would hate me for having two bonds to the Norsemen, a mother and a husband, and he claimed my identity might birth new hostility toward Catriona. He commanded us to remain silent about our relationship. It was hard to play Catriona’s servant, but at least it kept me near her and my granddaughter. That secrecy was wrong, Trosdan, and it will knife Alysa’s heart when she learns about it. After that lie was accepted as fact, the time never came to dispel it without risking dissension among Alric’s subjects. Even so, if Alric had truly loved my Catriona, he would not have visited Isobail’s bed so many times while my daughter was away healing from the death of their first child. Then, to bring that woman and their bastard into the same castle with my sweet and trusting Catriona…”
Trosdan reminded the agitated woman, “But Isobail did not know Alric forced his counselor to drug her so he could sneak into her bed each night while he was visiting Lord Caedmon during Catriona’s absence. Isobail thought it was her lover coming to her. I have often wondered what she thought when she learned her lusty knight was dead and she was carrying a child.”
“She thought it was best to murder Lord Caedmon so he could not expose her and have her slain! No doubt she believed a mischievous spirit or even a god had visited her and sired her son. If Isobail knew the father was Alric, she would use Moran to get everything she wants. It surprises me that, during a moment of passion or illness, Alric has not confessed his dark deed to her or Moran. No doubt he fears she will slay him for his lustful trickery, as she killed her first husband.”
As Giselde continued, she revealed how she had discovered Alric’s dark secret: “After I heard him discussing his shame with Baltair I hid in every corner to learn all I could. Alric pretended he loved only Catriona and Alysa, but I saw him sneak away many times to play with Moran or just to watch him. And the prince made certain his bastard was well placed in life, first sending him into knight’s training, then making him a prince by marriage.”
“If Alric craved Isobail so much, why would he wait for years after Catriona’s death to marry Lady Isobail?” Trosdan reasoned.
“After those stolen nights at Lord Caedmon’s, Alric continued to lust for Isobail. He only hesitated after Catriona’s death until it was safe to marry that vicious witch. Besides, he feared me because I knew about them. I am no fool, Trosdan, I know why Alric took that whore everywhere with him while little Alysa was suffering alone at the castle. Now the gods are tormenting him for his sins. We must not allow Moran to claim Alysa or Isobail to steal the crown of Damnonia. Their Evil must be stopped and destroyed.”
“Why do you not tell her more about her father, so she might better help him?”
“Alric is too ill to battle Isobail but he is responsible for her being here and for his weaknesses. I wish I could tell Alysa about his iniquities, but this is not the time. I cannot tell her how weak he was, and that he fathered a son while her mother still lived. He betrayed my daughter and caused her death, even if he did not help Isobail poison her. He has allowed that woman to enslave him and to torment my Alysa. He deserves pain and death.”
“Are you certain you can trust King Bardwyn to help you?”
“Yea, Trosdan, for we have known each other for years. As does King Bardwyn, I know of his son’s flaws. Many, including Bardwyn, have suffered greatly for Alric’s weaknesses, disobedience, and impulsiveness. The King of Cambria is a strong and noble man, and he kept his vow to never lay eyes on his son’s mistake, for that is how Catriona was viewed in the beginning. Even after my daughter’s death, no warrior especially a king, could break his vow of honor. All knew that Alysa came to mirror her mother, Alric’s so-called weakness, more and more each year. Many feared the prince’s impulsive marriage could prevent him from becoming king after Bardwyn’s death. How sad for everyone, as Bardwyn longs to see his only granddaughter.”
Trosdan appeared puzzled, so Giselde explained, “We know how vital it is for a territory to have a powerful ruler and strong feudal lords. Since this part of the kingdom is separated from Cambria by water and another kingdom, Bardwyn needed a regent here who was powerful, one who was loved and respected and obeyed. He removed Lord Caedmon Ahern as his warlord and regent and placed Prince Alric in charge so his son could prove himself. How tragic for everyone that Bardwyn did not know about Caedmon’s antagonism and his wife’s evil.”
Giselde sighed deeply. “Bardwyn sent for me after Catriona’s return to Albany. He realized from Alric’s messages how my daughter’s absence was affecting his son. I hated to encourage Catriona to return to her husband, but Rurik and my parents persuaded me to meet with Bardwyn. When I spoke with the King, he begged me to help settle the tormenting matter between Alric and Catriona. He confided his guilt over their unborn son’s death and his unfair treatment of my daughter. He felt if he had behaved differently, the Cambrians might have accepted her as Alric’s wife. Bardwyn said he knew the good changes in his son were due to Catriona’s influence and Alric’s love for her. Despite Alric’s flaws, his father loves him; that is why Bardwyn banished him to his own domain rather than humiliate and disown him. He prayed, with time and Catriona’s touch, Alric would become the man he should be.
“In the time we spent together, Bardwyn and I became friends. We came to trust and respect each other. We agreed to keep our meeting a secret from Alric and Catriona because we did not want them to feel as though we were interfering in their life. But we did not have to intrude. Evil forced Catriona back into Alric’s arms when the Vikings attacked that last time. While we were staying in Cumbria after Prince Briac’s rescue, I saw Bardwyn again in secret. He feared that this new trouble could cause more problems for our children, but he pleaded with me to take Catriona back to Damnonia to Alric, and I did, to my sorrow. If only Alric had been more like his father…”
“This is why King Bardwyn trusts you,” Trosdan remarked.
“Yea, he knows I have spoken truthfully about his son and the danger here. That is why he appealed to King Briac for help and why they sent Gavin to aid us. Even so, my word is not enough to bring about an attack on Princess Isobail or to dethrone Alric. To prevent dissension, Bardwyn needs undeniable evidence against her.”
“Prince Gavin will gather it, if he is not exposed to the Evil forces before time also becomes our enemy…”
Two hours later at Malvern Castle, Lord Fergus arrived and asked to meet with Prince Alric on an urgent matter. Alric surprised everyone by appearing in the Great Hall within minutes, dressed, but looking pale and emaciated from his lengthy illness. Apparently in high spirits, the ruler smiled at those gathered to visit him, his gaze softening and lingering briefly on his daughter. Not wanting to tower over Lord Fergus from the dais du
ring this meeting, the prince—with Baltair’s assistance—walked slowly to the eating area and sat down at a table. Alric’s faded green eyes took in those present: Baltair, Earnon, Kyra, Alysa, Guinn, Fergus, a few of the lords’ men, Piaras, castle guards, and three of Alric’s servants. He summoned the feudal lord to sit nearby, then motioned for the others of enough rank to join them. Alric and Alysa exchanged loving smiles again, and she sat down within a few seats of him, as did Baltair and Kyra.
Alric ordered refreshments for everyone and waited until they were served before stating, “My friend and retainer Baltair tells me you wish to address me, Lord Fergus. Speak.”
Fergus put aside his glass of wine and warm bread to reply, “My news is bad, Your Highness. Raiders from Logris have attacked my land, stolen cattle, and driven them into Vortigern’s domain. My men followed them to the border, but dared go no farther without permission and help. I do not have enough knights and men-at-arms to battle them alone. I request the loan of yours to answer this challenge.”
Before Alric could respond, two parties arrived at nearly the same time: Isobail’s, and Lord Orin’s and Sir Kelton’s combined. They were shown into the Great Hall, and all eyes widened to see their ruler present and entertaining a small group at a table. During the commotion, no one saw Kyra’s hand move toward Alric’s goblet.
Baltair and Alysa noticed the astonished expression that crossed Isobail’s face, then her quick glance at Earnon. Then Isobail hurried forward to greet her husband and inquire about his health.
“What are you doing out of bed, my husband?” she softly chided.
Alric did not look at her or smile as he replied, “I am listening to the words of my vassal, Lord Fergus. Why has the trouble that plagues my land been kept from me?” he asked sharply.
Wild Is My Love Page 19
