Lord Catesby was a merchant by trade and had amassed a vast fortune that required many soldiers to help protect it. He wasn’t a political man and therefore worked well with Gallus regardless of the de Shera support of de Montfort, and as Chad passed through the gate and into the town proper, he saw very few de Shera soldiers and many more Catesby soldiers. After Evesham, that Gallus shouldn’t assign soldiers from his depleted army to guard the city gates wasn’t surprising.
“Where are we going?” Alessandria asked from behind him. “Did you have a plan in mind?”
Chad nodded as they plodded down the avenue, children playing in the streets and dogs barking as they moved along. It was a glorious, sunny day and he shielded his eyes from the bright rays as he looked on ahead.
“Indeed, I do,” he replied. “Past the cathedral on the north side of the city is the Street of the Cooks and Merchants. We shall go there to see if we can find suitable material in which to clothe you.”
Alessandria watched the people as they passed by; one child stuck his tongue out at her and she stuck her tongue out at him in return. As the boy went wailing to his mother, she fought off a grin.
“You truly do not have to purchase anything for me,” she said. “Simply to be with you is more than enough. That is truly the only reason I came.”
Chad’s big, gloved hand found her small hands, clasped around his waist as she held on. “I have missed not seeing you more frequently,” he said. “I was going out of my mind with longing even though I know very well that you are in good hands.”
Alessandria lay her cheek against his back again, so very content. “Jeniver and Courtly and Douglass have been very kind to me,” she said. “I never knew women could be so kind.”
Chad patted her hands. “Not every woman is like your Lady Orford and her horrible daughter,” he said. “There are kind people in the world.”
Alessandria watched a little girl carry around a puppy, with the puppy’s legs dangling. “I know,” she said. “I discovered that the day I went to Newington, although the kindness from the nuns is much different than the kindness of the ladies at Isenhall. The nuns were kind out of duty, I suppose, but Jeniver and Courtly and Douglass seem to be kind because they want to be.”
Chad could see the cathedral up ahead and, beyond that, would be the Street of the Cooks and Merchants. “Of course they do,” he said. “It is unfortunate that you’ve not known much kindness in your life, but take heart that it will no longer be true. I intend to be kind to you and spoil you until you grow sick of it. You deserve nothing less.”
Alessandria grinned, now also catching sight of the cathedral up ahead. It was a large complex with a spire, rising into the sky and seen well across the land, constructed from red stone that had turned brown and dingy with age. It was the same stone that the walls of the town had been built with.
“Look,” she said, pointing to the cathedral. “Is that the cathedral?”
Chad’s gaze was on the cathedral as well. “It is,” he said. “That is St. Mary’s Priory and Cathedral. Newington did not have a cathedral attached to it, did it?”
Alessandria shook her head. “Nay,” she replied. “It was part of the bishopric of Rochester. We went to Matins at Rochester every Sunday regardless of the weather. We would walk the entire way.”
He craned his head back to look at her with some surprise. “That is a distance to walk,” he said. “How long did it take you?”
She shrugged. “An hour or less,” she said. “I did not mind. The cathedral at Rochester is so beautiful. No offense intended for St. Mary’s, but Rochester’s is far more grand.”
Chad simply grinned at her. They passed St. Mary’s and its dingy stones, and Alessandria inspected the structure with interest. Just as she had done the entire ride from Canterbury to Isenhall, she inspected her surroundings and the towns they passed through with great interest.
Alessandria had spent so much time bottled up, away from the world, that everything was bright and new to her now, seeing sights she had never seen before. But they soon left the cathedral behind as they passed by the town’s center, heading to the Street of the Cooks and Merchants. Alessandria was enamored with everything around her.
“I have been wondering something,” she said.
Chad could see their destination up ahead. “What is that?”
“After we are married, where shall we live?”
Chad thought on his reply. “From my father, I inherited the title Lord Thorndon,” he said. “The title comes with two small castles that my father staffs with Canterbury soldiers as outposts. One is Denstroude Castle and the other is Whitehill Castle, both of them on the north perimeter of Canterbury lands. I suppose we could live in one of those if you wish.”
“Lord Thorndon,” Alessandria murmured, rolling the title over her tongue. “It is a prestigious title.”
Chad grinned, turning to look at her. “And you will be Lady Thorndon,” he said. “When I inherit my father’s earldom, you will be the Countess of Canterbury. What a magnificent countess you will make.”
Alessandria returned his grin, humbled. “It seems like a dream to even entertain the thought,” she said, struggling to explain her feelings on the matter. “I am a simple woman, after all. I did not grow up in a fine home and learn fine things. To be a countess… I must say that I feel wholly unworthy, Chad.”
His smile faded. “You are the worthiest woman in the world,” he said quietly, firmly. “You are not polluted by politics or poisoned from those fine homes you speak of. You, and only you, are worthy of such a post. You will honor the name of Canterbury and the House of de Lohr.”
“Are you certain?”
He pulled the horse to a halt, still looking at her over his shoulder. “I would not say it if I did not believe it,” he said. “Aless, do you not have any concept of how beautiful and honest you are? You are a treasure, over any so-called fine woman I could ever find.”
His flattery was true and sincere. Alessandria flushed and lowered her head, basking in his compliments. She was unused to such things but Chad was certain to make her accustomed to them with his gentle flattery. He had been like that the entire ride to Isenhall, dropping gentle compliments now and again, introducing her to the world of courtship. It was something she was rapidly becoming accustomed to.
“You are very kind to say so,” she said. “The way we are… the way things have been since we have come to know one another… I so hope it will always be like this. I hope we will always say kind things to one another. I see the way Jeniver and Gallus are with each other, and the way Maximus and Courtly speak to one another, and it is clear that there is respect as well as adoration with them. I did not know marriage was supposed to be so warm or pleasant, but I feel… I feel as if we will be the same way. I will do my best to make it so.”
He squeezed the hands at his waist. “As will I,” he said. “Have no fear; we will be kind and sickeningly sweet to one another until we die. My mother and father are like that. As children, we would watch them kiss and touch affectionately, and we would groan our displeasure. But now I have come to appreciate what my parents have between them.”
Alessandria smiled at the thought. “Your mother is a wonderful woman,” she agreed. “I did not much know your father, but I am sure he is just as wonderful as his son.”
Chad shook his head. “I am by far more wonderful and talented than my father is,” he said arrogantly. “You must believe that.”
He said it rather dramatically and she fought off a grin. “I do, I swear it.”
“Excellent.”
The came to a crossroads where their avenue intersected with the Street of the Cooks and Merchants and Chad began looking for a livery or a place to secure his horse. He didn’t worry about anyone stealing the animal because it wouldn’t respond to anyone but him, but the horse was rather snappish so it was safer to put him away in a livery where he wouldn’t try to take someone’s arm off.
Moving down t
he street, Chad soon caught sight of a small livery with a bevy of heavy wagons stationed around it, men off-loading them and moving sacks of grain into the small barn-like structure. Chad made his way to the livery and, finding the man in charge, paid him handsomely to have the horse put back in a stall and fed. With the horse tended, he took his saddlebags and his sword with him as he led Alessandria from the livery yard and into the busy street beyond.
“Now,” he said. “It has been a long time since I have been here, but I do believe there are merchants down the avenue towards the Cook’s Gate. It is that big gate down there at the end of the street.”
Alessandria peered down the bustling avenue, shielding her eyes from the sun. “That big gatehouse down there?”
“That is the one.”
“Did they name it for the street, then?”
“I believe so.”
She was curious about everything and he liked that about her. Having spent so much of her life in a cloister, Alessandria was a bright woman and wanted to learn about everything now that she’d had a taste of life outside of the priory. Chad loved that he was the one who had the privilege of showing her the joys of life, educating her about the world around them.
They embarked down the street, seeking a merchant who would have fabric for new garments, but since it was the street of cooks as well, they immediately came across three food stalls, all of them sharing a common beehive-style oven, that produced variations of bread and other delights. The smells of baking bread and yeast filled the air and, like invisible fingers, reeled customers in with enticing scents. Chad and Alessandria were no exception.
The first cook stall was more of a baker with a vast variety of bread. He had sweet and dense flat cakes which, Alessandria discovered, were heavenly. Made from flour, honey, cloves and saffron, they were delicious and decadent, and Chad ended up purchasing a half-dozen of them. As Alessandria pushed them eagerly into her mouth, one after the other, the next cook stall lured them in with a cake made of honey and ginger and cinnamon that was actually more bread than cake. Alessandria loved the smell and Chad ended up buying some of that as well.
On and on it went, down the avenue, stopping at each stall to see what wares or delicacies were offered. A man had a trained black bird, a raven he said, that would pick almonds up from a bowl and walk them over to drop them in Alessandria’s palm, which thrilled her. Further down the lane they came across a woman who used a loom to knit colorful woolen shawls, and Chad bought Alessandria one. It was warm, and lovely, and she draped it around her shoulders as they continued on their way.
In fact, the journey on the Street of the Cooks and Merchants turned into less of a hunt for fabric and more of a general inspection of the street and its vendors in general. There was a man who imported scented oils and incense, and Chad bought her several items simply because she had liked the smells. They stopped to watch a silversmith work a small piece of silver against his metal anvil, watching as he formed it into the shape of an earbob and then added a yellow stone to it. It was all quite fascinating.
The sights and sounds and smells of everything had them enchanted, transported far away from a world of battles and wicked kings. As they lost themselves in a carefree world, Chad held Alessandria by the elbow or the arm, sometimes even the hand, stealing kisses from her when he thought no one was looking.
At first, she pretended to reject his advances, perhaps embarrassed that he was trying to kiss her in public, but soon enough she gave in to his flirtation and allowed him a kiss or two. Perhaps even more than that. All Chad knew was that he was swept up in something he couldn’t control, something that made him as giddy as a young squire. Everything about Alessandria had him enraptured and happily so. He couldn’t focus on anything else. In fact, they were near the Cook’s Gate, playing another round of kiss-stealing, when he happened to glance up at a group of men coming through the gate.
Then, the games stopped.
Chad recognized the men, unfortunately, and he recognized one in particular – Luc Summerlin, the very man he had slashed whilst freeing Henry from de Montfort’s captivity. Summerlin had been Henry’s primary jailor, a powerful knight from a fine Norfolk family. Chad had hardly given the man any thought since that day but here Summerlin was, as big as life, and heading in to Coventry with a host of other seasoned knights with him.
And Chad was quite alone.
He flew into self-protection mode. Grasping Alessandria by the arm, he quickly pulled her out of the avenue and back behind a heavily-laden merchant stall. When she looked at him, alarmed at his actions, he simply held a finger to his lips to indicate silence. Frightened, she obeyed, allowing him to push her back against the wall of the merchant stall and into the shadows while he kept out of sight, watching Summerlin and his group move down the avenue.
Chad kept his eye on the big, red-haired knight astride the battle-scarred roan steed. He wouldn’t have minded running in to the man had he not been with Alessandria, but the fact was that he was far more concerned for her than he was for himself. He didn’t want to find himself overwhelmed by Summerlin and his men, leaving Alessandria alone and vulnerable. There was no knowing what they would do to her.
Now was not the time to face Luc Summerlin. Being that the man had served de Montfort, Chad seriously wondered if he was heading to Isenhall to visit the Lords of Thunder and it seemed to Chad that departing from Coventry immediately would be the better part of valor for both him and Alessandria. He didn’t want to chance running in to Summerlin again. He had to return to Isenhall to take the lady to safety, and also to relay to Gallus and his brothers what he had seen. They would want to know if Summerlin was around. The man had an aura about him, fiercer and more powerful than most.
Chad knew the Lords of Thunder would want to know.
Therefore, he kept Alessandria close at hand as he watched Summerlin move down the Street of the Cooks and Merchants, disappearing off to the northwest. When the man was gone, Chad took that as his opportunity to race back to the livery for his horse. He had packages in one arm and Alessandria in the other as they moved very swiftly back to the livery where his fat horse was, once again, pulled away from a meal of grains.
Lifting Alessandria up into the saddle, Chad settled his saddlebags and packages before swinging himself up into the saddle behind. Alessandria held on tightly as he spurred the animal out into the avenue beyond, fleeing Coventry the way they had come.
Fortunately, they never saw Summerlin as they galloped from the town, making their way back to Isenhall in excellent time. Thundering through the gatehouse, Chad was relieved to see Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius in the ward, all three men saddled up and preparing to depart.
Chad had no idea where the men were going until Gallus dismounted his horse, went straight to Chad’s animal, and pulled Alessandria off. He led her back to the keep and Chad could see that he was mildly scolding her. Her head was down and she seemed to be cowering. Leaving Alessandria off at the steps leading into the keep, her head bowed contritely as she made her way inside, Gallus then proceeded back to Chad. And he did not look pleased.
Gallus wasn’t nearly as concerned about the news of Luc Summerlin’s appearance in Coventry as he was about Chad sneaking Alessandria out of Isenhall without an escort. Chad tried to explain himself but the truth was that there was nothing he could say to explain what he’d done. Finally, he simply gave up and let Gallus berate him. Not surprisingly, Alessandria was much more closely watched after that.
And so was Chad.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Isenhall Castle
Two Weeks Later
Chad could hardly believe what he was reading.
The missive had been addressed to him, having been delivered to Isenhall by a messenger bearing Henry’s colors, which made the soldiers at the gatehouse rather edgy that a king’s messenger boy had delivered a missive addressed to Chad de Lohr.
Men whispered, rumors flew, and by the time Chad actually reached the gat
ehouse where the missive was waiting for him, nearly all of Isenhall knew of the missive, Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius included. Bad news traveled fast.
What did the king have to say to Chad?
No one, of course, wondered that more than Chad did. The edginess from the men was settling heavy, making it a palpable thing, and he accepted the missive from the sergeant in charge of the gatehouse as if he really didn’t want it to begin with. Something about the weight in his hand made him want to drop it and run. The messenger had already retreated, not surprisingly, because no man loyal to Henry wanted to be within the confines of Isenhall, so Chad had no one to ask about the contents.
He would have to open it to find out.
Chad wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to do that and his denial had the better of him. It would have been very easy not to read this missive, to simply pretend he’d never seen it. It couldn’t be good, any of it, but curiosity soon overcame his shock and by the time he walked from the gatehouse, he’d broken the seal on the vellum and he was reading it intently. He had walked to the middle of the bailey when he finally came to a halt, still reading the missive or re-reading it; no one was quite sure. Whatever the contents were had his full attention.
Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius, having been informed of Henry’s messenger by a nervous servant, were already coming to find Chad, emerging from the keep to see him standing in the middle of the dusty bailey, focused on the yellowed piece of vellum. A gentle breeze blew about and chaff brushed by him from the stables, but he didn’t notice. He stood there reading. The de Shera brothers didn’t waste any time in finding out why Henry should be sending a missive to Isenhall.
“Chad?” Gallus called as he approached. “What is it?”
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