Fearsome Brides

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Chad heard the shout but wasn’t going to shout in return. He remained silent, still fixated on the missive, until the brothers were grouped around him. Tiberius was even looking over his shoulder, but Chad handed the missive over to Gallus before Tiberius could get a good look at the contents.

  “It is from de Serreaux,” Chad said, his voice low. “Henry has ordered the de Winter army, led by Davyss, to march on Isenhall. They left London over a week ago.”

  Gallus stared at him a moment, startled by the news, before looking to the vellum to read the information for himself. It was clear that he wasn’t sure how to react to the news but as he read, his features screwed up to reflect his astonishment. The carefully-scribed words impacted him.

  “Henry is riding with Davyss,” he said, trying not to sound as if the very thought had him reeling. “De Serreaux says that Henry is coming to determine loyalties.”

  The crux of the missive was revealed to those who hadn’t yet read it; the king is coming to determine loyalties. In disbelief, Maximus snatched the vellum from his brother, reading it intently as Gallus and Chad focused on one another. As Maximus read and Tiberius tried to read over his shoulder, Chad spoke in a low voice.

  “So it has come to this,” Chad said, foreboding in his tone. “He is riding to see just how much support you have.”

  Gallus was bewildered. “He already knows,” he said. “There has never been any secret about the fact that the House of de Lohr and the House of de Winter are both family and friends. More than that, de Moray’s daughter is married to my brother. Why should Henry come all the way with Davyss’ army to see for himself?”

  Chad shook his head as if Gallus were missing the point. “Can you not see what de Serreaux is really saying?”

  “Evidently not.”

  Chad grunted his displeasure in the situation; he could see it as clear as day. Everything in the days from Evesham leading up to this very moment were coming to make sense to him and de Serreaux’s unexpected missive was the catalyst. He grasped Gallus by the arm.

  “I told you that Henry’s mindset has been one of vengeance against anyone who supported de Montfort,” he said. “You know this. Now Henry’s madness has turned into paranoia; he is coming to test all of us, to see who is truly loyal to him. Of course he knows that de Lohr and de Winter are your friends and family, but his sense of vengeance against you is making him suspicious of us all. He knows that I took Alessandria from the convent to keep her from being his hostage and he further knows that my father not only sanctioned my actions, but did all he could to prevent the Six from carrying out Henry’s orders. Now the king believes the House of de Lohr to be against him. I would wager to say that he is expecting to see Canterbury troops here or, at the very least, Lioncross troops. He wants to see if we have all joined you in your rebellion.”

  Gallus was shaking his head, still puzzled by the entire circumstance. “Based on the fact that you did not allow the Six to get their hands on Lady Alessandria?”

  “That is only part of it, I am sure. Henry’s lust for vengeance started well before that.”

  Gallus still wasn’t convinced. “But how can you be so sure of this?” he asked. “And what is puzzling me the most is why de Serreaux should send this missive? How did he know you were here?”

  Chad lifted his big shoulders. “De Serreaux and I have known each other for many years,” he said simply. “We have fought side by side in many battles and in spite of what happened at Canterbury with Alessandria, I would hope that camaraderie is still strong between us. It must be. De Serreaux must be as disgusted with Henry’s quest for vengeance as we are, ’else he would not have risked himself to send me a missive on Henry’s intentions. He is one of Henry’s Six, for Christ’s sake – a man that Henry trusts above all else.”

  “Yet he sends you a missive informing you of the king’s plans.”

  Chad nodded. “He would not have done it had he not believed Henry’s intentions go beyond de Shera submission,” he said, thinking on Torran and feeling guilty for having tricked the man they way they had back at Canterbury. “Think on it, Gallus; Henry is forcing Davyss to march to Isenhall. Clearly, the intention is a threat against you but it also shows a lack in faith towards de Moray. He does not believe the man will be able to convince you to swear fealty to him. So he orders Davyss and his army to march on Isenhall, presumably to destroy you. If Davyss refuses, Henry will see that de Winter’s loyalties are more to you than to the crown. If he sees de Lohr troops here, what will he think? That the House of de Lohr has chosen to side with their family. And de Moray… you know that Henry loves and depends on him. What will happen when Henry forces Bose to choose between his daughter’s husband and the crown? Don’t you see, Gallus? Henry is testing all of us.”

  Gallus rubbed at his chin, deep in thought. By this time, Maximus had finished reading the missive and had handed it off to Tiberius.

  “Chad is right,” he said grimly. “There is no other reason for Henry to ride with de Winter. This has nothing to do with our swearing fealty to the king, Gallus. Henry is coming to see the situation for himself and to see if blood and friendship is stronger than fealty to the crown. His appearance will be about de Lohr and de Winter and de Moray loyalties and little else. At this point, the House of de Shera is secondary.”

  Gallus listened seriously to his middle brother. Maximus was usually the doom-and-gloom member of the group but he was also, more often than not, correct in assessing a situation. He had that grasp. The more Gallus thought on the situation, the more he was coming to dislike it.

  “Have we pulled these houses down with us already?” he asked softly. “Is that what this amounts to? We destroy our friends and family because of our loyalties?”

  Chad shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “I believe it is Henry’s paranoia more than anything. He sees everyone as suspect these days, regardless of who they are or how long they have served him.”

  “Mayhap,” Gallus said. Then, he cocked his head thoughtfully. “But it is also possible that de Serreaux is misleading us with this missive. It would not be like one of Henry’s personal guards to betray him like that.”

  Chad shook his head. “For what purpose?” he asked. “It would serve no purpose for Torran to mislead us. Moreover, he is a man of honor. He knows right from wrong. If he senses that Henry is about to do something underhanded or immoral, I feel confident that he would warn us as he is doing now. I do not see trickery in this.”

  “But it still does not explain how he knew you were at Isenhall.”

  Chad threw up his hands. “It would not take a genius to determine where I had taken a member of the House of de Shera,” he said. “He knew that I had taken Alessandria somewhere, and Isenhall is the logical choice. She would find protection here.”

  “You do not believe your father told him?”

  “Never.”

  That was good enough for Gallus. “If you believe it, then I believe it,” he said. Then, his manner sobered further. “You know that I have sent word to Curtis de Lohr, asking for reinforcements against any aggression from Henry. When I asked for the assistance, however, it never occurred to me that Henry would be sending de Winter troops to attack us. I assumed it would be crown troops only.”

  Maximus grunted, unhappy. “That means allies will be squaring off against each other,” he said. “If de Lohr even sends troops, that is. Gallus sent the missive some time ago but we’ve not heard back.”

  “He will respond,” Gallus said steadily. “Even if it is to decline our request, Curtis will respond.”

  Chad was thinking on the situation. He believed implicitly that what Maximus said was true; this had ceased to be about the House of de Shera and was more about the loyalty of Henry’s supporters. Would they support their family in the House of de Shera? Or would they support the crown, to whom they were all sworn? It was a difficult situation, confusing at best.

  But one thing was for certain; Chad’s loyalty was to his
friends and family. If he had to make a choice, that was what it would be. He was certain his father would feel the same way.

  “Should I send word to my father?” he asked Gallus. “He cannot arrive before Henry and Davyss do, but I can at least send him word.”

  Gallus nodded. “He should know,” he said. “Especially if you intend to lift a sword against Henry.”

  He stated the fact like there was no question to it, which there wasn’t. Chad may have saved Henry’s life at Evesham but that didn’t mean he would support the man in every circumstance, and especially in a circumstance involving his aggression against family. Thinking on the situation they would soon be facing, Chad shook his head in disbelief.

  “Against Henry,” he muttered as if he had to hear it with his own voice to believe it. “Against Davyss. I cannot believe Davyss would lift a sword against you, Gallus. You are his best friend.”

  Gallus’ features took on a serious cast as he thought of a man who was as close to him as a brother. “And he is mine,” he said quietly. “He will not fight against me. He will turn on Henry if he has not already and if Henry is coming to Isenhall without any troops of his own, we could find ourselves in an interesting position. Henry could become our hostage again, for clearly, if Davyss turns against him, Henry will have no military support behind him.”

  The thought never occurred to Chad. It could be a curious as well as potentially devastating situation for the monarchy, as Henry had spent a year in captivity with de Montfort. For the king to end up a prisoner again was definitely a potential but not one that Chad would be inclined to support.

  “Prince Edward would take up Henry’s cause again,” Chad said. “We do not want that situation. Edward is as competent a military commander as any of us. More so, in fact. He would bring crown troops to raze Isenhall if you take his father hostage again and we are trying to avoid the destruction of your home and the displacement of your wives and children.”

  Now that the information of Henry’s movements was settling, the subject drifted to the families Chad had just mentioned. Women and children. No one wanted their wives or children involved in a battle. Gallus and Maximus looked at each other, silently dealing with that very fact. It was Tiberius who finally shook his head.

  “De Moray wants to take my wife with him to Ravendark,” he said. “I told him that she is heavy with child and cannot travel, but given this missive from de Serreaux, I may have to re-think that decision. I do not want her giving birth in a castle under siege.”

  Gallus sighed heavily. “Either they all go or no one does,” he said. “Do you think that de Moray will escort all of them back to Ravendark? My wife will not want Douglass to go alone.”

  Tiberius turned his attention to the keep as if seeing his pregnant wife through the dark stone walls. He didn’t want to be separated from her; none of them wanted to be separated from their wives and children. But it would be better to have the women safe should Henry unleash hell. Evesham was only the beginning; now, the war was coming to Isenhall.

  They could all feel it.

  “I will go inform de Moray of the missive,” Tiberius finally said, “and I will ask him if his offer still stands to take my wife to safety.”

  “Do it,” Gallus said. “Get him out of here. I do not want de Moray within these walls if Henry unleashes hell against us. Moving the women to safety will give him a reason to leave.”

  There was a distinct sense of foreboding in the air now, uncertainty for what was to come. The situation was growing more complex, and dangerous, by the day, now with Henry evidently determined to test the loyalty of those close to the House of de Shera. It was a situation that, when finally faced, would determine the course of the future for all of them.

  As Tiberius turned for the keep, with Maximus behind him, Gallus and Chad faced one another.

  “Lioncross is very close to Isenhall,” Chad said quietly. “I will ride personally and seek Curtis’ support. I cannot believe he would refuse you, especially in light of the information from de Serreaux.”

  Gallus nodded, weakly. It was as if the man were lost in thought, perhaps pondering the far-reaching implications his confrontation with Henry would bring. After a moment, he put a hand on Chad’s wrist.

  “If I asked you to take Lady Alessandria to The Paladin, would you do it?” he asked.

  Chad was caught off guard by the question. “Why?”

  Gallus squeezed his wrist. “I have told you this before,” he said. “I know you would risk your life by taking up arms for me, but this will affect you and your family for years to come. This is my fight, Chad, and….”

  Chad reached out and grabbed the man by both arms. “Are you attempting to be rid of me just as you are trying to rid yourself of de Moray?”

  Gallus shook his head but something in his eyes told Chad that he was, indeed, trying to remove him from the coming storm. He was trying to do something noble for those who would support him.

  Leave Isenhall!

  “Alessandria should go home,” Gallus said. “Aurelius can protect her better there. It is unfair to the woman to be in a castle under siege.”

  Although Chad knew that wasn’t the reason Gallus had ask him to take the woman north, he, too, was unhappy with the thought of her remaining at Isenhall with Henry on the approach.

  “If that is what you are truly worried about, then she can go with de Moray, also,” he said. “I do not need to take her north.”

  “But….”

  Chad cut him off. “We have been through this before, Gallus,” he said. “I stand with you, as does my father. You cannot get rid of me so easily by telling me to take Lady Alessandria to The Paladin. In fact… mayhap you will consider allowing me to marry her before… well, before the situation turns dire. I intend to send her with the other women to safety and I would like to send her as Lady de Lohr. It will give me something to live for, to look forward to, if I know she is my reward through the tribulation.”

  Gallus could see that there was no way he could remove Chad from Isenhall, and he was touched and saddened at the same time. Chad was a loyal friend to the end, now intending to stand against the madness of Henry. Gallus wondered if he could live with the guilt if something happened to his loyal friends who were taking up arms on his behalf, but as Maximus had said, it was a much bigger situation than simply the House of de Shera remaining loyal to de Montfort’s ideals. An entire world was wrapped up in family loyalties and bloodlines.

  And Henry was coming to destroy it all.

  “Then take her into Coventry to St. Mary’s Cathedral and marry her,” Gallus said hoarsely. “It is the very least I can do for you considering the risk you are about to take on my behalf. You have my blessing.”

  Chad’s eyes glimmered with the first bit of joy and relief that Gallus had seen since the missive from Henry arrived. “Thank you, Gallus,” he said sincerely, his hand on the man’s arm. “I will make her a fine husband, I swear it.”

  Gallus simply nodded, patting Chad on the cheek as the man flashed him a grin before breaking to the keep. Alessandria was in there, somewhere, and he wanted to give her the good news. Gallus watched him go, the smile fading from his lips, feeling as guilty as he possibly could. He loved Chad; he loved all of them – de Moray, de Winter, and the de Lohrs. They were family, they were brothers, they were comrades-in-arms. But most of all, they were friends.

  Was his stubborn pride worth all their lives?

  He wondered.

  “But my father says that Arthur is the greatest Briton of all,” a young lad with dark hair and dark eyes was saying to Alessandria. Bhrodi de Shera, Jeniver and Gallus’ eldest son, was quite serious at nearly eight years of age. “My father says there is no one greater in all of history.”

  Alessandria was seated in the small hall of Isenhall, a larger feasting room that was directly across the entry from the small, low-ceilinged feasting hall where so much of Isenhall’s business was conducted. The larger feasting room had a
floor covered with straw, not rushes, and it was where the children of the de Shera brothers usually played when the weather outside wasn’t mild enough for them to enjoy it. It had become something of a large playroom, in fact, complete with an old black dog that slept by the fire.

  Even now, Maximus’ two eldest sons played near the dog with their wooden soldiers and cart, and Tiberius’ pregnant wife, the tall and elegant Lady Douglass, sat on a soft chair near the fire with a young girl sleeping on her lap while another girl, a little older, played at her feet. Lady Courtly, Maximus’ wife, was trying to pick a sliver out of a two year old’s finger, and Lady Jeniver sat at the table, sewing on some tiny breeches, while her son listened to Alessandria recite Biblical stories.

  As the women and children of Isenhall had quickly come to realize, Alessandria had a talent for telling stories and this particular tale had been about Samson, the strongest man in all the land, but young Bhrodi wasn’t having any of it. His father had told him that Arthur was the greatest and strongest man in the land and he wanted to make that clear to Alessandria.

  Alessandria, to her credit, was very patient with the lad. She smiled to his assertion that Samson wasn’t, in fact, the strongest man of all.

  “God made many strong men, Bhrodi,” Alessandria said to the lad. “These men lived in different times. Samson lived in the time of the Bible, when men of God walked the earth. Arthur lived much later than that, and he was a very strong and great man himself.”

  Bhrodi cocked his head curiously; he was a handsome lad, very sharp, the pride and joy of his parents. “But Arthur was the king of all Britons long ago,” he said. “Did God not make him king?”

  “He did.”

  “Was Samson a king?”

  “Nay, he was not.”

  “Then Arthur was greater because he was a king!”

  It was young boy’s logic and Alessandria was trying very hard not to laugh at his insistence. She did the only thing she could do; she surrendered. “Aye, that must be true,” she said. Out of the corner of her eye, she was watching Jeniver snicker. “Kings are the greatest in all the land.”