by Hannah West
“What are you doing, you silly man,” she laughed as he pulled her close. “We have time.”
“We have all the time in the world for our plans tomorrow. Silly man, you say? As for now I will show you how serious I am,” William growled next to her ear. He felt his wife’s excited shiver of delight.
He claimed her mouth and put off the plans for the morrow.
Chapter Twenty
Cesare was unsure of how to react to this latest letter from his cousin and king. The event in which the king had ordered to find him a wife would now become a tournament to find husbands for the king’s god-daughters and Lady Evelyn. They would be offered as bride-prizes to the champions of each challenge and William wanted him to win and wed one of them.
He felt his chance to find a woman who he could care for as his own was slipping away. He didn’t personally know King William’s god-daughters, but he had heard of them and he would not personally seek one out to make her his wife.
They were well mannered and groomed however had spent most of their lives at one court or another. They were snakes hidden in the grass. None of them would be as innocent or as kind as Lady Evelyn.
He shook the thought away. It had been a sennights since she had cried upon his shoulder. She had greeted him still each day and smiled, but she no longer sought him out or talked to him.
It was for the best but he did miss having her around. The world was dull and void of color and was silent.
The letter also stated that he was to inform the lady of the change in plans and begin setting up for the tournament. All manner of nobles had been invited and could start pouring in at any time.
Luck would have it that the village was having a fair shortly before the certain arrival of nobles.
Cesare rubbed a hand over his face. What a mess this was turning into.
Chapter Twenty-One
Evelyn was hopping mad as she had ever been, which was saying much as she had hardly ever been such until she came back to her father’s bloody lands. After more than a sennights not talking to her or even acknowledging her, Lord Cesare sent her a message by servant telling her what the new king expected of her.
What a coward the man was, he couldn’t look her in the eye much less tell her that the king was offering her up as a prize.
Evelyn stumped one end of the room to the other, crossing and uncrossing her arms. In less than a month there would be a tournament in which three other noble daughters would be prizes as well. Noble families from all across the isles would be coming here.
The planning had already begun and the village would be having their fair soon. The wide meadow and field next to the castle had been chosen for the tournament and camping grounds for the nobles. More people had been hired to start the set up. Evelyn paused by her window to look out over the castle walls to the fields and forest farther out.
She unwittingly rubbed her arm and its new forming scar. While the pain was now nothing more than a dull ache and no longer stung. She still had little use of her hand and forearm. She had feeling in her fingers and for that she was most grateful.
She wondered if the king knew she was injured or to the extent she was if he did know. If the lords competing found out she would be forced to wed a man who would not want a disfigured wife.
Evelyn could not sew with one hand, nor cook or clean properly, something all women and wives would be expected to do.
While she longed for a family, she would not be miserable just to have one. Mayhap she could ask Lord Cesare for a small cottage and live the rest of her days in peace there. The only problem would then be the king.
Evelyn would not become an unwanted wife, she would not be her mother.
She would have to make a plan.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“By God, who is that heavenly creature,” Jackson asked Cesare in the middle of their conversation as he looked to the left.
Cesare glanced in the direction of Jackson’s gaze and landed on the lady in question. He just about bit his tongue in surprise.
Lady Evelyn had finally come to join in the fun of the fun and she was bedecked in a fine gown of emerald silk with a gold belt tied about her waist and her dark hair flowing freely. She was stunning.
Cesare felt his chest tighten as he gazed upon her. She walked alone with a dazzling smile on her face as she took in all the festive sights.
“Who is she,” Jackson pressed.
Cesare cleared his throat and forced his eyes back to his newly acquired friend. “She is the Lady Evelyn and she is the king’s newest ward. She is also one of the bride prizes. So you best leave her be,” Cesare warned.
A new feeling burned in his chest as Jackson still gazed upon her.
“I had planned to enter for the fun of it however now I see a better reason,” Jackson murmured.
Cesare clinched his fists and said nothing more.
“I have never seen her at court before. My one requirement for a wife is that she not be raised within the court. Snakes all of them, I tell you with the secrets, lies and poisons. I will take the one who is sweet and innocent of such dark ways. Do you think she is such?”
An image of their entangled lips flashed through Cesare’s mind. Did he still consider her innocent after what they had done together? He was tempted to say nay, that she was as sinful as she was passionate. But truth be told she was innocent in many ways and too trusting of others.
He could say neither, so he lied. “I do not know her well enough to say.”
However Cesare did know her and very well knew what she was like.
“Well better her then one of the king’s god-daughters. Nasty piece of work, just what I do not want in a wife. I would rather not worry about dying in my own bed.” He shuttered for affect.
He wanted to beat Jackson then for picturing himself in bed with Evelyn. He knew it was foolish, however no matter what how he tried, he couldn’t let it go.
He needed peace to think and needed a strong drink.
…
The fair was grand and Evelyn was hag more fun the she had ever known was possible. There were stalls and merchants selling their wares, games and events she hadn’t known existed.
Only one thought saddened her and dampened her enjoyment. She had thought about her life in the abbey and how much she wished to share this with Mags.
How much she had missed living in the convent, how much she had to learn. Sometimes she wished her life would be so simple again.
She stopped by a woman’s cart to look at trinkets and wished she had some form of money with which to purchase the one trinket that caught her eye. A small silver ring holding a small blue stone nestled in a little wood box.
The woman saw her eyeing it and smiled. “Would you like it, my lady?”
Evelyn shook her head sadly. “It is the most lovely, but I cannot afford it.” She was about to drift along with the crowd again when a deep voice sounded behind her.
“She shall have it. How much, my dear woman?” asked the man behind her.
Evelyn turned wide eyes upward looking at the handsome blonde man.
The woman named her price and he handed over the gold , getting the box in return. In turn he put the small box in Evelyn’s hand and she tried to grip it but the strength in her arm was still weak. It tumbled to the ground at her feet.
“I am most sorry,” she said, hastily bending down to pick it up with her good one.
The man chuckled as she straightened. “It is most fine, my lady.”
She held it back out to him.
He gave her a curious look. “That is now yours.”
“But you bought this,” she insisted.
He grinned at her. “I bought it for you, as a gift. Every pretty lady deserves a piece of jewellery for her own.
“But I do not even know you, sir,” Evelyn protested. She could not take it for she could never be able to pay him back. “I could never repay such kindness.”
He gave her a low formal bow, “I a
m Jackson de Var, fifth Earl of Brookfield.” He looked up from under his lashes and blinked.
She felt herself smile at his humour and he responded likewise. She gave him the best curtsey she could manage and smiled once more. “I am Lady Evelyn, my lord.”
“Now we know each other you must take this as a gift of our future friendship,” he said offering the box. “I will of course not take no for an answer. If you do not take it I shall weep myself to death in despair.”
His speech tickled her so and she laughed. With a nod she accepted the box.
“If that is the way of it then I must accept. Thank you,” she said looking inside the box. “It is beautiful, I have never had such to call my own.”
Evelyn looked up with a soft smile, “I will come up with a gift for you then.”
Lord Jackson smiled down at her and Evelyn felt truly happy in that moment.
“If, my lady, commands, I shall accept. Now may I escort you around the fair until the evening meal?”
Evelyn inclined her head and took his proffered arm.
“Yes, if you so please,” Evelyn said gaily with a broad smile.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Evelyn’s new found happiness was short lived as a few days later the king’s god-daughter came calling and took up residence within the castle.
Two were very short while the third was almost as tall as Lord Cesare. The two short ones were cousins of a kind and shared enough features that they could pass with sisters. Both had long ash blonde hair twisted up in fancy styles, fair complexions but any real difference was their eye color. Anna had grey eyes and Elizabeth had hazel. Anne Marie, the tall one, had bright red hair and lovely blue eyes and was very slender. They were all beautiful and regal, you could tell they knew it as well.
They were lovely and the outside, but inside they were capricious.
Evelyn had met them shortly after they arrived and each had given her a look of distain upon greeting them. She could not fathom why they were so bitter, but she would remain kind to them even if they could not afford her that small amount of respect back.
Currently she was trying to stay out of the way of any and all royal guests, she had not seen Lord Cesare in days and the only person she could stand at the moment was Lord Jackson. He favoured an unkind opinion of the king’s goddaughters as well. But she had noticed Anne Marie was less nasty to him than the others, however she was even meaner toward Evelyn when they were together.
However every time Evelyn tried to talk with Lord Cesare she was turned away, but she had seen him talking with each of the king’s goddaughters many times.
Seeing him smiling while talking to them made her chest hurt. They had been friends and more of a sort and now it was as if they were strangers, the point of this gathering had been for him to find a wife, but why could she not just forget about him. Lord Jackson was handsome enough and he always seemed to be close by, so why did her chest still hurt.
Evelyn shook her head. She had better things to be doing with her time. The king was coming soon and she needed to be prepared to speak with him. She knew he would not approve of the simple gowns she liked, so she picked out one of the finer ones.
She still felt guilty for wearing gowns that had not been meant for her, but she had limited herself to only one of the seven trucks filled with finery.
These gowns alone could last her years upon years, not to mention everything else that lay within.
Suddenly a bout of fanfare was filling the air and Evelyn grew nervous. When she heard, “The king has arrived!” she made a run for her rooms in the castle.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cesare gritted his teeth at the announcement of the king’s arrival. As if it already had not been enough that he had been entertaining his cousin’s goddaughters.
They were indeed a spoiled needy lot of chits, that if he spent much more time with them he just might strangle them. Their honeyed words dripped like poison from fangs. The twins made no moves to conceal their hopeful thoughts of a marriage to him, while the taller of the three seemed somewhat disinterested. However they still set his teeth on edge and he tried to be courtly, but had not the patience for it.
Silently he wished to turn back time so it was just him and his Lady Evelyn.
He shook his head, she wasn’t his lady, but he still misses her companionship.
She seemed happy whenever he had spotted her and she spent a lot of her time walking with Jackson de Var.
It would seem e would be that one man who cared for naught but the lady’s happiness, something Cesare was not. He cared about the bloodline he was to create.
Cesare would need all knowledge of his future wife. As much as he had come to care for Evelyn as he might not another, she was a mystery. All he knew of her was she was raised by nuns in a convent and her father was a supposed duke of which no one seemed to know of or would not talk of.
He heaved a sigh as he stood. The time had come to face his king and cousin.fo
…
For a man of only middling height, King William cut an imposing figure atop his mount bedecked in royal purple robes. His guards sat mounted around him as his royal party was not far behind him in their own caravan.
It took him a moment to realize Cesare was walking directly to him and he smiled grandly at the deep bow Cesare gave him.
“My King,” Cesare greeted graciously.
“Cousin,” William intoned then gave a sweeping look at the castle. “You have done very well here.”
“Thanks belong to you, my king,” Cesare said with a wide smile.
William dismounted and came to bestow a hug upon him.
“It is good to see you, William. How be our, lady Queen?”
William’s grin grew. “I shall yet have another child soon. She begs pardon for not coming, but the travel makes her sick.”
Cesare slapped William on the back, happy for him.
“Your poor wife, she must need a break from you,” Cesare jested.
William’s booming laugh carried across the court yard. As soon as they reached the steps of the hall, William turned a keen eye upon the observing crowd.
“Where is my new ward, Cesare?” he asked.
Cesare shook his head. “I am not sure. However she may still be at the fairgrounds. I shall send her over a missive to join us at the evening meal.”
“Good,” William nodded, “Good. Now show us your new abode. I admit I am jealous. A fine piece of work.”
Cesare silently led the way.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Evelyn watched from her high window as Cesare led the king into the castle from the court yard. She could not see his face but he was wearing enough cloth to cloth the whole village. Now that she saw him she wondered why she had run away. Even dressed as finely as he was William looked to be the size of a normal man standing next to the tall and powerful Lord Norfolk.
She noticed it seemed as if he had been looking about in search of someone and she prayed that it was not her.
Evelyn backed away from the window and sank onto the bed stunned. This was really happening. The king was here and soon she would belong to another man and she would be taken away.
As the idea sank in so did the panic. Her mind whirled with the possibilities.
What could she do? She was the prize of one of the king’s games, any man could win her. She could end up bound to a monster just like her father.
Evelyn was dug in so deep she didn’t hear the knock at her door sometime later. She also didn’t notice when the knocker slipped quietly into her chambers.
She let out a shriek when they laid a hand upon her shoulder.
She whirled around and before she let out another she saw who it was and relaxed. Then she remembered she was still very angry with him. So she yanked herself away from him and scowled.
“Where did you learn that,” he asked as his eyes narrowed on her.
“Learn what,” she snapped.
“That expression
you were wearing,” he growled at her.
“Oh this,” she asked gesturing to her face. “From you every time you have looked at me since you put an end to our friendship. Now, my lord, why are you in my chambers?”
He looked around the room that looked as if no one had lived in it. The bedding was neat, trunks and chests were still packed and untouched. It felt as if she were not even here.
She watched him as he looked around and felt the weight of his gaze and the questions of why nothing had been changed. When his dark eyes met hers, she saw his anger.
“Why were you not present to greet your new king and guardian?” he queried.
She was so angered with him and she wanted to lie and yell at him that William was not her keeper that she did not have to see him. But as always she could not bring herself to lie.
So she silently glared at him.
“I asked you a question and expect an answer. The king noted your absence. He even remarked upon it, though he has never seen you,” he said stepping toward her.
She refused to be scared by him and stood her ground.
When he was so close she could feel his breath she did the only thing she could without backing up. She stomped on his toes with the heel of her boot.
“Blood hell,” he cursed, jumping back. He turned a glare on her. “Why did you do that?”
She raised a brow at him. “If you truly have to ask then you are not as smart as I had thought. Why did I do it,” she parroted him. “Because you were standing to close, you oaf.”
As fire blazed in his eyes she knew she had overstepped and gone too far.
He walked slowly toward her and she backed up as an image, a memory of her father, came before her eyes.
