When the Heavens Fall

by Gilbert, Morris

  WHEN

  the

  HEAVENS

  FALL

  WHEN

  the

  HEAVENS

  FALL

  A WINSLOW BREED NOVEL

  GILBERT MORRIS

  Published by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  When the Heavens Fall © 2010 by Gilbert Morris

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Howard Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  In association with the literary agency of Greg Johnson

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Morris, Gilbert.

  When the heavens fall: a Winslow breed novel / Gilbert Morris.

  p. cm.

  Sequel to: Honor in the dust.

  1. Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533–1603—Fiction. 2. England—Court and courtiers—Fiction. 3. Great Britain—History—Tudors, 1485–1603—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3563.O8742W437 2010

  813′.54—dc22

  200905265

  ISBN 978-1-4165-8747-7 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4391-7082-3 (ebook)

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  HOWARD and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

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  Edited by David Lambert and Lisa Bergren

  Interior design by Jaime Putorti

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher.

  To Mary Moye

  Many thanks for your encouragement and for your friendship!

  Johnnie and I could not do without you!

  PART ONE

  The Bad Seed

  1

  Now, you just behave yourself, Master Brandon Winslow, and keep your bloomin’ ’ands where they belong!”

  “Why, Becky, they belong right here.”

  Becky Elwald slapped his hand and tried to frown, but she was unsuccessful. “You’re a saucy one, you are! Tryin’ to destroy a young woman’s virtue, that’s wot!”

  Brandon whispered, “You’re a lovely girl, Becky. And you’re the one who agreed to meet me at such a late hour. Surely you knew what to expect.” Perhaps she needed a few more minutes of sweet talk and then he’d win her heart as well as her willing kisses. At the age of sixteen, Becky had a figure that would tempt a saint

  Becky abruptly shoved Brandon back and shook her head. “You said you’d read me poetry. I thought you had love on your mind, not lovin’. Get out of this barn! If my pa catches you, he’ll skin you alive.”

  “He couldn’t catch me if he tried. Come on, sweetheart, give us another kiss.” He caught her wrist and pulled it up to his lips for a soft, tender kiss

  She stilled, and Brandon sensed her relinquishing the fight. “You ain’t but fourteen,” she whispered, “too young for this sort of thing.”

  “I’m old enough. And you are too delectable to ignore.”

  Becky’s lips parted as he leaned down, and he knew he had won her. She wasn’t the first girl who had caught his eye, and as the future Brandon Lord Winslow, master of Stoneybrook, he certainly had his pick among the young women of the shire. But her hesitation and reluctance had piqued his interest—that and the challenge of avoiding her stern father. It was rather like plucking a ripe pear from the tree of a curmudgeonly orchard owner. Finding her alone, away from her father’s squinting gaze, it had become a delightful game

  Brandon ignored Becky’s feeble protests and continued his quest. He had given little thought to girls until this year, preferring to spend his time in hunting, learning the ways of knights, and mastering the weapons that his father provided for him. But now he wanted to know what the mystery of women was all about. He lowered her to the straw and smiled as he felt her surrender beneath him. He ran his hand”

  “What be you a-doin’, girl? And you, boy, you got no right to be here!” James Elwald burst into the barn, his eyes blazing with anger, a staff in his hand

  “Brandon just came to—to visit, Pa!”

  “You think I’m blind? Get you in the house while I deal with this rascal!”

  Brandon rose and moved swiftly toward the barn door, but Elwald raised his staff and brought it down, striking him hard on the shoulder. He raised it again, rage in his eyes, but Brandon was strong for his age and very quick. He caught the staff as it came down and yanked it from Elwald’s hand. Without a second’s hesitation he swung the staff, and the blow struck the older man in the head

  Elwald crumpled to the ground. Becky—who hadn’t made it to the door—let out a scream. “You killed ’im, Brandon!”

  Brandon’s heart skipped a beat. He well knew what would happen to him if Elwald were dead. All his father’s influence could not help him if he’d killed a man. He leaned over and put his hand on Elwald’s chest

  He looked up at Becky with a reckless grin. “Why, he’s all right, Becky. He’ll have a headache, but he’s too mean to die.”

  Becky was trembling, and her eyes were enormous. “’E’s a vengeful man, Brandon. You’d better get out of ’ere!”

  Brandon laughed, came forward, took her in his arms, and kissed her. “I’ll be back. We’ll finish what we started.”

  But there was real fear in Becky’s eyes as she pushed him away again. “Stay away from ’ere if you know wot’s good for you! You don’t know my pa.”

  Brandon laughed, then turned and left the barn. Outside the door, a huge yellow dog rose to greet him. Brandon put a hand on his head. “Well, how about that, Eric?” he said. “If the old man hadn’t come in, I would have had Becky. What do you think of that?”

  Eric barked, then reared up to put his paws on Brandon’s chest. He was covered with scars from fights with other dogs and even a few with wild pigs and their saber-like tusks

  “Ah, well, there’ll come a day! Let’s get back before Father finds out I’m missing.”

  Brandon broke into a loping run, and the dog came after him at a gallop. He was not even breathing hard when the shadow of Stoneybrook Castle rose before him twenty minutes later. A huge silver moon threw argent beams on the frozen earth, and a ghostly hunting owl sailed overhead as he and his dog passed through the gate. There was no one stirring at this time of the night, and Brandon loved the silence that held the castle as if in a spell. He’d taken more than one thrashing from his father for sneaking out on midnight forays, but he knew he would do it again. It was not that he did not love his father, but a wild longing took him at times, driving him to find an adventure to break the monotony of daily life. He could bear a beating but not the boredom

  He whispered, “Come on, Eric. Let’s go to bed.”

  Brandon moved along the stone floor to a winding stair, making no more noise than one of the tiny mice that shared the castle with the Winslows. Stoneybrook was an ancient castle; the walls were almost as strong now in 1546 as the year it took form. It was not as large as many o
thers built during earlier days, but it was home to the Winslows and something to be proud of

  Moving quietly, Brandon made his way up the stairs and entered the room on the third floor that had been his place for as long as he could remember. Without bothering to undress, he threw himself on the bed, and the big dog whined and plopped down beside him. Brandon hugged Eric for warmth but was too excited for sleep. He relived the sweet kisses he’d stolen from Becky and already was purposing in his mind how he would find her alone again—in a place where they wouldn’t be interrupted

  “Get out of that bed!” Stuart Winslow grabbed his son’s hair and pulled him up and out of his slumber

  Instinctively Brandon launched a blow; and his fist hit Stuart in the chest

  Stuart shook him, furious now that the boy would not wake. “Why, you dare to strike your own father, do you?”

  Brandon groggily said, “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to hit you. You scared me.”

  “You were never scared of anything in your life, Brandon! I wish to heaven you were!” Stuart Winslow studied his son. Will he ever grow up? “Get dressed!” he commanded. He stared at his son a long moment, then said angrily, “What kind of blood has come down to you, Brandon? Some northman raider, if not worse.” He was irritated at how long it was taking for the boy to dress. “Come. Quickly.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To face your sins,” Stuart said over his shoulder. He left the room, closely followed by his son and the big dog. He took the stairs two at a time. Reaching the ground floor, he found his wife, Heather, waiting for them. She was forty-one but could have passed for ten years younger. She was a woman of quiet spirit, but now there was fear in her eyes. No doubt she saw the anger in his own. They’d had a good marriage and still loved each other deeply, but Brandon had become a problem that neither one of them could solve

  “Will you be able to make it right with Elwald?” she asked, following them toward the great hall

  “I doubt it.” He stared at Brandon and asked harshly, “Didn’t you know James Elwald would come for you, boy?”

  Brandon looked surprised, caught but not overly concerned. Stuart took a firmer hold of his son’s arm, knowing what he was thinking. “I’ve gotten you out of trouble many times, but you’ll pay up this time!”

  As soon as the three entered the great hall, Stuart saw two female servants who were replacing the stale rushes on the floor with new ones. He didn’t miss the sly grins they didn’t bother to conceal. They know well what Brandon is like. Has he been sniffing around them, too?

  Up ahead, in the middle of the great hall, Stuart’s brother, Quentin Winslow, waited for them. He was thirty-three. With the same blue eyes and auburn hair, he bore a striking resemblance to Stuart and Brandon

  “A little trouble, Brother?” He fell into step with them

  “A little? This whelp tried lifting the skirts of Elwald’s daughter!”

  Quentin had been a rough enough young man himself in his youth, but he had found God and was now preaching the gospel. He said nothing, but there was grief in his eyes as he looked at his nephew. “I’m sorry to hear that, Stuart.”

  “Not as sorry as he’ll be!” Stuart snapped. Grasping Brandon’s arm again, he hauled him toward the two men who were waiting for them at the end of the hall. “Here’s the boy, sheriff.”

  Albert Fortner, the local sheriff, was a rather small man but well built. He had a smooth face and a pair of watchful gray eyes. “Sorry to disturb you over this problem, Lord Winslow.”

  “A problem? You call it a problem?” James Elwald shouted. His face was flushed with anger. He gestured at Brandon. “That’s him! He tried to rape my girl Becky, and when I tried to help her, he tried to kill me. Arrest him, sheriff!”

  “Be quiet, Elwald. I’ll handle this,” the sheriff said. He kept his voice soft and said, “As you just heard, Elwald wishes to press charges against your son for certain advances upon his daughter and for attacking him as well.”

  “Don’t you deny it, either!” Elwald shouted. “You’ve ruined young girls in this county before!”

  Stuart turned to stare at Brandon, his face set in a hard expression. “Did you try to rape that girl, boy?”

  “No. I was just stealing a kiss.” Brandon stared with impudence at Elwald. “And I’m not the first to have done it.”

  The sheriff had to hold James Elwald back. “Did you hit this man with a staff?” he asked

  “Yes, I did. I’d do it again, too,” Brandon said defiantly. “He hit me first!”

  Stuart stared at his son and could feel his wife watching him. He knew she wanted him to protect Brandon, but there was only so much he could do or wanted to do this time

  “Elwald, the boy’s guilty. I’ll let you decide what to do with him. You’ve always been a good man. I’ve been proud of you and your work, and if you want to charge him, I won’t fight you in court, and there’ll be no hard feelings on my part. But I see no reason for the court or the sheriff to be in the middle of this. If you want to settle this matter between the two of us, I’ll see you get fair play.”

  James Elwald’s face softened as he thought over his master’s words. He had worked for the Winslows for several years and most certainly didn’t want to endanger his position. But a man had to stand up for his daughter. Winslow understood that

  “The boy deserves punishment, but I’d get no pleasure, sir, in seeing him in jail. You always treat a man fair. I think we can settle this between us man to man, father to father.”

  “Good,” Stuart said with a nod. “Shall we discuss this in the next room?”

  “Well, that’s best, I think,” Sheriff Fortner said. “I wish you good day.”

  Stuart led Fortner and Elwald out of the great hall, leaving Brandon alone with his mother and his uncle

  “You’ve disappointed your father, and me too, Son,” Heather said

  “Why, Mother, it was nothing. I was just playing.”

  “I think it was more than that.”

  “Your mother’s right, Brandon,” Quentin said. “I think you’ve gone too far.”

  Brandon could rise to any challenge, but he obviously did not want to hurt his mother. He dropped his head, unable to respond

  The three waited until the two men came back

  Stuart said, “Brandon, apologize to Elwald.”

  “No, sir, I won’t do it. He hit me first.”

  Stuart stared at his son and shook his head. “But, Son, can’t you see your own wrong? What about Becky? What about—” He paced away and ran a hand through his hair in frustration before turning back. “All right then. It will have to be the hard way. I’m going to thrash you, and you’re going to work for Elwald for one month. If you take one step toward his daughter or show any insolence to Elwald or cause him any other difficulty, I’ve ordered him to tell me. I’ll thrash you again, and your thirty days will start again at day one. Now, come and take your beating.”

  James Elwald watched the two go and then turned to face Lady Heather and Quentin. “I’m sorry it came to this. But I got to look out for my daughter. She’s got a wild streak in her, I’m afraid.”

  Heather whispered, “And so has my son.” It hurt her to think of Stuart whipping Brandon. He had not done so for some time now but had tried kindness and other methods, all to no avail

  When Stuart and Brandon came back, Brandon’s face, Heather saw, was pale as paste, and he moved like an old man

  Stuart’s face was set. “Take him, Elwald. Bring him back in thirty days—not before.”

  Quentin understood that Stuart and Heather needed no company at this time. “Send for me if you need me,” he said

  After Quentin left, Stuart turned to Heather. “Do you hate me for whipping him?”

  “No, I love you, Husband, as I always have. We’ve tried everything else. Maybe this will change him,” she said sadly

  Stuart chewed his lower lip, a nervous habit he had when he was disturbed. Finally he put
his arm around Heather and led her away. As they moved out of the great hall, he said, “I thought having a son would be the joy of my life—as he once was—but he’s a grief to us now.”

  Heather stopped, turned, and took his hands in hers. “I gave our son to God on the day he was born. We’ll believe that God will bring him out of this. Brandon will find God! The good Lord will not let his gifts fall to the ground.”

  2

  Stuart glanced up from his book to stare at his wife, waiting at the window. Heather stood beside the tall arch looking out through the wavy glass. He knew she looked not to the green hills but to the empty road, awaiting Brandon’s return. It had been a long month without their son

  Stuart looked about their room. He had spared no expense in making it as attractive as possible. He had even had a fireplace built to drive away the cold and lessen his wife’s homesickness for the cozy cottage they’d shared when newly married

  Heather straightened and leaned closer to the window. “Stuart, look! Elwald is bringing Brandon home.”

  Stuart put the book down and came over to her at once. Together they watched the two figures approach in a horse-drawn wagon—tiny in the distance. “I hope he’s all right. It was a hard thing for him.”

  “I’m sure it was a good thing in the end,” Heather replied. “Come,” she said with excitement. “Let’s go down and welcome him home.”

  They descended to the first level then hurried out the massive door. As they stepped outside, Brandon leaped from the wagon. His mother ran to him. She threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. “I’m so glad you’re home, Son.”

  “It’s good to be here, Mother.” The words were almost without emotion, but he added, “I’ve missed you.”

  Stuart had waited, giving Heather time to greet him, now he stepped forward and said, “Welcome home, Son. I hope things go better from here on.”

  “Thank you.” The words were spare, and there was a bitter expression on his face, which troubled his father