by Lynn Lorenz
I stood there, unable to say a word that wouldn’t damn Logan or me.
“He needed time to grieve.” It was the best I could think of.
“Aye. I’ve known Logan Marden most of his life, Drake. Until forced into marriage, he’d always been quiet, kept to himself. With the birth of his son, he started to come alive, but not quite. It’s more than that with you. And for that I’m glad.”
“With me?”
The man shrugged. “I don’t think as most men do. I’ve been around men and soldiers my whole life, not just horses. The bonds between some men can be stronger and last longer than those of man and wife.”
I swallowed and looked into his eyes for any sign of danger, but there was none. Only warm regard and perhaps understanding.
“I live only to serve His Grace. If anyone were to threaten him, they’d have to answer to me.” I hope he caught the meaning of my words. I would do anything to protect Logan, even kill.
“Good. I care deeply for the man, more than master for his liege, and I’d hate to see him plunged into the despair he lived in prior to your arrival.”
“I promise you I’d never give him such cause.” I held his gaze until he nodded.
He pointed to the horse the boy led up to us. “He’s a fine gelding, and not too high-spirited, eh, Mark?”
“No, sir. But Red’ll give you a good run, he will.” The boy stroked the horse’s nose.
“Red, is it? A good, simple name.” I thought it would suit Joss well.
“Inspect him for yourself. Perhaps a ride?” The master jerked his head at the horse.
“Not a ride, no. But he looks a healthy animal. How old is he?” Too young and he’d be too spirited, and too old and he’d be too slow.
“He’s six.”
“A fair age.” I nodded.
I went to the animal and ran my hands over his back, to his withers, and down his leg, checking for soundness. At the touch of my hand on his fetlock, he obediently lifted his hoof to be inspected. I let it drop, then turned back to the master. “I’ll take him, then. And his tack, bridle, saddle, and blanket.”
We settled on the price, and the stable boy led Red to an empty stall. Once he’d placed the horse in it, he closed the gate and went off to the tack room to gather the animal’s gear.
I paid the master, knowing the money would go straight into the duke’s accounts. The old man wrote out the sale on a slip of parchment, pressed his seal into it, and handed it over. The horse was mine.
I left the stables feeling good, my spirits high. The winter sun barely burned through the low, overcast clouds, yet there was a feeling in the air. The holidays would be here, and it would be time to celebrate.
For Marden Castle, it meant twelve nights of feasting, with all of Logan’s favored lords and ladies, most of the men of the town council, and any special guests attending and being given gifts by their duke.
For the first time, I wondered what Logan had gotten for me. Was my duke struggling over what to buy, the perfect thing? Would there be a public gift and a personal gift?
As I entered the hall for the noon meal, my gaze fell on the back of a stranger, sitting in one of the chairs of honor by the hearth. I paused, my hand going to the hilt of my sword, then remembered the arrival yesterday of a guest.
Logan wasn’t present, nor were the boys. I strode over to the man.
“Pardon me, good sir. I understood you arrived yesterday while I was out.”
The man stood and turned. “And you are?” He looked to be my age, tall and well built, with wild black hair to his shoulders. He wore the plaid of the Highlands, and on the back of his hand a blue symbol marked his skin. A leather cross strap held a blade with a carved horn handle, and a long sword hung at his hip.
I glanced at the sword. “Here in the keep, no weapons are necessary.” I didn’t remove my hand from my weapon.
He gave me a hard look and without smiling said, “You must be Drake.”
My eyebrows rose. He knew of me, but I knew nothing of him? “Do I know you?” I asked.
“No. We have not met.” No further explanation came.
Irritation scratched at me like the thorn of a bramble. “Who are you, and how came you here to Marden?” I didn’t bother to school my tone or my countenance.
“I am a guest of the duke. He sent for me. That’s all you need to know.” With that, he dismissed me as if I were a servant.
I growled and pulled my sword. “I am master of arms, and as such I’ll need to know more.”
He glared at me and pulled his own. “What if I don’t wish to tell?”
I had no idea who this man was, but if Logan had sent for the man, that should be enough. But where was Logan? A shiver ran through me.
“Drake, put your sword away,” Logan ordered. I didn’t turn to greet him, but kept my gaze on the man in front of me. “Duncan is a guest. Duncan, I can see you’ve met Drake.”
“I’d like to say well-met, but it seems he has a problem with me.” The fellow grinned, still refusing to back down.
“And you too, Duncan. Put your sword away. There will be no blood spilled here. We just put fresh straw down.” Logan chuckled and stepped between us to fling himself down in his chair. His gaze raked us both. “Oh, do sit down.”
Duncan lowered his sword back into his scabbard. “As you wish, Your Grace.” He moved to sit on Logan’s right, but a hard glare from me halted him. He moved to the other chair on the left and sat.
I took my place at Logan’s right.
We glared at each other across the span.
Logan cleared his throat. “Duncan will be staying with us for several nights.”
Duncan smiled at me, looking as if he couldn’t be more pleased. I still frowned. Until I knew more about the stranger and what link to Logan he had, I wouldn’t be at ease in his presence.
I wasn’t sure why, but every instinct I had told me this man was dangerous.
And I didn’t want him anywhere near Logan. Just the thought of the man touching my lover brought me to the edge of control, made my hackles rise and my blood pound.
“You’ll just have to put up with me, master of arms,” he said in his thick accent.
“So it seems.” I gave him a sharp nod. I had no intention of putting up with anyone or anything. He might know Logan, but he didn’t know me.
Chapter Five
We took our meal with grudging acceptance, Logan at the head of the table, me at his right, Duncan at his left, and the boys next to me. Their curiosity about Duncan knew no bounds.
He was just as sparse with information with them as he had been with me. And Logan was no help. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he enjoyed it. Far too much, I thought.
At the end of the meal, the boys were dismissed to play, and they ran upstairs, sounding as if there were a dozen boys and not just two.
Logan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his belly. He had the look of a satisfied man on his face. I knew that look, and it irritated me that Duncan had to be there to come between my lover and me.
“Duke Marden, I must thank you again for your hospitality.” Duncan gave him a seated bow. “I know your hall is in the midst of great activities over these next nights, and I hope my presence won’t interfere with them.”
“Of course you won’t. It’s my pleasure to have you here. Drake, Duncan is to have the run of the keep. I won’t have you tracking him like some villain.” Logan grinned at me, the devil. He knew this had put me off.
“As you wish, Your Grace.” I smiled back, showing perhaps more tooth than necessary.
“Well, I’m still fatigued from my long journey. I’ve been on the road for nearly a sennight, and after this fine meal I feel the need to rest.” Duncan stood and gave both Logan and myself a bow. “Until later, Your Grace.” Then he turned and went upstairs.
My gaze never left him, until Logan reached out and slapped my shoulder.
“Drake!” He chuckled. “Whatever is the matter?�
�
“How well do you know Duncan?”
“I don’t know him at all.” Logan sighed.
“What?” I bolted out of my chair. “Have you no presence of mind? The man could be one of Weathers’s men sent here to kill you.” I started to cross the hall.
“Hold, Drake.” Logan held my arm. “I sent for him. He’s not Weathers’s man. He’s from the wild north, and he’s the best at what he does.”
“What does he do?”
Logan smiled. “That is a secret.” He stood, letting me go. “Do not ask more, Drake. I cannot tell it.” His gaze took mine in, and as usual, I wilted under it. He’d never kept secrets from me before, but perhaps I had to trust him.
But I didn’t have to trust Duncan.
“Fine. But if he kills you, he’ll die a most painful and prolonged death.”
“I’m assured of it, then.” Logan nodded. “I have to finish the preparations for tonight’s feast. The first of the lords and ladies will attend, and I must get all ready.”
With that, he headed to the kitchens, leaving me to stew like a piece of oft-boiled meat.
Duncan had fled upstairs, Logan to the kitchens, and I? To my men. In my mood, I pitied them what was to come.
An image of them polishing all of the metal in the armory flitted through my mind like a spring sparrow. Despite my chuckle, my mood hadn’t improved as I reached the barracks and called the men to hand out their work assignments.
»»•««
I found my boy upstairs, playing storm the castle with Tomas. “Joss, we have an errand to run.” He stood on his bed, wooden sword in his hand, as Tomas and Brute tried to take him down from his position.
“Aye, Da.” Joss lowered his sword and sighed. “I have to go now, Tomas.”
“Then we win!” The smaller boy whooped and hugged Brute. The dog tolerated it, his tongue lolling out of his gaping mouth as if laughing.
“No! We take up from here when I return.” Joss set his jaw in defiance. “You didn’t capture me, and I’m not defeated.”
“True,” Tomas fumed. “I suppose it’s only fair. I can wait to beat you.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time, then.” Joss laughed and hopped down. He put his sword away and grabbed his boots. He put them on as he hopped across the room to me. “Are we walking?”
“No, we’ll ride.” I shook my head as we left Tomas and the dog to continue playing.
“Can I ride too?” Joss asked as he slipped his hand into mine. Even after all these months together, it still made my heart warm and full to feel his small hand cling to me. My pride in the boy swelled as we came down the stairs. At the entry, we put on our heavy woolen cloaks.
“Not today. Horse will carry us both.” I opened the door to the keep and waited as Joss passed under my arm.
“All right. Riding with you on Horse is better than walking.” He nodded, happy just to be with me. I ruffled his hair and hugged him to me.
Horse waited with a worried-looking groom who held his reins as if expecting to be bitten. Perhaps he had been, or had seen one of the others chewed on by my damned animal. The horse could be more trouble than he was worth, but I’d never give him up.
“In front or behind?” I asked as I took the reins and swung up into the saddle.
“Can I use the reins?” Joss’s gaze spoke of the simple hope of being able to guide and control such a huge animal. I could deny him nothing when that look was upon his face. He’d been treated so harshly in his short life that now, if I could make him happy I’d sworn I would.
“Aye.” I held out my hand, and he grabbed it. I pulled him up to sit in front of me and handed him the reins, showing him just how to fit them in his small hands.
“I’ve got it, Da. See? I remember from last time.” Anxious to prove his skill, he took them from me, positioning them correctly.
“I can see that. You’re a fast study, son.” I gave him a quick hug. “Tell Horse to go,” I whispered. Then in a loud voice I cried out, “Open the gate!”
The guards obeyed, and with a sharp kick of my heels and the click of Joss’s tongue, Horse trotted through the gate and down the road to Marden town.
It was cold, but clear. A rarity this time of year. Now that the days had shortened, there wasn’t as much time to do all that needed to be done, and I’d already used most of it with my duties.
“We’ll have to go a little faster if we hope to return before dark,” I warned.
“Aye, let’s gallop,” Joss turned his face up to me, grinning and ready for some excitement.
“Tighten your grip on the reins.”
He did, and I kicked Horse into action. His body coiled, then unfurled with a leap, and we were off down the road, wind whipping our hair from our faces, and Joss whooping from sheer happiness.
With my boy, my horse, and the long open road, there was nothing that could make this day any better. I had all I’d ever needed, here in Marden.
»»•««
The next morning the priest arrived before dawn, and the entire keep held the Christ’s Mass. The ceremony lasted for over an hour. The boys fidgeted in their seats between Logan and me on the wooden benches, and the great hall, filled with as many men and women as we could pack in, grew overly warm. I may have nodded off, having no great feeling for religion of any sort, old or new.
After, most of the people returned to their duties, leaving only a few of us, the priest, and his servant for the morning meal. He’d lead the village in the ceremony later that day and again at midnight, but it had been Logan’s father’s tradition to have the first mass said in the keep on Christ’s Mass morning.
Of course, since it also came with a hefty gift of Logan’s yearly tithe, the priest was more than happy to come. When he left, his belly and purse full, he gave Logan a smile and a wave, as his servant lad led his old horse back to town. In order to assure his safety, Logan sent along two armsmen, for which the old priest thanked him profusely.
That being done, we found ourselves spending the rest of the afternoon preparing for the next day and the first of the feasts.
»»•««
As Joss bounced on his toes, I slipped his best shirt over his arms. He barely restrained himself from bolting off, half dressed. We dressed in my room, since Logan had taken Tomas into his room to prepare the boy for the night’s festivities.
“Mind me,” I said, my tone commanding, but not too harsh. “Hold still.”
“Aye, Da.” His eyes glittered in excitement. “I’ve never been to a feast before. I always worked in the kitchens. The other lads and I would peek from the doorway when the duke gave them, but it’s been many years since then.”
“Oh? Did the duke not give the Twelfth Night feasts last year?” It never occurred to me that these festivities hadn’t been held each year.
“No, not since his duchess’s death.” He shook his freshly washed hair.
I held out his new leather vest and he put it on. It fit well, but with a little room for growth, as the seamstress had assured me.
“There. A properly turned out young lord.” I sat back on my heels and gazed at my lad. He’d grown since the last time I’d helped him dress, what seemed only days ago, but I knew had been nearly a month.
I stood, and he sat on the floor and pulled on his boots. Using a quick brush with his hands to shine them, he asked, “Will His Grace be giving gifts tonight?”
“Aye. To the nobles he’s invited this evening. Each night, a different group of his lords and ladies will attend.”
“For twelve whole nights!” Joss’s eyes grew wider. “That’s a lot of gifts. Did he buy them all in the village? Like the one we bought for Tomas?”
“Not exactly. Some he will have bought, some come from his coffers, others in coin, and the most valuable will be gifts of lands and titles,” I explained.
“Will he give you a gift?” he asked. “Perhaps a title?” His eyes widened.
“I have no need of a title, son.” And I hadn�
��t, not since I’d given up my own title and renounced my lands and family.
“Oh.” His face fell. “Why not? You are in every sense a great lord of Marden, why shouldn’t you have one?” His chin jutted out in defiance. “You’re just as good as any of those others.”
I sat on the chair and motioned him to me. He came, and I pulled him onto my lap. “A long time ago, I was a lord. But my family treated me badly, and I quit them.”
“Can you do that? Quit your family?”
“Of course. Your family can quit you, can’t they?”
He thought for a moment. “I suppose. Like my mother dying?” I could see the struggle on his young face.
“In a way, although I think that wasn’t her desire.”
His brow furrowed, and his grip on me tightened. “But you’d never quit me, would you?” The slightest hint of wetness filled his eyes, but what tore at my heart was the fear in them also.
I pulled him to me and held him. “Oh, son, you are mine, now and forever. I’ll never leave you.”
He buried his face in my neck and clung to me. “And Logan and Tomas? You’ll never leave them, will you?”
“No, never.”
“You love them, don’t you?”
“Of course, don’t you?”
“Oh, aye. Logan is the best duke in all the lands, and Tomas can be a pest, but he’s the best brother.” He looked at me. “And you are the best father, Da. Even if I never had one before, I know it. In my heart.” He placed his hand on his chest and then put it on mine.
“And you are the best son a man could ever ask for.” Now my eyes watered.
“If you were a lord, would that title pass to me?” Joss spoke softly.
“Aye, it would.”
“Even if I’m not your real son?”
“Aye. And to me, you are my real son. Understand?” I held him from me and looked into his eyes.
He nodded, then threw his arms around my neck and squeezed me hard.
“Can I give Tomas his present tonight?”
“No. We’ll exchange our gifts on the last night, just the family.”
“Good. I can’t wait to see Tomas’s face when he opens his gift.” He winked at me. The toy he’d found in the toymaker’s shop for his little brother was perfect—a small wooden castle that had been carved to look like Marden.
