WolfeLord: de Wolfe Pack Generations

by Kathryn Le Veque

  “Very well,” he said after a moment. “If that is what you wish.”

  “It is.”

  “And she didn’t say anything before she left?”

  Lily dabbed at her eyes with her kerchief. “Nay,” she said. “I know the news has hurt her. It has hurt all of us. I think asking her to marry you was too much, so mayhap you should find her and ease the situation.”

  Will frowned. “What do you want me to say?” he said. “Lily, I am as shocked as she is. I have never once looked at Adria in a romantic way. Not once.”

  “Then you do not think she is pretty?”

  “She’s damned beautiful, but that’s not the point.”

  “Then what is the point?” Lily asked. “She’s beautiful and sweet and she loves our children. I know she would grow to love you if you would only let her. Wouldn’t you like to have a wife who was in love with you, Will? A woman who could give you something I never could?”

  That was a harsh way of putting it, but it was true. Oddly enough, it gave him pause. Will thought that he and Lily would be married until he died. He’d always planned on that. It never occurred to him that she would die before him, so the loveless marriage they found themselves in was something he’d resigned himself to years ago. He thought that was going to be the rest of his life. To think that he might actually have a chance for happiness was a new and startling thought.

  With Adria.

  What Lily said was true. Adria was beautiful and sweet and she loved his children. She was young, with a curvy figure that most men gave a second look to. If he thought hard, he found her attractive, wildly so, but that was never anything he would have acted upon. He was loyal to his vows and always had been. But he had to admit that what Lily was suggesting was intriguing.

  Perhaps a little too intriguing.

  “I don’t know,” he muttered, turning away. “I must think on it.”

  “What is there to think about?”

  “Lily, I cannot make lifelong decisions in a quick moment,” he said, exasperated. “You must let me at least become accustomed to the idea. I never planned on another wife, but now you are demanding I have one, so I am allowed to think on it a little.”

  Lily did something at that point that she wasn’t supposed to do. She got out of bed. She made her way over to Will, who was standing by the window overlooking the inner bailey.

  “I would like to give you all the time in the world to think on it, but I do not have that kind of time,” she said quietly. “I have decided to let Tarraby take the child from me in the hope of saving his life. If what Tarraby says is true, then every day that passes is a day the child is dying. Therefore, next week on a day of my choosing, I will permit the man to take the child from me. But between now and that day, I must know that you and my children will be taken care of. I want you to have a chance at happiness, Will, and I believe Adria will be that chance.”

  Will sighed heavily as he turned to look at her. “How can you even know that?”

  She smiled faintly, gazing into his handsome face. “Because I do,” she said. “Adria is almost part of our family, anyway. Would you prefer she marry someone else and you would never see her again? Our children would never see her again?”

  He grunted. “It is of no matter to me because I do not have feelings for her,” he said frankly. “She is your vassal, not mine. I am not the kind of man who goes around feeling things for women who are not my wife.”

  “You do not even feel anything for your wife.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “That is not fair,” he said. “Mayhap we have resigned ourselves to a marriage that has us friends and not lovers, but that does not mean I pine for other women.”

  Lily put a hand on his big arm. “I want you to think about pining for Adria,” she said softly. “I give you my full permission, Will. Take this week and see if you find anything about her that you can have feelings for. Will you do this for me? Please?”

  He rolled his eyes and looked away. “You cannot be serious.”

  “I am.”

  “You cannot force me to feel anything for her.”

  “I am not forcing you,” she said. “All I am doing is asking you to try. Pretend I am not a factor, nor is your marriage, for soon enough, it will not be and you will be a widower. Pretend you are alone and can have any woman you want. All I am asking is that you try, Will. Please. I want you to.”

  He wanted to walk out of the room in protest. He really did. But something made him stay – confusion, curiosity, and perhaps even interest. He wasn’t even sure what he felt. All he knew was that he couldn’t walk away from her or what she was suggesting because it evidently meant so much to her.

  He returned his focus to her.

  “You are not going to leave me alone until I do, are you?” he said.

  She grinned impishly. “Nay.”

  “But what if this isn’t what Adria wants?”

  “You will not know unless you ask her.”

  Will sighed sharply, looking her in the eyes. He seemed to study her for a moment, as if remembering that girl from long ago that he’d been so attracted to. He just didn’t know what happened to that, but he did know one thing.

  Lily was his friend.

  She always had been.

  “You are my closest friend,” he said hoarsely. “I do not know how that ever came about, that you should be my friend and not a wife I love madly, but the loss I will feel of this friendship is greater than you can imagine. I do not know what I am going to do without you harping on me or ordering me around.”

  There was humor amidst the tears that came to Lily’s eyes. “And you are one of my dearest friends, as well,” she said. “I will miss you greatly, Will, and that is why I must make sure you are well taken care of when I leave. I want you to be happy. I want you to love. And I want you to remember me with some fondness as the years go on. I am sorry I could not be the wife I should have been to you, but I do not consider my life wasted. Not at all.”

  Reaching out, he grasped her hand and lifted it to his lips for a kindly kiss. “Nor I.”

  “Then please talk to Adria. It means a great deal to me.”

  He dropped her hand and nodded wearily. “I will try.”

  With that, he turned and quit the chamber, leaving Lily by the window, watching him go with tears in his eyes. She knew it was a huge burden she had given him, but she felt in her heart that it was the right thing to do. Everything was happening so quickly that there simply wasn’t time for careful thought and lingering plans.

  Next week.

  She had until next week to find her husband a wife.

  *

  “Ah,” Gar said. “I have been looking for you. Sir Ronan, is it?”

  Ronan looked up from the spear he’d been inspecting. He was standing outside of the armory built into Carlisle’s massive outer wall, going through some old weapons they had found in a storeroom, when he saw Adria’s father approaching.

  “Aye, it is,” he said. “How may I be of service, my lord?”

  Gar smiled, being very friendly with him. He pointed to the spear. “Expecting trouble?”

  Ronan shook his head. “Not any more than usual,” he said, holding up the old spear. “These were found in a storeroom. I have no idea how long they’ve been there, but most definitely longer than Will has been in command.”

  Gar pretended to study the spear even as Ronan lowered it. “I suspect you have more than your share of work here,” he said. “You know – for things like weapons and protecting the castle in general.”

  Ronan nodded. “Being recently knighted, however, I am at the bottom of the chain of command,” he said. “That will not last long, however. I can defeat Hermes and, somehow, I’ll prove myself over Marcellus, or at least try to. I’ll get to the top.”

  “Spoken like a true de Wolfe, I’m sure.”

  Ronan grinned. “Will is the heir to the kingdom,” he said. “The best I can hope for is inheriting a grand post when he is the
Earl of Warenton, but I want him to feel as if he can trust me. After I’ve beat down all of my competitors, of course.”

  Somehow, they got onto the exact subject Gar was hoping they could discuss. It had come organically, in conversation, and he was pleased. But he wasn’t going to let them stray from it.

  He’d come with a purpose.

  “Then your father does not have any property to inherit?” he asked.

  “He does,” Ronan said, picking away the frayed leather at the head of the spear. “My father was granted the title Lord Sydenham and the Sydenham Barony, a small but strategic barony between Wark Castle and the town of Kelso. As a result, he commands Roxburgh Castle, a rather large bastion that is not unlike Carlisle in that it is a crown property manned by both de Wolfe and royal troops.”

  Sydenham. So Ronan’s father had titles and land, which undoubtedly meant income. Given that he was part of the de Wolfe family, he had wealth from them, as well. Surely he was a rich man, indeed.

  Gar could see gold coins floating before his eyes.

  “Why do you not serve at Roxburgh?” he asked.

  “Because my father wanted me to gain some experience outside of his influence,” Ronan said. “My father is a great knight and I have no doubt that I will serve him one day, but for now, I remain at Carlisle.”

  “I see,” Gar said. “And your mother? Where does she hail from?”

  “She is a Hage,” Ronan said. “Kieran Hage, her father, was the Earl of Warenton’s second in command until his death a few years ago.”

  “Ah,” Gar said. “I am sorry for your family. But I am sure he was quite proud of you.”

  Ronan smiled faintly. “I hope so,” he said. “He was a great man. I miss him.”

  “Of course you do,” Gar said, eyeing Ronan as the knight pulled off the rest of the frayed leather and separated the spear head from the shaft. “That shows a man of good character, feeling affection for friends and family. Certainly they must feel affection towards you, too. It is a pity you do not have a wife to share your affection. I must say I found it quite shocking to hear that you were not married.”

  Ronan lifted his eyebrows. “I do not know why,” he said. “I have only seen eighteen summers. I have time still.”

  “True,” Gar said. “There is no one special, though?”

  “No one.”

  He was going back to his spear and the conversation was starting to lag, which was something Gar didn’t want.

  He had to go in for the kill.

  “Sir Ronan, I would like to present something for your consideration,” he said. “I realize we do not know each other, but given that you are a de Wolfe, I know that you are a fine and noble knight purely from the reputation of your family. You see, my daughter is in need of a husband. With her comes the Alcester title and properties upon my death, which would pass to her husband. She is my heiress. Would… would that be of any interest to you?”

  Ronan looked at him. “Your daughter?” he said, dumbfounded. “Lady Adria?”

  Gar nodded. “Aye,” he said. “Lady Adria. Do not give me any answer now. Simply… think about it. You have known Adria for some time, I would imagine, so you know that she is a good lass. She is pretty and resourceful. I do believe she would make a fine wife and it is time for her to wed, so I am simply bringing it to your attention so that you may think about it.”

  Ronan was looking at Gar with bewilderment. He didn’t even know what to say. Gar moved away from him, holding out a hand as if to beg pardon that he’d just dumped that rather heady proposal on his lap.

  “Just think,” he said. “I will leave you now. We may discuss it again at your leisure.”

  With that, the man scurried off, back across the outer bailey as Ronan watched in shock.

  Did Adria’s father just offer me a betrothal?

  Scratching his head, he went back to work, but the thought of marriage to Adria stuck with him. As Gar had requested, he thought about it.

  Maybe too much.

  CHAPTER NINE

  It was too much.

  All of it was too much. Adria had been sucked up by the overwhelming nature of the morning’s events and, even now, she sat in the great hall of Carlisle by herself as servants worked in the shadows, because she knew it was the last place Hermes or Ronan or even her father would come looking for her.

  She didn’t want to see anyone at the moment.

  Lily was dying.

  Adria still couldn’t believe it, but given that she’d heard Lily and Marcellus speak of it when they thought no one was listening, it must be true. She knew Lily wouldn’t lie about that and given the signs that they’d been through all week, with Tarraby’s visits and Lily’s physical symptoms, she couldn’t deny that it all made sense. Lily’s fall had injured her and the child she carried to the point where the only option was to cut the baby from her belly and let Lily sacrifice herself to save the child.

  Marcellus’ child.

  The entire situation had Adria muddled and distraught.

  So, she sat in the great hall and wept. She wept for Lily, for the baby, for the fact that Lily had been lying to Will for so many years, and for Will himself. He was a noble and true man and he certainly didn’t deserve what Lily and Marcellus had been doing behind his back. There was so much going on that she didn’t know where she should be upset the most.

  All of it was terrible.

  Adria was sitting in one of the several alcoves in the great hall, bench seats built into the lancet windows that went from the floor almost to the ceiling. The seats faced each other and, in more genteel times, would have been for men and women to have a private place to converse with the cool breeze from the window making the ambiance pleasant. However, Carlisle was such a military installation that the alcoves were mostly used for men to sleep in or drink in. No genteel ladies, no great feasts with beautiful women and loud entertainment.

  In truth, Adria missed that a little.

  Lioncross Abbey was where she had fostered her last year. It was a massive, gracious castle that had feasts aplenty. Kaedia de Lohr, Countess of Hereford and Worcester, managed the castle with a velvet fist and Adria had always appreciated Lady de Lohr’s kind but firm manner. She missed how Lady de Lohr would have her charges dress beautifully and present them to a hall of men who looked at the women as a feast for the eyes.

  Will de Wolfe had been among those men. In fact, Adria had come to Lioncross well after Will had arrived, but he’d been kind to her from the start. That was about the time he married Lily. Adria really had no memory of Will before their marriage, for it seemed to her as though they’d always been married. But, as she’d so often observed, it had not been an affectionate marriage. Lily and Will had always been friendly with each other, like siblings more than husband and wife, because there had been no hint of love between them ever.

  Now, she knew why.

  At least, she knew why Lily had treated Will the way she had. Perhaps Will only treated her the same way because Lily had set that precedence. It was difficult to know. But never in all of her years with them had she suspected there was anything between Lily and Marcellus. She was still having great difficulty with that. And now, Lily wanted to throw her into that very odd situation by forcing her to marry Will once she had departed this earth.

  Adria didn’t know what to think.

  As she sat there and brooded, looking out of the window towards the kitchen yard and watching the servants move about, she caught movement in the corners of her eyes and turned to see Will entering the great hall. Swiftly wiping her cheeks, she climbed out of the window seat and began to make her way towards him, quickly.

  “I am sorry, my lord,” she said. “I did not mean to shirk my duties.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I thought Atticus was with you. Clearly, he is not. I will find him immediately.”

  Will put up a hand to stop her from moving around him. “He is with Hermes right now,” he said. “My cousin is teach
ing him how to yell at men, so it should prove both hilarious and concerning.”

  Adria smiled weakly. “Then mayhap I should relieve Hermes from child tending duties.”

  Will shook his head. “Not yet,” he said. “I’ve coming looking for you. It seems that we must speak.”

  Something in his tone put her on her guard. Adria looked up at him warily. “About what, my lord?”

  Will’s gaze lingered on her for a moment. “Lily told me.”

  Adria blinked. She wasn’t prepared to speak on that yet and the longer she looked at Will, the more she remembered about Lily and Marcellus. The more it made her blood boil to know they’d duped such an honorable man.

  She took a step back.

  “What about, my lord?” she asked, lowering her gaze.

  Will reached out and politely grasped her arm, turning her back towards the alcove. “Come,” he said quietly. “Let us sit.”

  Adria let him turn her around but she didn’t let him hold on to her. She pulled her arm away, gently but firmly, heading back to the alcove. Stiffly, she sat on one benches as he sat on the other, facing her. She kept her eyes averted, waiting for him to say something.

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.

  “Lily told me that she informed you of Tarraby’s diagnosis,” he said softly.

  Adria was still looking at her hands. “She did, my lord.”

  “She also told me what she has asked of you.”

  Adria couldn’t help it; she started to tear up. “Then you know.”

  “I do.”

  The tears trickled down her face as she struggled for her composure. “May… may I ask you a question, my lord?”

  “Of course.”

  “Is Lady de Wolfe truly dying?”

  Will sighed faintly. “Tarraby believes so.”

  “And the child is dying, too?”

  “So Tarraby says.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “I do. He is a man of uncanny skill. I have no reason to disbelieve him.”

  Adria’s head lifted and she fixed on him. “But what if he is wrong?”