Alyx smiled at him, not quite sure what he meant but she knew he’d meant it to comfort her. She squeezed his hand.
“He will,” she said. “Now, you must go to bed. Papa and the men will be up all night discussing a treaty, so you must go to bed. I will see you in the morning.”
Dyl nodded and stood up, still holding Alyx’s hand. He ended up holding it all the way to the door before she gently pulled her hand from his grip.
“Tomorrow we can hunt for eggs?” he asked, meaning bird’s eggs that he was fond of finding and then hatching. He was very good at tending them, something the gentle boy actually had some skill for. “You will come with me?”
Alyx nodded. “Of course I will,” she said, looking forward to another morning of wandering in her beloved woods. Perhaps Torston might even go with them; certainly, he wouldn’t let her go alone. “But you must go to bed right now so we can go early in the morning.”
Dyl nodded and headed to his bedchamber, which was directly across from Alyx’s. It was a small chamber, cluttered with the things that Dyl collected, but he liked it that way. He functioned much better when he had a small, cozy place around him, as he tended to become frightened in large chambers, like the great hall, and didn’t spend much time there. Alyx waved at him as he entered his chamber and shut the door.
Once Dyl was inside and presumably going to bed, not playing with his collection of toys and other possessions he’d accumulated over the years, Alyx retreated into her chamber and shut the door quietly, bolting it. As she finished undressing for bed, the only thoughts she had were of Torston and the conference going on in the great hall.
The unexpected peace conference.
For certain, Alyx was hopeful that there really would be a peace accord but, mostly, her thoughts were on the fact that Douglas’ peace overture had brought Torston to Makendon. It was a superficial focus when peace on the border was at stake, but she’d lived with the Scots raids all of her life so, in truth, the thought of peace was rather foreign.
Was there really such a thing?
Whether or not there was, the fact remained that Torston was here tonight and he would be here in the morning when she awoke, and she would make sure they spent time together, whether in the woods or inside the walls of Makendon. It didn’t matter to her where it was, only that they spend it together. Torston’s walls of self-protection were coming down for the first time in nine years and she intended that they should remain down.
It was the chance she’d been waiting for.
Alyx’s thoughts were all aglow with Torston as she finally climbed into bed, feeling peace and contentment such as she had never known. His words to her kept rolling over in her head – I want you.
The joy at hearing those words was everything she’d thought it would be.
As Alyx drifted off with Torston-infused dreams, little did she know that down in the great hall, something unwelcome was afoot, something that could change the course of her life forever.
And destroy the very dreams she was counting on.
CHAPTER NINE
“What did you say?”
“Ye heard me.”
Winslow was looking at Douglas, trying not to show the shock he was feeling because he was more concerned with how Torston would react to what Douglas had just said.
The man had just delivered a blow they might not recover from.
“I suppose I did,” Winslow said after a moment. “Tell me again so there is no mistake.”
Douglas sat forward, his elbows on the table as one of his men poured him more wine. “Then listen well,” he said. “What I told ye was only part of the pledge I made tae my wife as she lay dying. It is true she made me promise tae seek peace, but she also made me promise tae find a mother for our son. The lad deserves that. Let me marry yer daughter and it will cement a peace between us that canna be broken.”
There it was again, the shocking offer. Winslow sat back in his seat as he stared at the man, the astonishment on his face evident. Next to him, however, Lionel didn’t appear so shocked. In fact, he began to nod his head as if he thought it was all a grand idea.
“Of course,” he said agreeably. “Great treaties are made in such ways. A marriage will establish an alliance for generations to come and Lord Winslow has a daughter of marriageable age. Why, you met her tonight and you said yourself that she was a beautiful girl.”
Douglas’ gaze was still on Winslow, trying to read the man’s reaction to all of this. In truth, he was trying to appear as if he weren’t shocked by his own suggestion. When Douglas had come to Makendon, it had been with no real plan in mind other than agreeing to a peace and perhaps coercing de Ameland into giving him twenty head of sheep in a gesture of good faith. He’d promised his beloved Mairi that much.
But that had changed when he saw Alyx.
The lass from the forest.
Now, he knew her name and he knew who she was – the daughter of the Lord of Makendon Castle. When he’d first seen her, she’d been at The Lyceum, so he assumed she was related to someone there, but that wasn’t the case. The lovely woman with the curly blond hair was the daughter of Winslow de Ameland.
And she was unmarried.
If Douglas had anything to say about it, not for long.
He saw his opportunity.
“She is a beautiful lass,” he concurred with Lionel’s statement as he spoke to Winslow. “Ye want peace on the border? If I become yer son, then ye shall know it. We’ll both know it. Yer daughter will be well-treated, m’laird. I promise I would make her a good husband.”
Winslow’s gaze was fixed to him as he tamped down the astonishment and distaste of the offer. He didn’t want to see his beautiful Alyx married to a Scottish laird who had already gone through one wife.
But there was more to it than that.
He stole a glance at Torston; he had to. Nine years of Alyx pining for the man and he almost considered him a son. He knew him well; he knew Torston’s heart and it was a good one. He was noble, straight, and true. The man had a great fondness for Alyx, something he’d kept in check until her eighteenth birthday.
Then, something changed.
Torston wasn’t so restrained with her any longer. He smiled more around her now; Winslow had noticed that. When he looked at her, his eyes fairly gleamed. But there was one massive obstacle to a courtship and marriage between them.
Torston was betrothed to another woman.
Lionel had told him that some years ago. Torston’s father, Triston de Royans, had betrothed Torston when the man had been quite young to a fine family, Lionel had said. Torston had met the girl when he’d been a youth but he hadn’t seen her in many years. The contract was due to be fulfilled by the end of the year because that was when the girl was to come of age so, like it or not, Torston already had a marriage planned for him.
It was something that broke Alyx’s heart.
It didn’t make Winslow very happy, either.
But he couldn’t treat this situation as if his daughter had another viable offer of marriage, because she didn’t. It wasn’t that Douglas’ offer didn’t have his interest, because it did purely from the standpoint that he had a daughter of marriageable age and no immediate prospects. Still, Winslow’s gut told him that he didn’t want his daughter married to a Scots warlord.
Certainly not Douglas Kerr.
“I have no doubt that you would make a fair and just husband for my daughter,” he finally said. “Your offer is reasonable. But it is also quite surprising. I am sure you will understand when I say that I must think on it. I do not want to make a rash decision.”
Douglas’ confident manner seemed to loosen up at the prospect of Winslow actually denying his offer. “I respect that,” he said. “But what can I tell ye tae ease yer mind? Yer daughter will be respected and treated well. I would never lift a hand tae her.”
“You cannot expect me to give you an answer this very moment.”
“I can try.”
Wins
low could see an odd sense of desperation in the man and he wondered why. The man had just lost his wife. Why would he be so eager to gain a new one so soon?
“I believe you would be good to her,” Winslow said evenly. “But I must also consider the fact that if my daughter were to marry you, she would be taken out of the life she is accustomed to. She would be surrounded by Scots that were once her enemy. That would be a very uncomfortable situation for her.”
Douglas nodded, conceding the fact. “As I sit here in a room of men whom I battled against just a few days ago,” he said, looking around the table. “I sit here with my men in an enemy’s home. But for the good of us all, I’m willing tae do it.”
Winslow cocked an eyebrow. “Sitting in my hall and knowing you can leave whenever you wish is much different from my daughter being married to you and knowing she can never leave your home,” he said quietly. “It is not the same thing.”
“It would be no life for her,” Torston suddenly spoke up, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer. “So you would promise to be a good husband to her, Kerr, but what, exactly, does that entail? You realize that Lady Alyx is a finely bred English woman who has been educated and primed to be the wife of an Englishman. In England, she would be among her peers. She would attend parties at fine homes and continue living in a culture she understands. You would take her out of her world and put her in something she has only learned to hate and fear? That is no life for her, or any Englishwoman.”
Douglas turned his attention to Torston, seeing that the man appeared more upset by the offer than he should be. As a knight, he was simply a vassal of Harringham. He wasn’t involved in this at all. But it was clear that he had an opinion on something that didn’t concern him.
Almost as if he had a personal stake in this.
Douglas wasn’t a fool. It occurred to him that it very well might be the case.
He’s fond of the lass, he thought.
“Marriage tae a Scots laird would make her a respected and powerful woman,” he said evenly, watching Torston’s jaw tick. “I have a holding in Luckenburn Tower, my home, and I have five hundred men tae do my bidding, more if I draw upon my Kerr kin.”
“And Clan Gordon?” Torston asked pointed.
Douglas smiled thinly, knowing that his English foes had, indeed, noticed Gordons within his ranks during the past few skirmishes.
“We are allied,” he said. “I can call upon them as well.”
“So we have seen.”
“But that would have no bearing on the lady who would become my wife,” Douglas said. “In fact, I can offer a wife a great deal. Much more than an Englishman if he were, let’s say, a mere knight. I would make much more of an attractive prospect.”
The comment about the knight was a direct shot at Torston, to let the man know that Douglas was aware there was something more going on with the knight’s protests over the lady than mere polite concern. Torston, however, wouldn’t let Douglas belittle him so.
“I am uncertain the lady would find a laird a much more attractive prospect considering how the Scots live,” he said in a low voice. “You house your animals in your halls alongside your men. That’s an insult to a fine English lady, so don’t delude yourself. You have no more to offer than a mere knight, I assure you, considering you and your countrymen live like pigs. That would be a death sentence for an English lady.”
Beside Douglas, his man exploded again. “Ye foul-tongued bastard,” he hissed. “Insult Doogie again and I’ll cut yer heart out!”
As Torston bolted to his feet, unsheathing a large dagger in the same motion, Douglas threw an arm out across the man next to him to keep him in his seat.
“Be careful who ye insult, Knight,” he said to Torston. “This is my cousin, Robby. They call him Robby the Red for a reason and if ye keep with yer insults, I’ll let ye find out why.”
“Torston, sit down,” Lionel commanded firmly. “Sheath the weapon and regain your seat. I’ll not have you starting a common brawl.”
Torston was in trouble. Not only was he livid, he was off-balance with the force of his emotions and fading fast. Even though he suspected a marriage offer was behind Douglas’ visit, he wasn’t prepared for the reality of it. The offer of marriage for Alyx had him reeling and the more he tried to fight down his feelings, the more powerful they became. He was close to leaping over the table and killing every Scot he could get his hands on, Douglas Kerr included.
With his last shred of control, he forced himself to obey Lionel. He sheathed the dagger but he didn’t sit back down again. Instead, he kicked his chair aside and went to stand over by the hearth where he could still hear everything but wasn’t close enough to give in to that urge to leap over the table.
As he wandered over to the fire and leaned against the mantel, Lance stood up from his chair next to Winslow and went to stand with him. For moral support or to prevent him from doing anything stupid was anyone’s guess.
With the two enormous English knights well away from the table, Winslow realized they needed to conclude this meeting before blood was spilled. Torston wasn’t in control of himself, which was unusual, and he seriously doubted he could prevent the man from starting a war inside the hall should he become enraged enough, so it was best to conclude business quickly. With that in mind, he looked across the table to Douglas.
“You have given me much to think on this night, Laird Kerr,” he said. “Since I must have time to think on it and discuss it with Lord Harringham, please accept the hospitality of Makendon Castle in the meantime. You and your men are welcome to sleep in the gatehouse. There is a chamber above the guard room where you can be made comfortable.”
Douglas, sensing that the meeting had come to a swift conclusion, drained what was left in his cup. “Thank ye, m’laird, but we’ll return tae Luckenburn,” he said. “I’ll return in a few days and we’ll continue our discussion. Hopefully, ye’ll have made the right decision. A marriage is a small price tae pay for peace.”
“When we are speaking of my daughter, it is a very big price.”
Douglas conceded the point, but only on the surface. He didn’t agree with it in the least, for he knew it was perhaps the only logical solution to all of this.
He was going to push it.
As Douglas and his men began to filter out of the hall, Lance followed. Torston remained back by the hearth, unwilling to be polite. He let Lance take the duty as he escorted the Scots back to the gatehouse, remaining by the hearth until the men were free of the hall. Only when they were gone did he make an effort to return to the feasting table.
“You cannot be serious about considering Kerr’s offer, my lord,” he said to Winslow. “To permit Alyx to marry such a man would destroy her life forever.”
Winslow knew this was coming. He poured himself more wine as Torston stood behind him, practically twitching with anger.
“You act as if she is your own daughter, Torston,” he said. “She is, in fact, nothing to you. She is not kin, nor is she your sister. I fail to see why you are so upset about this. Marriages are made for alliances all of the time.”
Torston carefully considered his answer. Taking a deep breath, he struggled for his composure, knowing he’d just made a fool out of himself.
“I have known Alyx for many years,” he said. “Of course I should be concerned for her. Douglas Kerr is not a fit husband for her.”
Winslow turned to look at him. “He’s more fit than you are. At least he is not betrothed to another woman.”
Torston felt as if he’d been hit in the gut. That wasn’t the response he had been expecting from the usually-tame Winslow.
“That has nothing to do with it,” he said, off-balance. “It has everything to do with the fact that Alyx does not belong with a Scots.”
“Then who does she belong with, Torston?” Winslow asked. “It is not as if I have suitors beating down my door, although I wish I did. If I had even one viable candidate, I could refuse Douglas with a clear conscience
in knowing my daughter had a future with an attractive suitor.”
“But you cannot…”
Winslow cut him off. “You will not tell me what I can or cannot do,” he said, unusually peeved. “You have spent the past nine years teasing my daughter so that she believes herself in love with you when the truth is you already have a betrothal. You have turned my daughter’s head so that she will not look at any man but you, and that is not fair to her.”
So it was out in the open now. This wasn’t how Torston had planned it, or wanted it, but here it was and he was forced to face it. He looked at Winslow, greatly hurt by his words.
“It was never my intention to tease her,” he said quietly. “If I did at any time, it was not intentional. I always tried to treat Lady Alyx with the greatest respect.”
“Then prove it,” Winslow said. “Leave Makendon and do not return here unless you are militarily summoned. Let me decide my daughter’s future, de Royans. You are not part of it.”
He was absolutely right but it pained Torston greatly to hear that. As he grappled with his feelings, it occurred to him that Winslow sounded rather disappointed during the entire conversation. Not angry, but saddened. Saddened that as much as Alyx wanted Torston, he simply wasn’t eligible.
Feeling sick to his stomach, Torston turned away, heading out of the hall, feeling increasingly despondent that Alyx was about to become betrothed to a Scottish warlord and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
Unless…
Alyx had begged him to break his betrothal. She even suggested how he could do such a thing and he’d laughed at her. Now, he wasn’t laughing. He was serious. As pathetic as it was, Douglas Kerr was just the shove he needed to take action because up until this moment, he’d still been wallowing in the Torston of old, the one who resisted the lovely Alyx de Ameland all of these years. There hadn’t been any competition for her affections and he’d become complacent with that. He could admit it. But the past hour had seen all of that change drastically.
The Centurion Page 9
