“Lady Theron,” Alburet bowed to her formally, Wilbur following suit while the ladies curtsied. “I hope I have found what it was you told me to seek. The final decision, of course, rests with you. Might I introduce my wife Stacia, who you’ve met once before. The lovely lady with us is Erin Crowley, her sister, who works for my guild as a receptionist. The gentleman escorting her is Wilbur Gilden of Gilden House, who is employed as a guard here in the city.”
Lady Theron’s lips compressed visibly when Alburet mentioned Gilden House. “I am well acquainted with the House of Gilden. You must be Gustuv’s youngest,” she said, turning her eyes to Wilbur, her voice frosty.
“That is correct, Lady Theron,” Wilbur replied. “I am here at the request of Alburet. If I have distressed you, I will take my leave,” his tone was respectful the entire time.
“Lady Theron,” Alburet interjected. “Wilbur Gilden has been honest and forthright in all the dealings I’ve had with him, unlike his brother Skippy Gilden. I ask that you give me a chance to explain my choice.”
Lady Theron settled back into her chair and nodded once, “I shall listen. You should be aware though that it was due to his father’s actions that I lost my standing with the guards.”
Alburet winced, “Something I was unaware of. However, I will stand by my choice, Lady Theron. Ah, do you wish to hold our meeting before dinner?”
Meeting his eyes Lady Theron shook her head, “No. We shall carry on as planned for the evening. Please, be seated,” she motioned to the chairs.
The men seated their women before seating themselves to either side of Lady Theron. Once they were seated Lady Theron rang a small silver bell. Immediately, a door behind her opened and a number of servants filed out carrying plates. The meal, not as grand as the one at the castle, was just as good if not as exotic. At the end of the meal Alburet took up the toasting glass.
“Lady Theron, thank you for having us and showing us how nobility hosts guests. I hope to be able to discharge my duty to you once we are able to discuss the quest you gave me. May tonight give you that which you have sought after.”
After they all sipped, Lady Theron got to her feet. “Now that dinner is done, let us adjourn to the drawing room.” She led them just down the hall and into a richly appointed room that was at odds with the more austere halls. She took the large comfortable chair next to the lit fireplace, “Please, sit as you would.” The two couples took the two loveseats near Lady Theron. As soon as they were seated, Jarvis came in with a fully laden coffee cart. He served them each, inquiring about their preferences and stepped behind Lady Theron. “Now that we are all comfortable, Alburet, tell me why you believe Wilbur is the answer.”
He sipped his coffee before replying, “You tasked me with something quite hard to find, Lady Theron. I happen to know Wilbur Gilden from my first day in the city. It was not a very pleasant first meeting, which is entirely my own fault. Since then, we have come to an understanding, and perhaps even formed a friendship of sorts. He is the unwanted son of House Gilden. His family looks down on him because of his decision to take employment as a guard. His brother Skippy is less than enthused with his choice and has been making Wilbur’s life unpleasant. So, I have found a man of noble birth who is more than willing to also be a guard. Wilbur is in love with Erin Crowley, a woman of common birth, if uncommon beauty. Due to her family’s station, Skippy Gilden has been trying to force Wilbur away from her. This has caused a widening of the rift between the House of Gilden’s brothers. Erin doesn’t care about Wilbur’s family, or the family name. She wants only the man himself. Wilbur, though, feels that without his name he is not worthy of her, which leaves them in a bit of a bind. So, I present to you the answer to the quest you gave me, if you are willing to take it.”
Wilbur’s face was blank as he tried to work out what Alburet could be talking about. Erin was equally puzzled, looking at Alburet in bewilderment. Lady Theron sat back sipping her coffee for a long moment.
“Erin Crowley,” Lady Theron said, looking at the woman next to Wilbur. “From the Crowley line which runs the Dead Man Inn?”
“Aye, tha’ be me family,” Stacia replied. She tried, and failed, to suppress her accent.
“How do you know Wilber Gilden and why do you love him?” Lady Theron asked Erin, her eyes like gimlets as she watched the younger woman.
“He was me escort at Stacia’s weddin’,” Erin said slowly, trying to figure out how to answer the question. “He was kind, funny and interested in me. He was gentle and did nay comment on me appearance except in passin’, unlike many who smother me in false words. He did nay attempt to be anythin’ other than a gentleman, which meant it took me some persuadin’ to convince him to let me walk him home. We talked about little things, but mainly I asked about his job as a guard. He had a fire to him when he spoke of how he was doin’ what he loved. I was jealous of his passion for it, wishin’ I could capture his eye in such a way. Over the days since we have met and talked, even hunted together, and every day I just feel me love for him deepen. Why I love him? Tha’ be a hard question for me. I just do. I know to the core of me bein’ tha’ he be the one for me.”
Lady Theron’s smile was honest and broad, “I know how it feels to love and not know why, child. You will never really know what pulled you together, but you know the truth of it to your very soul.” Her smile changed, becoming sharp, “I have an offer for you. I can have all restrictions on your family’s inn removed. I can see to it that you and your sisters receive the best educations and are brought into society as proper ladies. I can see to it that you and your sisters have the opportunity to marry into noble families. All you need to do is walk away from Wilbur. Just stand up and walk out right now, and my driver will take you home. Never speak to him again, and I will do all of that.”
Erin’s brow furrowed, “Are ya batty? Mayhap a bit touched in the head? I would nay do such a thin’.”
Wilbur’s jaw dropped and his face went white at Erin’s response. Stacia’s hand gripped Alburet’s hand, fearing how Lady Theron would respond to Erin’s blunt words. Alburet raised a single brow and watched Lady Theron.
Lady Theron’s head came up and her nostrils flared, “Did you just imply that I’m going senile, young lady?”
“Aye,” Erin said, getting to her feet. “Ya must be mad to think I would be walkin’ away from the man I love for any bauble ya might dangle before me. I be a Crowley, we do nay turn our backs on those we love, no matter what.”
A small chuckle escaped Lady Theron, which slowly deepened into a laugh. “Well said, if blunt and lacking diplomacy, Miss Crowley. Please, sit. I apologize, and I will not say another word on that subject. It was but a test to see how attached you are to the man beside you.”
Erin sat back down with a scowl on her face, “I do nay think I like the way ya nobles act.”
“You are not alone in that,” Lady Theron replied. She turned to Wilbur. “Is she, Sir Gilden?”
Wilbur stiffened before he met her eyes, “I would rather never have to deal with the petty politics of court, Lady Theron.”
“Good,” Lady Theron murmured. “It is those that revel in those mindless games that do the most harm to the Crown. Why did you choose to be a guard?”
Looking away, Wilbur coughed once, “Lord Theron. He was a good man, whose name my father dragged through the muck. I know from my childhood tutors what he was really like. He refused to play politics at court, instead working to keep the forts and keeps at the frontier in good order. When I came of age to choose a vocation, I chose to become a guard because of those stories. I wished to be seen as he was by those who’d known him, as a good man who cared for the people and his men. It was shortly after I entered service that my family and I came to a falling out. I have never wavered from my stance, even though my brother has pushed my father time and time again to have me removed from the House. When I found out how my father had disgraced your House, it widened the rift between us. My father and I have not spo
ken since that day. My brother has had to be the one between us, and he speaks only as he wishes.”
“My husband?” Lady Theron looked as if she had not expected that reply. “Why have you not left your house then, Sir Gilden? You can step down from the line, you know this of course.”
“I have considered it before, and rejected it. Recently, due to other circumstances, I have considered the idea again. I feel like it would be a failure in my goals, though. I want to show the common man that even they can be the equal of a noble. I want to show that nobles are not superior to others, but are just men like them. When I met Erin, I hoped I could also show them that nobles can fall in love just as they do. Her lineage and heritage don’t matter to me, I only care that she is with me.”
“Ya do nay need ya House,” Erin interjected. “We do nay need them, I have told ya tha’, Wilbur. Toss them off and we can be happy, ya can show people instead that being common is better than bein’ noble. All the damn peacocks do is strut around and crow and nay help anyone.”
“There is a third option,” Lady Theron said as she sat forward slightly. “One where you both can have what you want, if not exactly the way you had thought. What would you give to not be asked to put aside your dreams, Wilbur? To have the freedom to be with Erin Crowley with no one gainsaying you? What would you give to be with him and to have his family no longer looming over you both, Erin?”
“Iffin it means me and Wilbur can be happy together, then I would give a great deal,” Erin said quickly, meeting Wilbur’s eyes as he turned to her. “Bein’ with him and havin’ the chance to be happy is what I be wantin’ most.”
“I do not see how we can have it all, Lady Theron,” Wilbur replied as he kept his eyes on Erin’s. “Though I would give everything, save disgracing my family.”
“I can work with that,” Lady Theron said and handed a scroll to Jarvis. “Read over this, and if you find the terms acceptable, accept the quest it offers.” Jarvis handed the scroll to Wilbur with a bow and returned to his place behind Lady Theron.
Wilbur took it and began to read, his eyes widening as the meaning of the document began to sink in. When he finished reading, the scroll hung loosely in his hand as he stared at Lady Theron in speechless astonishment. Erin took the scroll and began to read it, her reaction mirroring Wilbur’s.
“Well?” Lady Theron asked as she put her empty cup down on the table next to her. “Is it acceptable?”
“I was right, she do be mad,” Erin said when she’d finished reading the scroll.
Chuckling, Lady Theron gave a small bow of her head, “I’ve been called worse, dear.”
“Why?” Wilbur finally managed to ask.
“To carry on my husband’s work,” she replied simply. “He said the job would never be done, and he’s right. We never managed an heir and we didn’t find a successor before he died. I have been left looking to fill his boots since then. I have failed many times, having been disgraced by others of rank and watching my husband’s name be sullied. I wished to see this changed, and I think Alburet is right. You can do this, you want it as badly as I do. As an unexpected bonus, it will pain your father to have you come into this House. Justice for what he did to my husband’s name.”
Wilbur looked at Erin and bit his lip, “I… do… but…”
Erin grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace, kissing him soundly. After a moment, she pushed him back in the seat again, “Ya say aye, ya fool. It be what ya heart yearns for and it will let us do as we wish without ya family interferin’.”
Nodding once, Wilbur tapped at something in the air before him, “I accept, Lady Theron. When will the paperwork be drawn up and the ceremony held?”
“Tomorrow for the paperwork,” Lady Theron said as she sat back, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “The ceremony can take place in three days. I shall call in the few favors I’m still owed to keep the event secret until then. I urge you to do the same. I wish to be there to see the reactions.”
“As you wish, Lady Theron,” Wilbur said, going to one knee in front of her. “I accept your words as if they come from my own mother, may Justice watch over her soul.”
“Until we are back with those we love,” Lady Theron said softly and dabbed at her eyes. “That will be all for tonight. I will have the paperwork delivered to your sergeant in the morning. Sign it before you go on shift. The Captain is one that still owes me a favor. It is time to collect.”
Alburet and Stacia stood. “Lady Theron, thank you again. I look forward to the ceremony. Until then, we bid you a good evening.”
Quest Update: Heir to the House of Theron
The ceremony to name the new heir of House Theron will take place in three days.
Once the ceremony is completed, your quest is finished.
Reward: A favor from House Theron.
“Be thinking of what you’d like as a reward, Alburet,” Lady Theron told him from her seat.
“As you command, Lady Theron,” he bowed as Stacia curtsied. Wilbur and Erin made their farewells as well before they all followed Jarvis out of the room.
Once they were out of the gate and moving Alburet chuckled, “Win.”
Wilbur smiled, “I had no idea she was still looking for an heir. It was widely believed that she had given up on that quest. And now, because of you, I will be able to follow my dream without Skippy and my father stopping me.”
“Ya even get to stay with me sister,” Stacia added.
“The day after the ceremony,” Wilbur spoke softly, “I would be delighted if I could ask Erin what it is I truly want to ask of her.”
Erin stiffened at his words, “Are ya sayin’ what I be thinkin’ ya are?”
“Ask her now,” Alburet cut in. “The only ones who will know are the four of us.”
Wilbur chewed his lip before nodding, “Erin Crowley, would you give me the honor of taking your hand in marriage before the altar of Justice?”
Frozen for a moment Erin sat utterly still, then she began to cry, “Aye.” She lunged at him, pinning him to the seat as she showered him with kisses.
Alburet grinned as he watched them, “So that’s what it looked like when you tackled me to the floor.” He glanced at Stacia, who was beaming at the happy couple, catching her nod.
“Me family would like ya to consider sealing the marriage before the Dark Lord’s altar as well,” Stacia told them.
Once Erin let Wilbur catch his breath he coughed once. “I will consider it. As far as I know none of the nobles have ever married before his altar. It isn’t taboo, but as about close to it as you can get, I think.”
“Best to shatter as many silly restrictions as you can,” Alburet told him. “Quite a few of them are already going to be upset that House Theron has found an heir that will follow in Lord Theron’s footsteps. Add in the fact you’re taking a commoner for a wife to add fuel to their idiocy. What’s one more log on that fire? Especially one that will make your wife happy?”
Erin chewed her lip, “We do nay have to, iffin ya think it will cause ya issues. Ma’ and Da’ will be disappointed, but will understand.”
Cupping Erin’s chin gently, he met her eyes, “Is it something that you want?”
“Aye,” Erin said softly. “It has been me dream, as it was Stacia’s, to be married before the altar of the Dark Lord. To be the one picked out by the groom and married. I will set it aside for ya, iffin it will cause ya troubles.”
“We shall discuss it over the next few days,” Wilbur told her. “Did you wish to stay on as a receptionist with Alpha Company, or did you want to become the Lady of the House after we marry?”
“Ya mean stay at home and hold them fancy parties?”
“Yes,” Wilbur told her.
“It be a dream from me young days to be the Lady of a House. I wanted to show them peacocks how real people comport themselves. I set tha’ dream aside when I fell for ya, as ya would never be the Lord of House Gilden. Now tha’ ya are goin’
to be Lord Theron, I do nay know.”
“When you wish to leave and take up the mantle of the Lady of House Theron, just tell me,” Alburet told her. “I’ll be saddened by your leaving us, but I will also wish you the best of times.”
Stacia nodded, “Follow ya dream, sis. I did an’ look where it brought me and ya. Who knows wha’ ya might be able to do once ya follow ya dream?”
Erin nodded, “I’ll stay on as receptionist for the next three days, then. I will step down then to become the Lady for my Lord.” She gently caressed Wilbur’s arm as she spoke.
“Time to find a replacement,” Alburet laughed. “Remind me to ask Kim tomorrow, Kitten.”
“Aye, Asthore,” Stacia replied.
Alpha Company (Alpha World Book 3) Page 15
