“I hear you, sire.”
“What is your issue with Marcus? Tell me now and let us get this out in the open.”
David took his eyes off Marcus, then. He looked at the king, seeing the man’s extreme displeasure.
“It is not a simple thing, sire,” he said, realizing it was difficult to explain. “I do not think that….”
Richard cut him off. “Marcus,” he addressed him. “You will tell me why you and David are at each other’s throats.”
Marcus was considerably less hostile when facing his king. “He is angry with me.”
“Why?”
“Because… because I have come to Lioncross to take Lady Dustin away from here and marry her.”
Richard wasn’t surprised. It all but confirmed the rumors of Burton’s attraction to lady de Lohr. “Is this so?” he said. “Do you intend to take her and the baby back to Somerhill?”
“I do.”
Richard pondered that as he looked back to David. “And you disagree?”
David nodded his head, his eyes on Marcus. “Aye, sire, I do. Lady de Lohr belongs here at Lioncross.”
“Alone? Or with you?” Richard demanded. “David, you are betrothed yourself, are you not? Do you intend to break your betrothal to Emilie Hampton and marry your dead brother’s wife?”
David faltered. “Nay, my lord, I still intend to marry Emilie,” he said. “But Lady Dustin’s home is here, within these walls. And Chris would want his child to be raised in his own keep.”
“So you would have her stay here, alone, simply to raise a child who will not even remember her true father?” Richard shook his head. “If that is truly Chris’ desire, then it seems most selfish to me. Or is it that you object to Marcus personally, David? I am curious.”
David looked at Richard. “Marcus is the best knight in the realm now that my brother is gone, but….”
Richard interrupted him. “That was not my question. Why do you object to Marcus marrying your brother’s wife?”
David lowered his gaze, toying with his goblet. “Because she is Chris’ wife, sire,” he said softly. “She is his legacy. If she marries Marcus, she will cease to become Chris’ wife. She will be Lady Burton, and it will almost be as if Chris was never married or never had children. Lioncross will be empty of his family and his legacy will die.”
Dustin fought off the tears and lowered her head so no one could see her pain. But Richard saw her pain and he placed his palm over her soft, white hand.
“Christopher is a legend, David,” he said quietly. “So long as there are a thousand knights to remember him and pass on his story, his legacy continues endlessly. And that beautiful babe in the nursery is the fruit of his loins, his legacy in the flesh. Marcus Burton would never change that.”
David’s head shot up sharply to Marcus and then focused on Richard once more and the king could see the doubt and grief.
“David, Christopher will live forever in our hearts,” he said. “What Marcus is doing is offering to wed Lady Dustin and provide her with a stable, safe life. He is offering his companionship to her and I, for one, think he is being quite selfless. I should think you would appreciate knowing Chris’ wife would be well taken care of.”
David lowered his gaze.
Down the table was the tall figure of Philip de Lohr. He had been listening closely to everything. He drew his nephew’s sullen glance and the attention of everyone else at the table when he cleared his throat quietly.
“Every time I look at you, David, I see my brother,” Philip said softly. “I know what it is like to lose a brother, someone I admired above anyone else. When Myles passed away, I felt toward Val much as you do toward Dustin. She was Myles’ wife and I felt that she was my personal responsibility.” He sat forward on the table, his handsome face weary. “But Val followed Myles shortly after in death. I honestly believe she could not live without him and allowed whatever ailment that claimed him to claim her. But if that had not been the case, I would have wished for someone to offer her a new life, someone I knew and respected, and someone who would treat her as my brother had treated her. I think Lady Dustin is very lucky to have Marcus as her savior.”
“Savior is a strong word, Philip,” Marcus replied softly.
David’s hard facade was faltering and Philip faced him. “I suppose what I am saying, David, is I know how you feel. I lost my older brother, too. Had Val lived, I know he would have wanted her to be happy. Allow Dustin her happiness, lad. If it is with Marcus, then be happy for them both.”
David’s handsome face was tired and uncertain. Dustin’s head was bowed, trying so hard to fight the tears that were nonetheless spilling onto her lap. Time ticked by as David mulled over his uncle’s words.
Finally, David shook his head. “Uncle Philip, Chris loved her more than anything on this earth. I just cannot believe that he would want her to leave Lioncross and take Christin away.” His eyes flicked up to Marcus. “I cannot in good conscience, let her go with Marcus. I just cannot.”
Oddly enough, the tension had drained out of the room. Now there were only men trying to understand the position of each other. But Marcus wasn’t leaving without Dustin, David or no David.
“She is going with me,” he told David firmly. “If I have to cut through you and every other man here, she is going with me back to Somerhill and I am going to marry her. I do not care if you approve or not, David. It is not up to you.”
David had been very calm until Marcus’ reply, which sounded suspiciously like a challenge. He stiffened in his chair.
“I am not surprised,” he snarled. “Hell, you tried everything in your power to take her away from my brother. Why shouldn’t I think you would kill me to get to her?”
He bolted to his feet and Marcus bolted to his feet. Marcus’ knights followed suit, as did Christopher’s until Richard was shouting above the clanging of armor and the unsheathing of swords to restore order.
“Sit down, all of you,” he roared. “Damnation, sit down or I shall have you all thrown in irons. David, sheath that damn sword or I shall shove it down your throat.”
The king was furious. Marcus stepped back from the table angrily, his chair toppling over as he paced aimlessly toward the hearth. The other knights obeyed their king, taking their seats again, except for David and Philip. Philip was trying to calm his nephew down, coaxing him back to his seat.
Dustin couldn’t take it anymore. She was already emotionally brittle and spiritually spent and her breaking point was low. She stood up, marching over to her brother-in-law.
“You do not own me, David,” she snapped. “I must decide what is best for me, not you. I hate it that you are constantly fighting with Marcus. You used to be the best of friends before I came along, I know. Edward told me that you and Chris and Marcus were inseparable. And now you are ready to kill him. I cannot take your hostilities any longer.”
“I am thinking of your best interests, Dustin,” David said. “You are still grieving, for God’s sake. I do not want you making a quick decision you will regret.”
“But it is my decision,” she fired back. “Let me make my own mistakes, David. Let me live my own life, which happens to be a life without your brother.” She spun around, gesturing to the heavens of the great hall. “This place is my home, my wonderful home until a year ago. Ever since then, I have seen the pinnacles of joy and the very depths of grief here. My family has lived here for five generations, but do you know that when I look at the dining table, I only see Christopher sitting at the head? And ’tis only him I see mounting the stairs to our bedchamber, or stoking the hearth because I am cold. David, the man lived here slightly over a year, yet he left his mark as indelibly as if he had lived here one hundred years. With every turn, with every flash of light, I see only him and I am haunted.”
She suddenly realized she was giving this speech for every man present, opening up her soul as she hadn’t opened it up for anyone. The fire crackled in the hearth as she took a cleansin
g breath and faced off against David and Marcus.
“I do not want to leave Lioncross,” she said softly. “This is my home; it is Chris’ home. But sometimes I feel as if I will go mad if I stay here a moment longer. Marcus is well aware of my feelings on the matter, and I accept his offer to go with him to his keep because I believe I need the change. I shall return to Lioncross, someday, mayhap as Lady de Lohr, mayhap as Lady Burton. But it is my decision to make and my life to live. I have to do what is best for Christin and best for me.”
David was clearly torn after her speech. “But why with him, Dustin?”
“Why not?” she asked him deliberately. “Why on earth not, David? Surely you do not want me; you have Emilie. And I will not go with your uncle to Lohrham Forest for the man doesn’t need me banging about there. Why is it so hard for you to let me leave this place? You are making a difficult decision even harder.”
David was slipping. “Because…oh, hell, Dustin, I do not know. I cannot think on it anymore; I suppose I cannot fight you anymore. If you truly want to go, the truth is that I cannot stop you.”
“Good,” Dustin breathed, satisfied. Still, she could see the pain in his expression and it saddened her. “I appreciate your concern as my husband’s brother, but you must let me do what I think is best.”
David gave up in that moment. There was nothing more to fight and nothing more to say. He stared at Dustin for several long moments before walking to her, pulling her head against his lips and kissing her hair.
“Be happy, then,” he whispered. “He would want you to be.”
He left the hall, ascending the stairs wearily to his bedchamber. Dustin visibly relaxed, her gaze moving to Marcus where he stood, handsome and strong, by the hearth. He smiled weakly at her but she did not respond, instead, facing against Richard.
“If you will excuse me, sire, I shall be retiring,” she said quietly.
Richard nodded faintly and Dustin curtsied, quitting the hall and going the same path of David to the second story. Only when she was in her bedchamber, the chamber she had shared with Christopher, did she let her guard down. She lay heavily on his side of the bed, on the linens she hadn’t changed since he had left because she could still smell his musk in the sheets. Inhaling deeply, she again smelled the faint scent and it brought tears to her eyes.
With a ragged sigh, she lay her cheek on his pillow and let her mind wander to happier days.
*
Marcus could not sleep that night. He found himself wandering the halls of Lioncross, feeling Christopher’s presence like a ghost, following him everywhere. He paced the second floor completely, made his rounds on the third floor, and then found himself down on the ground floor, not even aware of his wandering because he was so deeply lost in thought.
Was he pushing Dustin to do something she did not want to do? Had he taken advantage of her weakened state for his own selfish reasons? Clearly, he was, but he was afraid if he did not take her now, then she would never go with him. She was an heiress and valuable to Richard as a commodity, and Marcus was deathly afraid if he did not marry her now, then Richard would find a husband for her to somehow strengthen his empire. He had to press his advantage now, while there was time. If he allowed her time to grieve and recover, then his chance might be past. And he could not stand the thought of Dustin in someone else’s arms.
He found himself in the abbey. Curious for the first time of his surroundings, he glanced about the dark, forbidden place and wondered how in the hell he got there. As he turned to remount the stairs, there was an unmistakable ring of a sword as it was being unsheathed from its scabbard.
Marcus stiffened, not particularly surprised to see David looming several steps above him, a sword in his hand.
“I am unarmed, David,” Marcus said quietly.
A sword suddenly landed at his feet with a clatter. “Not anymore,” David replied. “Here and now, Marcus. We will end this here and now.”
Marcus did not move for his sword just yet. “Why do you hate me so much, David? We used to be best friends. Is it truly Dustin, or is it something else I have done?”
“You changed, Marcus,” David said in a low voice. “You coveted my brother’s wife. You shamelessly pursued her and embarrassed yourself and the de Lohr name. You showed no restraint or control whatsoever. It was as if you would stop at nothing to have her, and even though Christopher overlooked it, I was deeply offended. And now, I am going to do what my brother should have done all along.”
“Kill me?” Marcus said with raised brows. “Your devotion to your brother is touching, David, but do you truly think my ‘pursuit’, as you call it, is worth taking my life?”
David lowered his sword a bit, taking a step. “Then let’s see it from a different angle, Marcus,” he said. “Let’s assume that it were you who married Dustin, and Christopher who was so madly consumed with her that he was not shy about his feelings in the least. Let’s say that he kissed Dustin, your wife, and tried to hide the fact. Let’s say that he was with her always, never actually voicing his feelings, but not having to because they were written all over his face. Let’s say that he was so relentless that everyone began spreading rumors, but he did not care. He looked like a fool, you looked like a fool, and Dustin looked to be nothing short of a whore. Now, how would you react to such a thing?”
Marcus’ face was dark. “I was never like that, David. I admitted my infatuation to Chris and banked it well. I was never shameless in my pursuit of Dustin until now.”
David smiled thinly. “It hurts, doesn’t it? If the situation were reversed, then you most certainly would not have been as forgiving as Christopher was. He overlooked everything you did because of his love and respect for you, and it made him look like an idiot. Now ask me again why do I want to see justice served?”
Marcus inhaled deeply and looked to the ground where his sword was. Slowly, he reached down and picked it up.
“You won’t kill me, you know,” he said quietly. “I shall disembowel you first.”
David shrugged faintly. “Tell me one thing, Marcus,” he muttered. “Did you bed her?”
Marcus lifted his sword, examining the blade in the faint torchlight. “Does it matter?”
“Not really. Whether or not you did it physically, you have already done it in your mind a thousand times,” David replied. “I was simply curious to know if you indeed followed through with your desires and if she responded.”
Marcus was focused on the ridge of his blade. “It is none of your business.”
A bolt of fury shot though David at the evasive answer. “Then you just answered my question.”
Marcus glanced up at him, cocking a black eyebrow. “I did. I told you it was none of your affair, which it isn’t. What goes on between Dustin and me isn’t anyone’s concern.”
David’s nostrils flared angrily. “Then I was right all along; she was your whore. And Christin? She’s your daughter.”
Marcus kept his calm. “Dustin was never, ever my whore, David. And Christin is Chris’ daughter.”
“Did you bed her?” David roared, enunciating each word and they reverberated off the thick abbey walls.
Marcus raised his sword slowly, moving it into a defensive position. “I did.”
David was actually stumped at the short, precise answer. He had expected more denials, more maneuvering. But his shock was gone in a second, his fury returning tenfold.
“You bloody bastard,” he growled. “You filthy son of a bitch. How could you do that to Chris? He trusted you, goddammit. He trusted you!”
Marcus could see David’s pain more than his anger, and his own pain surfaced as well. “It wasn’t that simple, David. When it happened… Dustin did not even know it was me. She thought I was Chris and she took me into her bed,” his voice was a whisper. “I am a weak man, David, not at all as perfect as our Defender was. I could have stopped it, but I did not. I wanted to. Aye, I freely admit it to you. I took advantage of the situation. Never blame Dus
tin, David, for she thought I was her husband. Are you satisfied now that you have a confession? I have simply given you more reason to kill me.”
David raised his sword, fighting back his considerable anger. If he lashed out and tired himself at the beginning, then Marcus would show no mercy and finish him off in his fatigue.
“I do not blame her,” he said. “I have never blamed her. She’s young and impressionable. But I fully blame you.”
“As you should.” Marcus gripped his sword with two hands on the hilt, preparing for the first strike. “You may try to kill me if you think you must, David. I am ready.”
David did not reply. Instead, he came hurtling down from the stairs and met Marcus with the force of his fury. Metal met on metal, screaming at the pressure and sparks flew into the damp air of the abbey.
Marcus was fully prepared for the onslaught, and for David’s fury. A whole year of anger and resentment and jealousy was releasing itself. David was faster than any man alive with a sword, but he could be reckless. Marcus, however, was far more controlled and more powerful than his opponent. It was dark in the abbey, working to neither man’s advantage as they plowed their way through pieces of old furniture and bounced off the walls.
David tripped at one point and staggered against the stone wall, narrowly averting being decapitated by Marcus as the big man descended on him with all of his might. The clang of broadsword against broadsword echoed loudly and roused a few servants, who instantly panicked at the fight in the abbey and Richard was awakened from a deep sleep.
Angry as hell, the King of England grabbed his serrated broadsword and marched for the bowels of the abbey. He had no doubt as to who was doing the fighting.
*
Marcus and David stood before Richard in the grand hall, a few of the king’s officials surrounding the tired monarch as he glared back at his disobedient vassals. He was so damn tired all he wanted to do was sleep, but instead, found himself breaking up a serious fight. Had he not intervened when he did, David de Lohr would now be preparing for his burial.
“I know why you were fighting,” Richard said in a low voice. “I need no explanation. And from what I am told, it was a long time in coming. But I will tell you this now; I will hear of no more fighting between you two. There is no one in this world I am at peace with, including my brother, and I shall not stand for any goddamn fighting within my own ranks. I should like there to be just one minute measure of stability in my life right now, gentle knights. I should like it to start with my loyal warriors, or I swear I shall take Lady Dustin with me and keep her at Windsor if you two cannot make peace with each other. Is that understood?”
The de Lohr Dynasty Page 81
