The de Lohr Dynasty

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  *

  She knew he had come because she could see the de Lohr horses in the courtyard of Aunt Coraline’s home. Men, she thought with disgust. She hated them all.

  After Brickley’s rejection the evening before, Nathalie had reverted to her old and nasty ways. She didn’t like men and they didn’t like her. And she didn’t like pompous knights in particular, knights like David de Lohr. Why Emilie should be so fortunate to have men falling all over themselves simply for the opportunity to speak with her, Nathalie didn’t know. But she did know this – if she couldn’t have a suitor, then neither could Emilie.

  She would see to it.

  But she needed help. Elise, still smarting from not attending the mask the night before, was a willing accomplish. She always was. She would line her people up on the floor near her bed and tell them of her wicked plans or deeds, and giggle. She was sure her people were giggling, too. But this plan was the best one of all because it would chase David de Lohr away from Emilie. No one needed him around, anyway. When Lyle sent a servant up to tell Emilie that David was down in the solar to see her, Nathalie and Elise slinked off without their sister noticing as she hurriedly dressed.

  They had a plan.

  A plan that involved the dogs. Cid and Roland were good for many things; they were excellent companions and guard dogs. They also had very large piles of excrement, which usually ended up in the hearth and burned. They would shite in the rooms and the servants would scoop it away even though the dogs were supposed to shite out in the garden. But Nathalie and Elise thought it was rather sad that the dogs had to shite out in the elements while they themselves were able to use a garderobe or chamber pot, so they didn’t take the dogs out as much as they should. That being the case, their room was starting to smell strongly of dog urine and feces, much to Coraline’s displeasure.

  But the girls didn’t particularly care. Big dogs were good for many things, but they were particularly good for fuel for the kinds of jokes Nathalie and Elise liked to play. In this case, the dogs had laid a big pile of shite near the hearth this morning and using the small shovel meant to scoop out ashes from the hearth, Nathalie scooped up the dog leavings. With Elise acting as a look-out, the girls fled the room.

  And so their covert mission began. Aunt Coraline’s house had been built with two big floors, eight rooms each, and four narrow servant staircases that led between floors at opposite sides of the house. At the end of the hallway on the south side of the house was a stairwell that led to the solar where David de Lohr was waiting for Emilie. As Nathalie headed down the dark staircase with the shovel of dog shite in her hands, she sent Elise down the main stair case so that she could call David to the solar door while Nathalie slipped in through the concealed servant’s entrance.

  Elise was nervous at first, as she did not know David, but Nathalie convinced her that the man wouldn’t bite her, so Elise reluctantly agreed. Besides, it was rather thrilling for her and Nathalie to be back to their old tricks. As Elise went to the solar door, knocking before entering, Nathalie carefully and quietly opened the concealed servant’s entrance into the room just as David turned to a young girl with blond hair who looked a good deal like Emilie. David smiled at the child as Nathalie slipped in at the far end of the room, unseen.

  “Greetings,” David said. “I heard a rumor that there was a third Hampton sister named Elise. Would that be you?”

  Elise nodded, nervous in the big knight’s presence. More than that, Nathalie was coming across the room behind him with a shovel full of dog shite. She was afraid the knight would hear Nathalie so she spoke quickly.

  “Aye,” she said. “I… I am Elise. I… I was not able to attend the mask last night.”

  Grinning, David crossed his arms and casually made his way over to the nervous girl. “You did not miss much,” he told her. “It was hot and smelly and the food was terrible. I am sure you had a much better time remaining at home.”

  Elise bit her lip, awkward. She wasn’t used to interacting with men and especially men she didn’t know. Back behind David, she could see Nathalie moving swiftly to the chair the man had been sitting in but she quickly detoured when she saw his helm on the nearby table. In her haste, she tripped on a hide on the floor and Elise, terrified that David would hear Nathalie, coughed loudly to cover up her sister’s scuffle.

  “I… I remained home with my Aunt Coraline,” she said. “She is Lady Orford. She has a great castle but she likes it here at her manor home better. Her castle is old and big and has phantoms in it. I like it here better, too.”

  David hadn’t heard Nathalie’s trip several feet behind him and he certainly didn’t hear it when she dumped the shovel of dog shite into his helm. He was focused on the young girl who seemed to be growing more nervous by the moment.

  “Ah,” he said, trying to be kind to her because she seemed so frightened. “I do not like phantoms, either, although I cannot say I have actually seen one. Have you?”

  Elise could see Nathalie dashing back to the concealed servant’s door from the corner of her eye. She didn’t dare take her focus off of David lest he see what she was looking at, so she kept her focus on him even as she backed away. When Nathalie slipped through the servant’s door and disappeared, Elise dashed to the solar entry.

  “I have not,” she said, breathlessly. “Good day to you, sir.”

  And with that, she was gone. David stood there a moment, wondering what on earth he said to scare the child so. Shaking his head, baffled at the nature of skittish little girls, he turned around and headed back to the hearth to continue his wait for Emilie.

  David quickly forgot about the nervous young sister as his thoughts returned to Emilie. He was thinking of her as his wife, of her strength and of her beauty. He thought of the sons he would have with her, sons with his strength and her good looks. Or perhaps his strength and good looks. The daughters they had, if any, could look like her. Oh, what daughters they would be.

  Grinning at the thought of daughters with Emilie’s blond hair, he leaned against the hearth, gazing into the fire, and losing himself in daydreams, which was not something he normally did. He wasn’t the dreaming sort. In fact, he was staring into the fire quite distractedly when the solar door opened again and he turned, casually, to see Emilie enter the room.

  Jolted from his daydreams, he came away from the hearth, his heart pounding at the sight of her. Dressed in a simple but flattering gown the color of violets, she looked absolutely beautiful. She smiled, he smiled, and all was right in the world.

  “What a lovely surprise for you to come and visit me this morning,” she said. “How do you feel after last night?”

  He was confused by the question. “Last night?”

  She brushed at her jaw, the exact spot on his face that Brickley had hit him, and he chuckled softly as she laughed, relieved he understood her sign language. “I am perfect,” he told her. “Brick cannot hurt me. You should not worry.”

  She looked at him rather apologetically. “I am so sorry that he did that,” she said. “I made it very clear to him how angry I was. I have not spoken to him at all this morning. He will be lucky if I ever speak to him again, truthfully.”

  David grinned and reached out, taking her hand in his. It was a rather bold gesture but the truth was that he didn’t care. It might be his last chance to touch her for quite some time. Emilie grasped his hand with both of hers, holding on to him tightly.

  “Come and sit with me,” he said softly. “We must speak.”

  Emilie followed him gladly to the opposite side of the room where there was a cushioned bench positioned by a window that overlooked the yard outside. David had Emilie sit first before he settled in next to her. He let go of her hand but his knee was touching hers. It was rather scandalous and daring, and Emilie folded her hands in her lap politely, waiting for him to speak. He would, after he’d finished staring at her, drinking in his fill of her. He very much liked to look at her.

  “It is good to see you,�
� he said, his voice soft. “I find that the world is a colorless place when I do not have you to look at.”

  Emilie smiled, blushing appropriately. “You are very kind.”

  “I am honest.”

  “What did you wish to speak on?”

  David cocked his head thoughtfully. “I have been speaking with your father this morning,” he said, noting her look of surprise. “That is why I am here, Emilie. I came to see your father about what happened last night and about… other things. My brother and I have offered our protection to keep you safe from John but your father seems to think that it would be best to return you to Canterbury immediately. Did he tell you any of this?”

  The smile was gone from Emilie’s face. “Nay,” she said, shaking her head. “He was distressed last night, of course, but he said nothing about returning home. He really said that to you?”

  David nodded. “He is very concerned over your safety,” he said. “I do not blame him. I am concerned for your safety, too.”

  Emilie was quickly becoming distressed. “But I do not want to leave London,” he said. “It would mean leaving… that is to say, I like it here. We have not seen Aunt Coraline in so long and I would be sad to leave her.”

  His sky blue eyes twinkled. “Is that the only person you would be sad to leave?”

  She could see the mirth in his eyes and she fought off a smile. “I cannot think of anyone else.”

  He frowned. “Is that so?”

  Her laughter broke through. “Well,” she said casually. “It is possible that I might miss someone else. Just a little, you understand. Not too much.”

  He looked away, pretending to be miffed. “And it is equally possible that when I leave London, I might miss someone else as well,” he said. “Not too much, mind you. Just a very small amount.”

  Emilie was still grinning at him. “I hope you mean me.”

  He shook his head. “I do not mean you unless you are going to miss me as well.”

  “Of course I am.”

  He looked at her again, seeing the humor in her eyes. “Then I am pleased,” he said. “But I do not want you to be too terribly distressed over this. When you return to Canterbury, I shall come and visit you. Your father has given me permission.”

  Her face lit up. “He has?” she said. “That is wonderful to hear. Will you really come all the way to Canterbury to visit me?”

  He nodded. “All the way.”

  She was thrilled. “When will you come?”

  He shrugged. “As soon as my duties allow,” he said. “There is still much happening here in London that I must be a part of, but as soon as I am able, I will come and see you.”

  “Promise?”

  “I do,” he said firmly. “Now, tell me what you will plan for us to do when I visit.”

  Emilie was beside herself with glee. “Let me think,” she said, trying very hard to gather her scattered thoughts. Her excitement had them all over the place. “Canterbury has a lake. My father would take my sisters and me fishing from time to time. Do you like to hunt for fish?”

  “I do.”

  Emilie clasped her hands joyfully, holding them against her breast. “I also have a very fast mare that Papa gave to me,” she said. “We can go riding into the town. There is a lovely church there and on the street of bakers, there is a woman who makes pies and fills them with almond paste and honey and fruit. They are delicious. Once, Elise ate so many that she became terribly ill.”

  David chuckled. “Speaking of Elise, I met her a few moments before you came in,” he said. “She is a nervous lass.”

  Emilie’s smile vanished. “She came in here?”

  “Aye.”

  Emilie suddenly looked quite suspicious. “What did she do?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing,” he said. “She introduced herself, we exchanged a few words, and then she ran off.”

  Emilie didn’t seem satisfied by that. “But she did not do anything?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did she touch anything?” Emilie asked. “Was she ever out of your sight, even for a moment?”

  David had no idea why she was asking such questions. “She was never out of my sight,” he said. “She walked in, introduced herself, mentioned that she was not at the mask last night, and then she fled. That was it. Why do you ask?”

  Emilie looked around the room as if looking for anything tell-tale or out of place. “Did you see Nathalie?” she asked.

  David shook his head. “I did not,” he said. “Tell me why you ask these questions?”

  Emilie turned to him, rather guiltily. “Because my sisters thrive on tricks they like to play on unsuspecting people,” she said. “Brick lives in fear of them, or at least he used to. They have done terrible things to him in the past.”

  David was fighting off a grin now; he very much wanted to hear what Emilie’s sisters had done to his nemesis. “Like what?”

  Emilie sighed thoughtfully. “Once they put charcoal on his gloves so that when he wiped his face, it left black streaks,” she said. “It took an entire week to wash them clean. They have strung small bits of twine across thresholds, tripping men, or worse, they’ve held them higher and nearly garroted people. There is a whole list of things they have done – eggs in beds, honey on pillows, dog droppings in boots… many, many things.”

  David was trying not to laugh. “But Elise looked so innocent,” he said. “I cannot believe she would be party to such things.”

  Emilie nodded firmly. “She is evil and she is very smart,” she said. “You must be very careful of Elise.”

  His laugh broke through. “Very well,” he said. “But I promise you that she did nothing when she came into the room. It was all quite innocent.”

  Emilie wasn’t so sure but with nothing more to go on, she let the subject go. Her focus returned to the prospect of leaving London. Of leaving David behind. The more she thought on it, the sadder she became.

  “As you say,” she said. But then she changed the focus away from her sisters and their wicked ways. “I wonder if I can change Papa’s mind about leaving London. I truly do not wish to leave.”

  David sobered because she was. “Shall I tell you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “I do not wish for you to leave, either, but your father seemed determined,” he said. “But he not only said that I could visit you at Canterbury, but that I could send you missives as well. Do you know how to read?”

  She nodded eagerly. “I can read Latin and French,” she said. “Mother taught us all how to read.”

  “Your mother taught you?”

  Emilie shook her head. “My nurse,” she reminded him. “You will remember that we call her Mother. She has also been our teacher. Will you write to me often, then?”

  “As often as I can.”

  Her smile was returning. “I will look forward to it,” she said. “Do you know how long you be remaining in London?”

  He cocked his head thoughtfully. Somehow, his hand found her knee, as inappropriate as it was, and caressed it through the fabric of her skirt. It was thrilling and indecent, but he didn’t care as long as she allowed him to do it. He could only imagine what her naked skin would feel like against his hand. The mere thought had his lust rising.

  “I am not entirely certain,” he said, distracted with the feel of her knee beneath his palm. “We are all waiting to hear word about Richard so I suppose we shall be here until we do.”

  Emilie was relishing the feel of his hand on her leg, his gentle touch. His hands were big and calloused, and the gentle strength of them thrilled her. He thrilled her.

  “But what will happen if you do not hear of Richard for months and months?” she asked. “You must return home sometime.”

  He shrugged. “I will go to Canterbury before I go home,” he said. “Moreover, it is my brother’s home. It is not mine. I do not really have a home, a place of my own.”

  Emilie reached out, gently taking the hand that was caress
ing her knee. She held it tightly. “That is so sad,” she said. “Do you have nowhere that you belong? Where did you live as a child?”

  David thought back to his childhood, his growing years. “My parents were older when my brother and I were born, older still when Deborah was born,” he said. “My mother was a sweet and wonderful woman but because she had her children late in life, she kept us close to her, well past the age when we should have left to foster. We lived at the ancestral de Lohr home of Lohrham Forest, in Derbyshire. Christopher went to Kenilworth when he was nine and I followed him two years later. Then, Deborah was born while Chris and I were both away and our parents passed away when she was about two. After that, Chris and I remained at Kenilworth and Deborah went to Derby. I suppose that means Kenilworth is my home.”

  Emilie was listening to him with interest. “I am sorry that you did not grow up knowing your parents,” she said. “I am sure they would have been very proud of you. I am sure your father was a great knight.”

  David’s eyes glimmered. “Both of my parents were great knights,” he said. “My mother was the sister of the Earl of East Anglia and he permitted her to fight like a knight. She was quite good. In fact, my father said he had to best her in order to marry her.”

  Emilie laughed. “That’s not true!”

  “It is, I swear.”

  She continued to laugh a moment but the laughter soon cooled. “Then it is no wonder you and your brother are such great knights,” she said, admiration in her expression. “You come from excellent stock on both sides.”

  He nodded. “That is true,” he said. “I suppose my one regret in life is that my parents did not live to see Chris and I become the knights we are today. I think that would have made both of my parents very proud.”

  Emilie sensed some sadness in that statement. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “They most certainly would have,” she said. “But since they cannot be here, would you permit me to be proud of you? You carry my favor, after all. It is my right.”