The de Lohr Dynasty

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  Daniel’s expression didn’t falter. He was still thrilled to see Maddoc, still caught up in that excitement. “What did my uncle tell you?” he asked.

  Maddoc’s gaze moved from Daniel’s face to the beastly image of a fortress that was absolutely massive. He could see that repairs were going on but, on the whole, the place looked terrible. He pointed at it. “This is Shadowmoor?”

  Daniel turned to glance at the structure he’d become so familiar with. “It is,” he said. “How did you find it?”

  Maddoc’s brilliant blue eyes fixed on the place. “We knew it was north of Bradford from what you said in your missive,” he said. “I stopped at the cathedral in Bradford and asked the priest. He told me exactly where to find it.”

  Daniel clapped the man on the shoulder. “Well and good that he did,” he said. “I am very glad you are here.”

  Maddoc looked at him, then. “Are you?” he said. “Then take me inside, feed me, and tell me why I am here. Your uncle wants to know what is going on.”

  Daniel’s smile faded then. “It is quite a story.”

  Maddoc shook his head, slowly, but with agreement. “With you involved, it could be nothing else.”

  Daniel snorted but put out a hand to stop Maddoc as the man took a step towards the fortress. “Wait,” he said, lowering his voice. “There is something you must know before we discuss anything. There is no easy way to say this, so I will come out with it. I am afraid I must take you back to that terrible time in your life when Brighton de Royans nearly killed you and abducted your wife. I will not even ask you if you remember that time for I know that you do. That being said, you must be aware of something – Brighton de Royans’ family is an ally of Shadowmoor.”

  Maddoc’s serious young face remained steady but something changed in the brilliant eyes; they began to smolder, the surprise at the mention of the name of the man who had nearly killed him. Whom he had finally killed. As the news sank in, he began to show more reaction.

  “De Royans?” he repeated, his voice like ice. “His family is here?”

  Daniel nodded. “Maddoc, there is no time to ease you into this situation so I will be blunt,” he said. “You must listen very carefully to me. Are you listening?”

  “I am.”

  Daniel squeezed his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. “The home of Brighton’s birth is about ten miles to the north,” he said. “I met them quite by accident and, understandably, was surprised as well as wary. I hated the mention of the name de Royans almost as much as you did. But these people, Maddoc… they are nothing like Brighton was. They are generous and kind. They are quite likable. In fact, Brighton’s brother, Sir Caston, and I have become good friends.”

  At that point, Maddoc hissed and tried to turn away, unable to stomach what he was being told, but Daniel grabbed him, preventing him from leaving.

  “Nay, my friend, listen to me,” he implored. “I believe you will like Caston if you will only give him an opportunity. But know that they are unaware of the fate of Brighton and I do not have the heart to tell them. For now, keep silent on the matter. They have been tremendous allies to Shadowmoor, more than you know. I do not want to ruin that relationship and, frankly, I see no need to tell them what has become of Brighton. For Shadowmoor’s sake, do not tell them what happened. I know this will be harder on you than it ever was for me, but I am asking you, as my dear friend, not to say a word. Can you do this, Maddoc?”

  Maddoc’s expression was full of angst, the bright blue eyes flickering unsteadily. There was great emotion there, deeper than he could express. But Daniel had made a request of him, in the name of friendship, and he would not disappoint the man. It all narrowed down to that one little request. For Daniel, Maddoc would try to overcome his inherent hatred of anything that had to do with the de Royans name. After a moment, he nodded his head.

  “Aye,” he said. “If you ask this of me, I will do it.”

  Daniel had to admit that he wasn’t certain what Maddoc’s reaction would be, considering Brighton had been his mortal enemy. But he was pleased that the man complied without much of a fight. He also knew he had agreed strictly because of his friendship with Daniel. He trusted Daniel completely, even with something that had such a bitter taste to him. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “Know that Caston and his father, Easton, are good men. I do not know how or why Brighton went so terribly wrong, but his brother and father do not have the same evil streak in them that Brighton had. Give them that consideration.”

  Maddoc drew in a deep steadying breath at the unexpected turn the situation had taken. Had he not been so surprised by it, he might have even laughed at the irony. “I will try,” he said.

  “Good.”

  “But of all the homes in all of England, you had to find the house of the man who tried to kill me? Who tried to steal away my wife?”

  Daniel snorted wryly. “I thought the same thing, believe me,” he said. Then, he sobered. “But there is something more.”

  “God, what now?”

  “Caston de Royans is Brighton’s twin. They look exactly alike.”

  Now, Maddoc could not help the deluge of emotion that filled him. He rolled his eyes and hung his head. “Are you serious?”

  “I am.”

  Maddoc snorted unpleasantly. “What is this devilry?” he hissed. “Am I to be punished for defending what was mine? For protecting my life? Am I to look into the face of a dead man as a reminder of the worst time in my life?”

  Daniel could see that he was becoming agitated. “Steady, lad, steady,” he said softly. “Caston is a good man. Remember what I said. After a while, you will not see Brighton when you look at him. Trust me on this matter.”

  Maddoc simply shook his head. “Danny, I do not know if I can do this,” he said. “After everything that happened….”

  Daniel cut him off. “You can and you will,” he said. “You will do this because I ask it of you, because we love one another, as brothers. I would not steer you wrong. I know this is difficult for you, but you will remember that Caston and his father had nothing to do with it. They have no idea what Brighton did and, given what I have come to know of them, I am sure they would strongly condemn his actions. But keep a level head, man. It is important to what I am trying to accomplish here.”

  Maddoc lifted his head, looking at him. “What are you trying to accomplish?”

  Daniel grinned and tugged on his arm, pulling him towards the fortress. “Come and see.”

  *

  The great hall of Shadowmoor was much different than it had been the first time Daniel had ever seen it.

  Back then, it had been old mutton and pea stew because it was all they had, but in honor of the arrival of the de Lohr army, it was stuffed to the rafters with soldiers and knights, all of them eating from a big cow that the de Lohr army had slaughtered the day before. The carcass was roasting over a massive fire in the kitchen yard and everyone was enjoying the succulent beef. The smells of food and the light from the fires spread throughout the bailey of Shadowmoor and filled the night air.

  It was a festive mood, too. A few of the Netherghyll soldiers had brought along their instruments and the sounds of the drums and citole could be heard in the hall. One soldier, who’d had a bit too much to drink early on, was singing a song called Tilly Nodden that had everyone joining in at the appropriate chorus. It was loud and irreverent at times, but it was also joyful.

  It was good to hear the life again within the old walls, Liselotte thought, as she moved through the hall with the female servants, overseeing the meal and insuring that the men were satisfied. It was the Netherghyll army inside the hall, mostly, while the men from Lioncross Abbey had massive bonfires throughout the bailey and were enjoying themselves beneath the cold, dark sky.

  But even as she moved through the hall and the men, she was on the lookout for Daniel. After fleeing him earlier in the day, she had retreated in shame to her chamber where she�
��d locked herself in, fearful that Daniel might come after her and try to use manipulation and sweet words to convince her that marriage wasn’t necessary. She didn’t want to hear him.

  But she soon became angry at herself because the heartbreak she had feared, the pain she had convinced herself didn’t matter in the long run, began to matter a great deal. She was hurting, badly, as if her heart had been ripped from her chest by a man who had told her, from the beginning, that he wasn’t the marrying kind. God, she’d so hoped to change his mind. He was such a part of Shadowmoor that she knew they would all be shattered when he left. And he would leave; she knew that now. There was nothing left for her to do but face that reality.

  So she had calmed herself, wiped her tears, and left her chamber to see to the evening meal as she always did. But she made very certain to stay clear of anywhere she thought Daniel might be. He didn’t usually come to the kitchens so once she was there, she was safe, and she went ahead with her duties.

  One of the sheep had been slaughtered a couple of days before and she had the cook boil the mutton in a peppercorn gravy, something that was quite delicious. Bread was made from rye and wheat, and butter was made from the cow’s milk. There was more cheese as well because they’d started making sheep’s milk cheese as well, so there was an abundance of dairy products to feast upon.

  The cook, who had always been very talented at stretching any stores Shadowmoor had, now had a plethora of ingredients to choose from and she began to make some rather tasty dishes like she had in the days before Shadowmoor was starving. Daniel had sent men into town a few days before to gather more supplies and they had returned with bushels of cabbages, onions, beans, turnips, leeks, carrots, and small sacks of spices like rosemary, mint, cardamom, and dill. There were also bags of peppercorns and expensive salt.

  It had been a great deal of food and the cook had made a cabbage pottage three days in a row that was delicious. Even now, she was making it again, with cabbage and leeks and carrots and a hint of cardamom, and the entire castle smelled of cooking cabbage, enough to lure in Gunnar and his gang of animals, who were hungry and looking for something to eat. The cook sat him down with a bowl of pottage for him, old cabbage leaves for the goats, and scraps of fat from the mutton for the dogs. Everyone was happy.

  So the pottage had been headed for the feasting table, along with the mutton, but those plans were changed when a soldier came to tell Liselotte that an army had been sighted. Fearful, and thinking that it was Bramley again, she and the cook had waited fearfully in the kitchen for word and were subsequently told that it was the de Lohr army that had arrived. Liselotte’s relief was great but so was her worry that they now had to feed hundreds of men. But the fear was short lived when Caston came to tell her that the de Lohr army had brought their own beef. A spit was set up in the kitchen yard and soon the smells of cooking beef mingled with those of cabbage.

  Liselotte had never seen so many men at Shadowmoor nor had she ever seen so much food. It was a bit overwhelming but she enjoyed the noise, and the revelry, quite a bit. She’d never seen anything like it. Gunnar was thrilled, of course, excited to see the de Lohr knights as well as the soldiers, as he and his pets sat in a warm corner of the hall and watched the activity. It was a great deal of excitement for the young boy.

  But all the while that the food was cooking and the army was settling in, Liselotte couldn’t help but think of Daniel. He was never far from her thoughts and as much as she had wanted to stay away from him, that resolve began to buckle and by nightfall, she was eager for the sight of him. She thought that perhaps she should apologize for pushing him towards marriage when he had told her from the onset he was not the marrying kind. Liselotte had always hoped to marry but if she couldn’t marry Daniel, she didn’t see much need. It wouldn’t be fair to marry one man when her heart belonged to another.

  But she never saw Daniel as she went about her duties and she eventually became very busy with the kitchen and food output for the guests they had. Then, he finally appeared; she saw Daniel enter the hall in the company of two unfamiliar knights as well as Caston, the four of them making their way to the feasting table.

  Through the smoke and noise, Liselotte saw them claim their seats. She knew that she should go and introduce herself, as the Lady of Shadowmoor, and it took considerable effort to swallow her nerves and approach Daniel and his guests. She knew she had humiliated herself earlier in the day with him and she hoped he wouldn’t hold it against her.

  She hoped he was the forgiving kind.

  “Greetings, my lords,” she said as she came to the table with a pitcher of ale that had been made from some of the grain Daniel had purchased. Mostly, she was focused on the two knights she didn’t recognize. “I am Lady Liselotte l’Audacieux. Shadowmoor is my home. I bid you welcome.”

  A bold move for the lady to introduce, without a man giving her a proper introduction to other men, herself but no one seemed to mind. The two unfamiliar knights stood up to formally greet her and a very big knight with the brightest blue eyes Liselotte had ever seen responded to her address.

  “Thank you for your hospitality, my lady,” he said. “I am Sir Maddoc du Bois and my companion is Sir Marc de Russe. We brought the de Lohr army to Daniel’s summons.”

  Liselotte forced a smile, not looking at Daniel because she was too embarrassed to do so. “You are most welcome, my lords,” she said, her attention moving to the knight introduced as Marc de Russe. He was very tall, with broad shoulders and dark, messy hair. “Have your accommodations been settled yet? I was unaware that you were here. Forgive me if you have not been shown to your sleeping quarters.”

  Maddoc waved her off. “Daniel has taken charge of that, my lady,” he said. “We are well settled. In fact, Daniel has been telling us of your trouble with Lord Bramley. May I ask you some questions about the situation?”

  So she would be forced to sit with the men. With Daniel. So much for fleeing. Trembling, and increasingly nervous, Liselotte set her ale pitcher down and sat at the end of the table. Daniel was to her right but she had yet to look at him. She could feel his eyes upon her.

  “I would be happy to answer your questions, my lord,” she said. “But before you ask, allow me to say this – whatever Daniel has told you, the reality is worse by tenfold. Four years ago, Shadowmoor was a self-sufficient fortress. We were even moderately prosperous. Then the event of Lord Bramley happened; when the man made an offer for my hand and my father refused, he did all he could to make our lives miserable. He killed our livestock and blocked all attempts to leave the fortress for food and supplies. He even burned the crops we had sown outside of our walls. When Daniel came upon us, we were starving to death. Had it not been for him, we would all be dead. I am as sure of that as I am sure of the sun rising in the morning. Daniel has given us our life back and for that, I shall always be eternally grateful.”

  Maddoc picked up the pitcher she had set down and moved to fill his cup. “That is essentially what Daniel told us,” he said, pouring the drink. “Looking at the fortress now, it is clear that it is under repair but it hardly looks destitute.”

  “That is because Daniel has spent a good deal of time and money returning Shadowmoor to what it should be. All you see is the result of his generosity.”

  Maddoc glanced at Daniel, who only had eyes for the lady. It took Maddoc a moment to realize that Daniel was staring at her quite intently. Deeply. It was curious to see Daniel so focused on a woman but then he recalled what Christopher had said about the situation; Daniel is doing this because of a woman. From the expression on Daniel’s face, Maddoc could easily see that it was the truth. But surely it was infatuation and nothing more. The Daniel he knew wasn’t capable of anything more. But he wondered just how far gone Daniel was with his fascination for the tall, slender, and very lovely Lady Liselotte.

  “You must understand, my lady, that I am here on a fact-finding mission,” Maddoc said. “Daniel’s uncle, Christopher de Lohr, has sent me with
reinforcements but he wants to know the truth behind Daniel’s request. Am I to understand that all of this started because of a rejected suit?”

  Liselotte shrugged. “That was part of it, my lord,” she answered, “but I truly believe there is far more to his greed. Daniel knows this to be true, also. Bramley wants Shadowmoor and her lands, and her contracts, because we have the legal right to collect tariffs on the roads leading into Bradford. We are also entitled to taxes from Ilkley, Keighley, and several other small villages, and for many years we collected those taxes peacefully. When Bramley arrived, he used armed men to chase us off when we tried to collect our taxes and he took the money for himself. He steals from our villagers and from us.”

  “Then he is a thief, but that is hardly reason to summon a massive army,” Maddoc said as neutrally as he could. “Why have you not brought your grievances to the Sheriff of the West Yorkshire?”

  “That would be my father,” Caston interjected, looking between Liselotte and Maddoc. “I think I can answer that question – Shadowmoor has always kept to themselves. They are an old and proud fortress, purely Saxon for the most part, and everyone in West Yorkshire has largely steered clear of them, always. It is my sense that they never brought this to my father’s attention purely out of fear that they would be ignored. Is that not so, my lady?”

  Liselotte nodded, looking somewhat ashamed. “I think it was a matter of pride on my father’s part as well,” she said. “He thought that we could deal with it ourselves. There was something shameful in seeking help.”

  “Yet you accepted Daniel’s help,” Maddoc pointed out, not unkindly. “Why take his help?”

  Liselotte still wouldn’t look at Daniel, feeling his gaze upon her like a weight, pulling at her, demanding her attention. But she couldn’t bring herself to face him.

  “Because he was a stranger,” she said. “He did not know us. He did not know that our forefathers entered into a treaty with the Normans so that we could keep our lands. But that treaty made us traitors to our allies. It is a dishonor that has never left us, but it was one Daniel did not know of. He did not have that prejudice towards us that others did.”