Maddoc digested the information and everything he had been told since he’d arrived at Shadowmoor. He seemed indecisive, enough so that Liselotte leaned forward, her gaze upon him intense.
“My lord,” she said. “I realize this looks like a local problem. It looks to be silly and insipid. But I assure you that there is nothing insipid about Bramley’s harassment. Not long ago, he abducted my younger brother in an attempt to force my father to surrender both me and Shadowmoor. My brother miraculously escaped and it was then that Daniel entered our lives. He saved my brother and was thoughtful and kind enough to remain at Shadowmoor to help us with Bramley. But, somehow, Bramley got to my older brother and convinced him to kill my father. Did Daniel tell you that? My older brother killed my father and it was only two weeks ago that my brother was killed in a skirmish, siding with Bramley against Daniel and Netherghyll. You may not wish to help but I will tell you what will happen if you do not; Netherghyll and Daniel have already committed themselves to aiding Shadowmoor. Bramley told Daniel that he has sent word to Henry to summon crown troops. If you do not stay and help, all that Daniel and those at Netherghyll have worked for will be destroyed once Henry sends his army. Please, my lord… please, help us. This may be a foolish situation to you, but to me, it is my life. Shadowmoor is all that I have. Please help me to keep it.”
She was verging on tears by the time she was finished and Maddoc, who was truly soft-hearted beneath that stiff exterior, could feel himself relenting. His manner eased.
“My lady,” he said. “You need not worry. I will not leave Daniel here alone to face Lord Bramley and whatever the man can throw at him. But you do understand that it was Daniel who killed your brother.”
Liselotte nodded, wiping daintily at her eyes. “He told me what happened,” she said. “You must understand that my brother was a foul drunkard, my lord. He would do anything for drink, including siding with our enemy if the man promised him more ale for his allegiance. Daniel told me everything that happened in that skirmish and I believe him implicitly.”
Maddoc believed Daniel, too, for the man was not a liar. Still, he wanted to understand the lady’s point of view on everything. He could see how badly she was affected. “I believe him as well,” he said. “That is not the issue. I am simply trying to understand the situation clearly.”
Liselotte sniffled, ashamed at her outburst that was very close to begging. “The situation is that Lord Bramley is trying to erase us from this earth,” she said. “My father once said that he believed Daniel was sent by God to help us. When I look at you, I would like to think that God has sent more of His avenging angels to aid us in our fight. For whatever you can do for us, please know that I am eternally grateful.”
Maddoc gazed at the woman that Daniel couldn’t keep his eyes off of. “I will do my best to ensure that Bramley is turned away from Shadowmoor once and for all.”
Liselotte closed her eyes, deeply relieved. She was also quite emotional. Fearing another outburst, she simply forced a smile and stood up.
“Thank you, my lord,” she said. “If you will excuse me now, I have duties to attend to.”
Quickly, she fled, disappearing into the smoke of the crowded room before Maddoc could ask her anymore questions. Maddoc and Marc turned to quiet conversation as Daniel watched Liselotte fade away. He couldn’t help but notice that she’d had no interest in looking at him the entire time she sat at the table, which made his heart quite heavy. He knew she was hurting; he was hurting, too. Spending the afternoon with Maddoc and Marc and Caston, discussing strategy against Bramley, had only served to distract him. The ache from his earlier confrontation with Liselotte was still there, weighing upon him more strongly than ever.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to think or concentrate until he spoke with her and cleared the air between them but the problem was that he still couldn’t bring himself to say what needed to be said, what was in his heart. It was such a slippery slope because he knew once he opened that gate, there would be no turning back. He couldn’t take back what he said. He would be committed, forever. He wasn’t sure if it was in his nature to be committed forever.
But he was equally sure that he couldn’t stand the thought of spending the rest of his life without her. Frustrated, he stood up.
“I will return, good men,” he said. “Do not talk about me when I am gone, please.”
Maddoc reached for his ale cup. “No promises.”
Snorting, Daniel headed off in the same direction Liselotte had gone although he was trying to make it appear as if he weren’t following her. The knights at the table knew differently, however. They knew exactly where he was going.
“He is trying to fool us,” Caston said, cup in hand. “He wants us to think he is not going after her.”
Maddoc glanced over his shoulder, seeing Daniel disappear into the darkness of the hall. He sighed faintly; he didn’t want to be here because of Daniel’s infatuation for a woman but it was clear after speaking to her that there was a genuine need. He felt rather sorry for the woman. Daniel had told him the entire sordid tale that afternoon, including the deaths of her father and brother, so it was clear that she had been through a lot as of late. It was equally clear that there was something going on between her and Daniel.
Maddoc turned to say something to Caston but he held his tongue, just for a moment. He was still having a difficult time speaking to a man who looked exactly like the man he had killed last year. In fact, it had been so disturbing that he’d hardly looked at the man all afternoon, even when Caston had enthusiastically greeted him. He felt as if he were looking at a ghost and that was wholly unnerving.
It had taken all of his control not to show his confusion as well as his angst over what had easily been the most difficult situation in his life. But, much as Daniel had told him, Caston wasn’t like Brighton at all. He might have looked and sounded like him, but their personalities were markedly different. That was the only reason, hours later, that Maddoc was now able to at least look at Caston. Still, the entire happenstance had him rattled.
“How long has this been going on?” he asked.
Caston took a long drink of his ale. “Since I have known them,” he said. “Daniel told me that they are betrothed.”
Maddoc, who had been drinking his own ale, suddenly sprayed it out all over the table at Caston’s declaration. Astonished, he stared at the man as he wiped his lips. “Betrothed?” he repeated. “Daniel?”
Caston chuckled at Maddoc’s surprised reaction. “So he told me,” he said. “He said that Lady Liselotte’s father offered him her hand in marriage.”
Maddoc was beside himself, much more animated than was usual. “Him?” he said. “Are we speaking of the same Daniel de Lohr?”
Caston’s eyes narrowed, good-naturedly. “I take it that you are shocked by this.”
Maddoc’s eyebrows lifted, genuinely speechless for a moment. “Shocked is not an adequate term,” he said. “I have known Daniel since we were lads. He will never marry anyone. Ever.”
Caston grinned. “I could be wrong, but I have seen men in love before and Daniel has all the signs,” he said. “See if you do not agree. You have only been here a short while, but mark my words. Daniel is in love with her.”
Maddoc just stared at him. Then, he picked up the ale pitcher and drank directly from it. “Good God,” he hissed, fortifying himself for what was to come. “Caston, I think you’d better tell me everything.”
As Caston relayed what he’d seen over the past several weeks, Daniel was heading out of the hall, following the path he thought Liselotte might have taken. The hall was warm from the bodies crammed inside, and smoky from the fire pit in the center of the room, so when Daniel emerged into the cold night, it was brisk and refreshing. He headed straight for the kitchen, seeing the spit with the cow roasting upon it, and he could see people moving around in the kitchen structure back behind it.
As he came near, he could see Liselotte helping one of the servants w
ith the ale that was being served. She was ladling it out of a bucket and into pitchers. She had her back turned to him as he came up behind her.
“Leese,” he said quietly. “I have a need to speak with you.”
Startled by the sound of his voice, the ale in the ladle spilled out onto the ground before Liselotte was able to get it back into the bucket. Wiping her hands on her apron, she faced him nervously.
“Of course,” she said. “What about?”
Daniel didn’t say anything for a moment. Looking into her face, he could see how jittery she was. His appearance had her nervous. Gently, he took her elbow.
“Come with me,” he said quietly.
Liselotte refused to go. She firmly pulled her elbow out of his grip. “I will not,” she said. “Anything you have to say to me, you can say it here.”
Daniel tried not to become frustrated. He scratched his head. “I do not wish for others to hear what I have to say to you,” he said. “Will you please come with me now?”
Liselotte backed away. “Nay, Daniel,” she said quietly. “I will not go away with you where you can steal kisses and ply me with sweet words. If you have something to say to me, please say it now.”
He sighed heavily, looking into features that were creased with a wary, yet stubborn, expression. He could read the hurt all over her. She wasn’t going to go with him and he didn’t want to create a scene, so he simply lowered his voice and spoke quietly.
“I am sorry if I hurt you today,” he said softly. “Liselotte, you know I would not knowingly hurt you for the world.”
He could see her eyes as they began to water. She fought off the tears. “It does not matter,” she said. “You told me that you were not the marrying kind and I should have listened. But I had hoped you would have changed your mind. I thought you might have. I was a fool to think such things.”
He sighed heavily. “Nay, you were not a fool,” he said, “because you were not far from the truth. When I came to Shadowmoor, you were right when you said that it was a project to serve my pride. I wanted to make it great and strong again. I wanted to impress you. And then, I had every intention of moving on, leaving great and wonderful stories of Daniel de Lohr who had brought Shadowmoor back to greatness. So, in that aspect, you were correct. But in my haste to make myself a great and powerful restorer of men’s souls, something happened. A beautiful and tragic young woman somehow managed to sneak her way into my heart, which is strange considering my heart is protected by walls stronger and greater than Shadowmoor’s enormous walls. My heart is a fortress unto itself. But, somehow, you managed to breach that fortress. Does that make sense?”
Liselotte was looking at him with wide, dubious eyes. When he asked his question, she looked rather confused. “I… I do not know,” she said. “I suppose I understand. But what does it all mean?”
He rubbed a hand over his face, wearily. This entire situation was draining everything within him. He was trying to maintain control over something that could not be controlled. He was trying to control emotions that would not be contained.
“It means that I cannot leave you,” he said. He looked at her, sorrow and confusion on his face. “I may not be the marrying kind but I will not let someone else marry you. I could never live with myself if I did.”
Liselotte didn’t want to hold out any hope that what he said was true but it was difficult. She could feel hope building within her.
“What are you saying?” she whispered.
He shook his head, refusing to look at her. Then, he reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her so tightly that he heard her grunt from the force of his embrace. Face buried in the side of her head, he inhaled deeply, experiencing her scent and knowing that he could never be without it. Suddenly, he felt weak and powerful all at the same time.
Is that what love does to a man?
“I do not know if you will have me,” he murmured against her head. “I have done things I am not very proud of, Leese. I have toyed with women, robbed them of their virtue and then congratulated myself because I was not punished for it. My father has paid off fathers of young women who were compromised by me. I had little respect for women in general, other than those in my family, until I met you. And now… now I have met a woman of such strength and virtue, and I feel utterly unworthy of her. Mayhap that is why I told you I am not the marrying kind. Who would have someone like me?”
Liselotte held him tightly. “I would,” she said quietly. “I would have you without question. It does not matter what you have done in the past, Daniel. All that matters is what you have done since I have known you, and, in that time, you have proven yourself to be a man of great bravery and feeling and generosity. I cannot help but love you.”
He pulled back to look at her, his hands on her face. “Then you do love me?”
She sighed, feeling his warm palms against her cheeks, melting into him. “Of course I do.”
He kissed her forehead, her lips. “I have never been in love before but I suspect that is what I am feeling in my heart,” he said. “Be patient with me, Leese. Be patient as I explore what I am feeling for you, for this is all quite new. I am not as brave as you are in expressing my feelings. But know that I will never leave you, ever, and I will be the man you will marry.”
It was everything she wanted to hear. The joy in her heart was indescribable. “And I will love you until the end of time and beyond that, still,” she whispered. “I will be a good and true wife, Daniel. I swear that you shall want for nothing.”
He kissed her again, pulling her into a crushing embrace right there in the kitchen yard as servants worked around them, looking at the pair and giggling. But Daniel didn’t care; he knew he loved the woman and he didn’t care if the entire world knew that. Everything he was feeling for her was coming full circle, making itself plain to him. At that moment, he felt stronger than he ever had.
He felt joy beyond compare.
“Come back to the hall,” he said against her lips. “I want you by my side tonight. Will you do this?”
Dazed, Liselotte nodded. “As you wish, my love.”
My love. Daniel had heard those words before where they pertained to him but they had never meant anything to him until now. Now, those two little words meant everything.
With a grin, Daniel led Liselotte back into the hall.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Daniel de Lohr was in for a surprise.
Astride his expensive horse and dressed in robes of leather and fur, Bramley could only smile smugly to himself, knowing what news he was bringing to de Lohr and Shadowmoor. It was everything he’d hoped for from Henry and more besides.
With him, he carried a missive from the king that was directed at de Lohr. It was in response to the missive Bramley had sent to Henry those weeks ago, telling him that de Lohr had usurped Brynner l’Audacieux’s rightful place at Shadowmoor. It had come only two days ago, well after the fight that had taken Brynner’s life. Consequently, what Henry didn’t know was that Daniel had killed Brynner in that skirmish, but that didn’t matter at this point. Bramley finally had what he wanted.
He had Shadowmoor.
Heading north from Bramley Castle under fair skies and strong winds, Bramley had most of his one hundred-man army with him. He didn’t think he would need them but he wanted to have a show of force in case de Lohr wasn’t willing to surrender the fortress. That would be foolish, of course, unless de Lohr wasn’t afraid of the king or his army, because if he didn’t surrender Shadowmoor, then military might was the next step. The very thought made Bramley smile.
All of the harassment over the past four years couldn’t accomplish what one small piece of vellum could. Bramley was coming to think that he should have gotten Henry involved long ago, but he supposed it really didn’t matter. Now he had what he wanted but once he claimed Shadowmoor, he was going to write to Henry and tell him that Netherghyll was allied with de Lohr and must therefore be punished. He wasn’t going to let Baron Cononley
get away from this situation unscathed. He would suggest to Henry, of course, that Cononley was untrustworthy and therefore unfit to continue as High Sheriff of West Yorkshire. Bramley thought that title had a rather nice ring to it and would graciously suggest himself as Cononley’s successor.
All was going as it should, in his favor, and as he and his men began the trek up Rombald’s Moor, to Shadowmoor at the top of the peak, he thought the day was rather beautiful. The sun was shining and there was no rain in sight. Not even a cloud. It would be a fine day for a wedding, which was what he intended to do with Lady Liselotte. According to Henry’s missive, she belonged to him now and he would marry her this very day and take his pleasure with her as he’d so wanted to do. It was difficult to lust over a woman for four years and never even have a taste of her. Tonight, he would not only taste, he would gorge himself. Aye, he should have involved Henry in this situation long ago.
Finally, it was coming to an end.
As they mounted the hill, he knew that the Shadowmoor sentries could see him. He didn’t care. They were a bunch of weak fools, anyway. Bramley had stayed away from Shadowmoor over the past couple of weeks, ever since the beating he’d been dealt in Siglesdene, but his men had still gone out on regular patrols and it was la Londe and de Witt who told him that Netherghyll had stationed some troops at Shadowmoor. They hadn’t seen many men but they’d seen enough to know that Netherghyll was involving itself in a situation they had no business being a part of. It was all part of the punishment Bramley had been considering towards them, and he decided as he drew closer to the fortress that he would, indeed, seek Henry’s wrath against them. Everyone involved must be punished, including the House of de Lohr.
But that would be a bit trickier to achieve. Even Bramley knew how powerful the House of de Lohr was and how important they were to Henry. Bramley didn’t really think Henry would punish the de Lohr brothers but Bramley was going to see to it that the de Lohr who held Shadowmoor was punished. The man had usurped the command of the fortress and taken what did not belong to him. That was grounds for punishment, indeed.
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