Therefore, he wearily rose, stretching his big body as he made his way to the door. Passing by Liselotte’s bed, he reached out to touch her foot as if to silently beg her pardon while he left her side. It was a bittersweet gesture to the unconscious woman, one not missed by Maddoc or anyone else in the room. Everyone felt a great deal of pity for Daniel. The man had barely reached the panel when Maddoc reached out and pulled him through.
It was dark in the chamber beyond the doorway but the first thing Daniel saw was his father’s weary face. It took him a moment to realize what he was looking at and furthermore realize that he wasn’t dreaming. Then, his eyes bulged and he threw himself at his father, hugging him tightly. His eyes filled with tears.
“Papa,” he breathed. “In God’s name, why are you here? How did you… for Christ’s sake, how did you know to come?”
David embraced his son, more relief than he could express filling him. To have his son whole and healthy in his arms was worth every worry, every difficulty he’d had to endure on this trip north. He simply held the man for a moment before speaking, emotion tightening his throat.
“You sent word to your Uncle Chris for help,” he said. “Why did you not send word to me? I should beat you senseless for excluding me like that.”
Tears on his face, Daniel grinned, released his father, and promptly put his hands on the man’s face and kissed his forehead. Then he laughed.
“The veins on your temples are throbbing again,” he said, touching the one on the right side of David’s head. “I call them the Daniel veins. They always twitch when I do something to displease you.”
David cocked an eyebrow at his facetious son. “My whole face twitches when you do something to displease me,” he said, coughing into his hand before speaking again. “Daniel, I received word about your missive to your uncle but I also received a missive from Henry himself. He said that you had usurped Shadowmoor from someone named Bramley. That is why I am here – to see the situation with my own eyes. I was not going to leave this to chance and hope it resolved itself.”
Daniel still had his hands on his father; they were resting on his broad shoulders. Daniel was about a head taller than his father, easily as tall as his Uncle Christopher, who was a tall man, indeed. He found himself looking down at his father, re-memorizing the sound of the man’s voice, drinking in the very sight of his features. He hadn’t seen him in almost a year. But in looking at him, he could also see that he was very tired and, from the sound of his cough, evidently ill. His eyes narrowed in concern.
“Are you well, Papa?” he asked. “You do not sound well.”
David waved him off. “I am well enough,” he said. “Do not change the subject.”
“He is not particularly well,” Maddoc interjected, much to David’s displeasure. “He contracted a lung ailment during the winter and we nearly lost him. He is not well at all and should not have made this trip. I think his very presence is a testament to the fact that your safety, and your well-being, surmount your father’s health.”
Now, Daniel’s eyebrows lifted in outrage and concern. “You risked your life to come here?” he demanded. “How could you do something like that?”
David scowled at Maddoc, very unhappy with the man for saying such things about him. “Maddoc, still your tongue before I am forced to do something drastic,” he told him. Then, he looked at Daniel. “I will again say that I am fine. And you will not change the subject. What is going on that I had to come all the way from Canterbury, Daniel? What did you do?”
Daniel sighed softly and dropped his hands from his father’s shoulders. “The right thing,” he said quietly. “I did the right and chivalrous thing. And it very well may cost me everything.”
David could see the emotion in the man’s expression, remembering what Maddoc had told him about the lady. He is in love with the heiress. His manner softened.
“Maddoc told me mostly everything,” he said, his eyes growing moist. “He told me what happened to the lady. Daniel, is it true? Have you really fallen in love?”
Daniel nodded, averting his gaze. Then, he snorted ironically. “Life is strange sometimes,” he said. “I have had my share of women, as you know. You paid for some of those ill-advised affairs and I would laugh about them, about the women I hurt, and congratulate myself on my cleverness for escaping their clutches. But now… now, it seems, the fates have caught up with me and they are not kind. They are punishing me for being so careless with the feelings of others.”
David had never heard his son speak so. Daniel was usually so glib about romance, never taking women seriously. He hardly took anything seriously, which was part of his charm. It was as if he wouldn’t let himself feel what he should have. Now, that lack of feeling was catching up to him. He was very serious now.
“The fates do not work that way,” David says. “Nor does God. He would not bring you to a woman you could love and then cruelly take her away. Mayhap… mayhap He simply wants to be sure that you really do love her.”
Daniel’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
David tried to explain. “Maddoc says that he thinks the lady was trying to kill the man you were fighting and got in your way.”
Daniel nodded. “That is what we think. I have not asked her yet. She has not been awake very much.”
David put his hand on the man. “Does she love you, Danny?”
Daniel softened. “She has told me so.”
David squeezed his arm. “Then mayhap she was trying to kill the man to protect you,” he said, eyeing Maddoc. “I remember seeing my granddaughter try to do such a thing for Maddoc last year when he was fighting de Royans. Do you remember? She came at Brighton with a dagger and that is when he gored Maddoc. She was trying to save him but ended up nearly getting him killed. What I am saying is, mayhap, that is what your lady was doing for you as well. She was willing to sacrifice herself so that you could survive. That is what love does, Danny. Mayhap God was trying to show you that through the actions of your lady so I cannot imagine He would let her perish. He is doing this to teach you a lesson.”
Daniel smiled faintly at his father, who always made so much sense. “What lesson is that?”
David patted the man on the cheek. “That you are destined for great love, just as I had always hoped for you,” he said softly. “Mayhap He is forcing you to truly face your feelings about her with the thought of losing her. How do you feel about her still?”
Daniel had a lump in his throat now. “I love her with all of my heart.”
David moved in to hug his son again, so very sorry for the man to be facing such a crisis. But as he did, he noticed a body standing in the doorway. Easton was in the doorway, looking between David and Daniel and Maddoc. He had been just inside the door when David had arrived and he’d heard every word spoken, including his son’s name mentioned. It had been a shock, at first, but as the words began to sink in, his confusion and concern grew. Now, as he looked at the three men, the expression on his face rife with concern.
“I heard my son’s name mentioned,” he said, mostly to Daniel. Then, he looked at David. “You did mention Brighton de Royans, my lord, did you not? That is my son.”
Daniel and Maddoc stood there with shock when they realized that Easton had heard David speak of Brighton. They, themselves, had been so very careful not to mention his name and not to get onto any subject that might lead to talk of the events from last summer, but David didn’t know anything about their care or anything about the situation involving the House of de Royans.
Now, it was going to be a mad scramble to try and right the situation, to throw Easton off the scent, but as Daniel looked at Maddoc, he realized there was no way out of this. They couldn’t lie their way through it, or be evasive about it, with David standing there. He would think they’d gone mad.
Sickened with the awareness of the news he had to divulge, Daniel struggled to speak but David was faster; he had no idea of the delicate nature of the situation so he addr
essed Easton directly.
“Brighton de Royans was your son?” he asked, studying Easton from head to toe. His eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
Easton had some idea who David was based on the fact that Daniel had called him Papa, so he knew he was addressing one of the great de Lohr brothers. “I am Easton de Royans, Baron Cononley,” he said. “My seat, Netherghyll Castle, is to the north of Shadowmoor. We have become great friends with our allies to the south because of Sir Daniel. We have all been helping in the fight against Lord Bramley, which mercifully ended three days ago.”
“He and his son, Caston, have been great allies, Papa,” Daniel said, very quickly trying to smooth over the situation. But he feared it was a lost battle already. “Sir Easton has provided Shadowmoor with food and men, and he has been incredibly generous. His son, Caston, has become a good friend. They told me that their son and brother, Brighton, serves Norfolk but they’ve not seen or heard from him in over two years. Papa, they do not know anything about him. Not a thing.”
He said it in front of Easton, who was greatly confused by Daniel’s words, but David picked up on it right away. He was a sharp man and from what Daniel was saying, and the strained manner in which he was saying it, he came to understand that the father of Brighton de Royans knew nothing of his son’s fate or actions. Quickly, he realized that the situation had the potential for going very badly at this point, at least as far as Easton was concerned. The man, from what he could gather, knew nothing of his son’s death yet he had heard David speak of him. David could not deny that he’d spoken of him, which would mean that he knew Brighton. David wasn’t quite sure what to say to all of that but Easton, whose confusion was deepening, spoke.
“Daniel, I thought you said that you did not know Brighton,” he said. “I recall that Caston asked you if you had heard of him and you said you had not.”
Daniel looked at his father, closing his eyes briefly, painfully, as he realized he was going to have to deal with a very painful subject now. He couldn’t lie or jest his way out of this one. Easton and Caston now had to be told of the fate of Brighton. They could not refuse to tell him, not now.
Daniel put his hand on Easton’s arm.
“Where is Caston?” he asked quietly.
Easton was starting to think that something was very, very wrong from the expression on Daniel’s face. “I believe he is in the hall, eating,” he said. “That was the last I saw of the man. Why, Daniel? What is wrong?”
Daniel squeezed his arm. “Then let us go find him,” he said softly, with great reluctance. “I have something to tell you that you both must hear.”
He started to move but Easton balked. He put a hand over Daniel’s, stopping him from moving forward. “Daniel, you are frightening me,” he said. “What has happened? Why did you lie about knowing Brighton?”
David stepped in; he had to. It had been his mistake to speak of Brighton so he would take the burden for explaining the situation. It was best, anyway. A father should know when he has lost a son. From one father to another, David tried to be gentle.
“I will tell you,” he said quietly. “My lord, I am David de Lohr. The earldom of Canterbury is mine. My granddaughter was the object of affection for Brighton about a year ago. He was very persistent. The problem was that she was already betrothed to Maddoc.”
He pointed to Maddoc, whom Easton had only met a few days ago. Easton eyed the big dark-haired knight before returning his attention to David. “I see,” he said. “And you told Brighton this, of course?”
David nodded patiently. “Many, many times,” he said. “I told him, Maddoc told him, and my granddaughter told him. He would not be dissuaded. He decided to challenge Maddoc for her hand. It was a brutal battle, my lord, and when my granddaughter tried to help Maddoc by making an attempt to kill Brighton, Maddoc was distracted and Brighton managed to gore him. But it did not end there. He abducted my granddaughter and held me off at knifepoint when I tried to intervene. He rode off with her, screaming, leaving me to deal with the aftermath.”
By this time, Easton’s features were pale with horror. “Oh, God…,” he breathed. “Please say that he did not do this. Please tell me this was a terrible mistake.”
David shook his head. “It was no mistake, I assure you,” he said. “I called upon my brother and fellow allies to help me track my granddaughter and get her back. Meanwhile, Brighton tried to marry her but she turned into a wild animal and would not let him. A priest refused to marry them and he threatened the man. He then took my granddaughter to Arundel and tried to hold her there, but his liege, d’Aubigney, would not have it. He told Brighton to return the lady and restore his honor, but Brighton would not listen, not even to his liege. Meanwhile, Daniel tracked them to a town not far from Arundel where he and Brighton fought a nasty battle and Brighton was wounded. But my granddaughter asked Daniel not to kill Brighton, so he did not. But Maddoc, who had been close to death for weeks due to the injury Brighton inflicted on him, dragged himself from his deathbed to find Brighton and avenge himself. It was a matter of honor, my lord, as well as a matter of safety. We knew that Brighton would not give up in his pursuit of my granddaughter. He said that he would not. For the sake of my granddaughter’s safety, and for his own sense of vengeance, Maddoc found Brighton and did battle against him. Your son lost.”
Easton was overcome by the horror of the situation. He stumbled back, smacking into the wall, even as Daniel and David reached out to steady him. Easton was having a difficult time standing on his own feet. He was woozy and distraught. Gripping David, he looked imploringly at the man.
“Tell me he did not do all of this,” he said, his voice cracking. “Why would he do this? He was always a selfish, stubborn lad, but I did not believe him to be wicked. He truly abducted your granddaughter?”
David nodded sadly at the man. “He did,” he said softly. “If you do not believe me, ask his liege. D’Aubigney chased him away because of it.”
Easton was at a loss. He absorbed the information, struggling to steady himself. He finally pushed himself away from the wall and politely waved off both Daniel and David as they continued to try and hold him steady. He didn’t need or want their help. He was horrified. His gaze moved to Maddoc.
“And you,” he rasped. “He did this to you?”
Maddoc nodded solemnly, lifting up his mail and tunic so Easton could see the huge scar on his torso. “He did this,” he said. “My lord, you must not be angry at Daniel for not telling you what he knew about Brighton. It was a horrible time in all of our lives and the more he came to know you and your son, the more he did not want to hurt you, for it is a hurtful and terrible thing to hear that your son behaved most dishonorably. It was a terrible secret he held because he did not wish to upset you. He withheld it for no other reason than that.”
Easton looked at the scar for a moment before returning his gaze to Maddoc’s face. “Did you kill him?”
“I did, my lord. But he was trying to kill me. I had no choice.”
Tears rolled from Easton’s eyes and he dropped his head, digesting what he’d been told. A sense of sadness settled with all of them, seeing a man who had just been told his son had been killed. No one was particularly sure how Easton was going to react after this; he’d just learned that people he had come to know, and trust, had essentially lied to him. No one would blame him if he stormed from the castle and took back everything he’d donated to Shadowmoor. In fact, that was what Daniel fully expected. But as he watched, Easton did something very surprising.
The man suddenly came off the wall, heading for Maddoc. Maddoc tensed, preparing for some weapon or fist to come flying out at him, but Easton abruptly threw his arms around Maddoc and began to weep loudly. Stunned, Maddoc had no idea how to respond. He looked at David and Daniel, his eyes wide, and David simply shook his head sadly. In that moment, Maddoc could see that perhaps all Easton needed was a bit of compassion, which did not come easily to him. Gingerly, he put his arms around the man
and hugged him.
“I am sorry,” Easton wept. “I am so sorry he did that to you. Brighton was an aggressive boy, a spoiled boy, but I did not know he had such evil in him. I am so sorry he took your betrothed and tried to kill you. Please… please do not hate him. Please forgive him. For my sake, I must know that you forgive him.”
Maddoc was genuinely torn. Hating Brighton de Royans came as naturally as breathing, so it was difficult for him to think otherwise. He had no idea what to say to the grieving man, struggling to bring the words forth.
“I do not blame you, my lord,” he said. “But Brighton made his choice. He chose dishonor in a situation where a true and good man would have taken a different path. He caused a lot of pain and sorrow.”
Easton released Maddoc, wiping at his eyes and laboring to control himself. “I know,” he said. “I know my son. I can easily see how he would have not given up against something he very much wanted. But… but in time, if you could forgive him, I would be grateful.”
Maddoc felt a good deal of pity for Easton, the grieving father whose son had died doing something ignoble. But his hate was still very fresh for the man’s son; it would take time to get over that. His inclination towards pity upon Easton did not overcome his sense of hatred towards Brighton. He sighed heavily.
“I will try,” he said. “I can only promise you that I will try.”
Easton nodded as he continued to struggle for his composure. “And I am content with that,” he said. Then, he looked at Daniel. “I do understand why you did not tell me. I am sorry my son brought so much shame to the House of de Royans by violating the House of de Lohr as he did. I pray you understand that we do not condone Brighton’s behavior. Although I am shattered over the loss of my son, I am very ashamed for what he has done. I pray in time you will forgive him his stubborn shortcomings.”
The de Lohr Dynasty Page 192
