Unbidden (The Evolution Series)

by Jill Hughey

  “A convent!” Rochelle protested, her voice a great deal louder than etiquette or good judgment allowed.

  Theo cleared his throat over her words. “Give me a moment to talk with her.”

  She looked up as the emperor stopped pacing. His head swung heavily on his neck toward Theo. “Not you. Him.” He pointed to David. “She is his responsibility now. If he cannot get her from here to that chapel, I will find someone who can.”

  Someone shouted, “A Bavarian? He is giving her and that rich estate to a Bavarian?”

  The room erupted in arguments and seemed to tilt before Rochelle’s eyes. A shift in perception. Perhaps she had landed on the moon, summoned there by Louis. What she once understood to be real was like a daydream, an illuminated drawing in one of her father’s books. She needed time to make sense of it, but something – someone – was dragging her back. That someone was grabbing her elbow again, pulling her to her feet, feet of heavy, lifeless clay. She staggered. His hands caught her waist, surprisingly gentle as he supported her from behind, so close she could feel warmth coming from his body. “Steady,” he murmured.

  “The floor is so hard,” she breathed, mortified at her physical weakness. “I can barely feel my feet.”

  “Shall I carry you?”

  “Of course not!” she hissed, anger bringing reality back in sharp relief.

  “I think the emperor would like it.”

  She tried to pull away. He held her, his voice at her ear. “Let us go to the chapel.”

  “I am not going there. Not with you. Not with anyone,” she declared over her shoulder, beginning to struggle in earnest against his hands. “It is you he has chosen, is it not? I will not have it. I will not have you. Do you hear me?”

  He spun her so deftly she felt dizzy again. “Look at me,” he ordered.

  She tried to focus on his face, but she felt crazed, like a bird trapped in a windowless building, a tiny bird surrounded by giant peacocks. The noise in the room escalated as the noblemen argued amongst themselves about the emperor’s plan for Rochelle and her estate.

  David spoke to her urgently, “I know you are overwhelmed by what is happening to you. Listen to what I am telling you, you must retreat.”

  “What? What are you talking about? Retreat?” She forced herself to look at him, at the steady brown eyes, so calm amidst the chaos around her.

  “You cannot win here today. He will take everything from you. Do you understand?”

  “No, no, no, this cannot be happening. I will not let this happen! This is my life!” She pushed against him with all her might. She might as well have tried to push over the stone wall around the palace.

  David gripped both of her biceps to give her a little shake. “Rochelle, you cannot win here. Not today. Not against him. He will not back down in front of all these men. Now, do as I say.”

  “No.”

  He glared at her. She knew what he was doing. Men had ways to work around the plans of women. He would change tactics now and so would she, and on and on they would go until she got what she wanted, which was to be left alone.

  “What is the most important thing in the world to you?”

  It was a ridiculous question in the present circumstance, but the answer was so easy, so instinctive, it slipped out of her like an exhalation. “Alda.”

  “Are you prepared to give it up in the next half a minute? The decision is that simple. The way back to Alda is through the palatine chapel. Any other path leads to a place not of your choosing, and you will never get your estate back.”

  “Oh,” she moaned, not in acquiescence, but in disbelief. He was not doing this right. “This cannot be happening.”

  “It is. You will come to accept it later. You must submit to the emperor now. And, by all that is holy, do not insult him again.” David turned her to face Louis again, pulled her tight against his side, her form stiff as a wooden toy. “Sire, if it pleases you, we shall go to the chapel,” he announced.

  A false smile widened Louis’s mouth. “It will please me very much to regain order in this meeting, after the lovely Rochelle asks me to excuse her rebelliousness.”

  Theo drifted behind them to whisper. “A deep curtsy, and simply say ‘I beg your pardon, sire.’ That is all.”

  David applied ever so slight a pressure on her hips until Rochelle dipped into an awkward bend at her knees.

  “Pardon, pardon,” urged Theo.

  “Your pardon, sire,” she muttered, wishing she could swallow her own tongue. She would never utter the words I beg. Not for Alda. Not for anything.

  “One of my clerks will meet you in the chapel with the documents. A moment of prayer would benefit both of you greatly upon such a momentous occasion.” Louis turned away with a dismissive flick of his beringed hand.

  “Lead us out of here,” David said to Theo, his authoritative voice cutting through the roar of madness in her ears.

  Chapter Five

  Theo started them through the crowd. David kept Rochelle pressed against his side, forcing the mass of people to part even as noblemen pushed to get a glimpse of them. They ogled her and evaluated David. Rochelle lifted her chin a notch, trying to walk with composure despite being trapped in an asylum and enduring pins and needles in her feet.

  Maintaining the illusion of confidence had been the keystone of her early management at Alda. That, and not being forced to choose a plan of action before she was ready.

  When they cleared the doorway to the outside, Rochelle pulled in a deep breath of fresh air. She allowed the men to lead her just to the edge of the portico, then she stopped and firmly removed herself from David’s hold. He muttered an oath as Theo turned to watch them. “That man,” she said, pointing toward the door they’d just exited, “cannot put me in a convent.”

  “I do not know why not,” David answered sharply. “That is where he put his sisters who outrank you by a notch or two.”

  “His sisters!” Rochelle cried in outrage. “Why would he do such a thing?”

  “Because he does not want them getting powerful husbands.”

  “This is scandalous! I am not just a pawn for his use!”

  “Of course you are,” David said flatly, clearly tiring of her protests.

  “He cannot take my land!”

  “Yes, he can. Have you lived in Francia long?” he drawled, each word dripping with sarcasm.

  Rochelle glared at him. She needed time to think, to find a way out of this. “I wish to consult with my mother before we go to the chapel.”

  “No,” David said.

  “I deserve at least a little counsel before signing documents that affect my estate, not to mention my life.”

  “If the topic of this interview had been a surprise to your mother, then you might have an argument. However, she knows exactly what the emperor expects of you, and she knows the emperor chose me. Judging by the fact that she sent you out the door today, with me and without her, I would say her counsel is to do what Louis says.”

  She knew when the tight planes of his face softened he had seen the hurt his reminder of her mother’s secretiveness had caused. She looked away for a moment. At Alda, she would have looked at the horizon, but here there were only walls in every direction.

  She tried to think of a sharp retort as she fought a tidal wave of homesickness. A man called for David from the room she had just escaped. “David! God’s thunder, man, you do not even tell your own brother that you are in town, much less that you are getting married?” The man was a fairer version of David, wearing deep blue clothing that made his pale eyes almost icy. He was the same height, and only slightly less broad.

  “Doeg!” David responded in greeting, a wide smile brightening his face. “I have been here only two days and had no idea where to find you. I have never been to Aix, as you know.” The brothers gripped one another in a brief, manly embrace, though Rochelle noticed Doeg held his left arm tightly across his front, the elbow at a strict right angle.

  “Never bee
n here, yet you have surely caught Louis’s attention!”

  “Theo is completely responsible for today’s events.”

  Rochelle could not quell her expression of surprise. “Theophilus?”

  The man in question shrugged his shoulders. “As independent as you may think you are, you need a protector.”

  “And this vision is the source of all the furor today,” Doeg said, turning his blue eyes toward her. “Such happy news, for it is not every day a man learns he is to gain a sister.” Where David’s eyes contained a hint of warmth even when he tried to look frightening, Doeg’s were chilling despite his friendly greeting. “I am Doeg, David’s elder brother.”

  Rochelle inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment, but would not let his assumption of a familial future stand. “I am sorry to disappoint you. Though I bear no ill will toward your brother, I am not marrying anyone.”

  Doeg’s arched an eyebrow. He said nothing as he studied her.

  David sighed. “She just learned about Louis’s plan this morning. I suspect it will take her about the amount of time required to walk from here to that chapel to come to terms with the idea.”

  Rochelle turned on him. “Do not talk about me as if I am not standing right here. I have no intention of coming to terms with this arrangement today or any other day. I thank all of you for your concern about my future,” she spared a glare for Theo. “It is just that: my future. It has been a pleasure.” She turned on her heel, intending to cross the huge courtyard and return to her rented house and from there straight back to Alda.

  “Fire and smoke, Theo, what sort of woman is this?” David asked tiredly. “I have had less protest from men I have been killing than from her.”

  Theo scratched his ear. “She certainly quitted the quiet girlish stage since her father died.”

  The three watched her for a moment. She strode across the nearly empty square making straight for the south gate. David would go after her. Of course he would. He allowed himself a brief study of her ground-eating pace. Her cloak billowed out behind her and her ankles showed just a bit below the hem of her tunic. A slight smile quirked his face. She would be a handful, but he liked her.

  His attention jumped to a figure moving quickly to her right, from the direction of the chapel. It looked to be not much more than a boy, barreling toward Rochelle with the clear intention of intercepting her. Almost on instinct, David strode forward. He had no doubt she could hold her own for a moment against the little whelp, based on her sharp tongue and the strength with which she’d shoved him earlier. He resisted the urge to tackle the interloper, keeping his pace to a brisk walk.

  Rochelle heard someone call her name. She turned, first aggravated, then surprised to see a young man who owned an estate bordering Alda. It took her a moment to recall his name. “Sewell?” she said in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

  “I had to come. Since my father died last spring, they summoned me in his place.”

  “I was sorry about your father,” she said.

  He nodded in acknowledgement, his lank brown hair hardly shifting against an unfortunately pimply complexion. He had obviously availed himself of the shops in Aix to dress as a proper dandy, with all the wild colors of Theophilus but none of the good taste. He’d filled out since she’d last seen him yet appeared scrawny and insubstantial compared to the three fully grown men who’d just surrounded her.

  “What happened in there, Rochelle? I heard Louis say your name. By the time I worked my way up to the front, everything was over.”

  “The emperor has decided I should become betrothed….”

  “Ooh, marry me!” Sewell gushed impetuously, gripping her hand with damp fingers.

  Rochelle cringed while trying to extricate her hand. “It is generous of you to offer, but I have no intention of marrying anyone.”

  At her shocking words, Sewell released his hold. “B-but if Louis said you are supposed to –“

  “Then she would be very arrogant to think she could do anything different. Am I correct, young man?”

  Rochelle knew without looking that the Bavarian had walked up behind her to listen to her private conversation.

  “Yes.” Sewell began to nod his head vehemently. “You cannot ignore the emperor. You do not just say ‘no’ to him and go about your business.” He paused for a moment to nod at the wisdom of his own words. “Besides, you are a girl. You have to get married sometime.”

  David chuckled. Rochelle felt like stamping her feet but constrained herself to a quick huff of breath. “I do not have to get married. I am perfectly capable of running Alda without a husband, as you well know, Sewell. Our tenants produce just as well as yours!”

  Sewell scoffed. “Of course you do. Yours is the biggest estate. You have the best land and your father was rich. There is no magic in it. It does not prove anything.”

  “Oh!” Rochelle protested.

  “Sewell, my young gallant,” Theo piped up. He’d joined them along with Doeg. “If you are trying to charm the lady, you had best not insinuate she has been resting on her laurels.”

  A flush of red crept up Sewell’s neck.

  “A rich estate, say you?” Doeg asked.

  “Yes,” Sewell confirmed grudgingly, then his face brightened. “And it only makes sense to join our lands together! I am certain Louis would see the wisdom in it.” He grabbed Rochelle’s hand again. “Say you will, Rochelle,” he urged breathlessly.

  Rochelle saw David’s eyes narrow to a glare. She briefly considered letting her hand be held by Sewell’s sweaty fingers just to feed David’s irritation. The thought repulsed her. She tried to pull away without struggling. “Sewell, I cannot.”

  “Let go of her, boy.” David delivered the order quietly.

  Sewell’s gaze left Rochelle’s face to turn to David. He cautiously unclenched his fingers, letting his arm drop slowly to his side as though afraid to make any sudden movements.

  “She cannot marry you because she is marrying me,” David continued.

  “You! Is that why everyone was yelling about a Bavarian?”

  David inclined his head slightly.

  “I am not marrying anybody!” Rochelle interjected. She needed time to think and who could think with four men braying in a circle around her?

  “Why you? Why not a local?” Sewell asked, as though Rochelle had not spoken.

  “We do not have time for this,” David said flatly. “Come, Rochelle, we are expected in the chapel. ” He grabbed her elbow again.

  “Would everyone. Stop. Tugging. Me!” she intoned between clenched teeth.

  The men stared at her. She was quite right, of course. As a young woman, no man other than a family member, husband, or betrothed should put his hands on her, and then only in the most chivalrous way.

  She shoved her fisted hands to her hips and glared at David. “I told you. I am going to talk to my mother.”

  “No. We are going to meet with the clerk who is by now waiting for us in that chapel.” David pointed insistently at the large bronze door.

  They appeared to be at a standoff.

  Doeg rocked lightly on the balls of his feet. “Walk with me,” he said to Sewell, his chilly manner allowing no room for refusal. David’s brother led the troublesome neighbor away, leaving only David and Theo facing Rochelle.

  Theo cleared his throat. “Rochelle. Be reasonable. There is no way to avoid this marriage.”

  “There is always a way, if you will give me some time to think.”

  “I know this seems very abrupt to you, considering your mother did not share my entire message. Louis made this decision weeks ago. He summoned me to meet him here before he had even left Nijmegen.”

  “You have to reason with him, Theophilus. I had no idea of his intentions for me. I just need a few months to consider. Certainly you can make him understand.”

  “Months! I will not even try. He does not care what your mother did or did not tell you.”

  Rochelle crossed her
arms stubbornly.

  “Think of what your father would do,” Theo cajoled. “He would do anything to keep your family at Alda.”

  Rochelle turned on Theo with venom in her eyes. “Do not try to sway me with memories of my father. I realized after he died that he would never be back to advise me. Believe me, I looked for signs.” Her voice cracked on the last words. She had been lost at sea after his death, suddenly bearing the immense responsibility of their tenants and farms, trade and upkeep. She squared her shoulders. “I must make the best decision I know how to make. I cannot believe that my marriage has any bearing on the future of the empire!”

  Theo opened his mouth to reply. David lifted his hand to silence him. He faced Rochelle, crossed his own arms over his chest in a mirror of her posture and asked, “What system of decision-making do you normally employ?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How do you make decisions?”

  Rochelle inhaled shakily. “First, I examine the problem thoroughly. Second – and I usually wait until late in the day for this part – I consider possible solutions. And third, I enact my solution, usually the next day.”

  “Do you always have the luxury of a full day to make a decision?”

  “No, but –“

  “Excellent, because you do not have that luxury now. It is good to know you do not require the time in every circumstance. Do the facts of a problem enter into the second phase, or do you just do what is most palatable to you?”

  Rochelle sensed a trap being laid. She glared up into his face. “I consider the facts as I know them to be. I do not just accept what any cretin tells me.”

  “Do you consider yourself more informed of the magnitude of your emperor’s resolve than the emperor himself or Theophilus, who met privately with Louis about this very matter? Your knowledge of the facts at hand is greater than either of those men?”

  So, this was how the trap would close.

  “Consequences, Rochelle,” he said gravely. “Louis maintains order by providing consequences for each infraction against him. Every soldier who does not show up for battle. Every nobleman who ignores the summons to these meetings. Every estate behind in its taxes. Each of these rebellious subjects earns a punishment.”