Maximus considered that scenario. Not that he blamed the man, to be truthful. His daughter had all but been wrested away from him. With a sigh, he gently stroked her hair as he leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead in a gesture of comfort.
“It is not your fault that we took you from Kennington,” he said. “But I understand your point. Hopefully my brother’s wife can soothe any anger your father might feel when we return you home, because angry or not, I intend to speak to him tonight.”
Courtly wasn’t entirely sure that was a good idea. When her father’s mood was foul, there was no reasoning with him. To broach a marital contract would certainly not be well-met. She wasn’t convinced that tonight would be the appropriate night for such a thing but, on the other hand, she supposed there would never be a good time for such a thing in her father’s eyes.
“Be mindful of his mood, then,” she said with a sigh. “I know you wish to speak with him sooner rather than later, but since you will not send your brother on your behalf, all I can say is that you must be mindful of his mood.”
Maximus eyed her with some amusement. “I believe I can handle the man.”
He was confident. Courtly appreciated a man with confidence, but she hoped he wasn’t in for a massive shock when her father denied him. In Maximus’ world, there was no such thing as a denial to his wishes. She could see it in his face. He had every confidence that he could convince Kellen to allow him to marry Courtly. She feared that would not be the case.
Maximus, however, also harbored those secret fears in spite of his outward appearance. The lady had fairly convinced him that his pursuit of her hand would not be an easy task and, as much as he had told her he would not send his brother in his stead, now he was starting to reconsider. If Gallus could get him what he wanted, then he was willing to consider it, but on the other hand, he was a very prideful man. He wasn’t accustomed to sending others to do his tasks. As Stefan returned with the livery owner leading a small, gray palfrey, Maximus hoped that Gallus was returned to the inn by the time he got there.
He needed the man’s counsel on a most serious matter.
“Max, I am glad you are here. Plans have changed and we must discuss them.”
Maximus had entered the smelly, stale inn only to run straight into his brothers, both of them. The words had come from Gallus, who had been standing next to Tiberius in quiet discussion over by one of the leaning, abused, tavern tables. But the appearance of Maximus had Gallus and Tiberius moving towards him, only to realize that on Maximus’ arm was a petite, rather beautiful woman. Both brothers came to a halt, focused on the lady.
“My lady,” Gallus greeted. “Please excuse me. I did not see you when my brother entered the room.”
Courtly smiled at the very handsome man with black hair who slightly resembled Maximus. “That would not be difficult, my lord, considering that Sir Maximus fills up the entire doorway when he enters a room,” she said, watching the brothers snort in agreement. “There is nothing to excuse, in any case.”
Gallus was smiling openly at the woman. “You must be Lady Courtly,” he said. “My wife has told me about you and has spoken quite highly of you. I am Gallus de Shera and I believe you already know my brother, Tiberius.”
Courtly dipped into a practiced curtsy. “My lords,” she greeted, noticing that the youngest de Shera brother was smiling at her quite broadly. It was almost comical. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Sir Tiberius.”
Tiberius moved to take her hand but Maximus threw out a big arm, blocking his brother. “I would not if I were you,” he threatened, eyeing Tiberius. As Tiberius shrugged, good-naturedly, Maximus returned his focus to Gallus. “What plans have changed, Gal? Can the discussion not wait? I must speak to you most urgently.”
Gallus was having a hard time keeping his attention strictly on his brother. He was mostly focusing on how tightly Maximus was holding on to the lady, which wasn’t like him at all. Gallus’ wife’s words were coming back to him now, words she had spoken that morning when Maximus had stormed off after his confrontation with Tiberius. If he truly feels something for the lady. Already, Gallus could see that it was true, astonishingly so. He’d never even considered that Maximus was capable of such a thing, although there had been a young woman in his youth that he had believed himself in love with. Still, Maximus was the last man he would ever have thought to have fallen for a woman.
“I am afraid it cannot wait,” Gallus finally said. “Jeniver is prepared to escort the lady back to her father. I will send my wife with a full escort to Kennington and you will remain here with me. We have much to discuss.”
That was not what Maximus wanted to hear. “Gal, whatever you wish to discuss is not more important than my news,” he said. “I have asked the lady to be my wife and she has agreed. But her father may prove to be a very large obstacle and I require your counsel on the matter.”
On the balcony above, where the sleeping rooms were, they heard a familiar cry. “Oh!” Jeniver was overhead, looking down at them. “Max, I heard you! What thrilling news!”
They could then hear rapid footfalls as Jeniver ran across the catwalk and took the stairs at the far end very quickly. Gallus was already moving in her direction.
“Slow yourself,” he admonished. “You will fall and break your neck.”
Jeniver, moving swiftly, waved him off. She rushed right past him and straight at Maximus, throwing her arms happily around his neck. Maximus, grinning, accepted his sister-in-law’s congratulatory hug, but Gallus was not so happy. He held out his hands as if to ease the force by which his wife was hugging.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he begged. “Max, if you squeeze her, you will have to answer to me. Do nothing!”
Maximus started to laugh, holding his arms out as if to show he wasn’t squeezing his brother’s pregnant wife. “I am not touching her, I swear it.”
By this time, Jeniver had released him and was moving to Courtly. Forgetting protocol, she hugged the woman happily.
“My heartiest congratulations,” she said, squeezing Courtly before releasing her. “This is the best possible news, my lady. Welcome to our family.”
Courtly was touched and pleased by Jeniver’s enthusiasm. “Thank you, Lady de Shera,” she said sincerely. “In truth, it has happened rather swiftly since Maximus and I have only just met, but… well, I am most pleased with his proposal of marriage.”
Jeniver was ecstatic. “Of course you are,” she said. Then, she looked between Maximus and Gallus. “I heard what you said about the lady’s father. Do you plan to approach him tonight when we return her to Kennington?”
Maximus nodded. “That is my intention,” he said. “I do not wish to wait.”
Jeniver was in full agreement as she looked at Gallus. “Absolutely not,” she said. “Gal, you will ride with us to Kennington and ask Lord de Lara on Maximus’ behalf. He cannot refuse an offer of marriage if it comes from you.”
Gallus threw up his hands. “Wait,” he commanded softly. “I cannot go to Kennington tonight. We agreed that you would return Lady Courtly. I have serious matters to discuss with my brothers and I need them both with me.”
Jeniver frowned. “Nothing is more important than a marriage, Gallus,” she said. “Your business can wait. Go with us now to Kennington and then you may discuss your business later tonight after we have settled with Lord de Lara.”
Gallus eyed his wife, displeased. He could see that she was being quite stubborn and he didn’t want to upset her, but his matters had priority over Maximus’ betrothal at the moment. Still, he could see by the expression on her face that it would be very difficult to convince her otherwise, especially in her emotional state. The pregnancy had wreaked havoc on his normally calm and sweet wife. It had made her a crazy woman at times. With this in mind, he drew in a calming breath and crooked a finger at both his wife and Maximus.
“A moment with you both, please,” he said. “Ty, please take Lady Courtly in hand. I must speak with Max and
my wife, alone.”
Tiberius was more than happy to escort Courtly even though Maximus was literally growling at him. He ignored his brother and took the lady over to a table where they had wine and fruit and cheese. Meanwhile, Maximus and Jeniver went to Gallus, who pulled them to the edge of the room so they could have a bit of privacy.
“Max, I… Max, look at me,” he said, noting that his brother’s attention was on Tiberius and Courtly. When Maximus reluctantly looked at him, he continued. “You know I had a meeting with de Montfort today. We will be leaving for London on the morrow and we must discuss plans and logistics of such a move. I do not have time to enter marital negotiations with Lord de Lara. Moreover, I am sure he has the same news that I do and will be moving to London tomorrow as well. His daughter, I would assume, will go with him. Can we not discuss marital contracts once we reach London?”
Maximus was clearly, and deeply, unhappy. “London?” he repeated. “Why are we going there? I thought de Montfort was convening a big gathering at Oxford tomorrow?”
Gallus grunted. “As I said, plans have changed,” he replied. “De Montfort received word that the king is convening his supporters next week and he wants to be there. Therefore, we move to London.”
Maximus rolled his eyes in exasperation. “That is all well and good, but it is quite possible that my business cannot wait until we go to London,” he said. “Courtly has said that her father intends to send her and her sister back to Trelystan Castle, mostly to separate Courtly from me. Evidently, he has chased away every suitor she has ever had and he did not like the fact that I paid his daughter attention at the feast last eve. It would seem that her father has an aversion to men when it comes to his daughters.”
Jeniver was listening serious as Gallus exhaled sharply, with impatience. “Max, listen to me,” he muttered. “I am very sorry to say that Kellen de Lara’s approval of your betrothal is not the most important issue we face at the moment. There is something even more critical than all of this. Because de Montfort wants us in London by next week, we cannot go home and visit Honey. We cannot spare the time to see to her.”
Maximus was distracted from Courtly and Tiberius now with the mention of his dying mother. He hissed. “Damnation,” he growled. “Can we not even spare a few days, Gal?”
Gallus shook his head. “You know I am as unhappy as you are about this, but we have no choice,” he said. “Moreover, my sorrow is deepened because I do not believe it will be safe to take my wife into London, either. It is a dangerous place at any given time and we will be spending most of our time with de Montfort and the allies, which would leave Jeniver alone a good deal of the time. It is my intention to send her back to Isenhall. I feel I have little choice. She will be safer there.”
With that, he reached out and took Jeniver’s hand, pulling her gently to him. As Gallus kissed his wife on the temple, Maximus was watching the two of them.
“Then in your sorrow from being separated from your wife, surely you can understand my desire to seek a betrothal with de Lara,” he said quietly. “You do not want to be separated from the woman you love and I… I do not want to be separated from Courtly. I must know she is mine, Gal. Can you not understand that?”
Gallus could, somewhat, but Maximus’ behavior had him frustrated. He struggled not to explode. “Of course I do,” he said with some anger. “But, Max… why you? Why now? You are my rock, my most dependable warrior. You are an immovable object, but now, suddenly, you are pleading like a childish squire, bleeding all things soft and silly about wanting a woman. How can you do this now when you know how badly de Montfort needs our focus?”
Maximus stiffened at his brother’s words. “I am allowed to be a man in all ways,” he said, struggling not to snarl in front of Jeniver. “I am allowed to have feelings for a woman. You’ve had the opportunity twice and I have not had it at all. Now, when I have found a woman I want to marry, you begrudge me the same happiness you have known? Are you truly so selfish?”
The situation was starting to get ugly and Jeniver put herself in between the two of them so they wouldn’t start throwing fists. “Max, he does not begrudge you happiness,” she said to calm the situation. “He does not mean it the way it sounds.”
Maximus was so angry that his lips were starting to turn white, tense with rage. “He means it exactly that way,” he said, both to Jeniver and to Gallus. “I will not let him ruin my chance for happiness. If her father will not allow us to marry, I have no qualms about abducting her and leaving England for good.”
Shocked, Jeniver and Gallus looked at him. “Max, you wouldn’t,” Jeniver gasped. “You would not leave us!”
Maximus opened his mouth but Gallus reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his tunic. “You are mad,” he hissed. “You do not even know what you are saying. I did not say that I would not speak with de Lara on your behalf. I simply asked you to wait. How is that destroying your chance at happiness? If the lady loves you now, she will love you next week or next year. Why is it so urgent that you marry her this instant?”
Maximus didn’t like to be grabbed, not even by his brother. Jeniver could see his fists balling and she shoved him back, smacking her husband’s hand so that he would release him. Pushing the men apart was strenuous and she was already feeling sick and weak, but she jabbed a finger at Maximus in a stunning show of strength.
“You will not fight him, do you hear?” she commanded. Then, she looked at Gallus. “And you know very well that family loyalty supersedes everything. Your loyalty is to your brother most of all. You will listen to me well, both of you. Gal, we will all take Lady Courtly back to Kennington now, whereupon you will speak with Lord de Lara about Maximus. You will get the man’s consent to a marriage this night or we will stay at Kennington until you do. Once you have his consent, Lady Courtly and I will return to Isenhall while you and Maximus go to London. Lady Courtly will be of great assistance to me, as you know I am not feeling my best as of late. We will remain with Lady Honey and your daughters until you and Maximus return from London. Maximus will then marry the lady the moment he returns. Now, will that convince both of you that the situation is not worth fighting over?”
Gallus didn’t like to see his wife so upset. Her pregnancy had been very taxing on her, and even now as she scolded them, he could see that she was rather pale. Nay, he didn’t like it at all, not one bit. He looked at his brother.
“She is right,” he mumbled. “Family is the most important thing. I did not mean to make you feel guilty for your feelings towards the lady, but you must understand that there is a great deal of pressure on me to mobilize our army and move at the head of de Montfort’s force. And you… you are my warrior. You are the knight that all men hope to be. I cannot lose you, Max. I simply cannot.”
Maximus was softened by his brother’s words and he, too, didn’t like seeing Jeniver so upset. He was feeling a great deal of remorse that he had upset her so, but mostly, he was fixed on what she had said.
“I know,” he said after a moment. “You will not lose me. But I need your help, Gal. Lady Courtly says that her father has chased away every suitor she has ever had and I do not want him to chase me away. I have a feeling I cannot intimidate him into agreeing to my demands. Therefore, I need your help. Badly.”
Gallus relented, mostly because he knew he had no choice. He looked at his wife. “Very well, sweetheart,” he said. “We will go to Kennington now and open negotiations on behalf of Max. I suspect I should just turn you loose on de Lara because we shall have his agreement much sooner.”
Jeniver grinned, relieved that Gallus and Maximus were no longer fighting. “I would not be opposed to that,” she said, although she was seriously thinking of resting for a little while. She was beginning to feel quite weak now. Still, this situation would not wait. She needed to be strong. “Allow me to go and gather my things and then we shall depart. Kennington House is not far from here, truly. We should make it there in little time and, depending on how soon we c
an gain de Lara’s agreement, we should be back this evening in plenty of time for you to discuss business with your brothers.”
Gallus cocked an eyebrow at his wife as she turned for the stairs she had so recently come racing down. “It is not that simple and you know it,” he said. “Negotiations could take more than just a few moments of your time.”
Jeniver cast him a glance, giving him a wink. “Not if you turn me loose on him.”
Gallus lifted his shoulders. “If you feel up to the task, you may try,” he said. “He may respond better to the soft overtures of a woman.”
Jeniver’s only reply was to smile as she turned back for the stairs. The moment that she did so, however, the entire room began to rock unsteadily and she began to feel very weak and dizzy. Grabbing for the banister was the last thing she remembered before everything went dark.
PART THREE
WINDS OF WAR
CHAPTER TEN
Kennington House
“Where is my daughter?”
At sunset, Kellen was standing at the gates of Kennington, waiting for his child to be delivered and already, the situation wasn’t going well. He was gathered with a group of his men, including St. Héver, armed to the hilt and appearing as if he were looking for a fight.
Maximus’ heart sank when he saw the offensive posturing that Kellen was presenting. He looked at Gallus, who appeared terribly strained and grossly impatient with de Lara’s demeanor. Having just left his ill wife, Gallus was in no mood for foolery. He couldn’t even present a semblances of politeness at de Lara’s question.
“She is with my wife,” he said flatly. “My wife became ill this afternoon and your daughter has been kind enough to tend her. Given that my wife has no ladies about her and I do not want serving women touching her, I accepted your daughter’s offer. That is what I have come to tell you, de Lara.”
Kellen looked unhappier than he had when they’d first arrived. He eyed Gallus and Maximus, and the host of de Shera soldiers behind them. There were about thirty, including three very big knights. Jaw flexing, Kellen took a few steps towards Gallus as the man sat astride his volatile, red jennet.
England's Greatest Knights: A Medieval Romance Collection Page 16
