Courtly gazed at the woman, her eyes filling with tears. She simply couldn’t fight them off as Ellice reminded her of the heart and soul she had left back at The One-Eyed Raven. Her features crumbled and she sat heavily at the feasting table, right in the same spot she had sat the night before with Maximus at her side. She remembered that night clearly, word for word, and her hand moved over the seat next to her where he had been. She could still see him sitting there, strong and proud. The sobs came.
“I have no choice,” she wept quietly. “If I do not do what Papa says, he will take it out on innocent people. He may even take it out on you or Isadora. I could not live with myself if he harmed all of you because he was angry with me.”
Ellice was moved by her tears. She remembered another young girl, years ago, with similar tears where it pertained to Kellen de Lara. Ellice had been so very young when Kellen had chased her last suitor away, a man she had loved. God’s Bones, but she remembered those tears. She remembered the pain. Courtly’s sorrow cut her deeply.
“Then you are giving up,” she said hoarsely. “You are letting your father win.”
Courtly shook her head, wiping at her cheeks. “I am doing what I must in order to save those around me,” she said. “If something must be sacrificed in all of this, I would rather it be me than Maximus.”
Ellice watched her niece quietly weep, each tear driving the nails of grief deeper and deeper into her heart. She had so wanted to help Courtly so the woman would not suffer the same lonely life she had, but Courtly was convinced that she had to obey her father in order to keep those she loved safe. It was the truth, in fact, and the noblest sacrifice Ellice had ever seen. She felt so very helpless because she knew she couldn’t help Courtly. But she knew who could, perhaps the only person in all of England who could.
“Where is Sir Maximus?” Ellice asked. “Where is he staying?”
Courtly wiped at her nose. “In Oxford,” she sniffled. “At a tavern called The One-Eyed Raven. Why do you ask?”
Ellice avoided the question. “When he discovers you missing, he will come here. You know that.”
Courtly shrugged. “I asked him not to,” she whispered. “I told him not to come after me.”
Ellice snorted. “Do you think he will listen?” she said, glancing up at one of the tall, lancet windows at the top of the room when the lightning flashed overhead. “He is more than likely on his way here.”
Courtly looked up at her, disturbed by the suggestion. “I asked him not to,” she repeated, with concern in her tone now. “He must not come, Auntie. It will be a horrible situation if he does.”
Ellice nodded, pretending to agree. “Aye, it will be,” she said. “Mayhap… mayhap I should go and warn him not to come.”
Courtly stood up, her expression eager. “Will you?” she asked hopefully. “I know the weather is terrible, and I would not ask this of you under normal circumstances, but I am afraid of what Papa will do if Maximus comes for me. Papa might even try to kill him.”
Ellice was indeed thinking of riding to warn Maximus, but not for the reasons Courtly was concerned with. Ellice had her own plans.
“I will ride into town and speak to him,” Ellice said. “He must know not to come. He must know… what is happening.”
Courtly nodded her head, deeply thankful for her aunt’s selfless attitude. “Please, Auntie,” she begged softly, “Please go to him. I will be forever grateful.”
Ellice waited until Isadora returned with warmed wine before leaving the hall and heading to her chambers to don clothing that would be somewhat resistant to the terrible weather. She’d spent so much of her life feeling worthless and restless that to actually have a purpose fueled her with confidence and new hope.
She was going to ride to find Maximus de Shera, that was a fact. But it would not be to warn him not to come to Kennington. It would be to tell him that Kellen was sending his daughters back to Trelystan. Her suggestion would be that Maximus should intercept that escort and take back what rightfully belonged to him. Kellen, who had to remain in Oxford because of de Montfort’s gathering, might not know for weeks or even months that his daughters had been taken by Maximus de Shera. By the time he found out, Courtly would be Lady de Shera and Kellen would be too late to do anything about it. Aye, it was a brilliant plan.
For the marriage Kellen had denied his sister those years ago, Ellice would finally make her brother pay.
She would have the last laugh.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Maximus recognized the woman the moment she walked into the inn, drenched and sputtering.
He had been standing at the usual de Shera table, the one near the barkeep, discussing Courtly’s disappearance and her subsequent note that they had discovered a few minutes earlier. Thinking the women were sleeping, they had left them alone until Stefan had returned to tell them that he could not find one hostel or inn that had room for all of them. Then, there was no point in waking the women at all and they’d found the note only by chance when Gallus had gone to look in on his wife again and found her very much alone in the chamber. Courtly’s note had been on the table nearby. They had been preparing to go after her when Lady Ellice walked through the tavern door.
Maximus crossed the room in seconds. Perhaps he even flew. He wasn’t entirely sure. All he knew was that, suddenly, he had his hands on Ellice as if she alone held all of the answers to Courtly’s disappearance.
“Where is she?” he demanded savagely. “Where is Courtly?”
Ellice was somewhat caught off-guard. Having charged blindly into the inn to get out of the rain, she suddenly found herself in the hands of a madman. She yelped with surprise, looking up into a very angry, very worried face.
“Sir Maximus!” she gasped.
Maximus’ grip on her arms tightened. “Where is she?” he repeated.
By this time, Gallus and Tiberius had joined Maximus and were attempting to pull his hands off the woman.
“Max,” Gallus said softly, urgently. “Let her go. Come, now, release her.”
Maximus managed to get one hand off of her but he still kept a grip on her arm, even as Gallus and Tiberius led them over, in some odd-looking group clutching at each other, to the table where all of the de Shera men were gathering. Someone extended a cup of warm wine to Ellice, which she gratefully accepted. She was soaked through. But Maximus had to let her go in order for her to lift the cup to her lips and he did so, though reluctantly. Ellice drank deeply before speaking.
“Courtly is at Kennington,” she said, licking her lips. “She came back because she was afraid my brother was going to launch an attack against you. She believed that if she went back to her father, then he would cease his hostilities.”
Maximus already knew that, more or less. “Is she well?” he demanded. “Did she make the journey safely?”
Ellice nodded and took another long drink of wine. “She is well,” she replied, hearing the great concern in Maximus’ voice. “You needn’t worry over her health. But I have come to tell you that my brother is sending her back to Trelystan this very night. There is no time to waste. If you want to reclaim her, do it when she is on the open road with only a few soldiers as protection.”
Gallus and Tiberius, as well as Maximus, were listening carefully. Maximus, who was usually the calm one in all situations, was having a difficult time keeping his bearings under these circumstances. When he had discovered Courtly missing, he had felt panic as he had never experienced in his life. All he could think of was the woman, alone, traveling back to Kennington in such terrible weather. Moreover, she was heading straight for her abusive, crazed father. But hearing that she was safe, at least for the time being, soothed him like nothing else could have. She was safe and whole. That was truly all that mattered to him. The rest, he could deal with as long as she was healthy.
“De Lara is sending her back tonight?” Gallus repeated what he’d just been told. “How is that even possible? He would do such a thing in this weather?�
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Ellice looked around the table at the host of powerful knights, de Shera knights. These were the heart of the de Shera war machine, but the truth was that she’d hardly been out of Kennington in years and certainly not enough to find company with men she did not know. Looking into the faces of the de Wolfe brothers, of Garran, and finally into Stefan’s very handsome, young face stirred her female blood somewhat. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be around attractive men.
“As I said earlier, when you were at Kennington,” she said, tearing her eyes away from young Stefan, “my brother believes he is protecting his children and will do what he feels necessary in order to do that. At this moment, he is only concerned with removing them from Oxford and, in particular, separating Courtly from Sir Maximus. The weather does not matter. All that matters is that they leave as soon as possible. He wants to put as much distance as he can between Sir Maximus and his daughter, and do it quickly.”
“Tonight?” Gallus clarified.
Ellice nodded. “Tonight,” she confirmed softly. “But be advised that my brother will not be part of the escort. He must remain here for de Montfort’s gathering, as I am sure you are all well aware, so he will not be returning with his daughters to Trelystan. He will send an escort of de Lara men to take them. It may be your one and only opportunity to reclaim her if you truly wish to do so.”
Maximus was much calmer now than he had been only moments earlier. “Do you know what road they are taking?”
Ellice lifted her shoulders. “I can only assume the north road that skirts the edge of Oxford and heads north towards Evesham,” she said. “It is the only one they could possibly take.”
“Do you know when they are leaving?”
“The men were beginning to mobilize when I left Kennington. It is possible they will leave within the next hour or so.”
Maximus digested the information a moment before turning to Gallus. “We can take thirty men and intercept them on the road north,” he said. “But the issue is this – if we leave any of them alive, they will run back and tell de Lara that I have his daughters. But if we kill all of the soldiers, it will look like any manner of massacre at the hands of outlaws and the women will be missing. De Lara will not know what has become of his daughters and he will more than likely refrain from coming after me, at least for a time.”
Gallus sighed heavily as he sat back in his chair, looking to Maximus. “As a father myself, I am not entirely sure I can condone leaving de Lara to believe that his daughters have been abducted by bandits. That would be a most painful thing.”
Maximus cocked his head, almost defiantly. “Then do not ride with me and you can disavow knowledge of the entire situation,” he said. “Either way, I am riding to intercept that escort and I am going to kill every one of them because any man I leave alive will run back and tell de Lara that I have abducted his daughter. That will bring the House of de Lara down upon us ten-fold.”
Gallus could see that he was about to enter into an argument with his brother and he forced a smile at Ellice. “A moment, please, my lady,” he said, standing up and pulling Maximus with him. “A word with my brother is all I need.”
Ellice let them go, watching as the tall, youngest brother joined his two siblings. As the men huddled together, Gallus spoke in hushed tones.
“Max, I realized you want this woman,” he said quietly. “I told you before that I want to see you happy. I was more than willing to allow her to remain with us here at the inn and then fight off de Lara when he came for her. But now you are speaking of intercepting her father’s escort, killing every man there so they cannot give you away, and then abducting not only Courtly, but her younger sister as well. Now you will have both daughters and you want de Lara to think that they’ve been abducted by unknown outlaws? There is something less than honorable about that.”
Maximus’ jaw flexed unhappily. “Then do not go with me,” he snapped. “I will go myself. I do not need you.”
Tiberius reached out and grabbed his older brother. “Wait, Max,” he said, trying to soothe the man. “Gallus did not mean it the way it sounded. I believe what he is saying is that a situation like this will only create a bigger mess with de Lara.”
Maximus was furious and struggling to calm himself. “If either one of you ever asked the same thing from me, to help you regain the woman you love, then I would do it without question,” he hissed. “But I am evidently not afforded the same courtesy. Unconditional, brotherly love means unconditional support, in all things, but if you do not want to be a part of this, then I will go it alone.”
Gallus grabbed hold of him, too, before he stomped away in anger. “Nay, you will not,” he sighed, relenting. “Ty is correct. It is my sense that going about it the way you are suggesting will only create more of an issue with de Lara. God’s Blood, Max, if you marry the woman, de Lara will be your father-in-law for the rest of your life and grandfather to your children. Do you truly wish to have an adversarial relationship with him forever? How do you think that will wear upon his daughter and, eventually, your marriage? Could she even grow to resent you?”
He had a point. Maximus stopped his angry posturing and took a deep breath, laboring to ease his anger. He pulled upon that reasonable and steady demeanor that was his usual manner. Where his emotions were concerned, where Courtly was concerned, he was coming to see that he could be very volatile.
“I am too emotional about this,” he conceded, raking his fingers through his dark brown hair. “I am sure you are both correct. Forgive me for being so angry about it. But I intend to intercept that escort. I will rely on the two of you to decide how, exactly, we extract Courtly. All I want to do is kill them all and leave no trace. Mayhap it is not the best way, but it is my way.”
Gallus slapped him on the shoulder. “And we may yet have to kill them all,” he said. “But only if we have no other choice. For now, let us muster the knights and a party of thirty soldiers and ride out to intercept the de Lara party. Ty, summon the knights over. We will tell them what we are about to do.”
Tiberius produced a low whistle, catching the attention of the knights standing around the table where Ellice was drinking the last of her warmed wine. The men gravitated over to the de Shera brothers, expectant of the orders that were about to come forth. Gallus didn’t keep them waiting.
“We are going to intercept the de Lara escort,” he said, stating the obvious. “Scott and Troy, you will muster the soldiers. Make sure they are mounted and well-armed. Treat this incursion as you would a battle. Stefan, we will travel light, meaning no provisions wagon. You will ensure that every man has rations and also ensure that every horse is sound. If the beast is not, then this weather will surely ruin him and weaken our war party. Garran, I am sorry to say that I will have you stay with my wife while we are gone. She needs at least one competent knight and you would honor me by remaining with her. Are there any questions so far?”
The knights shook their heads and Gallus dismissed them. He was turning back for Max and Tiberius when he realized that Garran was still standing beside him.
“Do you have an issue, de Moray?” he asked, thinking that Garran was going to argue about being left behind with Jeniver. “State it.”
Garran’s gaze was somewhat uncomfortable as he looked at Gallus. He had been uncomfortable all day, ever since seeing his father, and the discomfort had only grown worse. He’d spent most of the day at the inn, as he was there to protect Lady de Shera while her husband had dealings with Kellen de Lara, and he’d therefore had a good deal of time to think on what his father had asked of him. He eventually came to the only conclusion he could come to and it was time to let the de Shera brothers know. Perhaps this wasn’t the best time, but it might be his only opportunity. He cleared his throat softly.
“My lord,” he said to Gallus. “I must speak with you, but not about anything involving your wife. I am always agreeable to protecting Lady de Shera. I must speak with you about something different.�
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Gallus glanced at Maximus and Tiberius. Maximus had impatience on his features but Tiberius appeared rather suspicious. Wary, even. It was an odd expression but one that Gallus didn’t give much note to. He tried not to appear impatient, too.
“Must we discuss it now?” he asked Garran.
The man nodded. “We must, my lord,” he replied. “It is important. I will only take a moment.”
Gallus lifted his shoulders. “Very well,” he said. “State your business and be quick about it. We must mobilize.”
Garran knew that. He found that he was nervous to speak with de Shera. He hoped the man would understand his decision, as heartbreaking as it was. He took a deep breath.
“My father is in town,” he said, looking to Tiberius. “He came yesterday and paid a visit to the inn when we were away. Tiberius was here, however, and he and Tiberius spoke. I went to see my father at his lodgings on the south side of town to find out why he was in town. I had no knowledge of him visiting Oxford. I am sure you all know that my father is a staunch supporter of Henry but I do not believe you know why. When he was younger, the king saved his life and he has, therefore, always felt a life debt to him. That is why he cannot side with de Montfort. In any case, it would seem that the king has summoned my father to London and has asked him to sit upon his council. I know you were afraid that the king’s council would be full of Poitevins, but it would seem that my father will be among them. My father… he understands that I do not agree with the king or his policies, but my father has come to ask for my support, as his son.”
Gallus, Maximus, and Tiberius were listening intently. “So that is what your father came to Oxford for,” Tiberius said. “You did not give me a direct answer when I asked you. Now, I know why.”
Garran nodded, looking somewhat sad and disappointed. “Henry has asked not only for my father’s counsel, but for his sword,” he said quietly. “My father has agreed. At some point, we will be facing Henry in battle and, consequently, my father. I hope you understand when I say that I will not fight my father on the field of battle. I would never lift a sword to him, ever, no matter what I believe. I must therefore ask you to release me from my oath of fealty, Lord de Shera, because I have made the decision to support and, if necessary, fight alongside, my father.”
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