There was scuffling going on below as her requests were being discussed and Juliandra quietly shut the door and bolted it, heading back into the chamber. As she waited for action to be taken, she grew more curious about her surroundings. There really wasn’t much more to do while waiting for de Lara than take notice of what would probably become her prison cell.
She began to poke around.
It looked to her as if the chamber had not been cleaned out since the death of the previous lord. There was clutter everywhere, small tables, chairs, stools on end, chamber pots, and everything in between. In one of the turret chambers, the same one that held the big copper tub, there was a wardrobe. Curious, and wondering if there would be anything clean in there for her to wear, she went to the wardrobe and began yanking on the doors, which seemed to be stuck in position. Further examination showed that the iron hinges on the doors were rusted.
But that didn’t stop her.
Juliandra hung on to one of the doors, rocking it back and forth, until finally the iron hinge gave way and the door nearly came off. Startled, she jumped back so she wouldn’t be clipped by the falling door as the contents of the wardrobe were revealed.
Furs and heavy robes were surprisingly neatly packed into the crammed wardrobe. But there was also a basket that contained many wadded-up garments which, upon inspection, turned out to be tunics that were surprisingly fine. They weren’t clean, but the material was quality.
She dug around in the wardrobe for quite some time, inspecting all of the contents, hoping she would find something that she might be able to wear until de Lara agreed to send for her clothing. The dress she was wearing at the moment was very fine, and she could continue wearing it, but she worried about ruining it because a dress like this wasn’t made to be worn constantly.
At the very bottom of the basket in the wardrobe, she came across a long sleeping shirt. It had long sleeves and it was large for her small body, but it was shockingly clean. It didn’t smell like a man like the rest of the garments did, although it was a bit musty. Thinking it would be a good garment for her to at least sleep in until she had something better, she removed it and shook it out, taking it back into the main chamber and draping it over a chair that happened to be in a stream of sunlight. She thought perhaps the sun might be able to freshen it up a little. She was considering jumping back into the wardrobe again when there was a knock at the door.
Juliandra scooted over to the panel, unwilling to open it until she knew who was on the other side.
“Who comes?” she asked.
“De Lara.”
Quickly, she unbolted the door. Kevin was standing on the top step and behind him, she could see a veritable army of servants bearing food and hot water. Throwing the door back, Juliandra readily admitted them into the massive chamber.
They bustled about, heading to the hearth with wood and kindling, or heading into the chamber with the wardrobe in it. One man had a platter with cheese and bread upon it. That had Juliandra’s attention until she caught sight of de Lara out of her peripheral vision. He was moving into her line of sight.
That was when everything changed.
It took her a moment to realize that Kevin de Lara was truly something to behold in the daylight. Last night, the lighting had been dim, and shadows were everywhere, and it had been difficult to get a good look at de Lara other than to see that he was big and handsome. But in the daylight, she could see just how handsome.
For a moment, her breath caught in her throat.
There was something about him that was… clean. Fresh, strong, stalwart, untouched by evil or the trials of too much war, of seeing men die and of slaying men simply for the thrill of it. It was difficult to describe. It wasn’t that he was naïve or untried, because that clearly wasn’t the case. But there was a look about him, from his cropped hair to his big, booted feet that suggested something honorable and respectable.
The man had an aura about him.
As the servants got busy with the hearth and setting out the morning meal, Kevin addressed her.
“Did you sleep comfortably?” he asked.
Juliandra was jolted from her thoughts. “I did,” she said, hoping she didn’t look like a fool for staring at the man. “It is a fine bed, but I… I do not wish to be any trouble, my lord, but I was hoping to ask a favor.”
“What?”
She looked over at the disheveled bed. “The linens could use a wash and the mattress could use new straw,” she said. “I realize this is great trouble, so I am very happy to do it all myself if you will allow it.”
Kevin’s gaze seemed to be lingering on her more than it should have been. Perhaps he was just seeing her clearly for the first time in the daylight, too. But he tore his attention away from her, glancing over at the bed.
“I must be blind not to have noticed that,” he muttered. “One of my knights has been sleeping here since our arrival. I simply never looked close enough and he never said anything.”
Juliandra looked at him in surprise. “This chamber belongs to a knight?” she said, then thought about all of the clothes she’d just pawed through. “Then the things in the wardrobe are… are…”
He shook his head. “They do not belong to him,” he said. “They do not belong to any of us. This chamber simply has a good view of the road. We can watch everything that is happening from here.”
That was true with the big windows that faced out over the road leading to the castle, but Juliandra was focused on the fact that he had given her his bed. She had thought it was because she could be watched more closely in the gatehouse, but perhaps she had been wrong. Perhaps it had been kindness and nothing more.
“You did not have to give me your bed, my lord,” she said. “I could have slept on any pallet.”
Kevin didn’t reply right away. He was watching the servants bring buckets of steaming water into the room, pouring them into the dented copper tub in the small turret room. He directed the servants to bring more water and to locate soap for the lady to wash with. When they were scurrying about, he returned his attention to Juliandra.
“I will have fresh linens brought to you, though it may take some time to locate some,” he said, ignoring the bed issue. “This place was not in the best condition when I assumed command because the former lord’s servants had partially stripped it by the time I arrived.”
She cocked her head curiously. “That is strange,” she said. “There is an entire wardrobe full of clothing that I would assume belonged to Lord Breidden.”
Kevin looked towards the chamber she was indicating. “That old wardrobe?”
“Aye.”
“How did you get into it?”
She tried not to look too guilty for essentially breaking it open. “I hung on the door until it opened,” she said, which was mostly the truth. “The hinges were rusted.”
“I know,” he said. “I saw, but I have not yet had the time nor the curiosity to open it. What did you find?”
“Old clothing, old furs,” she said. “Would you like to see?”
He shook his head. “Later,” he said. “Is there anything else you require?”
She thought that was a rather ridiculous question considering she had absolutely nothing of her own.
“There is,” she said. “I have none of my own possessions – no clothing, no personal things. Last night, I told you that I should like to return home for them. I would at least like to have more than one dress to wear and a comb for my hair.”
He eyed her, sensing her frustration. “And I told you that I would supply everything you needed,” he said. “You are not returning home.”
“But why not?” she said, trying not to sound petulant or demanding. “I told you that I would remain with you in exchange for my father’s freedom. I am a woman of my word, my lord.”
He took a long, deep breath, possibly to fortify his patience. “I do not doubt your word,” he said. “But I also have no intention of sending you deep into Wales where
my men and I would not be welcome simply so you can retrieve your clothing. We shall go into Shrewsbury. There is an entire street filled with merchants and I shall purchase everything you need for your stay here.”
“Shrewsbury?” she repeated, dismayed. “All the way there?”
“We can make it there and back in a day.”
“But Pool is much closer,” she said. “My father’s shop is there. I can get everything I need or could possibly want and it will not cost you anything. Moreover, with my father a captive, there is no one to manage the shop but a few servants. I must check in on the shop to ensure everything is as it should be.”
He nodded, conceding the point. “Very well,” he said. “Do what you must do in order to prepare and we shall leave later this morning.”
Juliandra nodded. “I will. Thank you.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, as if he wanted to say something more, but he refrained. Juliandra kept waiting for something more to come out of his mouth, but he remained a silent. Still, her impression of him that she first had when he entered the chamber remained the same. There was something very noble about him. Even though he was technically her enemy, she did not feel threatened by him. In fact, she felt safe with him, which was an odd sensation.
She couldn’t explain why she felt that way, only that she did.
Without another word, Kevin quit the chamber, making sure to herd the servants out before shutting the door behind him. Juliandra suddenly found herself alone in a chamber that now had a flyer, a hot bath in the other room, and food on the table. Kevin had told her to be ready to travel, and she would obey.
With only a moment’s hesitation, her thoughts still lingering on Kevin, she flew into action.
“So, I kept her,” Kevin said. “She is in the gatehouse chamber, dressing as we speak. I told her that I would take her into Pool so that she could collect some personal items from her father’s shop, so prepare an escort to be ready within the hour.”
He was speaking to Gareth, Cal, and Bannon. The four of them were seated at the end of a feasting table in the great hall, which was now devoid of the noise and heat and men that it had seen last night. This morning, there was only a small fire in that great fire pit in the center of the hall and the only people eating were Kevin and his three knights. Servants were moving about, sweeping and scrubbing tables, as Kevin and his men shared some warmed wine and bread.
Kevin had called them together so he could tell them about Juliandra. He explained who she was, and why she had come, and he had further explained why he had made a bargain with her. The knights knew that her father had died while being arrested for failing to pay the toll, and they did not disagree with Kevin’s reasoning for not telling her, but Gareth in particular was having a difficult time with it.
The Kevin he had come to know would never have lied about something like that, and most assuredly not to a woman. The Kevin he knew was a man who told, and valued, the truth above all, so this situation was most puzzling. But on the other hand, it made sense. He knew exactly why he’d done it.
He just never would have expected it coming from Kevin.
“So you told her that her father’s freedom was predicated on her cooperation?” he clarified.
Kevin nodded. “As long as she believes her father’s freedom is at stake, she will be most complacent,” he said. But when he saw the look on Gareth’s face, he could feel the pangs of guilt poke at him. He knew what the man was thinking. “Gareth, I realize this is not the most ethical way to go about things, but I have to think of the greater good.”
Gareth held up a quelling hand. “I know.”
Somehow, Kevin didn’t think he did. “We have been here for months and we have been unable to open a dialogue with the local warlords,” he said. “You know that I have tried, Gareth.”
Gareth was nodding his head because Kevin was starting to get agitated. “I know you have. You need not explain what I already know.”
That didn’t seem to ease Kevin. Gareth’s respect was paramount and he was already having a difficult enough time reconciling his actions to himself, much less a friend.
“I saw this as an opportunity and nothing more,” Kevin said. “Lady Juliandra has lived here her entire life. She knows the local politics, the people we must be wary of. This is an invaluable opportunity to learn what we must learn if we are to be successful at Wybren.”
Gareth finally reached out and put a hand on Kevin’s arm. “Kevin, I know,” he said. “I agree with what you have done. I am not judging you, my friend. You know that.”
“But what happens when she has told us everything she can?” Bannon asked the obvious question. “You cannot keep her indefinitely. At some point, she will have served her purpose and she will want her father released.”
Kevin knew that. “I will be forced to tell her the truth at that time.”
Bannon shook his head. “You misunderstand,” he said. “What I am trying to say is this – the lady agreed to remain here in good faith. Everything she is doing is because she trusts your word as a knight. When you have gleaned what information you can from her and then proceed to tell her that her father has been dead all along, that will not bode well for your trustworthiness. Do you think she will not tell everyone she knows that you lied to her? What warlord will trust you after Lady Juliandra tells them how you betrayed her trust?”
Kevin sighed heavily, looking at his nearly empty cup. “That has occurred to me,” he said quietly. “But in order to preserve our lives, it is a risk I must take. We are blind out here, Bannon. We are in a fortress surrounded by Welsh who do not want us here and will not speak to us. I cannot even send patrols into the countryside for fear of Welsh ambushes. Worse still, I cannot establish a relationship with any of the villages because the elders will not speak to us. Giving the churches half of the toll collection is a way to establish our good intentions, but we need more. I need to know about this country and Juliandra can tell me.”
“You can do what my father did,” Cal interjected.
Three sets of eyes looked at him. “What’s that?” Kevin asked.
“Marry her,” Cal said simply. “My father married my mother, who is from a very old Welsh family, and that established a link with the community he was to rule over. It worked.”
Kevin’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I am not that desperate,” he said flatly. “I will not marry a woman simply because I want to ingratiate myself to the local Welsh.”
Cal snorted as he lifted his cup to his lips. “I saw Lady Juliandra last night,” he said. “She is quite beautiful. I do not think marriage to her would be a difficult decision.”
He continued to chuckle lewdly, which brought a brotherly slap on the head from Bannon. Kevin and Gareth burst into laughter as Cal made a face and rubbed his head.
“I haven’t noticed,” Kevin said, though it was a lie. He’d very much noticed but he didn’t want the others to know. “I am thinking about my command, not a single woman. This situation is greater than that.”
“That is not entirely true,” Gareth said. “You have already seen the value of a single woman. Cal is right; she may be the key to all of this.”
For some reason, that put Kevin on the defensive more than it should have and he struggled with his reaction. “If she was the daughter of a warlord, I would agree with you, but she is not. Her father is a mere merchant, so marrying her would not create an alliance of any kind.”
Gareth shrugged. “Mayhap not, but with her family so involved in the local town, she still has value,” he said. “People will know and respect her family, which would give you an advantage if you married her.”
Kevin was growing edgy. “And just how much of an advantage will it give me when they learn that her father was killed in our custody and I married his daughter? They will think I killed the father and married his daughter simply to gain a foothold. It will be seen as a conquest move.” He set his cup aside and stood up. “Bannon, you and C
al will accompany me into Pool with the lady. Gareth, you will have the command. Have the escort ready to depart within the hour.”
Before his men could really acknowledge the order, Kevin was already marching across the hall. As he spilled out into the bailey beyond, he realized he had just made a fool out of himself and he didn’t even know why.
Or perhaps he did.
It had all started when he saw her this morning.
Truth be told, he had recognized her beauty last night. There was no mistaking her shiny, silky hair and her brilliant eyes. She was wearing a dress that was scarlet in color with gold undertones, something that made her look incandescent and surreal. As he’d noticed last night, she was a fine-looking woman, finer than any woman he had ever seen. Although Kevin wasn’t a man to stare at women or even really notice them, he did have a keen appreciation for the opposite sex. He had always planned to marry well.
Perhaps that’s why his men’s words had jolted him so.
His brother had married the heiress to a great earldom. Because of that, Sean had inherited a title and vast properties. It had been an excellent match, but it had also been a love match, which was perhaps something that Kevin secretly yearned for. He had seen the way his brother looked at his wife and he had found himself envious. Men did not often marry for love because marriage was always seen as a way to increase one’s wealth and holdings.
Kevin was starting to think that marrying for love was more important than marrying for property. He wanted a wife whose mere presence made his heart race, a woman he could not stop thinking about from morning until night. He had heard his brother speak on such things and that was why his opinion on marriage had shifted from one of possession to one of emotion.
It was possible to love one’s wife.
Marrying a merchant’s daughter was not unattractive in and of itself as long as he had feelings for her. For him to marry for something other than wealth or property meant he would have to feel a good deal for her. All he knew was that when he saw Juliandra this morning in the light of day, she made his heart race.
The Agents of William Marshal Volume II: A Medieval Romance Bundle Page 68
