by Jody Hedlund
Even Mitchell.
My sights shifted to him again, to Adelaide’s loving caress against his battered face. If she could so easily forgive him for his betrayal, then how could I not follow her example and do the same?
The need to forgive and be forgiven pulsed through my chest. Maybe I hadn’t been able to make things right with my father, but I had the opportunity with Mitchell.
Heedless of the soldiers swarming around us, I knelt next to Mitchell. Adelaide’s touch must have soothed him, for he’d ceased thrashing.
“We must find a manor house nearby,” Adelaide whispered to me urgently. “Someone loyal to the house of Mercia who would be willing to give us aid and shelter for Mitchell.”
Words of caution immediately sprang to the tip of my tongue. We didn’t have time to delay. We needed to make haste in chasing after Captain Theobald. If we could eliminate the captain before he reached Delsworth, we’d send a clear message to King Ethelwulf that he wouldn’t so easily defeat us.
Before I could formulate a plan, Mitchell gasped and tried to sit up.
“Brother,” I said.
My voice drew his attention, and he tilted his head in my direction.
“I want you to know,” I started slowly, “I regret the way I parted with Father when I left Mercia. I was a fool to reject my family. I hurt all of you. And I am deeply sorry for that.”
While I could have left my home under peaceful circumstances and should have made an effort to stay better connected, I could not apologize for going. In God’s providence, I’d been meant to leave my home and country. Doing so had allowed me to amass a loyal following of dissenters while gaining an invaluable ally with the king of Norland. Both would be helpful to Adelaide in the days and weeks to come.
Instead of turning away from me, Mitchell nodded. I wasn’t sure what the nod meant, but I took encouragement from it and continued. “I do not deserve your forgiveness for my callousness and abandonment. But I would ask for it anyway.”
At my plea, Mitchell expelled a breath. For a moment, he was so still I was afraid he’d died. As if sensing the same, Adelaide brushed her fingers across Mitchell’s forehead again. Though her expression remained composed, her hand trembled.
Mitchell’s silence stretched, making the voices and barked commands of the other knights all that much louder.
A heaviness settled over me. Mitchell had decided not to forgive me. I held in a sigh and then placed my hand upon his mangled arm. “I love you, Mitchell. And I always shall.” With that, I started to rise.
Before I could move away, his fingers captured mine in a surprisingly strong grip. “Love. You. Too.” His whisper was stilted and hardly audible. Then he squeezed my hand, and I knew he’d forgiven me.
A lump formed in my throat.
“Vow. You will. Protect. Adelaide. With your life.”
“I vow it.”
He attempted to lift his hand but the movement only caused him to tremble with pain.
I knew what he wanted, and I bent my head and kissed his hand three times to seal my vow.
At my assurance, he turned his sightless eyes toward Adelaide, his expression taut as though he was attempting to see her beautiful face one last time.
“I kept. My promise. To Mother.” His words were faint but distinct. “You are. Safe now.”
A tear escaped and slid down Adelaide’s cheek. “She would be so proud of you, just as I am.”
He gave the barest of nods. His expression was earnest as though he wanted to say more, but his body began to shake. He convulsed for several seconds and finally grew still. His chest ceased its rise and fall. His hand grew limp. And his head slipped sideways.
My brother was dead.
Chapter
22
Christopher
The familiar high, rocky precipices of Norland’s greatest seaport, Brechness, towered above the ship, the granite showing hues of rose threaded with lines of ebony. The bulk of the city sat on the cliffs, nearly impenetrable by the rock fortress that surrounded it.
Because of its secure position, King Draybane made Brechness his primary residence. He had several other castles throughout Norland where he dwelled from time to time. But I’d gained word from a passing vessel that the king was currently in Brechness, confirming my own knowledge of where I’d expected him to be.
I inhaled the salty air and savored the mist rising up from the waves splashing against the bow. Even in early July, Brechness was cooler than most places due to its far northern location as well as the cold winds blowing in from the ocean.
During our voyage, I’d expected to encounter any number of Ethelwulf’s ships that still roamed the East Sea preying on merchant vessels. After countless battles on both land and sea against Ethelwulf’s raiders, I’d been prepared to fight them as I had the past years of serving King Draybane.
However, we’d had no trouble as we’d sailed, seeing only one of his ships from a distance. Now I was anxious to dock and set my feet on solid ground. Though I’d seen little of Adelaide over the past week of traveling, I had no doubt she was ready to land as well.
Due to seasickness, she’d been confined to her berth most of the trip. Lady Sybil, the wife of one of the older noblemen accompanying us, had become one of her ladies-in-waiting and gave me frequent reports on Adelaide’s condition.
I glanced starboard to the second ship. Many of the noblemen who’d joined us had brought their families to Norland fearing retribution from Ethelwulf once he learned they’d left with the queen. While some of the single young knights had opposed the additional passengers, Adelaide had insisted that any knight who fought for her would be allowed to protect his family in any manner he saw fit.
Her continued compassion won the hearts of not only the noblemen but their wives and children. Many of the women vied to serve her, to become trusted ladies-in-waiting. Rather than picking the most beautiful and poised of the noblewomen to be her attendants, as was Mercia’s tradition, Adelaide chose the oldest, wisest, and most experienced at life.
“My lord,” came Lady Sybil’s voice behind me.
I spun to find the petite but graceful woman wearing court attire with her graying hair pulled up into an elegant knot. Her face was plain and marred by pockmarks from a childhood disease. But because Adelaide had proven she valued the woman’s inner beauty more than her outward, Lady Sybil had become a devoted servant for life.
I bowed my head. “Lady Sybil, is the queen ready to disembark?”
“She requests proper attire, my lord.”
I smiled. “Then she is finally agreeing to put aside her armor when she meets King Draybane?”
Lady Sybil returned my smile. She was my co-conspirator in my efforts to convince Adelaide to present herself like royalty rather than a knight for her visit to King Draybane’s court. “It has taken some persuading, my lord. But she sees the wisdom in it.”
“Then she has relinquished her notion to participate in King Draybane’s tournament?” I’d made the mistake of mentioning I wanted to reach Brechness before the Summer Bounty Festival. The king of Norland always had a tournament to celebrate the occasion, and I knew the purse of gold he gave the winner would be helpful to our cause.
“She has made no more mention of it.”
“Excellent.” I exhaled another breath, this one of relief. Mitchell may have given in to her every whim to join in mock battles and jousting tournaments and other contests. But I was not my brother. And I would not allow Adelaide to partake in such activities, not even if I had to lock her away myself.
At the thought of Mitchell, sadness gripped my heart. We had buried him over a fortnight ago on the same day we’d recovered him from Captain Theobald. Though we’d pursued the captain, we’d been too late. He and his remaining guards had ridden swiftly and had found security behind Delsworth gates before we could overtake them.
Knowing our forces were yet too small for an offensive attack against Delsworth, Adelaide had agreed with her n
ewly-formed council to withdraw from Mercia and join with the rebels already living in Norland.
Her main concern was that Ethelwulf would no longer search for her, but instead would pursue and capture her sisters. If he couldn’t make her queen, then what was to stop him from forcing one of the other princesses into a marriage with his son? Or perhaps even use the other princesses to bait Adelaide back to Mercia to do his bidding?
So far, we’d heard no word of Ethelwulf discovering the princesses, which meant Mitchell had most likely not revealed their locations to Captain Theobald. At least we prayed he hadn’t and that the twin princesses would remain safe until we could send men to secretively retrieve them—if we could find them in the places Sister Katherine had divulged to us.
Lady Sybil steadied herself against the mast of the swaying ship. “The queen has agreed to the suggestion to have several new gowns created once we arrive at King Draybane’s castle. She says she will await her presentation to the king and court until she is properly attired.”
“Thank you for exerting your womanly influence upon the queen, my lady.”
Lady Sybil bowed and then retreated toward the cabin where Adelaide had confined herself. A deep longing cinched inside my gut. I wanted to follow Lady Sybil, enter Adelaide’s room, and gather her into my arms. I’d already done so once around the knights, the day Firmin had fallen onto Adelaide after saving her from Captain Theobald’s knife.
As a reward for saving her life, Adelaide had given Firmin the position of captain of her elite guard. He and the other elite guards were aboard the second ship. After being in service to a cruel master, one who used fear to retain their loyalty, they’d eagerly pledged their lives and loyalty to Adelaide. They were slower to accept me and my commands. But at least they trusted and loved Adelaide.
No one had mentioned my passionate embrace with Adelaide. Mayhap the noblemen wouldn’t be so bold as to ask me about the nature of my relationship with Adelaide. And mayhap they wouldn’t outright condemn me for being her closest friend and advisor. But I could sense the disapproval from some of the older noblemen, the ones who expected their queen would marry nothing less than royalty.
I tried to cling to my resolve not to care what anyone else thought, but I also didn’t want to hurt her reputation or position in any way. Besides, I’d confessed my love for her, and she hadn’t responded. Granted, I’d picked a lousy time to tell her. Even so, she’d given me no more indication she reciprocated.
Perhaps once she watched me in the tournament, once she saw me fight, I would win her favor and heart. Perhaps then we’d be able to talk openly about our relationship again.
Even as I plotted how I might find more time with her, my sense of duty told me I had to let her go. If she didn’t love me and considered me nothing more than a passing infatuation, then I’d be wise to keep from stirring emotions where there should be none.
Whatever the case, I had to inform King Draybane I couldn’t accept his offer of marriage to his daughter. I couldn’t marry one woman, no matter how favorable the match, when I was completely in love with someone else.
Adelaide
“This is the last measurement, Your Majesty,” Lady Sybil assured me.
I stood on a stepstool at the center of the large chamber King Draybane had provided, wearing my simple linen undergarments. The dressmaker and her assistants seemed oblivious to my state of undress and had drawn up designs for new gowns, shifts, and nightgowns.
With half the morning spent, I’d allowed Lady Sybil and my other ladies-in-waiting to assume I was merely anxious to be finished with the poking and prodding and preening. In truth, the jousting tournament had started, and I had to sneak away soon, or I’d miss my chance to participate.
I understood why Christopher didn’t want me to joust. But I wasn’t in Norland to win a purse of gold. Rather, I was here to impress King Draybane and persuade him to loan us supplies for our war against King Ethelwulf. Since we had no treasure or coffers to draw from, at the very least, we needed his financial support. At best, we hoped he’d be willing to lend us his army.
Though I would put off my official appearance at court until I had an appropriate gown, I’d met the king last evening when we rowed ashore and climbed dozens of stairs. He’d been waiting for us in the gatehouse of his magnificent Brechness royal residence that graced the bluffs. A short, stout man with a round face made rounder by his full head of curly red hair, he greeted me with exclamations of how much I looked like my beautiful mother. Attired in the only garments I’d brought along—my men’s tunic and breeches covered by chain mail—he surely exaggerated my beauty. Nonetheless, I’d accepted his praise graciously.
The king had enveloped Christopher in a fatherly hug and then proceeded to speak at length and with pride of Christopher’s many feats and daring deeds. With such high adulation, I’d finally understood why the king had offered Christopher his youngest daughter’s hand in marriage.
I’d never begrudged praise to those who deserved it. But the king’s esteem of Christopher had kept me awake throughout the night. When dawn broke, I’d realized how weak and inconsequential I must seem in comparison to a skilled warrior and dynamic leader such as Christopher. If I’d been a man, would King Draybane offer Mercia his support more readily? If I’d been a man, would the rebels be willing to follow me for who I was and not merely because of Christopher’s leadership?
I’d been praying for wisdom again and realized the joust would prove I was a strong woman, one equal to any man. The only problem was I had to make sure I didn’t face Christopher in any of the early rounds. He’d recognize Roland, brought ashore last night along with some of our other horses. Even with the caparison that covered the bay roan’s body and the chanfron protecting his head, I couldn’t take any chances.
I’d given Firmin the task of secretly securing a nobleman’s name and place in the tournament. At dawn, my new captain of the guard had assured me he’d found a sick young nobleman, Lord Vaughn, who’d agreed to let a substitute ride in his stead using his name and coat of arms.
“I thank you for your assistance,” I said to the dressmaker as she finally removed the last pinned sleeve from my arm. “You are most kind to willingly put aside all of your other projects to work on mine.”
The woman curtsied and fumbled through a response before backing away. I didn’t have the means to pay for the gowns yet. But apparently, Christopher had amassed a significant fortune from his raids on Ethelwulf’s ships, and he’d commissioned the dressmaker on my behalf.
Was my poverty one more weakness in King Draybane’s eyes? Perhaps I should have insisted on finding King Solomon’s treasure before leaving Mercia.
I shook off the doubts. I was here in Norland, and now I would make the best of the situation. And I would do my utmost to show I was a worthy queen.
Lady Sybil and the other noblewomen made a move to follow me to my private chamber, but I halted in the doorway. “I do not wish to be disturbed for the next two hours.”
They bowed their heads in deference to my order. When Lady Sybil lifted hers, her keen eyes held questions. What she lacked in size, she more than made up for with her intelligence. It was one of the reasons I’d liked her. She had proven knowledgeable about many things, including all I’d needed to learn about court life not only in Mercia but also Norland. Additionally, she had a tactful and kind way of conveying information so I didn’t feel incompetent.
I closed the door of my private chamber behind me and walked across the room past the richly canopied bed to the other exit. As I opened the door and found Firmin standing in the servants’ quarters, I let the tension ease from my muscles.
“Your Majesty.” He held out a sack that contained my armor, hopefully freshly oiled and ready to don.
I nodded my gratitude. “How much time do I have?”
“Lord Vaughn is next.”
“I shall need to get into my armor with all haste.” A thrill shot through me. It had been too long
since I’d jousted. The last one had been at Lord Mortimer’s tournament before Aunt Susanna died.
Much had changed in the passing months. This would be my first tournament without Mitchell. As I pictured his thin, aristocratic face, his warm brown eyes, and quirky grin, tears rose swiftly. We’d made a good team. And I would miss conspiring with him.
I blinked back the moisture and straightened my shoulders. “This tournament is for you, Mitchell,” I whispered. “In honor of your memory. May it live on forever.”
Chapter
23
Adelaide
My breath was hot inside the great helm, and rivulets of sweat ran down my forehead into my eyes. I blinked away the perspiration and attempted to calm my anxious thoughts and settle my nerves.
Beneath me, Roland whinnied, sensing my unease.
After three days of jousting as Lord Vaughn, I’d reached the final competition. To escape from my chambers, I deceived Lady Sybil and the other ladies-in-waiting on several occasions. I’d been late to one of my jousts because of another dress fitting. And my return had been delayed so that I’d neglected to wipe the dust and sweat from my face before greeting the ladies.
I had the feeling Lady Sybil had figured out what I was doing and where I was going. To my surprise, she hadn’t said anything to me. More importantly, she hadn’t notified Christopher, though I was fairly certain she reported to him daily.
I was relieved Christopher had been eliminated from the tournament in the last course. Otherwise, I would have been jousting against him in the finals, something I wasn’t sure I could have done. Likewise, he’d never knowingly fight against me.
I cannot bear to lose the woman I love.
His declaration came rushing back as it oft did. Even though he’d made no mention of his love again, even though he’d likely only spoken the words because he’d been in a state of panic, and even though he hadn’t acted upon the words and probably never would, I still savored them. Much more than I ought to.
