Summer took hold of Charlotte’s wrist and smiled at her with tears in her eyes.
“Are you crying?” asked Charlotte.
“They are tears of happiness,” said Summer with a smile. “Hearing you say that, makes me feel that if Peter had lived, mayhap he could have found love in this lifetime as well. Charlotte, I didn’t tell the others, but I really like Alex, too.”
“You do?”
“Aye. I think he looks a lot like Dominick. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but Alex really reminds me of the boy I lost. My son, Peter.”
* * *
Alex was already over the drawbridge when he heard someone shouting his name.
“Alex, Alex, wait up.”
He turned around to see Dominick riding up to greet him. “Good morning,” said Alex with a nod of his head. “You are Dominick – Lady Summer’s son, aren’t you?”
“I am,” he said, slowing his horse and riding next to Alex. “Are you leaving so soon? We haven’t even eaten the Christmas goose yet.”
“I think it is time that I am on my way.” Alex kept his eyes forward as he spoke. He couldn’t look at Dominick since they looked so much alike, only Dominick had blond hair.
“My mother requests your presence during the rest of the festivities.”
“Tell her thank you, but it is time I leave.”
“I don’t know why she is so insistent on it, but if you leave I know she is going to have me follow you and bring you back. And by the looks of that old nag, unless it sprouts wings, you are not going to outride me.”
Alex smiled, liking Dominick’s humor. He was still going to object until he heard Dominick’s next words.
“The girls seem to like you and want you back as well. Especially Lady Charlotte.”
“Really?” His head snapped around in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“Lady Charlotte said she has grown fond of you, but my sisters say she is smitten. Claire and Regina like you, too, but they said they don’t want to marry you because you are more like a brother.”
“Marry?” The idea caught Alex off guard. So did the word brother. A feeling lodged in Alex’s heart. If what Crandell said was true, then Alex was walking away from his true family. When he woke up this morning, he decided it would be too hard to accept if he told everyone he was Peter and then they dug up the grave to find the bones of the stillborn. If that were to happen, Alex would be devastated and not know what to do. Then again, if it turned out to be true, his whole life would change forever. He’d have a mother and a stepfather as well as two half-sisters and a brother. He would even be an uncle to little Robert. How could he walk away from all this? And the thing that hurt the most is that he didn’t want to leave Charlotte. But Charlotte was a beautiful noblewoman who deserved someone better. He didn’t want to doom her to a life with a man who didn’t even have two good legs.
“What are you waiting for?” asked Dominick as the bells from the chapel rang out, signaling that the Christmas mass had begun. Alex swallowed the lump in his throat and confided in Dominick.
“I think I have feelings for Lady Charlotte although I just met her. She doesn’t judge me like the others.”
“You mean like that pompous ass, Sir Dreyfis. If I were you, I would stand up to the man before he starts rumors that you are naught but a coward.”
He was a coward where matters of the heart were concerned. But he was also not willing to walk away from a challenge, just like Dominick said.
“I’m not a coward,” he said.
“I’m sure you’re not.”
“I’m a mercenary, and so was my father.”
Dominick’s mouth dropped open. “I was just a lad when Crandell lived at Framlingham, but from what I remember, he was a loyal man, not someone who would hire out his sword.”
“Something happened that I don’t understand. My father was banished.”
“Banished?” asked Dominick, his brows dipping. “I don’t think so. I heard he left Framlingham to travel with his family.”
“We did travel,” said Alex. “But on my father’s deathbed, he told me something . . . something that I want to believe but, at the same time, it frightens me out of my mind.”
“What is it? You can tell me.”
“Do you remember your father, Dominick? Baron Norbert Mowbray?”
“I don’t remember much other than he mistreated my mother horribly. I was frightened of him and never got to really know him.”
“Was he murdered?”
Dominick took a minute and shook his head. “There were rumors he was but, in the end, it was found out that he died in his sleep.”
“What about the stillborn?”
“My brother, Peter?” asked Dominick. “What about him?”
Alex struggled with keeping it a secret, but then decided he needed to confide in someone. He was all alone in this world now. It was lonely talking to oneself.
“On his deathbed, my father told me he never buried Lady Summer’s baby.”
“Aye, he did. The grave is right there in the garden under the rose bush.”
“Did anyone see him actually lay the baby in the ground? Or could it have been just an empty casket?”
“What are you saying?” Dominick seemed like he was becoming angry, so Alex had no choice but to tell him the truth.
“Your brother, Peter. He had a twisted leg, didn’t he?”
“Aye, I remember my mother telling me that had he lived, she didn’t even know if he’d ever be able to walk. Sometimes, nature knows the best course. We just have to believe that things happen for a reason.”
“And what if nature has been fooling you all for the last two and twenty years?”
“What does that mean?”
“Dominick, my father told me that the baby did not die. He stole it and raised it as his own.”
“Wait. What are you saying?” asked Dominick.
“Look at the resemblance between us. Plus, I had a bad leg from birth. I didn’t want to believe it, but now I am convinced. Dominick, I believe I am your brother, Peter.”
Chapter 7
Charlotte smiled from ear to ear, standing under the mistletoe holding on to Alex’s arm. She had purposely stood here a dozen times tonight, each time making sure it was only Alex who kissed her.
The Christmas celebration was in full swing. The main meal of boar’s head and brawn pudding, as well as minced pie and roasted goose, had been some of the best food that Alex had ever tasted. The musicians started playing, and the tables were cleared away. He could see the longing in Charlotte’s eyes to dance as she silently watched the others.
“Ah, there you are, Lady Charlotte.” Dreyfis walked up, having had too much ale to drink. He staggered a little as he walked. “I am here to save you from this broken-down man. Dance with me.” He reached out and pulled her to him. Charlotte looked back in desperation.
“Leave her alone, she doesn’t want to dance with you, Dreyfis,” said Alex. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. He had left his father’s sword in Dominick’s solar as well as his things but would use his sword if need be.
“What did you say?” Dreyfis slowly turned around, still gripping Charlotte’s arm.
“You heard me. The lady doesn’t want to dance with you.”
“Well, it’s not like you’re going to dance, so keep your mouth shut.” He turned back around. Alex drew his sword from his sheath. Someone gasped, and the musicians stopped playing. Everyone slowly crowded around them in a circle.
“Are you threatening me, Sir Lame?” said Dreyfis with a chuckle. “Because I would love to challenge you once again.” He pushed Charlotte to the side and drew his sword.
The hall was filled with the sound of metal clashing against metal. Children cried, and women screamed. The crowd moved away, giving the dueling men room.
“What’s going on here?” growled Summer’s husband, Warren.
“Wait,” said Summer, holding out her hand, stopping her husband fro
m intervening.
“Show him a thing or two, Alex,” shouted Dominick, pushing through the crowd to get to the front.
“I don’t want trouble on Christmas,” said Alex.
“The killer decides to show his cards finally.” Dreyfis lunged for him, and Alex backed away. Surprised to hear the man call him that, he realized he must know about his past. “Surprised that I know you are naught but a mercenary?” snarled Dreyfis as they continued to spar. “I remember you as well as your father since you once came to my castle for a job, but I turned you down.”
Alex didn’t remember but, then again, his father had always been the one to get work for them.
“Then you must know that I can fight and beat you,” said Alex.
“Does Lady Charlotte know you are naught but a paid assassin?”
Charlotte held her hand to her mouth, terrified to see the duel between Alex and Dreyfis. She didn’t like this at all. Dreyfis was fighting dirty, playing on Alex’s emotions to try to distract him. Then again, Alex had a stone-like face, not showing his hand at all.
“I don’t care if he’s a mercenary,” Charlotte called out. “I love him.”
“You do?” When Alex turned to look at her, Dreyfis stuck out his foot and tripped him. Alex fell to the ground, his sword clambering to the floor in the process.
“And that is why you’ll never be able to protect a lady and will never marry in this lifetime.” Dreyfis chuckled and turned to replace his sword in the scabbard.
Alex had enough. He let out a loud roar, rolled across the floor, grabbing his sword in the process and knocking Dreyfis to the ground as well. Then he pushed up from the ground letting his good leg hold him and pressed the tip of his blade to Dreyfis’ throat.
“I have killed for less,” snarled Alex, losing control of his emotions. “I look forward to pushing my blade right through your heart because you are naught but a despicable man who does not deserve to live.” Bottled-up years of anger pushed through Alex’s veins. He no longer cared if he was right or wrong. It didn’t matter that this was not a paying job. He hated this man more than anyone he’d ever met in his life and would put an end to his goading right now.
“Alex, don’t,” came Charlotte’s voice as she stepped through the crowd with tears in her eyes. “You are better than this. Don’t lower yourself to his standards.”
“Kill me,” Dreyfis shouted from the floor. “Or are you too frightened to do it because you are lame?”
“That’s enough,” said Warren stepping through the crowd with his sword drawn. “Lower your blade, Alex. I won’t have blood spilled on my floor on Christmas, even if this man deserves to die for the way he’s been treating you. Sir Dreyfis, you are banned from Framlingham. I don’t want you ever to return.”
Alex slowly lowered his sword while Dreyfis got to his feet.
“I’m sorry,” Alex apologized to Warren, turning to put away his sword. “I never meant for this to happen.”
“Well, I did! I will never let a cripple make a fool out of me,” came Dreyfis’ response from behind him.
“Alex, watch out!” cried Charlotte.
Alex spun around, drawing his sword with one hand and his dagger in the other just as Dreyfis lunged at him meaning to stab him through the back. Alex’s blades both sank into the man’s chest, and he dropped dead to the floor.
The crowd became silent, watching in curiosity and fear. Alex felt horrible for what had happened. He retrieved his blades and headed for the door.
“Alex, where are you going?” Charlotte ran after him, catching up quickly in the corridor since Alex couldn’t run.
“Go back,” he said, not looking at her. “I have ruined everything, not to mention I have killed a man on one of the holiest days of the year. I can’t stay here any longer.” He pushed his blades into the sheaths as he walked, heading for the courtyard.
“Stop right there, Alexander Masterson!” she shouted.
Alex stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly, not used to be yelled at by a woman.
“That’s better,” said Charlotte in a soft voice. “Alex, I don’t want you to leave. I love you and want to marry you.”
Alex’s head spun so much that he became dizzy. He went from being made a fool of one minute, to killing a man on Christmas the next. And now, Lady Charlotte was saying she loved him and wanted to marry him. He didn’t deserve this. It frightened him to hear her say this. Never had a woman loved him for who he was.
“You want to marry a cripple and a commoner, not to mention an assassin?”
“Alex, you are a good man. You are kind and loyal and courteous. I know you didn’t mean to kill Dreyfis. It was done in self-defense.”
“Lately, I have felt as if I am starting to have feelings for you, too, Charlotte. But it can’t be right since we just met and don’t even know each other.”
“I know all I need to know. I love you for who you are, not who you were or who you might become.”
“Alex, please stay,” called out Lady Summer, rushing through the crowd to get to him. “You are welcome here, and no one blames you for what happened to Sir Dreyfis. You were only protecting yourself as well as Lady Charlotte.”
“I – I don’t know,” said Alex, looking at Summer and then back to Charlotte. Everything was happening so fast. He needed time to think things over. “I’ll stay in the stable tonight, and I will decide in the morning.”
He left the ladies standing there, feeling as if he couldn’t make any kind of decisions until he knew for sure if he was Alexander Masterson or Peter Mowbray.
Chapter 8
Alex spent the rest of the night in the stable, having offered to bury Dreyfis, but Warren told him he would do it since he was the lord of the castle. He stood watching out the stable door as two servants finally finished digging the grave in the small graveyard attached to the garden. Then, Lord Warren and some of his knights laid Dreyfis’ body in the hole without a casket, and the servants covered up the grave.
Alex didn’t feel right about this at all. He never meant to kill the man, but it happened. And the part that frightened Alex the most was that he lost control of his emotions. Never before had anger overtaken his body like this. Nay, it didn’t feel good at all. But what did feel good was the fact that Charlotte said she loved him and wanted to marry him. He had feelings for her, too. But how could he marry her when he didn’t even truly know who he was?
“It’s all set,” said Dominick, coming out of the darkness, startling Alex. He had been so focused on the burial that he hadn’t even seen the man coming.
“What’s set?” asked Alex.
“I told the servants to leave the shovels in the garden. Later on, when everyone is asleep, you and I are going to dig up the grave of Peter Mowbray.”
A chill ran up Alex’s spine. As much as he wanted to do this, he had already caused enough trouble tonight. He’d killed a man, and he didn’t need to unearth the stillborn that Lady Summer revered.
“I don’t know about this,” said Alex, shaking his head slowly, holding on to the frame of the door. “It doesn’t feel right. I don’t think I can do it.”
“You have to,” said Dominick. “You can’t go on living, not knowing who you are. Besides, I am kind of curious to find out if you really are my little brother.”
“What about Lady Summer?” he asked. “How do you think she’ll react when she finds out someone dug up Peter’s grave? You know she’ll be able to tell since there is snow on the ground, not to mention the ground is partially frozen. It took all night for those servants to dig Dreyfis’ grave. It was because they had to build a fire to thaw out the ground first.”
“If you really are Peter, my mother is going to be happy,” explained Dominick. “Don’t you know how hard it was for her to lose a child? And it wasn’t just once. She had several miscarriages as well.”
“I know,” he said, feeling his heart go out to her. She was a wonderful, beautiful woman and deserved to know if her so
n was alive. But did she deserve to have a son like him?
“I’ll be back at midnight with a bed of hot coals. Since it was a newborn, the grave shouldn’t be that deep. Someone’s coming. I’ve got to go.”
* * *
“Alex, is that you?” asked Charlotte walking through the dark courtyard. While the Christmas celebration would last for nearly a fortnight, most of the torches and candles had blown out tonight in the strong wind.
Snow swirled around her as she approached the stable to find Alex holding on to the doorframe, staring out the door. She knew he was watching the burial of Dreyfis and feeling poorly about it. Disturbance covered his face.
“Do you want to talk?” she asked, wrapping her cloak tighter around her. It was frigidly cold tonight. The wind went right through her and made her teeth chatter.
“All right,” he said. “But inside, out of the snow and wind.”
When she walked inside the stable, Alex slid the door closed behind them. It smelled like hay and horses and damp earth. “Alex, I don’t like to see you sleeping in here. It’s too cold, and no place for a man to stay.”
“I don’t mind. I’ve stayed in worse,” he said, limping over to a wooden bench and motioning to her to sit. He lit a lantern and hung it on a hook on the stable gate. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I – I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to spend time with you.” She didn’t want to ruin her private time with him talking about Dreyfis.
“Why would you want to spend time with me? I’m a mercenary.”
“You are a wonderful man,” she replied. “I don’t care what you did in the past. I want to spend the future with you.”
“I don’t have another job, Charlotte.” He got up and paced as well as he could with his twisted leg. “All I know is being a hired sword.”
“Then you’ll learn a new trade. Perhaps, you can stay here and help train the knights. You have a wonderful skill with weapons.”
Silent Knight: Second in Command Series - Alexander Page 5
