“Nay, don’t do that,” pleaded Summer.
“On the count of three,” said Charlotte, trying to help the process along. “One . . . two . . . three.” They lifted the lid, and all stared down to see an empty box.
“There’s nothing there,” said Summer, holding her hand to her heart.
“That means my brother was never buried here,” Dominick told them.
“It means Peter Mowbray didn’t die when he was born after all,” said Warren with a yawn.
“Crandell was telling the truth.” Alex stared into the box with wide eyes, looking frightened and relieved at the same time.
“Alex,” said Charlotte, taking him by the arm. “Does this mean . . . are you . . .”
“Aye,” said Alex, keeping his face emotionless but nodding slowly. He focused on the empty casket. “It means Lady Summer is my mother and the Ladies Regina and Claire are my half-sisters. Dominick, you are my brother,” he said, looking up to the man. “I am Peter. I’ve been reborn this night.” He looked at Summer and limped over to give her a hug. “Mother,” he said, catching her in his arms as she fainted.
Chapter 10
Alex paced the floor outside his mother’s chamber, worried since she fainted and Warren had called for the healer. It had been a long time and, still, he had no word of how she fared.
“She’ll be all right,” said Charlotte, staying with him to support him. It was dawn already, and Alex felt exhausted from not having slept at all last night. He reached out and took Charlotte’s hands in his.
“I am sure you are right,” said Alex. “After all, Warren and the healer are in there with her. I’m sure they won’t let anything happen to her.”
“How do you feel about finding out who you really are?” asked Charlotte.
“I’m confused,” he admitted. “How would you feel if you found out you weren’t really who you thought you were your entire life?”
“There will be a lot of changes now. For everyone,” said Charlotte.
“I know.” Alex pulled her to him, gathering her in his arms. “I just hope you still want to marry me.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I wouldn’t care if you were only the son of a peasant, I would want you just the same. I am here for you, Alex, and will help you through this trying and confusing time.”
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life.” He kissed her and rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“I don’t know about that,” she told him. “After all, you are a noble now. I’m sure your mother will want you to live at Framlingham Castle now that she knows you are her son.”
“I’m not sure how to be Peter Mowbray or how to be anything but a mercenary.”
“I heard that, Brother,” said Dominick, coming down the corridor holding his son, Robert, in his arms. Claire and Regina were with him.
“Is it true?” asked Regina. “Are you the son of Norbert Mowbray?”
“Are you our half-brother?” asked Claire.
“Aye, I suppose so,” he answered, letting out a deep breath as he tried to get used to saying that.
“Then it’s a good thing you didn’t try to kiss Regina or me,” said Claire. “Now give us a hug – Brother.”
Alex hugged both the girls and then Dominick reached out and shook his hand. “I’m going to like having a brother,” said Dominick. “Robert, this is your Uncle . . . Peter? Or Alex?”
“I – I’m not sure what name to go by,” said Alex. “But either way, I’m glad to meet you, Robert.” Alex reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair.
The little boy laughed and hid his face against Dominick’s chest.
The door to the solar opened, and the healer walked out. Warren was with him.
“How is Lady Summer – I mean . . . Mother?” asked Alex, worried about the woman.
“She is going to be just fine,” said the healer. “She fainted because of hearing the news, among other things.”
“Other things?” asked Alex.
“Thank you,” said Warren, dismissing the man before he said anything more.
“Can we see her now?” asked Dominick.
“Aye, but Summer wants to see only Alex, first,” said Warren, stepping out of the room and motioning for Alex to enter.
Nervously, Alex stepped into the solar and closed the door behind him. Looking over to the bed, he saw Summer sitting up and smiling. The color had returned to her face.
“Come here,” she told him, holding out her arms. “I want to see you and hold you and know that you are real.” Tears dripped down her cheeks.
“Mother,” he said, testing the word on his tongue. “I have never had a mother.”
“And I have never had a child come back from the dead.”
Alex sat on the edge of the bed and fell into his mother’s arms. Both of them wept tears of joy. Alex had never cried before, and now he made up for holding in his emotions for the last twenty-two years.
“It is a miracle,” said Summer, holding him and kissing him, not wanting to let him go. “You are alive. I prayed every day since the day I lost you, hoping your little soul went to Heaven. I am furious with Crandell for doing what he did, but I am ever so thankful he told you the truth before he died.”
“And so am I,” said Alex, pulling back to look at his mother’s beautiful face. He reached out and used his hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“How does it feel for you, Son?”
“I am still overwhelmed and not sure I believe this.”
“It’s true, Peter. You are alive. I didn’t lose you after all. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Peter,” he said, dropping his hand to the bed in thought.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you Peter. Your name is Alex.”
“Aye, it is what I’m used to. However, it is also a lie. I am not sure what to call myself.”
“Well, whatever name you decide on is fine with me,” she told him with a smile. “All that matters, is that you are alive again.”
“I think, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be called Alexander Peter Mowbray.”
“I love it,” she said, reaching over and taking his face in her hands and kissing him again. “I can’t wait to tell my sisters, Spring, Autumn, and Winter.”
“I have aunts named after the seasons?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Not only that, but you have uncles that are the Legendary Bastards of the Crown.”
“I know of them,” said Alex. “And I am honored to be related to everyone you just mentioned.”
The door opened a crack. Claire stuck her head into the room. “Mother? Are you going to make the rest of your children stand out in the corridor all day or can we come in, too?”
“Come in, my family,” said Summer, holding out her arms. “I want all my children with me.”
Everyone piled into the room and sat on the bed with Summer. Little Robert crawled over and sat on her lap.
“I still can’t believe I have another brother,” said Claire. “One was more than enough.”
“Good thing I know you are jesting,” said Dominick.
“Can I come in, too?” asked Charlotte’s mother, Lady Ann.
“Please do,” said Summer.
“I’ve heard you are Peter Mowbray,” said Lady Ann.
“He is going to be called Alex,” Summer interjected.
“Alexander Peter Mowbray,” he said, liking the way it sounded. “So, if I can ask, just to get this correct – Regina, Dominick, and myself have the same father, the late baron Norbert Mowbray. But Claire’s father is Warren.”
“That’s right,” said Claire proudly. “I am the only child from the union of Lady Summer and Lord Warren.”
Warren cleared his throat and looked over at Summer. “Well, Claire, I don’t want to disappoint you, but that might be changing soon.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“It’s another miracle,” said Summer. “I didn’t b
elieve it was true, but the healer said one of the reasons I fainted was because . . . because I am pregnant again.”
Everyone was quiet for a second, not sure what to say. Then Alex reached out and gave his mother a hug. “Congratulations, Mother.”
“You are having a baby?” asked Claire in shock. “Now?”
“Not now, you fool,” said Dominick. “She’s got months before it is born.”
“I meant at her age,” Claire told her brother.
“It seems so,” said Summer, glowing with happiness, holding her hand on her stomach. “I think God is making up for all the misery and mishaps in my life. I not only have a son rise up from the dead today, but a new life is budding within me as well.”
“Then have a girl,” said Claire. “I want a sister.”
Everyone laughed. “Your mother has a hard time with pregnancies and will need all of us to assist her through this so she won’t have another miscarriage,” said Warren.
“That’s right,” said Summer. “I don’t want to lose another child when I’ve just gained one.”
“We’ll be here to help in any way possible,” said Alex, pulling Charlotte into his arms. “Charlotte and I are going to be married.”
“What?” gasped Lady Ann. “Charlotte, why didn’t you consult me first?”
“Mother, I am an adult and don’t need your approval,” said Charlotte, snuggling up to Alex. “Besides, you should be overjoyed to know I’m not marrying a commoner. I am marrying a noble, just like you wanted.”
“Oh. I suppose so,” said Lady Ann, seeming to accept the fact.
“I’ll make sure you are trained and dubbed a knight right away,” Warren told Alex. “Any stepson of mine is going to be titled if I have anything to say about it.”
“And I’ll be sure to teach you anything else you’ll need to know, Brother,” said Dominick, grinning from ear to ear. “I think I can get used to having a brother.”
“Me, too,” said Alex, feeling so loved by everyone that his heart was ready to burst. He held Charlotte’s hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “I only hope you will be proud of me, Charlotte. I will never have what most knights do – with my leg and all, I mean.”
“Nay, you won’t,” said Charlotte, looking into his eyes as she spoke. “You have so much more.” He felt the love emanating from her and the sincerity of her words.
“But I was a mercenary my entire life, Charlotte. It’s something I am not proud of.”
“I don’t see it that way,” she said, smiling and making him feel like the luckiest man in the world. “The way I see it, you were living a life that wasn’t true and wasn’t really you. Look at it in a different light. You were noble all the time and just didn’t know it. You were always a knight beneath the exterior of being a mercenary. I will never see you as anything less than a noble, titled man.”
“You won’t?” he asked.
“Nay, Alexander Peter Mowbray,” she answered. “To me, you were really a knight inside all the time, but you just didn’t know it.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “You were always noble. I could tell that by your actions the first day we met. And even when you thought you might be noble, you still didn’t say anything until you were sure. You are considerate. You keep your emotions inside and are much too quiet. Alexander Peter Mowbray, you were always special, but you didn’t know it. You were a Silent Knight.”
From the Author
I hope you enjoyed Silent Knight and will take the time to leave a review for me.
I tried not to ruin too many surprises in case this book was read before reading Summer. Therefore, it was left a mystery as to if Baron Norbert Mowbray was murdered and, if so, who the killer could be.
When I first set out to write this story, I knew I wanted a child of one of my main characters from one of my series. I always create my covers before I write the book. I had a photo of a man with dark hair I wanted to use. At first, I wanted to write Dominick’s story, but realized he had blond hair. But alas, looking deeper into the story, I discovered I could write about Summer’s child that she thought she had lost. He had dark hair. However, he also had a twisted leg in the story, Summer. Hmmm. That made it more challenging for me, but I embraced the challenge and embarked upon Alex’s story. No disability can hold back a man in love!
My Second in Command Series is about secondary characters from any of my series. Please visit my website to find out more about this series.
Thank you,
Elizabeth Rose
Excerpt from Summer’s Reign
Summer’s Reign
(Seasons of Fortitude Series – Book 2)
Adversity builds strength of mind and fuels the fires of success.
Suffolk, England 1370
The misery of losing another child was the hardest thing the Baroness of Suffolk ever had to endure.
A stray tear slipped from Summer’s eye as she lay on the birthing bed of Framlingham Castle, having just given birth to a stillborn baby boy. The baron was going to be furious. Once again, she had lost a child. She’d held back the tears of her previous miscarriages after her husband, Baron Norbert Mowbray of Suffolk, had threatened to beat her if she cried. She had cried inwardly instead, and did the same thing now. The only difference was that she’d carried this baby in her womb for the last nine months – and gone through the pain of birthing it and bringing it into this world.
“He is dead, my lady,” said the old midwife, Nairnie, who had been aiding her for four years now. The woman had come from the Highlands where Summer’s sister, Spring, lived with her husband and children. The stab of finality anchored itself into Summer’s heart at the old woman’s announcement.
Summer’s only surviving child was three years old now. Little Dominick was her only joy. He was also the saving grace that she held on to in order to keep from going mad. Trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage to the Baron of Suffolk, Summer was a prisoner in her own home with her only escape being her hopes and dreams.
The little blond-haired boy looked away from her, hiding his face against the shoulder of the handmaid, Millicent, as she held him at the opposite side of the room. The birthing chamber was filled with servants as well as family members. The servants scurried around, trying their best to aid the midwife and help keep Summer comfortable. It was too late. No one could help her now. She’d not only lost a child for the third time – she’d failed to fulfill the wishes of her domineering and demanding husband.
Summer’s younger sisters, Autumn and Winter, stood next to the bed with sympathetic and forlorn expressions on their faces. They’d traveled from their home at their brother Rowen’s castle in Whitehaven at Summer’s request to be with her during the birth. Summer was grateful for their presence, but what she really needed right now was her mother who had yet to arrive.
The door to her chamber was ajar. Crandell, the baron’s head guard and also a close friend to Summer, stood watch. The men, including her husband, waited patiently in the corridor to hear the results.
“Nay,” said Summer, choking back the tears, shaking her head in denial, not wanting to accept the fact she’d lost another baby. Could life get any worse? “This can’t have happened,” she said aloud, as if the words alone could change the devastating event.
Since the birth of Dominick, it seemed she was cursed and could not give the baron another child. He’d insisted he wanted a dozen boys and would do everything and anything to try to bring his wish to fruition. He’d been so eager to have more sons that he’d never even given her time to heal after each miscarriage before he was atop her trying to impregnate her again. Getting pregnant wasn’t the problem. The problem was carrying and delivering another heir for her insistent, cruel husband.
Summer shuddered as she realized what would happen next. Things were only going to get worse when her husband realized the baby was born dead. He would yell and punish her for something she couldn’t control. Then the wretched man would be sniffing around her like a dog fo
llowing a bitch in heat come nightfall. The man was greedy and only thought about himself. He was so cold-hearted that even the fires of hell would have trouble thawing the man’s icy disposition. He was an ogre and she despised him with every fiber of her being.
Summer had hoped her luck would change with this baby. Especially since it was born a coveted boy. With two sons as future knights and heirs, she would have made her husband very happy. Or so she had hoped. Pleasing the baron proved to be a task that no one had yet been able to accomplish.
Her heart was broken in so many pieces that nothing or no one could put it back together again. She was in so much physical and emotional pain right now that she couldn’t care what happened to her if she defied the baron. She had lost another baby, and it was getting harder and harder not to show how she really felt. Last time, she’d only seen a lot of blood with the miscarriage. This time, the baby had come to full term, but his little life had been snuffed out before she’d even had a chance to hold him in her arms. Such pain. Such loss. It was more than she could bear.
Four years ago, when Summer was only fourteen, she had volunteered to marry the baron. It was done in a desperate attempt to help her family by putting their needs in front of her own. Her attempt had worked. Her brother, Reed, had been kept from the dungeon after he punched the baron and also married his childhood sweetheart who was supposed to have been the baron’s bride.
“Summer, we’re so sorry,” said her youngest sister, Autumn, rubbing her fingers over Summer’s hand in a soothing gesture. At only fourteen years of age, Autumn already had the healing touch – on more levels than just one. Her bright red hair was vibrant, while Summer and her older sister, Spring, had golden tresses. Winter, on the other hand, had ebony hair as dark as a midnight sky. While their hair made them all different from each other, their bright green eyes – the eyes of their Scottish father, Ross Douglas, made it obvious they were all sisters.
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