Epic Knights of Legend and Steel

Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

“T hey told me you were awake but I did not believe it,” Drake said as he entered what Lady de Witt had called the knight’s eating hall, the room with the stairs that led down to the kitchen below. “It is before dawn, Elizaveta. Why are you not still asleep?”

Seated at the big, scrubbed table that had been her shield against Lady de Witt’s attack the day before, Elizaveta grinned up at her husband. Dressed in a heavy blue wool against the chill morning temperature, her dark hair was braided and wound into a bun at the nape of her neck. She looked utterly beautiful and rested in spite of the harrowing day before and also in spite of the early hour. She appeared as if she had suffered no strife so recently. The woman was a marvel of beauty and energy, and Drake was transfixed by her.

She was radiant.

“Is it not enough that I fell asleep last night without so much as bidding you a good eve?” she asked him. “We were able to at least unpack the bedding yesterday but the moment I lay down, I fell asleep. God himself could not have awoken me. So I have arisen early this morning to see to the needs of the day. It is our first day in our new home and I do not intend to lie about.”

Smiling, Drake bent over and kissed the top of her head before claiming a seat on the bench next to her. He sat quite close to her. “Something tells me that you are not one to lie about in any case,” he said. “Call it intuition, but I would suspect you would be quite productive under any circumstances.”

Elizaveta giggled. “It is true that it is difficult for me to sit still.”

“I am coming to know that about you.”

Elizaveta simply grinned at him. It was the first real conversation they’d had since the chaos yesterday. Drake hadn’t had much chance to speak with her after the ambush and the subsequent disposal of de Witt and his wife because he had spent all of his time situating the remains of de Witt’s army and making sure they understood the message they were to deliver to the de Mandevilles. There were more tasks for him as well, such as making sure all of his wounded were moved to the hall for shelter. Because he’d been so busy, and perhaps in some small way avoiding Elizaveta because of what he’d done with de Witt and his wife, he hadn’t seen Elizaveta until much later that evening.

It was a bit chaotic in the keep when he had arrived, as Elizaveta had all of their possessions brought in and was organizing them in one of the gated rooms. Drake found the gate system of the keep quite fascinating, if not a bit cumbersome, and he stood by as Elizaveta and Daniella ordered the soldiers about, moving trunks to the upper floors and asking them to do other household tasks. Since there were no servants, and Elizaveta had chased away Lady de Witt’s only female kitchen servant, Drake’s soldiers were called into household service, which made most of them quite unhappy until Lady de Winter began cooking the evening meal in the lower level. With the smell of food, they were willing to work, looking forward to the ultimate reward.

As he watched his wife work, Drake came to see that not only was the woman courageous, she was also productive. With no kitchen servants, she could have very easily cried about not having anyone to serve the meal but instead, she simply went down to the kitchen and assessed what food they had to cook with. There was bread dough already, having risen to great heights as it sat near the warm hearth, and there were other food stuffs including nearly an entire side of pork. With help from Drake’s quartermaster, who saw to the provisions of his army, Elizaveta and Daniella were able to make an acceptable stew of pork and carrots and beans while the quartermaster himself, having filled men’s bellies for years, made the bread. It had been a simple meal but a filling one as the de Winter army settled in for the coming night.

But the eating room inside the keep had been the last place Drake had seen his wife awake. After the meal, she had gone to the upper floors to prepare their beds for the night and he didn’t see her again until he went looking for her and found her sleeping heavily in a large chamber on the top floor. She was fully clothed, obviously having fallen asleep in the midst of her duties, and he didn’t want to disturb her. Therefore, he climbed in next to her and fell into a heavy sleep himself.

When Drake awoke before dawn, she had been curled up in his arms.

So he had lain there for a time, simply feeling her against him, smelling her hair and feeling her steady breathing as her chest moved against his. He’d lain with women before, probably more times than he should have, and he’d lain with them in the early morning hours before the day began just as he did now. But he’d been eager to rise in those instances, eager to leave before the female awoke. He couldn’t ever recall wanting to remain in bed with her unless it was, of course, to satisfy his urges, but to simply lay there and hold her… nay, he couldn’t remember having done that, ever.

But at that moment, he had been very content to lay with Elizaveta. Was it because she belonged to him, the only woman who had ever truly bore that distinction? Or was it because he was becoming increasingly fascinated with her, curious about her, and drawn to her? He couldn’t quite figure it out. All he knew was that, at that moment, he had been more content than he’d ever been in his life.

And now he sat with her, gazing upon her stunning beauty and thinking that the time spent with her felt more like a dream. The wedding, the travel to Spexhall, the battle yesterday… all of it seemed like a dream. But it had been a dream that had thrown them together quickly and they’d had to depend on one another to survive. He’d seen her true character in brief glimpses and he liked what he saw.

He liked he r.

“I hope the fact that I cannot sit still does not annoy you,” Elizaveta was saying, cutting into his daydreaming. “In fact, I have spent the past hour inventorying our food supplies, at least the supplies in the kitchen below. I have yet to go to the outside kitchen. I did not want to leave the keep until you gave me permission.”

Jolted from his thoughts, he put his hand on her shoulder, gently, simply to feel her warmth against his palm.

“Given what happened yesterday, it is completely understandable,” he said. “But the castle is bottled up tightly and you are free to go where you please within the walls. I would assume you have the keys to the keep with you?”

Elizaveta nodded, digging down into a pocket on her skirt and pulling forth the heavy rope of iron keys. “I have,” she said. “I am afraid to let these out of my sight. If they were misplaced, we would be locked in here forever.”

He looked at the collection of heavy keys. “No doubt,” he said. “In fact, after some thought, I think it might be wise to unhinge some of these gates so that we can move freely about the keep. I am not entirely sure they are necessary any longer. Mayhap we will keep a few, but not all.”

Elizaveta looked at the two gates within her line of sight. “It makes me feel as if I am in prison,” she admitted, returning her attention to Drake. “Yesterday, however, these gates made me feel quite safe when I was able to lock Lady de Witt within them.”

Drake wasn’t hard-pressed to agree with her. “Hopefully, there will be no more days like yesterday,” he said. “I fervently hope that we will only know days of peace from this point forward because I would like to come to know my wife without the stress and interference of a life-threatening battle.”

He was smiling by the time he had finished and Elizaveta grinned in return. “That sounds reasonable enough,” she said. “What is your schedule for this day, husband? Is there anything you require from me?”

Husband . Drake never thought he’d like hearing that word where it pertained to him but coming from Elizaveta’s mouth, he liked it very much. It made him feel important somehow, whole and complete. He couldn’t explain his feelings any better than that. The hand that rested on her shoulder moved to her hand and he collected it in his big, calloused palm.

“An assessment of the needs of the keep is what I will need from you,” he said, fondling her fingers. “Since you are free to wander the castle, you will go to the hall and familiarize yourself with that as well. You are the chatelaine now, Lady de Winter. Do what you must in order to make our new home comfortable.”

Elizaveta smiled, mostly because he was holding her hand quite sweetly, but his words were sweet as well. Our home . He’d called Spexhall Castle our home. More and more she was coming to feel wanted and appreciated from the man who had never wanted to marry her in the first place. It was quite a change of heart, for the both of them. She thought she could rather like this new world they were living in. It was certainly different and more wonderful than anything she had ever thought it could be.

“I will,” she said softly, watching him smile at her. He had the most marvelous, dimpled smile. “I believe I saw a small village when we arrived yesterday and a church. I should like to meet the clergy and become acquainted with the village. Most villages have a market during the week and we may need a few things once I have finished my assessment of the castle.”

Drake nodded. He was still squeezing her hand, holding it, rubbing his big fingers along her skin to feel the texture. “I am not entirely sure how big the village truly is, so we shall see,” he said. “On our travel south, do you remember traveling through that big village a few miles to the north? That is probably our best chance of purchasing any goods we may need. Villages that size always have some kind of market.”

Elizaveta was nodding, remembering the berg he spoke of, the one with a big, box-shaped church. When it seemed as if there was nothing left to speak of, Drake kissed her hand and released it, standing up from the bench and preparing to leave, but Elizaveta stopped him.

“Wait,” she said, watching him pause to look at her. “Before you go, I… I was wondering… that is, I was hoping that I might have a room of my own in the keep, one where I can do my needlework or read my Bible or even write to my mother.”

He smiled at her; it seemed that he smiled at her quite a bit, odd coming from a man who didn’t normally smile at anything much. But everything about Elizaveta turned him warm and giddy, and the smile was the result. “You have mentioned your impressive skills, Lady de Winter,” he said. “But it is curious to me why you would write to a woman you did not even want to bid farewell to when we left Thetford.”

Cheeks flushing, Elizaveta lowered her gaze. The messages she would send her mother had nothing to do with sentimentality and everything to do with what she was being forced to do. Spy on her English husband . God, even as she gave pause to the thought, reminding her of why she had truly married Drake de Winter, she felt nauseous. Nauseous and terrified of what would happen if she did not obey.

She’d been able to forget about her duty for the past couple of hours and especially in light of what happened yesterday. Yesterday, she had bonded with Drake as she’d never bonded with anyone in her life. She felt wanted and as if she belonged, finally, for the first time in her life. Now, the reasons behind the marriage, the duty she had been sworn to by her French grandmother and her Scottish mother, threatened to destroy something she never expected to have. It would have been much easier had she married someone she could learn to hate, but with Drake… she could never hate him, not ever. She didn’t think he could hate her, either, unless she did something so terrible that he could never forgive her.

Like betraying his cause.

More grief swept her at the thought of betraying him. What would happen if she told Drake of the plot behind their marriage? Would he defend her? Turn her over to Edward? He was an English knight to the core and certainly more loyal to Edward than to his new wife. Nay , she told herself with sadness, I cannot tell him . They had only known each other a few days and he did not know her well enough to trust her, at least in Elizaveta’s thinking. Drake would think she was a traitor and it would destroy all of this lovely warmth building between them. It would destroy everything.

Therefore, she could not tell him anything.

Would not.

“My… my mother is not one for farewells,” she said, belatedly replying to his statement as she struggled with thoughts of betrayal. “I did not see the need.”

Drake could see that he’d offended her and hastened to make up for his lack of tact. “My mother is often the same way,” he said, trying to make light of his gaff. “She hates to bid anyone farewell. She thinks that if she does not, it does not make the parting so… final.”

Elizaveta smiled weakly. “And I thought it was because she was angry with me,” she teased before directing the conversation away from mothers, for she certainly did not wish to discuss hers. “May I select a room for my private use or would you rather select it for me?”

Drake smiled gently, reaching out to touch her pale cheek. “You may select it, Vee-Vee,” he said. “The keep is yours to do with as you please. If you decide to kick everyone out and become queen of your own domain, I will allow it. But I hope you will let me stay.”

She blushed, caught up in his gentle flirt and the fond use of her nickname. “I will always let you stay,” she said. “You would probably lay siege to my castle if I did not.”

He laughed softly. “I would try to breach it any way I could.”

“Remember that I have a fire poker and I am not afraid to use it.”

He laughed louder. “Upon reflection, mayhap I would not breach it, after all,” he said. “I would not wish to be on the wrong end of that poker.”

Elizaveta grinned, watching him as he snorted at her humor. “Be assured I will not throw everyone out and create my own queendom in the middle of Spexhall,” she said, “for you have been most generous in allowing me to have a free hand in all things, as well as a room for my own use. I am grateful.”

The mood sobered, turning into something more heated and intense. Drake was caught up in the emotion. He stroked Elizaveta’s cheek once more but it was not enough. He wanted more. Reaching out, he pulled her against his broad chest, his lips slanting over hers. Elizaveta gasped with shock at his swift action but very quickly succumbed to his touch. It was all so new to them both, this vital and tangible excitement that flowed between them, drawing them together, binding them to a world that neither one of them had expected. All they knew was that it was stronger than they were. There was no way to fight it.

Fighting it wasn’t what Drake had in mind. He truthfully had no control over himself at the moment. Elizaveta was in his arms and he was ravaging her with his mouth, but he couldn’t stop himself and he didn’t even care that he couldn’t. She was warm and soft and sweet and he couldn’t get enough of her. Something about the woman electrified him, as if he had been struck by lightning. Everything inside of him burned and when he touched her, it was like touching the sun.

She scorched him.

Heat. Burning. Something deep in my belly is burning for him. Elizaveta’s thoughts were wild as Drake kissed her, her entire body quivering with the nubile lust he kindled within her. She was pulled up against him, trapped by his enormous arms, but somehow he had a free hand because that hand was moving along her torso, her belly, and up to her breasts. He fondled her through the woolen fabric, brushing his fingers against her nipple and being rewarded when it stiffened. Then he pulled at it through the fabric as Elizaveta quivered.

Unable to control himself, Drake took her by the waist and lifted her up onto the table, fumbling with her skirts. He had to have the woman at that very moment and he would not be denied. But the skirts started to come up just as voices could be heard in the entry, and Drake came to an immediate halt, realizing they were about to be discovered. He quickly removed her from the table and set her on her feet, straightening the skirts that were flipped up and askew. He had just managed to take his hands from her when Devon and Daniella entered the chamber.

Drake moved to the table and sat casually upon it with Elizaveta a foot or so away from him, trying to make it all look very relaxed between them, as if he hadn’t been verging on taking his wife upon the tabletop as his brother and his brother’s wife approached.

“Well?” Drake said, hoping his arousal didn’t show through his breeches. “Where have you two been? Devon, I thought you were tending to the injured in the hall?”

Devon nodded, watching as Daniella went straight to Elizaveta. “I was,” he said. “I took Dannie with me to help. A couple of the men are fairly bad off, Drake. Mayhap you should send for a physic.”

Drake’s lust was forgotten as he thought on his injured men. “Very well,” he said. “I will go to the church and see if the priests know of any local surgeons. I will take Elizaveta with me, in fact. She wants to meet the clergy of Spexhall.”

“May I go, too?” Daniella asked. She, too, seemed well enough this morning and unaffected by the events of the previous day. “I would like to know the priests, also.”

Drake looked at Devon, who shrugged. “Let us all go to meet the priests,” Drake said. “Mayhap we can settle in to some sense of normalcy since the events of yesterday.”

It seemed like an excellent idea. As the women went to gather their cloaks, Drake and Devon headed out to the bailey of Spexhall. Cortez was the first person they saw over near the massive portcullis, deep in conversation with a few soldiers and then yelling up to James, who was on the walls, on the very narrow wallwalk that encircled the entire fortress.

Drake had been up there yesterday and, not particularly fond of heights, he was uncomfortable with the narrow wallwalk and the fact that it would be very easy to fall off and tumble the twenty feet to the bailey below. He and Cortez had even discussed rigging some kind of rope railing around the interior of the walk so clumsy men would not kill themselves. He and Devon headed over to Cortez and the conversation that was going on with the men.

Cortez caught sight of Drake when the man was a few feet away. “Did you see your wife, then?” he asked.

Drake nodded as he came to stand next to Cortez. “I did,” he replied. “She was awake as you said she was.”

Cortez grinned. “I know women,” he said. “She was not going to lie about with a new keep to explore.”

Drake laughed softly. “And you were correct,” he said, glancing up above his head where James was looking down upon him. “What goes on here? Are we discussing the rope railing we will be constructing for this horrific wallwalk so we do not all plummet to our deaths?”

Overhead, James grinned. “It is not as bad as all that,” he said. “I have a very free feeling up here, without restrictions. I do not mind it at all.”

Drake frowned. “That free feeling is a free-falling feeling as you launch over the wall to your death.”

James and Cortez laughed as Devon went to the ladder that accessed the wallwalk. Drake saw his brother and called to him. “Do not fall off of that wall,” he said. “If you kill yourself, Mother will kill me .”

Devon waved him off, frowning, as he mounted the ladder. Drake eyed his brother before returning his attention to Cortez. “He has three left feet and not one of them is stable,” he muttered as Cortez snorted. “Actually, I did not come to complain about the wallwalk. I came to tell you that my wife wishes to go into town and meet the priests and see the village. Will you come with us?”

Cortez shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “I will remain here until you return but then James and I must be departing for home. I would like to go this morning.”

Drake nodded, although there was a sadness to it. “I am reluctant to see you both go,” he said. “We have all served together for several years. It seems odd that we will now be separated.”

Cortez lifted a dark eyebrow. “That is your fault,” he said. “You were the one who had to save Brittany in battle. Had you not done that, you would still be one of my knights and not the future Earl of East Anglia.”

Drake smiled, perhaps conceding his heroism. “It was my miserable mistake, I agree.”

Cortez eyed the man a moment. “But you do not regret it.”

“I do not.”

“Even though you received a wife you did not want?”

Drake shrugged, trying not to appear too contrite. There was still a matter of pride left. “I did not want her but she is mine nonetheless,” he said, watching Cortez chuckle because the man knew very well, as they all did, that Drake was smitten with her. “I am not unhappy with the arrangement.”

Cortez rolled his eyes. “That is an understatement,” he said. “I think you rather like that woman.”

“And if I do?”

Cortez slapped Drake on the arm. “I am glad that you do,” he said. “And my wife will be thrilled as well. She always thought you would make a fine husband to some fortunate lady.”

Drake crossed his big arms. “Of course I would,” he said arrogantly. “Your wife is a very astute woman.”

Cortez shook his head at Drake’s prideful boast. “I will tell her you said so,” he replied. “And I am very anxious to return home to tell her, so the sooner you go to the village, the sooner James and I can leave.”

Drake took the hint. Ordering the nearest soldier to go to the stables and prepare the de Winter carriage and both his and Devon’s mounts, he turned for the keep when a rider approached the portcullis. He didn’t think much of it because it was a de Winter rider, a scout sent out to patrol the area, but the man seemed quite excited so Drake came to a halt as the portcullis lifted and the man was admitted.

Concerned with the rider’s agitation, Drake approached him, as did Cortez. Devon and James were coming off of the walls to join them. The rider, seeing Drake approach, called out to him.

“My lord!” he cried. “There is a sizable force approaching from the south, about an hour away. They are heavily armed.”

Drake’s brow furrowed as he listened to the information. “Sizable force?” he repeated. “It could be Edward’s troops preparing to join us.”

The rider shook his head. “I did not see any banners flying, my lord,” he said. “I know Edward’s banner and he is never shy about displaying it. I saw men on foot mostly, men armed with crossbows and axes. They were dressed terribly, with virtually no protection, and two wagons and a small siege engine were being towed by oxen. These men are preparing for battle, my lord, and if they remain on their current course, Spexhall is the only castle they will encounter.”

“De Mandeville,” Cortez suddenly hissed, looking at Drake. “You said they were nearby? Only ten or twelve miles from here?”

Startled, realization struck Drake like a battering ram. He looked at Cortez with some surprise. “Indeed, they are,” he said. “They are not far at all and the men we sent back to them yesterday could have easily reached them in an hour or two. If what the rider says is true, it is possible that they are already replying to my message.”

“Replying with force.”

By this time, Devon and James were listening. “De Mandeville,” James repeated. “I heard that name yesterday from Lady de Winter. The woman who tried to kill her, de Witt’s wife, was a de Mandeville.”

Drake had to admit that he was rather angry that the de Mandevilles did not heed his warning. He was also very insulted. Evidently, they had no fear of him in spite of his punishment of Lady de Witt. In fact, they were more than likely on their way to seek revenge for what he had done to her, just as Elizaveta had warned him.

It would be like poking a beehive. Sooner or later, the bees will sting you.

Damn… had she been right?

“Aye,” Drake said, sighing heavily. “The House of de Mandeville are the mortal enemies of the House of du Reims, and now, evidently, the House of de Winter, as well. Therefore, there is no time to waste if what the rider says is true. Devon, send a rider for Thetford immediately and inform them of the situation should de Mandeville try to move against any of our father’s holdings. Also ask them for reinforcements.”

Devon was listening seriously. “Reinforcements will not arrive in time, Drake,” he pointed out. “A messenger will take a few hours to reach Thetford and then Father must prepare the army, so we are not likely to see any help until two days from now at the earliest.”

Drake nodded, impatient. “I am well aware of that,” he said, “but we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. I am certain we can repel them, but the addition of Father’s army will show them our strength. I simply do not have enough men here to do that.”

“But what of Edward’s troops?” James wanted to know. “He is sending you one thousand men that should arrive any day now, correct?”

Drake was already mentally assessing what needed to be done in order to secure Spexhall. Already, his little garrison would see more action than he had planned for in just the short time he had been there and he was determined to see it, and the occupants, survive.

“That is correct,” Drake replied, “but they could arrive tomorrow or next week. I have no way of knowing. Come, now; we must shore up Spexhall to withstand whatever the de Mandevilles decide to throw our way– James, you will take the wall. Devon, send the rider to Father and then you will secure the bailey so that any flaming projectiles will not do too much damage. Cortez, will you go to the church and inform them of what approaches? We will take those in the village who wish for protection inside the walls. Meanwhile, I will go to the keep and tell the ladies what we are in for.”

The knights began to move, except for Cortez. He followed Drake as the man headed for the keep. He, probably more than the other two men, knew the stress of the decision to execute Lady de Witt and her husband that had been put on Drake. Lady de Winter had strongly suggested to her husband that he not kill the de Mandeville woman, but Drake felt strongly that he had to send a message to the House of de Mandeville. It was a decision that might cost him. Cortez finally caught up to Drake and grasped him by the arm, halting his momentum.

“What are you going to tell your wife?” Cortez asked quietly. “Drake, whatever it is, do not apologize for your actions. Your wife may have been right about making the situation worse with the de Mandevilles, but it was no great stretch to predict that. You must stand behind your decision for having executed the woman who tried to kill your wife. Your choice to do so was not a wrong one.”

Drake looked at Cortez with turmoil in his dark eyes. “I know,” he said. “But we have only been married these few days. The situation between us is still so fragile. I have not said anything to her about what became of Lady de Witt because she has not yet asked me. I was hoping I would never have to tell her. I… I do not want anything to damage this marriage, Cortez. Call me a fool if you will, but Lady de Winter’s opinion of me means a great deal. I rather… well, I rather like the woman. I want her to like me, too.”

Cortez smiled, putting a big hand on Drake’s cheek briefly, a comforting gesture. “And I believe she already does,” he said softly. “Thank you, Drake, for admitting you feel something for her. Thank you for proving to me that you are the man I knew you to be, capable of deep feeling. If Lady de Winter has half the character I think she has, something we have seen over the past few days, then I am sure she will not be too terribly upset when you tell her the truth. Be honest with her. The woman cannot fault you your honesty.”

Drake was comforted by Cortez’s words. “I hope not,” he said. “Meanwhile, I have to go inside and tell my wife her suspicions were correct about the de Mandevilles and we are in for yet another battle.”

Cortez let him go, watching him as he disappeared into the keep and praying that Lady de Winter had some understanding for what was about to happen. Cortez believed Drake had made the right choice about Lady de Witt and he would stand by the man in all things, including what they were about to face.

He hoped Lady de Winter felt the same way, too.

*

There were feathers everywhere.

Elizaveta and Daniella sat on the floor of the second floor chamber that Daniella shared with Devon, both women with iron needles in their hands, stitching up a feather-stuffed coverlet from Devereux that had torn when Daniella had accidentally tripped over it. The woman had tried to contain the feathers but there was evidently no doing such a thing, so she and Elizaveta were trying to repair the damage done and capture the little white and brown feathers as best they could that were floating about the chamber. As they worked quickly to capture the escaped feathers, they could hear Drake out on the landing.

“What in the name of Bleeding Mary goes on here?” he demanded.

He stuck his head into the room as Daniella gasped. “Drake!” she scolded. “You must not take our Holy Mother’s name in vain like that. That is a terrible thing to say!”

He grinned at her, winking. “Great Bleeding Jehoshaphat?”

Daniella shrieked. “Nay!”

“Great Bleeding Christ?”

“Worse!”

“Great Fat and Bleeding St. Michael?”

Elizaveta burst into laughter as Daniella gasped in horror. “You are a terrible man for saying such things in front of your wife,” she said. “What on earth will she think of you?”

Drake, still grinning, looked at the laughing Elizaveta. “I do not know,” he said. “Wife, what do you think of me?”

Elizaveta shook her head as she put another stitch into the coverlet. “I think you are a cheeky lad who deserves a good thrashing,” she said. “I suspect your mother did not thrash you nearly enough as a child.”

Drake went to Elizaveta, putting a big hand on her head in an affectionate gesture. “I was always able to talk my way out of motherly thrashings,” he said. “Well, mayhap not always, but most of the time. I would simply blame Devon and Mother would beat him instead.”

Daniella rolled her eyes at him and continued her task of gathering escaped feathers. “I would believe that implicitly,” she said. “You have been terrible to your brother over the years.”

Elizaveta, still stitching the coverlet, grinned at her sister-in-law’s indignation before turning her attention to Drake, who had pulled up one of the chairs his mother had sent along and planted himself on it. He sat quite close to her, observing what she was doing with interest.

“What brings you into this feather-filled room?” she asked. “To what do we owe the honor of your visit?”

Drake gazed down at her as she sat upon the floor, his humor taking a hit. So much for the light and meaningless talk; now he was forced to speak on the real reason behind his visit because his wife had asked. He couldn’t avoid a question like that.

He hadn’t been particularly nervous about telling Elizaveta about the de Mandeville approach until this moment and now, looking at her sweet beauty, he realized he was quite nervous. He had hoped to treat it all very casually but he simply couldn’t, mostly because he was genuinely afraid of Elizaveta’s reaction. She had, thus far, proven herself calm and reasonable in all situations that he’d seen her in, so he hoped that behavior would hold. He reached out, stroking her shoulder affectionately.

“I have come to see you,” he said. “I have something deep and meaningful and embarrassing to speak to you about. Dannie, will you give us some privacy, please?”

Daniella, who was picking features up from the corner, stood up and frowned at him. “Now?” she asked, irritated.

Drake nodded. “Please, love,” he said. “Just for a few moments.”

With a shrug, Daniella put her pile of feathers back onto the bed and quit the chamber. Even though the door was open, they could hear her going down the stairs. When her footfalls faded away completely, Elizaveta looked up at Drake.

“Should I stand up and face you for this?” she asked, a twinkle of mirth in her eyes. “Is it quite serious?”

Drake smiled. Reaching down, he plucked the needle from her hand and set it carefully on the floor. Then, he pulled her to her feet and maneuvered her onto his lap. His big arms wrapped around her as Elizaveta, thrilled at the close and warm contact, put her arms around his neck. It was a close and intimate position, one she liked very much. She’d never sat on a man’s lap before, not even her father’s, so this was rather thrilling. She almost didn’t care what he needed to speak with her about so long as he held her on his lap while doing it.

“It is quite serious,” Drake said. “I have a confession to make to you and I hope that you will respect that I am being completely honest with you.”

Elizaveta didn’t sense anything horrible; she was still sensing his casual humor. “I will always respect your honesty,” she said. “I hope you will always be honest with me, no matter what.”

He nodded. “I swear to you that I will,” he said. Then, he hesitated slightly. “I should have been honest with you yesterday about this but I had hoped for a little time to pass before discussing it. It seems, however, we must discuss it now.”

“Discuss what?”

He studied her, now at close range. He could see her dark lashes brush up against her brow bone and the pert curve of her nose. He paused to collect his thoughts.

“When we discussed what should be done with Lady de Witt yesterday, you and I advocated two different methods of punishment,” he said. “Do you recall? You were afraid that if I physically punished the woman, it would rouse the de Mandeville anger.”

Elizaveta nodded, suddenly feeling not so warm and humorous. She was feeling rather edgy. “I recall,” she said. “I did not ask you what happened with Lady de Witt. I assumed you would tell me when you had a mind to. What happened?”

Drake drew in a long, thoughtful breath. “I would hope that you would understand that how I respond to aggression, especially at a new post, is essential to maintaining peace,” he said. “The fact of the matter was that Lady de Witt lured you into a false sense of security before trying to kill you. She was defiant until the end, defending her need to kill you without remorse. I had no doubt she would try to kill you again if given the chance and this I could not allow. What kind of husband would I be if I did not eliminate an obvious threat against my wife?”

By this time, Elizaveta had lost all hope and humor. She stared at him, knowing exactly what he was leading up to. She could just tell.

“You killed her?” she asked.

Drake nodded, though it was reluctantly. “She was executed,” he said quietly, “as was her husband. I sent the bodies back to Westleton with a clear message to the de Mandevilles that any aggression towards me or my family would be thusly dealt with. It is my sincere sorrow to tell you that the House of de Mandeville evidently did not abide my message. A scout returned a few minutes ago to inform me that an army, heavily armed, is approaching from the south and will be here in less than an hour. Elizaveta, I hope you understand that I had to make a decision– although I respect your opinion on how to deal with Lady de Witt, you must understand that if I did not deal with her offense in a firm and deadly manner, it would appear as a weakness. I had no choice as I saw it.”

Elizaveta gazed steadily at him a moment before sighing heavily and climbing off his lap. Pensively, and perhaps with some sorrow, she contemplated his words as she moved to the lancet window that overlooked the southern portion of the bailey including the church and the village over the massive curtain wall. There were huge groves of trees so the view wasn’t particularly vast, but she could see some stretches southward.

“How big is the army?” she finally asked.

Drake was watching her very closely, fear in his heart that he was having difficulty describing. “The scout did not say,” he replied. “Your father said that the de Mandevilles have five or six hundred men, so I would imagine no more than that.”

Elizaveta was still looking out of the window. “Although I understand that you had to make the choice that was in your best judgment, I must reiterate that I told you the de Mandevilles are quite aggressive,” she said. “What you did… it was probably like fanning the flames. If their family honor is involved, where it always is when it pertains to the House of du Reims, they will not back down. I fear you have invited a great deal of trouble to our doorstep.”

Drake stood up, moving behind her as she stood at the window. “That is probably true,” he said quietly. “But I would rather invite trouble than run from it. That is not in my nature, Elizaveta. You may as well know that now.”

She turned to look at him, leaning back against the windowsill. “I can understand that,” she said. “You are a knight. You fight with Edward. Aggression is what you know.”

He wasn’t sure he liked the way she said it, as if it were something to be ashamed over. “I am very proud of my knighthood,” he said, crossing his big arms across his chest in a defensive gesture. “I am very proud of my accomplishments. There is nothing I have done in the course of my duties as a knight that I am ashamed of.”

Elizaveta shook her head, sensing she had offended him. “I did not mean it the way it sounded,” she said. “I simply meant that war is your vocation. It is the way you think. But it is not the way I think. I was hoping for a more peaceful solution to the situation.”

He could see that. Feeling uncertain, he wasn’t quite sure what more to say. He was afraid that the discussion might lead to an argument or, worse, anger on her part, so he thought it best to end the conversation at that point. He wasn’t any good in a serious conversation with a woman, mostly because he avoided them. It was difficult for him to be serious and to discuss things, especially his feelings, critically. There was a vulnerability in that, something he wasn’t ready to face.

“Then I apologize if I have disappointed you,” he said, for it was the truth. “I have come to tell you that the keep must be prepared for a siege, so you and Daniella should see to it immediately. You will lock the keep up and remain here until the danger has passed. Do you have any questions before I leave?”

He was being crisp and businesslike, and Elizaveta was sorry. She didn’t like to see that behavior in him where it pertained to her. She moved away from the window and went to him, putting her small hands on the forearms folded across his chest.

“You did not disappoint me,” she said softly. “I doubt you ever could. We simply think differently, you and I, and I must become used to your way of thinking. I have never prepared for a siege before but I imagine I need to bring food in here and make sure our well is clear and plentiful. Is there anything else I should do?”

He softened somewhat. “Nay,” he replied. “Except I would have you stay away from the windows. Projectiles have a way of finding them and I do not wish to see you injured.”

“And I do not wish to see you injured, either,” she assured him, the light back in her eyes. “Stay safe, husband. I will pray for you.”

He could feel the warmth from her again and he vowed at that moment that it was something he never, ever wanted to lose with her. It made all the difference in the world, lifting his heart as nothing had ever lifted it. He felt settled and calm, but fortified and powerful all at the same time. That was what her warmth did for him, the kindness and respect in her eyes. Perhaps there was even fondness there.

God, he hoped so.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely, patting her hands. “I am sending word to Thetford for reinforcements, just in case. I am sure we will not have any difficulty, but I want to be prepared.”

Elizaveta nodded. He seemed confident enough but she was still fearful, having heard from her father what the de Mandevilles were capable of. It frightened her. But she did not want to show her fear because she didn’t want Drake to interpret her fear as a lack of confidence in his abilities as a knight. She forced a smile.

“And I will prepare the keep,” she said. “Shall I send bandages or anything else over to the hall? I am assuming that is where you will put your wounded, since that is where they are from yesterday’s skirmish.”

He shook his head. “The quartermaster is well supplied,” he replied. “Your only worry should be the keep and securing it. Lock up all of the gates and make sure you are safely behind them.”

“I will.”

There was nothing more to say. Drake was feeling better than he did when he had entered the room, pleased that his confession about Lady de Witt hadn’t damaged their new relationship. He was pleased that Elizaveta had handled it well, in the manner he was coming to see from her repeatedly. She was reasonable and calm as well as brave. He liked those qualities very much.

Thank God she is a reasonable woman….

Unwinding his arms, he wrapped them around her and pulled her close, capturing her lips with his own. Elizaveta caved into him, responding immediately by putting her arms around his neck. He’d kissed her before earlier and it had only served to whet her appetite for another kiss, something she was very quickly coming to like. It was a heated kiss, one of pure, liquid lust as Drake’s hands roamed, touching her body, feeling her firm flesh beneath his hands, but unlike the kiss in the eating room, he didn’t try to take her. He knew there wasn’t time.

So he forced himself to pull away from her, setting her on her feet with a grin when she seemed unable to keep her balance. They both laughed at that. With a wink, he quit the room, leaving his flustered wife struggling to catch her breath. But once Elizaveta calmed her racing heart, fears for Drake’s safety were very much a concern for her. Going to peer from the window, she caught a glimpse of him as he came out of the keep and headed for the portcullis, of which she could see a tiny portion. The more she watched him, the more fearful she became and she murmured a prayer for his safety.

St. Michael the Archangel,

Defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls….

…please protect my husband!