Chapter Seven
London
After four days of travel, Tiberius’ hopes of getting to know Douglass better hadn’t exactly come to fruition.
It all started when they left Isenhall. Bose de Moray must have sensed something was up with him, as if those onyx-black eyes could look into Tiberius’ soul and know he had plans for his daughter.
The entire trip to London, Bose had never left Douglass’ side and the few attempts Tiberius had made to speak with her had been summarily thwarted by the man.
That went on for two days until Gallus and Maximus began to casually gain de Moray’s attention while Tiberius would make his move to speak with Douglass.
However, while Bose was occupied, Garran would step in and make sure he was between his sister and Tiberius at all times.
At no point during the travel was Tiberius allowed to speak with Douglass alone and the night before they reached London, Tiberius knew he was almost out of chances.
If something didn’t happen tonight, tomorrow would see the end of it.
On the outskirts of the city, they had secured several rooms at the Pig and Fiddle Tavern in the dirty, crowded berg of Wycombe.
Even after the sun went down, men were out on the streets, drinking and being generally loud, and the three big taverns on the main avenue through town were beyond capacity.
People spilled out into the street, singing and laughing for all to hear, including Tiberius.
He could hear them quite clearly. As he stood at the window of the second floor minstrel’s balcony that he and his brothers had managed to snare, they had a bit of privacy and could watch the activity in the room below.
“I am surprised de Moray agreed to stay here,” Tiberius finally said. “There are men peeing all over the place, pulling out their manhoods for all to see. He has his daughter with him, after all. I would not want her to see this.”
Maximus, who was seated at the poorly-constructed table, had a cup of very bad ale in his hand. He pointed to the room below.
“And they are fornicating, too,” he said, indicating the loud couple in a shadowed corner of the common room as they engaged in sexual intercourse. “It is making me miss my wife very much.”
Gallus, seated next to Maximus, was stuffing his mouth with food.
He was starving after a very long day of travel.
When he saw Troy de Wolfe collect a leg of chicken from the platter full of cooked chicken pieces that the tavern keeper had brought them, he yanked the leg right out of Troy’s hand and took a big bite.
The young knight, unwilling to fight his liege over a chicken leg, made a dejected swipe at another piece of chicken.
“Watching that man poke himself into a prostitute makes you miss your wife?” Gallus asked Maximus, incredulous, with his mouth full. “I am sure Courtly would be thrilled to hear that particular sentiment.”
Maximus grinned and took another drink of the ale in his hand.
“She will never know unless you open your big mouth and tell her,” he said.
“But it makes me inclined to believe that we should return to Isenhall first before continuing on to Kenilworth. There is no knowing how long we will be kept there and I would like to see my wife at some point in the next few months. If we do not stop on our way to Kenilworth, we run the risk of not seeing the women for quite some time. You may even miss the birth of your son.”
Tiberius turned away from the window and the party in the street.
“We will not speak of returning to Isenhall,” he said, interrupting his brothers.
“I have not had one opportunity to speak with Lady Douglass alone and it has been four days. Tomorrow, she will disappear into London and I will never see her again unless you help me. What am I to do?”
Gallus took a big swallow of the cheap, fermented ale. “De Moray has made sure to be with her at all times,” he responded. “Garran, too. He must have told his son not to allow you near the girl when he was not in a position to fend you off himself.”
Tiberius plopped his big, mail-clad body down on the chair beside his brother.
He was starting to smell badly again, as he always did when he had not bathed in a few days.
His hands were dirty and there was a shadow of beard on his chin and, in general, he looked rather slovenly.
But the glitter in those brilliant eyes sparkled with fire for the subject at hand.
“De Moray knows,” he said, disillusioned. “The man knows I am interested in Douglass and it is clear that he is trying to discourage me. I must have a few moments alone with the woman this night or all will be lost, forever. There is no more time to waste. Will you please help me?”
Gallus swallowed the bite in his mouth. “Well,” he said slowly, “it seems to me that we must play our hand. Ty, if you are serious about courting the woman, then I should probably tell de Moray. That might make him more lenient, or at the very least, more understanding. He will not be concerned that you are merely trying to make a conquest.”
Tiberius shook his head. “It might make him more defensive, too,” he said. Then, he eyed Gallus. “Did you tell him of Prince Edward’s support of de Montfort yet?”
Gallus shook his head. “There has been no opportunity,” he said. “But I suppose I should create an opportunity or, much like your Lady Douglass, de Moray will be gone tomorrow and I will not have another chance.”
“Then we pull de Moray and Garran into a private meeting and tell them,” Maximus said. “While we are telling de Moray of the prince’s loyalties, Tiberius can speak with Lady Douglass.”
Gallus wriggled his eyebrows in thought. “It seems logical enough,” he said. Then, he looked at Tiberius. “I am not entirely sure how long we can corral de Moray so if you have something important to say to the lady, say it quickly. Where is she?”
Tiberius pointed across the balcony to the area on the other side of the building where a flight of old, wooden steps led to a corridor with a series of doors in it.
“The last I saw, Garran put her in one of those rooms,” he said.
“We have been sitting here ever since and I’ve not see her come out, so I can only assume she is still there. ”
Gallus and Maximus gazed across the smoky room to the other side. The malfunctioning hearth was spitting more smoke into the room than it was through the chimney and it was all gathering up near the ceiling, creating a choking, blue haze that burned the eyes.
“Where is de Moray?” Gallus asked.
Tiberius stood up from the chair and went to peer from the window overlooking the street outside. Across the avenue, through the torch-lit street, he could see a livery on the other side, crowded with de Shera horses. He could also see a pair of knights milling about and he pointed.
“There,” he said. “They are across the street at the livery. Garran’s horse is coming up lame and they are tending it.”
“Then Lady Douglass is alone.”
Tiberius snapped around, looking at his brothers as if a great thought had just occurred to him.
She is alone! He realized he’d been very stupid, not realizing she was alone before now.
As he bolted across the balcony, heading for the lady’s chamber on the far side of the tavern, Gallus and Maximus rose to their feet.
“Let’s go,” Gallus said, pulling Maximus along with him. “Let us see how long we can distract de Moray before he figures out that we are deliberately stalling him.”
Maximus grunted in agreement, hoping they could delay the old and wise knight long enough for Tiberius to say what he needed to say.
“Ty,” he called after his youngest brother. “You will hurry, whatever you do!”
Tiberius heard his brother call after him, waving the man off as he moved swiftly across the catwalk that connected the balcony with the second floor chambers on the other side.
He turned to look over his shoulder, once, to see that Gallus and Maximus had descended the stairs and were heading for the front door of the tavern.
Suspecting he would have minutes, not hours, to do what needed to be done, Tiberius made haste to the side of the tavern that had the series of sleeping chambers.
He’d last seen Lady Douglass enter the last door on the right so he planted himself in front of the door and knocked softly. Immediately, there was a quiet voice on the other side.
“Who comes?” Douglass asked, her voice muffled.
Tiberius could feel his heart race at the sound of her voice. “It is Tiberius, my lady,” he said. “May… may I speak with you?”
The door flew open so fast that Tiberius took a step back, startled. Douglass was standing in the doorway, clad in a dark blue surcoat that revealed a good deal of her pale and luscious décolletage. Her dark-eyed gaze was wide with surprise.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Do my father and brother know you are here?”
Tiberius shook his head, unsure how to answer. “Nay,” he said. Then, he pointed weakly over his shoulder. “They are at the livery with my brothers and I thought….”
Douglass cut him off, reaching out to grab his hand and yanking him inside her chamber. She slammed the door and bolted it.
“Praise God,” she muttered. “I have had enough of their shadowing every time you come near me. They are mad, do you hear? Mad!”
Tiberius fought off a smirk. “Then you have noticed it, too?”
She threw up her hands, frustrated. “Of course!” she said. “I swear that they believe you are attempting to ravage me every time you come near me! I have had enough of them, do you hear? Enough!”
Tiberius started to chuckled. “They are only trying to protect you, my lady.”
She put her hands on her hips, angrily. “From what?” she demanded. “You? I took you down once and if you try anything inappropriate, I shall not hesitate to do it again.”