Chapter Seventeen #4
“He would not tell me what it was,” she said, watching the men look at her.
“He kept it to himself, for my safety, I am sure, but I will say this. Tiberius has fought very hard to return home to Isenhall to tell you what he knows. He is evidently too modest to tell you the struggles he went through, but they were great. I know, for I saw everything. He is noble and true, and he is deeply devoted to you both. Before my father permitted us to wed, he was going to return to Isenhall without me in the hopes that whenever these troubles were over, he could return to claim me. He only thought of you two before all else and I am very proud of him for it. Understand that he risked his life to return to you.”
Tiberius appeared rather embarrassed while Gallus and Maximus looked at their brother with a mixture of awe and concern. “Then I am anxious to hear it, Ty,” Gallus said, putting his hand on his brother’s cheek. “Let us go inside and tell de Montfort.”
Tiberius nodded, escorting his wife up the stairs as they headed for the keep entry. “He must know most of all,” Tiberius said. “It involves one of his holdings.”
The dark, cool innards of Isenhall’s big keep swallowed Douglass up first and squeals of joy could be heard as Jeniver and Courtly, having seen the arrival from their rooms at the top of the keep, welcomed yet another de Shera wife into the fold.
As the woman chatted and hugged happily, Maximus put his big body in the doorway and prevented his brothers from entering. He focused intently on Tiberius.
“Now that your wife is not within earshot, what in the hell has happened?” he demanded, his voice low. “Tell us quickly. What is so important that you had to fight and struggle so that you could reach us?”
Tiberius didn’t hesitate. “Henry has ten thousand French mercenaries to support him,” he said quietly.
“I overheard d’Vant tell de Moray and de Winter that Henry no longer plans to fulfill the provisions he promised to uphold back in May when the councils met in London.
He wants to take control of his country and he plans to start by confiscating Erith Castle in Cumbria.
He wants to use the castle as his base while he secures the north.
His orders to de Moray and de Winter were to rally their troops and move north to the town of Ingleton, whereupon the rest of Henry’s allies would amass and move on Erith.
Had you not known this and were called to help defend Erith against attack because it is de Montfort’s holding, you could have walked into a slaughter.
This I could not have allowed. I nearly killed d’Vant so that I could come home and tell you. ”
Maximus and Gallus had the same look Tiberius had when he first heard the news; sickened and tinged with dread. Gallus finally hissed. “Ten thousand French mercenaries?” he repeated, astonished. “Is it really true?”
Tiberius nodded. “That is what d’Vant said,” he replied.
“This is purely confidential information, you understand. I heard it purely by accident. When I was discovered, d’Vant wanted to execute me as a spy but de Moray and de Winter would not let him.
It finally came down to a rather brutal fight and when d’Vant was incapacitated, de Moray let me go. He wanted me to warn you as well.”
As Gallus shook his head, overwhelmed by the entire circumstance, Maximus grunted in disbelief. “So you fled,” he said. “But you fled with de Moray’s daughter.”
“That is because de Moray let me. I have his blessing.”
“You would not lie about this?”
“Of course not. Ask Douglass if you do not believe me.”
Gallus put up a hand to stop the conversation between them.
“Whether or not he married Douglass without de Moray’s blessing is not at issue,” he snapped softly.
“What is at issue is the fact that Henry is moving thousands of French scum into England to do battle for him and his first target is Erith Castle. De Montfort must know immediately.”
Tiberius nodded firmly. “Indeed, he must,” he said. “But there is one more thing – de Moray told de Winter and d’Vant that Edward is siding with de Montfort. He did not divulge who told him the information, of course, but if Henry does not yet know that his son has betrayed him, he soon will.”
Gallus and Maximus processed that bit of information.
It seemed as if both sides knew something quite serious about the other.
The situation, the struggle within the greatest hierarchies of English power, was growing in magnitude.
But instead of moving into the keep to inform de Montfort, as Tiberius expected, Gallus’ gaze continued to linger on his younger brother.
There was curiosity there and perhaps even suspicion.
There was a great deal he wanted to say.
“It seems there is much that has happened since you have been away,” Gallus said quietly. “Now that you have delivered this information to us, what does this mean for me and Maximus and you? Will you now return to de Moray to fight with him or will you remain with us?”
Tiberius smiled sheepishly. “My loyalty was never truly with de Moray,” he said.
“Surely you knew that. I was honest in my intentions when I pledged to the man, but even he knew that my heart and soul are with you. I am not sorry I went with de Moray for I have what I set out to acquire; his daughter. But I am sorry that I withdrew my fealty from you as if it were an easily breakable bond. It’s not, you know.
Will you accept my oath, brother? I swear to you I shall never withdraw it again. ”
Gallus gave him a lopsided grin. “I knew your loyalty was never with de Moray, either,” he said. “I knew you would come back someday. I prayed you would.”
All was right in the world again now that the de Shera brothers were reunited.
Gallus hugged Tiberius and Maximus kissed the man on the cheek again.
All was forgiven, as if nothing had ever happened.
As if Tiberius had not strayed. With nothing more to say, the three of them continued on into the dim interior of Isenhall Castle where de Montfort had just been introduced to Lady Douglass de Moray de Shera by Lady Jeniver.
De Montfort lifted an eyebrow at the fact that Tiberius’ new wife was a daughter of a supporter of the king, but he said nothing. Nor did Edward when he was introduced to the woman a few minutes later. Politics and loyalties, these days, made for oddly arranged marriages.
When the de Shera women were settled in another room and Tiberius told de Montfort and the prince what he had heard at Wintercroft, they were rather glad Tiberius had evidently been consorting with the enemy for if he hadn’t been, he would not have been in a position to collect vital intelligence.
De Montfort was about to lose a strategic property if they didn’t move quickly and as much as the de Sheras did not want support from the Lusignans, de Montfort did and it was his property they were defending. The French were in.
As the afternoon waned and turned into the evening, a war council met in the solar of Isenhall, men planning to make their way north to Erith Castle and circumvent King Henry from taking what did not belong to him and use it for a launching point in his attempts to subdue the north from de Montfort’s influence.
By midnight, the de Shera army was mobilizing for a dawn departure as the de Shera brothers, along with de Montfort and Prince Edward, attempted to get a few hours of sleep before departing.
Already, things were in motion because there was no time to waste.
They had to make it to Erith Castle quickly or all would be lost.
A storm rolled in just before dawn and the thunder began to roll, with pounding rain and strong winds, but Gallus, Maximus, and Tiberius didn’t mind a bit. It was a good omen as far as they were concerned.
The Thunder was about to storm.