Chapter One
Farringdon House
London Townhome of the Earl of Pembroke, William Marshal
“You’re drunk.”
“I was, but I am quite lucid now. I am told you wish to see me?”
Caius was answering the accusation of a man standing several feet away, across the vast and beautiful chamber with hand-painted walls that looked better suited for a prince or a king, or even a woman, and not a great warlord and spy master.
It was the lair of the legendary William Marshal.
A knight of the highest order, he was also a titled lord who controlled the winds of politics in England as much as the king did.
John may have been king, but William was the puppet master to a large degree.
Here, in his swanky London townhome of Farringdon House near the western edge of the city, the fate of a country was manipulated.
Changed.
Controlled.
The chamber was warm and dim, the only light and heat coming from a roaring fire in the hearth that was taller than a man.
That meant an inordinate amount of heat filled the room and even though Caius said he was lucid, the truth was that he was still tipsy and the warmth of the room was making him sleepy.
But he fought it, instead, focusing his intense gaze on the older man with the yellowed eyes and a piercing stare of his own.
It was that piercing stare that beheld Caius just a little bit longer than necessary, as if to determine whether or not the man was telling him the truth. But Caius met the man steadily.
William finally looked away, gesturing to two chairs that were positioned in front of that uncomfortably warm hearth.
“Sit,” he said. “Something has come up, Cai. This is… complicated, I fear.”
Caius broke from his position near the entry, where he’d been standing, and headed towards the chair William had indicated.
He wondered if he was weaving as he walked because he certainly felt that way, trying to pretend that he wasn’t.
He was trying awfully hard to pretend he wasn’t drunk, as William had accused.
He wouldn’t let the man have the satisfaction.
“If it is personal, then I am at your service,” he said. “You honor me.”
William sat down, heavily, in the more comfortable of the two chairs, leaving Caius to plant his bulk in the hard-bottomed oak chair. William shifted, seemingly unable to look Caius in the eyes for the moment.
There was much on his mind.
Around them, other knights were in the chamber, in the shadows, watching and listening.
Caius knew that Sean and Maxton were there, along with Kevin, Bric, Dashiell, and Peter.
Morgan and Gareth had been left down in the central courtyard of the fortress-like townhome, waiting for their commanders.
They were newer members of The Marshal’s elite force, but some privileges still had to be earned.
Like being part of a private meeting.
For William, it was not only private, but personal.
That was clear in his manner. He finally looked up at Caius, at the men back in the shadows, knowing he was among men who not only served and respected him, but were as close to friends as a man like him could get.
His guard came down, just a little, and he cleared his throat softly.
“Two months ago, my niece, Alice, daughter of my sister, Margaret, was married,” he said.
“This, in and of itself, is not an astounding thing. Women are married all the time. But Alice… let us say that she is not an attractive girl. She is also not young at thirty years and four. We never thought she would be married, but a surprising offer came from Covington de Wrenville and my sister naturally accepted. I did not find out about it until last week when I received a call for assistance from de Wrenville himself. He impressed upon me his new ties to my family and insisted I come to his aid.”
Caius was listening closely. So far, there hadn’t been any earth-shattering revelations. “What is his trouble, my lord?”
William gave him an exasperated look. “What isn’t his trouble?” he said. “Do you know anything about Covington de Wrenville?”
Caius lifted his big shoulders. “I have heard the name, but I’ve had no direct contact with him. His seat is in Worcestershire, I think.”
“Shrewsbury,” William corrected. “In short, Covington de Wrenville is a warlord loyal to John. His son, Marius, is a favorite of the king at the moment and I am convinced this entire marriage was orchestrated to establish family ties to me.”
Marius de Wrenville. The same whelp Caius had beaten in the drinking game at The Pox.
No wonder Maxton and Sean had looked so shocked when they realized the de Wrenville heir had been Caius’ opponent, but Caius wasn’t sure he should tell The Marshal that.
It might make the situation worse, so he pretended that he didn’t know anything about the family.
“Every family in England would like to be related to you,” he said. “Surely that is not surprising.”
William rolled his eyes. “It is not, but I would rather not be tied to this family,” he said.
“Covey de Wrenville is a man of ill repute. He is loyal to the man who can do the most for him and this marriage to a woman some have cruelly called Ugly Alice was to establish ties to me so that he can call upon family honor and force me into an alliance. If I refuse, he will run to Margaret and I do not wish to be at odds with my dear sister. I believe that his son and the king orchestrated this entire thing to somehow subjugate me to Covey. He can ask for my army and it will be difficult for me to refuse him. But Covey is loyal to the king, meaning John can use my armies through Covey.”
Caius was beginning to understand. “That is indeed troubling, my lord,” he said. “But how may I be of service?”
William sighed heavily and stood up, moving to the table against the wall that contained two big pitchers of wine and fine rock crystal cups. They had been a gift from a Gascon warlord years ago. Pouring himself a full measure of wine in a contemplative gesture, he returned to his seat.
“Covey is having trouble with a neighbor,” he said.
“This neighbor, I am told, is aggressive and disloyal to the king. He has asked for my assistance in defeating this neighbor once and for all, for it has apparently been a long-running feud. John wants the neighbor arrested and brought to London to face his justice.”
“And you want me to accomplish this?”
William shrugged. “That is the intent,” he said.
“But something tells me that there is more to this situation than meets the eye. The de Wrenvilles hold Winterhold Castle north of Shrewsbury and the neighbors in question are the de Thoringtons of Hawkstone Castle. Their lands border one another. Now, I know Rupert de Thorington, or at least, I did long ago. He went on Crusade with King Richard and as far as I know, he has never been disloyal to the Crown, but I have not seen him in many years. I suppose the situation could have changed.”
“And you want me to determine if it has?”
William nodded. Then, he set the wine down and fixed on Caius with a grim and serious expression.
“Cai, I fear this is a ruse for John to somehow gain control of the army I send to Winterhold,” he said.
“If it is, I need you in command. You will not let John and his loyalist take control of my men. Furthermore, there is something you should know about Hawkstone – not only is it a mighty fortress, but it sits upon rich and mythical lands dating back to ancient times. There is a mountain in the midst of the property with caves and magical waterfalls. I have seen it myself, many years ago. It is said that an ancient Mercian king buried his treasure somewhere on the Hawkstone property. I would not be surprised if de Wrenville wanted that property badly enough to lie about de Thorington to get it. But that is something you must discover.”
“And if I discover your suspicions to be correct?” Caius asked quietly.
William sighed heavily yet again. “My sister’s only daughter is married to Covey,” he said.
“Can I go against him? Of course I can. Without hesitation. But that would hurt Alice and, in turn, hurt Margaret. I want to avoid this at all costs if possible because, truthfully, if Covey feels I will not support him, he may mistreat Alice. That is my fear. But in the end, I will not submit to Covington de Wrenville or to John. They are both ruthless and immoral, now with my niece swept up in that filth because of a marriage contract I was not told of.”
Caius scratched his dark head. “It was kept secret from you for obvious reasons, my lord,” he said. “You would have opposed it and they knew it.”
William nodded wearily. “As I said, this was orchestrated. I need your skill as a diplomat, a spy, and a warrior to help solve this delicate situation.”
Caius was coming to understand what Sean and Maxton had meant when they’d told him the situation was trouble. It was trouble, indeed, and an extremely delicate situation.
“I will do all that I can, my lord, you know that,” he said after a moment. “How many men am I taking with me?”
“I will send two thousand with you,” William said. “Christopher de Lohr is already moving them from Pembroke and Lioncross Abbey Castle to Wolverhampton. You will rendezvous with them at the seat of Edward de Wolfe, Earl of Wolverhampton. Have you ever been to Warstone Castle?”
Caius shook his head. “I have not, my lord,” he said. “Though I do know the earl. He is a great friend of Christopher de Lohr.”
William nodded. “They served with Richard in The Levant,” he said.
“Edward served Chris even after they returned home, until his father passed away and he assumed the earldom. Edward is an excellent warrior, but he is a better statesman. He has the gift of persuasion. His discourse has sealed many a treaty and bargain.”
“For the king?”
“He hates John, but he serves the man because he must. As do I.”
“And I.”
“Exactly.”