Chapter Sixteen #3
“Mayhap even your heart, someday.”
“I hope so. And I would take great care of yours, too.”
Caius thought that perhaps it was too early to be speaking of hearts and adoration, considering how short a time they’d known each other, but he was swept up in the moment.
He’d never been a man who had hoped for love.
In fact, he’d scorned it, taunting those who had found it. But he wasn’t taunting any longer.
He was coming to understand.
It was as if a whole new world has been opened up for him.
There would be time to discuss it later.
“I have little doubt,” he said, unsure what more to say that didn’t sound too giddy or just plain silly. “If everything is settled, then, we should leave. I am uncomfortable delaying any longer. Marius may change his mind and already be on his way here.”
The sweet expression faded from her face. “And if he comes and we are not here?”
Caius cocked a dark eyebrow. “I have an idea.”
*
“You… you’re what?”
The question came from Hallam as he stood in the half-burned hall with Maxton, Morgan, Kevin, and young William. They were all there, gathered, because Caius had sent for them, intimating he had a big announcement to make.
But no one guessed what it would be.
Now, they knew.
“Marrying Lady Emelisse,” Caius said steadily as Emelisse stood next to him. “Hallam, her brother is dead. She is now sole heiress of Hawkstone and you know what that would mean if Marius married her. Therefore, she and I have discussed the situation and she has agreed to my proposal of marriage.”
Hallam looked as if his eyeballs were going to pop from his skull, shocked by not only the news of Caspian’s death, but by Caius’ solution to the situation.
“You’re going to marry her?” he gasped.
Caius nodded. “I am not sure why you find this so outlandish,” he said. “The lady and I have been thrown together, by necessity, and I have come to the conclusion that I will not stand by and watch Marius marry her. I could not live with it. The lady deserves better. She deserves me.”
Hallam’s mouth was still hanging open. He looked at Maxton and Morgan and Kevin only to see various stages of mirth and agreement. At least, he saw that in Maxton and Morgan. Kevin merely looked surprised.
Surprise was exactly what Hallam was feeling. He turned back to Caius.
“I thought we were simply going to take the lady elsewhere until this situation settled,” he said.
“At least, that’s what I thought. We have not yet spoken of it, but I did not think you would marry her.
When Lady de Wrenville commanded that she should not be returned to Winterhold, that was never expected of you, my lord. ”
Caius nodded. “I realize that,” he said.
“Hallam, I know this is going to reflect poorly on you and, for that, I am sorry. You can simply tell de Wrenville that the lady escaped and I went looking for her. You do not have to tell them about the marriage. In fact, I would rather tell them myself once it is done and there is nothing they can do about it. And then… Hallam, I know you are a legacy knight, but you are a good man. I have seen it. We have all seen it. Covington de Wrenville is not worthy of you.”
Hallam began to look uncomfortable. He glanced at Maxton and the others, seeing the very same expression on their faces that Caius had on his. They all thought his lord was unworthy of his service and that was something he’d been wrestling with for three long years.
“Be that as it may, I have no choice,” he said quietly. “I appreciate your words greatly, but I am not in a position to do anything else than what I am doing now, which means the marriage between you and Lady Emelisse would be viewed as a personal failure on my part.”
“Then come and serve me,” Caius said. “I will pay you well and you would serve at Richmond Castle, far away from Winterhold and de Wrenville. Begin a new legacy, one of honor. Leave de Wrenville and swear fealty to me.”
Hallam was stunned by the offer, but he was also deeply humbled by it. “I… I do not even know what to say, my lord.”
“Say you will serve me. I will send you to Richmond tonight.”
There was pain in Hallam’s expression. “I wish I could,” he said. “I truly wish I could. It is a great honor you are offering me. But… but I cannot leave Winterhold.”
Caius knew why. In fact, they all knew why. “She is a good woman,” he said. “I do not blame you, but de Wrenville doesn’t deserve her, either. Would that she had the courage to leave him and go with you.”
Hallam seemed shocked, realizing his secret relationship with Lady de Wrenville wasn’t so secret. He looked around, seeing it all over their faces.
They knew.
“God,” he breathed. “How do you know? Does everyone know? That will put her in great jeopardy and I…”
Caius cut him off. “I only know because I heard you speaking to her,” he said.
“No one else knows as far as I can see, but my men and I know. When one is dealing with the battle between Winterhold and Hawkstone, it is good to know all of the facts, the players, and the dynamics. Fear not, Hallam. Your secret is safe with us.”
Hallam sighed sharply. “You do not understand,” he said. “Covington is a vain man. He does not care for Alice in the least, but she is his wife. If he discovers… us… he will not blame me. He will blame her and there is no telling what he will do to her.”
“If he discovers the situation between you and his wife, it will not be from us,” Caius assured him.
“Truly, Hallam, you have nothing to worry over. And I admire Lady de Wrenville a great deal. Much like you, she is forced to serve a tyrant. Covington de Wrenville is unworthy of the good people around him.”
Hallam hadn’t been expecting that kind of a reaction to an illicit tryst. He looked at the men around him, realizing they were not condemning him.
More importantly, they were not condemning Alice.
They seemed to accept the entire situation without prejudice.
He let out a hissing sigh and lowered his gaze, leaning back against the wall behind him.
He was a man with a great deal on his mind.
“And now you wish to marry his prisoner,” he said.
Then, he looked at Caius. “Do not misunderstand me. I do not want to see the woman married to Marius, either. No one but Covington does. My only concern is for his reaction and how he will take it out on those around him, Alice included. I do not care about myself, of course, but I worry for Alice.”
The man was selfless in his fears and Caius shared his fears, but only to a certain extent. Though he admired Alice, his concern over her was Emelisse. Still, he didn’t want to see anything terrible happen to Alice.
“How were you going to handle her escape, then?” he said.
“We had always planned to send Lady Emelisse away once we got her free of Winterhold, so I fail to see how my marrying her is any different. You will simply tell de Wrenville that she escaped and we have all gone looking for her. That is all he ever need know. He does not need to know that you were aware of my plans to marry her.”
Hallam nodded, finally accepting that the tale of Lady Emelisse’s escape was the best thing to tell Covington. “He will accept her escape, but only for so long,” he said. “At some point, he will send out his own men to look for her, me included.”
“When that time comes, she will be Lady d’Avignon and I will tell him myself.”
Hallam remained propped against the wall, staring at his feet, reconciling himself to the situation.
Truth be told, it was the best possible outcome for Lady Emelisse, but he wondered if Caius had thought this situation through.
He was taking a wife after only knowing her for just a day, purely to keep her out of Marius’ hands.
Hallam wasn’t sure that was the right reason, but on the other hand, there was something in the way he looked at Emelisse that suggested it wasn’t simply an impulsive move.
There was something there, perhaps the same expression he had when he looked at Alice.
Emotions were involved.
He looked at Emelisse.
“Then I will congratulate you, my lady,” he said. “I wish you and Sir Caius well on your new life together.”
Emelisse, who had remained silent through the entire exchange, smiled timidly.
She had learned a great deal during the brief conversation, including the relationship between Hallam and Lady de Wrenville.
She hadn’t known about it or even suspected, but then again, her mind had been on other things.
She felt very sorry for Hallam and Lady de Wrenville.
“Thank you,” she said. “Sir Hallam… you and Lady de Wrenville have both been so kind to me. Please… do not let anything happen to her. Even if she does not want to leave her husband, staying with him is not worth risking her life. If you send her to me, I will gladly take care of her, for the rest of her life if necessary. I am sure Caius would not mind, either.”
Hallam wasn’t sure what to say. He looked between Caius and Emelisse, seeing that Caius had a hint of a smirk on his face.
Exactly what a man wants when he’s first married, Hallam thought.
But he didn’t say what he was thinking. He could see that in spite of everything she’d been through, Emelisse had not lost her genial spirit.
She was still willing to be kind to the wife of a man who had destroyed her entire life.
“You are very gracious, my lady,” he said with quiet sincerity. “I hope it will not come to that.”
“But you will watch out for her, won’t you?”
“I will. I promise. And… and please know that I am very sorry for what has happened. I was following my lord’s orders.”
Emelisse smiled at the man. “I know,” she said. “I do not blame you. But… but my father’s corpse. Will you find it and send it to Whitchurch? Please?”