Chapter Twenty-One
Farringdon House, London
One Month Later
“And that’s what happened,” Caius said. “You now know the entire situation, my lord, as it happened.”
He was sitting in William Marshal’s lush solar, facing William, who had an odd expression on his face. Somewhere between shock and disbelief. As the fire in the hearth blazed on this cold winter’s night and the warm wine flowed freely, there was a stunned mood filling the chamber.
None more stunned than William.
“God’s Bones, Cai,” he finally said. “When I received your missive in the middle of this situation, telling me what you had discovered so far and asking if I still wanted you to proceed with supporting Covey’s army, I had to admit that I was undecided. My worry was still for Alice. But now…”
“Now, you know everything that happened, Uncle William,” Alice said.
“With God as my witness, it is the truth. Caius has not embellished in any way. Everything he told you about Covington and Marius was the absolute truth. Covington only married me for the alliance with you, and he only wanted your army to destroy lands he coveted. It is as simple as that.”
She, too, was in the chamber, along with Emelisse, Hallam, Maxton, Kevin, Peter, and Edward, who had trekked to London with Caius and the others when they stopped at Warstone Castle to inform him of everything that had happened after he had departed, including the fact that Winterhold was now without a lord because Lady de Wrenville refused to live there.
Edward had immediately sent two of his most trusted knights and about five hundred men to secure Winterhold until a decision could be made as to who, exactly, would assume control of the property.
Even Edward was astonished by the mess that had occurred after he’d gone back to Warstone. It wasn’t a simple matter. In fact, it had never been a simple matter. What had started out as something that had been a seemingly straightforward dispute between neighbors had turned into bloody chaos.
“I should have known when I arrived just how volatile the situation was, William,” Edward said wearily as he poured himself more warmed wine.
“Covington was bordering on madness from the moment we arrived. He truly felt there was nothing to stop him from using your army to destroy what was left of Hawkstone. The moment he was denied your army was the moment the situation started to turn. I could see it. We could all see it. But I had no idea just how entangled it would become after I left.”
William looked at the powerful Earl of Wolverhampton. “I did not expect you to personally become involved, you know.”
Edward nodded. “I know,” he said. “But I could not help but see the situation for myself when Caius came to collect the de Lohr and Pembroke troops. De Wrenville was my vassal, after all.”
William didn’t blame the man for personally seeing to the situation. He returned his attention to Caius, focusing on the man who had been sent to assist what they all thought was an ally, but who ended up having to go to extreme lengths to settle a situation that had grown into a monster of a mess.
“I suppose I am still trying to grasp all of this,” he said.
“Of course, my only concern is for Alice and now that she is safe, I am satisfied, but what you have told me is quite astonishing. And there is nothing more you can tell me about Marius’ death?
The king is going to know that my army was at Winterhold.
You were seen by a great many Winterhold men, so someone is going to talk.
I want to know what to tell John when he demands to know what happened to one of his courtiers. ”
It was a dark secret the Executioner Knights shared, something they would never tell William.
Not that the man would fault them, or even mind, but it was better for his sake if he did not know the truth.
It was possible that John might become irate about the death of Marius and William could deny any knowledge of it.
What they did, they did for The Marshal’s protection.
“We were at Hawkstone when we received word of Marius’ death,” Caius said. “We can only assume it was outlaws. He was riding alone, on the road between Winterhold and Hawkstone.”
“What did you do with the body?”
Caius looked to Hallam, who had taken care of that particular issue.
He had insisted on it.
“Buried him with his father, my lord,” Hallam answered the question. “Lord de Wrenville and his son are together. That is the way they would have wanted it.”
It was the truth, though Caius found himself fighting off a grin at the perfectly appropriate and nasty ending for the pair. But William didn’t see his expression. He was fixed on Hallam, a man he’d never met before now.
“I do not know you other than what Caius and Maxton have told me,” he said. “You were Covey’s knight.”
“Aye, my lord.”
“Caius says that you served flawlessly through this situation and were of great help to him.”
“It was my pleasure, my lord.”
“He also said that in the event of Marius’ death, you have agreed to serve him at Richmond.”
“I have, my lord.”
“You must be a good man. Caius is very discerning about those who serve him.”
Hallam wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he simply nodded his head.
Frankly, he was a little intimidated being in the solar of the great William Marshal, mostly because he felt guilty about being in on the plot to keep the total truth from William Marshal, but on the other hand, he was grateful for it.
He wasn’t sure The Marshal would appreciate the fact that he’d dumped Covington and Marius into Winterhold’s moat.
“Hallam is an excellent man, Uncle William,” Alice spoke up in support of Hallam.
“He gave me a great deal of comfort during my marriage to Covington. He was a horrible husband and the marriage was simply a sham. No woman should have to tolerate what I was forced to tolerate. It was most distressing.”
William genuinely liked his niece, who seemed more attractive to him since the last time he had seen her. She had a glow about her that was charming.
“You can take comfort in the fact that it is over now,” he said with surprising sympathy. “Do your parents know?”
Alice shook her head. “I have not yet had the opportunity to send them word, but I will before we leave London.”
“Why not simply tell them when you return to Winterhold? You are a dowager baroness now, Alice. You can take your time selecting a husband that suits you.”
“I already have.”
William’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “Who?”
Alice had been sitting down. But at her uncle’s question, she stood up and faced him.
“Hallam and I were married two weeks ago,” she said bravely.
“I am now Lady Chadlington and I have never been prouder of anything in my entire life. Before you rage at me and tell me how foolish I am, I am going to tell you something that I promised I would not tell, but I feel it is necessary. Uncle William, Covington did not slip on wine and break his neck. His death was not an accident. He tried to kill me and Hallam saved my life. In the process, Covington was killed. I owe my very life to Hallam and I love him very much. I have, therefore, married him and we are going to live at Richmond Castle with Caius and Emelisse. I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life and if you scold me for it, I shall never speak to you again.”
By the time she was finished, she was clearly scolding him. William looked at her, wide-eyed with surprise, before looking to Hallam, who remained stoic and strong in the face of the news that he had killed his liege.
But it had been a noble action.
William understood that. Clearly, after what he’d just heard, Covington needed to be punished.
The man had brought about so much wickedness that his death was justice served, in many ways.
After a moment, he simply shook his head and chuckled, but it was not a laugh of humor.
It was more a laugh at the bizarre nature of the entire situation as more and more of it was becoming evident.
It had been days of madness in Shrewsbury.
“I see,” he finally said. “Then I would say Covey deserved what he received for trying to harm you. Sir Hallam, you have my thanks. Alice, I shall not scold you for anything since you feel so strongly about it, but I cannot guarantee how your parents will react. In any case, it is none of my affair. And in speaking of marriages, Caius, you are now the Lord of Hawkstone Castle, are you not?”
Caius fought off a grin as Alice and Hallam looked visibly relieved that The Marshal had taken his focus off them. Now, it was back on Caius and he nodded his head.
“I am,” he said. “When I married Emelisse, the property became mine.”
William sighed heavily, shifting in his chair as he fixed on Caius.
“And that brings about another question,” he said.
“I had this same conversation with Maxton and Kress and Achilles and Sherry after they married. And now you. What are your plans, Cai? Do you plan to leave me now that you have married?”
Caius looked at Emelisse, who smiled at him. The light of a great future twinkled in her eyes, something he could not resist. But then he caught sight of Maxton from the corners of his eyes, smirking at him as if to welcome him to the Brotherhood of Besotted Husbands. Caius laughed softly.
“Once, I taunted Maxton and Kress and Achilles for finding love,” he said.
“I viewed those men as weaklings for surrendering to something as common as an infatuation. But now… now, I understand why they did it. We are now all brethren in that we have wives we adore and, much like Alice, I do not think I have ever been so happy in my entire life. I will still continue to serve you, my lord, if you will still have me. But… but mayhap not as actively as before. I have lands and a wife now. I should like to devote some time to both. But if you have need of me, I will come.”