Chapter Six #2
“And they let him run free in town?” she said, exasperated. “Why did the sheriff not lock him away before he tried to abduct my Autumn? Had he done that, none of this would have happened.”
Surprisingly, Sedelia was being very patient with her. “As I said, he is the son of a respected goldsmith,” she said quietly. “The father usually keeps his son contained but, unfortunately, he escaped the man today. And now he is dead and the sheriff, nor his father, are happy about it.”
Maryann was furious at that statement. “He is dead because he brutally attacked my daughter,” she said angrily.
“Where is this sheriff? Where is the man’s father?
I will tell them personally that the man brutally attacked Autumn, grabbing her by the throat and yanking her by the hair.
She was saved by a knight who had to kill him in order to force him to release her.
So if the sheriff is angry about that, know that I am angrier.
And once my husband hears what happens, the sheriff will be lucky if John does not send his army down and burn Durham to the ground! ”
Given the fact that Ashington had a large army, that wasn’t an idle threat. Knowing this, Sedelia put her hands up to ease Maryann’s fury.
“That is not necessary, I assure you,” she told her niece quietly but firmly.
“I am simply saying that it was well known that the man who attacked Autumn was… troubled. No one blames you for what had to be done. That does not mean they are happy about it, however. But I understand that it was necessary.”
Maryann still wasn’t eased. She was outraged that the man who attacked Autumn seemed to have those who supported his dangerous behavior. With a heavy sigh, she took a long drink from her wine cup, struggling to calm her nerves.
“We are leaving for home tomorrow morning,” she said. “I do not know when next I shall visit Durham after this. I am certain my daughters will not want to come at all.”
Sedelia didn’t blame her, but she’d listened to the woman rant about the incident with Autumn for the past half-hour and it was best that they move on to another subject so some healing could start to take place.
Maryann was going to give herself fits if she kept on the way she was going, but more than that, Sedelia felt as if she were somehow being blamed for the incident and she didn’t like that.
She wasn’t one to take responsibility for anything, earned or not.
“Your daughters are all grown women now,” she said. “Even Autumn. It is time that they stopped traveling with their mother and began traveling with their husbands. Wynter, most especially. She is too old to be unmarried, Maryann. Does she have any interested suitors?”
It was enough of a subject change to shake Maryann out of her focus on the dead man and the town sheriff. At least, it had her thinking on something different.
“There have been a few,” she said, but she wasn’t ready to speak on it just yet. “That is a discussion for another time.”
“It is a perfect time to discuss it,” Sedelia said, unwilling to go back to Autumn’s attack.
In fact, she was thinking of telling Maryann what she knew of Wynter and Spring’s escapades the night before and how husbands would solve that problem, but she was going to have to lead into that gently if she decided to tell her at all.
“Tell me about Wynter’s suitors and do not leave out any details.
Of course, she can only have one husband so whoever loses his chance will have to be focused on Spring. ”
Maryann sighed heavily. “Men who are interested in Wynter are most definitely not interested in Spring,” she said. “They are two completely different women.”
Sedelia grunted. “Wynter is the beauty,” she said. “Spring has not been so blessed. We must find a man willing to overlook her plain appearance.”
Maryann frowned. “Spring has good qualities. Not all men want a woman for only her beauty.”
“Those men are blind.”
“That is a cruel thing to say.”
Sedelia poured herself more wine. “It is the truth,” she insisted. “But do not veer off the subject. Who is interested in Wynter?”
Maryann turned back to her own wine, knowing it was futile to discourage her aunt from a subject once she’d sunk her teeth into it. She took another drink.
“John wants Baron Tynedale for her,” she said. “Brian de Luci of Langley Castle. I believe you knew his father. He was a friend of Papa’s.”
Sedelia thought on that. “De Luci?” she repeated. “A wealthy family, as I recall.”
Maryann was beginning to feel weary now that her emotions were beginning to calm. “Wealthy, aye,” she said. “But Brian is a good man. He’s kind and considerate and I believe he would be good to Wynter. He is a worthy man to inherit the Ashington title.”
“And what does Wynter think of him?”
Maryann shrugged. “She is not anxious to marry,” she said. “She does not show much interest in any of the suitors she has had and they have eventually given up, but not Brian. He is determined to win her heart.”
Sedelia considered that carefully. “Unless you want four spinsters on your hands, you must take charge of the situation,” she said.
“John gives his daughters entirely too much freedom. He values their opinions when he should make the decisions for them. Wynter, especially – if she does not marry soon, she will lose valuable prospects. Do you think de Luci will wait forever?”
Maryann knew she was right. After a moment, she shook her head. “He will not,” she said. “In fact, he was at Ashleven before we left for Durham. He comes to Ashleven quite often to see Wynter.”
“Does Wynter ever visit him?”
“Nay.”
Sedelia made a sweeping motion with her arm.
“Then you must take her,” she said imperiously.
“You must take her to Langley Castle and you must force her to accept him as her husband. Maryann, if you do not do this, you are dooming your daughter. You are dooming all of your daughters. You are their mother and you must make the decision. Stop listening to the opinion of a girl who does not know what is good for her.”
Maryann wasn’t in the mood to be scolded, but Sedelia had a point.
Still, the woman was making her feel as if she were failing as a mother.
“Langley is not far out of our way as we travel home,” she said, trying to appease her demanding aunt.
“Clark was supposed to go there after escorting us back to Ashleven, but mayhap that will not be necessary. Mayhap we will all go to Langley for the night.”
“Why is de Vries going to Ashleven?”
“Because John promised de Luci Clark’s assistance with a neighbor,” she said.
“Truly, Auntie, it is a story for another time, but Clark was supposed to go to Langley after escorting us home. However, we can take a detour on our way home and stay the night. I am certain de Luci would be happy to have us.”
“Excellent,” Sedelia said, pouring Maryann more wine as she decided her niece was finally worthy of a second cup by taking her advice.
“Call upon de Luci and make sure Wynter is attentive to him. If he is an excellent candidate, then you must not let him get away. Certainly there are many young maidens who would wish for such a chance with the man. Let him be Wynter’s prize. ”
Maryann took another big drink of wine. “Spring would like a chance with him,” she admitted, starting to feel her drink a little.
“She is the one who wants to marry him and not Wynter, but de Luci is clearly smitten with Wynter. There are times when I do feel pity for Spring. She simply cannot compare with her sister’s beauty. ”
Sedelia agreed. “Wynter could command a very fine husband, you know,” she said. “De Luci sounds like an excellent candidate, of course, but has there been anyone else of a higher social station? Surely there is a young earl about looking for a beautiful and wealthy wife?”
Maryann looked at her. “De Luci is more than acceptable,” she said.
“You told me to make a decision and I shall. I shall take Wynter to Langley Castle and then I shall tell John to enter into negotiations for a betrothal. You are absolutely right – my daughters will be spinsters if Wynter does not marry and that is not fair to them.”
Sedelia was quite pleased that her niece was finally seeing the light and because she was, she decided not to tell her about Wynter and Spring’s folly the night before. In her opinion, Maryann was finally making the right decision where it pertained to her wild daughters.
“Do what needs to be done, Maryann,” she said confidently. “This is for Wynter’s own good. She must understand that.”
Maryann nodded. “She will, in time,” she said. “I have told her that she needs to give up her entertainments and grow up. A man does not want a wife who dresses in beards and pretends to be men from the bible.”
Sedelia snorted. “Is she still doing that?”
“She is.”
“Then get her married immediately. A husband will make her stop that soon enough.”
Maryann lifted her cup to her lips, thinking of Wynter married to Brian de Luci. She’d told Wynter that a man like Brian would let her do whatever she wanted, so Sedelia’s suggestion that a husband would make Wynter stop with her plays wasn’t entirely accurate if that husband was Brian.
Even so, it was time that Wynter marry.
The journey home was about to take a slight detour.