Chapter Ten
Brian wasn’t stupid.
He’d seen Gage coming from the keep.
Since there was no earthly reason for the man to be in the keep, he had an idea as to why he was there and he didn’t like it.
He didn’t like it for a lot of reasons.
Brian, too, had known Wynter de Thorington for many years, just as Gage had.
Just as many other people in Northumberland had.
He’d known that Gage had served at Ashleven Castle for a few years and he remembered hearing, long ago, that Wynter had been sweet on the man.
One of many silly bits of gossip he’d heard in his youth.
He hadn’t even thought of it until Gage reappeared with El Vibora’s army.
He’d been surprised when he’d first seen Gage with the mercenary troops but he hadn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together until he saw Gage catch up to Wynter as she was leaving the hall with her family.
They’d had a short, private conversation and then she’d departed, but that was when Brian began to remember what he’d heard those years ago.
Perhaps it was a love affair that had never died and, suddenly, it began to become clear as to why Wynter had fought him off all of these months.
Perhaps she still had feelings for that young knight she’d been fond of, long ago.
Nay… Brian wasn’t stupid, at all.
In fact, he was seeing things quite clearly now.
He’d been keeping an eye on Gage all evening and when his attention had been briefly diverted, Gage had disappeared.
So had Spring. Since Wynter had pleaded exhaustion as her reason not coming to sup, she wasn’t in the hall but Spring knew where her sister was.
Perhaps she was in support of the lovers’ reunion.
It was a suspicion compounded when Spring and Gage left the hall around the same time.
Brian wanted to follow them but he’d been cornered by a big knight by the name of Azul, a very smart man who was quite interested in the history of Tynedale and Langley Castle.
Brian wasn’t rude by nature so he told the man as much as he could before excusing himself from the great hall.
Knowing that Wynter was in the keep, he headed in that direction, wondering what he was going to see.
Wondering if his suspicions were right.
Laurence de Becque had been near the stables, looking over a silver stallion, when he’d made it to the bailey.
Brian greeted Laurence briefly, as he was another man he’d been acquainted with for many years.
He knew that “Bull” was a good man. He was also a close friend of Gage and Brian knew that anything he said about Gage would more than likely make it back to the man, so he didn’t mention him at all.
He kept the conversation strictly focused on Laurence.
When Laurence finally took the silver stallion back into the stable to bed it down for the night, Brian went out into the bailey again only to be met by Lady Ashington and her daughters as they headed to the keep for the night.
“Thank you for a lovely feast, Brian,” Maryann said pleasantly. “And thank you for inviting the mercenary captain to feast with us. The man is very interesting and quite charming.”
Brian forced a smile. “I am glad you have enjoyed yourself, my lady,” he said. “I am also glad you stopped on your journey home to visit, although I’ve not had an opportunity to spend any time with Lady Wynter. I was hoping I would be able to at the feast.”
Maryann’s pleasant expression faded before she told her daughters to go stand by the steps leading up to the keep. That gave her a private moment with Brian.
“I know,” she said quietly. “Brian, you may as well know that I would not have brought her here if I knew Gage de Reyne was also here. I’m afraid that seeing him again has upset her terribly.”
That was what Brian had suspected but he was glad she’d brought the subject up. He intended to glean what he could from her.
“Oh?” he said, feigning ignorance. “Why is that?”
It was clear that Maryann was trying not to spill family secrets, but she also felt that Brian, as a suitor of her daughter, had the right to know what dynamics might be at play.
“Because she was quite fond of him before he left England,” she said.
“She was young, of course, but she was quite infatuated with him. I am sure she is over that infatuation but seeing a man she was so fond of might have brought back… memories. Wynter has never been one to hide her feelings, so I suspect that is why she did not come to the hall. She did not want to see Gage.”
Brian’s eyebrows lifted thoughtfully. “Then she is not fond of him any longer?”
Maryann shook her head. “As I said, I do not think so, but he hurt her feelings when he left so abruptly,” she said. “Knowing my daughter, she has not forgiven him.”
That was good news to Brian. “I see,” he said. “For her own sake, I hope that is the truth. Gage did not leave under the best of circumstances.”
“Oh?” Maryann said. “Why do you say that? We were told that his brother exiled him.”
Brian nodded. “I heard the same thing,” he said. “I heard that Gage tried to steal Boothe’s inheritance so the man sent him away.”
“And you believe that?”
Brian shrugged, turning his attention towards the mercenary army camped outside his walls.
“Quite truthfully, I gave it no thought until now,” he said.
“But it would seem that Gage’s return with a mercenary army, a band of soldiers paid princely sums to fight other men’s wars, might lend that rumor some credit. ”
“Why?”
Brian looked at her. “Because Gage is accused by his brother of trying to kill him and steal his inheritance,” he said. “Now, Gage is back, with an army no less, an army that is being paid to defeat Boothe. Coincidence?”
Maryann’s eyes widened as she understood the logic. “Do you think he’s come back to finish what he started?” she gasped. “But how would he even know about your feud with his brother? How would he know to return to help you defeat Stagshaw?”
Brian lifted his shoulders. “Gage is well-known in southern Northumberland, my lady,” he said.
“When I was looking for help against his brother, my cousin, Michael, recommended I go to a rather seedy establishment in London to find an agent for a mercenary army to hire. They are all over in London if you know where to look. I found such a man who brokers deals for Varro de Soto, Gage’s uncle.
I cannot say that I was manipulated by a man who knew of Gage’s feud with his brother because that would be an incredible coincidence if true.
However, I did end up hiring an army that Gage was part of and he would like nothing better than to see his brother dead.
I’m afraid we can only draw conclusions based on the fact. ”
Maryann had her hand over her mouth in shock. “Good heavens,” she muttered. “Gage is here to seek revenge on his brother.”
“That is very possible,” Brian said. “And if it is true, it is good that Lady Wynter does not want to see him. If the man would go to such lengths to steal his brother’s inheritance for his own, then it might be a simple thing for him to also gain the Ashington earldom if Lady Wynter was still fond of him.
Stagshaw and the Ashington earldom would be quite a prize for a greedy man. ”
“But how do you know if he is greedy?”
“He’s a mercenary, isn’t he?”
Maryann let out a little shriek as all of Brian’s speculation made perfect sense. “We shall be leaving at dawn and going straight home,” she said fearfully. “Tell my knights to have the escort ready to depart at sunrise!”
Brian nodded as the lady gathered her skirts. “As you wish, my lady,” he said. “I will come to Ashleven in a few days and visit with Lady Wynter, if that is agreeable.”
Maryann waved impatiently at him as she started to walk away. “Of course,” she said quickly. “Good eve to you, Brian.”
Brian watched her scurry away. “And to you, Lady Ashington,” he muttered, feeling as if he’d just accomplished something great this night. “And to you.”
He watched the woman grab Autumn by the hand and lead her and Summer into the keep.
As the women disappeared into the entry, Brian was about to turn away when he caught a glimpse of someone departing that same entry after the women had gone inside.
It was dark except for a few torches to light the area, so he couldn’t really see who it was until they came to the bottom of the entry stairs and headed in his direction.
Gage.
Brian had no doubt why the man was in the keep.
No doubt at all. That suspicion and jealousy that he’d kept at bay, emotions that were completely foreign to him, burst forth and filled his veins until all he could feel was rage.
To Gage’s credit, however, he didn’t try to hide or veer away from Brian when he realized he’d been seen. Instead, he headed straight for him.
“My lord,” he greeted politely.
Brian was so furious that he was trembling. “De Reyne,” he said evenly. “You were coming from the keep?”
“I was,” Gage said. But he changed the subject immediately.
“I must say that it has been oddly comforting to be here. I remember coming here when I was very young, as our fathers were friends. I have good memories of playing in the vault of the keep, using a sling to shoot pebbles at you. I think I made contact on more than one occasion.”
He meant it as a light moment, but Brian wasn’t yet over the fact that he’d dodged the question about his reasons for having just come from the keep. “As did I,” he said. “I seem to remember drawing blood and my mother becoming quite upset.”
“Lady de Luci was a delicate and kind woman. We were animals at that age.”