Chapter Seven
The Plow and the Sow Tavern
Berwick
Wrong tavern!
The thought crossed Addax’s mind as they walked into a brawl.
Strangely enough, the exterior of the unassuming tavern had been quiet as they approached it, the third tavern they’d visited on their hunt for Maximilian.
Kieran opened the door and walked through, only to be hit in the face by a chair that someone had thrown.
Kieran may be enormous and powerful, but a chair straight into his forehead was enough to knock him sideways.
As he toppled over, William and Paris charged in, followed by Addax and Essien.
As Paris went to pull Kieran back to his feet, William and Addax and Essien tried to stay out of the way of flying furniture.
“Mayhap this is not such a good idea,” William said, ducking when a three-legged stool came sailing at his head. “Surely Max is not here.”
Addax had to put up an arm to deflect a cup that nearly smashed into his nose.
“That was my initial thought when we entered, but now I am not so certain,” he said, trying to get a look at the men in the room, but it was one giant, undulating mass of flying fists. “Let us make sure before we move on.”
Kieran was up now, shaking off the stars that were still dancing in front of his eyes. He was surprisingly enraged by the chair to the head, and he pushed Paris away when the man tried to get a look at the gash on his forehead.
“Who threw that?” he demanded, clenching fists that were the size of a man’s head. “I’ll make sure he does not do it again.”
William and Addax looked at Kieran, surprised by his anger. “It wasn’t personal,” William said, putting a hand on Kieran’s shoulder. “But you should let Paris tend that gash.”
Kieran ignored him, his dark eyes searching the room for whoever had it out for him.
Two men were fighting off to his left, and they were unfortunate enough to stumble into him, so he picked up one and literally threw him into a group of fighting men.
When the other tried to escape, Kieran grabbed the man by the neck and flung him toward a doorway that led back to the kitchen.
Both William and Addax winced as the man smacked into the wall, headfirst.
They could hear the skull crack.
“Feel better?” William asked.
Kieran took a deep breath, composing himself, and nodded. “Much,” he said. “Now, let’s see if we can locate Max in this mess.”
“Addax!”
Someone was shouting. Addax turned toward the sound of his name, seeing the very man they’d been searching for.
Maximilian was off to his right, tucked back in the corner.
He was part of the fight because, as Addax watched, Maximilian brained some man with a pewter cup.
He hit him twice, on the top of the head, and the man went down.
Addax, Essien, Kieran, William, and Paris headed in Maximilian’s direction.
“Max, get out of here,” Addax said, waving the man toward him. “What in the hell are you doing?”
Maximilian was fairly drunk. He kept tripping as he tried to move toward Addax, shoving men aside who got in his way.
“They are trying to kill me,” Maximilian declared. Then he noticed William behind Addax, and his features lit up with outrage. “You! I have something to say to you!”
William was not amused. “And I do not care.”
“You should not have won our bout today!”
Addax rolled his eyes as he grabbed Maximilian. “Shut your lips,” he hissed. “If de Wolfe throws a punch at your head, he will kill you, so do yourself a favor and shut your mouth.”
Maximilian didn’t seem to care that he was in mortal danger.
Addax was pulling him through the fight, but that meant William and Paris and Kieran had to get involved in it because men were turning on them, trying to fight the newcomers.
Essien was already involved in it, beating back a man who had come at him with a broken table leg.
All of them were fighting off men trying to do them harm as they moved Maximilian toward the entry door, which was no simple feat, considering Maximilian didn’t want to leave.
But Addax wasn’t going to let him stay.
They reached the door, and Addax thrust Maximilian through the open panel and into the darkened street beyond.
Maximilian ended up falling into the dirt with the momentum Addax had given him, sprawling for a moment until he rolled onto his back and sat up.
It was then that he realized Addax was standing over him.
The man didn’t look pleased.
“What was all that about?” Maximilian demanded. “No need to throw me around like that, lad. I came willingly.”
“Shut up,” Addax snapped. “Shut your mouth and listen to me. Are you listening?”
Maximilian was genuinely puzzled. “Are you angry with me?” he asked. “Why are you angry with me? What have I done?”
Addax was indeed angry with him. Angrier than he thought he’d be. Something about Maximilian living it up in a tavern as his new bride tried to kill herself didn’t sit well with him.
“I thought I knew you well,” he finally said. “As it turns out, I do not know you at all. Are you truly the apathetic and abusive type?”
Maximilian scowled. “What are you talking about?”
Addax sighed sharply. “Tell me again what happened today when you married Lady de Grey.”
Maximilian had to think about that. “The priest gave us a blessing in the presence of my father,” he said. “I told you that I consummated the marriage immediately. Why do you ask?”
By this time, Essien and William had come out of the tavern, followed by Paris and a bleeding Kieran. They came up behind Addax as he stood over Maximilian, sitting on his arse in the dirt.
But Addax only had eyes for Maximilian.
“Because however you thought you behaved today, however polite or husbandly you thought you were, the truth was that the lady thought differently,” Addax said.
“The woman you marry isn’t a whore to be taken, Max.
She’s not someone to treat like you would treat an unruly horse.
This is the woman who is going to bear your sons, and you should treat her with respect. Do you understand me?”
Maximilian didn’t. He scowled at Addax as he slowly and unsteadily stood up. “What happened, Addax?” he demanded. “Why are you telling me these things?”
Addax found that he was trying to control his anger so he wouldn’t lash out at Maximilian, but the man seemed truly dense.
“Because your wife tried to kill herself tonight,” he said.
“She would have, had we not seen her walking toward the river. We managed to save her life, but when I asked her why she would do such a thing, she discussed her humiliation when you consummated your marriage. You yourself told me that it was swift and emotionless. Is that what kind of man you truly are, Max? Someone who has no knowledge on how to treat a woman with respect?”
Maximilian’s eyes were wide with astonishment. “She… she did that?” he said. “She jumped in the river?”
“She jumped in the river.”
“Did anyone see it?”
“We all saw it.”
Maximilian’s wide eyes looked from Addax to William to Essien and back to Addax. Then his mouth popped open and his eyes narrowed.
“My God,” he muttered. “She shamed me. She shamed me in front of my friends!”
Addax shook his head. “Nay, Max,” he said. “You have done that quite ably all by yourself. She’s done nothing but react to your cruelty. I thought you should know so the next time you see Lady de Grey, mayhap you should apologize for your actions.”
Maximilian wasn’t too keen on that advice. “Apologize?” he gasped. “I’ll beat her within an inch of her life!”
“I would suggest you do not, not unless you want men you consider your friends to think you despicable and cowardly. Only the weak beat women.”
Maximilian hadn’t considered that. In fact, he hadn’t considered that his friends wouldn’t think like he did.
Or support his actions. These were men he’d known for years.
He considered Addax one of his closest friends.
But the man wasn’t supporting him in this.
Not in the least. If anything, Addax was furious with him, and Maximilian wasn’t sure how to react to that. It had never happened before.
He tried to regroup.
“You know that I never wanted to marry her in the first place,” he said. “None of this is what I wanted.”
“But it is what your father wanted,” Addax said steadily.
“Do not punish the lady because you are angry with your father. That is not a good look for you, Max. It makes you appear spoiled and cruel and petty. Is that truly the man you are? Because I will be very disappointed if I am only now coming to know who you truly are.”
Maximilian was starting to twitch with anger. He had never had a disagreement with Addax, not ever, and it seemed to him that the man was siding against him. Perhaps they were all siding against him. He looked to Essien and then to William. He singled out William.
“Is that what you think?” he said. “Is that why you used unfair tactics against me in the joust today?”
William simply looked at him. He wasn’t going to dignify his anger with a response. Instead, he turned to Addax.
“I am going to take Kieran back to the castle and have his gash tended,” he said. “I’ll let you deal with Max’s little tantrum.”
He turned to Paris and Kieran, but Maximilian wasn’t going to let the insult go lightly. “Tantrum, is it?” he said. “Just wait until I get you in the mass competition. I’ll show a tantrum, de Wolfe. Just you wait!”
William’s back was turned to him, but he glanced over his shoulder. “You’ll go down again, Max,” he said. “There hasn’t been a game invented yet that you can best me in.”