Chapter Thirteen
Two Months Later
Brython Castle
“I am going to do this one more time,” Myles said loudly to the group in front of him. “Listen to what I tell you and do exactly as I say. Am I clear?”
Elle and Curtis nodded. So did Melusine, Asa, Hugo, and Andrew, Alexander’s son.
Andrew had seen sixteen years, but he was a big lad with his father’s black hair and his mother’s gray eyes.
The women around Brython, especially the younger women, thought Andrew de Sherrington was quite the handsome lad.
Rounding out the group was Westley and the most recent addition to Brython, Douglas de Lohr.
Douglas was the brother between Myles and Westley.
At seventeen years of age, he had been fostering at Blackstone Castle in Norfolk, home of the House of Summerlin.
Douglas had been there for a few years, and prior to that, he’d been at Thunderbey Castle, seat of the Earl of East Anglia, a cousin to the House of de Lohr.
But his father had all of his sons home, except for Douglas, and sent for the lad a short time ago.
Douglas returned to Lioncross Abbey, a skilled warrior with his father’s size but the curse of arrogant youth.
Christopher had sent him up to Brython to help his elder brother.
Even now, Douglas stood across from Westley, who was three years younger, and frowned because he did not have a female partner.
He was beautiful and blond and far too good looking to be paired up with his gangly, smelly younger brother.
He didn’t want to be paired up with Andrew, either, because Andrew was direct competition for young women’s affections.
Curtis and Myles knew this, and even now, Douglas was eyeing Melusine because, other than Lady Leominster, she was the only female in this particular group.
It was a dance group.
Eight weeks since the fall of Brython had seen quite a bit happening when it came to the inhabitants and the drama that tended to follow them.
New knights and others had joined Curtis’ ranks, and everyone seemed to have settled down admirably, including Melusine.
The bitter, sometimes conniving cousin of Lady Leominster had found some peace in her new role at Brython, and that included a fondness for a certain man named Asa.
The sentiment was returned, something that made Melusine think that the English weren’t bad after all.
Astonishing how one’s opinion could change in the face of a new love.
The only thing that wasn’t dramatic, however, was the relationship between Curtis and Elle, and Elle ruled Brython with an iron fist. It had taken her some time to know, exactly, where and whom to rule, but she was getting the hang of it.
The army was no longer her concern, but her husband’s, leaving the keep and the kitchens to Elle.
She was learning every single day.
And that included this dance lesson. But Douglas wasn’t cooperating very well, virtually ignoring Myles, so she stepped up and clapped her hands together quite loudly to stop the bickering the younger men were doing.
She looked straight at Douglas.
“You,” she said imperiously. “Stop complaining and do as you are told. If you do not, it will ruin this dance, and I shall be very upset with you. Is that what you wish?”
Even Douglas knew not to cross paths with his brother’s wife. “Nay, Ellie.”
“What did you just call me?”
“I meant nay, Lady Leominster.”
When they were in public as they were now, she wouldn’t permit the younger knights or squires to address her informally.
Douglas, conceited that he was, ignored that rule often, and the last time he’d done it, she’d discreetly stepped on his toe and nearly broken it.
Therefore, he was more inclined to obey the rules these days. She smiled thinly.
“Good,” she said. “I should hate to be cross with you, Douglas. You might come away missing an eye, and no woman wants to marry a one-eyed man.”
Douglas knew she was jesting, but not by much. As Curtis and Myles struggled not to laugh, everyone settled back into their positions, facing one another. Myles began to clap his hands in rhythm.
“And now we go forth,” he said loudly. “One, two, three, four. Left hand to left hand as you pass by one another. That’s good.
Turn around and go back the other way. Just like that.
Douglas, put your hand up against Westley’s or I’ll send Lady Leominster over there to make sure that you do. Ah, good lad.”
They were twirling and pairing off in a dance that was a type of folk reel.
It was the fourth dance that Myles and Curtis had taught Elle, because Myles in particular liked to dance.
The man was virtually humorless, harsh most of the time, and a knight to the bone, but he had a secret love of dancing and was a good teacher.
As long as no one complimented him, he was willing to do it.
But the second someone mentioned dance to him, he’d stiffen up and refuse to discuss it because dancing was only for women.
So Myles said.
“Why must we do this?” Douglas muttered unhappily. “You can teach the dance without all of us present. Why must we dance?”
Myles was still clapping rhythmically. “Because your brother’s dear wife has never danced in a group before, and we are helping her learn,” he said. “Stop complaining and just dance.”
“Do it, Douglas,” Westley snapped at him. “And stop stepping on my feet!”
In response, Douglas stomped on his foot, throwing Westley off balance. Howling in pain, he stumbled into Andrew, who bumped into Asa. Asa had hold of Melusine, and she went stumbling sideways. Once Asa righted her and made sure she was well, he turned to Douglas and began balling his fists.
“You did that on purpose,” he growled, heading in Douglas’ direction. “I’ll make sure you don’t do it again.”
Myles and Hugo were suddenly between them, pushing them away from one another. “Asa, you must control your temper,” Myles said. “Not everything is an invitation to fight.”
Asa was furious. He’d never been very good at keeping his composure, even as a child.
He’d gone from a red-headed hooligan to an auburn-haired warrior who loved a good fight and always wanted to be in the middle of one.
But he wasn’t stupid—he knew brawling with a younger de Lohr son wouldn’t exactly be a good thing.
He didn’t want to be sent back to Ludlow and to Peter and his sister.
He was rather coming to like being at Brython and the excitement of a coveted Welsh castle.
Melusine was an added attraction.
In fact, Melusine went to him and pulled him back over to where they had been dancing as Myles went over to Douglas and Westley.
“If you two shite-brains do not stop acting the fool, Curtis is going to send one of you or both of you back to Papa,” Myles said sternly.
“And if he does, Mama will get a hold of you and life as you know it will be at an end. Douglas, stop being so difficult. You are causing problems when there should not be any. Were you this difficult for Summerlin?”
Douglas was frustrated, but he didn’t want to display it too much to Myles or the man might punish him. “Of course not,” he said. “I simply do not want to dance with my brother. Why is that so difficult to believe?”
“Wait,” Elle said, entering the conversation.
She held up a hand to Myles to silence him before addressing Douglas directly.
“Douglas, you are helping me out of the goodness of your heart. I did not foster in a fine home like you did. I do not know these dances that Myles has been so kind to teach me. Curt has arranged for a great feast in a few days, and I am trying not to look like a fool in front of de Lohr friends and allies. Can you not help me with this? Is it so hard to do your brother’s wife such a great favor? ”
Douglas wasn’t exactly contrite. “Nay, Lady Leominster.”
Elle sighed heavily at his reluctant attitude.
“Curt is trying to do something good here,” she said.
“He is introducing me to your allies, and we are to have a great party with many lovely young women for you to dance with, but I need your help if I am not to look foolish. I have never danced in my life because I did not have the education that you did. Now, when I need your help to make your family proud, all you want to do is complain and step on Westley’s feet. Is that kind of you?”
Douglas shook his head. “It is not.”
“Is it noble of you?”
“Nay.”
“Then if you want to be a noble knight, the beginnings of such a thing start here,” she said. “Be kind to your little brother. You may need him someday.”
Douglas looked at Westley, who simply shrugged, before nodding his head in resignation.
“As you wish, Lady Leominster,” he said. “Do I still have to keep calling you that? Why can’t I call you Ellie?”
“You will call me what I say you’ll call me.”
Douglas rolled his eyes, knowing it was a punishment for the fact that he was being difficult. Elle waved her hand at him.
“Now, back up,” she said. “Get into position. We must do this one more time before I go into the village to collect my new garment and shoes.”
Everyone moved back into position, including Douglas.
Myles got out of the way and began clapping again, a steady rhythm, as he alternately sang the tune and called out the movements.
Everyone moved to and fro, changing partners at one point, before going back to the original partner and forming a circle.
Everyone in the circle held hands, moving one direction and then the other.
As Myles shouted at Westley for accidentally tripping Andrew, Elle and Curtis finished their dance quite smoothly.
When the dance ended and they bowed and curtsied to one another, Curtis took Elle in his arms and kissed her.
“Well done, my lady,” he said. “You are a natural dancer.”