Chapter Seven #3
Victor, whose eyes had been closed, lifted his irritated lids when he heard the mention of Salisbury. With a fine linen handkerchief pressed to his lips, he struggled to sit up.
“Salisbury?” he repeated. “Longespee is close?”
Kevin nodded. “Around four hours by my estimation, my lord.”
Victor kept the linen to his mouth, trying to prevent the nasty burps that were coming forth. “That is excellent news,” he said. “A festival, did you say? What kind?”
Kevin glanced down the road as if to see the berg of Longcross. “I am told it is a festival with some manner of tournament,” he said. “I am sure it will be something exciting to see once we arrive.”
Victor nodded, his mind diverted from his aching head and lurching stomach for the moment. “Do you joust, Hage?”
Kevin gave him a lopsided smile. “It has been years, my lord,” he said. “I no longer have the equipment required. But I would not be opposed to joining the melée should the tournament marshals allow it.”
That very idea gave Victor such a look of glee.
“Splendid!” he declared. “Have the scouts ride forth and announce our approach to Salisbury. Have them tell the man that we will have entries for whatever festivities are taking place. Hurry now, if there is a competition, then I must be part of it. Dorset has the finest men in the land; let us prove it.”
There was arrogance in that statement as well as a fierce sense of competition, which excited Kevin in spite of himself.
He was also a highly competitive man and the thought of competing in a mass competition or some other manner of contest was quite inviting.
It had literally been years since he had competed in games but he was certain he would not only compete adequately but that he would win. He shared Victor’s enthusiasm.
“De Norville and de Wolfe are always quite good at games, my lord,” he said. “I am sure they would like to compete also.”
Victor was thrilled. “Of course,” he agreed, waving his hand frantically. “Send your scouts ahead. I want them to know we are coming!”
Kevin did as he was told. Soon, the same two scouts were riding on fresh mounts towards Longcross to announce the arrival of the Duke of Dorset.
As the scouts headed off, Kevin went back among the ranks towards the provisions wagon.
The ranks were heavier back here because of the duchess and Kevin could see Thomas at the back of the column, covering their rear.
But the most prevalent portion of his field of vision was taken up by Annavieve as she sat on the wagon bench next to the quartermaster.
He couldn’t tell what she was dressed in but it wasn’t any of the finery he saw her in the day before.
When she’d climbed into the wagon earlier that morning, she had been wrapped in an ugly woolen cloak that seemed to conceal an equally plain woolen dress of sorts beneath.
On her feet were dirty leather slippers, tied tightly.
She didn’t look like a countess at all; she looked like a pauper.
But given the fact that she’d come from a convent, he wasn’t surprised.
She was wearing, more than likely, what she had always worn, but it occurred to him that she could wear the dirtiest of rags and still be the most beautiful woman in England.
Kevin reined his horse alongside the provisions wagon, his neutral gaze on Annavieve as she gazed up at him with her wide hazel eyes.
There was softness in those eyes, something that reached out to caress him.
He could very nearly feel the caress as if it were something real and tangible.
Quietly, almost nervously, he cleared his throat.
“Our destination is four hours ahead, my lady,” he said to her.
“We will be stopping for the night in the village of Longcross. There is a festival going on, and a tournament, and the duke would like to participate so I am unsure just how long we will be there. I realize that you are in your traveling clothes so we will stop before we reach the town so that you may change into something finer, as befitting the Duchess of Dorset. I will have your trunks brought to you.”
Annavieve’s brow furrowed. “I am afraid I do not have anything finer, my lord.”
He seemed confused. “You were wearing very fine clothing last evening,” he said. “The blue dress you wore would suffice.”
Annavieve shook her head. “The Queen loaned those garments to me for the duration of my stay at the palace,” she said. “When I left this morning, I returned her dresses to her.”
Now it was making some sense to him. “So you have nothing more suitable than what you are wearing?”
Again, she shook her head. “Nay, my lord,” she replied. “You will recall that I have spent my entire life at a convent. I have never had the need for anything finer.”
Kevin thought on that. Without another word, he reined his horse back towards Victor’s white carriage only to discover the man vomiting over the side of it, splashing brown bile down the side of the white paint. Kevin waited impassively until the man had finished retching before speaking.
“My lord,” he addressed the miserable Victor. “I have discovered an unacceptable situation regarding your wife and seek your counsel.”
Victor was wiping his mouth with an embroidered linen handkerchief. “What is it?”
Kevin glanced back to Annavieve, back in the distance.
“All of the clothing you saw the duchess wear was loaned to her by the Queen,” he said.
“At the moment, she has nothing finer than the clothes she brought with her from the convent and, as you can imagine, they are quite plain. It is not fitting for a duchess to appear in public looking like a servant, as you well know. It would reflect badly on your ability as a husband and provider should your wife be seen in rags. I must therefore ask your permission to take the woman into the nearest town and see if we can procure a seamstress. We will meet you in Longcross as soon as we are able.”
Victor eyed him, unhappy. “Great Gods,” he grunted. “Now I must pay for her wardrobe, too?”
Kevin nodded firmly. “Unless you wish to be shamed by the state of your wife’s dress, my lord.”
Of course Victor didn’t. He was a vain man. He knew that what Kevin was saying was true. Burping loudly, he pressed the linen against his lips again.
“My purse is back in the wagon, underneath the bench that woman is sitting on,” he said, sounding disgusted.
“Take the coinage you need and then take her with you. Make sure she is properly clothed. You are correct, of course. If Salisbury meets the new duchess and she is dressed in anything other than the best, he will laugh at me until the end of my days. We should have thought of this in London, you know. There are fine dressmakers there.”
Kevin nodded. “Had I only known at that time, my lord,” he said. “I will do what I can to ensure she is presentable.”
He started to turn his horse about but Victor stopped him. “Wait,” he said. “I have not asked you what transpired after I left you last night. I assume you performed as ordered?”
It sounded so cold and unfeeling the way he said it. A business transaction, Kevin reminded himself. “Aye, my lord.”
“I was not able to check to see if her blood was upon the sheets.”
“It was, my lord.”
“And there is a chance she may conceive.”
“There is, my lord.”
A flicker of a smile crossed Victor’s lips.
“Excellent,” he said. “You will continue to bed her at every opportunity, Hage. When you take her now to find her suitable clothing, find a tavern and take her again. I want that woman with child as soon as possible so my cousin will know I have done my duty. If she does not conceive, he will take you away from me and we must not let that happen. I am relying on you to ensure that does not happen.”
Kevin realized that he was coming to hate Victor as the man spoke so cruelly of something that should have been respected and revered. Damnation, man, get your emotion out of it! Already, it is weakening both you and your judgment!
“I will do as you have ordered, my lord,” he replied unemotionally. “The rest is up to God.”
Victor grunted, waving at him in a dismissive gesture.
“God has nothing to do with it,” he said.
“Make sure the duchess conceives a child. That is your most important duty at the moment. Once she has conceived, I shall send her back to that convent where she came from for her confinement. She can have my son there and remain there for all I care. All Edward wants is a child. Well, he shall have one. A son to carry on the Dorset name and the duchess will stay in that convent and out of my sight for the rest of her life.”
Kevin simply stared at the man. He’d met some cold and unfeeling men in his time.
Hell, he was cold and unfeeling at times, but this situation was different.
My son, Victor had called any child Annavieve would bear.
The truth was that the child would be Kevin’s son and he realized, with great horror, that he wasn’t entirely apt to allow the duke to claim the child.
Not that he had a choice, but as he listened to Victor rant, it was becoming clear to him that this situation was going to become far more complex than he had ever dreamed.
Without another word, Kevin reined his horse around and headed back to the provisions wagon.
Annavieve was watching him, her attention fully upon him as he reached the wagon and had a nearby soldier reach under the wagon bench and pull forth the chest that contained the duke’s coinage.
Kevin flipped open the chest, pulling forth a rather large pouch of coins.
Closing the lid, he had the same soldier shove it back underneath the bench as Kevin looked over his shoulder and motioned Thomas forward.
Thomas was on him in an instant.” Aye, Kevin?”
Kevin shoved the coin purse into his tunic.
“I have been ordered to take the duchess to the nearest town,” he said, “in order to find a seamstress to properly clothe her. You and Adonis will take the column to the town of Longcross, about four hours away, and wait for us. There is a tournament going on there that the duke wishes to participate in, so I hope you are eager for the sport of the melée. He will want you to compete.”
Thomas’ face lit up. “It has been years since I have competed for sport,” he said. “I will take both you and Adonis down and shout my victory to all who will listen.”
Kevin grinned. “You are confident,” he said. “It is a pity I will be forced to destroy that confidence when I best you in the mass competition.”
“We shall see.”
“Prepare to feel pain, de Wolfe.”
“I will cut you off at the knees, Hage.”
They laughed at each other as Thomas left his post at the rear and charged forward to take point with Adonis. Kevin, thinking on all of the ways to humiliate his friends in the mass competition, turned back to Annavieve only to see that she was looking at him with great concern. His brow furrowed.
“My lady?” he asked. “What is the matter?”
Annavieve pointed to Thomas. “That knight… did he threaten you?”
Kevin grinned. “He did, but I shall make short work of him, have no fear.” He pulled his horse alongside the bench where she was sitting and held out a gloved hand to her. “Come with me, my lady. We must accomplish a few things before we reach Longcross.”
Annavieve put her long, slim fingers in his grasp as he pulled her over to him, reached out, and slid her onto the back of his saddle. Annavieve perched unsteadily there.
“Why?” she asked, trying to hold on to him so she wouldn’t slide off. “Where are we going?”
Kevin, with an arm behind him, helped her find a more secure position. “To the nearest town,” he said. “The duke has given me permission to spend money on you.”
Annavieve had no idea what he meant. “Spend money on me?” she repeated. “Why?”
She was soon to find out.