Chapter Eleven
Nottingham… Barlborough… Doncaster…
In the days following Katiana’s agreement to Titus’ proposal, there was some kind of magic in the air.
As the servants rode their small palfreys and watched the goings-on from behind, Katiana and Titus chattered up a storm.
Katiana held on to him from behind, her arms wrapped around his trim torso, but other times, she would put a hand up and gently touch his face.
Whatever flesh was exposed from the helm, she would touch it tenderly, and, if he was able, he would kiss those fingers.
The servants watched in shock.
Nottingham and Barlborough passed normally enough.
At least, after a day of flirting and finger kisses, Katiana would retreat to her chamber with the female servant and Titus would retreat to his chamber, alone.
They never made any attempt to remove the female servant or get together once they’d gone to bed.
But when they reached Doncaster, the situation changed.
Titus’ second-eldest brother, Cassius, was the Duke of Doncaster, and Titus wanted to deliver the same information to him that he was going to deliver to his father.
He also wanted Katiana to meet his brother, so they proceeded to Edenthorpe Castle, seat of the Dukes of Doncaster, and surprised his brother most joyfully.
Cassius de Wolfe was the beauty of the family, so it was said, and Titus presented him to Katiana with just that introduction.
Cassius, embarrassed, rolled his eyes but greeted Katiana kindly.
And with that, they were whisked into Edenthorpe, guests of the Duke and Duchess of Doncaster.
The fortress itself was impressive to behold.
It had an enormous curtain wall made from gray stone and a gatehouse that was three stories tall, busy with excitement because Titus’ arrival caused quite a commotion.
Servants and solders were running toward them as the horses came to a halt in the bailey, and from the keep, a woman in fine silks, with her dark hair pinned to the back of her head and a baby on her hip, came hurrying in their direction.
So did three rambunctious little boys.
Erik, Dacian, and Vincent de Wolfe had their father’s looks in every way.
Erik was the eldest at seven years of age, with his father’s size and curly hair, while Dacian and Vincent were two and three years younger, respectively.
They were all dark-haired, hazel-eyed copies of their father, while the baby, a boy nearly one year of age, looked much more like his mother, with green eyes and fair skin.
Little Bennett, or Ben as the family called him, was already a terror, which meant he fit in well with his brothers, who were all terrors themselves.
“Astonishing, Cass,” Titus said as he looked over the brood. “Four sons. It is like looking at us all over again—Markus, you, Magnus, and me. Congratulations, old man. I’m thrilled for you.”
Cassius was proud of his growing family. “They act like us, too,” he said. “Given that I grew up with three brothers, I have some experience in handling young boys. You’ve not met the baby yet, but you’ve met the other three. They remember you. Don’t you, lads?”
The older boys were eyeing Titus curiously. Vincent shoved a finger up his nose, promptly removed by his mother, who moved through the crowd of children to embrace her husband’s younger brother.
“Welcome, Titus,” Dacia, Duchess of Doncaster, said warmly. “What a wonderful surprise to see you here. Will you stay with us long?”
Titus shook his head. “I am traveling north, to Berwick,” he said. “We will only be here for the night. Allow me to introduce Lady Katiana de Edington. Lady Katiana is a very old friend. We fostered at Roxburgh together many years ago, and I am escorting her home before I continue on to Berwick.”
Dacia was a beautiful woman, refined and elegant, with a heavy dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She turned to Katiana, a smile on her face.
“Welcome, my lady,” she said. “It is an honor to meet you.”
Given Dacia’s superior social position, Katiana curtsied politely. “The honor is mine, Lady Doncaster,” she said. “I was admiring your children. They look a great deal like their father.”
Dacia grinned as she looked at her boys.
“They act like him, too,” she said. Then her focus moved to Titus.
“And they act like you, though I do not even know how that is possible. It must be something in the de Wolfe bloodlines that causes us to have these wild animals to continue the de Wolfe legacy.”
Titus grinned at her but was distracted when Erik and Dacian crowded around him, curious about his weapons.
The truth was that he hadn’t seen the boys in nearly two years, so he wasn’t certain they remembered him in spite of what his brother had said.
As he unsheathed his broadsword to show the boys the wolf’s-head hilt, Dacia moved closer to Katiana.
“You must be weary from travel,” she said. “I have a lovely chamber where you can rest. Would you like to come with me?”
Katiana looked to Titus, who had heard his sister-in-law’s offer. He nodded faintly, and that gave Katiana the confidence to accept.
“Thank you, my lady,” she said. “I would be very grateful.”
Dacia began waving at the servants who were standing around.
“Take her satchel,” she said, pointing to the sacks that had been set on the ground when Jesus and the other horses were taken to the stables.
“Take Titus’, too. I will put him in the keep with us.
And the servants can go to the kitchens. The cook will find them a bed.”
Everyone was moving with her steady commands, including her husband and brother-in-law, who moved aside as Dacia pulled Katiana with her.
The boys were still milling around their father, but Dacia called to them, and they trotted after her in a little herd, all of them heading toward the substantial keep of Edenthorpe. Titus and Cassius watched them go.
“You married a woman who can move mountains,” Titus said. “I’ve seen battle commanders with only half her ability.”
Cassius grinned. “Why do you think I married her?”
“You are a fortunate man.”
“Agreed.” Cassius glanced at his brother. “Now that she is gone, you can tell me what is so urgent at Berwick that you cannot stay more than one night.”
Titus had his hand up, shielding his eyes from the late-afternoon sun as he watched Katiana take the steps to the keep. He dropped his hand as he looked at Cassius.
“Trouble,” he said quietly. “I’ve come with news, Cass.”
“What news?”
“Last month, Pembroke captured Piers Gaveston,” Titus said. “I know you’ve been trying to remain neutral in the war between Lancaster and his allies and Edward, but did you hear this?”
Cassius nodded. “I did,” he said. “I have my own emissaries who keep me informed. Certainly nothing like the information that you and de Lohr receive from your web of spies, but I know enough. I am in constant touch with Uncle Scott and Papa, too, so we are all aware of what is happening. Why? What’s it all about? ”
Titus shook his head, feeling the same disgust he’d felt the first time he heard the news.
“I was hoping to have the opportunity to tell you what I have been sent to tell Papa,” he said.
“Doncaster is slightly out of my way, but it is important that you know. The gist is this—Pembroke captured Gaveston and swore an oath to protect him until he could be tried by the rebel warlords. Before that could happen, Lancaster and Warwick stole Gaveston from Pembroke and, after a trial which I’m sure was a mockery, executed him. ”
Cassius stared at him a moment before closing his eyes, briefly and tightly, as if to ward off what he’d just been told.
“God’s Bones,” he muttered. “They actually did it?”
“They did.”
“Then that is the end of Lancaster and his allies.”
Titus nodded. “Exactly,” he said. “Papa and Uncle Scott and the rest of them were content to stay neutral, though we both know they were in heavy contact with Pembroke.”
“They have also been in heavy contact with de Winter.”
“I know,” Titus said. “They’ve been talking to both sides but not committing support to either, but after this…
after this, Papa will not support Lancaster or Warwick.
Rather than let the allies hold Gaveston against Edward, they executed the man simply to be rid of him.
They took the matter, a matter that should have been decided by every warlord opposing Edward, and made their own decision about it.
Morgen is beside himself. He is leaning toward supporting Edward, and given that he’s on the marches, that means he’s in close proximity to Warwick and Gloucester. ”
“Is Gloucester in on this, too?”
Titus shrugged. “He’s close to Warwick, as you know,” he said. “Who is to say if he’ll support what Warwick and Lancaster have done? Meanwhile, we have some very big warlords on the Welsh marches who could very well go to war against one another.”
Cassius could see what chaos was on their doorstep. “Papa will send his army to Lioncross,” he said. “None of our uncles will let Morgen face Warwick and Lancaster alone, which means we will be part of an enormous battle if it comes to that.”
Titus nodded slowly. “As I said,” he muttered, “it is a mess.”
“I thought you were exaggerating, but I see that you were not.”
“Nay, I was not.”
“What would you have me do? Can I help?”
Titus scratched his bristly chin. “You can send word to your allies,” he said. “De Royans, for one. There’s another de Lohr at Shadowmoor Castle that should know of this situation. Bowes Castle, Richmond, Beverly… they all must know. And they must be prepared.”
“I will send out missives in the morning,” Cassius said. “And you… you are in the middle of it. Were you with Pembroke when Gaveston was captured?”