Chapter Ten #2
“School is in session, Willie,” he said, loud enough so that Matthew could hear. “It is time for you to learn your lesson. Tell me that a de Russe is always better than a Wellesbourne. Say it!”
William howled as Trenton twisted his arm, not enough to break it, but enough to hurt. “Never!” he cried. “Tear my arms off, but I shall never say it!”
Trenton was grinning as he tightened his grip and William began to squirm. “I will tear your arm off if you do not say it.”
“I won’t! You’re a brute, Trenton de Russe. You cannot make me say it!”
Now, Trenton couldn’t stop the laughter. “You are dead wrong, little lad,” he said, twisting his arm a little more. “Say it and I shall end your pain.”
William’s face was turning red. “Never!” he said. “Do your worst, but I will not say it!”
By now, the men standing around were having a good laugh at William’s expense, including Matthew, who decided to end his son’s pain. He walked up on the pair, bending over so he could look his son in the face.
“Willie, a very big man is trying to snap your arm in two,” he said. “If I were you, I would simply say what he wants you to say and be done with it.”
William was starting to become humiliated. “I will not,” he said. “If he is going to break my arm, then he should get on with it!”
Matthew looked at Trenton, a smirk on his face. “I believe he is surrendering.”
“I am not!” William spat.
Matthew shook his head at his son’s foolishness. “Trenton, I would consider it a personal favor if you did not break his arm. I have need of him from time to time.”
In an instant, Trenton let William go and leapt to his feet, staying far enough away from William that should the man try to retaliate, he was out of arm’s length.
William pushed himself out of the dirt, eyeing Trenton, but that ever-present smile flickered on his lips.
Trenton could see by looking at him that there were no real hard feelings, even if Trenton had humiliated him just a bit.
“Another time, de Russe,” he said, rubbing his right arm, the one Trenton had twisted. “I will get you another time when you least expect it.”
Trenton grinned. “You are welcome to try,” he said. “But there never was a Wellesbourne that could best a de Russe, and you shall not be the first.”
William pointed at him with a rather mischievous smirk on his lips as he walked away, taking his sword from a soldier who happened to have picked it up out of the dirt.
Matthew followed his son, putting a fatherly hand on his shoulder as they headed off.
With the spectacle over, the crowd started to disband and Trenton headed for the knight who was holding his sword, also picked up out of the dirt.
Ranse de Troyes lifted the weapon, hilt first, to Trenton.
“An excellent spectacle, my lord,” de Troyes said. “I have often wanted to do that myself to William, but the fact that I serve his father makes beating the son rather precarious.”
Trenton laughed softly as he took his sword from the man. He didn’t really know him, but he’d seen him around the castle in the time he’d been there. His was a new face at Wellesbourne, at least to Trenton.
“We have not yet met formally, but your praise is appreciated and appropriate, so I can tell that you are a man of taste,” he said, watching de Troyes grin. “In case you have not yet been told, I am Trenton de Russe.”
“Trenton de Russe, Earl of Westbury,” Markus put in. He was standing a few feet away. “Westbury’s father is the Duke of Warminster.”
Trenton waved him off. “I do not go by Westbury,” he said. “De Russe is my preference.”
Ranse dipped his head respectfully. “Ransom de Troyes, my lord,” he said. “I have heard stories of you from your time here at Wellesbourne Castle. I have heard that there wasn’t a man here who could best you, and I see that rumor holds true with young William.”
Trenton snorted. “As you have heard the threats, Willie intends to do all he can to dispel that rumor,” he said. “If you see him sneaking up behind me with a hammer, I hope you will warn me.”
Ranse laughed. “Indeed I will, my lord,” he said. “Now, if you will excuse me, I fear I have been away from my duties long enough.”
With that, he headed back to the gatehouse. Trenton held up his sword, seeing if it suffered any damage during his bout with William, as he spoke to Markus.
“He seemed amiable enough,” he said.
Markus nodded. “We both came to Wellesbourne at nearly the same time,” he said. “I was unfortunate enough to be sent to Stretford whilst Ranse remained here. He is an excellent knight, having fostered and trained at Canterbury.”
“De Lohr?”
“Aye.”
“He is a good man.”
Trenton was about to say more when he caught sight of Lysabel standing several feet away. She was politely waiting for him to end his conversation without interrupting, and he immediately excused himself from Markus and made his way over to her.
“How long have you been standing there?” he asked pleasantly.
But Lysabel didn’t smile in return, nor did her manner reflect any warmness. In fact, she answered him rather coolly.
“Long enough to see you beat my brother into the ground,” she said. “He has deserved that for a long time.”
Trenton sensed her mood but he wasn’t sure why. “He will forget whatever humiliation there was in an hour,” he said. “He will be back at me tomorrow, challenging me again, I am sure.”
“Mayhap.”
There was a pause and Trenton was increasingly aware of the somber mood she was in but he didn’t want to ask outright what her trouble was. If she wanted him to know what the matter was, she would tell him. Or, so he assumed. He continued on as if nothing was amiss.
“Where are your daughters?” he asked. “I expected them to overpower your father and take their ponies back. I cannot imagine they would let those little animals rest so easily.”
Lysabel looked at him. “Since my father had charge of them, I am sure they are well, wherever they are.” Then, she extended her closed fist to him. “Here.”
Trenton couldn’t see what it was that she had folded up in her palm, so he extended his open palm and she deposited a dull gold coin into it. He looked at her in surprise.
“What is this for?” he asked.
“The ponies.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I am paying you for them.”
He was greatly confused by now. “But why?”
Lysabel didn’t hesitate. “Because I am sure your wife would not like you to spend money on children that are not your own,” she said. “Mayhap it is better if you return to London now, Trenton. There is no reason for you to remain here.”
Wife.
Trenton felt as if he’d been punched in the gut; all of the air got sucked out of him. By God, she knew! Someone had told her that which he should have told her himself and he could see by the expression on her face that she was furious with him. Nay… not simply furious.
Hateful.
His first reaction was to fall to her feet and plead forgiveness, but he fought it. If there was any hope in salvaging this, and he prayed there was, then he needed to remain calm and rational. He had to say everything he needed to say before she walked out of his life forever.
He had a lot of explaining to do.
“May we go into the garden and speak of this?” he asked.
Lysabel shook her head, taking a step away from him. “Are you married?”
“It seems to me that you already know the answer to that question.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
“I am.”
She sighed sharply, rocked by the truth from his mouth.
“Then there is nothing to speak of,” she said evenly.
“Last night, you spoke of kindness and caring, and you led me to believe that you wanted to court me. But I have since discovered that to be untruthful. There is nothing more to say, Trenton. Thank you for what you did for me when you removed Benoit, but your task is finished now. You may leave.”
His heart sank. She was stiff and unyielding, unwilling to even extend him the slightest courtesy, but he didn’t blame her.
He didn’t deserve it. He should have told her the truth last night at the very least, but his selfishness had prevented it.
Something foolish and giddy that had caused him to withhold information because he didn’t want to spoil that lovely relationship they had been building.
He had wanted to live in a fantasy world and he had.
But now, it was going to cost him.
“I am sorry I did not tell you,” he said, hoping she would listen to him before she walked away.
“I have no excuse other than I did not want to tell you. What I told you last night was not a lie, Lysabel. You are the most perfect creature I have ever seen, and I wanted to be close to that perfection. And what we shared, just the two of us, was beyond compare. I wanted to know something I’d never known before – the laughter, the witty repartee, the expression on your face when you look at me that makes my belly quivery like a giddy squire.
I have never known that with anyone and I suppose I wanted to live in that world with you, where only the two of us and your children exist. It is such a beautiful world and I did not want to lose it. ”
Lysabel was looking away from him. She knew she should walk away, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Like Trenton, she had wanted to live in a fantasy world where no one else existed.
She’d caught a glimpse of it and she wanted it very badly.
But there was so much grief in her heart at the moment that she hardly knew where to begin.
“That does not excuse what you have done,” she said. “You have made me a party to stealing another woman’s husband and that is shameful. You used sweet words and lies to coerce me and I shall never forgive you for it. You made me believe that I was special.”