Chapter Six
Due to the fact that Lord and Lady Hereford had yet to appear at their feast, there had been no formal meal yet even if there was plentiful food, but there was also plentiful drink, so, not wanting to be rude to their hosts by eating before the formal feast commenced, the knights stayed mostly to the drink.
The result was that within a couple of hours of their arrival to the hall, many of them were fairly drunk. A few were even smashed.
Essien was one of those who was rightfully plastered.
He was trying not to be. He truly was. But he’d had five cups of the strong Spanish wine that the de Lohrs favored, and before he knew it, the room was rolling as if he were on the high seas and he was holding on to the tables to keep from going overboard.
He was sitting at a table near the dais with Ashton, Cassian, Addax, Jonathan, William, Kieran, and Paris, and they were all drunk to varying degrees.
Alexander, who had arrived late to the feast with his wife, came across the group, noted their state of inebriation and ordered some of the egg dishes, bread, and boiled fruit juice over to the table to counteract the effects of the alcohol.
As Alexander tried to help the group out because he really didn’t think Christopher would be pleased to arrive in the hall to a gang of drunken knights, sentries out in the bailey announced the arrival of more guests.
There seemed to be a good deal of activity going on as horses and wagons arrived.
Alexander dared to leave the table of drunkards long enough to see who it was, and he was informed that the Earl of Canterbury, David de Lohr, had arrived along with Peter de Lohr, Christopher’s eldest son and commander of the garrison at Ludlow Castle.
The last of the de Lohrs had finally appeared.
As Alexander went into the bailey to greet the newcomers, he saw David and Peter speaking to two men he didn’t recognize because their backs were to him.
The horses were being taken away, as were the wagons, so there was a bit of commotion going on as Alexander approached.
Then one of the men speaking to David turned around and Alexander recognized him immediately.
Surprise was in the air.
“Rhys?” Alexander said incredulously. “And Maddoc? My God, I’ve not seen the two of you in years. How remarkable!”
He went to embrace Rhys du Bois, a man who had served Christopher and David for many years. His son, Maddoc, was the captain of the guard for the Earl of Canterbury, a young knight with a lightning-fast sword and astonishing skill. Both men were black-haired, blue-eyed, and enormously powerful.
The common family traits were strong from father to son.
“Sherry.” Rhys returned the man’s embrace. “’Tis good to see you. It has been a long time.”
“Too long,” Alexander said as he hugged Maddoc. “Truthfully, I see your son fairly frequently in Kent, but you’re still in France. It has been years.”
“It has,” Rhys said. “Being the brother of the current Duke of Navarre means I have duties to my family there. My children were born in Navarre, you know. All but Maddoc. But my heart is here, in England. I was visiting Maddoc when David told me that he was coming to Chris’ tournament.
That was a coincidence, since I had something to speak with Chris about, so I came along. ”
Alexander grinned. “And you brought Peter with you?”
Peter spoke up. “I happen to arrive at the same time,” he said. “We met on the road and came through the village together.”
Alexander nodded. “Quite fortuitous,” he said. But his focus soon returned to Rhys and Maddoc. “The mass competition is in two days. Would you and Maddoc consider entering? We would make an unbeatable team against William de Wolfe and his evil cohorts.”
“De Wolfe is here?” Maddoc asked, delight in his expression. “Where is he?”
Alexander nodded. “Probably in the hall,” he said. “He has de Norville and Hage with him.”
Maddoc bolted for the great hall, lured by the promise of friends he’d not seen in a while. The men watched him go, with David finally saying what they were all thinking.
“There is going to be some mischief tonight, my friends,” he said quietly. “Those four together again? God help us.”
The Earl of Canterbury had spoken. David de Lohr was the younger brother of Christopher and had acquired his title through marriage.
He was still spry and powerful as his years advanced, with the same graying blond hair that his brother had.
Between the two of them, they’d created more history, events, and trouble in their heyday than most men created in a lifetime.
They were legends in England, a brotherly bond that was unbreakable, and that meant David wasn’t going to miss his brother’s tournament.
Even if the travel had been exhausting.
“You are more than likely correct,” Rhys replied.
“In fact, I think I shall follow him. De Wolfe and de Norville and Hage are wild in the best of times. Add Maddoc to the mix and things can become… chaotic. Especially when they’ve not seen one another in a while.
Tell Chris that I am here and will speak with him later. ”
That had David grinning as he acknowledged his departure after the lively young men.
He well knew the unpredictability of young knights because he’d been one himself, once.
He’d had a wild streak to end all wild streaks.
With a grin, Rhys departed the group and followed his son’s path to the great hall, leaving Peter, Alexander, and David to chuckle at the man’s attempt to curb his enthusiastic sons and his friends.
Not that he had a chance of doing so.
“Maddoc is not wild,” David said. “He’s actually quite levelheaded and sedate. But pair him with those three and there are no guarantees how he will behave.”
Alexander looked at him. “I hope Rhys realizes that Maddoc will fight with them in the mass competition,” he said. “He will not side against his friends. If that happens, we are in for a time of it.”
David grinned, shaking his head. “Count me out,” he said. “I am too old to be beaten on by a knight who serves me. Even in fun.”
Alexander couldn’t disagree with him, mostly because Maddoc was big and powerful and no one particularly wanted to become his victim upon the field of competition.
Not even for sport. He was about to say so when they both caught sight of Christopher as the man made his way out of the keep, heading in their direction.
“I expected you two weeks ago,” Christopher said loudly, closing the gap between them. “Where have you been?”
“On the road for almost three weeks,” David said. “You could at least feed me before you berate me about it.”
Christopher pointed toward the hall. “There is much food and drink awaiting you,” he said. “But first, I have much to say to you.”
“Christ, what is it?”
“I am glad to see you. Embrace me, you idiot.”
David snorted, throwing his arms around his older brother and giving him a gruff squeeze before releasing him. “What is the matter with you, Chris?” he said, looking the man up and down. “You look old and weary. When is the last time you slept?”
Christopher cocked an eyebrow. “I slept very well only last night,” he said. “Your eyesight must be fading. I am perfectly fine.”
David smiled weakly. “So you are,” he said. “Where is your wife?”
“Inside,” Christopher said. “I think something happened to Rebecca. But she will be along soon, I’m sure.”
“What happened to Rebecca?”
Christopher shrugged. “Who can say?” he said. “She came running into the keep, weeping, a short time ago. But you know Rebecca—she never does anything quietly. I could hear her quite plainly when she came in, carrying on as if the entire world was caving in.”
“Ah,” David said. “Well, I have daughters of my own. I know how loud they can be.”
That was the truth. David had three daughters, all very close in age, so he had a symphony of female troubles at any given time. Christopher nodded in sympathy, in agreement, before waving the man on.
“Go into the hall with Sherry,” he said, reaching out to grab Peter by the arm. “Get something to eat and sit down. I will join you in a moment.”
David pointed in the direction of the hall. “Rhys and Maddoc are in here.”
That had Christopher registering surprise. “Du Bois is here?” he said. “You brought him?”
David nodded. “He was visiting Maddoc at Canterbury and I persuaded him to come along with us to your tournament,” he said. “He was most happy to come along. Come inside and greet him.”
Christopher put up his hand. “In a moment,” he said. “Let me greet my son first. But there is plenty of Aragon wine to comfort you until I get there.”
That was all the encouragement David needed.
As he and Alexander headed for the hall, Christopher turned to Peter.
He was precluded from speaking because Addax was suddenly among them, having just come from showing Lord de Barenton the garderobe.
He immediately embraced Peter, as they were good friends.
“What took you so long to get here?” Addax demanded. “The joust competition is nearly over.”
Peter shrugged. “And? Who is in the lead?”
“Finals are tomorrow,” Addax said. “Essien and I have survived, so there is a good chance we will go up against one another. So have the de Wolfe brothers.”
Peter’s eyebrows lifted. “Wolfie and William?”
“Exactly.”
Peter appeared gleeful. “I did not realize Wolfie was here, too,” he said. “What great bouts those will be. And everyone is still in good health?”
“Good enough.”
“No one is the walking wounded?”
“Not too terribly.”
Peter rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Then this will be exciting.”
Addax began to pull him toward the hall, undoubtedly taking him to the food and drink awaiting him, but Christopher stopped them.
“Nay,” he said quietly. “Not yet. Peter, you’ve arrived at a most opportune time. I fear I will need your help.”
His turn of mood was obvious, which had Peter’s attention. Both he and Addax paused, their attention on Christopher.
“What is it, Papa?” Peter said.
Christopher glanced at Addax. They both knew what he was about to say and Addax simply nodded, knowing what was at stake.
“It seems that we need your calming presence with Essien,” Christopher said. “You’re a good friend of the man. He served you at Ludlow for a time.”
Peter was puzzled. “He did,” he said. “But why must I be a calming presence?”
“Marriage,” Addax muttered.
Peter looked at him in surprise. “What marriage?”
Christopher answered. “I’ve brokered a deal with Harald de Efford that would see Essien marry the man’s widowed daughter,” he said.
“It is a good arrangement, Peter. Upon the marriage, Essien would be quite wealthy and would be given the small castle at Birlingham, which is part of de Efford’s property.
However, when de Efford passes, Essien would inherit the title of Earl of Mercia.
That is de Efford’s hereditary title from a lineage hundreds of years old, and he would also inherit Eckington Castle.
It would be an enormous inheritance through the marriage. ”
Peter could immediately see the benefit of it. “Something he would not have otherwise,” he said.
“Aye.”
“But he has to marry the widow to get it.”
“Exactly.”
Peter understood fully why his father said he needed help with Essien.
“I see.” He sighed heavily, knowing that Essien would not take anything to do with marriage well.
He’d simply never been interested in a marriage for as long as Peter had known him.
“He’s not going to be happy with this, I suspect. ”
“I do not care if he is happy or not,” Addax said sternly. “In fact, Essien and I were speaking today about his duty to carry on our family name. He does not seem to feel any urgency about it.”
Peter shrugged. “Essien loves women,” he said. “He simply doesn’t want to marry one. At least, I’ve never known him to express any interest.”
“I know,” Addax said. “I do not think I did, either, before I met Emmy. I suppose Essien only needs to find the right woman to change his mind, but the reality is that it may never happen. Not unless we force his hand.”
“And you believe this is the right way to go about it?”
Addax sighed heavily. “Peter, my father died so that Essien and I could live,” he said. “We went through hell before we were brought to England, so Essien owes our father grandchildren. He owes the man gratitude at the very least for his sacrifice.”
Peter nodded. “I know,” he said, softness in his tone.
“I’m not arguing with you, Ad. It’s simply that I know Essien.
He served me at Ludlow when I first took command of it.
So did you, Ad. Do you remember the Welsh warlord from Bleddfa that was enamored with Essien and wanted the man to marry his daughter? ”
Addax was nodding before Peter even finished speaking. “I do,” he said. “I remember everything.”
“How angry Es was that a man dared to want him for his daughter?”
“Aye.”
“How furious he was when we gently told him to consider it?”
“He would not speak to me for a month.”
Peter scratched his chin as he looked to his father. “And you say this contract has been agreed upon?” he asked.
Christopher nodded. “For Essien’s sake, it has,” he said.
Then his focus turned to Addax. “Ad, I found you and your brother when you were quite young. Although I am not your father, I feel that I have stood beside him in every decision I made for the two of you. I never tried to take his place, but merely reinforce what I felt he would want for you. Would you agree with that?”
Addax nodded without hesitation. “We would have died without you, my lord,” he said. “You are not my father, but you are, mayhap, the closest thing I have to one. I know that Essien feels the same way.”
Christopher pondered that. He’d watched Addax and Essien grow up. He’d made it so they were educated in the finest homes, trained by the finest men, and had the opportunities that they had. There was no question about that.
Essien would simply have to realize this was one more opportunity being provided.
“Then I will tell him personally,” he said.
“Ad, send a soldier to fetch your brother, but you and Peter will come with me to the solar and wait for him. I will do all of the talking. You simply stand by and provide support if needed. If he is going to hate someone, let him hate me for this. But it is for his own good.”
Addax nodded, splitting off from Christopher and Peter as they went to the keep and he sent a soldier into the hall to summon Essien. He then joined Christopher and Peter in the lavish solar of Lioncross Abbey, a chamber that had witnessed much of the making of history over the decades.
It was about to witness something else now.
Life was about to change for one of the princes of Kitara.
And it wasn’t going to be pleasant.