Chapter 35
Quentin was speechless as he stared at Crispin de Mangeron, a smug look upon his face.
“How dare you!” he finally sputtered.
Crispin crossed his arms over his chest. “You never asked, my lord. You demanded to search Mangeron, and I acquiesced to your request.” He flicked a speck from his tunic.
“Your rights regarding my niece are terminated. I suggest you take your guard and return home before further humiliation comes your way.”
“I’ll have it annulled,” declared Quentin. “She had not my permission to wed.”
Crispin eyed him slyly. “Knowing Griff as well as I do, I’d say the union is consummated by now. Mayhap already a babe grows within Kallen. No, ‘tis much too late for an annulment.”
Quentin stormed off, his mind whirling. He had been so close to realizing the dreams of a lifetime.
He refused to give up on them. He made an instant decision, to ride to Sommerset.
First, he and his soldiers would return to Nowland, though.
He would need every available man armed and ready to ride.
“Griffith Sommersby might have the rights by law now,” he said aloud to himself. “But he shall have none from the grave.”
He rushed back to his guard. He would be willing to give up his fantasy of exquisite torture of Sommersby, slowly bringing the man to within inches of death before he gave him hope that he might live after all.
Time was of the essence now. Quentin must immediately eliminate the threat of Griffith Sommersby and return Kallen to his fold.
He wondered if she were already with child. If a boy, ‘twould give her rights to Sommersby through the babe. Quentin visited the estate many years before. ‘Twas beautiful beyond words, and he would love to have it within his grasp.
Still, if Edward fell, Quentin would have many properties from which to choose. He mustn’t become wed to the idea of one plot of land as inheritance. He must set his new plans in motion. They would ride the rest of the day and reach Sommerset late at night, if he were not mistaken.
There he would contact his spy present within the castle.
Griffith took a deep breath, glad that Kallen recognized his need to be alone with his father for a few minutes.
She’d gone in search of his mother, in order to break the news to her.
He thought back to incidents from his childhood.
He wished the custom of fostering children never existed, for he would have loved to grow up under his father’s tutelage and encouragement.
“My son.”
Braea entered the room. She came and embraced him. Griffith held her tightly, willing strength from himself into her. Though he loved his father deeply, he knew how close his parents had been. His mother must be devastated at her husband’s death.
Braea moved away. “Kallen told me your father spoke at the end.”
Griffith nodded. “He was the best of men.”
She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Yes, he was. I am fortunate to have loved such a man.” She studied him before she spoke. “I am glad he met Kallen before he passed. You have made a good choice in a wife, Griffith. I know these things.”
She ran a hand lovingly through his hair, smoothing it as if he were once again a small boy. “I thought you would never choose to marry again after Carina’s passing, but I see now that God wanted you to wait for Kallen.”
“She was worth every minute I have suffered alone, Mother.”
“I know.” Braea smiled at him. “I will vacate the solar for you on the morrow. You are now head of Sommerset, with your wife.”
“No,” he protested. “I’ll not have you thrown out in such a manner.”
Braea placed her hands to his face. “No, my child. I know my place. I am fortunate, for I have done more than women usually have the privilege of accomplishing. Your father always treated me as his equal. Few men do so.
“We recognized each other’s strength and formed a firm partnership over the years.” She smiled. “And love eventually came.”
She kissed his cheek. “I see you already have the love. How did you meet? I knew nothing of this de Mangeron relative.”
Griffith led her away from the bed to two chairs before the fire.
“Kallen was raised from birth in a convent where Renton’s sister was abbess. She is Bevia’s daughter, Mother.”
Braea frowned. “But Bevia died years ago. Some accident, I recall.”
“No. Renton told the world, even Alita and Crispin, the same lie. Bevia was taken by force and found with child.”
“The Earl of Nowland,” Braea whispered. “I thought Kallen’s hair such an unusual color. ‘Tis exactly as his is, and his mother before him.”
Griffith nodded. “Yes. Renton abandoned Bevia and let the world think her dead. She gave birth to Kallen, and they remained at the convent.”
“And all the while Kallen knew not of her family at Mangeron?”
“No. Only when the abbess and Renton left this life did the new Mother Superior contact Crispin. He did not want to leave Deva so close to the birth, though.”
“So, he sent you to fetch her.” Braea chuckled. “And you fell madly in love.”
Griffith sensed the blush on his cheeks and thought to change the topic. “Deva is well. She delivered a healthy son before I left Mangeron.”
Braea hugged him tightly. “Oh, what wonderful news! I shall write to her immediately and plan a visit.” She patted his arm. “A grandson and a new bride. What news you bring, Griffith.”
He grew solemn. “I’m afraid there’s more news, and ‘tis bad. The earl is still a threat to Kallen.”
“But why? How would he even know of her existence?”
Griffith briefly explained how Nowland had taken Kallen by force from Mangeron and of his plans to overthrow his half-brother and seize the throne.
“This is serious indeed, my son. We must warn the king.” Braea thought a moment. “Do you think the earl will seek Kallen here while he plans his rebellion?”
His jaw tightened. “I’m certain of it. ‘Tis more than I should share now, but suffice it to say that Lord Nowland desperately wants Kallen returned to his custody.”
Braea stood. “Then I shall prepare the defenses.”
Griffith objected, but Braea stood firm. “You are tired. You must rest. Go to your wife. If you’ve chosen as well as I think you have, you will draw strength from one another.” She embraced him again and departed.
He realized how tired he was as he went to his bedchamber. He found Kallen already there, her hair damp from her bath, trying on clothes a little too large for her. Griffith realized they must be cast-offs Deva had left behind.
Kallen’s face lit up as she saw him. “Look at all these marvelous clothes, Griffith. Your mother is so thoughtful. She knew we arrived without any belongings, and she has provided so generously.”
She locked her arms about his neck. “I quite like her,” she added. “She is an unusual woman.”
Griffith embraced his wife. It amazed him how right she felt in his arms.
“I am sorry about your father. I wish I could have known him.” Kallen’s palms slid down his chest. “At least you have your memories of him.”
“Shh... no more words, my sweet. I need you. Make love with me."
Kallen’s reply was to rise up on tiptoe and kiss him. A hunger for her gnawed at him. Griffith didn’t know if it ever would be satisfied. He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, lifting her surcoat and kirtle from her and tossing them onto the floor.
He buried his face in her neck, the alluring scent of roses from her recent bath rising to greet him. Though tired only moments ago, his body began to hum with energy. He kissed his wife deeply. He didn’t know which gave him more pleasure—the fact that she was now his—or the kiss itself.
Kallen responded to Griffith’s kiss, her fingers stroking his chest, almost kneading him like a cat. She no longer experienced fear of the unknown. Their previous coupling had been something of wonder and passion. She was eager to try it anew.
She kissed him with every bit of love she held in her heart, holding him tightly, wishing it never would end. And as before, he pleasured her beyond imagination. His touch, his kiss, his closeness, all spoke to the love he had for her.
They finally lay spent in each other’s arms, her head resting next to his heart. She sensed it beginning to slow, and his breathing became deep and easy.
Kallen could have burst at that moment, her love for Griffith was so great. She was the luckiest woman in England—nay, in all the world, for she had the heart of a wonderful man.
Worries began to creep in, though, as she knew the Earl of Nowland would come for her. She might lie safely in her new husband’s arms for now, but was their love worth the risk? What would Quentin do? Lay siege to the castle? Have King Edward intervene on his behalf?
Her anxiety kept her awake. Her heart and mind began to race violently the more she worried about what she would bring upon Sommerset and its inhabitants.
Kallen began to tremble. Even her teeth began to chatter.
She decided to slip from the bed before she disturbed Griffith’s rest, but as she sat up, he pulled her back, wrapping her close to him.
“What ails you, love?” he asked quietly, his lazy smile causing her heart to skip a beat. He stroked her hair. The soothing motion caused her breathing to ease, and some of the tension left her body.
Griffith lifted his head from the pillow and stared into her eyes. “I think I would be happy to see your sunny smile, your beautiful aura, for a thousand years or more.”
“You can still see my aura?” Kallen asked.
He nodded. “Yes. I see it, as I saw Mother’s and Father’s. Those close to me burn brightly. Others’ bands are dim. I can see but a faint trace of them.”
He rested his head next to hers, his finger lightly tracing along her face.
“You are worried about your father coming for you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I have tried to pray about it. ‘Tis one thing I am good at. The nuns saw to that. But I cannot find the right words, Griffith.”
“God knows what is in your heart, Kallen.”
“But if I ask God to keep him away, I should believe He has the power to do so. Yet the doubts creep in, even as we speak. What if God isn’t listening to me anymore, Griffith? What if when I killed Sir Rodger, He decided to abandon me?”
She began to weep. “I no longer understand a God that would bring you into my life, only to have Lord Nowland, an instrument of evil, tear us apart.”
Griffith cupped her face with his hands. “God doesn’t always act as we wish, Kallen. He answers prayers in His own way, in His own time.”
She gazed at him. “You sound as if you truly believe what you say.”
“Ah, but I do. God knew I needed time alone from Him to lick my wounds after Carina’s death. I was miserable and thought He’d abandoned me, but He had other plans. He brought you to me, Kallen. I don’t think He’ll desert either of us.
“Now rest,” Griffith told her. “’Tis been a long time since you slept.”
She began to relax in his arms, hoping beyond belief that he was right. Just as she started to nod off, though, a light tap sounded at the door. She knew the moment of reckoning had arrived.