Chapter Ten #2
Balor’s jaw tightened. ‘I was eleven.’ Far too old for fostering, since most children were sent away just after they learned to walk.
He didn’t know how his mother had arranged his fosterage, since there were no family connections.
Unless there was a tie to his true father’s family. A sudden wariness caught him at the thought.
‘He sent you to find me, didn’t he?’ Balor guessed.
‘My true father.’ He leaned back on the bed, grimacing at the pain.
It unnerved him to even think of it. In the dim light, he saw the men exchange cautious glances.
‘I don’t care if he did or not. I’ve no wish to see the Norman soldier who turned his back on my mother and me. ’
Orla had claimed that she’d loved the man who had fathered him, that it hadn’t been an attack at all.
Regardless of whether the Norman had loved his mother in return, Orla had been forced to wed Fergus after they’d been abandoned.
She’d lost all courage, becoming a shadow.
She’d claimed her indifference was to keep Balor safe.
But he couldn’t forgive her and simply let go of years of hurt and suffering. Not now.
The older man’s stare grew intense. ‘Have you ever asked yourself why your mother sent you so far away for your fostering?’
He already knew what the knight was implying but refused to consider it. Instead, he kept his expression neutral. ‘Because she wanted me far away from Fergus.’
‘She could have sent you across the sea, and it would have been far enough,’ Sir Edward said quietly. ‘Instead, she sent you farther away, to be fostered with your father.’
Balor gave a shrug. ‘If that was her intent, it came to nothing. No one ever spoke of fathering me.’
‘Your father didn’t know who you were until you left your mother’s ring behind on his desk.’
Silence hung between them, and his pulse quickened at the knight’s words. The revelation sank around his shoulders with the weight of disbelief. No. Such a thing was completely impossible.
How had Orla ever fallen in love with a Norman earl? How would she even have met him? From what he understood, his mother had never been to England, had never left éireann. But the ring must have been a gift from Lord Beaumont—one she had kept for twenty years.
He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. ‘Are you trying to tell me my father was the Earl of Beaumont?’
‘He is, yes.’
A hollow ache caught his gut, a blend of regret and bitterness. Would anything have changed if he’d given the earl the ring sooner? Would he have known what it was to have a father? More questions rose up, but Balor dared to voice the most important one. ‘Did he know she bore him a son?’
The knight shook his head. ‘No. But a servant saw you put the ring on his desk. After the earl found it, he demanded to know who had put it there. When he learned it was you, Lord Beaumont sent us to find you.’ Sir Edward paused a moment then added, ‘And bring you home.’
Home.
Dunmalus had never really been a home. It was where he’d lived, where he’d endured the chieftain’s years of hatred.
It was strange to imagine that there was another place where he might belong.
Uncertainty sharpened within him, and an invisible heaviness seemed to bind across his chest. Balor remembered how proud he’d felt when he’d seen Lord Beaumont watching him fight.
When the man had offered a nod of approval, something within him had shifted.
He’d wanted to please the earl, to demonstrate his newfound strength and skill.
And now, to learn that Lord Beaumont was his father? Balor didn’t know how to feel about it.
‘How did they meet?’ he asked.
‘The earl travelled to éireann on the king’s orders, the year before you were born. He met your mother near her family’s lands. He stayed there for a time, and she later saved his life during a raid,’ Sir Edward continued. ‘She sent him away by boat, and because of her bravery, he survived.’
The knight’s confession seemed like a lie. His mother had always been hesitant—not at all the sort of woman who would step into battle and save a man’s life. But she’d paid the price, hadn’t she? That might have been why she had retreated into herself.
A thousand questions caught in Balor’s mind, circling and spinning, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Instead, he stared up at the thatched roof above him, realizing that none of it mattered.
The truth was Orla had left her family’s lands, married Fergus, and had never told Beaumont about his bastard son.
She’d told Fergus that she’d been violated, letting everyone believe a lie. And Balor didn’t know if he could forgive her for that.
At last, he turned back to the Normans. ‘What does the earl want from me?’
‘Lord Beaumont wants to know you,’ Sir Edward answered. ‘To offer you the chance to return to England.’
Balor knew he ought to be grateful for the offer, but all he could think of was the powerful earl who had turned his back on the woman who had once loved him. ‘Why would I want to know a man who abandoned us?’
The knight exchanged a look with Gerald. ‘He didn’t abandon you. When he returned for Orla and learned she had gone to Dunmalus, Fergus told him she was dead.’
That part seemed probable. The chieftain would have lied to a Norman soldier, especially if he believed the man was responsible for attacking her.
‘The earl came back to England and grieved the loss of her,’ Sir Edward continued. ‘Lord Beaumont only learned Orla was alive just after you left her ring behind at the estate. The moment he realized who you were—he sent us to find both of you and bring you back.’
The knight added, ‘After you’ve recovered, you should return with us to England. The earl would welcome you as his son.’
Maybe. But if that were true, why hadn’t Lord Beaumont travelled here himself?
And yet…he couldn’t reject the offer. As the bastard son of an earl, it increased his chances of winning Mairead’s hand in marriage. Only a little, but if the earl allowed him to stay at Beaumont, it was possible that Balor could at least give her a home.
A sense of determination caught him, and he told the knight, ‘Before I would consider travelling to England, there is something I need to do first.’
‘And what is that?’ Sir Edward asked.
‘I need to free the tánaiste and bring him back to Laochre. Then, if she is willing, I intend to take King Patrick’s daughter as my bride.’
Gerald exchanged a look with the knight. ‘Ambitious, aren’t you?’
‘If I free Liam MacEgan, her father might consent to the marriage,’ he answered.
‘It’s not a good idea,’ Gerald countered. ‘Liam will be heavily guarded at Blarnan. King John will want to use him as leverage against King Patrick.’
Outside, there came the sound of approaching horses, and Balor suspected his time was running out. ‘We have to leave.’ He struggled but managed to stand up. Dizziness flooded through him, and he stumbled forward a step before Gerald caught him.
‘You’re not strong enough to walk yet.’
Not yet, but he would regain that strength after he healed. Beneath his breath, he muttered, ‘Take me to Blarnan and imprison me with Liam. Then I can break him out with your help.’
After a pause, Balor added, ‘And in return, I’ll go back to Beaumont with you.’
* * *
Balor sat in the darkness, alongside Liam. Sir Edward and Gerald had followed his request and had brought him as a prisoner to Blarnan at nightfall. He’d already given his share of food and water to the tánaiste, for he still appeared weak and hungry.
‘Where is my sister?’ Liam asked. His voice was hoarse, revealing his exhaustion.
‘I sent her to Banslieve, to her uncle Connor,’ Balor replied. ‘She’s safe.’
‘Thank God.’ For a long moment, Liam waited. Then he added, ‘You should know that we’re very protective of her.’
‘As Mairead deserves,’ he answered. A woman like her, one who viewed the world with a generous heart, was worth guarding with his life.
‘Were you hoping she would choose you at the aenach?’ Liam ventured.
Balor didn’t miss the veiled threat from her older brother.
‘I knew she wouldn’t. Not when the king has already chosen her betrothed husband.
’ But that didn’t mean he intended to stand aside and let that happen.
He turned towards Liam and added, ‘Mairead deserves the freedom to choose any man she desires.’
The tánaiste seemed to silently agree with him. Then he asked, ‘Why did they capture you?’
Balor understood the unspoken question. ‘You mean why did they bother bringing me here when they could have killed me?’
A faint smile tugged at Liam’s mouth. ‘Just so.’
‘Perhaps the guards found me handsome,’ Balor said drily.
The tánaiste gave a rough laugh. ‘Do you know, I could almost like you, ó Phelan.’
‘It’s probably not a good idea.’ But Balor drew up his knees and added in a low voice, ‘Are you feeling well enough to break out of this prison tonight?’
‘Possibly. Are my father’s men here to help us?’
‘Not yet,’ he answered. ‘But soon. King Patrick followed when I escorted Mairead here.’
Liam let out a slow breath. ‘That was a mistake. My father will kill you slowly for taking Mairead.’
‘It was her idea to search for you,’ he pointed out. ‘And you wouldn’t be alive if I hadn’t agreed to it.’
The tánaiste gave a nod. ‘You’re right. I apologize for that.’
‘Save your apology. What I want is Mairead’s hand in marriage.’ He saw no reason not to be honest with her brother. ‘I’ll help you escape, and in return, I want your support.’
‘Mairead can make her own decisions,’ Liam said quietly. ‘I don’t speak for her. But you have a greater problem with her betrothal to Lord Lowell.’
‘And what if she doesn’t want to wed him?
’ Balor demanded softly. When Liam gave no answer, he added, ‘You don’t think Mairead should have a choice in her marriage, the way you did?
You would force her to sacrifice her future?
’ Balor fully understood the risks to her family, but she deserved a choice.
And if she truly loved him, then he would move the world to keep her with him.
‘Lowell is here right now,’ Liam said softly. ‘He came on King John’s orders. And they are planning the wedding as we speak.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘I heard the soldiers talking about it. And the earl came to speak with me. King John has demanded a marriage alliance between Lord Lowell and our family.’
‘And you’re going to stand back and let that happen?’ Balor asked softly. His mind began shifting through the possibilities. The more he thought of it, the more he realized he needed Gerald’s and Sir Edward’s help.
He didn’t know how powerful Lord Beaumont’s influence with King John was, but perhaps the earl could intervene, if the English king would allow Balor to marry Mairead instead. Or possibly, his father could grant them both sanctuary in England for a time.
His father. The words held a weight to it, even though Balor knew better than to trust a man he didn’t know. He’d lived with Lord Beaumont for years, but the man had remained apart, keeping to himself. It could have been loneliness. Or indifference.
He shouldn’t rely on one man. The earl might not have influence with King John, or he might refuse to speak with the monarch.
Balor knew it was better to solve his own problems. And maybe that meant abandoning everything and taking Mairead away to build their own lives.
A voice inside warned him that she might refuse to leave with him. It truly did mean asking her to choose between her family and him. And if she chose the MacEgans, their fragile relationship would be over.
Though he was inwardly prepared for it, he couldn’t suppress the hollow ache. He wanted her, more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life.
But in the end, it had to be her decision. If she chose to marry the earl, he would respect her choice.
Balor moved in closer to Liam. ‘Listen to me. There are two Norman guards who can free both of us. They are the ones who kept me alive.’ He described Sir Edward and Gerald, adding, ‘After we break out of this prison, we will leave with them. They will take us back to Laochre.’
‘No,’ Liam said at last. ‘You need to escape first. If you trust these guards, then let them help you.’
He was about to protest, but the tánaiste continued, ‘My father is going to bring Mairead here. If you truly want to wed her, then you’ll need to be free first. And, if anything goes wrong, you can help from the outside.’
Liam was right. If King John was planning to witness a wedding between Mairead and the earl, then Balor had to leave tonight.
And find a way to stop it from happening.