Prologue #2
Henry glanced over at Edward and Roi before speaking.
“My point is that William de Wolfe married well. That is how he gained much by way of fortune, even if he did marry a Scot. Christopher de Lohr married Arthur Barringdon’s daughter and inherited Lioncross Abbey Castle and the Barringdon fortune, which set him up to create his empire.
Men must marry well, Gage, though I do not have to tell you that, considering you assumed the Ashington earldom through your wife.
Do you not think that Thor has the right to do the same, given the opportunity? ”
Gage rubbed at his forehead as if to rub away the headache that threatened. “I would appreciate it if you would say what you mean, your grace.”
Henry cocked his head in a gesture of agreement. “Very well,” he said. “Your son is a great knight, Gage. We both agree on that. You want him in your service and I want him in mine. I can offer him more than you can.”
“Such as what?”
“Such as a marriage to one of the greatest heiresses in England.”
Gage paused, eyeing him suspiciously. “Of whom do you speak?”
“I will tell you when your son arrives.”
That was the first indication that Thor had been summoned by Henry.
Before Gage could reply, Henry gestured to someone at the back of the hall and Gage turned to see his son being admitted.
Quite tall, and very muscular, Thor was an imposing man wherever he went.
He never went unnoticed in any room he entered, for he was a figure that immediately attracted attention. Like now.
The war god had arrived.
Edward de Wolfe immediately broke away from Roi and headed toward Thor, a man he considered a friend because they’d spent so much time together.
Gage could see Edward muttering to Thor, who didn’t seem particularly perplexed that he’d been summoned, but he did seem surprised when he spied his father.
Surprise that turned to confusion. Whatever Edward was telling him had his brow furrowing, and Thor looked to his father as if to speak to the man, but Henry took control of the situation. He didn’t want the de Reyne men to converse before he had a chance to say what he needed to say.
“Sit, Thor,” Henry directed. “That’s right—on the bench next to where your father is standing. I have something to say to you and I wish for your father to hear it.”
Thor was at least a head taller than his father, who was a big man in his own right.
He looked at Gage curiously, but all Gage could do was shake his head and indicate the seat on the bench next to him.
Slowly, Thor lowered his big body, but he genuinely had no idea what was going on.
In fact, he looked to the men around Henry, a group he was usually a part of, and thought he might have missed something.
“Your grace,” he said, feeling like he needed to explain himself. “I was not aware you had a conclave. I informed your chamberlain that my horse has been ill and I wished to see to him this morning. I brought a man in from Flanders who swears he can heal what ails him and—”
Henry cut him off. “Nay, Thor, you were not expected to be part of this,” he said. “I knew about the horse. How is he?”
Thor visibly relaxed. “He seems to be better, your grace,” he said. “He has always had trouble with his lungs, but he is breathing much easier this morning.”
“Good,” Henry said. “Then we may discuss important matters?”
“Aye, your grace.”
Henry nodded and continued. “Thor, it is no secret that your father wishes to take you north,” he said, indicating Gage. “He tells me that he has only loaned you to me for my trip to the Levant, and since we have returned early, he wants you to come home. Were you aware of this?”
Thor looked at his father. “I am, your grace.”
Henry’s gaze lingered on Thor for a moment before he turned back for the big, cushioned chair he always sat in.
His bones were old, his joints painful, and the cushioned chair was the closest he could come to something comfortable.
He needed to be comfortable so he could think clearly, because he had to plan this out carefully or all would be lost.
He proceeded.
“I think you are a man destined for great things,” he said after a moment.
“You are not a man who should be relegated to a garrison commander for your father and then for your brother when he inherits the title. You are your father’s greatest son, yet you will inherit nothing. Nothing I have said is untrue.”
Henry was hammering home something that had been Thor’s most disappointing issue.
The reality was that he would not inherit anything.
Everything would go to Brian. It wasn’t something he complained about or lamented because he knew that it was simply the way of things and his brother would make an excellent earl, but those closest to him knew how it troubled him.
Perhaps it was something that drove him to be better and faster and stronger than anyone else because he knew he had to earn whatever he gained in life.
The king hit him where it hurt. But he kept his chin up as he answered.
“It is true, your grace.”
“That is not a life you wish for yourself, is it?”
Thor’s gaze had never left Henry. “I have worked hard to earn what I have, your grace.”
Henry lifted a thin eyebrow. “And what is that?” he said. “True, you are my Lord Protector and I have paid you well for the past two years, but before that, you served your father at Ashington. Did he pay you well?”
“He did, my lord.”
“And before that, you traveled with your father’s uncle, Varro de Soto, the Aragon mercenary,” Henry said.
“The man known as the Viper. Of course I know all about that. You served the man for several years, traveling to a dozen countries, fighting wars for a dozen different warlords who paid you handsomely. What was it they called you?”
“El Martillo, your grace.”
“And that means…?”
“The Hammer, your grace.”
“Ah,” Henry said, though he’d already known the answer. “The Hammer. And you have fought many.”
“I have, your grace.”
“Well paid for them.”
“Aye, your grace.”
“You are not poor, lad.”
“Nay, your grace, I am not.”
“But you still have no property, no title, and no future other than what your father and brother dictate.”
That was a rather brutal way of putting it, but it was the truth. Thor was still confused as to why he was even here, now struggling not to become annoyed. Had he been brought here only to be made to feel inadequate?
He cleared his throat quietly.
“My father and brother have always been quite generous, your grace.”
“But would it not be better not to be dependent on them?”
Thor took a deep breath, tamping down the irritation. “All men are dependent upon each other, your grace,” he said. “That is simply the way of the world. May I be so bold as to ask what point you are trying to make?”
Henry knew he had pushed him to the edge, so he backed off.
“I am going to change your future, Thor,” he said.
“All men are dependent on other men, that is true, but almost every great lord you know has been made great, or greater, by a strategic marriage. Your own father was a mere knight until he married your mother. Now he is a great earl because of her. But I am going to make you greater than your father.”
“I am not sure that is possible, your grace, but I will ask the obvious—how?”
“With a great marriage.”
That hadn’t been something Thor expected. His bright blue eyes flickered in confusion, then in shock when he realized what the king meant. He was a man of careful control, but it was threatening to slip at the moment.
“A… a marriage, your grace?” he stammered. “Me?”
Henry nodded. “Listen carefully, Thor,” he said.
“The lady who will be your wife is a lady with a family older than England. Through her father, she descends from the last king of Mercia, Ceowulf Wyldefruth. The House of de Wylde, as it was styled by the Normans when they came to these shores. Lady Caledonia de Wylde de Tosni is the last of her line. A very ancient and powerful line. She was married young to the Earl of Stafford, Robert de Tosni, but they had three daughters. When he died, he was left with no sons and was the last of his line as well. Lady Caledonia not only bears the Mercian line, but the Stafford line also. She is the Countess of Tamworth and Stafford, with more lands, castles, men, and vassals than almost anyone in England. She is an extremely valuable heiress and one I believe would give you the destiny you deserve.”
Thor was speechless. He stared at Henry for a moment, unable to look at his father for reasons he wasn’t quite sure of.
Perhaps it had something to do with Henry saying he would make him greater than his father.
Given that he loved his father and admired him, he thought that was rather an insult to him.
But damnation… He could hardly believe what he was hearing.
“I am honored, your grace,” he finally said. “Honored and stunned that you should be so generous.”
Henry cocked his head, hearing the hesitation in Thor’s voice. “But…?”
Thor cleared his throat softly. “But my vocation is my life,” he said. “I realize that marriage is a contract and nothing more, but I will widow the woman the day I marry her. I will always be sworn to you and my position as Lord Protector.”
Henry nodded. “I know,” he said. “And I am grateful. But you deserve this.”
Thor wasn’t so sure. “And I appreciate that, your grace,” he said. “But the truth is that I am not ready for marriage. I’ve not even considered it. If that is offensive to you, then I apologize, but that is the truth of it. Simply put, I do not think I will make a very good husband.”
Henry looked at him seriously. “No one is a good husband at first,” he said. “It takes time and effort. Even your father will tell you that. Will you not try?”
Thor shrugged. “As I said, I’ve not considered it.”