Epilogue #2
Gannon gave his mother a final squeeze and put her to her feet. He immediately reached out and hugged his father, who was standing quite impatiently, waiting for a hug of his own. He swallowed Gannon up in an enormous embrace.
“My son,” Richmond murmured with satisfaction. “It has been a very long time. Let me look at you.”
He released Gannon and pulled off the man’s helm, looking closely at his face for signs of age or injury. Then he patted him down as if checking him for wounds or missing limbs. Gannon laughed as his father checked him from his head to his feet.
“Papa, I am well, I promise,” he assured the old man.
Richmond grunted, passing a final glance over the man. “You have spent a goodly time away from us,” he said. “I had to see for myself.”
Gannon grinned, cupping his father’s face in his hands and kissing the man on the cheek. “There is much to tell you,” he said. “I hardly know where to begin. I suppose I should start with my wife.”
Richmond’s expression slackened and Arissa actually grabbed onto the man for support, so great was her shock.
“Wife?” she repeated, stunned. “But… you have never sent us any news on this. I did not even know… Gannon, I could beat you! I really could!”
Gannon laughed softly, putting his arm around his mother as a carriage and several mounted men came into view. He pointed to the carriage.
“You do not have time,” he told her. “Gisella is here with Audrey, and my wife is in the carriage with her.”
Arissa didn’t hold back. She swatted her armored son right on the buttocks.
Then, she stormed off towards the carriage that was now coming to a halt just inside the gate.
She could see her daughter’s dark head and that of another lady, fair-haired.
She waved to her daughter, who was squealing in delight.
“Gigi!” she cried. “Oh, Gigi, you are finally here!”
Gisella was so excited that she was already standing up, opening the carriage door before anyone could open it for her.
She had the baby in her arms and as Arissa rushed towards the carriage, Richmond suddenly ran past her with much more speed than she had seen from him in years.
He reached the carriage before his wife did, holding out his arms.
“My grandchild,” he demanded. “Give her to me.”
Gisella did, handing over the sandy-haired baby with the bright blue eyes.
Little Audrey looked at her grandfather with a wide-eyed gaze as Gisella climbed down from the carriage and launched herself into her mother’s arms. With all of the hugging and happy weeping that was going on, no one noticed Bastian as he dismounted his charger and went to stand politely beside the carriage.
As Gannon helped Sparrow out of the carriage, Bastian cleared his throat softly.
“Gannon, I do not believe your parents are much interested in me,” he said.
Gannon chuckled as Gisella let go of her mother, holding out a hand to her husband, who took it with a grin.
“Mama,” Gisella said, holding tightly onto Bastian. “This is my husband, Sir Bastian de Russe. Bas, this is my mother, Lady Arissa de Lohr le Bec. And that is my father, Sir Richmond le Bec.”
Bastian greeted Lady Arissa very politely, taking her soft hand and kissing it gently. “It is an honor, my lady,” he said, then turned to Richmond, who was quite taken with his grandchild. “My lord, I was raised on tales of your valor. To meet you in the flesh is indeed an honor.”
Richmond looked up from Audrey, who found the ties on his tunic quite interesting.
He took a good, long look at the enormous knight that was married to his youngest child, his precious Gisella.
Richmond was very tall at four inches over six feet, but Bastian de Russe was at least a couple of inches taller than he was.
Looking at him, Richmond could instantly see why the man was called Beast. There was something about him that was honorable, knightly, and far more noble than mere mortal men. Richmond sensed greatness.
“Sir Bastian,” he greeted. “We finally meet.”
“Indeed, my lord.”
“And I am pleased.”
Bastian dared to grin. “Is it because I provided you with a grandchild, my lord?”
Richmond sensed his humor. “Partly,” he said. “Had Audrey been a boy, then I would have built a shrine to you. Speaking of which, I understand my son is married. I have not quite gotten over the shock of hearing the news.”
Gannon pulled Sparrow along with him for his parents’ inspection.
“There is no great mystery,” he said. “This is my wife, Lady Sparrow Summerlin le Bec. She hails from the great Norfolk Summerlins. Have you ever heard of Edward Longshank’s Legend, Alec Summerlin?
That would be her grandfather, many times over.
In fact, we’ve already decided to name our son Alec. ”
Arissa’s eyes widened at the implication. There was something in the way he said it. “Gannon?” she ventured haltingly. “Is she…?”
Gannon’s smile threatened to split his face in half. “You can expect your grandson this summer.”
Arissa crowed in delight and rushed Sparrow, throwing her arms around the woman. “I am so thrilled to know you, my lady,” she said, inspecting the fair-haired beauty. “Surely this trip has been exhausting for you. I shall put you to bed right away. You must rest!”
Sparrow wasn’t able to speak a word before Arissa was dragging her off into the manor. Gisella grinned at her mother’s over-anxious attention before turning her focus to her father and holding out her hands.
“May I have my baby, Papa?” she asked. “I must tend to her swaddling.”
Richmond appeared greatly disappointed. “Now?”
“Now,” Gisella said. “Unless you want to be covered in….”
Richmond cut her off as he immediately handed over his granddaughter. He wanted nothing to do with soiled clothing and Gisella laughed softly, cradling the babe, who grinned a happy toothless grin at her mother. Richmond tickled the baby’s cheek.
“She is beautiful, Gigi,” he said softly. “She looks a bit like you did as a child. But I wonder where her blond hair came from?”
Bastian spoke. “My mother, my lord,” he said. “She was very fair.”
Richmond nodded, looking back at the baby, who was now smiling up at him. He smiled back. “Lovely Audrey,” he cooed. “What a wonderful, spoilt life you shall have. The best of everything. Even the best husband; I shall search far and wide for such a man.”
Gisella put up a hand to stop his ramblings. “She is already pledged, Papa,” she said, glancing at Bastian, who grinned in response. “Bastian’s good friend, Andrew Wellesbourne, has a six-year-old son who, I am told, is the perfect match for Audrey. He is a cute little boy, I will admit it.”
Richmond frowned. “Wellesbourne?” he repeated. “I have heard of the family, of course. They are already pledged, you say?”
Bastian laughed softly. “Not formally, of course,” he said. “But I would not be displeased if Audrey married Adam Wellesbourne. The Wellesbournes are a fine family, my lord.”
“They are sworn to Warwick, are they not?”
“Indeed they are, my lord.”
Richmond shrugged, not entirely disapproving of such a match, as he returned his attention to his granddaughter, who suddenly let out a yell. It was clear the baby’s attention was wandering and Gisella rocked her daughter to distract her.
“Papa, will you take Bastian in-hand while I go into the manse?” she asked. “You must be very nice to him. No jokes or mean questions, please?”
Richmond looked at Bastian, who was smiling openly at his wife. “I will do my best,” he said, noting the obvious adoration. That softened him to the man already. “Go inside now so that I may talk about you when you are not around.”
With an adoring smile at her father, and then her husband, Gisella followed her mother and Sparrow into the beautiful new manse. When the women were out of sight, Richmond turned to Gannon.
“So?” he said, displeased. “You think not to tell your mother and me about your wedding? Why were we not invited to attend? Once your mother overcomes her shock at your new wife, she will be very hurt.”
Gannon put up a hand to ease his father, eyeing Bastian as he did. “It happened rather… quickly,” he said, scratching his head nervously. “Do not be angry, Papa, truly.”
Richmond frowned. “Quickly?” he repeated. “What does that mean?”
“It means he had to marry her, my lord,” Bastian explained for his friend. “They have only been married less than a month. There was no time for invitations.”
Richmond looked at Bastian, eyebrows lifted in surprise and realization, before returning his somewhat flabbergasted gaze to his son. It was evident that he wanted to become angry with him but he couldn’t seem to muster the will. Finally, he sighed.
“I cannot condemn you for that,” he muttered. “Your mother was pregnant with your older brother when I married her. Well do I remember those days, Gannon.”
Gannon was trying not to smile at his contrite father. “It seems that is a le Bec family trait, marrying women after they become pregnant.”
Richmond started to laugh but it occurred to him that he was standing with his daughter’s husband.
His eyes narrowed at the man. “It had better only be a trait with the men and not the women of the family,” he said suspiciously.
“If that is not the case, then you had better start running now, de Russe. I shall give you a few minutes lead before I come after you.”
Bastian threw back his head, laughing. “Only the men in the family cannot control themselves,” he said. “Your daughter and I were married for several months before she conceived.”
“Do you swear this to me?”
“I do, I swear it. Do you not think Gannon would have soundly beat me had the case been otherwise?”