Chapter 12
“ S ir Evan, I’d like you to meet your betrothed, Lady Beatrice Bohun ,and her father, Lord Florian of Ashenden,” Brother Ruford announced, standing in the courtyard to introduce him to their guests.
“Welcome, Lady and Lord Ashenden,” said Evan, his heart not at all in greeting his betrothed and her father. He kissed the back of the girl’s hand as was proper, feeling as if he were cheating on Maggie for some reason. Brother Ruford stood with them, watching over everything in Evan’s father’s absence. “I’d like you to meet my cousin, Sir Daegel Blake,” said Evan, and Daegel stepped forward.
“Charmed,” said the woman, letting Daegel kiss her hand, but Evan swore the girl cringed. She was dressed in the gown of a noble, but wore an ugly green cloak like her father. The color reminded Evan of the murky waters of the moat.
“Lord Ashenden is here with the papers to sign to seal the betrothal and finalize the alliance,” Ruford explained.
“Yes, that’s right,” said Lord Florian, seeming impatient and agitated just being here. “I should be at the king’s funeral, but had to come here. Let’s get this over with quickly so I can be on my way.”
“I suppose we could go to the solar and sign the papers,” said Ruford.
Evan had to stall this until he could think of a way to get out of marrying the girl. She wasn’t ugly, but seemed awfully stiff and stuffy. She hadn’t stopped looking down her nose at him since she got here. Thankfully, he saw his sister and cousin coming across the courtyard.
“Oh, I’d like to introduce you to some of my family,” said Evan, waving the girls over.
“That’s not necessary.” Lord Ashenden scowled.
“If we’re going to be family soon, I am sure you’ll want to meet them,” said Evan.
“We’ll be living in Ashenden, so we’ll have no need to ever see them,” said Beatrice with a sniff.
“Living in Ashenden?” Evan looked over at Ruford and the monk shrugged. Evan was sure his father would never have agreed to that! He’d have to look over the papers closely to make sure these people weren’t trying to deceive him.
“Hello,” called out Eleanor, as the girls approached them.
“This is my sister, Lady Eleanor Wyland and my cousin, Lady Martine Stone,” said Evan, taking their hands and bringing them forward. “Ladies, this is Lady Beatrice Bohun and her father, Lord Florian. They are from Ashenden.” The girls curtsied and greeted the newcomers. Then there was an awkward silence that fell over them. Evan knew he had to say something. “I’ve never been to Ashenden, nor do I know anything about it, but for some reason it seems so familiar to me.”
“Ashenden is where Maggie comes from, isn’t it?” asked Martine.
Hearing her say Maggie’s name made him remember. Evan turned to his cousin. She was right. That’s why it seemed familiar. “Yes, I think so.”
“Who is Maggie?” asked Lord Florian.
“She is our midwife here at the castle. Mayhap you know her,” said Evan. “I’ll have to introduce you to her.”
“She was right behind us,” said Eleanor, looking over her shoulder. “Oh, here she comes now. You can ask her yourself if she knows them.”
Maggie cranked the bucket from the well up to the top, having to fetch little Elizabeth’s doll out of the water after Emma had tossed into the well as they walked by. Maggie had been so distracted knowing that Evan’s betrothed had arrived that she hadn’t even noticed that Emma still had the doll on her when they left the keep.
“Emma, that is not nice to throw Elizabeth’s toy into the well. She’s probably crying and looking for it right now. Why did you do that?”
Maggie tried to wring the water out of the doll that was constructed mainly from cloth and stuffed with straw. Little Emma stood at the foot of the well pouting.
“I wanted Sir Evan to get it for me,” said Emma, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest.
“Sweetheart, Sir Evan is a knight. He has better things to do than to be fishing in the water for soggy dolls. Now, don’t do that again.”
She gave the doll to Emma and picked her up, looking across the courtyard for Martine and Eleanor. It was hard to see past all the people bustling to and fro, but she spotted Martine waving her over.
“We are going to meet some people, and I want you to be on your best behavior. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mother,” said the little girl, her arms hugging Maggie around her neck as they walked. The soggy doll was dangling from Emma’s hand.
“Maggie, we want you to meet someone who you might already know,” called out Martine as Maggie walked up to the group, stopping right behind Evan. He moved to the side and Maggie got a full view of his betrothed as well as her father. She hadn’t expected this and these were the last people she ever wanted to see.
“Beatrice!” she gasped, almost dropping Emma since she was so shocked to see the girl.
“Maggie?” Beatrice’s eyes opened in surprise.
“Oh, it seems you two already know each other,” said Evan, having no idea what happened between Maggie and Beatrice years ago. “Were you two friends when Maggie lived in Ashenden?” Evan asked innocently.
Maggie wanted to curl up and die right now. She couldn’t bring herself to say a word. Her heart beat so quickly that the blood rushing through her body almost deafened her ears. This was the daughter of the noblewoman who had died the day Maggie gave birth to Emma. It was also the girl and her father who were responsible for executing her mother!
“Far from friends,” sneered Beatrice.
Maggie didn’t respond.
“Sir Evan, Elizabeth’s dolly fell in the well and almost drowned,” said Emma, holding up the wet doll to show him. “I wanted you to save her, but Mother said you didn’t have time to help me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about the doll,” said Evan, smiling at the little girl. “I am sure she’ll be fine and probably just wanted a bath.”
Maggie’s heart went out to Evan for taking a moment to try to comfort her daughter. Still, she couldn’t help but notice the disapproving glares he was getting from Lord and Lady Ashenden for even talking to a commoner.
“Hold me,” begged Emma, reaching out for him. Before Maggie could stop the child, she was basically crawling out of Maggie’s arms and trying to get to Evan.
“Careful there, sweetheart, before you fall,” said Evan. His arms shot out and he scooped up Emma, taking the little girl from Maggie without hesitation. He held Emma against him with one strong arm. Emma smiled.
“Blackmore, we have business to attend to,” complained Lord Ashenden.
“Yes,” agreed Beatrice. “And I do not approve of my betrothed taking such an interest in commoners, let alone spend time talking with them. Especially when other nobles are present.”
Before Evan could respond to their snide remarks, Emma shouted out something to them that Maggie had rather wished she hadn’t.
“My mama loves Sir Evan and he’s going to be my father soon,” Emma blurted out, making Maggie feel as if she were about to faint.
“What’s this?” asked Beatrice.
“Blackmore, what kind of a sick man are you?” growled Lord Florian.
“Pardon me?” asked Evan. It was clear that he had no idea what was going on, or why Emma had even said that.
“Is that her child?” asked Beatrice with a sniff, once again throwing her nose in the air.
“Yes, this is Maggie’s daughter, Emma. She’s four,” said Evan. “So, did you know Maggie when her mother was a midwife working in Ashenden?”
“Oh, we knew her all right,” said Beatrice, contempt dripping from every word.
“That’s nice,” said Evan, still having no idea what had transpired.
“Nice?” bellowed Lord Ashenden. “How can you say such a thing?”
“What do you mean?” asked Evan.
Beatrice spoke up next, spilling the rest of Maggie’s secrets. “It is not nice, Sir Evan. After all, it was her mother’s fault that my mother and baby brother died!”
“Pardon me? What did you say?” Evan’s smile dissipated when he realized that mayhap Maggie and the Ashendens were not friends after all, but perhaps enemies.
“That’s right,” said Lord Florian. “Her mother chose to help Maggie give birth to that whelp you’re holding instead of helping a noblewoman, which should have been her only priority.”
“I’m confused.” Evan looked over at Maggie who seemed as pale as a ghost. “Maggie, what are they talking about?”
“I know them, Sir Evan,” Maggie finally answered with a sigh. “I know them and I am sorry to say that I despise them too.” Maggie had such anger in her eyes that Evan didn’t even know her anymore.
“Did something happen between you?” asked Martine.
“You are damned right it did,” said Beatrice, looking like she was ready to bite off Maggie’s head. “Her mother saved her own grandchild instead of my baby brother. Because of it, my brother was a stillborn. To make matters even worse, my mother died that day too, all because of Maggie and her mother.”
“Nay,” said Evan, shaking his head, not wanting to believe this. “You must be mistaken, Lady Ashenden. Maggie’s mother was the best midwife in the land. She never lost a baby or even a mother the entire time. Maggie told me so.”
“Well, she lies,” said Lord Florian with a grunt. “That girl’s daughter does not deserve to live.”
Emma whimpered and hid her face against Evan’s chest.
“Now, wait a minute,” said Evan, pulling the girl closer and rubbing a comforting hand over her back. “I will not tolerate this kind of talk in my courtyard. Especially not about my midwife and this young, innocent girl.” He nodded at Emma in his arms.
“Why not?” asked Beatrice. “After all, every word of it is true. Maggie and her mother were responsible for my mother’s death as well as the death of my brother. Now, Maggie and her daughter need to die as well!” screamed Beatrice, scaring Emma and making her cry.
“Stop it!” yelled Maggie, taking Emma back from Evan. “You are horrible people and I want nothing to do with you ever again. Leave me and my family alone.”
“Maggie, I’ve been looking for you.” Charles walked up, and Maggie reached out and pulled him to her to protect him as well. “What’s going on?” asked Charles.
“Charles, we’re leaving at once. Let’s get out of here.” Maggie turned and nearly ran with Charles and Emma, making her way to the castle.
“Cousin?” Daegel walked over and talked in a soft voice. “What the hell is going on here? It’s not what I expected at all. You seem to have angered two women.”
“I wish I knew,” said Evan. “And I didn’t anger any of them. This is a feud that seems to have been going on for quite some time now. Stay here and talk to the Ashendens. I need to go after Maggie.”
“Me? Nay, don’t do this to me, Evan. It’s not fair,” muttered Daegel.
“I want that woman to be executed,” ordered the pompous Beatrice. “Father, do something about it. Make it happen.”
“Yes, Blackmore, my daughter is right,” said Lord Ashenden. “That girl is responsible for the deaths of my wife and child. I demand she is imprisoned at once and condemned to death.”
“Nay!” shouted Evan. “No one is going to touch Maggie or her family. And you will not tell me what to do in my own household,” snapped Evan.
“But that girl and her mother are murderers,” said Lord Florian. “You cannot let them get away with killing nobles.”
“I am sorry that your wife and son died,” Evan told him. “But I am sure Maggie’s mother did everything she could to save them. It is no one’s fault.”
Martine, Daegel, and Eleanor huddled together, watching but not saying a word.
“Now, now, everyone please calm down.” Ruford tried to intervene to make peace between them.
“Father, I don’t want to marry this man anymore,” Beatrice retorted. “He is siding with the enemy. Besides, I think he’s already coupled with Maggie. I won’t have a husband who has been bedding a murdering commoner.”
“I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding,” said Ruford, as Evan became madder and madder. “Sir Evan, tell your betrothed that you didn’t touch the midwife in that way.”
“Why would I say that when it isn’t even true?” snarled Evan.
“What?” Beatrice’s eyes widened. “So you did bed her! Even though we were betrothed.”
“That’s right,” said Evan. “I not only made love to Maggie, but we did it in the forest right out in the open.”
“Evan, stop it,” warned Eleanor, but Evan was so angry that he kept on going.
“Lady Beatrice, I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last living wench in the world,” he continued. “You are pretentious, a liar, and a downright wretched bitch.”
“Oh, crap. This can’t end well,” he heard Daegel mutter.
“I am in love with Maggie,” Evan told them, liking the way it sounded as he said it aloud. “Maggie is kind, selfless, sweet, and caring about others, never thinking about herself. She is strong and protective of her family, and skilled in healing and birthing babies. Maggie is beautiful and has a heart of gold. She has all the qualities I am looking for in a wife. I love her, and I more than intend to marry her instead of someone like you!”
“Brother Ruford, this is preposterous!” shouted Lord Florian. “I will have a word with the Lord Warden when he returns, because I won’t let my daughter marry his outspoken, troublesome son!”
“Please, can we just go inside and have a drink and talk this over?” asked Ruford in his quiet manner. His face became redder than a beet.
“Nay, let them leave,” said Eleanor, stepping forward. “And do not threaten us again, because it’ll only get you imprisoned. You are talking to the children of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. If you’re not careful, you’ll be taking the hangman’s place just to save your life.”
“Lady Eleanor, please go back to the castle with Lady Martine.” Brother Ruford tried to guide them with a gentle push.
“I agree with my cousins,” said Daegel next, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I wouldn’t anger us, if I were you. I am a knight and so is Sir Evan, and I warn you, we know how to use our weapons to protect our people.”
“Daegel, Evan, this has got to stop,” said Ruford, seeming so flustered that Evan wasn’t sure he wasn’t going to drop dead.
“Leave here and never return.” Evan rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as a subliminal warning.
“This is going to end in battle, I warn you,” said Lord Florian, pulling his daughter to him. “We had an alliance and you are breaking it.”
“May I see the papers that are to be signed for the betrothal?” asked Ruford, holding out his hand.
“It is all right here in writing.” Lord Ashenden pulled out the contract and handed it to Ruford. “As you see, we have an agreement with the Lord Warden that cannot be broken.”
Ruford flipped through the papers and shook his head. “What I see is a contract that is yet to be signed by both parties,” said the monk. “Therefore, I believe this betrothal is not valid.” Ruford tore up the marriage agreement and let the pieces of paper flutter to the ground.
“You will be sorry you did that, you blasted monk!” screamed Ashenden.
“Refrain from speaking to a holy man in such a manner,” Evan warned him, wanting to shout with joy that his uncle just tore up the contract. “I believe it would be wise for you two to leave Saltwood Castle now and never return.”
“Come, Beatrice, we’re leaving. But you have not heard the end of this,” screamed the man, as he helped his daughter get into the wagon. The driver turned the wagon and they headed out the gate.
“Thank you for that, Ruford,” Evan told his uncle.
“I couldn’t let you marry her,” said the monk.
“But can you really tear up the contract like that?” asked Martine.
“It was yet to be signed, so there wasn’t yet a finalized betrothal,” the monk explained. “I purposely tore up the papers so those two conniving, no-good people could not try to forge the signatures.”
“Father isn’t going to like hearing about this,” said Eleanor.
“I’ll fill him in on everything that happened,” said Ruford. “The Lord Warden will understand, and I am sure he will agree with my actions.”
“Make sure they really leave and don’t try to return,” said Evan, turning to go.
“Wait. Where are you going?” asked Daegel.
“I need to find Maggie, because she has a lot of explaining to do.”