Chapter Seven #2
Gallus’ expression was tense and he stood up, moving away from Bose, his manner edgy as well as pensive. “I do not ask you to refuse the king when he orders you to lead an army against me,” he said. “That is your choice, Bose. If you chose to refuse him, it will not be because I asked you to.”
Bose sighed heavily, feeling his age, his exhaustion.
“We would refuse because we love you,” he said simply.
“We would refuse because we could not lift a sword to kill you as much as you could not lift a sword to kill me. But it will come to that. God help me, it will come to that if you insist on pursuing Simon’s quest. There is little more I can say about it, I fear. ”
Gallus looked at the lowered head of the old man, his friend for a great many years because Bose’s son, Garran, had served Gallus and was a close friend.
Garran had gone on home to Bose’s seat in Dorset, taking the de Moray army with him, whilst Bose rode north to Coventry.
Frankly, Gallus was glad that Garran hadn’t come.
He wasn’t entirely sure he could have refused both Garran and Bose in their pleas to side with Henry.
“You understand a man’s conviction, Bose,” Gallus finally said.
“You are a true and honorable friend for what you have said, and for what you have done for my brothers and me, and please know that it pains me greatly to say what I must. But in this case my brothers and I intend to continue de Montfort’s dreams, up to and including sacrificing our own lives.
It is something I feel very strongly about. I hope you can understand that.”
Bose was feeling defeated and hollow. “What of your cousin?” he asked, his voice dull with sorrow. “What of Aurelius’ sister? If Henry holds her hostage, what do you intend to do?”
Gallus seemed uncomfortable with the question. He looked at Maximus and Tiberius. It was Maximus who finally shook his head and averted his gaze. Gallus exhaled a long, slow breath, one of great regret.
“Nothing,” he said. “I cannot and will not let Henry coerce our loyalty by holding a family member hostage. I will lose all credibility if I agree to any kind of exchange or change of loyalties. As much as I regret saying this, I cannot let the life of one person determine the lives of so many, Bose. I am truly sorry. I pray that Chad has been able to save the woman from Henry’s clutches and we do not have to worry about this scenario, for if, in fact, Henry has her, then the situation will not go well in her favor. ”
Bose understood. God help him, he understood all too well. There was honor at stake here and, as Gallus said, his credibility. What man would allow himself to be manipulated with a hostage? A weak man, indeed. Wearily, Bose stood up from the table.
“You understand that I had to try,” he said, looking at the three brothers.
“I could not live with myself if I did not do everything in my power to prevent your fall, or worse – your death. Ty, let me take Douglass back with me to Ravendark Castle. She will be safe at the home where she was born in case Henry decides to raze Isenhall.”
Tiberius looked at his father-in-law. “She will not go and you know it,” he said quietly. “She is heavily pregnant now, too, and will not travel well. Nay, Bose, she remains here. She is my wife and her place is with me.”
Bose’s expression tightened. “Are you so selfish that you would see her killed because of your foolish ideals?” he snapped in an uncharacteristic burst. As soon as it left his mouth, he put up his hands to beg forgiveness.
“I apologize. I did not mean it. I am simply… weary. It has been a very long few weeks since Evesham and I am simply weary.”
Tiberius stood up and rounded the table, going to put his arm around Bose’s broad shoulders.
“No harm done,” he said, the characteristic twinkle in his eyes.
“Come with me. Let us go and see my wife and then you can rest. She is anxious to see you, anyway. I told her to stay away from our conference and she was quite unhappy with me.”
Bose smiled weakly, making sure to reach out and touch Gallus on the arm as Tiberius led him from the room.
It was a gesture of affection, not lost on Gallus.
He watched the old knight go, hearing his boot falls, slow and heavy, as the man took the stairs.
When the sounds faded, Gallus turned to Maximus.
“Are we being stubborn, Max?” he asked. “Are we simply poor losers that refuse to give up the fight because we did not triumph at Evesham? I am having difficulty separating myself from the reality of the situation and the convictions we have fought so long and hard for.”
Maximus leaned forward on the table, pondering his brother’s question.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “All I know is that I feel like vomiting every time I think of serving Henry. But if we did, it would save our lives and the lives of our children. We have a great many children to think of, Gallus. I do not want our sons punished for the sins of the fathers.”
Gallus looked at his brother, long and hard. “Nor do I,” he agreed. “But neither do I wish to serve an incompetent king.”
“Then this matter is not settled as far as I am concerned.”
Gallus nodded; what Maximus said was the truth. It wasn’t settled in the least. “Let de Moray sleep and we will speak with him more when he is rested,” he said. “Mayhap… mayhap I am simply being too stubborn in all of this. Mayhap Bose has been right all along.”
Maximus lifted his eyebrows. “It is certainly something to consider,” he said.
“But what he said about Aurelius’ sister – do we really allow the girl to come to harm as Henry’s hostage?
That is not like you, Gallus. You are concerned for everyone in our family so to consign the girl to her fate as you did sounded cruel. ”
Gallus shrugged. “I will not surrender to Henry because he threatens me with a de Shera hostage,” he said. “But do not fear; we have enough people who side with Henry who could free the girl if it came to that.”
Maximus was interested. “De Winter?”
Gallus nodded. “De Winter, de Moray, and even de Lohr,” he said. “The girl will not suffer a terrible fate, of that I am certain. I will rescue her myself if it comes to it. But I will not surrender to Henry based on a bribe. He would never respect me if I did.”
It was the truth. Perhaps the Lords of Thunder would, indeed, swear fealty to Henry at some point; perhaps they wouldn’t. But if they did, it wouldn’t be because they were forced to.
It would be of their own doing.
The de Sheras were stubborn that way.
“What now, then?” Maximus asked. “Bose said that Henry would send his army after us if we do not agree to swear fealty to him. We lost a good portion of our army at Evesham and if Henry lays siege, I doubt we have enough men and material to fight him off. We need time and reinforcements.”
Gallus knew that. “I have been thinking of just that fact,” he said. “All thoughts of Aurelius’ sister aside, we do, indeed, need reinforcements and the only person I can think to ask is the same one who covered our rear when we fled Evesham.”
Maximus lifted his eyebrows. “De Lohr?”
Gallus nodded. “His father is our grandfather,” he said. “Mayhap if Henry sees the de Lohr army camped around Isenhall, he will think twice before attacking us.”
Maximus wasn’t so sure. “But Curtis de Lohr is loyal to Henry,” he said.
“Covering our retreat from battle is one thing but coming to Isenhall and preparing to fight against Henry is entirely another. Henry will think that the de Lohrs have abandoned him. It is as Bose said; he will think Curtis to be his enemy.”
Gallus scratched his head. “It is possible,” he said. “But one thing is for certain – if we do not have reinforcements, and Henry truly means to attack us, then what Bose said is correct – he will raze Isenhall and we will all die. I do not wish to see that.”
“Nor I.”
They had a massive dilemma on their hands and each brother knew it. It was difficult to realize that they either had to swear fealty to a king they did not respect or face death. They’d known it all along but this was the closest they’d come to admitting it.
“Bose was right about something else,” Gallus said quietly. “We do have our families to consider.”
“We do.”
“Is it our pride standing in the way, then?”
Gallus shook his head. “I do not know if it is my pride or my conviction that the beliefs Simon held were right and true, above my life and the lives of my family.”
Maximus raked his fingers through his dark hair.
He had come to a conclusion even if his brother had not.
“I am willing to risk my own life for my beliefs but not the lives of my wife and children,” he said, standing up from the table.
“Send de Lohr a missive and ask if he will reinforce our ranks should Henry come. If he will not, then I send my family to Lioncross for protection. I will not have them here if Henry comes.”
Gallus understood. “Jeniver and my children will go with them,” he said, sounding defeated for the first time during their conversation.
Like it or not, they had to face what was coming.
“I am sure Ty will send Douglass and his children as well. That way, when Henry comes, if he comes, it will only be the three of us facing him.”
Maximus didn’t say anything more. He didn’t have to.
Without another word, he quit the chamber, heading upstairs to see to his wife and children.
He had a sudden urge to hug them all and never let them go.
Gallus let his brother go, the brooding middle brother, as he was lost to thoughts of his own.
The Coventry earldom had been in his family for two generations; only two.
He didn’t want to see it end with him. He had a son to pass it along to, Bhrodi, and he wanted to make sure that happened.
His conviction to stand for what he believed in was dwindling with the idea of preserving his lands and titles and fortune for his son and coming generations.
He prayed to God that he would make the correct choice.