Chapter Eleven
Isenhall Castle
Coventry
Isenhall Castle was a circle, literally, circular walls surrounded by a moat with the only access in or out being a heavy drawbridge of iron and oak.
The dark-stoned walls were very tall, and somewhat foreboding.
As Chad and Alessandria crossed the drawbridge and passed through a narrow tunnel, the bailey opened up on the other side to expose the underbelly of the castle.
It was a tight fit, all of it. The keep, at least three stories, was attached to a one-storied hall, and other buildings crowded up around them.
There were tunnels leading between buildings to a courtyard on the other side where the stables were kept.
One could smell the stench of animals when the wind shifted.
Everything was closed in and boxed up, with the tall keep and walls towering over everything.
As Chad and Alessandria came to a halt in the middle of the bailey, soldiers were rushing up to collect their horses.
As Chad dismounted and moved to Alessandria’s horse to help her down, he could see people emerging from the keep.
Upon close inspection, he could see all three of the Lords of Thunder heading out to greet them and Bose de Moray was with them.
Lifting up his arms for Alessandria, she slid easily, and gratefully, into his arms. He smiled at her, warmly, as he set her to her feet.
“Welcome to Isenhall,” he said, eyeing the collection of knights heading in her direction. “We are about to be set upon by your cousins. I may not see you very much after this.”
Her smile vanished as she looked at him with fear. “Why not?”
He kept his eyes on Gallus and the others as they drew near. “I told you yesterday,” he said patiently. “If Gallus knows I wish to marry you, he will keep us separated for propriety’s sake until a betrothal agreement can be reached. Do not be discouraged, however. I will find a way to see you.”
“Promise?”
“I do.”
Alessandria had heard this before, as he’d indicated, but that didn’t mean she liked or accepted it.
The past seven days traveling with Chad had been utter heaven.
They’d come to know each other in ways she never imagined possible to know someone.
After their drunken encounter at Bexley Manor, Chad made sure not to drink in excess again so other than a kiss now and again, he’d not touched her.
They had stayed at inns along the way and he always paid for two rooms, one for her and one for him, but on more than one occasion, she’d discovered him stationed outside of her door, making sure she was safe as she slept.
As a result, Chad had been rather weary on their ride north but he’d never let it affect his mood.
He’d remained warm and charming, and if she hadn’t been completely certain of her love for him before, she was completely certain of it now.
She had fallen in love with the bright, witty man who happened to be the heir to a powerful legacy.
Truth be told, she really didn’t care about the legacy part; all she cared about was him.
He could have been a pauper and she couldn’t have loved him anymore than she did now.
“I hope so,” she finally said, eyeing the men that were coming close. “When do you plan to speak to Gallus about our marriage?”
He looked at her, a smile playing on his lips. “Sweetheart, we discussed this already,” he said. “Several times. I will wait until we have greeted one another and our business regarding Henry is settled before introducing the subject of our betrothal.”
She was nodding her head even as he spoke. “I know we have discussed this,” she said quickly. “I am sorry. I am just nervous.”
“Why?”
She looked at him with her big, sea-colored eyes. “What if Gallus denies us?”
Chad shook his head. “He has no reason to,” he said, but was prevented from saying anything more because Gallus, Maximus, and Tiberius were upon him. He grinned broadly at the brothers. “I have not had enough of your ugly faces as of late so here I am. Embrace me!”
The brothers laughed. Gallus was the first one to embrace him, followed by Maximus, the gruff brother, who squeezed so hard he nearly broke Chad’s ribs. Then Tiberius got a hold of him and joyfully embraced him as one would a long-lost brother.
“We thought you might come to pay us a visit,” Tiberius said, throwing a thumb back in de Moray’s direction. “Bose told us what happened with Henry and Aurelius’ sister. I see you were able to keep her from Henry. Well done, Chad.”
All attention turned to Alessandria, still standing where Chad had left her. She was dressed in a woolen garment the color of wine, durable and made for travel. When she saw all eyes upon her, she smiled timidly and dipped into a polite curtsy.
“My lords,” she greeted the general group.
Gallus made his way over to her with Chad by his side. “Lady Alessandria,” Gallus greeted, inspecting her closely. “The last I saw you was about ten or twelve years ago. You were quite young at the time. Praise God that you have not grown up to resemble your brother.”
He meant it as a joke and Alessandria’s smile turned genuine. “I would not know, my lord,” she said. “I have not seen him in years.”
Gallus shook his head with some disgust in his manner. “He is as ugly and foolish as ever,” he said. “And you need not address me so formally. You may call me Gallus.”
Alessandria nodded, grateful that he was making her feel welcome. He took her elbow and pulled her in the direction of his brothers. “You remember Max, of course,” he said, indicating the dark middle brother, “and Ty. We are very glad to see that you are safe.”
Alessandria politely acknowledged the other two brothers just as they politely acknowledged her. She had no idea who the big older knight was standing behind them, a man with black hair, black eyes, and scars on his face, but when their eyes met, the man introduced himself.
“Bose de Moray, my lady,” he said. “I am pleased to see that Chad was able to get to you before Henry’s men did. Was it a bad fight?”
His attention turned to Chad, who was standing on Alessandria’s other side. Gallus still had hold of her and Chad had been thinking that he didn’t much like seeing another man touch her, even if it was her cousin. He was stewing about it when de Moray’s question caught his attention.
“That depends on how you look at it,” Chad said, throwing a hand in the direction of the keep.
“We have been traveling long days so take us inside, feed us, and I will tell you all about Henry’s men and Newington Priory.
I swear to you that I haven’t stopped moving since before Evesham.
I will admit my exhaustion has the better of me. ”
Gallus was already leading the way. “I know the feeling,” he said, politely escorting Alessandria up the stairs that led into the keep. “I have been home for nearly two weeks and I still do not feel as if I have the ability to relax, especially with de Moray’s presence. He makes me nervous.”
Maximus and Tiberius snorted. “My wife’s father has that effect on people,” Tiberius said, eyeing the big knight as he followed behind the group. “I have known him for years and he still makes me nervous.”
De Moray cocked a black eyebrow. “That is because you bear watching,” he said. “I have no idea what my daughter ever saw in you.”
Tiberius flashed an impish grin. “Shall I tell you?”
“Nay!”
They had just entered the cool confines of the keep and everyone laughed at Bose’s sharp reply. The small feasting chamber was immediately to the right, low-ceilinged and smoky as usual, and Gallus took Alessandria and Chad into the room.
Already, servants were scurrying about, bringing forth wine and bread and cheese.
One servant produced a big bowl of strawberries, setting them next to the cheese, and Alessandria zeroed in on the fruit.
It was the tail end of the summer berry harvest and she was quite fond of strawberries.
As Gallus helped her to sit, and Chad claimed a seat beside her, she plucked a strawberry from the bowl and bit into it. She simply couldn’t wait.
Wine was poured and small talk bounced around the table.
Gallus sent a servant for his wife as everyone began to partake of the fruit and bread and cheese.
It was early afternoon and not having eaten since dawn, Alessandria was quite hungry.
Gallus was near the end of the table, the last man to pour himself some wine.
“How long have you been traveling, Chad?” he asked. “I can only imagine what you must have had to do in order to evade Henry’s men. Do they know you have my cousin, then?”
Chad was hungry, too. He swallowed the bite in his mouth before speaking.
“They know,” he said. “Let me brief you on what happened since de Moray told me of Henry’s plan for Lady Alessandria – I was able to make it to Newington Priory, where she was located, before Henry’s men did, but they were close behind.
We did not know exactly how close but that became evident once I took the lady from the priory.
Henry sent his Guard of Six after us and they very nearly caught us.
They tracked us from Newington to Canterbury and my father admitted them to the castle, whereupon de Serreaux informed my father that Henry wanted the girl for a marriage. ”
De Moray, across the table, lifted his eyebrows. “I was there when Henry spoke of the girl, Chad,” he said. “He never made mention of a marriage, not ever.”
Chad nodded. “I suspected as much and so did my father,” he said.
“I think de Serreaux was trying to gently coerce us into turning the lady over to him. Telling us she was wanted for a marriage is less terrible then telling us that Henry wants her for a hostage. In any case, my father had no intention of turning the lady over and told me to bring her to Isenhall so that she could be under your protection. He felt this was a safer place for her.”