Epilogue #3
Chad didn’t realize that, around him, his father and Gallus and Maximus were adding up the situation, coming to suspect what may have happened at Lady du Bexley’s manor.
The timing on the birth of the child was perfect and Daniel cast a long look at Gallus, wondering how the man was going to react. His answer wasn’t long in coming.
“Not all men,” Gallus said. He decided to simply come to the point because Chad’s tantalizing hints were making him mad.
He’d come all the way from Coventry to discover the truth, even if the truth really didn’t matter at this point.
“Since you shared a room with my cousin, can I assume that you behaved properly, Chad?”
Chad looked at him. He may have been drunk but he wasn’t a complete fool, at least not yet.
Through the veil of drunkenness, it now began to occur to him what Gallus was asking and it further occurred to him that his parents were listening, too.
It was a very personal answer Gallus was seeking but one that, Chad suspected, he already knew the answer to.
There was no use in denying it.
Chad and Alessandria had figured out fairly late in her pregnancy that the child had been conceived on that momentous night at Lady du Bexley’s manor.
The baby grew big, very fast, and even the midwife had commented on it.
But it didn’t occur to Chad that others might wonder about the timing of the baby as well.
After all, his beautiful baby girl was born less than nine months after their marriage.
Therefore, he supposed there was no use in denying the obvious. Men could count the months, after all.
“I behaved like a man in love,” he finally said.
“And Aless behaved like a woman in love. She loved me, then, too. Draw your own conclusions, Gallus, but whatever you think, and whatever outrage you may feel, know that my daughter was conceived in love. Not many children can make that claim. Not many parents can, either.”
With that, he stood up and staggered back over to the drinking, singing knights, leaving a subdued table in his wake. Daniel, knowing that Gallus and Maximus had their answer regarding the child conceived before marriage, looked to the brothers.
“Well?” he said. “He did not lie to you. He was honest. Are you satisfied?”
Maximus looked at Gallus; it all depended on him.
Gallus was the one with the strong will, the powerful sense of right and wrong, at times, sometimes ridiculously so.
Certainly, Maximus had his own opinions and if he really disagreed with Gallus, the man would listen to him.
Most of the time, he agreed with him. But in this case, Maximus would defer to Gallus.
He had seemed to be the one, from the beginning, most willing to take up the defense of Alessandria.
As the Earl of Coventry, that was his duty as well as his right.
But Gallus was looking at Daniel, not oblivious to Maximus’ gaze. His expression was one of resignation, of acceptance.
“He loves her,” he said. “If anyone understands that, I do. Love is the most powerful force of all, over kings and loyalties and even escort duties. You can read his love for the woman all over his face. Everything about him screams it. Aye, I am satisfied, Daniel. I apologize for ever questioning him.”
The men were friends again and Daniel put his arm around Gallus, hugging him, as he went to pour them all more wine.
All was well in their world, now with a new generation of de Lohr having been born.
Liselotte, having watched the entire exchange, was full of relief and joy for her son as well as for her husband and the de Shera brothers.
She knew that their motives had been true.
Alessandria was very fortunate to have so many noble men to watch out for her.
More than that, she had a fiercely protective mother-in-law. As Daniel and Gallus and Maximus drank to baby Katrine’s health, Liselotte caught a flash of something she’d not seen in some time.
Bare buttocks were flashing again.
As fast as lightning, Liselotte leapt up from her seat and swiftly made her way over to the collection of knights where Chad was exposing his bare buttocks for all to see.
She happened to pass by the hearth as she went and, quickly, snatched a fire poker that was leaning against the stone.
With the iron rod in hand, she made her way over to the men who were now singing another bawdy tavern song about an old whore named Rose.
Chad still had his breeches down but at the sight of his mother’s approach, the breeches quickly came up.
Still, that didn’t stop Liselotte. She pushed through the group of singing, happy men, rod in hand, and Chad bolted away from the woman, begging her to spare the rod.
But Liselotte didn’t listen; she chased him all around the room and out into the ward, where Chad finally made a break for the keep where his wife and daughter were lodged.
It seemed like the safest place for him to go.
Once Liselotte saw him head into the keep, she lowered the rod and headed back into the hall.
But she couldn’t hide the grin on her face.
When Alessandria heard, from her husband’s own lips, what had driven him out of the hall and back into her waiting arms, she laughed until she cried.
And so did Chad.
* THE END *