Chapter Five #2
“And I do not take well to disobedient knights,” Troy shot back.
“Because that is what you are—a disobedient knight. And disobedient knights cannot be trusted. You are afraid a marriage will ruin your life? Refuse this marriage and I can guarantee you that your life will be ruined forever because I will make sure it happens. And if you think I will soften over the years, think again. You know me well enough to know that I hold a grudge. And I do not go back on my word.”
He was right, in both instances. Troy de Wolfe had been known to hold grudges for decades and Gar had never once seen his father go back on his word. Realizing he was at an end of his pursuit to get out of this marriage, he did the only thing he could do.
He surrendered.
“As you wish,” he said, though he was grossly unhappy.
“If you want me to repair whatever damage you think I’ve done, I shall.
Since you believe my happiness is not important, but only your own wishes when it comes to using your children like pawns, I will accept that.
Your happiness and your wants are the only things that matter.
But know this—as you once said our relationship will never be the same, know that it is true for me, as well.
Our relationship will never be the same. I hope you can live with that.”
With that, he turned and walked away, heading over to Maksim and asking the man where his sister might be found.
Maksim wasn’t entirely sure, but he told Gar to head over to the castle garden, which was on the north side of the keep, and wait there.
Maksim was going to try to convince his sister to at least speak with Gar.
If he could.
But Maksim made it clear he’d only help Gar this one time. If Gar didn’t repair the damage, then their friendship would be over, too.
Troy heard everything. He watched Gar and Maksim head toward the keep and, for the first time in this entire situation, found himself questioning his decision.
Was he thinking of his happiness over his son’s?
It wasn’t happiness as much as it was simply duty.
This was a duty. Marriage was a duty. It had been for him, too, but he’d been fortunate enough to fall in love with his wife.
Perhaps Gar would find love with Lady Matilda; perhaps not.
The hope was that he would at least grow fond of her.
Or not.
But in the end, Troy and his father would get what they wanted.
An alliance.
That was the only thing that mattered… wasn’t it?
*
“Just come down to the garden, Matilda. It is not that difficult.”
So Maksim said. But it was that difficult.
Mattie was in her bower, with Agnes and the destructive dog, sewing on a cloak that was to be part of her wedding trousseau. Only now, she wasn’t going to be married, so it was just a beautiful cloak that had exquisite embroidery around it. A pretty cloak for a pretty girl.
That’s all it was.
Marriage plans were in tatters.
“I do not need to go to the garden,” she said, focusing on her sewing, which she excelled at. “Sir Gar made it clear that I would be miserable in this marriage and so would he. He said everything he needed to say and so did I.”
She was unbending. Maksim could see that. Agnes was sitting on the end of the bed with the dog lying across her lap, looking at Mattie with some sadness. That was all Maksim needed to push forward with his request.
“Aggie,” he said quietly. “Get out. And take the beast with you.”
“Nay, Agnes,” Mattie said evenly, still focused on her sewing. “You will not leave.”
Maksim stepped into the chamber, fixed on Agnes, and pointed at the door. “Go,” he said. “I will not tell you again.”
Fearfully, Agnes leaped up and rushed out with Winchester on her heels. When the girl and the dog were gone, Maksim shut the door and faced his sister.
“I do not know what was said, exactly, between you and Gar, but he has given me a good idea,” he said. “I will tell him what I told you, Matilda—if he broke your heart, I would break him. Is that what happened? Did he break your heart?”
Mattie wouldn’t look at him. “Of course not,” she said. “How could he? I do not love him.”
Maksim knew that was a lie, mostly. “Nay, you do not love him, but you were very much looking forward to being married,” he said. “He hurt your pride.”
She faltered in her sewing, as if what he’d said hit the mark. But she quickly resumed. “I do not know why you are here,” she said. “I did what Gar wanted. I asked Papa to break the betrothal. Why does Gar wish to speak with me about it now?”
Maksim planted himself on a three-legged stool, facing his sister. “Because it is costing him everything,” he said quietly. “Matilda, I am going to tell you something about Gar de Wolfe that you should probably know.”
“What?”
“You can never do any better for a husband.”
She paused and looked at him, frowning. “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said,” he said. “You will never do any better than Gar. Shall I tell you a little about him, things you do not know? To begin with, he was fully knighted at seventeen years of age. That is three years earlier than most knights, including me.”
“I already know that,” Mattie said. “Do not forget that I have been betrothed to him for ten years. There is not much about him I do not know. What I did not know is that the man is a coward.”
Maksim’s eyebrows flew up. “Gar?” he repeated, aghast. “A coward?”
“Aye,” she said firmly. “A coward. He would not ask Papa to break the betrothal personally, so he sent me to do it.”
“Did he ask you to?”
She paused before answering. “Nay, not directly,” she said. “But that is what he wanted me to do.”
“If he did not ask you to do it in words you can understand, then how do you know?” Maksim said. “Or did you assume it before having all of the facts and ran to Papa with your assumption?”
She scowled. “You will not blame me for this,” she said. “That is exactly what Gar wanted and that is what he got.”
Maksim scratched his neck in a frustrated gesture before continuing.
“Let me tell you something about him you do not know,” he said.
“I saw Gar not long ago when we were both in London and I spent two days with the man and his brother, Andreas, who is here. It was Andreas who told me why they were in London.”
“Why do I care?”
“Because you should know that Gar has been the garrison commander for his family’s property at Gleann na Fola Castle for the past few years,” he said.
“Gar has singlehandedly kept that portion of the border from erupting, no matter what has happened elsewhere. He has been a wise and intuitive commander. He has made alliances with some of the local clans, making sure they have a mutually beneficial relationship. When one clan had an outbreak of sickness, Gar gathered physics and medicines and escorted all of it to the clan, through hostile territory. In the dead of winter. All because it was the right thing to do.”
By this time, Mattie had stopped sewing and was looking at him with a torn expression on her face. “That is… admirable,” she said. “But I do not know why you—”
“Because I want you to know about this man,” Maksim said, cutting her off.
“You seem to think he’s a fool of a man, a simple knight, and breaking this betrothal is an easy enough thing.
Aye, you know about his service record. You know he has been heavily trained.
You know he has both Scots and English blood in him.
Did you also know that Edward, the king, has asked for his service, but his father will not give permission? ”
“Why not?”
“Because he knows Gar’s worth,” Maksim said.
“He knows that the man is most valuable where he is, not riding escort for a monarch. I will agree that Gar is a knight who serves in some of the most remote lands of England. Mayhap he does not have manners or social graces. I have seen that for myself.”
Mattie pursed her lips wryly. “That is what he said.”
“He did?”
She nodded. “Aye,” she said. “He said it is a working fortress with no great feasts or social gatherings.”
“He is right,” Maksim said. “Gar lives in a world of warfare, Mattie. That’s all he knows. In a sense, I applaud him for telling you that so there are no illusions of the man. When you marry him, you’ll not go to live in a fine palace, but a place of war. You’ve never had to do that.”
Mattie thought on that for a moment before setting her sewing needle down and sighing softly. “Then why do you want me to talk to him again?” she said. “It seems as if the decision has already been made.”
Maksim waggled his eyebrows, silently suggesting what was to come.
“Because he is in trouble for being honest with you,” he said.
“Papa is furious that you want to break the betrothal and so is Troy. He told Gar that if he could not repair what he had damaged by telling you the truth, Gar would be stripped of his garrison and everything else he held dear. He would be sent away, never to serve the de Wolfe family again.”
Mattie looked at him seriously. “Gar is going to lose everything for being honest about the situation?”
Maksim nodded. “That sums it up,” he said.
“I know that Gar might not be the refined lord you were hoping for, but that is because he’s never had anyone—a woman—guide him.
Matilda, when you marry Gar, you will be marrying a man who will be loyal to you for life.
He will defend you to the death. He will never be abusive or cruel.
You cannot say that about many men, but one can say that about Gar.
Mayhap the reality of who he has become ten years after you first met him is not ideal, but he is still a good man. I would stake my life on it.”
Mattie’s defenses when it came to Gar were beginning to crumble. “And you think I should marry him?”
“Again, I do not think you can find a better husband.”
Mattie sighed again, this time long and slow. It was clear that she was debating what to do, but her brother’s words had had an impact on her. She knew that Maksim would never do her wrong. She trusted him. If he said Gar was a good man, then he was.
Perhaps manners and basic hygiene were something she could teach him.
Hopefully.
“Very well,” she said, putting her sewing aside. “He’s in the garden, you said?”
“Aye,” Maksim said. “At least talk to him. He’s going to lose quite a lot if you refuse the marriage. His life is in your hands, Mattie.”
That didn’t give her any sense of purpose.
In fact, it put pressure on her where none had existed before.
She was still angry with Gar, but she was also feeling strangely apologetic.
The only thing that kept her from refusing completely was the fact that Maksim hardly spoke well of anyone, but he spoke well of Gar.
And he’d also been right about something else—Gar had hurt her feelings with his honesty.
Had he tried to convince her to break the betrothal?
Possibly. He hadn’t come right out and said it, but she had gone on assumption.
She hadn’t mistaken his meaning. But perhaps Gar’s honesty was offending her into bitterness.
His life is in your hands, Mattie.
She wished Maksim hadn’t said that.