Chapter Five #5
Tiberius frowned. “Will you speak to de Moray on my behalf or not?”
Gallus was trying not to smile at his brother, who was being quite forceful about it.
He honestly couldn’t tell if the man was being serious about his feelings or if it was just an infatuation he was dealing with.
Knowing Tiberius, he tended to think it was the latter. Sighing heavily, he looked to Maximus.
“Well?” he asked him, rather shortly. “What do you think?”
Maximus was leaning against the cold wall of the armory, digesting everything that had been said.
“I think we should not discourage him,” he said.
“I know what it is like to fall in love with a woman on sight, so I cannot discount him completely. However, knowing our dear brother as I do, I am not entirely convinced that he has genuine feelings for the lady and the only way he is going to know is if he spends time with her.”
Gallus shook his head. “He cannot spend time with her if they are leaving for London today.”
“He can if he rides escort,” Maximus said, cocking an eyebrow to emphasize his suggestion.
“I will ride on to Kenilworth to see what de Montfort has to say about Edward while you and Ty escort Lady Douglass and de Moray into London. It is foolish for de Moray to be traveling alone, anyway. He got into trouble with it so we shall ride with him to London to ensure he doesn’t get into any more trouble.
It will be a perfect opportunity for Tiberius to speak with Lady Douglass further and determine if, in fact, it is not simply infatuation he is feeling. ”
It was a reasonable plan. Gallus glanced at Tiberius’ hopeful face before returning his focus to Maximus. “And if it is not infatuation?” he asked. “What then?”
Maximus sobered. “Then you must speak to de Moray about Tiberius’ desire to court his daughter,” he said. “You are the only one who can do it, Gal. As the earl, you can offer much that d’Vant cannot.”
“Like what?”
Maximus scratched his neck in thought. “Ty already holds the Lockhurst lordship,” he said. “Tell de Moray that you will grant him the title of Viscount Sherborne to sweeten the deal against d’Vant.”
Gallus frowned. “Viscount Sherborne is a title for my son.”
Maximus cocked his head. “If you have a son,” he said. “It is quite possible that Jeniver will have another girl. You asked my opinion, Gal. I am simply telling you what I think. Do nothing and let Tiberius stand on his own, then. He is a de Shera, after all. That would be enough for most men.”
With that, both brothers looked to Tiberius, who was coming to see that his battle for lovely Lady Douglass’ hand was to be uphill all the way. He pondered the situation seriously before speaking.
“I am willing to offer myself on my merits alone,” he said.
“I am a de Shera and there is no need to sweeten the deal with more titles or promises of wealth. Let us send word to de Montfort that we shall join him in a few days at Kenilworth and then we will escort de Moray to London under the guise of protection. All three of us must ride together. We have never been separated and I do not wish for this to be the first time. Moreover, Maximus would be facing de Montfort’s wrath that all of us did not answer the summons and that is not fair to him.
Therefore, either all of us go to London or none of us go.
If that is the case that none of us goes, then I will have to figure another way to deal with the situation. ”
Gallus’ gaze lingered on his youngest brother a moment before turning to Maximus. “Then we all go to London,” he said. “Agreed?”
Maximus nodded. “Agreed.”
Gallus returned his attention to Tiberius.
“Then we all ride to London so that you may try to win over Lady Douglass,” he said.
Then, he grew serious. “But I will say one thing, Ty. If you are simply out to toy with this woman, I will hold you down while de Moray beats you and then I will take a turn at you myself. Is that clear?”
Tiberius didn’t flinch. “Perfectly.”
“I am putting myself and my reputation on the line for you.”
“Understood. You will not be sorry.”
Gallus simply nodded, giving his brother a lingering look as he headed out of the armory. Maximus followed, giving Tiberius more of a sympathetic expression as he, too, stepped out into the mounting dawn.
Tiberius followed his brothers somewhat, pausing in the armory doorway and watching as the men headed for the great hall.
So many things rolled through his mind at that moment; how fortunate he was to have such loyal brothers and how he truly didn’t want to let them down.
Gallus was noble, Maximus was strong, and Tiberius very much wanted to be worthy of their loyalty and brotherly love.
Tiberius had spent the last several years of his life being rather careless and wild, but that wasn’t the kind of life he wanted to lead forever.
There was a beautiful, red-haired woman in the hall that had managed to capture his spirit and he truly wanted to come to know her better, but not because he wanted to discover if she was worthy of him.
He wanted to discover if he was worthy of her.
It was time for Tiberius de Shera to grow up.