Chapter Seventeen
The morning had dawned gray and misty, a perpetual coating of moisture gracing the landscape of Chaldon and her surrounding province.
Within the castle herself, the last of the great houses were preparing to depart.
In spite of the mysterious absence of the du Bonne brother and Bose de Moray for the final round of jousting, a young and virtually unknown knight had emerged victorious in the joust, endearing himself to the crowd with his gracious manners as he accepted his ransom.
Ransom taken from none other than Duncan Kerry. Even now, Duncan lingered in the misty shadows of the keep, watching the activity amidst the wet splattering that continued to fall. His usually lively face was grim, his skin pale and cold. Aye, his mood was as gray as the landscape and sky.
Just before sunrise, Stephan and Ian appeared, speaking to a small collection of men-at-arms. Duncan watched closely, the cold mist bathing his face, as the soldiers listened carefully to the two knights and then quickly disbanded.
As Stephan and his brother split in opposite directions, Duncan made way to the oldest sibling.
“Stephan,” he hissed, keeping close to the outer wall. “Stephan!”
Stephan, clad in durable battle armor and a heavy cloak, paused at the sound of his whispered name.
Turning, his bright green eyes focused on the source and for a brief moment, his anger surged.
But he banked, a control he had been forced to employ for the better part of the night.
Even as Duncan approached, he found himself fighting the urge to wrap his hands around the young knight’s neck; any Kerry neck.
“Stephan,” Duncan was upon him, his handsome face anxious. “What in the hell is going on? My brother left this morn and would not tell me anything. What’s happened to Sir Bose and your sister?”
Stephan’s gaze was hard as he stared at the knight, his jaw ticking faintly.
“I should be asking you that question. Undoubtedly your brother told you of his plans to steal my sister from her betrothed. And when Bose fled Chaldon with his ladylove in tow, mayhap your brother alluded to his intentions to beat the truth of Bose’s destination from Sir Morgan,” he braced his powerful fists against his hips.
“Or better still, mayhap he explained to you the fact that somehow, Bose’s mother-in-law is involved in his corrupt plans.
What, in fact, can you tell me, Duncan Kerry? ”
Duncan’s expression faltered and he lowered his gaze, emitting a heavy sigh. “He… he’s been speaking crazy ideas for the past three days. I truly had no idea he planned to follow through.”
Stephan’s jaw stopped ticking. “Follow through with what?”
Duncan closed his eyes briefly, a painful expression. “God’s Blood, Stephan, I know I should have come to you sooner… but, truthfully, I never believed Breck capable of carrying out his threats. He oft says things he doesn’t mean, insane thoughts that just as quickly pass. I never thought….”
“Damnation, Duncan, what threat?”
Reluctantly, Duncan met Stephan’s blazing green orbs. “The threat to destroy de Moray by using your sister against him.”
Stephan could only stare at the man. “Why would he seek to destroy Bose? And, more importantly, how does he plan to utilize my sister against him?”
Duncan took a deep breath, praying that the man would not find reason to run him through once he had finished his explanation.
“Ever since Bose joined the tournament circuit, my brother has taken every loss and every defeat against the man as a personal attack. He hates Bose for his talent, his strength, and has oft plotted to somehow eliminate him.”
“Kill him?”
“Nay,” Duncan shook his head. “Merely remove him from the circuit. When he discovered Sir Bose’s interest in your sister, he believed he’d found his opportunity. Since he has been unable to physically ruin de Moray, he sought to ruin him through the lady.”
The fog of confusion and fury that had plagued Stephan’s mind since the previous eve began to dissipate.
Of course, Breck had been unable to defeat Bose by the usual means, strength against strength, talent against talent; Bose was far too powerful in both arenas.
Therefore, Breck had sought to weaken him on a far more serious level by using his emotions against him.
“So he petitioned for her hand, stealing her away from Bose by using the long-standing rumors against the man’s reputation,” Stephan’s voice was remarkably controlled. “And the Lady Margot, being the source of the vicious rumors, is supporting his quest.”
Duncan nodded faintly. “He told me she had offered to help him destroy Sir Bose.”
After a moment, Stephan shook his head with disbelief; he wasn’t sure if he should be furious or laugh at the foolishness of it.
“An embittered old woman and a sinister young knight join forces, convince my father that Bose is a murderer and should not be allowed to marry my sister, and my father agrees.” He snorted ironically.
“God’s Blood, I can hardly believe what has happened.
When I saw the old woman in my father’s solar last eve siding with your brother, I could hardly believe her identity.
As your brother saw support for his cause in her knowledge of Bose’s past, the old bitch apparently also saw the weapon she had been seeking to destroy her son-in-law once and for all.
She is using your brother, Duncan. Just as he is using her, she is using him as well. ”
Duncan sighed, a weary gesture. “I have no idea how they found one another. I did not even know she had attended the tourney,” scratching his damp head, his expression was pensive.
“I am sorry for all of this, Stephan. As I said, I should have come to you earlier, but I had no idea he would go this far. What matters now is what I can do to help. How is Sir Morgan faring?”
Stephan was amazingly calm. The more the situation came to light, the more resigned he became and he ran his fingers through his blond hair, thinking.
“Well enough after the pounding he took at your brother’s hands.
But more importantly than Morgan’s health, Breck has gone to retrieve Bose and return him to Dorset to face charges of thievery.
At this moment, my brothers and I ride to aid Bose.
Unless you are God, I doubt there is anything you can do to prevent the trial that is sure to follow. ”
Duncan snorted, without humor. “Sometimes I wish I were God. Were I God, I could banish my brother to Hades and never have to worry about him ever again. Even if I were the king, I could….”
Stephan suddenly slapped his thigh, cleaving Duncan’s sentence. “Of course! Damnation, I should have realized…what you said! Henry!”
Duncan looked to him curiously. “What about him?”
Stephan sought to explain. “Bose used to be young Henry’s Captain of the Guard. Bose himself said that Henry was very fond of him and quite sorry to see him quit his post.” Quickly, he turned to Duncan, jabbing a gloved finger at the man. “Do you truly wish to help?”
Duncan nodded hesitantly. “Then ride to London immediately,” Stephan told him. “Ride to Henry and tell him of the situation and plead for him to intervene. With Bose’s very life at stake, surely the king cannot refuse.”
The excitement was catching. “I’ll go,” Duncan said, his pale cheeks gaining a measure of color as he realized his destiny to be at hand. “I will go to London and seek the king, I swear it.”
“Good lad,” Stephan slapped him on the back, feeling a genuine seed of hope where moments before there had lingered not a solitary grain.
“Leave this instant. If you ride hard with scarcely a stop, you can make it by tomorrow eve. Stay no more than a day, for that leaves us very little time to preserve my brother-in-law’s life. ”
Duncan eyed Stephan questioningly. “Your brother-in-law?”
Stephan nodded, steering the young knight in the direction of his partially-collapsed camp. “If all went according to plan, Bose married my sister last night.”
Duncan was visibly surprised. “And how would you know this?”
Stephan smiled. “Because I helped them to elope. Surely you did not believe I would see my sister married to a man who broke my wrist. Now, off with you. The entire situation depends upon your speed and persuasion, Duncan. Make me proud.”
Make me proud. Breck had never uttered such encouraging words and more than ever, Duncan was determined to do his very best for the sake of all concerned. Were it not for his brother, none of this would have happened. He needed to make restitution for the Kerry name.
“I will, Stephan,” his voice was quiet. “I promise, I shall not fail.”
Stephan met the soft green eyes, feeling a good deal of trust and compassion for the younger brother of a most evil warrior. And if the man’s eyes were a window to his soul, Stephan could see that the soul was as clear as a bottomless mountain lake.
“I know,” slapping him on the shoulder once more, he turned in the direction of Chaldon’s stables.
“Ride hard, Duncan. At this moment, I am bound for Ravendark to make sure your brother doesn’t do anything foolish to my sister and her new husband should he be fortunate enough to ensnare them.
If a trial is imminent, I’ll delay it as best I can. ”
Duncan had never run so fast in his entire life.
*
Three miles out of Ravendark, Summer found the day to be bright and lovely.
Leaving Salisbury at dawn, she had been surprised that Dag had not seen them off; Bose, too, had seemed concerned with his cousin’s lack of appearance but refrained from voicing his distress.
The necessary marriage documents had awaited him and that was the only true matter of import.