Choose the Sky: A Medieval Romance (Swordcross Knights Book 2) (27 page)

“So what will you do?” she went on. “Do you mean to go after him again?”

“Of course. He was a criminal before, but now he has more to answer for after attacking Trumwell. Beside, even if his only crime was to touch you, that’s enough to hang him.”

Mina raised an eyebrow. “Hardly his greatest transgression.”

“That depends on your perspective,” Luc said, drawing her closer again.

She laughed softly. “Your sister did mention that you were possessive about everything.”

“What I care about,” he said. “Which, yes, includes my wife.”

“I wasn’t your wife when he attacked me.”

“You are now,” he said. “That’s what matters.”

Mina allowed herself to be held for a moment, and Luc relished the simple contact in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

But then she said, “So what is your plan to find him?”

“I’ll question the men we captured—they’ll know something, and they probably won’t show too much loyalty to a man who left them behind.”

“Then you’ll go after Haldan? Alone?” Mina asked, frowning.

“Not alone. I’ll have Octavian, and my men.”

“Against who knows how many Haldan—or his partner—has gathered. I don’t like those odds, Luc.”

“I’ll be careful,” he assured her. “Why, are you worried about me?”

“When I saw the blood, and your shoulder…” She shuddered. “I never want to feel like that again.”

Luc kissed her forehead. “I’ll do my best to ensure that you never have to, my Mina.”

Luc had been looking forward
to a lazy day of recovery, spent with his beautiful partner, whose newly awakened interest was the best medicine he could ask for. Besides, he’d driven off an army the day before. Surely a man deserved a little rest after such a feat.

Yet it was not to be. A knock sounded on the door, and after Domina gave permission to enter, Margery stepped into the room. She gave Luc a look of shameless appraisal, but quickly curtseyed to Domina.

“My lady,” Margery announced, “your cousin Joscelin is below, in the parlor. He seems rather distraught.”

Mina gasped. “Oh, no.”

“What’s wrong?” Luc asked. “I thought you got along with your cousin.”

“I do! Or I did. But why would he leave his studies?”

Not long after, in the bright room below, Luc saw a lanky young man dressed in the plain, somber garb of a clergyman. When he turned to face them, what most struck Luc was the man’s youth. Mina said he was younger than she, but this person was scarcely more than a boy. He wore his pale hair in the customary tonsure, like a monk. His eyes were a remarkably clear blue, and at the moment, his expression was troubled.

“Domina,” he said, his eyes looking her over intently.

She stood close to Luc, a fact that Joscelin seemed to take exception to. She said, “You never sent word you were coming here! Joscelin, what caused you to leave London? What has happened?”

“That is what I must know from you, Mina! I came because I heard an absurd story about a marriage. It is being mentioned in the church as well as the court. Tell me it is not so.”

Domina glanced at Luc, guilt on her features. Then she said to Joscelin, “It is true. Luc of Braecon is my lord and husband. We were married some weeks ago.”

Joscelin’s face paled slightly. “Cousin, why did you not tell me?”

“I meant to,” she said, hesitantly. “It slipped my mind.”

“Slipped your
mind
? To tell one of your only living relatives of your wedding day? Have I offended you somehow? Did you not want me here?”

“Oh, no!” She rushed to embrace Joscelin, who returned the gesture after a moment’s hesitation. “Please don’t be angry, Joscelin. It was…somewhat of a surprise. You would not have been able to travel here in time, and I was so distracted by everything that I didn’t write to you when I ought to have. Forgive me.”

He sighed. “Of course I forgive you, Mina. But I must know what is going on!”

“Yes, you shall.” She looked to Luc, her expression rather frantic. “I must, ah, speak to Constance. It will not wait. Please speak to Joscelin and I will rejoin you both as soon as I am able.”

It was a patently false errand, but Luc didn’t try to stop her. She hurried off, and Luc and Joscelin merely stared at each other for a long moment, assessing.

Luc decided he’d better offer the first gesture—after all, it was his home. “So. You are Joscelin. Domina has spoken of you quite often.”

“She’s never told me a word about you, nor even of an impending marriage. How long has this been in the wind? How do you know her?”

“Our marriage was arranged by the king.”

“Why?” Joscelin asked bluntly. “To what purpose? I’ve heard your family name, and much as I value my own and Domina’s bloodline, I know that it’s no match for yours. Why would the king seek to marry a powerful baron’s son to a woman of little renown?”

“Domina has many excellent qualities.”

“To be sure!” Joscelin said defensively. “As I well know, being close kin to her. But again, without casting a shadow on her, I say that of her qualities, political weight is not among them. She comes from a line of loyal but minor nobles, castellans of a quiet river valley far from the center of England.”

“But it is an important point to defend,” Luc said. “For the Welsh threaten from the west, and Maud’s armies could easily sweep in from the southeast. In a matter of months, this whole part of the country could fall.”

“I am aware of that,” Joscelin said.

“King Stephen is keen to keep what he holds now.”

“That does not explain a marriage. Would it not be just as sensible for the king to have sent more soldiers?”

“So he will, if I ask,” Luc explained. “He wants a knight here, one who understands war.”

Joscelin frowned. “It is all too hasty. I pray that no one will look upon the speed of the marriage and think ill of my cousin.”

“No one thinks ill of her. Her people continue to respect her, as they did before I arrived. Less has changed here than you fear.”

Joscelin stared at him a moment longer, then sighed. “Well, there’s nothing for it now. It’s done, is it not?”

“It is,” Luc confirmed, “and I intend to uphold all the vows I’ve made.” Most particularly, his vow to Stephen to ferret out the traitor who seemed to be making Trumwell Castle and the de Warewic family part of his plot. Perhaps Joscelin could help with uncovering the name—he was kin to Domina and also stood to lose if the family name was stained. Even in the church, blood mattered. He was part of the family, but also an outsider, living in London as a clergyman. What if he’d noticed something no one else had?

Joscelin looked out the narrow windows. “Forgive me, my lord,” he said, in a conciliatory tone. “Mina is all I have, and I feel it is my place to make sure no one takes advantage of her. I do try to visit when I can. It is difficult, considering the distance from London, but she would not hear of my postponing my studies in order to stay with her.”

“You do not speak of Godfrey’s wishes,” Luc said mildly.

Joscelin started, plainly not prepared for that topic. “I…I…”

“I know the truth about him,” Luc said. “And I see you do as well. Yet you’ve said nothing to anyone about it?”

“Mina begged me to keep silence,” Joscelin said slowly. “Though I had misgivings, I could see sense in her decision. I will confess I never expected it to go on as long as it has. I prayed—I still pray—that the situation is temporary. It tears her apart, you know.”

“I know.”

“Not just his condition, but that she had to conceal it.”

“She excels at it. Nearly three years, and no hint or rumor about it. Even the king did not suspect.”

“You have not shared the truth with anyone, have you?” Joscelin asked nervously.

“Not yet. However, I serve the king. At some point, I am bound to tell him everything.”

“Of course, of course. But I ask that you choose the time of your telling carefully. For Mina’s sake.”

“I’ll do what I think best,” Luc said bluntly.

“What is for Mina’s sake is also for your own now, too. You are bound to her for life. Do you care for her at all?” Joscelin asked, his eyes seeming to pierce right through Luc. “Or is this to be a political alliance, done for worldly reasons alone?”

“That is between me and my wife,” Luc said, keeping his tone cool.

“I see,” said Joscelin. “Well, I shall pray for you both.” The way he said it spoke volumes about Joscelin’s opinion of the marriage and his expectations for its success.

Luc had no time for the young man’s opinions on that topic. Before Mina returned, he wanted to ask about something else. “Now that you’ve returned to Trumwell,” he said, “perhaps you could explain something to me. You know Mina far better than I.”

“What do you wish to know?” Joscelin asked.

“It strikes me as curious that despite all the stories of de Warewic wealth, Domina is so modest about it. She never shows off by wearing fine clothes or jewels, yet no one could ever mistake her for someone less than a lady. Was that a trait of her mother, perhaps?”

“I never paid much attention,” Joscelin said, after a moment of thought. “As far as I know, Godfrey never lacked for wealth. I never knew want while living here. As for Mina’s choice to forgo the more extravagant trappings of nobility, it may well have been the lessons of her parents. Mina has always been a true lady, and she has never shown much interest in worldly distractions. Not that she’s ever expressed interest in the holy life,” he added. “That was for me.”

“Yes, she mentioned your desire to become a priest.”

Joscelin nodded. “It was Godfrey himself who made it possible for me to pursue my schooling and my career in the church. I owe him more than I can possibly repay, but as for the specifics of the family’s finances, I can’t help you much. If you wish to ask about the wealth of the de Warewics, you should ask Domina,” Joscelin said. “She is the heiress, and she keeps the keys.”

Luc had been avoiding that. Domina was intelligent, and she would know that he had reasons for asking about the treasury in general, and the swan-stamped coins in particular. One question would lead to others, and Luc had no excuses to distract her. Domina would see his face and know that he was keeping something from her.

“The de Warewics have always been close,” Joscelin continued. “They welcomed me into this castle, and treated me like a son. But there may be a few secrets they shared only among themselves. If Godfrey had a secret of any kind, it’s Domina he’d trust with it, and vice versa.”

Joscelin’s words were well-meant, no doubt, but they made Luc wince. Domina was far too good at keeping secrets.

* * * *

Not long after Joscelin arrived at the castle, Luc received a message from Somerby, one of Domina’s outlying manors. The steward of Somerby said Haldan had arrived there expecting a warm welcome. The steward attempted to keep Haldan there in an effort to detain him, but Haldan grew suspicious and fled during the night. The message concluded with a plea for Luc to send a few more men-at-arms to the manor, for they feared an attack.

Luc read the message to Octavian, who said, “Haldan has shown he has a temper. He might well attack a small manor just to prove he can. We know he’s still got a considerable force of men at his command.”

“Then let’s help re-fortify the place,” said Luc. “While we’re there, we can pick up his trail.”

Octavian gave a little smile. “Indeed.”

They gathered a small retinue of men-at-arms and rode out the next day. Somerby was nearly two days’ ride, and Luc was growing sick of wintertime travel. Octavian didn’t like it any better, though he hid his annoyance at the cold and the damp.

“Pray he’s nearby,” Tav said at one point. “How can a man like Haldan move like a ghost? He’s not the most subtle of people.”

“Not to mention that he has a small army with him at times,” Luc agreed. “We’ll find something to lead us. If nothing else, the manor will be better fortified by the time we leave.” Luc decided ten more soldiers, trained by him and Octavian, would be sufficient to defend a small property, once added to those already there.

When they arrived at Somerby, they found a solidly constructed fence and a prosperous manor on the other side. No wonder Haldan wanted to enjoy the comfort of the place.

On giving his name, Luc was granted immediate entry, along with the rest of the group. The steward was delighted to hear ten new men would strengthen the manor, and he treated Luc with great deference. Octavian was a puzzle to him, but he accepted the appearance of the strange knight after Luc explained that Octavian was his companion.

“I want to hear everything about Haldan’s visit,” Luc said, over the evening meal. “Even if it doesn’t seem important.”

The steward dutifully recounted all that happened. Haldan had come with a group of forty or so rough-looking men. The steward said he could only grant entry to Haldan, because the manor could not offer food and shelter to so many on such short notice. In truth, he knew Haldan was no longer in the employ of the de Warewic family, and suspected that Haldan wanted to take over Somerby. The big solider argued for a time, but the steward stood firm, secure in his own authority and the weakness of Haldan’s position.