“Thank you, my lord,” she answered happily.
“I must also thank you for coming to my rescue. But how did you
know I was there?”
“Ahh…” He glanced at the others in the room.
“To be truthful, we didn’t.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, looking
around as well.
“Lady Teleri, I’ll be honest
with you, even though I hope the truth doesn’t show me in a bad
light. The feud between your husband and Lord Rhirid of Llanlleyn
is well known to us and I think you also know of the…well,
unfriendly
situation which
exists between your husband and myself. I tried to improve the
relationship a few months ago on my visit to Rhuddlan but
unfortunately, Lord William was not inclined to meet me
halfway.”
She nodded knowingly. “He’s a pigheaded
fool.”
“Yes…And then, as you know, I found my wife,
whom I had believed to be dead, alive and well and living at
Rhuddlan with a child I never knew I had. After that, Lord William
lost all pretense at politeness. I felt, quite naturally, that I
had been used and made to look a fool…and I admit I wanted a small
measure of revenge. Because your husband’s father happens to be the
king, there isn’t much I can do overtly, so I thought to lend a
little assistance here and there to Lord Rhirid. And that was what
Sir Roger was doing when he came across you.”
“I see…” Teleri breathed, the implication of
his words striking her immediately. The earl had the manpower and
the knowledge to defeat Longsword; he wouldn’t fail her as Rhirid
had.
“I feel I can trust you with this disclosure,
Lady Teleri, based upon our previous acquaintanceship,” he added.
“Needless to say, I wouldn’t like Lord William to hear of it.”
“He won’t hear it from me, my lord!” she said
firmly. Another thought struck her, causing her pleasure to fade
into concern. “My lord,” she said, “will my rescue put you at bad
terms with Lord Rhirid? If you are allies—”
His voice was so low and cultured and his
blue eyes so intent on her that she promptly forgot all the other
men in the room and even the rumors she had heard at Rhuddlan about
his sexual tastes. “My lady,” he said, “I now consider my small
alliance with Lord Rhirid ended. I don’t want to stand beside any
man who would use an innocent woman as bait in his game of cat and
mouse.”
“Oh—” She could actually feel her face flush.
He was so sweet, so gallant, unlike her husband and Rhirid…
“Now,” he said in a louder voice, clapping
his hands on his knees and standing up, “I understand you were on
your way to the Perfeddwlad. If that remains your intention, I will
see you arrive safely.”
“Thank you, my lord; I would like that.”
“Fine. But first, I have a favor to beg of
you. Would you mind spending some time at Hawarden? You were such a
gracious hostess at Rhuddlan, I would like to repay the kindness by
entertaining you here. You would do us a great honor, my lady. I’m
afraid we’re sadly lacking in refined company.”
After so pretty an invitation, it would have
been rude to refuse and, anyway, she didn’t think she wanted to.
Her mood had been low since her disappointment at Llanlleyn. The
earl had raised her spirits once before; surely a small pause in
this beautiful fortress with an attentive host would give her back
the self-confidence she needed to face her uncle and insist he
arrange for her marriage to be annulled.
She was happier still when Olwen entered her
chamber a short time afterward. Earl Hugh was indulging her every
wish; she had asked if Olwen could attend her and he’d agreed. She
knew her husband and Rhirid would never have been so accommodating
and probably purely out of spite.
She had assumed the other woman would be as
pleased with the arrangement as she was and with barely a pause for
greeting, she launched into a recounting of her interview with the
earl, stressing his kindness and his gentility but halted abruptly
when she finally noticed that Olwen looked more stricken than
glad.
“What’s wrong?” she asked with a touch of
impatience. “Is it your children? Olwen, they’re fine. You know
Goewyn will look after them…”
“That doesn’t make it any easier to be away
from them, Lady Teleri. They’re only babies.”
“You’ll see them soon; don’t fret.”
Olwen frowned. “How do you know that, Lady
Teleri?”
“Because,” she answered smugly, “as I’ve been
trying to tell you, I’ve spoken with the earl. He’s promised to
have us escorted to the Perfeddwlad. He’s so angry with Lord Rhirid
for using me as a pawn against Lord William that I didn’t dare tell
him that I went willingly!” She closed her eyes and sighed. “He’s
so nice to look upon, Olwen; almost as nice as Sir Richard…” She
opened them again when the other woman didn’t respond. “What’s the
matter now? I told you we’re to leave soon.”
“When, Lady Teleri?”
“I don’t know…In a few days. Earl Hugh asked
if I wouldn’t mind staying so that he’d have someone interesting to
talk to. And then…” She shrugged.
“And he meant me, as well, Lady Teleri? Or
did he just refer to you?”
“Of course he meant you, also! Why not?”
Olwen did not reply. Teleri was annoyed.
She’d been upset in the morning but the earl had reassured her and
set her to rights and now Olwen was clouding her joy. She bit back
a sharp spate of words because she supposed the other woman was
concerned about her children, after all, and how could she argue
with that? But soon the silence became oppressive and finally, as a
diversion, Teleri ordered her to comb out her hair and prepare her
for the evening meal. “And you must tell me all about the
countess,” she added. “I’d like to know how you found her.”
Roger of Haworth surveyed the brightly lit,
noisy hall, crowded with tables, men and servants until his eyes
fell upon the dais where the earl and Dafydd’s irritating niece sat
chatting. Ralph de Vire had put himself on the girl’s other side,
and leaned over occasionally to speak. For a moment Haworth debated
leaving but then forced himself to move forward to occupy the empty
seat to Hugh’s right. Of late, meals had become a source of anguish
to him. He sat down with the sole purpose of diverting some of
Hugh’s attention from de Vire. The work took so much mental effort
that he was often unable to eat and relief came only when Hugh had
finished and was ready for his stroll down to the bailey. De Vire
never accompanied them.
He gave Hugh a small bow before he sat which
was acknowledged with more enthusiasm than Haworth had been shown
in weeks. Judging from his flushed face and genial expression, the
earl was in a fine mood. Haworth’s own spirits lifted in response;
he knew the earl’s mood had everything to do with the thought of
engaging the Bastard and nothing to do with de Vire. Haworth’s
dislike of de Vire hadn’t lessened with time. Although he believed
Hugh when he insisted there was no personal relationship between
him and the younger man, he didn’t trust de Vire’s intentions.
The damned Welshwoman prattled on and on, her
high-pitched voice grating on his nerves. He wondered how long she
was going to stay and how many meals she would take with them. When
he and his companions had come upon the Welshman who would lead
them to Llanlleyn, the man had sought to deflect attention from
himself by pointing her out and claiming she was the wife of the
Bastard. In other words, a more valuable hostage than he. But
Haworth hadn’t wanted any hostages, only a guide. He’d been tempted
to leave the bitch on the road and would have, if he’d been alone.
His two companions had assumed Hugh would want her and one of them
had ridden back to fetch her. He’d fully expected a blistering
earful when she was brought to him but to his surprise, she was
quiet, and had remained so until this meal—
He heard his name and glanced up guiltily.
The three of them—Hugh, the Welshwoman and that pig, de Vire—were
staring at him with amusement on their faces. “He didn’t hear me,”
Hugh said with a chuckle. “He’s too busy trying to decide whether
to eat or to drink.”
De Vire laughed and Haworth scowled. “I beg
your pardon, my lord,” he said stiffly. “Did you ask me a
question?”
“Lady Teleri and I were discussing Rhirid’s
champion. You remember him, don’t you? The big fellow with the
black mustaches—Dylan ap something or other?”
“I do, my lord. Big, but like most large men,
unspectacular on his feet. We practiced against each other while he
was here.”
“What do you imagine your chances against him
would be if the battle were not practice but real?”
“Excellent, my lord. I know all his moves. I
would win such a contest.” His eyes slid past Hugh to de Vire.
“I’ve never lost yet.”
“What did I tell you, Lady Teleri!” Hugh
exclaimed. Haworth switched his full attention back to the
conversation. He didn’t want give the golden de Vire another
opportunity to laugh at him, although for some reason the younger
man’s expression was suddenly subdued.
“I thank you for permitting Olwen to stay
with me, my lord,” the woman was saying to Hugh. “Although I hope
the countess isn’t angry with her departure. Will we see her?”
“I doubt it, Lady Teleri. My wife prefers to
be far away from me and doesn’t venture from her rooms very
often.”
“I hope at least to see little Bronwen. A
precocious child but very good-natured…”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you there, as well,
Lady Teleri,” Hugh answered and Haworth could hear a touch of
annoyance in the words. “Mathilde, as she is now known, is living
with my mother in England. Wales is a beautiful country, but my
daughter has been running wild since her birth and needs to learn
the language and customs of her native culture.”
The bitch smiled. “Of course. Well, you’ll
have another one soon enough, whom you needn’t send away for a few
years.”
Haworth, in the process of bringing his cup
to his lips, stopped moving, his arm frozen in mid-air. His head
whipped towards Hugh.
“I’m sorry, Lady Teleri,” Hugh said slowly,
frowning in confusion. “I don’t understand…”
“Perhaps if I said congratulations instead,
you would! After all, your wife is with child, isn’t she?”
The cup slipped from Haworth’s hand. For a
moment, he couldn’t draw a breath. His head was still fixed in
Hugh’s direction. He saw Teleri blithely resume eating…he saw the
earl and de Vire exchange a glance…he saw the earl’s eyes swivel
towards him…
“You’ve spilled your wine, Roger,” Hugh said
blandly. “The cloth will be ruined.”
“I beg your pardon, my lord.” His heart
pounded rapidly; he thought it would burst. He stood up. “My lord,
do I have your permission to leave?”
“Of course. But I’m done as well. Why don’t
we go down to the bailey as we usually do?”
Hugh apologized to the Welshwoman for leaving
so abruptly, waved the rest of his men back to their seats and
proceeded to the door. Haworth hesitated. He didn’t think he wanted
to hear what he supposed Hugh might tell him. But then a movement
caught the corner of his eye; it was de Vire nervously refilling
his own cup from the pitcher on the table, and suddenly he was more
angry than bewildered. He threw his napkin down and followed after
Hugh with a firm step.
Hugh was halfway to the steps leading down to
the bailey when Haworth caught up with him. Without a glance in his
direction or before Haworth could even open his mouth to speak, the
earl said in the same bland tone: “I wonder if it’s true.”
Haworth was startled. “If what’s true?”
“That story about the baby, for God’s
sake!”
“Didn’t you know?”
Hugh stopped abruptly and looked at him. “Of
course I didn’t know, Roger! She never told me.” He started walking
again. “In all that time, she never said a word.”
But Haworth’s suspicions had seethed for too
long to be so easily deflated. “Why wouldn’t she tell you?” he
asked. “Does she enjoy your company so much? I always knew she was
a strange woman but to actually enjoy being raped every night…”
They reached the steps. Hugh halted again.
“Is something wrong, Roger? Something you want to say? You act as
if this is some kind of slight against you when it’s the biggest
shock I’ve ever had in my life!”
“That bitch said the baby would be here soon
enough. To my mind, she means your wife has been pregnant for some
time,” Haworth accused.
The earl stared at him for so long without
answering that he began to regret his harsh words. How could he
truly doubt the person he loved more than anything in the world?
“My lord, I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I don’t—”
“Roger, we both have cause to be angry with
this news,” Hugh interrupted. He looked away, back to the keep.
“I’ve never told you this because it’s somewhat shameful to me but
it will answer most of your questions. Although I saw Eleanor
almost every night, I was sometimes unable to—” he faltered and
glanced back at Haworth with a rueful smile. “You know what I mean.
It was always difficult for me because I felt nothing for her. When
she feared me, it was better. Easier. But since her return from
Rhuddlan, she has feared me less and less. It’s as though I can no
longer intimidate her. The worst part is that she knows it. She
uses her new strength against me. When you ask does she enjoy my
company so much, I think the answer is yes. I think she quite
enjoys coming to my chamber and seeing me fumble to complete the
act. She enjoys seeing me humilate myself before her. But I was
determined to have my heir out of her and so I kept trying.”
Haworth was outraged. “My lord, I will kill
her for you,” he said in an intense voice. “How can she do this to
you? Humiliate you—the earl of Chester! Let me kill her and you can
have another wife.”
“Steady, Roger!” Hugh smiled. “If Lady
Teleri’s gossip is true, then I may have my heir…and not need
another wife. But there’s something else you could do for me…”