Shadowmoor (de Lohr Dynasty #6) (16 page)

Roland was so thrilled to hear of Brynner’s agreement that he was willing to do most anything. “Of course,” he said eagerly. “What would you have me do?”

Brynner cocked an eyebrow to emphasize his point. “Send the fifty men you intend to give me with the fifty gold crowns, to the Cock and Comb Tavern in Ilkley. Do you know where it is?”

Roland nodded. “I have been there.”

“You send those men and the money to the inn,” he said. “They are to wait there for me. I will send one of those men back with word for you as to my discussion with my father. Those men, and that money, belong to me regardless of what happens with my father. Is that clear?”

Roland frowned. “You cannot only accept half of the terms of a bargain once it has been struck,” he said. “It is all or nothing.”

“This is the closest you have come to acquiring Shadowmoor since you set out to do so,” he said. “Are you going to quibble over a few men and coins?”

Roland’s frown deepened. “You said you would turn it over to me one way or the other.”

Brynner nodded. “And I will,” he said. “But you are promising me a chateau, the existence of which cannot be proven. I have accepted your terms on faith. You, too, must go on a little faith. I will uphold my end of the bargain to the best of my ability and abandon Shadowmoor, but on the chance that chateau does not exist, I still want men and money from you. Is that clear?”

Roland hadn’t given Brynner nearly enough credit. He thought the man was a drunkard, and he was, but in spite of that, his mind was still very sharp. It appeared that the drink couldn’t dull what seemed to be a very keen intellect and reasoning. Roland grinned.

“You are no fool, l’Audacieux,” he said. “Forgive me for thinking so.”

Brynner couldn’t help but notice that there was no straight answer about the chateau. “Does my wine empire, in fact, exist?”

Roland picked up his cup, averting his gaze. “You will have to take some things on faith.”

“And you are willing to lose fifty men and fifty marks of gold on that?”

“Either way, I get Shadowmoor. And you get enough money to keep you supplied in wine for years to come.”

It was an ambiguous answer at best. This game they had played since the beginning of their encounter had finally come to a head; the stage was set and the terms agreed to, but Brynner wasn’t sure who was getting the better part of the bargain. He was coming to think that he’d made a deal with the devil.

And hell was opening up wide for them both.

CHAPTER SIX

“Y
ou would be
wise to leave the lady alone.”

The four men that comprised Glennie’s escort heard the deep threatening voice from behind and turned to see a very big blond knight standing a few feet away. It was the same knight who had been in the seamstress’ stall, the one making purchases for the lady that Glennie had befriended. But the knight wasn’t looking at the de Royans soldiers as they tried to usher Glennie back to her carriage; the knight was looking at the men who had all but tried to assault Glennie.

It had been a bold and terrible move on Glennie, who was quite frightened by it. The man who had made the swipe for her, a big knight with shaggy blond hair, leaned forward on his saddle, his gaze appraising the knight who had challenged him.

“This is none of your affair, my gallant friend,” he said. “The lady is unharmed. No need for heroics.”

Daniel didn’t like the feel he was getting from the man; arrogance mixed with feigned-friendliness. Daniel knew the type; they would pretend to be friendly, congenial even, but they would turn on a man in an instant and plant a sword in his chest. Therefore, Daniel knew he had to take a somewhat proactive stance in order that Glennie and her escort should be allowed to leave without further trouble. Daniel intended to hold the knight’s attention at least that long.

“Actually, this
is
my business,” he said, turning to Glennie and her escort. “Take her home and stay there. I will come later tonight.”

Glennie was already loaded up in her carriage, looking at Daniel fearfully, but she nodded, snapping to the escort that was standing around looking rather confused at Daniel’s words. But the soldiers began to move quickly as Glennie hissed at them and Daniel, seeing that she was on her way to departing, returned his attention to the shaggy blond knight. He knew his next move had to be bold and strategic, so he proceeded carefully.

The game was on.

“La Londe, is it?” he said “You serve Lord Bramley.”

That statement wiped the smile from la Londe’s face. “How in the hell do you know that?”

Daniel smiled, without humor; he could see that, already, he had the man off guard, which was his plan. He wanted the man’s full attention so Glennie and her escort could get away. In fact, he even took a few steps to his left, which would take Glennie out of la Londe’s periphery entirely. At this moment, Daniel wanted to ensure that he was the only one la Londe was looking at.

“I know many things about many people,” he said. “Your name sounds familiar to me. Did you or your father or grandfather serve Richard or John?”

La Londe was looking at Daniel with extreme suspicion. “
Who
are you?”

Daniel hesitated to tell him. Since the man served Bramley, he wondered if Bramley had made mention of the knight who had identified himself as a de Lohr when he’d refused to return Gunnar l’Audacieux. La Londe had four men with him and Daniel had none. If it turned into a fight, he didn’t want to leave Liselotte and Gunnar alone as he tried to battle men out to do him harm. Therefore, he was evasive in his reply.

This time, he was more to the point.

“Someone who can cause you more trouble than you will know how to adequately handle,” he said, his voice low. “You will leave this town now and I will forget that you molested the lady. Linger and I will be forced to act. Is that clear?”

La Londe studied him, as if trying to determine if the man was lying or not. “Act how?” he said, looking around. “You are alone.”

“Do you truly want to test that theory?”

La Londe cocked his head. “If you are not alone, where are your men?”

Daniel sighed faintly. “You only have four men with you,” he said. “Do you truly wish to stir up such trouble? I will wipe you from this earth if you move against me and no one will miss you. This I vow. Therefore, leave now while you still can. I will not tell you again.”

It was a clear threat. La Londe’s gaze lingered on him, undoubtedly trying to figure out if the knight meant what he said. Something in the man, in the deadly gleam of his eye, conveyed that he was being truthful. This was no knight to be trifled with. La Londe then glanced to Glennie who, so far, hadn’t left as she was supposed to. She and her escort had moved, but not very far, and the escort now had their hands on their weapons. It was clear that they were ready to jump in and assist Daniel.

Although la Londe wasn’t entirely certain that the big knight meant what he said, he wasn’t willing to take the chance that he did. He’d come to town to steal some food and harass unattended women, not fight with a knight who was clearly ready for such a thing. He wasn’t ready to die or to be humiliated. He was a man who enjoyed dominating the weak because he could, and when he came against someone who was stronger than he was, it was a given that he would back down without trying to make it look like he was. La Londe tended to be all posture and very little fight unless he had to.

It was safer for him that way.

With men around him ready to fight, la Londe broke out into a grin. The, he laughed, turning his horse away from Daniel. He pointed to Daniel as if it were all a big joke.

“I will remember you,” he said, somewhat lightly. “I never forget a face. If I see you again, I will kill you.”

Daniel smiled in return, as if he, too, were in on the joke. “I will look forward to that day,” he said, casually bending down to pick up a stone that was near his foot. He tossed it in his hand casually. “But I can promise you that I will not be the one to lose my life.”

La Londe snorted. “Is that so?” he said. “You are confident, my friend. Confident, indeed.”

Daniel’s smile faded. “Confident for good reason,” he said. Then, he suddenly tossed the rock, aiming it right for the big buttocks of la Londe’s horse. The rock pinged the animal and the steed bolted, nearly dumping la Londe. “I never lose!”

He shouted the last words as la Londe clung to the horse, which was now racing wildly out of the town. La Londe’s men charged after him, all of them creating quite a ruckus as they followed their leader. Daniel stood there a moment, watching them leave, before giving a sigh of relief. He hadn’t particularly wanted to create trouble in town on this day but it was possible that he had. It was possible that la Londe would return with reinforcements, looking for him. Therefore, he was coming to think that it was best if they left as soon as they could to avoid any further problems. He turned to Glennie and her escort.

“Go home to Netherghyll,” he told her firmly. “I will bring Lady Liselotte and join you there shortly.”

Glennie was looking at him with big eyes, having witnessed the entire confrontation with la Londe. “I am sorry I did not leave right away,” she said. “I told my men you might need help if that terrible knight started a fight.”

Daniel shook his head. “I appreciate your concern, but it was not necessary,” he said. “Go home now.”

Glennie wasn’t listening to him. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, nothing short of adoration on her face. “I cannot thank you enough for your intervention, Sir Daniel,” she said, her tone soft with gratitude. “You are my champion!”

Daniel wasn’t particularly comfortable with the gleam in Glennie’s eyes. She was looking at him rather… hungrily. He’d seen predatory women in his time and if he didn’t know better, he’d swear that lovely Lady Glennie had the look of a man-hunter.

“No need to thank me, my lady,” he said evenly. “Go, now. We will be along shortly.”

Glennie heard him this time, his final plea, and nodded eagerly as her escort scurried to collect their mounts. Two soldiers drove Glennie’s carriage while the other two rode escort on their well-fed horses. Glennie waved to Daniel as the carriage headed out of town, off to the north, and he simply lifted a hand to acknowledge her and nothing more. He wasn’t about to wave back. As Glennie and her escort passed from his view, he turned and headed back into the seamstress’ stall.

Liselotte and Gunnar were still where he had left them, tucked back in the shop and out of view. Daniel entered the shop, his gaze falling on Liselotte as she looked back at him anxiously. He smiled.

“I chased them away,” he said. “But it would be prudent for us to leave before they return with more men in their ranks.”

Liselotte nodded. “Agreed,” she said. “We have never been able to figure out just how many men Bramley has because Bramley Castle is such a small fortress, but we think that he has at least a hundred armed men at his disposal. Certainly enough to cover the roads around Shadowmoor.”

Daniel considered that information. “Then we must be gone,” he said, looking at her as she stood there in the red dress that emphasized her lovely figure and her hair attractively arranged. She looked like a goddess. “You will wear that dress to Lady Glennie’s supper tonight. And we will take the lavender dress, the yellow dress, and that big blue outer-coat with the embroidery that you tried on. The only thing they do not have for you are slippers, but I can purchase those somewhere else. Madam!”

He was shouting for the seamstress, who hustled over with the excitement of her very large sale. And what a sale it was; three dresses, an outer-coat, three shifts, three pairs of warm hose, and a few other things that Glennie had collected including hair pins, combs, a small bar of lumpy soap that smelled of rosemary, and a phial of beeswax and marjoram to ease cracked skin and lips. In all, it was quite a collection and the seamstress threw in a small wooden chest to carry everything in. The seamstress’ daughter packed all of the booty into the chest as Daniel paid the woman with several silver coins from a leather purse he kept tucked into the heavy belt around his waist.

Daniel was just finished paying the seamstress her silver coins when it occurred to him how poorly dressed Gunnar was. The thought hadn’t entered his mind that the boy might need to be better dressed, considering they had been invited to a fine house for supper, so he discussed the boy’s state of dress with the seamstress to see if she had anything that might be suitable for the lad. Much to Gunnar’s distress, she did, and Gunnar soon became the focus of the seamstress’ particular brand of expertise.

As Daniel and Liselotte stood back and watched, Daniel with a grin and Liselotte with concern, the seamstress and her daughter took charge of Gunnar. As the boy howled, they stripped him down to nearly nothing and, seeing how dirty the skinny boy was, asked permission to bathe him. Laughing, Daniel gave permission and the pair sponged the dirt from Gunnar’s body while the boy yelled and danced around unhappily. Eventually, he started to fight back but Daniel quickly put a stop to that. He explained to Gunnar that he could no longer run around, looking like a dirty little pizzle, and that all young men should be properly dressed.