Silversword (de Lohr Dynasty Book 7) (37 page)

The one thing that was expected, however, was her new husband’s behavior when he’d had too much wine. With all of that rich red wine flowing, it was only a matter of time before the breeches came off and strains of
Tilly Nodden
could be heard.

Unfortunately for Henry and the others, Chad and his love of good wine had him flashing his buttocks repeatedly, cheered on by Tiberius, Chris, Arthur, and William. De Serreaux, fairly drunk himself after a most strenuous day that nearly saw him lose his position as the leader of Henry’s Guard of Six, took great offense to Chad’s bare buttocks and took to throwing pieces of ember at him, trying to hit the pale white backside with something that was on fire.

Twice, he’d made contact, causing Chad to smack the man on the side of the head with a piece of kindling, much to the amusement of the others. De Serreaux thought it was humorous as well, but his Guard of Six cohorts saw it as a challenge. Soon enough, Chad and his cousins were locked in games of chance against de Serreaux and his comrades while Henry and Gallus found themselves trying to keep the peace between the drunken knights. It was a complete turn of events, with Henry and Gallus as peacemakers now, that went on long into the night. As odd as it sounded, it was something of a bonding experience for Henry and Gallus. After that, they understood each other much better.

Alessandria was tolerant of her husband’s drunken antics. She rather liked watching him behave like a fool because he was really very funny. The man who would one day be the Earl of Canterbury deserved the chance to relax and laugh with friends, she thought. She certainly wouldn’t begrudge him that, as the path to this moment in time had been a difficult one for them both.

But Jeniver and Courtly soon closed ranks around Alessandria, removing her from the loud and drunken men, and escorted her to her small borrowed chamber on the top of Isenhall’s keep to prepare for her coming wedding night.

Alessandria made no hint, of course, of the fact that this would not be her first sexual encounter with Chad as Jeniver and Courtly helped her to dress in a fine dressing gown made from silk that belonged to Jeniver. Douglass didn’t participate because, being heavily pregnant, she had retired early for the night, so it was Gallus and Maximus’ wives assisting their cousin with her toilette in preparation for her new husband.

Alessandria appreciated their efforts, loving the women as she would sisters. The days of Lady Orford and her terrible daughter were long gone as she finally found acceptance with her cousins’ wives. The whole world had come full circle for her and she swore that she would never again take life, or love, for granted. It was to be treated with the greatest of care, something to be treasured, always.

Alessandria tried to stay awake that night, waiting for her husband’s return, but her exhaustion had the better of her and she ended up falling asleep on the small bed she was expected to share with him. She happened to awake at one point when she felt the bed give, having no idea what time it was, and she opened her eyes to Chad’s naked buttocks perched on the side of the bed as he drunkenly tried to remove his breeches and boots at the same time.

Your husband has a bread-dough arse and I want to sink my teeth into it!

Old Lady du Bexley’s words suddenly popped into her head. Of all the times to remember such a thing, that time was now, but it was actually quite appropriate. His buttocks
did
look like two unbaked bread loaves. As Chad struggled to remove his clothing, Alessandria would have the last laugh. She did exactly as Lady du Bexley wanted to.

She sank her teeth straight-away into his taut, delicious buttocks.

After that, Chad seemed to lose his penchant for flashing his arse when drunk and no one could seem to figure out why. But Alessandria knew… and so did Chad. Having discovered a wife who liked to bite him, Chad was less apt to give her the opportunity, at least in public. But in private, he rather liked her gnashing little teeth. Now, she was the only one who saw his arse. He had promised her that much.

Love, laughter, and family.
Those were the things that made life worth living.

The de Lohr dynasty lived on.

EPILOGUE

Canterbury Castle, early May

1267 A.D.

I
f nothing else,
Chad had always been entertaining.

Daniel knew this because he’d watched his son grow from a very active, somewhat devilish boy into a man who hadn’t left much of the boy behind when he’d become an adult. There was still a great deal of boy left in Chad, as Daniel was witnessing now, as the man celebrated the birth of his first child.

Katrine
, they had named her, in honor of Liselotte’s mother and also in honor of Chad’s twin sister who had died at birth. A little girl that Daniel could still see, even now, with her perfectly formed features and sweet little face. His heart still ached for his baby girl, just a little, but holding Chad’s daughter had helped ease that pain. He hoped, through Katrine, that his long-dead daughter might perhaps live again, just a little.

And she was a big baby, too. It had taken Alessandria nearly two days to give birth to the child, struggling to bring forth a fat baby with downy-red hair who screamed the moment she was born until the moment her mother put a nipple in her mouth to feed her. Daniel had been given the pleasure of holding the baby well after her birth, when she had been fed and swaddled and was snug as a pea in a pod. But his joy in holding her had been brief because Liselotte wanted to hold the baby, and then Chad wanted to hold her again, so Daniel had been forced to admire the baby in someone else’s arms, mostly.

But he truly hadn’t minded in the least.

That had been a week ago. Chad had sent word to Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius on the birth as well as everyone else he could think of, including the king. He wanted everyone to know he had a healthy, beautiful daughter. It never even crossed his mind to be disappointed that it wasn’t a son. To Chad, it didn’t matter in the least. He couldn’t have been more thrilled.

His joy was evidenced in the fact that he’d celebrated the birth, nightly, since it had occurred. His wife was still bed-bound and couldn’t join him in the hall, but Chad celebrated enough for the both of them. He’d given up excessive drink at the request of his wife and Daniel hadn’t seen the man drunk or even tipsy since their marriage, but the birth of little Lady Katrine seemed to weaken her father’s resolve to behave himself. Therefore, every night since Katrine’s birth had been something of a party with Chad front and center.

Even now in the great hall of Canterbury, the big hall they rarely used, Daniel watched the man as he sang a very noisy chorus of
Tilly Nodden
with his brothers and fellow knights. Rhun du Bois had a terrible singing voice and his tone-deaf baritone could be heard throughout the hall of Canterbury, causing Stefan and Perrin to throw things at him to force him to be quiet. It was quite hilarious to watch but Rhun would not be deterred. He sang bravely as bread crusts and even utensils were flung in his direction.

So Daniel sipped his sweet Spanish wine, listening to the terrible singing, and laughing at the antics of his sons and his knights. These days at Canterbury, there was much to be joyful for as well as grateful for. He was reflecting on that gratitude when he was joined by Liselotte.

Into the noise and smoke of the hall, she emerged from one of the smaller doors that led to the kitchen yard. It was dark outside, as night had fallen, but the kitchen was cooking full-force for the men in the hall. Daniel could smell the freshly baked bread as the scents wafted in behind his wife. He smiled at her as she came to the table.

“Has Chad dropped his breeches yet?” Liselotte asked as she sat beside her husband.

Daniel poured his wife a cup of wine, handing it to her. “Nay,” he said, grinning. “But I am sure that will come at some point.”

Liselotte accepted the wine. “He has not flashed his buttocks this entire week, has he?”

Daniel was silently laughing. “He has not,” he said. “He has threatened once or twice, but he has yet to complete the deed.”

Liselotte sipped the strong, sweet wine. “Let us hope that he does not,” she said. “Aless has asked me several times if he has taken to flashing his buttocks and I have told her every time that he has not. In fact, she has sent me down here to tell Chad to go attend her. She wants him up in the chamber with her, not down here with the men.”

Daniel simply lifted his shoulders. “He is having more fun down here,” he said. “Let him enjoy himself a little while longer.”

“And he cannot enjoy himself with his wife and child?”

Daniel took her free hand, kissing it. “Of course he can,” he said. “But the man cannot belt out a chorus of
Tilly Nodden
, can he? It will wake the baby.”

Liselotte fought off a grin, watching her eldest son as he stomped around on a tabletop nearby, singing the song of the cross-dresser, Tilly. “He reminds me a good deal of you at this age,” she said. “You were so very lively, Daniel.”

“I still am.”

Liselotte laughed softly, patting his cheek. “Aye, you are,” she said. “Forgive me, sweetheart.”

Daniel turned to his wife, grinning. They sat there for some time in comfortable silence, enjoying their wine and enjoying the entertainment that the drunken knights provided. It was good to see such joy with men who faced life and death on a daily basis. Daniel was growing weary as the hour grew late, thinking on retiring, when the door to the hall suddenly lurched open, spilling forth a collection of knights.

Since all of the knights at Canterbury were already in the hall, the sight was a curious one. Still, it didn’t take long to figure out who they were; Daniel and Liselotte turned to see three familiar faces entering the hall, bundled up against the cold May weather. Emerging from the shadowed doorway and into the light and warmth of the room, Gallus, Maximus, and Tiberius made their presence known.

“Gallus!” Daniel, surprised, called over to them as he rose to his feet. “Maximus! Welcome to my humble home!”

Gallus and Maximus headed in his direction but Tiberius, lured by the song and dance and drunken revelry, headed over to Chad and the others. Daniel hugged Gallus, and then Maximus, as the brothers sat heavily, with exhaustion, across the table from him.

“You did not tell us you were coming,” Liselotte said. “I would have ordered a great feast prepared in your honor. As it is, we have venison and rabbit, for my sons went hunting today. It is plentiful but not elaborate.”

Gallus, his face sporting a few days’ growth of stubble, waved her off. “You are always the consummate hostess, Lady de Lohr,” he said. “Your hospitality is well known. We will be quite happy with whatever you can provide.”

Another loud voice joined in the chorus of Tilly Nodden and those at the table looked over to see Tiberius with a cup of wine in hand, already singing loudly with Chad and the other men. Daniel shook his head, snorting.

“Tiberius has that revelry streak in him,” he said. “I am not sure who it comes from, but someone in the de Lohr bloodlines loved a good party. I have that streak, as does Chad, as does Tiberius. My wife was just commenting on how lively I used to be.”

“You still are,” Maximus said, accepting a cup from the nearest servant. “You are as lively as a man half your age.”

Daniel dipped his head in gratitude. “You have my thanks,” he said. He took a deep drink of his wine, smacking his lips. “So you have come to help celebrate the birth of Chad and Alessandria’s daughter, have you? That is well and good. She is a fat, healthy baby and we are very blessed.”

Gallus scratched his cheek as Maximus cast him a glance. Daniel and Liselotte should have suspected there was more behind their visit than simply to help celebrate, but neither one of them noticed that, between the de Shera brothers, there was something on their minds. Their expressions spoke volumes.

“Aye, you are,” Gallus replied. “My best wishes and congratulations on the next generation of de Lohr offspring. She is healthy, you say?”

Liselotte was the one who answered. “Very healthy,” she said proudly. “And big, too. She was a very big girl when born. It took poor Aless two days to bring her forth, but have no fear – Aless is well and so is the child. Some babies simply take longer than others to be born, ’tis all.”

Gallus focused on the woman. “She was big, you say?”

“Aye, verily.”

“Then she was not… born early?”

Liselotte shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “She was right on time. Why do you ask?”

Gallus sighed heavily, looking at Maximus, before hanging his head and shaking it. Maximus eyed his brother a moment before replying. “Because Chad and Alessandria were only married in September,” he said. “That would mean this child was conceived
before
they were married if, in fact, she was not born early, as you say. I will be truthful, my lady – we have come because it seems that Chad
had
to marry our cousin, if you get my meaning.”

Liselotte’s eyes widened and she looked at Daniel, who remained calm. Suddenly, the mood of the conversation took an odd and sobering turn. Daniel was not only surprised by it, but he was offended as well.