Swords and Shields (Reign of the House of de Winter) (39 page)

“Are you sure you are well?” he asked hoarsely, cupping her head in his big hands. “You rode all the way from Norwich by yourself. And you did not suffer?”

Elizaveta shook her head, basking in his concern. This was the Drake she knew, the husband she loved with all of her heart.
Thank you, God!
she prayed silently. It was like a dream to be back in his arms once more, a dream she was certain she would never see again.

“I did not,” she said. “But… but I have not eaten much.”

He kissed her, still cupping her head. “I shall make sure you have a feast,” he said, exhibiting more energy than he had in weeks, his manner fed by the joy of their reconciliation. But he quickly sobered. “But… I suppose we should make arrangements for your mother and grandmother. Do you want me to at least get the woman off the road? I can bring her back here and let the innkeeper deal with the corpse.”

Elizaveta could still hear her mother wailing. A great part of her wanted to leave the woman out there, crying over her dead mother, and not lift a finger to help her. But Elizaveta was born of decent character from a family that had little, so she couldn’t quite bring herself to simply walk away. In her last act of civility before leaving her mother forever, she simply nodded to Drake’s question.

“If you do not mind bringing her in, I would be grateful,” she said. “But… but you must remember that it was from her lips that all of this chaos happened. Would you still be so polite to her?”

He let go of her head, standing up to his full height. “What I do, I do for you and for no other reason,” he said. “If you want her brought in here, I will do it.”

Elizaveta nodded reluctantly. “Then bring her inside and let us be done with her,” she said. “I wish to have no more consideration for the woman than that. I will forget about her from this day forward, so let this be the end.”

Drake reached up and stroked her cheek before departing the chamber and making his way down to the street where Devon was still standing, still watching the scene. Between the two of them, they carried Mabelle up to her rented room and put her upon the bed with as much care as one would treat an animal carcass.

Behind them, Agnes followed, distraught, but Elizaveta stood by the door and watched everything quite emotionlessly. She never said a word to her mother the entire time; she’d already said what needed to be said and there was no more point in additional talk. It was done.

Her last memory of her mother and grandmother would be of her grandmother’s cooling corpse bleeding all over Maude’s bed while Agnes stood over her mother and wailed.

She left the chamber and never looked back.

From this day forward, I shall not remember you….

It was a vow she kept.

Given that Elizaveta hadn’t brought anything with her on her travels, no baggage of any kind, there was nothing for her to collect as Drake claimed her palfrey from the livery. Devon followed behind, leading their heavy-boned steeds. The other de Winter brother had given Elizaveta a smile to let her know that all was well, even with him, and Elizaveta timidly returned the gesture.

She didn’t know how much Drake had told Devon and she was ashamed, ashamed that the man would know of her failure, but it could not be helped. It was a mistake she would have to own up to before the entire de Winter family and she steeled herself. She knew it would not be easy. But Devon’s reaction to her so far gave her hope that perhaps all of them were as forgiving as Drake and that her integration back into the family would not be met with resistance or resentment.

She fervently hoped so.

Leaving the livery behind The Black Goose, Drake took Elizaveta to another tavern near the edge of town because he knew she was hungry. More than that, there was much to tell her and he didn’t feel the atmosphere of The Black Goose was appropriate for such a thing – taking in a meal while her dead grandmother lay up in her rented chamber with Agnes weeping over the woman. Elizaveta had walked out of the inn without remorse or a hind glance, completely leaving behind a part of her life that had only been detrimental to her, and Drake respected her position in the matter.

To him, it proved even more that she had truly been under Mabelle’s thumb, forced into something she had never wanted to do, and now she was making a break from it, cleanly. She had walked out of The Black Goose with her head held high, disassociating herself from that which had only brought her sorrow and misery. That chapter of her life was over and she was ready to move on.

So was Drake; he, too, was ready to forget about this terrible time in their lives and ready to focus on what lay ahead. The tavern he took Elizaveta and Devon to had a giant pig roasting in the side yard with the smell of roast pork that was heavy in the air for a half mile in all directions. It was the scent that had lured them to this establishment; there was no way to resist it.

But just as he and Devon were preparing to feast, Elizaveta admitted, with pale lips, that the smell of cooking meat made her nauseous, so the pork was off the table, literally. Even looking at it made her ill. Therefore, the knights graciously gave up the succulent meat in their meal for one of fresh bread, butter, boiled apples with honey, cheese, and tiny pickled cucumbers, onions, and pickled lemon segments.

Elizaveta was very happy with the sour cucumbers and the fresh bread as Drake and Devon plowed into the bread and cheese and apples. There was very little talk between the three of them, mostly because Drake and Devon weren’t entirely sure what to say to Elizaveta after the scene they’d just left at The Black Goose. It seemed inappropriate to try to make conversation about trivial things, so it was best not to speak at all. Drake and Devon muttered back and forth about the weather, and the last time they had been to London, but nothing more than that.

Elizaveta simply kept her head down, eating, and feeling the awkward silence just as they were. They were trying to be careful in their conversation around her and she knew it. She finally decided to acknowledge it.

“You are permitted to speak on something other than the cold weather suffered last winter,” she finally said, looking between Drake and Devon. “You may speak about anything you wish. You may even laugh if it suits you. Please do not think you must be boringly polite for my sake.”

Drake, his mouth full of bread, grinned at her. “We were trying to be considerate, love,” he said. “You have had quite a trying few days.”

She looked at him. “No more than you have,” she said pointedly. “I will not break in the face of lively conversation. Please discuss what you wish. All is well in the world and I say we should move ahead and live in it.”

Drake’s gaze fixed on her, wondering if, in spite of her strong front, there weren’t a few errant sorrows still lingering in her heart. “Are you certain?”

Elizaveta nodded firmly. “Aye, most certain.”

Drake and Devon looked at one another; if the lady said she was well, then they would not argue. Drake finally shrugged in agreement.

“Very well, Lady de Winter,” he said. “Then if that is the case and you feel strong enough, there are a few things we must discuss.”

Feeling much better with some food in her belly, Elizaveta nodded. “I am quite strong, thank you.”

Drake cast a long glance at Devon, who lifted his eyebrows ominously. They both knew what needed to be discussed, sooner rather than later, but it was still questionable if Elizaveta meant what she said about feeling strong enough to deal with life in general. Bad tidings were about, aside from the death of her grandmother and Dallan’s passing, tidings that now had to take the forefront.

Drake hated to introduce more angst into her life but there was little choice. He debated about how much he should tell her but opted for all of it. To delay might only make things worse. The woman had to know the course her future was unexpectedly about to take.

“Good,” he said, reaching out to clasp her fingers, “because I have additional news that you must be aware of. Of course you recall the de Mandeville attack on Spexhall.”

Elizaveta held his big hand tightly. “I do.”

Drake caressed her fingers. “You, more than any of us, know of the bad blood between the House of de Mandeville and the House of du Reims.”

Elizaveta was nodding even as he spoke. “Indeed, I do,” she said. Then, she cocked her head curiously. “What has happened, Drake? Has Edmund de Mandeville done something? I knew that when he left Spexhall, his madness was not over. I knew he would do something more. What else has he done?’

Drake squeezed her hand gently. “As near as we can tell, once de Mandeville left Spexhall, he marched straight to Thunderbey Castle,” he said quietly. “In some manner of covert operation, they were able to capture Thunderbey’s keep. I am very sorry to say that your father did not survive the fight.”

Elizaveta’s eyes widened in shock. “My… my father is dead?”

Drake nodded, his expression deeply sympathetic. “I am so sorry, love,” he said softly. “Your father was a kind and wise man. I had enjoyed coming to know him at our wedding. I am very sorry to have to tell you all of this so soon after the events with your grandmother, but I knew you would want to know.”

Elizaveta’s features rippled with sorrow and she lowered her head, blinking rapidly to stave off the tears. “Aye, I would want to know,” she whispered tightly. “When did this happen?”

Drake shook his head. “We are not entirely sure,” he said. “Within the last two months.”

“Where is my father?”

Again, Drake shook his head. “I do not know,” he replied. “But I swear to you that I will find out. I will discover where your father has been put to rest.”

Elizaveta flicked away a tear that threatened. “The du Reims are always buried at Rochester,” she said. “If he has not been buried there, we must move him.”

Drake caressed her hand comfortingly. “I swear that we will,” he said. “We will make sure he is given a grand burial.”

Elizaveta simply nodded her head, still looking at her lap as she digested the news of her father’s passing. “I am… that is to say, I
was
fond of my father even though we were not terribly close,” she murmured. “I believe he resented me. He wanted a boy, you know, and my mother was only able to birth a girl. I… I think that when he saw me, he saw the end of the House of du Reims.”

Drake squeezed her fingers. “I am sure that when he saw you, he saw strength and beauty and excellent breeding,” he said reassuringly. “I am sorry I was not able to come to know him better.”

Elizaveta nodded, dabbing at her eyes at more errant tears. “I was not able to speak with him much at our wedding but I am sure he was very happy to have you as a son and heir.” Her head suddenly shot up, her big eyes focusing on him. “His death means that you are now the Earl of East Anglia.”

Drake nodded as if to downplay that particular fact. “Aye,” he said. “But we have more important issues at hand. De Mandeville still holds the keep at Thunderbey and I want it back. I will return you to Norwich to be with my mother but then I must join my army, which was already on the move south from Norwich when I left to find you. I am sure they are already at Thunderbey by now.”

Across the table, Devon was nodding. “Indeed,” he agreed. “Denys and our father were riding at the head of the army and if they’ve arrived, the siege to retake the castle is already underway. We must join them as quickly as we can.”

Elizaveta looked between the two brothers, wiping away the remainder of her tears. “But Thunderbey Castle is near Ipswich, very close to London,” she said. “It is only a day’s ride at most.”

Drake nodded. “That is true.”

Elizaveta’s brow furrowed in thought and concern. “If you take me all the way back to Norwich, it will be days before you can reach Thunderbey and the siege,” she pointed out. “It will take several days to reach Norwich and then you must travel south once more. Much can happen while you are gone those days.”

Drake frowned, suspecting what she was driving at and already not liking it. “What are you saying?”

Elizaveta grasped his hand with both of hers. “You must go to Thunderbey right away and take me with you,” she said. “I will stay well away from the battle and I will be quite safe, but you cannot spare the time to take me back to Norwich.”

Drake pursed his lips unhappily as Devon eyed his brother. “She is right,” he said. “We can be at Thunderbey tomorrow if we do not have to divert to Norwich.”

Drake scowled at his brother. “What if we were speaking of Dannie?” he asked. “Would you take
your
wife to a battle?”

Devon shrugged and turned back to his cheese. “I would put her under guard far away from any danger,” he said. “We can spare a few soldiers to watch for her safety whilst we tend to Thunderbey.”

Drake wasn’t particularly happy with what was being said but he was coming to see their point. It would take them days to return to Norwich before heading off to Thunderbey and a great deal could happen in that time. Right now, Denys and Davyss were fighting for Drake’s castle and Drake felt very guilty about that. It should be he fighting for his castle, commanding the battle, not expecting others to do it for him. The more he thought of the battle going on without him, the more guilt and anxiety he felt about it. Therefore, what Devon and Elizaveta were suggesting was logical. Not optimal, but logical.

“I will think on it,” he said, turning back to his food, just to convey to Devon and Elizaveta that he wasn’t so ready to agree. “Let me finish my meal and think on it.”

Elizaveta eyed him, seeing his displeasure, and she glanced at Devon rather craftily before speaking.

“Since I have brought nothing with me, mayhap we could spare a few minutes to purchase some necessities for me while we are in town,” she said. “I should need new shoes and clothing, of course, if we can find a seamstress, and I should like to purchase soap and a comb if I may.”

Drake nodded, finishing the last of his bread. “That is reasonable.”

“And jewelry,” she said. “Surely there is a goldsmith in town. I should like to purchase some jewelry if we are going to be here awhile.”

He looked at her. “Jewelry?” he repeated. “What makes you think we are going to be here long enough for you to purchase jewelry? And what makes you think I have that amount of money on my person?”

Elizaveta shrugged. “You have indicated you must think about allowing me to go with you to Thunderbey,” she said. “That must mean that we have a great deal of time to spare if there is no urgency in the matter. I intend to fill that time with shopping. Your mother took me to London to shop while you were in Scotland, you know. I have developed a taste for it. In fact, if you send me back to Norwich, I am sure she will take me shopping again. It is great fun spending money.”

Drake’s eyebrows lifted. “Ha!” he scoffed. “We shall
not
be an overabundance of time and you will
not
shop with my mother when I take you back to Norwich. God help me, now it seems I must take you with me to Thunderbey simply to keep you from draining my coffers. I will safely tuck you away with guards to keep you from escaping and spending my money all over the countryside whilst I am regaining my property.”

Elizaveta bit her lip to keep from grinning, all the while presenting a perfectly contrite front. “Then when will we leave, Drake?”

“Today!”

She nodded obediently. “Very well,” she said. “But may we still purchase soap and a comb before we go?”

He grunted unhappily but he nodded, finishing off his meal while Devon and Elizaveta exchanged amused glances. But it was Drake who had the last laugh, however; he knew exactly what she had done, and why she had done it, and he wasn’t sorry. Truth be told, he wanted her with him. He never wanted to leave her, not even to go to battle, so he wasn’t hard-pressed to bring her along to Thunderbey. Tucked back away from the action, she would be safe.

Moreover, this was her legacy that he was going to reclaim as well. He thought she should be there when he pulled Edmund de Mandeville from the keep and punished the man for the death of Christian du Reims. He wanted Elizaveta there to witness the end of all of the horrors the House of de Mandeville had ever perpetrated against the House of du Reims. He felt it was her due.