The White Lord of Wellesbourne (14 page)

But it has been an exhausting
night of watching and waiting. She had only been awake an hour or so, lured
down to the hall by the smells of bread. Jezebel had been nowhere to be found,
not an unusual occurrence but now one that made her deeply suspicious.  Then
the dogs had chased her from the hall, those happy, licking beasts that seemed
so attached to her.

Fortunately, the temperature
outside was mild enough that she could remain without need of cloak or heavier
clothing.  Dressed in a pale linen sheath with long sleeves and a soft wool
surcoat of the same off-white color, she took a seat on the old bench and sat
in the weak sunlight. She assumed the dogs would tire of waiting for her and go
away, so she decided to wait them out.

The warmth of the sun was faint,
but it was wonderful. It seemed to heighten her exhaustion and she closed her
eyes, soaking it in. She hadn’t seen Matthew yet this morning and wondered
where he was. Though she was married to him only last night, he had disappeared
soon after the ceremony and she’d not spoken to him since.  But she’s had the
benefit of catching glimpses of him up on the wall walk all night. It had been
comforting. Leaning back against the bench, she closed her eyes and dozed in
the sun.

The sounds of the creaking gate
startled her. Alixandrea sat up quickly, her eyes opening to see young John
Wellesbourne approaching. He smiled shyly at her.

“Good morning,” he said. “Sorry
to disturb you, my lady.”

She returned his smile. “Good
morning, Sir John. And you did not disturb me in the least.”

“I was passing through the yard
and saw you in here.  Matt is looking for you.”

She stood up from the bench,
pointing to the gate.  “I came in here to get away from the dogs. They seem to
like me.”

John glanced back at the mutts
lined up against the iron entry. “I have never cared much for them.”

“Nor I. Why do you suppose they
are intent to follow me?”

He shrugged. “It cannot be
because you smell like food. Perhaps they are simply seeking a friendly face
and you have one.”

“Perhaps.”

She studied the youngest brother
for a moment; she’d only met him one other time, yesterday upon her arrival to
Wellesbourne. He was a tall lad, as were most of the Wellesbournes, but he
seemed very quiet, a softer, meeker, more introspective version of his eldest
brother.  And he was very young.

“Well,” she said after a moment.
“I suppose I should go and find your brother now.”

“I shall escort you.”

“Will you fight off the dogs,
too?”

He grinned. “Have no fear, my
lady. I shall save you.”

She returned his grin and he
flushed violently.  Humored, she allowed him to open the gate for her and kick
away some of the dogs.

“That was your mother’s garden
once, was it not?”

The moment she opened her mouth,
she was suddenly regretful. If Adam Wellesbourne was still devastated by his
wife’s death, she had no idea how the rest of the family felt. She should have
been more sensitive. But John merely nodded his head without a hint of
distress.

“Many years ago. After she passed
away, Father would not touch it, nor would he let anyone else. It eventually
died away.”

“A pity,” she said. “It looks as
if it was a lovely place, once.”

“It was.”

“How did your mother die?”

“In childbirth.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Truly? Wasn’t
she rather old to be having children? She already had four grown boys by that
time.”

John’s head bobbed up and down.
“I was nine years of age when she passed away.  Matthew was twenty-two, Mark
was twenty, and Luke was thirteen.  I remember the day that it happened
clearly; Mother’s time came early. She lay in bed for three days trying to
deliver the child but she died with it still inside her. Father buried her in
her garden. She was not quite forty years of age.”

Alixandrea looked at him,
dismayed with understanding. “That is why your father will not touch the
garden.”

“Exactly. She lies at rest
there.”

They reached the door that led
into the kitchen and Alixandrea paused, facing her new brother-in-law.  “John,”
she said slowly. “Do you think your father would be horribly offended if I
revitalized your mother’s garden? As a tribute to her memory, of course. It
just does not seem right that something she loved and tended so carefully
should be allowed to lie dead. It seems to me that it should be kept living and
beautiful as a reminder of her.”

John’s expression changed from
curious to doubtful to hopeful and back again. “I… I do not know, my lady. My
Father is… well, he can be…”

She put a hand on his arm. “Say
no more. Your brother has already explained such things to me. I will speak to
him about it to see what he thinks.”

John visibly sighed. “That is
wise, my lady. But… well, if you would like my opinion, I think it is a good
idea. I used to spend a lot of time with Mother in the garden when I was very
young. I’d almost forgotten, it seems so long ago. But… but I should like to
see Mother’s garden live again.”

She smiled at him as he led her
into the kitchen, fighting off the amorous dogs as they went. By the time the
entered the hall, all of the Wellesbourne brothers and Lady Caroline were
gathered at the long table, huddled in a cluster. Alixandrea met Matthew’s eyes
over the top of the group and, for a moment, she would swear until the day she
died that sparks literally flew. She could not have looked away from him if
she’d tried.

His rugged, handsome face
relaxed, as if all of his troubles just suddenly vanished at the sight of her. 
He looked exhausted, but not too tired to walk over and meet her.

“I see Johnny found you.” He was
careful not to reach out and touch her, no matter how badly he wanted to.
“Where were you?”

“The dogs chased me outside and I
was locked out.” She wondered why he’d not yet made a move to take her hand or
otherwise greet his new wife. “Your brother said that you were looking for me.”

“I was.” He cast a long glance at
John, who wisely took the hint and left them alone.  “Where is your maid?” he
asked quietly.

“She was up in my chamber last I
saw her,” she answered back, also quietly. “Why? Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, glancing
casually around the hall to make sure there were no obvious signs of them being
watched. “The last she saw of the two of us together was when I postponed our
marriage. We must be careful how we behave in public. For all your maid knows,
I am still gravely displeased with you and with the prospect of our marriage. I
do not want her to think otherwise.”

“Is that why you did not take my
hand just now?”

He lifted an eyebrow at her.
“You’ll never know how difficult that was for me. As I stand here and look at
you, I want to take you in my arms so badly that they ache.”

It was a sweet thing to say. “Can
I at least smile at you?”

“Not in public.”

She was genuinely disappointed
but understood. “Very well. So what do we do?”

He did reach out then and took
her by the elbow, gently leading her back over to the table where his family
was congregating.

“You will spend time with
Caroline,” he said softly, evenly. “I would have the two of you be constant
companions right now.”

She tried not to appear too
disillusioned. “Will I not be seeing you at all, husband?”

He froze and looked at her. After
a moment, he fought the smile that threatened. “I never thought I would like to
hear that word where it pertained to me.”

She hadn’t thought much about
saying it; it was simply the truth. “And now?”

“It is like music to my ears.”
She started to smile and he feigned a glare. “None of that. Stop it this
instant.”

She had to put her hand over her
mouth. “I cannot help it.”

“You must,” he commanded softly.
“Go with Caroline now. I will find you later.”

She nodded obediently; Caroline
was seated just to the right of her husband at the edge of the table and smiled
when she saw Alixandrea.  She stood up, took her new sister’s hand, and led her
from the table. But Alixandrea cast Matthew a final glance before leaving the
room entirely. It was a longing gesture, a new one filled with hope and
anticipation. His eyes lingered on the empty doorway a moment.

“Matt?”

Someone was calling his name. He
turned around to see Mark looking at him. A short perusal of the faces around
him showed that they were all grinning to some extent.  He knew why and cleared
his throat.

“I am sorry, I did not hear what
was said.”

“I know,” Mark replied, his gaze
moving over Alixandrea. “They have way of doing that to you, do they not?”

“Who?”

“Women.”

Matthew’s easy grin flickered. He
wasn’t going to play stupid when they could all figure out that he wasn’t
entirely displeased with this marriage. He really should have been embarrassed
considering he had spent ten years denouncing it, but he found that he wasn’t
in the least.

“Not all women,” he said. “Just
one in particular.”

Luke snorted, John grinned, and
Mark just shook his head.

“Let’s get back to the subject at
hand, if I can tear you away from thoughts of a hazel-eyed goddess,” Mark eyed
his eldest brother deliberately. “We were discussing our movement for London.”

Matthew shrugged. “Nothing has
changed. We leave in two days.”

The brothers glanced at each
other.  “What about Father?” Mark asked the question they were all thinking.

“He will be ready to ride.”

Adam was up in his chamber,
seated next to the cold hearth in something of a stupor. He hadn’t moved since
Matthew’s wedding last night. The brothers were taking turns keeping an eye on
him, but remarkably, he’d not yet gone to drink yet. He was simply sitting,
lost in a haze of grief and thought. But he was not alone; a Wellesbourne guard
was posted right outside his door should he be needed.

“But what if he’s not?” Mark
persisted quietly. “Matt, we don’t know what kind of effect this wedding will
have on him.”

Matthew sighed with irritation.
“He’s known this day would come for ten years. He cannot be shocked or
surprised by it. As long as we keep the liquor away from him, it is my hope he
can rationally deal with whatever feelings he may be sensing.” He reached over
and took a half of loaf of bread that was sitting on the table; besides being
exhausted, he was also famished and he took a healthy bite. “Mark, did you send
Thomas and Harl on to London as we discussed?”

“Aye,” Mark replied. “They left
yesterday and should arrive in a couple of days, God willing.”

“Good,” Matthew swallowed the bite
in his mouth. “Luke, what of the army?”

“They are prepared,” he said.
“They’re ready to mobilize and move out within an hour. Just give the word.”

“Excellent.” Matthew took another
bite. “And Johnny; the condition of the wagons and auxiliary detachments we are
taking with us?”

“All ready,” John, though meek
and introspective most of the time, was nonetheless a logistical master. He
considered details even the most seasoned of men might overlook. “We’ve
rations, a smithy and a surgeon ready at your command.”

Matthew nodded, satisfied. “Add a
carriage to the entourage.”

His brothers looked at him. “For
what?” John asked.

Matthew met their curious gazes.
“For my wife. She is going to London with us.”

For a moment, no one said a word.
A woman on a battle march was unheard of and it had certainly never happened in
the world of the House of Wellesbourne. But no one was brave enough to voice
what they were thinking, at least not yet.

But Mark finally spoke. Someone
had to. “It is not safe for a woman on the road, Matt. You know this. Moreover,
we’re a fully armed battle contingent and a prime target for an oppositional
army. What happens if we’re engaged before we get to the safety of London? Do
you want another happening like we had a couple of days ago with Dorset’s men?”

“There will be twelve hundred
men,” Matthew replied steadily. “There will be plenty of men to protect Lady
Alixandrea should it come to that.”

“But what about the men from
Whitewell?” Luke wanted to know. “You cannot possibly think to leave them here,
which means they must go to London, too. Do we really march to London with four
hundred rebels in our midst?”

Matthew wasn’t used to being
questioned, especially by his brothers.  He found himself fighting down
irritation. “Have you lost faith in me, brother?”

Luke shook his head. “Nay. But I
am asking a valid question.”

Matthew’s initial reaction was to
become angry at his brother’s doubt in his judgment. But that would accomplish
nothing. Still, he was offended and forced himself to calm.