Tender is the Knight (24 page)

Dennis
’ gray eyes were distant. His mind was whirling with possibilities and as he turned and gazed at Ryan’s mussed amber head, a thought occurred to him. St. Austell was his legacy, something that must be protected for his heirs and descendants to come. All he had wanted was peace for himself, his family, and now those plans had exploded in his face. St. Austell was on the verge of complete destruction, worse than he could have ever imagined. But Dennis would not give up; he had too much of his father in him to quit. He had a plan.

“I would wager that the king would give aid if I swore fealty to him and pledge myself to his cause in Wales.” He turned back to his astonished sister and knight. “St. Austell carries
six hundred men and her reputation is superior. Surely the king would accept my allegiance and, in turn, St. Austell would become a garrison for the crown. That ought to prevent any further harassment from the Earl of Cornwall.”

Charlotte and Clive stared at him with slack jaws. “Are you mad?” Charlotte hissed. “Pledging us to fight in Wales?”

Dennis shook his head. “Not us, Charls.
Me
.”

Clive found his tongue. “What are you saying? That only you shall go and fight with the king, leaving the rest of us here to…
?”

Dennis
put his hand on Clive’s shoulder to calm him. A gentle smile crossed his lips. “Listen to me, both of you. If I pledge the entire St. Austell army to the Welsh campaign, it will mean that we will have to abandon the fortress and the king will most likely have the Earl of Cornwall station his own Launceston troops here because the king himself has no men to spare. Consequently, if I alone go and pledge my services, it leaves St. Austell’s army here, intact, and my service for the king will ensure no more Launceston treachery. The earl cannot move against his brother or a garrison loyal to the king.  That would constitute civil war and I am sure the earl has no intention of originating such a thing.”

Clive understood but Charlotte rolled her eyes dramatically. “You
are
mad!” she said. “St. Austell will lose her autonomy if you do this. We shall be a puppet for the crown.”

“You would rather be at Launceston’s mercy?”

“What you suggest will take time, Dennis,” Clive interjected. “It could be weeks before we will see the results. What will we do in the interim if Launceston, or even Miguel, decides to attack again?”

Dennis
’ jaw was tense with determination. “I can reach London in a week.  A swift messenger can be sent to Launceston bearing news that St. Austell is now the king’s garrison in less than that time. Within two weeks, the earl should know we are garrisoned.”

“Providing
you are able to see the king immediately,” Clive shook his head. “It may take months.”

“Not if I demand that Rodrick
d’ Vant’s son wishes to speak with his cousin.”

Clive lifted an eyebrow. “You would actually do that?”

“If it would gain my end, of course.”

Charlotte had been out of the conversation far too long. “
You are not only mad, you intend to shame us,” she spat.  “Father would rather spit on his royal relations than acknowledge them, you know that!”

“
I am not my father.”

“Christ,
Dennis, that much is obvious.  But by going to London and acknowledging our relations to Henry, you are acknowledging something vile and terrible. You are acknowledging our worst humiliation.”

Dennis
remained calm even as his sister raved. “I understand that. But for something that has haunted our father and his father before him, perhaps now I can use it to our advantage.”

“My God!
How can acknowledging a rape be of use?”

“If it will save St. Austell, I would acknowledge that we sprang from the Devil himself.”  His gray eyes narrowed. “And perhaps we have. Certainly, Henry will not like to be reminded of it and I’d wager my life that he would do much
to accommodate my wishes. Remember, my dear sister, that our shame is the crown’s shame as well.”

Charlotte
did not know what else to say. She turned away from him, pacing and furious. Ryan, much to Dennis’ distress, had stopped crying and was listening intently to the conversation. He did not want her to know of his plans until he was able to tell her in a more private, calm setting.  But Charlotte, in her usual melodramatic fashion, would make sure there were no secrets as she stomped about the small chamber.

“You married the Lady of Launceston,” she pointed at
Ryan. “This fine allegiance you promised us has failed miserably and now you add to that failure by shaming our family and plotting your own death on the battlefields of Wales? What is this foolishness that has consumed you, Dennis?”

Ryan
pushed herself up on the cot, her body quaking and her face pale. But her expression at Charlotte was menacing. “You will not speak to him in that manner,” she growled. “Dennis’ intentions were noble. Had those at Launceston possessed the same nobility, your brother’s plan for peace would have been successful. “

Charlotte wasn’t trying to be belligerent, but she was truly outraged. And, if she thought on it, her primary motivation was her fear for her brother’s safety and for the safety of St. Austell.  

“You want him to die in Henry’s foolish Welsh campaign?” she fired back softly. “Or do not you understand anything of what’s been said?”

Ryan
was sitting up, fully prepared to take Charlotte on. “I understand that Dennis’ sense of self-sacrifice is something you know nothing of,” she said flatly. “He’s trying to save your home, for God’s sake, and all you can do is fight him. If you’d stop running your mouth and use your head, perhaps you’d see something beyond your own selfishness.”

Charlotte opened her mouth to reply, but threw her hands up in frustration instead.
Dennis moved between his sister and his wife, planting himself on the cot beside Ryan. “Do not work yourself into a fret,” he said quietly. “There have been many a time when Charlotte’s selfishness has caused me to see the light.”

“But not this time,
Dennis.”

He shook his head slowly.
“No, love, not this time.”

Ryan
was so very weak and the last thing she needed at the moment was a family feud. She turned her golden brown eyes on Dennis and suddenly he saw the raw emotion within. “The last thing I want you to do is fight in Wales,” she murmured. “Now that I have found you, I hardly want to lose you. But you are absolutely right; Launceston is intent on destroying St. Austell. We are in tremendous trouble right now, with my father… gone and Launceston troops in the bailey. If the king can help us… then perhaps we must make a difficult decision to ensure St. Austell’s future.”

She was a rational, intelligent creature and
Dennis realized anew why he loved her so.   Her support was everything he could have hoped for and nothing less than he had expected. Kissing the tip of her pert nose, he turned to his sister. Nothing she could tell him mattered so long as he and Ryan were unanimous in their thoughts.

“Do you have anything more to say,
Charls?”

Charlotte was pale, clearly upset by the events of the past few minutes. But her gaze moved between her brother and her brother’s wife, and she could see how united and
determined they were.  It would do no good for her to argue.  Her outrage turned to exasperation.

“
Dennis,” she begged quietly. “Surely there must be another way. Why must you sacrifice yourself?”

“What else would you suggest we do?”

Charlotte knew she did not have an answer. She glanced at Clive for support, but the knight chewed his lip furiously and looked away. He did not have any answers, either.  Charlotte sighed, feeling an overwhelming sense of defeat. She paced to the lancet window, the only one in the room, and watched the colors of Launceston mill about in the bailey far below. It was a sobering sight.

“We were better off before you married her,” she finally said, without malice. “It’s as if your wife is somehow an angel of death sent to destroy us. As bad as things were when we battled Launceston, now at peace we seem to be far worse.”

Dennis looked at Ryan, putting his arm around her and giving her a squeeze as if to comfort her. “Ryan did not do this, Charls. You know that.”

Charlotte nodded. “I know. And much as I hate to admit it, the little minx has grown on me. But I still say things were better before she came.”

“Do you want me to give her back?”

Charlotte looked at him, the cold gray light from the window illuminating half of her mannish face. She broke into a crooked grin. “As if you would,” she snorted. “They do not want her back, not if
they have sent someone to murder her father, a man who is very important to their cause. More treachery abounds at Launceston than I can possibly comprehend. She would not be safe there.”

Ryan
could sense genuine affection in Charlotte’s tone and for the first time since her arrival, she felt as if she was truly a part of St. Austell. It was a wonderful feeling and she was determined to do her part to protect her new family. Slowly, she rose to unsteady feet as Dennis rose beside her, supporting her. She smiled weakly at her husband.

“I must go now and order the Launceston soldiers home,” she said. “What should I tell them?”

Charlotte went to Ryan’s other side and insisted on helping support her weak body.   Dennis smiled at his sister, so wracked with emotion, so unused to showing kindness.  Ryan was correct; she was a selfish person. But at this moment of crisis and chaos she was trying very hard not to be.

He glanced back to his wife. “Tell them that your father and de Lohr have decided to extend their visit, alone, and that the support of the troops is no longer necessary,” he said as Charlotte nodded her head in silent agreement. “Tell them… tell them with Miguel on the prowl, it is your father’s wish that they return home to protect the earl.”

Ryan’s golden brown eyes were intense and he could read the anxiety she was attempting to conceal. “Will you stand beside me as I do this?”

“Absolutely.
I will insist, as the lord of St. Austell, that their presence is no longer required.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“Let us pray that it does.”

“And then… then we must bury my father.”

“I promise we shall take the best of care with him, Ryan. You have my word.”

Ryan
moved for the door with Dennis and Charlotte practically carrying her. Clive brought up the rear, chewing his lips into bloody oblivion. He hadn’t had much to say, mostly because he knew it would be ignored anyway. When Charlotte and Dennis started arguing, all else seemed to fade away. Now all that mattered was removing the Launceston troops; after that, they could discuss Dennis’ intentions until they were sick of the subject.

Clive knew from experience that
Dennis would not change his mind.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Charging in to St. Austell’s outer bailey
as daylight turned to dusk, Riston didn’t think it looked any different from when he had left it.  Part of the north wall was still down, soldiers had sent up temporary camps in the outer bailey, and it didn’t take him long to figure out that Launceston troops had set up an encampment of their own. He wondered what would happen when he confronted de Bretagne and his bulldog of a knight, de Lohr.  He fully intended to tell Dennis that the men had thrown him in the vault and only by Lyla’s bravery had he managed to make it back.

It was sure to be a scene, he thought as he passed into the inner bailey. Vi
llagers had set up shacks and lean-tos amongst the mud and uneven ground; it looked like a squatter’s camp and the smell was so strong that his eyes watered.  Raw sewage ran in hastily dug canals near the southern wall.

Lyla sat behind him, clinging to him wearily as they made their way towards the keep.  The horse was hot and frothy, and by the time they reached the keep, Lyla nearly fell off the horse in her attempt to dismount.
Riston climbed off behind her and took her by the arm.

“Come along,” he said softly.

The keep was open because dozens of St. Austell soldiers were living in the great hall.  It smelled nearly as bad as the encampment outside. Riston was rather shocked to see such conditions and he looked around for Clive or Charlotte but, not seeing them, he continued to the upper floor and pulled Lyla along behind him.

The living quarters were quiet for the most part but he could see movement in the smaller chamber that Charlotte sometimes occupied.   The door was cracked slightly and voices were coming from within.  Hesitantly, he opened the door and was greeted by Dennis, Charlotte, Clive, Ryan, and a small man who appeared to be forcing Lady
d’ Vant to drink something.  He shoved the door open wide.

“What goes on here?” Riston demanded. “Where are the knights from
Launceston?”

His booming voice startled everyone in the room.  Charlotte even grabbed for her dagger.  But when they saw who it was, the room of the chamber immediately changed.  Lyla, standing behind Riston, rushed past him and straight to Ryan, falling to her knees beside the bed.

“Are you well, Ryan?” she demanded, verging on sobs. “Do you feel well?”

Ryan grasped Lyla’s hands, attempting to calm the woman who looked worn out and ragged. “I am well,” she said, a lump in her throat. “My father… he… he….”

“Oh, Ryan,” Lyla burst into tears. “Uncle Richard has done something terrible!”

Startled, Ryan looked at Dennis, who gazed at his wife with some sadness and disappointment, suspecting what Lyla was going to say.  He looked at Riston.

“What has happened?” he asked, his voice low. “What happened at Launceston?”

Riston sighed heavily; he was so weak and weary that he was close to collapse. 
“The lady and I could use some food,” he muttered, looking around for a chair and finally finding a stool. “There is much to tell.”

Charlotte went to find a servant as Dennis moved closer to his exhausted friend. “Tell me.”

Riston wiped a weary hand over his face. “Treachery abounds at Launceston,” he said, shaking his head with disbelief and sorrow. “As soon as I arrived at Launceston seeking assistance, the earl had one his knights throw me in the vault.”

“Which one?”

“De Lohr.”

Dennis glanced at Clive, a rather knowing glance, before returning his focus to Riston. “Go on.”

Riston sighed heavily. “I was not given the courtesy of knowing why I was a prisoner,” he said. “Lady Lyla was brave enough to release me and just as we were preparing to flee, the earl caught us.  He said so many strange things, Dennis. He called Thomas de Bretagne a traitor. Where is the man? I must find out what the earl meant.”

It was Dennis’ turn to sigh heavily.  He shook his head, his expression ripe with sorrow. “
Earlier today, de Bretagne was preparing to tell me something, something very grave,” he said. “He had hinted the contents to Ryan but before we could speak, he was murdered by de Lohr.  When de Lohr turned his sword on Ryan, I was forced to kill him.  Truthfully, I have no idea what is transpiring at Launceston but with the clues I have been given, I suspect it has something to do with Miguel the Pirate.  I suspect the earl is somehow behind his attack on St. Austell.”

Riston was astonished. “Is this true?” he breathed. “
The earl is still seeking to destroy us in spite of agreeing to a peace treaty?”

Dennis nodded, looking over at his wife to see that she was huddled with her cousin on the bed. “Our treaty with Launceston is null,” he muttered. “Now I find I must protect my wife from a man she has known all of her life.  He must view her as a traitor as well.”

Riston couldn’t disagree.  A servant entered the chamber, bearing a tray of cheese, bread, and wine, and Riston made sure Lyla was served first before he took a measure.  The wine was cheap, the bread gritty, and the cheese barely edible, but at least it was something. As he chewed, he turned to Dennis.

“What do you intend to do now?” he asked. “The fortress is compromised and Launceston has chosen to violate the peace accord. If they attack us again, we will fall.”

Dennis’ jaw ticked as he thought on the dismal future. “I realize that,” he said. “I believe I have a solution.  I am riding for the king with a proposal – I will pledge my services to him for his wars in Wales if he will garrison St. Austell and station troops here.  The earl wouldn’t dare attack a garrison of the crown.”

Riston’s eyes widened. “Is this so?” he asked. “You intend to do this?”

“It is the only way.”

Riston glanced at Clive, at Charlotte, and he could see their unhappy faces.
He could only imagine the lively conversation that must have gone on when Dennis proposed his plan.   Truth be told, he thought it made a good deal of sense.  Dennis had a point.  Rather than argue with him, he simply nodded his head.

“I agree,” he said. “Moreover, I shall attend you when you go.”

Dennis shook his head. “Nay, Rist. I want you here, looking after my wife. This is a task for me and me alone.”

Riston downed an entire cup of wine, smacking his lips. “There is nothing to discuss,” he said frankly. “I am going with you. If you deny me, I will follow you.  I will show up at every stop you make, every inn, every hovel, and every hut, and sing love songs to you like a love-struck squire. I will make everyone thing we are lovers until you have to accept my company or die of shame. Is this in any way unclear?”

Dennis was trying not to laugh. “You bastard.”

Riston nodded patiently. “I realize that,” he said. “Is this
in
any
way unclear?”

Dennis made a face and rolled his eyes. He knew that Riston was perfectly capable of carrying out his threat.  “Christ, I hate you right now.”

“I know. When do we leave?”

“
Two days. Three at most.”

“Excellent,” Riston replied.
“I shall be ready.”

Dennis just growled and turned away, only to be met by Charlotte and Clive’
s outraged expressions. When Dennis saw their faces, he threw up his hands.

“Do you want to follow me around like a love sick squire?” he asked the pair.

Clive snorted while Charlotte just looked away, offended. Dennis could see that she was still very upset about the entire situation. He made his way over to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Someone has to stay here and watch over St. Austell and my wife,” he said. “I am allowing Riston to go with me simply to keep him out of trouble.
Please, Charls… what I ask of you is far more important.”

Charlotte still wasn’t over her insult but she nodded shortly.   Dennis slapped her gently on the shoulder and moved back over to the bed where his wife and her cousin sat.  He watched the pair pick at the bread and cheese that had been brought to them, his mind moving to the other pressing matter – Launceston’s troops.
  They had been preparing to move forward with the plans they had discussed earlier in the day when Riston and Lyla’s arrival had interrupted them.  Now, they had to push forward.  They had to remove the army that threatened them.

“Now,” he said, hands on his slim hips. “We must remove Launceston’s troops from the bailey
once and for all.  We shall do it whenever you are ready.”

Ryan looked up from the cheese in her hands.  Truth be told, she was feeling some trepidation.
She knew the sooner they remove the troops, the safer for them all.  She took a deep breath for courage.

“If you will help me change from these bedclothes, I shall do it now,” she said.

Dennis agreed, but not before he made sure the bodies of Thomas and Douglas were removed from the master’s chambers and the floors wiped of all blood.  He didn’t want any reminders plaguing his wife when she returned to their bower.

Thomas and Douglas were cleaned and wrapped, placed in the cold storage area beneath the keep until a decision could be made about where to bury them.   Ryan, dressed in her finest and her hair combed, was able to convince the Launceston troops to return home without Thomas or Douglas, based purely on the fact that she was able to
charm the sergeant in charge who had known her most of her life.  It had been a tricky operation, but it had worked.  Launceston’s troops weren’t the wiser.

By morning the following day, the two hundred men from Launceston were returning home, and everyone at St. Austell breathed a massive sigh of relief.

***

“What do you mean Thomas and de Lohr did not return with you?” the earl demanded. “Where are they?”

The sergeant in charge of the army Thomas had taken with him to St. Austell stood in the entry of Launceston’s keep. He hadn’t even made it to the earl’s solar before the man was demanding his knights.  The sergeant tried to explain to the earl what had been explained to him by Lady Ryan.

“According to Sir Thomas’ daughter, Lady
d’ Vant, both her father and Sir Douglas had gotten in to some trouble that had them both confined to bed,” he said.

Richard’s eyebrows lifted. “What trouble?”

“She did not say, my lord,” he replied. “She stated that she was tending them both and they would be returning to Launceston shortly.  She further informed me that St. Austell no longer required aid and asked me to return to Launceston.”

The earl was astonished. “And you
came
?”

“Of course I did, my lord. Lady Ryan asked it of me.”

The earl just stood there, gaping at him.   His confusion, his outrage, was building inside of him so that when he finally spoke, it all came out as one big explosion.

“She
asked
you?” he bellowed. “Good God, man!
Where is Douglas
?”

“I told you, my lord, he….”

“I know what you told me,” the earl snapped, waving his arms at the man and finally shoving him out of the keep. “Get out, I say. Get out and stay out!”

The sergeant nearly fell as the earl shoved.  Richard slammed the great entry door behind him, twitching with fury as he made his way back into his solar.  He slammed that door, too, for good measure.
 

They had all disobeyed him; every one of those he trusted had betrayed him.  He was mad with frustration
because he knew that something had happened to Thomas and Douglas; he suspected that Thomas had managed to convince Douglas to side with him and, therefore, side with St. Austell. Now Douglas was a traitor, too. All of his loyal subjects had now turned against him.  It was his own damnable fault for trusting them.

His solar was warm and fragrant with fresh rushes, as it usually was, and the earl threw himself into the chair behind his enormous desk, grasping for the vellum box.  Pulling forth a small piece, he then threw open his quill box and, dipping it in the lead ink, began to carefully scribe a missive.

Miguel ~

Since your attack on St. Austell failed, send my men back to me that I loaned to you for this venture. You will now gain entrance to the castle as a carpenter or mason who can assist with repairs on the damaged fortress, abduct Lady d’ Vant, and take her to the castle in Wales that now belongs to you for safekeeping.  Once she is safely stored, send word to her husband to come to Wales and negotiate for her release.  You will kill him before negotiations begin.  With that, our plans come to fruition and all that I have promised you shall be yours.  Fail, and I will destroy you.  Take care when gaining entrance to St. Austell, as there may be men once loyal to me that would recognize you.

~ Cornwall

He wrote the same missive four times.  In short order, four messengers were riding for the four different ports Miguel was known to frequent in the hope of reaching the man.  

Four days after the missives were sent, one of the exhausted messengers found an equally exhausted and defeated Miguel in his home port of Padstow.