The Wolfe (35 page)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

William sat in the earl’s bower, a
large cup of wine in his hand. He had just finished running over the entire
trip for the man up until they had entered the gates of Northwood. He was trying
desperately to act normal, not like the guilty man who had just bedded the earl’s
virgin bride.

“Well, lad, that was quite an
adventure,” the earl said wearily. Wine always made him tired. “And you still
do not know why you were attacked?”

“Nay, My lord,” William replied. “We
most likely never will.”

The earl looked hard at him. “You do
not believe that Lady Jordan had any hand in it, do you?”

William shook his head. “Nay, my
lord, she is not the political type. She is innocent, I am sure, as is Lady Jemma,
though to look at her that is hard to believe.”

The earl raised his eyebrows and
stared into his cup. “What did you say the men took to calling her? Banshee?
‘Tis fitting, I think.”

William agreed. “Lady Jordan and her
cousin are very different. Lady Jordan is quite gentle, qualities Lady Jemma
seems to lack. It was an interesting trip, to say the least.”

The earl pondered the information. “Were
you able to befriend Lady Jordan somewhat?” he asked. “She seemed rather
nervous.”

William shrugged casually. “We were
forced together much of the time. I tried to make it as comfortable as possible
for her.”

“And what of the men’s reaction to
her?”

William smiled wryly. “One look at
her beauty and they forgot she was Scot, I think. She charmed any hostility
they had right out of them, including Deinwald.”

“Deinwald was pleasant?” The earl
was surprised. “He was the one I worried over the most. Pleasant, did you say?
Amazing.”

William chuckled. “She taught Kieran
how to insult Deinwald in Gaelic. You should have heard the hooting and
quarreling between those two. I thought I was going to have to beat them both
to a pulp at times.”

The earl snickered. He snickered
again, louder. Then he burst out laughing like William had not heard him laugh
in years. Wiping at his eyes, he said, “I would have given a year’s revenue to
see that.”

William was smiling broadly. “Then
you would have been amused to see Lady Jemma and Deinwald go at it. It was like
watching two rabid dogs.”

The earl laughed again until he cried.
“Maybe I will still get the chance. In faith, it sounds as if your trip was not
the least bit lacking in entertainment, in spite of the unfortunate attack.”

William sat back in his chair. “Speaking
of Lady Jemma, sire, what do you plan to do with her?”

The earl took a swig of wine. “Nothing,
I suppose, although Analiese will be furious. Hell, she is already furious
because Lady Jordan is so lovely. She was hoping I’d marry a hag.”

“Then I shall release Lady Jemma
come the dawn,” William stated. “A night in the cellar should do wonders to
tame her tongue.”

“Let us hope,” the earl agreed
disinterestedly. “Mayhap I should consign an English lady to assist the future
countess. After all, she is English now, is she not?”

“Aye,” his captain replied. “Someone
from court, mayhap?”

The earl nodded after a moment of
thought. “I will write to Queen Eleanor. She will spare a suitable lady.”

That matter settled, they sat in
companionable silence for several moments as wine was shared and thoughts
wandered. William was feeling his fatigue and wished that the earl would
dismiss him.

“She is beautiful, is she not?” the earl
finally said.

William looked up at the man and saw
that he was smiling into the fire.
Careful,
William told himself. “Aye, my
lord,” he replied. “She will bear you many strong sons.”

“Is she as beautiful as you
mysterious angel of mercy?” De Longley pressed with a grin.

He remembered.
William
thought with horror. He knew that he had to be truthful at the first, for it
would be far worse if he admitted it at some later time. Better to get it out
in the open to quell any suspicion.

“Sire, I have a confession,” William
said. “Your betrothed
was
my angel of mercy. Believe me that I was quite
amazed to discover it upon reaching Langton.”

De Longley was surprised. “Of all
the women in Scotland, you came upon the same one twice?” he guffawed loudly. “Amazing.
And you were absolutely right, William; she is exquisite.

“Aye,” William replied as neutrally
as he could. “I was glad to see her again so that I was able to thank her for
saving my life. Mayhap that is why I protected her so fiercely on our journey.
I feel a debt to the woman.”

“Ah, honorable William, you would,”
the earl replied. Then he gave him an odd, lingering look. “Do you, mayhap, have
other feelings for this woman?”

William looked him in the eye. “I am
married to Northwood, sire, and she is betrothed to you,” he said. “To have
feelings for her would be a colossal waste of effort, something I am
unaccustomed to.”

“Well I know you, lad,” his liege
said. “You have served Northwood and me well. And you will continue to serve
Lady Jordan as you serve me. Is that clear?”

William was puzzled at the question.
It was an unnecessary one. The earl saw his confusion and waved at him.

“I simply meant that I know you have
lost many friends and colleagues to the Scots,” he said. “I should not like to
hear that you have discriminated against Lady Jordan in any way, although I know
you would not knowingly.”

“She saved my life, sire.” William
was confused as to why he even had to explain this. “I would do her no harm,
knowingly or otherwise. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt my honor?”

“Nay,” de Longley said firmly, then
set his cup down with a thud. “‘Twas not what I meant, lad, and I apologize if
I insulted you. What I meant was that hostility toward my lady is running high…I
want you to make sure that one of the knights are with her at all times. I
never want her alone, even for a second, for it could be that second that does
her in.”

As if he did not already know that. “Aye,
sire.”

The earl was fatigued. His
exhaustion had fed his paranoia and had made him say all of those unnecessary
things to William. He knew that, now that he’d had a moment to think, but he
was not a man to apologize. Instead, he rose, signaling to William that the conversation
was over. William stood too, stiff from immobility.

“‘Tis well past my bedtime,” de
Longley yawned. “Go get some sleep yourself, William. You have earned it. We
shall speak more on the morrow, including the ceremony for Adam.”

“Aye, sire,” William bowed crisply
and quit the room.

William did not go directly to his
chambers but, instead, checked the posts one last time. His mind was a jumble
of thoughts and emotions, and he could not have slept if he tried, so he went
about his rounds and hoped the walk would clear his brain.

He ran into Paris walking the inner
wall. His second had the night watch and smiled wryly at his captain.

“My lord looks… wrung out,” he
commented dryly.

William did no more than shrug and,
together, they walked the wall for several silent minutes. The cold dampness of
the night settled into William’s tunic but he did not feel it. He seemed to be
concentrating on each individual footfall he made. Paris knew he was preoccupied
and why but, wisely, said nothing.

“Paris…,” William began slowly.

“Aye, William?” Paris answered
lightly.

William felt as if he needed to
confide in someone. Whether it was to express his joy or his great confusion,
he wasn’t sure. Mayhap he just needed to hear another voice tell him he wasn’t
completely out of his mind. Mayhap he needed a trusted opinion. He was unused
to dealing with matters of the heart.

“There is a… problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Paris looked
concerned.

William stopped and faced him. They
were virtually alone on the wall save a few sentries scattered over the
compound.

He sighed. “Lady Jordan….”

Paris snorted. “There is no problem
there.” he announced with satisfaction. “She will rule the roost before the
month is out, although I have doubts as to whether Jemma will survive the week
if she does not control her mouth.”

“Paris, you do not understand,”
William waved a hand at him to stop his jabbering, his voice dropping to a
whisper. He felt as if he were choking on the very words.  “I took her.”

It took a moment for Paris to realize
what he was saying. Then, his face went slack in slow motion as his
astonishment registered in stages.

“You did
what
?” His voice was
an octave lower than his usual speaking tone. “You… you
took
her?”

With his confession from his lips,
William felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from him yet, at the same
time, he felt he had endangered Paris with the very knowledge and felt guilty
for it. But what was done was done.

“Damnation, Paris,” he slammed his
fist into his open palm with great force. “I love the woman and she loves me
and I took her.”

Paris calmly digested the statement.
“Do you regret it?”

“Nay,” William returned. “But my
shame of betrayal is overwhelming me. I tried to fight the feelings that were
growing, God help me, but they were stronger than I was. Had she not returned
the feelings they would have been much easier to suppress. I can no longer deny
anything anymore.”

Paris smiled faintly. “I was
wondering how long it would take you to admit it to yourself,” he said quietly.
“I knew. All along I knew. I tried to tell you but you would not listen to me.”

“I could not, should not, would not,
but when it came down to it, I fell like Babylon to Alexander,” William said
with a hint of disgust. “Do I regret that I love her? Never. But I should not
have let it go as far as it has. There is no turning back now.”

They resumed their walk, each man
deeply engrossed in his own thoughts.

“Do you think that I am wrong?” William’s
jaw ticked. He was never wrong, ever, and to ask Paris that simple question
spoke volumes.

Paris did not take the question
lightly. “Love is never wrong,” he said. “The timing may not be convenient, but
it is not wrong to truly love someone. However, you must be careful. If there
is any suspicion at all, the wrath of the earl will fall on Jordan.”

William nodded his head in mute
agreement. Paris passed a glance at him to see his expression; it was as stony
as always.

“What will happen when de Longley
takes her to bed and discovers she is not virgin?” he asked pointedly.

William rolled his eyes in a gesture
of pure frustration. “She claims that she will wear a ring with a sharp edge to
their marital bed and prick herself on the finger without the earl’s knowledge,
then she will smear the blood on the sheets. I cannot believe I listened to
her.”

To his surprise, Paris actually
looked amused. “She said that? By God, that is an old trick. If done correctly,
it will work.”

“God, not you, too,” William moaned
softly. “I should never have allowed her to suggest such a thing because I must
confess I thought it plausible, too. I cannot believe I was so foolish.”

“‘Tis too late now, at any rate,”
Paris’ amusement was fading.

“Aye,” William conceded.  Then he
sobered. “When I think of De Longley touching her, it drives me mad.”

Paris grew serious. “Control
yourself, man, for if Analiese or Alexander or the earl catch wind of anything
unusual, the game is up.”

“There is no game,” William answered
snappishly. “I love her and will protect her with my life. If worse comes to
worse, then….” He trailed off.

“Then
what
?” Paris demanded
softly.

William looked resolutely at him. “Then
I take Jordan and we will go. I do not know where, but we will go.”

Paris raised his brow. “But if worse
does not come to worse, will you be content to spend the rest of your life
secretly loving your liege’s wife? To know that she will never be yours, and to
know that the children she bears, be they yours or the earls, will bear the de
Longley name? You are not a man used to compromise, William. I have a feeling
this situation will eventually come to a head in any event.”

William was broodingly silent. “You
know me well,” he said softly. “Then tell me, my friend, where will your loyalty
he? You have always followed my orders over de Longley’s and I have always
known you were more loyal to me than to him. But, in faith, if I leave this
place, you would be captain in my stead. ‘Twould be a hard position to pass on.”

Paris didn’t react. Then, he smiled
a slow, knowing smile. William wondered why his eyes seemed to twinkle. “I hear
Flanders is lovely in the spring time. I should find it very pleasant living
there, serving a mercenary lord and his lovely Scot wife.”