The Splendid Hour by Kathryn Le Veque
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lonsdale
They began arriving around the nooning hour.
The first to arrive was William Marshal. Christopher had been in the stables inspecting an expensive warhorse that had come up lame when he heard his sentries making noise. Someone had arrived and by the time he got out to the bailey, he saw William dismounting his horse.
But that wasn’t what had Christopher surprised. It was the fact that he had several rebel warlords with him – all of The Northerners plus a few others. Puzzled, Christopher went out to meet them.
“William,” he greeted calmly, seeing Jax, Juston, and de Longley standing next to the man. There were others, too, and he looked around the group that was dismounting, sending their horses off with servants. “Evidently I was to host a party today and did not even know it. My wife will be furious.”
William grinned. “We will go into the hall and stay there,” he said. “She will not even know we have arrived.”
More men were coming in through the gates and Christopher cocked an eyebrow. “I doubt it.”
William started walking towards the manse. “Come, Chris,” he said. “Let us retreat inside. There is much to discuss.”
Christopher hung back by Jax, walking next to the man as they headed towards his manse. “What is this about?” he muttered.
Jax eyed his friend. “Trouble, I am guessing.”
Christopher grunted. “I assumed as much,” he said. “But you do not know what kind?”
“He’s not spoken of it yet.”
“It looks like he’s brought the whole damned north with him.”
Jax nodded. “Very nearly,” he said. “It started before dawn. I received word from The Marshal to meet him at the nooning hour here at Lonsdale. We all received word, so that is why we’ve all come.”
Christopher pursed his lips irritably. “The least he could have done was tell me since he is using my home,” he said. He looked over his shoulder, seeing many faces he recognized. In fact, he recognized all of them, including his brother and Marcus. “The Executioner Knights are here.”
“I know.”
“So are Daveigh and Cullen. John’s allies.”
“They are.”
“What in the hell is going on?”
Jax didn’t have any answers. “The Marshal has not been completely forthcoming with information, so your guess is as good as mine,” he said. “It must be serious indeed if The Marshal has called us all together.”
Christopher couldn’t argue with that. He walked with Jax up the stairs leading to the manse and through the massive, reinforced entry door. The hall was to the rear, with windows that overlooked the river. It was a spectacular room, well-appointed and tasteful thanks to Lady Hereford, and Christopher sent servants on the run when he entered. Men were pouring into the chamber and he cast Marcus and David long looks as they walked past him.
They didn’t know anything more than Jax did.
Attracted by the noise, Dustin came downstairs only to be faced with a hall full of knights and lords, warlords that were shaping the fate of a nation. Stricken, she looked at her husband.
“What is this?” she demanded. “Did you not think to tell me you would be entertaining our friends and allies this day?”
Christopher shrugged. “I did not know myself until a short time ago,” he said. “It seems that The Marshal has called everyone here to discuss something, so quickly prepare drink and refreshments. I do not care what it is. Anything will be fine. And keep the servants away from the doors and windows. Some of them have big ears.”
Dustin nodded, still miffed at the sight of so many men in her hall. Still more were coming in, including Roger and Hugh Bigod, the Earl of Suffolk and his heir. A few other minor barons entered, one of them being Walter de Quincy, who greeted Dustin as if she were a long-lost friend. Not particularly liking the man and his pursuit of Peter, her response was cool. Walter entered the hall after Lady Hereford’s rebuff, trying not to look embarrassed.
While Christopher was in discussion with William over near the windows overlooking the Thames, David came over to Dustin.
“Where is Peter?” he hissed. “And Sherry? Are they here?”
Dustin looked at her brother-in-law. “I do not know,” she said. “I will send a servant to find them.”
“Hurry,” David said. “Whatever William has to speak about is serious. He wants all of his knights here.”
Dustin dashed off as David, along with Marcus, secured the doors to the hall. David put Bric and Dashiell on the doors to ensure no one entered who wasn’t invited as he made his way over to his brother.
“Dustin is sending a servant for Peter and Sherry,” he said. “Is everyone here?”
Christopher couldn’t even answer that. This was William’s party, so he looked at the man who was gazing out over the crowd. When William caught sight of Christopher and David, both looking at him expectantly, he simply nodded his head.
“This will do,” he said quietly.
As he held up a hand to silence the buzz of conversation, Christopher whistled loudly between his teeth, which shut the room up almost instantly. Everyone lent an ear in The Marshal’s direction, wondering why they had been summoned to Lonsdale.
They would soon find out.
“Good men,” William said. “Forgive the secrecy, but it was necessary. John has men all over London and any gathering of note would be reported to the king, so that is why I chose Lonsdale. My apologies to Chris for not telling him sooner.”
Everyone grinned as Christopher shrugged, as if he’d had any choice in the matter. William’s yellowed eyes glimmered weakly at the man before he returned his attention to the crowd.
“Late last night, I received word from a man I have in the north,” he said. “A trustworthy man who has served me and the House of de Lohr well. His name is Kevin de Lara and his brother, Sean, was the Lord of the Shadows. You all know that name and what it represents, so I will not go into it. Kevin is in the north while two more men who serve me, Achilles de Dere and Kress de Rhydian, are in the south and in East Anglia. Their directive is simple – comb the land, talk to men and discover what they can about the king’s allies and their movements. They have been doing this for the better part of four months. But last night, I received a full report from Achilles, who is in Kent. It is disturbing to say the least.”
Someone knocked on the hall doors and Bric opened them to admit servants with food and drink. They moved quickly and efficiently, directed by Dustin, who had them set the pitchers of wine on the dais along with wheels of cheese, bread, and great platters of apples and bowls of blackberries. It was the best she could do with such short notice, so she hustled the servants from the hall as Bric and Dashiell shut the doors behind them. Only when they were gone did Christopher turn to William.
“I wasn’t aware that Achilles and Kress were scouting for you,” he said. “I knew that Kevin was, but I was under the impression that Achilles and Kress were commanding your various holdings.”
William nodded. “That is because I wanted the rebel barons to think that they were inactive for the most part,” he said, looking out over the hall. “I wanted you all to think that. Today, the king believes he has my support and that is what I want him to believe because without Sean de Lara to keep an eye on him as his bodyguard, our cause is blind. That is why I stand with the king at the moment – because if I am by his side, I can keep abreast of what he is up to. Unfortunately, he does not share everything with me, as evidenced by Achilles’ missive. According to Achilles, we have a mess in the south. D’Aubigney, who was positioned at Rochester Castle on behalf of the Earl of East Anglia since it is his holding, has been met with a rush of mercenaries sent by John. The French king, whom you rebels have allied yourselves with, have come ashore in Dover. Dover Castle is under siege as well because it is held by the king.”
It was true that the rebel warlords had offered an alliance with the French king in exchange for his military might. That was something Christopher and several others had never been in complete agreement with, but they had been overruled by some of the warlords in Kent, Suffolk, and Norfolk, men who were under more threat than an earldom on the Welsh Marches. Therefore, the arrival of the French wasn’t surprising, but the arrival of the mercenaries was.
“So it starts in the south,” Christopher said, mulling over the information. “We knew that John had hoarded money to pay for his mercenaries and we knew they were coming to England even as John tried to negotiate peace with us. However, we were told the mercenaries would be flooding into the north.”
“They are,” William said. “I received a missive two days ago from Kress informing me that thousands of them sailed into Hull, looted the town, and are currently heading north from what he has been told. He’s not seen them, but he is told that they are heading for Yorkshire and Northumberland.”
He was looking at Jax, de Bourne, de Vesci, and de Longley as he said it. All of them had massive land holdings in Northumberland. But he also looked at Marcus, who had holdings in Yorkshire.
The implications were staggering.
“How old is this information?” Jax asked calmly.
William looked to the old warlord, once the most terrifying warlord in the entire world. Truth be told, he still was. William had used the man last year to accomplish some unsavory tasks because de Velt was the best man for the job. Even at his advanced age, he still was.
There was great respect there.
“Several weeks, at least,” William said. “It would be my suggestion that the northern barons depart immediately. If you still have troops in London, withdraw them and go home. Immediately. With thousands of mercenaries overrunning the north, your properties are vulnerable.”
That meant de Velt, de Bourne, Marcus, de Longley, d’Umfraville, and even Caius, who garrisoned Richmond Castle. There were several Northerners in that hall, now looking at each other nervously.
“You are aware that Scotland’s king has allied with us,” Jax said. “You are further aware that I have offered to return Berwick Castle in exchange for this alliance.”
William nodded. “I have been told,” he said. “Worse still, John knows. Word must be sent to Alexander because the mercenaries will overrun his southern border if he is not there to stop them. John intends to charge into Scotland and take all of the land south of Edinburgh because of Alexander’s interference.”
There were massive implications on every shore, every border, it seemed, but none so massive as the fact that mercenaries were already in England with the king’s blessing.
That was the worst news of all.
“I must return home, too,” David said. “Savernake, too. If they are going after properties in Kent, Canterbury will be vulnerable. I must return home and reinforce my holdings.”
Bentley de Vaston, the Duke of Savernake, was standing near the windows. He heard David, nodding firmly to the man’s statement. “It’s not just in the north,” he said. “They’re going to move through the south, too, like a plague of locusts. I must return to Ramsbury and make sure we are prepared to meet an onslaught.”
William realized he was facing men who were close to panicking. They were seasoned veterans, but their families were at their homes in the threatened territories and no man wanted their wife and children to be vulnerable to John’s mercenaries. Perhaps the only men not immediately concerned were de Lohr, Wolverhampton, de Quincy, and Maxton because their properties were either on the Welsh Marches or nearby, so they weren’t quite so critical.
“I am telling you this so you can depart London immediately and prepare,” he said, lifting his voice over the buzz of concern. “I should also tell you that John plans to take the field with his mercenaries and allies. He has no intention of sitting aside while men fight for him. He intends to command from the field.”
That wasn’t unwelcome as far as the warlords were concerned, nor was it surprising. John had fought with his armies since the days of fighting with his brothers against their father, so not strangely, the king they hated and railed against was a war veteran just as they were.
“Good,” Jax said, his voice a rumble. “Let him come north and take the field. I will be more than happy to meet him there.”
They all turned to look at the man known as The Dark Lord issue what sounded very much like a threat. No man wanted to hear that come out of Jax’s mouth where it pertained to them because he meant what he said. He would find John on the field of battle and kill him. Then, the attention turned to William who had spent the better part of John’s reign protecting the king from threats, of which there had been many. That had been The Marshal’s job for all those years.
But William didn’t openly react.
Perhaps he was finally coming to hope the same thing.
“That is the news I needed to impart upon you, good lords,” he said. “Many of you will have plans to make, so I would suggest you do so. The sooner you return home, the better, for England is a pile of kindling and John has just struck a spark. We must make sure to control that fire or it will consume us all.”
It was a neat, concise way of putting things, something quite appropriate. As he went to speak to de Vaston and David, Christopher went over to Marcus and Jax, who were standing in conversation with Caius, Edward de Wolfe, and Alastor de Bourne. Christopher looked between Marcus and Jax.
“Well,” he said. “Now we know why The Marshal summoned everyone. I cannot say that I am surprised. We knew this would come.”
Marcus nodded. “We did,” he said. “But I am concerned that I am not home at this moment. I left Gabrielle and the children behind and I do not like the idea of them being in a castle under siege without me.”
Christopher put a hand on his shoulder. “I know,” he said. “I can spare men to send back with you, but not many. How many do you have at Somerhill?”
Marcus shrugged. “Around fifteen hundred,” he said. “I do not think I need any of your men, so mayhap you had better send them with David to Canterbury. If the mercenaries are at Rochester, it’s very possible they will head to Canterbury, knowing it is a de Lohr holding.”
That was very true. As Christopher turned to see to his brother, Walter passed in his line of sight. Christopher moved to go around him, but Walter cut him off.
“My lord,” he said. “May we speak? I have something important I must discuss with you.”
Christopher had little patience for Walter. “I am afraid I must speak with my brother,” he said. “I have no time at the moment.”
“It is about Peter, my lord, but not what you think,” he said, cutting off Christopher again when he tried to step around him. “Something… terrible has come to my attention that you should be aware of.”
Christopher didn’t want to talk to him and most especially about Peter. “This is no time to discuss your marital aspirations, de Quincy,” he said, annoyed. “We will discuss Peter at another time.”
Walter still wouldn’t move out of his way. “This has nothing to do with marital aspirations, I assure you,” he said. “There is something you must know about your son and I do not wish to shout it to the hall. I do not think you want this to be common knowledge.”
Frustrated, Christopher was trying not to lose his temper. “Then speak,” he said. “But be quick about it because I have business with my brother.”
Pleased that he had Christopher’s attention, Walter indicated the door. “Shall we go somewhere private?”
“Nay. Tell me now.”
Walter’s pleasant expression faded. “Very well,” he said. “Were you aware that your son is being seduced by a Jewess?”
That caught Christopher’s attention. His manner cooled as he looked at Walter. “What are you talking about?”
“Just what I said. He is being seduced by a Jewess.”
“Who has told you this?”
“I have my sources, de Lohr. Were you aware of this?”
“He has not been seduced by anyone.”
Walter shook his head. “That is not entirely true,” he said. “I have it on good authority that your son openly kissed the daughter of the king’s jeweler. It was witnessed, only once, but who knows if there have been more incidents that no one has seen. Of course, her father is the personal jeweler to the king, meaning he has the king’s ear. I wonder what secrets she is wresting from your son that her father might tell John?”
Christopher had to take a step back from the man because his instinct was to grab him around the neck and throw him out the window. But he didn’t; it was sheer, practiced control that he didn’t. His eyes narrowed as he sized up a man he hadn’t had much use for before, but now… now, he had none.
Absolutely none.
“Who is this ‘good’ authority?” he asked with a hint of hazard. “Do you mean the spies you pay to follow Peter and report on his every move, including the servant here at Lonsdale? Don’t think I don’t know about that, de Quincy. I know everything.”
Walter didn’t like that his upper hand was slipping. His smile began to fade. “But you did not know that your son is cavorting with someone who is not of his faith,” he said. “Someone who is loyal to the king.”
Christopher’s jaw flexed dangerously. “What, exactly, are you accusing my son of?”
Walter lifted his shoulders. “I am not accusing him of anything,” he said. “But others might be led to believe that your son was a traitor to you, his allies, and his friends. I shouldn’t like a rumor like that to get started, my lord. Not at all. But if he is not being seduced by a woman spying for the king, what on earth would he be doing with her?”
Christopher took a long, deep breath. He was too close to forgetting his decision not to throw Walter out of the window.
“Why are you telling me this, de Quincy?” he asked. “What do you want from me? Be plain.”
Walter was trying hard not to smile. “Want?” he repeated. “There is nothing I want, although now that you bring it up, we have been discussing a betrothal between your son and my Agnes. Of course, I would never betray my daughter’s husband and any rumors about a Jewess seductress would be firmly met with denial. I would defend him to the death, I swear it.”
“If he marries Agnes.”
“I would have no reason to defend him if he was not.”
Christopher had never heard, or seen, such a blatant bit of blackmail. The only thing that kept him from snapping Walter’s neck was the fact that he didn’t know where Peter was at the moment. He hadn’t show up in the hall, and neither had Alexander, so he had no idea where those two were. Since Peter had brought up the jeweler’s daughter the day before, he had a sick feeling in his stomach that there might be some truth to what Walter was saying. Not that Peter was a traitor, because Peter was one of the most trustworthy men he knew, but kissing the woman… well, he couldn’t be sure that it hadn’t happened. And Walter was correct when he said that allied warlords might view that as an act of betrayal given the kiss would be with the daughter of the king’s jeweler.
He had to find his son.
“I will think on it,” he said as evenly as he could. “But if any of what you have said finds its way to other ears, I will come for you and I will destroy you. Your body will end up in a river somewhere and your daughter will be left destitute. Is this in any way unclear?”
Walter’s eyes widened. “Why would I speak of it? That is why I told you in private.”
Christopher was a good deal taller and bigger than Walter. He leaned over, posturing over the man threateningly. “That had better be the truth,” he growled. “Keep your lips shut or I will cut your tongue out.”
With that, he continued past Walter, heading for his brother, who saw him coming. He’d also seen the exchange between Walter and Christopher. By the time his brother reached him, his jaw was ticking furiously and David looked at him with concern.
“What is it?” he asked. “What happened with de Quincy?”
Christopher was so angry that he could barely speak. “I must find my son,” he rumbled. “When I do, I am going to send him off to the Marches today. Damn that boy.”
David’s eyes widened. “Who?” he said. “Peter? What in the hell happened?”
By this time, Marcus had joined them. He, too, had seen the exchange between Christopher and Walter, and Christopher’s evident upset.
“What happened, Chris?” he asked. “What did Walter say?”
Marcus knew about Peter’s interest in a certain Jewess, but David did not. Christopher tried to remain calm and succinct as he explained the situation to the two men he trusted more than any others.
“Marcus knows this, so the explanation is for your benefit, David,” he said through clenched teeth. “Yesterday, Peter informed me that he had found a woman he was attracted to. He was quite enamored with her, or at least he seemed to be. However, the woman is a Jewess, the daughter of the king’s jeweler.”
David’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “A Jew?” he hissed. “And Peter was serious?”
Christopher sighed heavily. “He seemed to be,” he muttered. “And you know how de Quincy has been trying to secure a betrothal between Peter and his unpleasant daughter. Right now, Walter just told me that he has it on good authority that this Jewess has seduced Peter and is probing him for rebel secrets, which she is then passing to her father and, subsequently, the king. He stopped short of calling Peter a traitor if – and only if – he marries Agnes because, surely, de Quincy would not betray his son-in-law.”
It was a shocking statement. Marcus’ head snapped to Walter, who was over at the table pouring himself some wine. David’s eyes were so wide with outrage that they threatened to pop from his head.
“He threatened you?” David muttered, incredulous.
“That is my assumption,” Christopher said. “If I do not agree to a betrothal, then he’ll tell the warlords that Peter is betraying them to the king through the jeweler’s daughter.”
As David rolled his eyes, infuriated, Marcus’ gaze was on Walter as the man calmly drank his wine and spoke to d’Umfraville.
“What do you want me to do with him, Chris?” he rumbled. “Tell me and I shall do it.”
Christopher wouldn’t look at Walter, but he knew the man was still in the hall. He could smell his stench. “I have overlooked him until now,” he said. “He is an ally on the Marches but nothing more. It was important to keep him as an ally, but he has pushed me too far. He’s threatening my son. Mayhap someone should warn him that something like that will not be well met in the end.”
With that, he broke away from his brother and Marcus, heading over to speak with The Marshal. But both Marcus and David had heard Christopher’s reply. There was a message there. It was something they understood clearly, as did the other Executioner Knights who happened to be in the hall once Marcus explained the situation to them.
No one made a threat against an Executioner Knight and got away with it.
Walter made it back to London later that day, but not before he was ambushed while riding alone at the end of a group of warlords and soldiers who were heading back to their respective homes. Walter was pulled off his horse by men who moved swiftly and smoothly, taken into the trees, tied up, and beaten within an inch of his life. Then he was removed from the trees and thrown over the saddle of his own horse, which then wandered back to Lonsdale. When Christopher was told about Walter’s beaten body, he instructed his soldiers to take the man back to London and let Saer de Quincy deal with his cousin.
Christopher wouldn’t lift a finger to help him.
He hadn’t been part of the ambush that broke ribs and knocked out six of Walter’s teeth, but he knew Maxton, Caius, and Marcus’ work when he saw it. And he wasn’t sorry, either. However, the entire incident with Walter had his anger primed and ready for when Peter and Alexander arrived home towards sunset.
He was waiting for them.
One look at his father and Peter knew he was in for it.
