WolfeLord by Kathryn Le Veque

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“What are you doing in the bailey? I thought you were resting?”

The curious question came from Scott as he spoke to his mother, who had just found him near the stables. The small, elderly woman had ventured out of that sturdy keep where she was supposed to be sleeping, hunting down her eldest son.

And she did not look pleased.

“I must speak with ye,” she said seriously. “Now.”

Scott thought she sounded rather severe. “Go ahead,” he said. “You have my attention.”

Jordan waved him off sharply. “Someplace private,” she said. “Someplace that is not the keep. I willna have anyone hear what I must tell ye.”

He cocked his head. “Now you have my curiosity,” he said. “Will the hall do?”

“Nay.”

“The chapel?”

“Lead on.”

Together, they crossed the outer bailey and back into the inner bailey where the small chapel was built against the wall from the same red stones as the rest of the castle. Scott took his mother inside the cool, dark structure with its dirt floor and precious glass windows by the altar. When they were well inside, he faced her.

“Well?” he said. “What is so important that I had to take you to a secret place?”

She was in no mood for his jest. “I have heard something most disturbing,” she said. “There’s no way tae be tactful about this, so I’ll come out with it. I was resting in the alcove next tae Lily’s chamber when her lady came in.”

“Adria?”

“Aye,” Jordan said. “Adria was quite upset and gave Lily quite a scolding.”

Scott frowned. “God’s Bones, what about?”

“It seems that Lily has been unfaithful tae Will.”

Scott lost his mirth, his eyes widened with confusion and surprise. “What?” he said, rather loudly. “What on earth makes you say such a thing?”

Jordan lifted hand, indicating for him to keep his voice down. “Because I heard the conversation between Adria and Lily,” she said. “It seems that Lily has been carrying on with Will’s very own knight, Marcellus, since before they were married. I heard Lily say that she wanted tae marry the man, but her father wouldna hear of it. He wanted a de Wolfe husband for her and forced her tae marry Will.”

By this time, Scott’s features were pale with shock. “Oh, my God,” he breathed. “I know Chris forced the marriage. That was never a secret.”

“But did ye know that the knight Lily loves was also vying for her hand?” Jordan asked, her Scots temper building. “Chris turned the man down, but that dinna stop Lily from carrying on with him for all of these years. Worse still, Atticus and the child she carries are not Will’s children – they are Marcellus’.”

Scott’s mouth popped open in outrage. “Christ,” he boomed. “You cannot be serious!”

Jordan’s rage was taking hold. “So serious that it’s all I can do not tae take a stick tae Lily,” she said. “If I had any less control, I’d beat the lass tae a pulp and be happy for it. She’s shamed our Will. She’s shamed the de Lohr name. The lass has been whoring with another man!”

It was rare when Jordan used such strong language, but she was genuinely furious. Scott stood there, his eyes wide and his hand over his mouth, trying to absorb what his mother was telling him.

Atticus and the child Lily carries are Marcellus’…

He could hardly believe it. His hand came away from his mouth and went to his head as if to hold his brains in.

“And you’re certain of this?” he asked, aghast.

Jordan nodded. “I wouldna tell ye if I wasna,” she said. “Lily and Adria dinna know I was listening. In truth, it was difficult not tae listen because they were fighting about it. So much makes sense now – how Lily and Will werena a love match. How they were more friends than lovers, with nary a bit of affection between them. It was because of Lily!”

It certainly looked that way. Scott, who wasn’t normally quick to temper, went from astonishment to a slow burn fairly rapidly when he thought of the bigger picture and how Lily had evidently been lying to his son. His beloved eldest boy.

His heir.

Rage began to sprout.

“Keep this to yourself until I find Will,” he said, his jaw flexing dangerously. “We will tell him together.”

Jordan was twitching angrily. “Lily asked Adria why she hadn’t told Will and Adria said that it wasna her secret tae tell,” she said. “Mayhap it’s not Adria’s secret tae tell, but I’ve no such restraint. ’Tis going tae be painful for Will tae hear it, but the man must know.”

Scott nodded, thinking on his eldest son who had seen more than his share of heartache in his lifetime already. “I know,” he said. “God, the more I think about it, the angrier I become. Will is blaming himself for Lily’s condition. He blames himself for planting his seed in her and creating the child that is slowly killing her. He blames himself for so much.”

“And Lily has let him.”

Scott looked at his mother pointedly. “Aye, she has,” he said. “That little… Christ, I do not use that language easily, but I cannot help myself. That little wench has let him go through so much and, all the while, she was bedding another man and bearing his children, letting Will believe they were his. That goes beyond anything I thought a well-born woman was capable of.”

“Not just any woman, but a de Lohr woman,” Jordan said. “A woman who cemented the alliance between two great families.”

Scott nodded, sickened as his anger began to spread. “And now we find out that she’s no better than a common whore.”

Jordan was watching him carefully, knowing what he was capable of in a rage. Her anger had fed his own, so she calmed herself, fearful of what would happen if she didn’t. “Breathe,” she said. “Regain what ye can of yer composure because if Will sees yer anger, he may not be able to control his. Ye must be calm.”

Scott took a long, deep breath. “I know,” he said. “Do you know where Will’s solar is in the keep?”

“I do.”

“Go there and wait for me. I will bring Will.”

Jordan left without another word, quickly leaving the chapel and leaving Scott standing there, stunned and furious. He could hardly believe any of it, but it must be the truth. His mother wouldn’t lie to him. It was a situation he couldn’t even wrap his head around yet.

Lily had been lying for all of these years.

It was time for Will to have a dose of that truth.

*

“Greetings Matha,” Willsaid, entering his solar with his father on his heels. “I thought you were resting.”

Jordan had started the fire in the hearth. She was always cold, so a fire was always in order. Sitting next to the hearth on a small stool, she lifted her eyes to focus on her grandson as he entered the chamber.

“I was,” she said simply. “But now I’m here.”

Will came over to the fire to make sure it was blazing warmly enough for her. He was a good boy, always wanting to take care of those around him, especially his grandparents.

“Get out of my way,” he teased her quietly, taking the poker from her and fussing with the peat. “You know nothing about a fire. Let a man do his job.”

Jordan smiled faintly at her pushy grandson. “A man canna do his job without a woman telling him how,” she said. “Ye’ve been listening tae Poppy tae much.”

Will grinned. “I have not been listening to him enough,” he said with one final poke. He set the poker aside. “Papa says you must speak with me about Lily.”

Jordan’s smile faded. “I do,” she said, glancing at Scott. “Did he tell ye why?”

Will sat down on the floor next to her. “Nay,” he said. “Why? Is something wrong?”

Jordan cleared her throat softly. “Ye could say that,” she said. “Now, I want ye tae understand the circumstances of what I’m tae tell ye. I overheard something that ye should know.”

“What did you overhear?”

“I was in the alcove next tae Lily’s chamber and I heard her lady come in – Adria.”

Will nodded. “I know Adria,” he said. “What about her?”

Jordan sighed faintly, looking at the boy she’d loved since before he was born. In fact, she’d helped deliver him, so she had a special place in her heart for the lusty baby who had grown into a fine, strong man. “I wasna eavesdropping, Will,” she said. “I was only in the next chamber. The door was open and I couldna help what I heard.”

“What did you hear?”

“Lily and Adria were arguing,” she said quietly. “Will, this will come as a shock tae ye, but it canna be helped. It seems that Lily has been unfaithful tae ye.”

The warm expression on Will’s face faded. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

“Lily and Adria were speaking of it,” Jordan said, watching him carefully for his reaction. “Adria confronted Lily for being unfaithful tae ye. It seems that Lily has been carrying on with yer knight, Marcellus. It has been going on a long time, Will.”

He looked at her, incredulous. “You heard this?”

Jordan nodded, her concern for his reaction growing. “I did,” she said. “Adria accused Lily of being unfair tae ye, but Lily… she said that she loves Marcellus. The lass wasna remorseful about it.”

Will rocked back on his heels as if the information had physically impacted him. He averted his gaze after a moment, obviously contemplating everything he’d been told. Brow furrowed, he returned his focus to his grandmother.

“What else did you hear?” he asked.

Jordan looked at Scott, who nodded curtly. Her sorrowful green eyes turned to her grandson. “I heard them say that Atticus and the child Lily carries are not yer children. They’re Marcellus’.”

With that load of bricks dropped on him, Will simply stared at her. For the longest time, he could seemingly only look at her before abruptly bolting to his feet. He started to walk, nearly crashed into the wall, but managed to turn himself and end up over by the lancet window that overlooked the inner bailey.

He just stood there, hand over his mouth.

Scott came up behind him.

“Will?” he said softly. “You know that Matha would not lie to you. If she said she heard this, then she did.”

Will simply nodded. He was still looking out of the window, his hand still over his mouth, unable to speak. Scott looked at Jordan and they passed concerned glances, but they didn’t say anything more.

Will would react when he was good and ready.

But that wasn’t for quite some time.

The sounds of the bailey were floating in from the window, filling the stale air of the solar. Servants were calling to each other, going about their business, and life went on. It went on as Will stood there with his hand over his mouth, evidently too stunned to speak. Scott and Jordan stood by, waiting, watching.

Waiting for something to happen.

Watching for a breakdown.

Finally, Will plopped down into the nearest chair and the hand came away from his mouth. When he finally spoke, he was looking at the floor.

“I know,” he murmured.

Scott’s eyes widened. “You know?” he hissed. “You know about this… this disgrace?”

Will nodded unsteadily. “I know about Lily and Marcellus,” he said dully. “I’ve always known. It has been going on since before we were married. I’m not that stupid, Papa. I know.”

Scott was beside himself. He grabbed the nearest chair, pulling it up to Will and planting himself in it.

“And you let it go on?” he demanded, unable to comprehend what his son was telling him. “Why did you not put a stop to it?”

Will sat back in the chair, finally looking at his father. His face was lined with stress, with emotion. “Let me be clear,” he said. “I knew about Marcellus. I did not know about Atticus or the child she carries. That is new information.”

Scott wasn’t any less bewildered than he had been moments earlier. “Why did you let this go on?”

Will shrugged, lowering his gaze. “It is… complicated.”

“No doubt, but I still want to know. What in the hell is going on, Will?”

Will simply shook his head. “Lily never wanted to marry me,” he said. “Frankly, I did not want to marry her. You already know this, so I will not go into it again. I knew they were carrying on when I was still at Lioncross and Chris knew, too. After Lily and I were married, Chris tried to do the right thing and send Marcellus away, but Lily tried to kill herself. Being that she is his only daughter, he brought Marcellus back. Meanwhile, he begged me not to say anything or do anything. He swore that she would overcome her feelings for Marcellus, but she never did.”

Scott was gobsmacked. He sat back in his chair, his mouth hanging open. “De Lohr knew?” he repeated. “Worse still, he let it happen?”

Will nodded. “She was my wife by then,” he said. “No one wanted a big scandal. Chris didn’t want the de Lohr or de Wolfe names shamed, so he kept it quiet. We both did. As long as Lily and Marcellus were discreet, no one knew. Remarkably, no one ever found out.”

Scott was still in disbelief. “So you both let it go on simply so the families of de Lohr and de Wolfe would not be swept up in scandal? That makes no sense.”

“Aye, it does,” Will said. “Papa, Lily and I do not have a marriage. We have a contract. I was not heartbroken by any of this and if that makes me sound cold and stupid, then so be it. I was more concerned with preserving the de Wolfe reputation than my own honor. Think about it – if I called Marcellus out, everyone would know. If I killed the man in an honor killing, not only would the truth come out, but Lily might actually jamb a dagger in her chest like she did before, only this time, she wouldn’t miss. Then I would be known as the de Wolfe whose wife killed herself when her affair was discovered. I did not want that.”

Scott was starting to see the light, no matter how much he didn’t agree with it. “So you kept silent to preserve everyone’s honor,” he said. “Especially yours.”

“Aye,” Will said faintly. “Especially mine.”

Scott was still astonished. He turned to look at his mother, to see how she was reacting to all of this, and all he could see on her face was distress. Pure, painful distress. That was enough to shake Scott to the bone.

“Oh, God,” he muttered, standing up from the chair. “Is that what has happened here? Is this what you have had to deal with since de Lohr forced you to marry his daughter?”

“Aye,” Will said, watching his father pace. “I never told you because there is nothing you could have done. I wanted to spare you that misery.”

That only seemed to enrage Scott. “So I am to be kept in the dark while my son becomes a martyr?” he said. “I thought this was such a smart marriage but, as it turns out, the de Lohrs have been torturing you all along.”

Will shook his head. “It is not like that, Papa.”

“Isn’t it?” Scott raged. “Chris forces you to marry his unstable and unfaithful daughter, and you have endured this silently for over ten years? I’d say that makes you a martyr and when I tell Poppy, it will change the relationship between de Wolfe and de Lohr forever.”

Will lifted his hand. “Don’t,” he said. “Don’t tell Poppy, I beg you. I did not even want you to know, but that cannot be helped now. There is nothing you or Poppy can do and if you try, it will only bring shame and quite possibly a war down upon us.”

Scott didn’t care. All he could see was that Chris de Lohr and his daughter had abused his strong, noble son all of these years and he was beyond furious about it.

“To hell with a de Lohr alliance,” he snarled. “I don’t give a damn what happens. They cannot get away with what they’ve done to you.”

Will sighed heavily. “Papa, Lily is dying,” he said frankly. “This is not a situation that will go on much longer, so there is no reason to start an incident over this. Please do not try.”

“You’re just going to let this go?”

“I am.”

“Does Lily know that you know?”

“She does not.”

Scott was prepared to blow up again but he found that he couldn’t. He was far too upset to continue his unbridled raging. He plopped down in the nearest chair and put his head in his hands.

“You’ve let her lie to you for over ten years,” he said. “Worse still, you’ve let a knight, a man sworn to you, lie to you as well. A man who showed you such disrespect that he impregnated your wife, twice, and has let you think those children are yours. Do you not feel any anger over this, lad? Because I have an abundance of it.”

“Of course I feel anger,” Will said quietly. “But not for the reasons you think. I feel anger at Chris because he married his daughter to the wrong man. I feel anger that two people who are clearly in love with one another cannot be together because of me. I feel anger that they cannot know true happiness because of what Chris did to them. His sins against them are far greater than his sins against me. At least he isn’t keeping me from the woman I love.”

Scott was listening to him intently, shocked by what he was hearing. But in the same breath, he’d never heard anything so utterly unselfish. That was a distinct blow, but not in a bad way. It was more that he had an epiphany.

After a moment, he shook his head in awe.

“I have been thinking you were showing such weakness in all of this,” he muttered. “Forgive me, Will. It is not weakness you have been showing, but compassion. Generosity. I feel ashamed that I did not see that before.”

“Ye remind me of someone I knew long ago,” Jordan said, rising stiffly from her stool. She had been listening to the exchange carefully and now it was her turn to speak. Her eyes glimmered weakly as she approached her grandson. “Do ye know the story of how Poppy and I met, Will?”

Will looked at his grandmother. “Only that you were pledged to another man at first,” he said. “Why?”

“Ye dunna know who?”

“Teviot?”

Jordan nodded. “Yer Poppy and I first met when I tended a wound he’d sustained in battle,” she said. “’Tis fair tae say that it was love at first sight. There were wars going on across the borders back then, Scots against English, and months later, my own father pledged me tae marry the Earl of Teviot. As it turned out, Poppy served the earl as his captain.”

“I think I heard that, once,” Will said. “But you married Poppy instead.”

Jordan nodded, pulling her old shawl more tightly about her shoulders now that she was away from the fire. “I did, but it wasna an easy path for us,” she said. “We loved each other from the first and, much like Lily and Marcellus, we carried on in secret. We knew it was wrong but, sometimes, love willna be stopped. The earl knew all along until, finally, he confronted Poppy with it. Poppy admitted it and fully expected tae be punished, but the earl did something compassionate and generous – he permitted us tae marry in secret so we could be together. In a sense, that’s what ye’ve let Lily and Marcellus do. Yer reasons are a little different, but the fact remains that ye’ve shown them the same compassion that Teviot showed Poppy and me. ’Tis true that Chris de Lohr was selfish – the man should have never forced Lily tae wed ye. But ye knew she dinna love ye, and even if ye dinna love her, ye showed her and Marcellus great understanding.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Of course I do,” Jordan said. “Now that I know the extent of their love, I canna condemn the lass for doing something I did myself. But I am upset that she did it tae my bonny Will.”

Where there had been rage in the chamber only moments earlier, now there was the blessed relief of understanding, at least as far as Jordan was concerned. Will smiled faintly at her and she smiled in return, reaching out to take his hand. It was a moment of understanding between them. But Scott was still in the throes of confusion.

“Then you approve of what Lily and Marcellus have been doing?” he asked his mother. “What they have been doing to Will?”

Jordan shrugged. “As I said, I did it myself tae a very kind earl,” she said. “It is not whether or not I approve. It is whether or not I understand, and I do.”

Scott shook his head and stood up. “Well, I don’t,” he said flatly. “Chris de Lohr knowingly created this mess and the victim in all of this is Will. I’ll not forgive him easily for this.”

“Dunna say anything tae Lily or Marcellus,” Jordan said sternly. “If we’re tae be honest, they’re victims as much as Will is, so dunna let on that ye know. This is Will’s fight, Scott. Let him fight in his own way.”

Scott simply shook his head and lifted his hands in defeat now that his mother was suddenly on Lily’s side. Maybe she understood why Lily had behaved the way she had, but he still didn’t. He understood that his son had been incredibly benevolent with his unfaithful wife, but that was about it. Bewildered and emotional, he quit the solar, heading out into the small hall.

Jordan and Will watched him go.

“I am sorry if I have disappointed him,” Will said with sadness. “I would never knowingly do that.”

Jordan shook her head. “He’ll come tae terms with it, but dunna be surprised if he tells Poppy,” she said. “In many ways, this involves the alliance between de Wolfe and de Lohr, so he has every right tae be concerned with it.”

“I suppose,” Will said. “But you were correct when you said this is my fight. It is not even a fight – it’s simply my business.”

Jordan looked at him. “May I make a suggestion?”

“Please.”

Jordan cupped his bearded chin in one soft palm and forced him to look at her. “Tell Lily that ye know,” she said quietly. “Tell her that ye have no ill feelings because of it. Make peace with the woman, Will, for yer own sake. And tell Marcellus that ye know, tae. Ye’re raising the man’s son. Mayhap ye should assure him that ye’ll do yer best for the lad.”

Will thought on that. “Atticus is my son,” he said simply. “I swear to you that he looks like me and acts like the de Norvilles. It is possible that Marcellus is not his father.”

“Mayhap,” she said. “If ye really want tae know, I know someone who could tell ye.”

Will knew that she meant Lily. He simply nodded. “I’ll think on it.”

“Will ye see her now?”

“Not now. I need some time to myself, Matha. This entire day has been… trying.”

Jordan leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Ye’ve grown intae a fine man, William de Wolfe,” she said. “I’ve never been more proud of ye than I am at this moment.”

With that, she turned and wandered out of the solar. She found that she needed some time to reflect as well, perhaps take a walk out of the walls near the river where it was so lovely. There was no nearby river at Castle Questing and she didn’t often get that chance.

She’d speak to Lily when she was good and ready, for she knew what it was like to love a man with all of her heart and find herself in a clandestine relationship because of it. Aye, she knew very well. Will’s reaction to the situation was some of the greatest compassion she had ever seen.

A true de Wolfe heart, indeed.

Just like his Poppy.