BlackWolfe Read online

  But now…

  She remembered the man well from their childhood. By the time she was born, the last of the de Norville brood, there were very few children around her own age to play with. There had been Thomas and Penelope, and Nathaniel and Rose Hage, and even her own brother, Adonis, but even Adonis was a little too old for her. That left Thomas and Penelope and Nathaniel and Rose, and with Penelope off playing mock battles with Thomas and Nathaniel, and Rose off with the women learning womanly things, it left Cassiopeia with only Edward to play with, but he was a good deal older than she was. He never wanted anything to do with her.

  So… she harassed him.

  Aye, she admitted it. She harassed him horribly at times and had gotten him in trouble more than once. She’d pestered him and pestered him some more, and he’d never once retaliated. Well, at least not in the true sense. There were times he’d give her a taste of her own medicine just to teach her a lesson but, even then, it had been relatively minor considering what she probably deserved.

  “The next time I get it in my mind to save you from something, I shall refrain,” Edward was saying, breaking into her thoughts. “I thought I was doing you a favor.”

  Cassiopeia found herself watching his lips as he spoke. “I am sure you thought you were being chivalrous,” she said, averting her gaze because looking at him was doing strange things to her breathing. The man made her feel… breathless. “Truly, I do not need your assistance. I have three brothers who will step in if need be, but you have better things to do than be concerned about a woman who used to torment you as a child.”

  At that point, the couples broke apart and the women began moving to one side of the dance area and the men to the other. But Cassiopeia didn’t stop with the other women. She continued on, feeling strangely disappointed and confused about Edward’s behavior towards her.

  And her reaction to him.

  She kept walking, losing herself in the crowd, heading for the great doors that opened up onto the paved-stone courtyard to the east, the one where she’d first spoken to Edward earlier that evening.

  God, what was wrong with her?

  It was so strange, really. She’d liked dancing with Edward. Worse still, she liked being held by him. When he’d put his arm around her waist, it was as if something changed within her. He’d made her heart race and her palms sweat, which wasn’t like her in the least, and most especially not with Edward de Wolfe. It was stupid, really.

  The man was far out of her league.

  Perhaps that was where her sense of disappointment came from.

  Off to her left, she could see Alys and Gerard in conversation with William and Jordan, and her own parents. Everyone seemed to be happy, celebrating yet another de Wolfe marriage. Even Alys’ father, Torston de Royans, had managed to break himself away from the other guests demanding his attention and now stood proudly with his daughter and new son-in-law, everyone happy in familial bliss.

  Cassiopeia really didn’t want to look at their happy faces any longer. Her parents were pressing her about marriage at her age, but the truth was that she would probably never have a husband who made her smile as Alys smiled when she looked at Gerard.

  In all her years in London, she’d had her eye on just a couple of knights she thought she might like to tell her father about, but those men had married other women. Cassiopeia had never spoken of her thoughts about them, and she wasn’t a natural flirt, so any hopes she had for them died away when they married others. The truth was that while she was accomplished and beautiful, she wasn’t very good at conveying warmth or interest. Or, at least, she’d never a met a man yet who could bring that out in her and her reaction to Daniel had been a perfect example.

  Perhaps that was her fear now – at twenty years and two, she was at the cusp of undesirable marital age.

  Perhaps she was only ever meant to be a spinster.

  Wandering out into the garden beneath the cold moonlight, Cassiopeia headed for the pond, which was thick with reeds and water lilies and fish. She could see them swimming near the surface as she came near. Life had changed so much for her now that she’d left London, which had been her home for so long, to return to the north.

  She needed to find a place where she belonged.

  “May I speak with you now, my lady?”

  The voice came from behind. Cringing, Cassiopeia turned to see Daniel heading in her direction. He was smiling encouragingly and she sighed, thinking that perhaps it was foolish to continue avoiding the man. Edward had tried to warn her about him, but as she’d told him, she could take care of herself. She didn’t need Edward de Wolfe telling her who she could, and could not, speak with.

  “If you wish,” she said. “What do you wish to speak of?”

  “Of you,” Daniel said, coming closer. “That is twice you have dashed away from me quickly. I wish to know of you and your exciting life in London.”

  He didn’t come to a halt until he came far too close to her, and she backed up to put space between them. When he tried to close the gap, she put up her hands.

  “Please,” she said. “You do not need to stand so close to me. We do not know one another and it hardly proper, so please keep an appropriate distance.”

  The enthusiasm in his expression dampened. “Forgive me,” he said. “You are simply so lovely that it seems natural to come near you. I cannot help but be drawn towards you.”

  A smooth and flattering reply, but there was something about him that seemed insincere. “We can speak just as pleasantly from this distance,” she said. “And you wish to know about my exciting life in London? Truly, it was not too terribly exciting. It could be quite mundane, in fact.”

  Daniel kept the smile on his face. “You served in a great house?”

  “The House of de Russe.”

  He nodded. “A very great house,” he said. “How prestigious for you. Your family name invites the best of everything.”

  Cassiopeia shrugged. “My father knows Lord de Russe,” she said. “But I did enjoy being in London. It was my home for ten years.”

  Daniel nodded as if very interested. “I was born in London, in fact.”

  “Does your family still live there?”

  He shook his head. “My father and mother live in the south now, in Sussex,” he said. “My father was a great knight for King Henry many years ago.”

  “I see,” she said, forcing herself to find interest in the polite but boring conversation. “And you grew up there?”

  “I grew up in Chessington before fostering at Berkeley Castle,” he said. “It was quite exciting on the Marches. Have you ever traveled there?”

  Cassiopeia shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “I do not suppose my father would like me near Wales. It is a wild place.”

  “No more wild than Scotland.”

  She grinned reluctantly. “You have a point,” she said. “But at least here on the borders of the north, I have the protection of my father and brothers, and of Northwood Castle’s enormous army.”

  “What do you intend to do now that you have returned home?”

  She cocked her head thoughtfully. “I am not certain. I have no plans other than spending the time with my mother.”

  “Would you allow me to call upon you, then?”

  Cassiopeia eyed him, not wanting to give him permission that he might consider an invitation to courting, or more. He was pleasant, but she wasn’t much interested in him beyond a benign conversation.

  “Not now,” she said quietly. “You see, I wish to spend my time with my mother because she has been very… lonely. I had two sisters who were killed in an accident several years ago, and I am my mother’s only remaining daughter. You will forgive me for wanting to focus my attention on her for now.”

  Daniel nodded faintly. Surprisingly, he didn’t push. “I understand, my lady,” he said. “But I hope you will allow me to call upon you when the time is right.”

  “We shall have to see, my lord. I can make no promises.”

/>   “Indeed. But…”

  He was cut off by the sound of a sentry on the walls of The Lyceum. The castle had an enormous curtain wall that encircled it, an elaborate structure that was very tall, with a nasty, smelly moat that completely surrounded it. They could see the wall from where they stood, and they could see soldiers scurrying on the wall walk, darting back and forth. As they watched, Daniel suddenly grasped Cassiopeia by the arm.

  “Come along, my lady,” he said, suddenly quite serious as he pulled her back towards the keep. “Quickly, now. Let us go back inside.”

  Cassiopeia wasn’t particularly frightened, but she was very curious. She allowed Daniel to pull her back to the keep where the knights were congregating over near the entry. As soon as Cassiopeia came through the big, open doors of the garden, she pulled from Daniel’s grasp and ran right to her mother. Behind her, men began shutting the doors, which were massive panels of wood and iron. Bolts were thrown.

  “What is happening?” she asked her mother. “We heard the men on the wall yelling.”

  Caladora had a tight grip on her daughter. She stood with Jordan and Jemma, who had been through enough sieges between them that they were nearly as knowledgeable about them as their husbands. The women watched a big group of men, including William, Paris, Kieran, and their sons, as well as Daniel and several other visiting knights, as they were in serious conversation with a de Royans soldier who had just come in from the gatehouse. After a moment, Jordan shook her head.

  “I dunna know,” she said. “Somethin’ is happenin’ beyond the walls.”

  Caladora looked at her. “But it is night,” she said. “What can happen at night?”

  Jordan glanced at her. “’Tis a bright moon tonight, Callie,” she said. “Armies have been known tae fight by the bright of the moon.”

  “An army?” Cassiopeia gasped. “Here?”

  Before the woman could reply, another soldier bolted in through the entry door, rushing to his lord, de Royans, but he didn’t wait until he reached the man before speaking. He shouted it at him as he came near.

  “They are rushing the walls, my lord,” he said. “The gatehouse commander says Scots; hundreds of them!”

  As a collective gasp went up from the women in the hall, and Alys began to sob, the men began to move with purpose. The first thing Torston de Royans did was turn to the ladies who were standing around, including his own wife, Alyx.

  “All of the women up the stairs and into the upper floors,” he boomed. “I will send men with you to lock the doors behind you, but you must move swiftly. Hurry! There is no time to waste!”

  De Royans was an excellent commander with a voice that left no room for doubt or argument. Women began rushing to the two big spiral stairwells that led to the upper floors of the keep as their husbands prepared for battle. But William came to his wife’s side, as did Paris and Kieran, all of them helping the women to the stairwell, which was protected by the massive iron gate that would soon be closed and bolted.

  “Take great care, English,” Jordan was saying calmly. “I would prefer if ye and Paris and Kieran would stay tae the keep. Let the younger men go tae the walls.”

  It was her way of telling the old knights to back off and let their sons take the heavy fighting. This wasn’t her first battle by any means, so she was calmer than most, but that didn’t mean she was any less concerned. As Lady de Royans took a weeping Alys up the stairs, the women from Northwood and Castle Questing were still lingering at the base of the steps.

  “Scott and Troy and Atty are already outside,” William assured his wife. “James and Apollo and Hector have gone with them.”

  “Make them put their protection on.”

  William nodded patiently. “They know how to dress for battle,” he said, directing her towards the stairs. “Get up there with the rest of the women and do not open these gates unless one of us comes for you.”

  “Papa!” Penelope rushed to him. “Where do you want me?”

  William looked at his sixteen-year-old daughter. It was true that she was an accomplished fighter; there was no question. She was a de Wolfe, raised with knights, and she had learned well. But with all of the knights at The Lyceum, she wasn’t needed. Moreover, he wanted her safe with the rest of the women, which was grounds for a battle in and of itself as far as Penelope was concerned. She didn’t want to be reminded that she was a woman or treated as if she were weak. Therefore, he was careful in his reply.

  “I have an extremely important task for you,” he said seriously. “If the keep is breached, I want you with the women. They will need someone to defend them, Penny. Get up the stairs with your mother and guard this gate with your life. If they get past us, then you will be their last line of protection.”

  Because of the way he phrased it, Penelope didn’t put up a fight. “I need my sword, Papa. It is with my horse, in the stables.”

  William shook his head. “There is no time,” he said. “Get upstairs and find a weapon. A fire poker will do. Anything to defend your mother and the other ladies. No mercy, Penny.”

  She understood that command well. “No mercy, Papa.”

  “Aim to kill.”

  “I will.”

  With that, she began yelling for the women to move faster up the stairwell, including Cassiopeia and Rose Hage de Wolfe, the last ones to mount the stairs. They were helping comfort some of the women who seemed panic-stricken. There was sobbing and gasping on the upper floors as the women all went to take shelter and comfort. While Penelope and a de Royans soldier locked down the first stairwell, Cassiopeia and two more de Royans soldiers locked down the second one.

  After that, the hall cleared out and the wedding feast, effectively, was over.

  All they could do at that point was wait.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Their honor has been slandered and they are here to exact a pound of flesh.”

  Torston delivered the bad news to the group of knights standing inside the inner walls at the inner gatehouse. It was the safest place for them at the moment as the de Royans army, and the smaller escorts that had come with the guests, were being positioned all around the outer wall.

  William’s sons, Paris’ sons, and Kieran’s sons stood around in a tense group, along with their fathers. They were joined by Daniel, Gerard, and the commander of Beverly Castle, Connor Payton-Forrester, who was a personal friend of Torston’s. His father was a great friend of William’s. More powerful knights than were usually seen in one place mulled over the news as Torston, having just come from a group of hostile Scots standing outside his main gatehouse, shook his head wearily.

  “I should have prepared for this,” he said. “When I refused the Kerr suit for Alys’ hand, I should have prepared for this moment. I have been dealing with the Kerr for thirty years. I should have known they would not deal well with my denial.”

  William knew that all too well. He gestured to his son, Troy. “Troy has two holdings in the middle of Kerr territory,” he said. “He is also married to the daughter of Red Keith Kerr. You should let Troy negotiate some kind of treaty, Torston. He knows these men.”

  Troy, next to his father, sighed heavily. “This branch of the clan is not a branch we communicate with very much,” he said. “These are the Kerrs of Swanlaw, cousins of Keith, but they keep their distance. I am not entirely sure there is a feud with them, but they do not bother us and we do not bother them. I am not certain my presence would be well-met.”

  “What of Rhoswyn? If she is their cousin, surely they will not attack their own kin.”

  Troy nodded reluctantly. “It is possible,” he said. “But this is Rhoswyn’s first outing since delivering our youngest child and this was supposed to be an evening of fun and celebration for her. Now she must mediate a siege?”

  Torston held up a hand to silence their debate. “Although I appreciate your offer, the truth is that this is between me and Niven Kerr. They call him The Bull, you know. A stubborn and aggressive man. And he has hundre
ds of men with him, all of them waiting to rush the walls.”

  William and the others were looking at him seriously. “Then what do you propose to do? Much like you, we have our entire families up in that keep, so I would like to see this resolved peacefully. Do you want me to go and speak to the man?”

  As Torston geared up to refuse the great William de Wolfe, Edward stepped forward.

  The truth was that he hadn’t fought in a battle in a few years, so unlike his brothers and the rest of the knights, he didn’t really travel with his swords and protection. Other than an assortment of daggers, which he used with great skill, he hadn’t brought anything that a man needed for warfare, so his interest in all of this was not to escalate it into battle. He didn’t want to see his father or brothers involved, nor did he want to be involved in it.

  He held up a hand to silence the conversation.

  “As I see it, neither my father nor Lord de Royans should be speaking with the Kerr,” he said in his rich, distinctive speaking tone. “I negotiate treaties for the king, so let me approach them, as a neutral party and an emissary. It is my suspicion that since they feel cheated out of a bride, they are looking for some kind of compensation. What are you prepared to offer them, Lord de Royans?”

  Torston looked at him, bordering on being insulted. “Why should I not speak to them? Their anger is with me, after all.”

  Edward looked at him seriously. “That is precisely the point,” he said. “He is angry and if he has you to focus his anger on, then any negotiation will be fragile. But I am a neutral party, someone he does not know and has no quarrel with. Let me do this, my lord. This is what I am born to do.”

  William looked at his son proudly. “Listen to him,” he said. “The king relies on him heavily. He has negotiated situations far larger and more important than this one. He is so much like my father in that respect that it is frightening. Let him get us out of this, if he can.”

  Torston wasn’t all that excited about having someone else fight his battles for him. To him, it felt as if he were hiding behind Edward if the man tried to negotiate a truce. But he understood where Edward was coming from; any contact he had with Niven Kerr could very easily turn into an angry fight because Niven’s pride was hurt. But there was the matter of his pride, as well.