The Agents of William Marshal Volume I: A Medieval Romance Bundle, page 38
“I did, my lord.”
Padraig thought a moment longer but it was clear he couldn’t determine where, exactly, he’d heard the name and Kress wasn’t going to give him a hint. All of the Christian armies had heard of the Executioner Knights at one point during the long months and years they were anchored to that dry and deadly land, but that moniker wasn’t something Kress bragged about. If Summerlin eventually figured it out, all well and good, but Kress wasn’t going to give him a hand at it.
There were more important things to discuss than a man’s dark reputation.
“It has been quite some time since I have been to this part of Norfolk,” Kress continued, moving away from Summerlin’s inability to remember where he’d heard his name. “I was trying to recall and I believe it was back when I was newly knighted. My liege was a friend of William d’Aubigney, the Elder. Your liege’s father, I believe. We came to Castle Rising for some kind of a festival, though I do not remember exactly what it was. I do remember there were many pretty girls in attendance, however.”
Padraig smiled faintly as he poured himself some wine. “Norfolk abounds with pretty women. Something about the wild nature of the land breeds them.”
Kress took a drink of wine. “I would believe that,” he said. “We ran into a group of them as we came through Lynn.”
Padraig glanced at him, amused. “You have a mission, de Rhydian. Pretty maids in Lynn will have to wait.”
Kress grinned in return. “True enough,” he said, quickly sobering. “Speaking of maids, what can you tell us about Cadelyn of Vendotia? Anything in particular we should know about her, as her escort?”
Padraig’s good humor seemed to fade, as well. “She is formidable,” he said honestly. “I have been commander at Castle Rising for about ten years and she was here when I took command. She was quite young at the time but, even then, she ruled the place.”
“A tyrant, then?”
Padraig shook his head. “Not really,” he said. “It is simply the way about her. She commands respect simply by walking into a room. It is difficult to explain, but you will understand when you meet her. Even if you did not know the girl’s lineage, you would suspect simply by the way she is.”
“How is that?”
Padraig lifted his eyebrows as if thinking of where to start. “She is brilliant, for one thing,” he said. “She is also extremely accomplished. She can speak several languages, she handles all of the finances here at Castle Rising because my wife refuses to do them and the majordomo is more of a follower than a leader. Cadelyn is, quite simply, a woman who will make a fine countess because of her many talents. Do not get into an argument with her, about anything. You will lose.”
Kress digested that. “The majordomo said everyone was proud of her because she would go on to be a great countess,” he said, his voice low. “Is that all anyone knows about her? They do not know the truth?”
Padraig shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “Not even my wife knows, and she has been close to Cadelyn. It is better that way. Cadelyn knows, of course, but she is neither impressed by it, nor does she want it. Still, she understands that she must keep such sensitive information to herself. But this betrothal… you may as well know she wants no part of it. It will not be an easy thing, escorting her to de Shera.”
As Kress scratched his head, pondering a reluctant subject, Alexander spoke. “Why doesn’t she want any part of it?” he asked. “Does she have a lover?”
But Padraig shook his head. “Nothing like that,” he said. “She knows this is to be a political alliance and she is as far from political as one can get. De Shera sent a missive a while ago, right after the betrothal was contracted, inquiring about her health and generally being pleasant, but she refused to respond to it. Not even my wife could get her to do it.”
“And de Shera?” Alexander asked. “What do you know of him?”
Padraig held up a finger. “That is a very good question,” he said. “I have heard about The Paladin and how Tatius’ younger brothers are the ones who run the place and command the de Shera armies. That is common knowledge in this part of England. But I had an old merchant here once, a man with a business in Chester who stayed the night on his way to Norwich, who told me some interesting things about Tatius de Shera.”
“Like what?”
Padraig looked at Alexander, pointedly. “Do not repeat this to Tatius, but this old merchant told me after too much wine that Tatius is a drunkard, a man who loses himself to wine far too often.”
“How would he even know that?”
“Because the old merchant evidently did a good deal of business with The Paladin,” Padraig said. “But he told me something else that was far more interesting.”
“What was that?”
“Tatius de Shera’s mother was Welsh,” he said. “His younger brothers are only half-brothers, sons of their father’s second English wife. The old merchant said that he had heard that Tatius de Shera was sympathetic towards the Welsh resistance under English rule.”
Alexander and Kress looked at each other curiously. “So he is sympathetic?” Alexander said. “If his mother was Welsh, I am sure that is a natural reaction.”
Padraig cocked an eyebrow. “Can you imagine the entire de Shera army used for the Welsh princes of the north? It would be a rebellion like none other.”
Alexander frowned. “But John recently married his daughter, Joan, to Llywelyn, the last great Welsh prince,” he said. “Llywelyn is from the north and surely he will not rebel against the English now that he has an English wife.”
“Are you certain of that? With the de Shera army behind him, he could do a good deal of damage to the Marches. The great Marcher Lords – de Lohr and de Lara included – would be under great threat.”
It was a rather stunning bit of information, something that was not lost on the four knights, who glanced at each other rather ominously.
“Have you told The Marshal about this?” Kress asked the obvious. “If not, then you must. He needs to know. If de Shera truly has Welsh sympathies, then marrying him to the last great Welsh princess could be detrimental to England, at the very least.”
Padraig returned to his wine. “I have told him,” he said. “When this betrothal came up, I had to. We get travelers here from time to time, crossing through the midsection of England and on into Norfolk, so gossip is not unusual, but this merchant seemed to know a great deal. As I said, his business is in Chester, so he has been there a very long time and knows the politics of the lords. When I told The Marshal what I’d heard, he didn’t seem to be concerned. It is only rumor, after all. The younger de Shera brothers control the army, as Tatius shows no interest in his earldom, or at least that is what The Marshal told me. He seems to think it is important to marry Cadelyn to de Shera simply to balance out the power in the north.”
“The power against John,” Kress finished quietly, looking at his companions, who seemed to understand the situation as well as he did. His focus returned to Padraig. “And you say Cadelyn has no interest in this betrothal?”
Padraig shook his head. “Not in the least,” he said. “She may be Welsh-born, but she is English to the bone. Even if Tatius wanted to lend his armies to the Welsh, I am certain she would have no part of that. It might be the saving grace.”
“Why do you say so?”
“Because disharmony from a Welsh princess against her people’s rebellion will cause confusion. She will not be the beacon of inspiration for them, if they hope for such a thing.”
It made the situation far more complex than anyone had anticipated. There were politics at work; but, then again, there were always politics at work when it came to William Marshal and King John. That was nothing new. But this was more than they had anticipated and certainly more than William had let on. Kress pondered the information for a moment longer before speaking.
“Thank you for telling us what you know,” he said. “Our eyes will be open a little wider as we head into Chester.”
“Exactly.”
Padraig lifted his cup to Kress, drinking deeply, and the knights followed suit. It seemed as if their simple escort mission suddenly wasn’t so simple. The conversation veered away from the coming escort mission at that point, perhaps because Summerlin had said all he wanted to say, and they began to discuss the fine horses that Padraig had in his stables. The man had a priceless Belgian warmblood stallion that he was breeding with sturdy Spanish Jennet mares and creating offspring that were much in demand. In fact, he had Achilles’ attention, as the man had a particular interest in fine horse flesh, so the next hour or two revolved around horses and breeding, among other things.
Kress and Alexander, however, didn’t have too much interest in that subject, so they branched out into a conversation of their own, mostly about what Summerlin had told them. As William had told the four, Alexander was the decision maker and, at the moment, Alexander wasn’t pleased with what he’d heard. He was wondering if they were going to run into unexpected issues once they reached The Paladin because of it. He and Kress were discussing the possibility of sending The Marshal another missive about what Summerlin had told them when they began to hear voices in the foyer.
Female voices were echoing off the stone, drawing their attention, as the majordomo entered the hall from the keep entry. From the angle of the sun, it was beginning to set and the great hall was growing dark, and the old man was directing the servants to stoke the fire and light the banks of fat, tallow candles that filled the corners of the hall.
But the knights weren’t paying attention to the servants. They were paying attention to the host of female voices, drawing closer. There was a short staircase from the entry leading up into the hall, and they could see the figures of women coming up the stairs. It was still dark enough in the hall that they couldn’t distinguish anyone, or see facial features, so Kress didn’t pay much attention until Padraig spoke.
“Ah,” he said. “Lady Cadelyn has arrived.”
With that, Kress stood up, purely out of courtesy for the woman and her position. He heard Alexander hiss something that sounded like “Oh, Christ,” which caused him to look at the man. But Alexander was looking at the approaching women, and Kress turned his attention in that direction as well, for emerging into the dim light of the hall was the young woman with the pearl ribbons in her hair.
Kress’ eyes widened.
“Lady Cadelyn,” Padraig, said, oblivious to the knights reacting behind him. “It seems we had some difficulty locating you today. I do not recall giving you permission to leave the grounds.”
The young woman opened her mouth to reply but, behind her, an older woman pushed forward, putting herself between the young woman and Padraig.
“I gave her permission, my husband.” Lady Delesse de Winter Summerlin had made an appearance. A pretty woman with brown hair and brown eyes, she was fixed on Padraig. “She took her companions with her and went to purchase writing materials. She has made the same trip into town dozens of times without mishap.”
Padraig eyed his wife impatiently before returning his attention to Cadelyn. “My lady, the knights from William Marshal have arrived,” he said, turning to indicate Kress and the others. “You were foretold of this. They have come to take you to your betrothed.”
Kress was staring at Cadelyn when she caught sight of him. He’d had a few seconds to overcoming his shock at seeing her, but she had no time at all. Her gaze fell upon him and her eyes widened dramatically. Kress could see some kind of strong reaction coming, so he quickly, and gallantly, dipped his head.
“My lady,” he greeted evenly. “It is a pleasure to be of service. Permit me to introduce my fellow knights – Alexander de Sherrington, Achilles de Dere, and Bric MacRohan. We are all pleased to be at your service.”
Cadelyn’s startled gaze moved from Kress to Alexander, to Achilles and finally Bric before returning to Kress. To her credit, she didn’t respond in a confused or surprised manner. She seemed to understand that Kress wasn’t going to acknowledge that they had already met. With that understanding, she calmed dramatically.
“My… my lords,” she said, lowering her gaze quickly. “I am Cadelyn d’Aubigney.”
Kress looked at Padraig curiously. “D’Aubigney?”
Padraig held up a hand, discreetly, to let him know it was something to be discussed out of the earshot of those who did not know of Cadelyn’s true identity. In addition to Lady Summerlin, there were the other two women from town – the tall lass with the copper curls and the shorter one with the long, brown hair, and it was clear that Padraig didn’t want any more to be said. He turned to his wife.
“Please take Lily-Elsie with you when you go,” he told her. “This conversation is not for you.”
Lady Summerlin started to leave but realized he’d not included the woman with the copper curls in that command. “What of Lady Susanna?” she asked.
“She will remain.”
Confused, and unhappy, Lady Summerlin flounced off with Lily-Elsie on her heels. As the women quit the hall the same way they’d come, Padraig turned to the table.
“Lady Cadelyn, you and Lady Susanna will sit with us,” he said, indicating the spot directly across from Kress. “There is much to discuss.”
Bric and Achilles moved down the bench so Cadelyn and Susanna could sit. When everyone was seated and settled, Padraig looked to Cadelyn. There was a sense of expectation in the air as he looked at her, as if now, the situation they’d concealed for so many years was to finally be revealed.
The moment they had prepared for was at hand.
“As you know, you are to be escorted to The Paladin near Chester to join your betrothed, the Earl of Ellesmere,” Padraig said. “These men know who you are, and what you are. They are men of the highest order, sworn to secrecy, so we may speak freely on the subject.”
He turned to Kress, expecting the man to say something, but Kress didn’t speak right away. He was eyeing the woman with the copper curls who was sitting next to Cadelyn. Given that William Marshal had told them that Lady Cadelyn had a female bodyguard, he suspected who the woman was.
“You are the bodyguard The Marshal told us of,” he said to the woman. “Lady Susanna, is it?”
Susanna nodded. “Aye, my lord,” she said. She, too, sensed that the knights weren’t going to acknowledge that they had already previously met, not under the best of circumstances, so she went along with the charade. “I am Susanna de Tiegh.”
“Where are you from?”
“My father was Baron Coverdale of Aysgarth Castle in Cumbria.”
Kress nodded. “I have heard of it,” he said, his gaze lingering on her. “But you… a lady bodyguard? How did this come about?”
Susanna met his gaze steadily and Kress found himself looking into fine features and eyes the color of a sapphire. She wasn’t unattractive in the least, but her hair was uncombed and her dress slovenly. She almost had a masculine way about her, tough and seasoned in a world of men who would not accept that from a woman.
Any woman.
If Kress could guess, the woman had to be closed to thirty years of age, and obviously unmarried. No husband would permit his wife to assume duties that Susanna had assumed, and if he did, then he would be a poor excuse of a man.
She was quite an oddity.
“My father had two children, twins,” Susanna said, breaking in to his train of thought. “My brother and I were inseparable. Anything he did, I did, and that included fostering. We both went to Exelby Castle to foster years ago, but I did not want to learn what fine ladies learn. I wanted to do what my brother was doing. Lord de Geld, the Lord of Exelby, was not a very firm man. He let me do as I wished, against the advice of the knights. As it turned out, I was better than most of their recruits.”
She was making a statement of fact, without gloating in her manner, but the distaste the men felt at the thought of a woman thinking she could possibly be as skilled as they were was evident. Achilles, seated next to her, spoke up.
“Then Exelby must have had a good many weak men parading as warriors,” he said, doubt in his voice. “Were you knighted?”
Susanna turned to look at him, the very big and bald knight who was a good deal younger than his bare head would suggest. “Nay,” she said, lifting an eyebrow. “Were you?”
Kress fought off a grin at her saucy reply but he could see that Achilles found nothing humorous about it.
“By men better than anything you have ever stood against,” he growled. “A woman who does not know her place in life is an insult to every man who has ever lifted a sword.”
To her credit, Susanna didn’t openly react to his offense. She kept her composure. “I would be happy to demonstrate just how much of an insult I am,” she said. “Say the word and I shall meet you with my sword wherever, and whenever, you wish.”
Achilles’ eyes narrowed. “I would not lower myself to such a thing.”
Susanna shrugged. “As you wish, my lord,” she said, returning her attention to Kress. “Do all of your men fade from such a challenge? Mayhap, they are not up to the task of escorting Lady Cadelyn to her betrothed. That task requires men of courage.”
Before Kress could reply, Achilles was going for his sword and Susanna, seeing his movement in her periphery, vaulted from the bench and ended up several feet away, her skirts up around her waistline to reveal that she was wearing leather breeches and a broadsword strapped to her waist underneath. Her hand was on the hilt of her sword and the gemstone eyes were fixed on her opponent, but before Achilles could charge her, Cadelyn stood up and put her hands out.
“Cease!” she commanded in a tone that one could not have imagined to come from a slender young woman. “Susanna is quite capable of taking you on in a fight but I will not permit that to happen, not at this moment. We have more important things to deal with than her bold tongue and a man’s wounded pride, so keep your weapons in their sheaths. Susanna, go stand by the hearth. I will not have you provoking these men.”
Susanna immediately turned for the hearth, going to stand where she had been told. She was quite obedient. Achilles, however, was furious. His eyes spit venom at the woman as she quite calmly met his gaze. There was absolutely no fear there.
