Once Upon a Historical Christmas, page 37
“From my father,” explained Alex. “It was his signet ring with the monogram of our surname on it.”
“Nay,” said Summer. “I recognize it as my late husband’s ring. The M stands for Mowbray, not Masterson.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, starting to remove it. “I had no idea that my father stole it.”
“Nay, keep it. It actually might be your father’s ring – your real father that is, if you are Peter Mowbray.”
“But I thought Peter was stillborn,” said Charlotte, not understanding any of this.
“We all thought that,” said Warren.
“My father – Crandell told me on his deathbed that Peter Mowbray did not die,” explained Alex. “I don’t know if it’s the truth, Lady Summer, but he told me when he went to bury your baby and discovered it still alive, he kept it for himself.”
“That bastard,” growled Warren. “He was deceitful in more ways than one.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Alex.
“Warren, please,” said Summer, touching her husband’s arm. “We all want to know if this story is true, and there is only one way to find out. Now start digging.”
“But Mother, you shouldn’t be here,” said Dominick. “If we find Peter’s bones, it is going to be too hard for you to handle.”
“On the contrary, I need closure,” said Summer. “I never saw my baby being put in the ground because I was too weak after the birth to get out of bed. I need to see for myself if Peter is there –” She pointed to the ground. “Or there –” she said, pointing at Alex. “And I hope against all the odds the latter is true because I would be proud if you were my son, Alex.”
Lady Summer’s words melted Alex’s heart and almost made him cry. “Aye. We need to know,” he said, taking his shovel and being the first one to break the ground.
Charlotte watched as the three men and even Summer dug up the grave of Peter Mowbray. She held her breath when Alex’s shovel clunked off of a hard object in the ground.
“It’s here,” said Alex, keeping his eyes focused on the grave. Charlotte brought her lantern closer and held it over the hole. There, in the ground, was a small wooden box, just the size that would be used for a newborn.
“Step aside, Summer,” said Warren, reaching down and pulling the casket from the earth. He placed it atop the snow-covered ground and used his shovel to break the lock that held it closed.
“Warren, hold me,” said Summer, reaching out for her husband. “I feel as if I’m going to swoon.”
Warren stepped back and held his wife. They all stood there in the dark, by the light of just a few lanterns and the moon, staring at what might be the final resting place of Peter Mowbray.
“Who is going to open the box?” whispered Dominick, as if he were afraid to say it aloud.
“I will,” said Warren, moving forward, but Summer held him back.
“Nay, Husband. It should be me who does this.” She stepped forward and reached out for the casket with shaking hands.
“Nay. No mother should ever have to open the casket of her child.” Alex limped forward and took Summer’s hand off the wooden box. “Please, let me do it.”
“Are you sure?” asked Summer. The air grew tense.
“God’s eyes, someone do it before we all freeze to death out here,” complained Warren. He wore a cloak over his night tunic, pulling it closer around him. “I’ve never ended up in a graveyard in the middle of the night in winter before even on one of my sleepwalking escapades.”
“Sleepwalking?” asked Charlotte, curious as to what that meant.
“Don’t ask,” said Warren, “because you don’t want to know.”
“May I, Lady Summer?” asked Alex, being ever so polite.
“Please do,” she said with a nod of her head, clinging to her husband’s arm.
Alex reached out with trembling hands. “I have to admit, I fear what I might find in the box. And then I also fear what I might not find. But either way, I can’t live like this anymore. One way or another, tonight I will finally have my answer.”
“And so will I,” said Lady Summer.
“All right. I’m going to open it now,” he said, reaching out but then pulling his hands back and shaking his head.
“Do it,” Dominick urged him.
“Go ahead, Alex.” Charlotte nodded.
Once again, he reached out, and this time his fingers closed around the edges of the lid. But from years of being in the ground, the box was stuck shut. “It won’t open,” said Alex.
“Perhaps if we both try, we can do it,” suggested Summer.
“Stand back,” said Warren, having no patience for this. He used his shovel to pry open the lid and then stood back and held out his arm to Alex. “Go ahead,” he said with a nod.
Alex took hold of the lid and lifted it upward, but stopped midway. Charlotte could see the indecision on his face.
“Let me help you,” said Charlotte, stepping forward and putting her hands on the lid as well.
“And me,” said Summer, doing the same.
“Don’t leave me out,” added Dominick, bending down as well.
“I’m already in my nightclothes. I’m not getting down in the dirt so count me out,” complained Warren. “Now do it, or I swear I’ll push you all out of the way and flip the box over with my foot.”
“Nay, don’t do that,” pleaded Summer.
“On the count of three,” said Charlotte, trying to help the process along. “One . . . two . . . three.” They lifted the lid, and all stared down to see an empty box.
“There’s nothing there,” said Summer, holding her hand to her heart.
“That means my brother was never buried here,” Dominick told them.
“It means Peter Mowbray didn’t die when he was born after all,” said Warren with a yawn.
“Crandell was telling the truth.” Alex stared into the box with wide eyes, looking frightened and relieved at the same time.
“Alex,” said Charlotte, taking him by the arm. “Does this mean . . . are you . . .”
“Aye,” said Alex, keeping his face emotionless but nodding slowly. He focused on the empty casket. “It means Lady Summer is my mother and the Ladies Regina and Claire are my half-sisters. Dominick, you are my brother,” he said, looking up to the man. “I am Peter. I’ve been reborn this night.” He looked at Summer and limped over to give her a hug. “Mother,” he said, catching her in his arms as she fainted.
Silent Knight: Alexander
Elizabeth Rose
Chapter 10
Alex paced the floor outside his mother’s chamber, worried since she fainted and Warren had called for the healer. It had been a long time and, still, he had no word of how she fared.
“She’ll be all right,” said Charlotte, staying with him to support him. It was dawn already, and Alex felt exhausted from not having slept at all last night. He reached out and took Charlotte’s hands in his.
“I am sure you are right,” said Alex. “After all, Warren and the healer are in there with her. I’m sure they won’t let anything happen to her.”
“How do you feel about finding out who you really are?” asked Charlotte.
“I’m confused,” he admitted. “How would you feel if you found out you weren’t really who you thought you were your entire life?”
“There will be a lot of changes now. For everyone,” said Charlotte.
“I know.” Alex pulled her to him, gathering her in his arms. “I just hope you still want to marry me.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I wouldn’t care if you were only the son of a peasant, I would want you just the same. I am here for you, Alex, and will help you through this trying and confusing time.”
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life.” He kissed her and rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“I don’t know about that,” she told him. “After all, you are a noble now. I’m sure your mother will want you to live at Framlingham Castle now that she knows you are her son.”
“I’m not sure how to be Peter Mowbray or how to be anything but a mercenary.”
“I heard that, Brother,” said Dominick, coming down the corridor holding his son, Robert, in his arms. Claire and Regina were with him.
“Is it true?” asked Regina. “Are you the son of Norbert Mowbray?”
“Are you our half-brother?” asked Claire.
“Aye, I suppose so,” he answered, letting out a deep breath as he tried to get used to saying that.
“Then it’s a good thing you didn’t try to kiss Regina or me,” said Claire. “Now give us a hug – Brother.”
Alex hugged both the girls and then Dominick reached out and shook his hand. “I’m going to like having a brother,” said Dominick. “Robert, this is your Uncle . . . Peter? Or Alex?”
“I – I’m not sure what name to go by,” said Alex. “But either way, I’m glad to meet you, Robert.” Alex reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair.
The little boy laughed and hid his face against Dominick’s chest.
The door to the solar opened, and the healer walked out. Warren was with him.
“How is Lady Summer – I mean . . . Mother?” asked Alex, worried about the woman.
“She is going to be just fine,” said the healer. “She fainted because of hearing the news, among other things.”
“Other things?” asked Alex.
“Thank you,” said Warren, dismissing the man before he said anything more.
“Can we see her now?” asked Dominick.
“Aye, but Summer wants to see only Alex, first,” said Warren, stepping out of the room and motioning for Alex to enter.
Nervously, Alex stepped into the solar and closed the door behind him. Looking over to the bed, he saw Summer sitting up and smiling. The color had returned to her face.
“Come here,” she told him, holding out her arms. “I want to see you and hold you and know that you are real.” Tears dripped down her cheeks.
“Mother,” he said, testing the word on his tongue. “I have never had a mother.”
“And I have never had a child come back from the dead.”
Alex sat on the edge of the bed and fell into his mother’s arms. Both of them wept tears of joy. Alex had never cried before, and now he made up for holding in his emotions for the last twenty-two years.
“It is a miracle,” said Summer, holding him and kissing him, not wanting to let him go. “You are alive. I prayed every day since the day I lost you, hoping your little soul went to Heaven. I am furious with Crandell for doing what he did, but I am ever so thankful he told you the truth before he died.”
“And so am I,” said Alex, pulling back to look at his mother’s beautiful face. He reached out and used his hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“How does it feel for you, Son?”
“I am still overwhelmed and not sure I believe this.”
“It’s true, Peter. You are alive. I didn’t lose you after all. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Peter,” he said, dropping his hand to the bed in thought.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you Peter. Your name is Alex.”
“Aye, it is what I’m used to. However, it is also a lie. I am not sure what to call myself.”
“Well, whatever name you decide on is fine with me,” she told him with a smile. “All that matters, is that you are alive again.”
“I think, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be called Alexander Peter Mowbray.”
“I love it,” she said, reaching over and taking his face in her hands and kissing him again. “I can’t wait to tell my sisters, Spring, Autumn, and Winter.”
“I have aunts named after the seasons?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Not only that, but you have uncles that are the Legendary Bastards of the Crown.”
“I know of them,” said Alex. “And I am honored to be related to everyone you just mentioned.”
The door opened a crack. Claire stuck her head into the room. “Mother? Are you going to make the rest of your children stand out in the corridor all day or can we come in, too?”
“Come in, my family,” said Summer, holding out her arms. “I want all my children with me.”
Everyone piled into the room and sat on the bed with Summer. Little Robert crawled over and sat on her lap.
“I still can’t believe I have another brother,” said Claire. “One was more than enough.”
“Good thing I know you are jesting,” said Dominick.
“Can I come in, too?” asked Charlotte’s mother, Lady Ann.
“Please do,” said Summer.
“I’ve heard you are Peter Mowbray,” said Lady Ann.
“He is going to be called Alex,” Summer interjected.
“Alexander Peter Mowbray,” he said, liking the way it sounded. “So, if I can ask, just to get this correct – Regina, Dominick, and myself have the same father, the late baron Norbert Mowbray. But Claire’s father is Warren.”
“That’s right,” said Claire proudly. “I am the only child from the union of Lady Summer and Lord Warren.”
Warren cleared his throat and looked over at Summer. “Well, Claire, I don’t want to disappoint you, but that might be changing soon.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“It’s another miracle,” said Summer. “I didn’t believe it was true, but the healer said one of the reasons I fainted was because . . . because I am pregnant again.”
Everyone was quiet for a second, not sure what to say. Then Alex reached out and gave his mother a hug. “Congratulations, Mother.”
“You are having a baby?” asked Claire in shock. “Now?”
“Not now, you fool,” said Dominick. “She’s got months before it is born.”
“I meant at her age,” Claire told her brother.
“It seems so,” said Summer, glowing with happiness, holding her hand on her stomach. “I think God is making up for all the misery and mishaps in my life. I not only have a son rise up from the dead today, but a new life is budding within me as well.”
“Then have a girl,” said Claire. “I want a sister.”
Everyone laughed. “Your mother has a hard time with pregnancies and will need all of us to assist her through this so she won’t have another miscarriage,” said Warren.
“That’s right,” said Summer. “I don’t want to lose another child when I’ve just gained one.”
“We’ll be here to help in any way possible,” said Alex, pulling Charlotte into his arms. “Charlotte and I are going to be married.”
“What?” gasped Lady Ann. “Charlotte, why didn’t you consult me first?”
“Mother, I am an adult and don’t need your approval,” said Charlotte, snuggling up to Alex. “Besides, you should be overjoyed to know I’m not marrying a commoner. I am marrying a noble, just like you wanted.”
“Oh. I suppose so,” said Lady Ann, seeming to accept the fact.
“I’ll make sure you are trained and dubbed a knight right away,” Warren told Alex. “Any stepson of mine is going to be titled if I have anything to say about it.”
“And I’ll be sure to teach you anything else you’ll need to know, Brother,” said Dominick, grinning from ear to ear. “I think I can get used to having a brother.”
“Me, too,” said Alex, feeling so loved by everyone that his heart was ready to burst. He held Charlotte’s hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “I only hope you will be proud of me, Charlotte. I will never have what most knights do – with my leg and all, I mean.”
“Nay, you won’t,” said Charlotte, looking into his eyes as she spoke. “You have so much more.” He felt the love emanating from her and the sincerity of her words.
“But I was a mercenary my entire life, Charlotte. It’s something I am not proud of.”
“I don’t see it that way,” she said, smiling and making him feel like the luckiest man in the world. “The way I see it, you were living a life that wasn’t true and wasn’t really you. Look at it in a different light. You were noble all the time and just didn’t know it. You were always a knight beneath the exterior of being a mercenary. I will never see you as anything less than a noble, titled man.”
“You won’t?” he asked.
“Nay, Alexander Peter Mowbray,” she answered. “To me, you were really a knight inside all the time, but you just didn’t know it.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “You were always noble. I could tell that by your actions the first day we met. And even when you thought you might be noble, you still didn’t say anything until you were sure. You are considerate. You keep your emotions inside and are much too quiet. Alexander Peter Mowbray, you were always special, but you didn’t know it. You were a Silent Knight.”
Silent Knight: Alexander
Elizabeth Rose
From Elizabeth Rose
From the Author:
I hope you enjoyed Silent Knight and will take the time to leave a review for me.
I tried not to ruin too many surprises in case this book was read before reading Summer. Therefore, it was left a mystery as to if Baron Norbert Mowbray was murdered and, if so, who the killer could be.
When I first set out to write this story, I knew I wanted a child of one of my main characters from one of my series. I always create my covers before I write the book. I had a photo of a man with dark hair I wanted to use. At first, I wanted to write Dominick’s story, but realized he had blond hair. But alas, looking deeper into the story, I discovered I could write about Summer’s child that she thought she had lost. He had dark hair. However, he also had a twisted leg in the story, Summer. Hmmm. That made it more challenging for me, but I embraced the challenge and embarked upon Alex’s story. No disability can hold back a man in love!
My Second in Command Series is about secondary characters from any of my series. Please visit my website to find out more about this series.
