Knight Takes Queen, page 77
Lucien could have lied at that moment. He could have lied and told de Bretagne that Sophina wasn’t under his roof, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, at least not to de Bretagne. Lucien’s credibility was on the line and he wasn’t about to destroy what thirty years of honesty had created. He just couldn’t do it.
“Aye,” he said. “But you should hear my side of the story – the truthful side – before you make any determinations.”
“I am listening.”
Lucien cocked an eyebrow. “I was riding south yesterday when I saw the ambush take place on du Ponte’s party,” he said. “There was a carriage in the water and I could hear screaming, so I swam to the carriage and saved a lady and her daughter when du Ponte’s men ran off and abandoned them. I brought the women back here. They were quite shaken, understandably.”
De Bretagne nodded in understanding. “Did the lady tell you that she was destined for Gillingham Castle?”
“She did.”
“Yet you did not send word to du Ponte that you had rescued his intended and that she was safe?”
Lucien shook his head. “I am entertaining the Earl of Holderness at the moment,” he said, deliberately avoiding a direct answer. “But du Ponte’s intended is in good health, as is her daughter. They are in the keep.”
De Bretagne didn’t seem to notice that his question hadn’t really been answered but the reply that Lucien gave him seemed to satisfy him. He didn’t press. Still, there was another question that needed an answer.
“Du Ponte and his men returned to the scene of the ambush yesterday at some point and saw your men scavenging the carriage and the goods that it carried,” he said. “Is that true?”
Lucien rolled his eyes. He was very close to the end of his patience with du Ponte and his idiocy. “We were salvaging the ladies’ trunks,” he said. “We had to pull the carriage from the lake in order to get their possessions. Du Ponte’s men attacked my men for no reason and when my knight tried to explain why he was there, du Ponte would not listen. He tried to kill my men.”
De Bretagne scratched his head to the puzzling situation. “He said you were scavenging.”
Lucien simply looked at the man as if he had lost his mind. “Would I be the type to not only ambush an escort, but loot their goods?”
“Never.”
“Clearly, you must believe otherwise,” Lucien said. “Your mere presence here suggests you must have some inkling of doubt in my honor.”
De Bretagne shook his head firmly. “Nay, Lucien, that is not true,” he said. “I have complete faith in your honor. But du Ponte has a document that he claims is from the lady’s father and he is here to remove her. He believes you stole her. I do not need to remind you that du Ponte is a relative of Henry’s queen and if he wanted to make trouble for you, he could. So my presence here is to be a neutral party to mediate this situation and keep this fool from running off to Joan and telling her that Henry’s Iron Knight has stolen from him.”
Lucien could see his point. There was truth in what he said. Du Ponte was, indeed, related to the queen and he could cause some problems for Lucien if he wanted to. But more than that, Lucien was fixated on the fact that du Ponte had evidently brought documentation of his rights to the lady with him. Lucien could contest the documentation, of course, and refuse to turn over the lady, but then that would reveal to all, including Holderness, that he intended to marry Lady Sophina. His refusal to turn her over to du Ponte was personal.
With that thought, he was coming to feel the least bit uneasy. This had to be settled now and settled without a shadow of a doubt as only The Iron Knight could do it. Knowing what he had to do, he took a step back from the portcullis and ordered it lifted before returning to de Bretagne.
“Bring du Ponte in here,” he grumbled. “Only you and he. Leave your men outside.”
De Bretagne nodded, turning around and heading for his army, collected about a quarter of a mile away. Lucien couldn’t have watched the man go; he had turned towards the great hall, snapping orders as he went, pulling de Royans and Pembury with him and leaving Laurent on the wall. Once he entered the great hall to see Holderness sitting at a table with a full pitcher of wine in front of him, he told the man to return to his quarters. He didn’t want Holderness hearing what was about to be discussed.
Lucien, Colton, and Gabriel settled down at one end of a long feasting table and began to quietly discuss the reasons for Sherborne’s appearance. Lucien knew he had to be honest with them and quickly told them his reasons behind his intention to refuse to return Lady de Gournay to du Ponte.
To their credit, neither Colton nor Gabriel flinched at the news, although it was surprising considering they’d never known Lucien to show interest in any woman following the death of his wife. But the man was human and Lady de Gournay was quite beautiful, so when the surprise settled, they didn’t blame him in the least. Moreover, they knew of du Ponte’s reputation, too. He did not deserve so fine a lady. Therefore, when de Bretagne and du Ponte were finally escorted into the hall by Laurent, who left them there to return to his post on the wall, Lucien and his knights were ready to debate what was to come. Or, so they thought.
What they didn’t know was that Holderness, refusing to be ordered around by a mere knight, had not returned to his quarters at all.
He was in the alcove near the servant’s door, ready to listen to ever word said.
*
“You do realize that you are insulting Lord Tytherington by suggesting he ambushed your escort and pilfered the contents?” de Bretagne asked as he sat at the very end of the feasting table, looking at du Ponte. “He is a man of honor and would never do such a thing. You have heard his reasons as to why he was dragging the carriage from the lake. Why do you not believe him?”
Du Ponte was seated across from Lucien and his two big knights, who were glaring at him as if one word from Lucien and they would leap across the table and snap his neck. He felt cornered and threatened, unable to bring either of his knights into Spelthorne for his meeting with de Bretagne and de Russe. Now, he sat alone, feeling as if his life was worth very little in the great hall of Spelthorne. However, he had one thing that gave him the power above all else – the vellum upon which the marriage offer to Lady de Gournay was written. He held it in his hand, tightly, waiting for the correct moment to present it.
“Because his men were seen at the ambush and my men will attest to that,” he lied. “Then, when we returned to collect the carriage and save the women, his men were pulling the carriage from the pond and bringing all of the trunks onto the shore. Why else would he be doing that if he wasn’t trying to steal it all?”
Lucien wouldn’t keep silent as his honor was called into doubt. “I have told you, repeatedly, that I came upon the ambush during the course of the attack,” he said, his jaw ticking. “I pulled the women from the carriage to save their lives, which is more than your men did. They abandoned those women like cowards and I had no choice but to bring them back here. I sent my men to retrieve their belongings and that is what you saw when you returned to the lake. Are you truly such an idiot that you think I would resort to the same highway robbery you have been a party to? Don’t make me laugh.”
Du Ponte turned red around the ears, grievously insulted even if it was true. “How dare you slander me!” he said, banging a fist against the tabletop. “I demand an apology immediately!”
Colton couldn’t take anymore; he was a hot-blooded man, and young, and he sailed across the table, wrapping his hands around du Ponte’s neck as Gabriel and Lucien reached out to grab him. Gabriel had him around the waist as Lucien slid onto the tabletop and removed Colton’s hands from around du Ponte’s neck.
“At ease, Colton,” Lucien said steadily as he pulled the young knight back and away from the table. “I’ll no let you throttle him; not yet, anyway.”
Du Ponte, who had nearly fallen to the floor with Colton’s outburst, stood up from his seat, rubbing his neck and glaring at Lucien.
“Are your knights so poorly behaved, de Russe?” he barked. “I demand my own knights be allowed to protect me while this, – this interrogation goes on!”
De Bretagne was on his feet. He very much sided with Lucien but he was here to keep order and, it appeared, for good reason. There was a good deal of animosity and lies being flung about. He crooked a finger at Lucien as Gabriel kept Colton at bay.
“A word, my lord?” he asked.
Lucien came close, not particularly eager to hear what de Bretagne had to say. “What is it?”
De Bretagne spoke quietly. “We can do one of two things,” he muttered. “I can let your men have free rein on du Ponte and kill him, and we can say it was an accident, or I can let his brutes in just so he will shut his damn mouth. I’ve had to listen to that bastard spout off since yesterday and I very much want to do what your knight just did, but if it gets back to Henry….”
Lucien could see there was some humor mixed in with the serious suggestion. “Killing him is my first choice, but I suppose that would raise too many questions.”
De Bretagne nodded reluctantly. “It would. And you and I are charged with keeping the peace in this area.”
“That is very true.”
De Bretagne cast a long look at du Ponte. “Had I come here alone, with only him, I would be happy to bury the body for you, but as it is, we have many witnesses that have seen him enter your great hall. His death, while it would not be questioned, might reflect badly on you, my lord. Men would talk.”
Lucien appreciated the sage advice. He didn’t particularly care if it reflected badly on him or not because his primary concern was Sophina. If he had to kill a man to keep her safe, he would do so without hesitation. She hadn’t really come up yet, so far, but he knew she would. It was only a matter of time.
But the truth of the matter was that du Ponte’s death would bring up trouble Lucien didn’t particularly want. He wanted to live with Sophina in peace and if it was known that du Ponte died “accidentally” right before he married the man’s intended, then it could create something of a bad situation for them both. He didn’t want du Ponte’s death to be her burden. Still….
“I will send de Royans to bring his men in,” Lucien said. “Meanwhile, come with me. I want you to hear something.”
De Bretagne followed Lucien back to the table. He was interested in what the man had to say. As Lucien muttered a few words to the still-angry Colton and the young knight walked away, Lucien then turned his venom loose on du Ponte.
“Now, du Ponte, you are going to listen to me because I have had an earful of your slander and lies,” he said, jabbing a finger in the man’s face when he opened his mouth to protest. “Shut your stupid mouth and listen to me. Are you listening? Good. Now, this is the situation as I see it – because everyone knows you are linked to the outlaws in this area and they further know of your unscrupulous reputation, it is my opinion that you arranged the ambush on your own carriage for the purpose of murdering your intended. When you saw my men trying to salvage the carriage, you conveniently pinned it all on me.”
Du Ponte’s mouth flew open. “You slander me!” he hissed. “You are mad, de Russe, mad!”
“Then deny it. To my face, deny it.”
“Of course I deny it!’ du Ponte was so agitated that he nearly spit in Lucien’s face as spittle flew from his lips. “Why would I do such a terrible thing?”
Oddly enough, the more agitated du Ponte became, the cooler Lucien became. “To collect the dowry,” he said simply. “You could tell Andover that his daughter was killed by outlaws and you would still be entitled to her money without the matrimonial entailments. There is simply no other explanation for the ambush because it is you who controls the outlaws in the woods west of Tisbury and everyone knows it. De Bretagne, have you heard such things about du Ponte?”
De Bretagne was looking at du Ponte, now coming to understand more to the story than what du Ponte had told him. Of course, what Lucien said made perfect sense. Du Ponte was rumored to control several bands of outlaws in the area but no one had been able to definitively pin it on him. Aye, what Lucien said made perfect sense, indeed.
“I have,” he said steadily. “It seems that whenever we find someone who is willing to testify against him, they mysteriously vanish. I wonder how many murders are on your conscience, du Ponte.”
Eyes wide, du Ponte’s entire body stiffened with fury. “That is outrageous!” he sputtered. “You have no basis to make such accusations!”
Lucien spoke without hesitation. “Untrue,” he said. “We have had witnesses attest to seeing your men mingled with the outlaws west of Tisbury and also with a gang that is based around Shaftesbury. But those witnesses have vanished. Based on this knowledge, I say that it is you who ambushed your own carriage. Moreover, if you think, for one moment, that I am going to return Lady de Gournay and her daughter to you, then you are a fool.”
Du Ponte was enraged. “Then you cannot prove anything!” he said. With jerky movements, he pulled forth a rolled piece of vellum, tied off with hemp. He was so angry that his hands were shaking as he pulled off the string and unrolled the vellum. “This is a missive from Lord Andover, Lady de Gournay’s father. He has offered the lady’s hand to me and I have accepted. If you refuse to give her to me, then you have abducted my property and I can have you charged with theft. This is a legally binding contract between me and Lady de Gournay’s father!”
So the contract had been brought into play, the crux of the conversation at this point. Lucien, however, was unmoved. Nothing in the world was going to coerce him into turning Sophina over to du Ponte.
“It could be a forgery,” he said evenly. “You could have written that yourself for all I know.”
If they didn’t think it was possible for du Ponte to grow any angrier, they were wrong. He slammed the missive onto the table. “You dare go against the laws of this country?” he snarled. “You – a man who has sworn to uphold them?”
Lucien crossed his big arms. “I did not say I was going to go against the laws of England,” he said. “I simply said that your missive could be a forgery. You are not beyond such tactics.”
De Bretagne picked up the missive and looked at it. “It is signed by Lord Andover,” he said casually. “It also contains a seal. Lord Tytherington, you told me at the gatehouse that the lady confirmed she was destined for Gillingham Castle. This would seem to confirm that du Ponte is telling the truth. You can certainly bring the lady here to confirm this is her father’s signature if you truly believe it to be a forgery.”
Lucien’s heart sank. He knew de Bretagne was only pointing out the truth, trying to be fair in both cases. He didn’t know that Lucien was deeply attracted to Lady de Gournay and wished to marry her. Nay, he didn’t know any of that but, very quickly, he was going to catch on. There was no earthly reason for Lucien to keep the woman here when her intended was demanding she be returned to him. Very quickly, this was going to go against him if he didn’t say something.
Confess.
Say something!
“It is not necessary to produce the lady,” he said. “I believe I am satisfied.”
Du Ponte smacked the vellum triumphantly. “Then you will produce my intended,” he said. “And my carriage – I want my carriage returned to me, also.”
Lucien glanced at Gabriel, who had so far been standing strong and silent behind him. “Tell him of his carriage,” Lucien muttered.
Addressed, Gabriel took a step forward. “Your carriage is back at the lake, my lord,” he said formally. “We recovered the baggage and left the vehicle.”
Du Ponte appeared surprised by the news. “You left it there?”
“There was no reason to bring it back to Spelthorne, my lord.”
Truth be told, du Ponte was astonished by the news. His carriage had been more important than the return of the lady. As he’d planned, the entire fuss about the woman had been a cover to get that fine carriage back. He thought he’d been fairly clever about introducing the carriage into the conversation without making him seem very petty, but now that he was told it was still back at the lake it was all he could do to keep from running out of the door and ordering his men to flee south to claim the carriage. In fact, someone else could have claimed it by now and his astonishment at the news began to transition into agitation again.
“So you left it there but brought the woman and her baggage to Spelthorne?” he asked. “That makes no sense. Now you’ve left the carriage for someone else to take it!”
Gabriel felt as though the words were directed at him, at least about the carriage. He didn’t have the luxury of showing his distaste with du Ponte like Lucien and de Bretagne did. Of a lesser rank, he had to maintain the illusion of respect.
“My lord, I had seven wounded men as a result of your attack by the lake,” he said. “It was more important to me to get them home than drag along a carriage that was of no concern to me. I was leading the salvage contingent and I tried to call to you when your men attacked, but you did not hear me. You never made any attempt to find out who we were or what we were doing there. You simply sent your men against us with swords drawn, forcing us to defend ourselves. Hauling that carriage back to Spelthorne was the least of my worries after that.”
Du Ponte could hear a rebuke in that polite statement. His eyes narrowed. “You made no attempt to contact me.”
“I did, my lord. Several times.”
Du Ponte could most definitely hear the rebuke, then. He refrained from responding to the knight, as the man was beneath him, and, instead, turned to Lucien again.
“I will go and retrieve my carriage,” he seethed. “If it is missing, then I hold you responsible. Right now, however, I want what I have come for. You will give me Lady de Gournay.”
Lucien couldn’t help but notice the entire time he spoke of Sophina, he’d never once mentioned Emmaline. Lucien was coming to wonder if du Ponte even realized the woman had a daughter.
