A Lady's Charade (Medieval Romance Novel) (34 page)

This task of setting things right for his son might be his last. Perhaps on his way to Hardwyck he should leave instructions for the steward to replace everyone. Yes, perhaps he would.

His body overtook him for another twenty minutes of coughing. Thick retching coughs that left him limp and barely able to move. The front of his tunic covered in spittle, phlegm and blood.

Aye, one last task indeed may be all he could accomplish before meeting the devil in hell.

Chapter Twenty

The ride to see King Henry at court was grueling. Alexander kept a hard pace the entire way, making the three day trip in just two. His party stopped but once a day for a short rest and to eat and then traveled until dark, stopping to sleep a few short hours. Everyone, including the horses, seemed to understand his urgency, and kept up with him, not even a word of unhappiness uttered.

They slowed their pace as the great tower walls of Windsor Castle came into view. When they reached the towered gatehouse, several of the warriors in the ramparts recognized Alexander and immediately opened the gate to allow for his passage. He waved to the men, recognizing several of them himself. Although his visit was to be short, he was glad to see some of his old acquaintances again. He would invite them to the wedding feast.

Alexander had sent his messenger ahead of him to let the king know of their impending arrival. Although he knew it was presumptuous of him, and could very well be taken not so well by King Henry, he wanted to make sure he had his full attention upon his arrival. Covered in a layer of dust and sweat, starving and exhausted, there was quite a crowd to greet them.

King Henry himself was waiting upon the steps of his castle. Alexander quickly dismounted and hurried before his lord where he bowed in perfect formation.

“Lord Hardwyck, my loyal vassal, so wonderful to see you again. It has been so long.”

“Your Majesty,” Alexander said coming to stand before the king. “It has indeed been too long.”

“Come, old friend, let us discuss what is happening in your life. I have received some of the news from your messenger, but prefer to hear it all from you.”

“Aye, your majesty, I have much to tell you.”

Alexander followed King Henry into the castle’s great hall where they took seats at the great table.

****

A week had gone by with no word from Alexander, and he had not returned to Hardwyck. He’d said seven to ten days. Seven had already passed. Chloe shouldn’t be worrying quite yet. The part of her mind that was irrational at the moment kept telling her something must have gone wrong.

To get her mind off of things, Lady Anne had set up a meeting with the healers she had been teaching her secrets to in the village. As she sat sullenly looking at the ground, listening to the gossip of the women, many of them begged her to go home, assuring her they had everything under control and there was no need for her to stay. She was confident the women could handle things on their own, but she needed to stay, she needed to be there, for her own sanity.

If not she would have been at home pacing the floors, her mind racing.
Home.
Hardwyck was her home now, the keep her sanctuary. When had it begun to be so? She couldn’t remember. It struck her suddenly that with Alexander anyplace was home, and perhaps her irrational fears were only because she was afraid to lose another home? Afraid to lose the comfort and safety of Alexander’s presence? So much had happened to her in the past few days. Her normal take charge mindset would not kick in. Now the forlorn little girl she’d left in the woods was coming back.

She had been so strong, so set, so focused since she arrived in Hardwyck and she had been able to accomplish so many things, but now everything was turned upside down. She needed to think, she needed exercise. That ought to do her some good.

“I, uh, I think I need to get some air. Please continue without me,” she said as she stood. The ladies all stood and curtsied to her, treating her as the lady she was. She turned without saying another word and left.

Alexander’s two Irish wolfhounds greeted her on her way out of the little house. They nuzzled against her, their wet noses tickling her hand.

“Come on boys.” Since their master left, the two dogs had become glued to her side. She found it endearing and aggravating at the same time. They wanted to be with her at
all
times. And sometimes, she would have much rather had privacy…

She walked toward the gate of the village and decided that she had to get out. Walking the fields where the air was fresh would certainly improve her mood. Being in nature always seemed to do that for her. The tranquil beauty of large trees, rushing water, and the grass as it waved back and forth with the wind, gave her a renewed vitality.

Suddenly Chloe stood tall. Why was she trying to convince herself that she needed to cheer up? She just needed to do it. Alexander would be back soon. It was too early to worry. With a spring in her step she walked toward her garden. Once there she began to pull out the weeds. The action cleansing not only to her garden, but to herself. With each weed she plucked, she felt her worries fade and rejoiced in the fine mood that began to settle upon her.

She was in a fabulous mood, much better than she’d felt in days. The cleaning of her garden and spending some time alone had really helped to lift her spirits.

Chloe smiled fondly at Anne. If it hadn’t been for her friendship, living in Hardwyck over the past few months would have been much harder.

“Now we should talk to Cook about the different foods she will need to prepare. We will need to have the seamstresses fashion you new gowns, headdresses, and slippers. Of course we will have to speak with Father Hurley about a ceremony.”

Chloe nodded agreeing with Anne’s advice.

“We shall also have to speak with Harold about arranging the hall in a way that is presentable for a large feast, and he will have to prepare the tables as well. We can also go into town and speak with the music guild about preparing the entertainment,” Anne spoke quickly, her excitement obvious as it shined through her voice.

“Lady Anne, I don’t know how I could have done this without you. It all seems like so much.” Chloe’s face grew hot. She felt somewhat inadequate. She hadn’t planned on marrying anytime soon, and she always thought her mother would be the one to prepare for her. Now that she was on her own, she felt like she had shorted herself in never caring to dream about it.

“Well, shall we?” Lady Anne stood and offered Chloe her arm.

Chloe gladly linked her arm with Anne’s. “We shall.”

It took the rest of the day to speak with the cook, Harold, Father Hurley, the music guild and to the seamstress. Chloe walked into her room and collapsed onto her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, glad the wedding planning had gone smoothly and relieved it was over for now. She only had a few minutes to herself before the evening meal, and she wished she could just skip it. She wanted so badly to take a nap.

She rolled to her side and stared into the fire. Although she hadn’t been too excited about the whole wedding planning process, she was fairly intrigued. Lady Anne knew so much, and the menu she planned was absolutely delectable. Anything she could have ever dreamed of was on the menu. There would be beef and pork, swan cooked to perfection and then redressed. There would be three different stews, meat pies, and several different types of fish. Fresh fruit and fruit pies, seasoned vegetables, nuts and soup would adorn every table, along with an assortment of cheeses and bread. Plenty of the best wine for all to consume would be poured whenever a glass was empty. It made her mouth water just thinking about it. Perhaps she would go down to the great hall to eat after all.

Chloe stood and refreshed herself with a splash from the water basin set out for her. As she changed into a simple gown of deep blue, she imagined how she would look in the shimmery confection she and Anne had designed with the seamstresses. Her wedding gown was to be made of the finest cream fabric. Gold threads would be woven throughout making it shimmer and shine with every step she took. The neckline would be a low square, but not too low, just so that the tops of her breasts would show. She hoped she would get the affect she desired from Alexander with such a tantalizing design. She would look somewhat like an angel with its gold and white shimmer, but then she would reveal the inner vixen. Lady Anne had laughed when she had whispered this in her ear, and nodded emphatically. A special wedding chemise had been ordered just for that purpose. She had a wide belt fashioned of gold material with the dragon crest in the center. This would be her surprise to Alexander. She hoped he would be pleased, and in her heart, she knew that he would be.

She walked into the great hall with a dreamy look on her face, and quickly tried to rearrange her features when she saw the looks and smiles from the knights and servants. It was hard for her to have a look of complete non-emotion, and she found herself smiling and saying sweet things to several people.

So this is what it is like to be a gushing bride. I am so happy I love my betrothed. How ironic that only a few months ago he would have had to drag me kicking and screaming to the altar.

Chloe laughed at her thoughts, drawing the attention of several people. She just kept laughing.

So be it if they all think I am crazy. I am finally happy and content!

A great commotion and shouting from the entrance to the great hall sent spiraling chills down Chloe’s spine. Could Alexander be back with bad news? Could there be a siege on Hardwyck? The color drained from her face and slowly faded down to her ankles. And then
he
appeared.

****

Henrys sat staring into the smoldering fire. The draft that came through the great hall each time someone opened the large doors to the keep, lifted the bottom of his long robe, exposing his old wrinkled ankles to the cold air.

Although to all outsiders he may have looked like he was just gazing into fire, perhaps relaxing after a long day, this was not the case.

His mind was like a clock, always ticking.

His thoughts were dark and filled with contempt.

He thought he’d raised his son to be like himself, heartless, uncaring, the seeker of land and fortune. But along came one conniving whore, to ruin all of his hard work.

When he’d arrived, she had stared at him coolly, and offered him a place at the table to eat. The nerve of her. He had refused and instead had his meal sent to his room. He did however allow his men to eat with her. Let them wet their tongues a little over the chit. He would rather dine alone. He should have killed her when he had the chance, but watching her run, knowing she’d spend the rest of her life looking behind her had been a thrill.

To think she hadn’t even offered him a smile when she knew she was to marry his son. Had simply walked away. She would surely ruin everything. He had built up the Drake name to astounding size since he had taken over from his father, and he had literally taken over. Henrys, always playing a little hand with the devil, had murdered his own father so he could finally take what was his. There were rumors this had happened, but of course no one could confirm whether or not he really did.

He hadn’t liked the way his father ruled, knew he could do better, and so took over.

He ruled by fear. He instilled this fear in his men by randomly killing them. Of course someone had told the king of the rash behavior of the earl, but that man had swiftly “fallen ill” and all other men around Henrys were too afraid to go against him, stating that it was all a bunch of poppycock.

He continued his brutal behavior. His punishments among his tenants and villagers were met out with even harsher cruelty. Even the simplest of crimes were punishable either by death or brutal torture which soon led to death. He had made sure all he was surrounded by were clouded with sense of doom.

His first wife, Judith, a woman he chose based not on beauty but on land, coin and title, had produced one son to him, dying in childbirth.

Henrys raised Alexander to fear him. The boy was regularly whipped, half the time for no reason. His trainings were intense. Henrys wanted Alexander to be a fearsome fighter, so that when he became old and decrepit, Alexander would be there to protect him from his many enemies, and to wage war for him.

So far his plan had worked out wonderfully. He had been able to capture many lands and titles through the use of force. Of course, he occasionally had to lend his son to the king for service, and as a result Alexander procured some holdings in his own name, but the earl always felt he had control of those lands as well. After all, his son was his protégé, and had been raised to do exactly as Henrys wanted.