Fragments of Grace (Prequel to the Dragonblade Trilogy) (19 page)

“I know your lineage thanks to
your brother’s information, but tell me about your history as your brother
has,” she nearly demanded. “Other than garrison commander for Coverdale, what
great accomplishments as a knight have you made?”

Keir fixed the woman in the eye.
His gaze never left her as he spoke. “I was knighted in twelve hundred and
eighty one at the age of twenty years,” his voice was low and steady. “I
distinguished myself in the wars in Wales against Llewelyn ap Gruffud, so much
so that I was charged with an entire battalion of the king’s army at the Battle
of Irfon Bridge. Men under my command cornered the last Welsh prince and killed
him.  I was honored with a battlefield commission of Lord Sedberg, Knight of
the Shire, which is how I came into the service of Lord Coverdale.  He is
Sedberg’s liege and the garrison at Pendragon also borders my lands.  Serving
Coverdale as his garrison commander also serves me well, as I can watch over
and administer my own lands from Pendragon.  Is there anything else you wish to
know, my lady?”

Blanche seemed to like his
straightforward manner. Her brown eyes glittered at him as she raked him with
her intense gaze once more as if to reaffirm she found something worthy in the
man.

“You said you served the king?”
she asked.

“Aye, my lady.”

“He is my brother.”

“I realize that, my lady.”

“Would he know you by name?”

“He would, my lady. It was Edward
who gave me my battlefield commission.”

“Why did you leave his service?”

“Because I married and did not
want to spend time away from my wife.”

Even Lady Blanched had heard of
the fate of Keir’s family and she chose not to delve in to what would
undoubtedly be a painful conversation for the man.  She wanted to know about
him but she did not want to probe him. She was not cruel. But she wanted to be
clear on the prize he was seeking.  She turned to Chloë and cupped the woman’s
chin with her hand, forcing her to look up.

“Sir Keir,” Blanche said, her
voice firm. “I want you to look at this face.  When she was born, I thought she
was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.  This is my youngest daughter,
the Lady Chloë -Louise Isabella de Geld.  I named her Chloë because it is a
Greek name that means beautiful, lush and verdant.  She is all of that and
more. You will understand that she can have any man in England for the asking,
but she seems to want you.”

Keir was fixed on Chloë ’s
magnificent face. “As I want her,” he said softly. “Once she stopped trying to
gouge my eyes out, I came to discover a witty, warm, intelligent and beautiful
woman whom I love deeply.  I would kill or die for her a thousand times over. 
Perhaps you do not believe I am worthy of your daughter, my lady, but I assure
you, I will be a better husband to her than anyone else on this earth. I will
love her like none other could.”

 Blanche nodded faintly as if
finally approving of what she heard.  She peeled her daughter off her arm and
handed her over to Keir, who took her hands gently.  Blanched was focused on
Chloë .

“Are you sure this is what you
want, Chloë ?” she asked.

Chloë  smiled up at Keir. “It is,
Mother.”

Blanche’s gaze lingered on Chloë
and Keir before turning her attention to Kurtis and Cassandra, now standing
next to one another, arm in arm.  Her gaze lingered on her eldest daughter and
the knight in her grip, and her manner seemed to relax.

“Cassandra shall inherit the
Kirklington barony and Exelby Castle,” she said to Kurtis before turning to
Keir. “Chloë  shall inherit my properties of Rochdale, including lands in
Angoulệme passed down to me from my grandmother. Now, I will speak to
Anton about these marriage contracts. You will all go away now and I shall see
you all at supper tonight. Do not be late.”

It was the abrupt end of the
interview.  Chloë  ran at her mother and hugged her but Cassandra beat a hasty
path from the solar, pulling Kurtis along with her.  When Chloë was finished
joyfully strangling her mother, she collected Keir and swiftly quit the solar. 

Blanche stood in place a moment,
going over the past several minutes of conversation. The expressions on her
daughter’s faces thrilled her, reminding her of a young man she once knew in
her youth who gave her the same expression.  She thought on the young
Frenchman, now long dead, and well remembered that joy. She was pleased that
Cassandra and Chloë  had found such joy as well. It was a rare and precious
thing.

Sitting in a big oak chair near
the hearth, she collected her needlework and began to sew again.  Now, she
would wait for Anton to return to convince him that his little girls had grown
up in to lovely women who wished to be wed.

She was sure he would not like it
one bit.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The evening meal at Aysgarth
later that evening was truly a spectacle to behold.  The hall itself was an
enormous structure with a gallery that encircled it, and two massive hearths on
opposite sides of the room that blazed smoke and sparks up to the vaulted
ceiling.  Torches lined the walls, fixed in big iron sconces, shooting black
smoke into the air as they burned hot against the cool night.  The great hall
was illuminated on a brilliant scale, a warm and smelly place that invited a
social atmosphere.

Chloë and Cassandra had brought
some of their new clothing from Pendragon and were dressed to the hilt when
Keir and Kurtis came to escort them to the meal.  Cassandra was resplendent in brilliant
blue while Chloë opted for bronze-colored damask that was utterly striking with
her coloring. Her dark red hair was pulled off her face with a shell comb,
leaving the majority of it to trail down her back all the way to her knees. She
looked spectacularly beautiful and Keir couldn’t take his eyes off her as he
escorted her to the great and fragrant hall.

The room was filled with
servants, soldiers, knights and an enormous table that was already heavy with
food.  It smelled strongly of roasted meat and fresh bread.  Escorting the
ladies to the table, they were introduced to Lady de Tiegh, the baron’s new
wife, who was a girl of fourteen years of age with long dark hair and big white
breasts. She wasn’t particularly pretty but she was very sweet.  Considering
how old the baron was, Chloë and Cassandra were a little shocked to see such a
young girl as his wife but they were cordial and kind as Lady de Tiegh seated
them around her.

An empty chair sat between Lady
de Tiegh and Keir, who had Chloë on his right.  Kurtis and Cassandra sat across
the table from them and senior knights, all of whom Keir knew, rounded out the
bulk of the feasting table surrounding Lady de Tiegh. 

Keir served Chloë himself, making
sure she got the best pick of the bread and meat.  She seemed to have a sweet
tooth and doled out great spoonfuls of milk pudding on her trencher as well as
apricots soaked in wine and honey. When Keir would lift an eyebrow at all of
the sweets she had on her trencher, she would merely giggle.  He would wink at
her and return to his own food.

Byron joined the meal when they
were well into their food, kissing his wife seductively and stroking her
shoulder so that his fingers ended up on the swell of her breast as he took his
seat between her and Keir. Cassandra and Chloë exchanged shocked glances at the
old man’s provocative touch but said nothing, returning to their trenchers and
the delicious food.

From the table chatter, they
gathered that Lady de Tiegh did not live with Coverdale, but instead, with her
mother and father about a half day’s ride from Aysgarth.  Apparently, they
allowed Coversale to marry their daughter but she was not permitted to actually
live with him until she turned fifteen years old, an appropriate age for a
wife.  It was a bizarre arrangement and Coverdale was going to focus all of his
attention on his very young wife until her parents came to squire her away in
the morning.

“I cannot help but notice that
your mother and father are missing,” Keir murmured to Chloë. “Where do you suppose
they are?”

Chloë had her mouth full of
apricots and she swallowed the bite before answering. “Discussing our future, I
am sure,” she said quietly. “Mother has given her blessing but now she must
convince Father. Remember that he wanted Cassandra and I to marry well. He may
not consider knights, as prestigious as they may be, well-to-do.”

Keir wriggled his eyebrows. “I
have never wanted to be an earl more than I do at this moment.”

Chloë put her hand on his knee
underneath the table, squeezing it gently. “Even so, I could not love you any
more than I do now.”

He turned a warm smile in her
direction, clasping her hand firmly under the table. “I only meant as it
pertains to making me more attractive to your father,” he wanted very much to
kiss her but refrained from the gesture in such a public venue. “I truly hope
your mother is on our side.”

Chloë nodded. “She is,” she
confirmed confidently. “She seemed to like you.”

“How could you tell?”

She looked at him in mock
outrage. Then she broke down into giggles. “With my mother, it is difficult to
know,” she agreed. “But she is a good and true woman.  She simply controls her
emotions better than most.”

Keir fondled her fingers
underneath the table. “Is she able to influence your father?”

Chloë nodded. “He will do as she
asks.”

Keir felt some relief at that as
he resumed eating his well cooked beef with gusto.  He continued to caress
Chloë’s hand, his fingers moving up her arm, experiencing her silken skin. He
found out she was ticklish when he raked his fingers up the inside of her arm
near her elbow and she jumped, giggling at his touch.  He grinned at her,
lifting her hand from underneath the table and kissing it, a bold move against
an unmarried and unpledged woman.  As she leaned against his arm, snickering at
him as she tried to stop him from tickling her again, she noticed Byron and his
young wife on the other side of Keir.  

Byron had his arm around the
girl, fingering the neckline of her surcoat and whispering things that were
making the girl blush.  Chloë watched the pair for a moment.

“Lord Byron is quite enamored
with his wife,” she whispered, leaning against Keir. “She is very young.”

Keir glanced over at the pair.
“She was his ward for years,” he leaned against Chloë’s head, his lips against
her ear.  “He married her on her eleventh birthday.  He is madly in love with
the girl and she seems to feel the same way for him.”

Chloë tried not to look shocked.
“He is old enough to be her grandfather.”

Keir nodded faintly, pulling his
face away from her head and moving to claim his cup. But he was still extremely
close to her as he offered her his cup to drink from, which she did.  He drank
after she did, in the same spot, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Perhaps he is,” he murmured.
“But I would rather not speak of Coverdale and his child bride. I would rather
speak of us.  Should your father give his consent, it is my intention to marry
you immediately unless you have any objections.”

In spite of the fact that they
were surrounded with people and in spite the fact that Chloë was never inclined
to approve of public displays of affection, she leaned against Keir, her face
an inch from his own.  A warm smile spread across her lips and she could feel
his hot breath in her face, his lips so close that she could almost taste
them.  She very much wanted to.

“I have no objections,” she
whispered. “Where will we be married?”

“Do you have a preference?”

She thought on that. “I was
raised at Exelby and our family attended church in Leaming, which is a town
nearby. I know the priests there and the parishioners. I am sure my parents
would like for me to be married there.”

Keir didn’t appear too keen on
the suggestion. “Exelby was recently compromised and I am concerned that Ingilby
is still in the area, especially since he knows you are no longer at Exelby. It
is possible that he is looking for you. I am not sure it would be prudent to
return to the town. I should not like to have a battle on my wedding day.”

She understood although she was
disappointed.  “Then we shall be married wherever you think is best. I do not
care if it is in the middle of a stable, so long as we are married.”

His smile grew and he gently
stroked her cheek with an index finger, collecting her hand and kissing it
reverently.  “I do so love you,” he whispered.

She watched him kiss her hand,
touching his face as his lips drifted over her palm. “And I love you,” she
murmured. “For always, I will love you.”

They were so caught up in each
other than they were genuinely startled when Kurtis pitched a spoon in their
direction, hitting Keir on the shoulder and catching his attention.  Keir
looked at his brother, prepared to rage, when Kurtis pointed to the entry
hall.  Both Keir and Chloë looked to see Anton and Blanche approaching.

Chloë immediately sat back in her
chair and Keir took his hands off her, both presenting proper behavior as Anton
and Blanche approached the table. Cassandra and Kurtis also took their hands
off each other, presenting a faux example of prim young adults. Anton kissed
Cassandra on the head in greeting as he seated Blanche next to her.  He claimed
the chair on the other side of his wife, his gaze on Chloë.