The Traitor's Daughter (26 page)

She reached up and kissed his wounded cheek, then
dressed herself. Hugh must have had her saddle bag brought up to his chamber last
night, for her own clothes had been laid out neatly on Hugh’s wooden chest. She
struggled with her hair and settled for covering it with her veil. Transferring
the keys to her own belt, she was ready to face whatever the day would bring,
including marriage to Hugh.

“You may enter,” Hugh called out and Edmund returned. He
bowed to Alais and approached the bed. He pulled back the curtains and Alais
thought she saw his body relax and he was smiling when he turned back to Hugh.
Hugh moved to stand beside him. “Are you satisfied that I took Lady Alais’
maidenhead?”

“Yes, it seems that you were most thorough.”

Edmund took a step back and bowed again to Alais. “My
lady, please be assured that I shall not rest until my lord marries you. I am
greatly ashamed of him for what he has done and I put myself at your disposal.”
He looked at Hugh. “I am a free man and I choose Lady Alais as my lord.”

Hugh grunted. “I thought you did that many weeks ago.”

Alais stepped between them. “My lord, I will go with
Edmund to the priest and make the arrangements. I am sure you have much to do
after last night. I trust that you will not try to escape your obligation to
me.”

Edmund opened his mouth, but Alais took hold of his
sleeve and led him from the room.

“That was cruel,” she said when they were in the
passageway.

“Which bit?”

“All of it, but especially saying that you thought I was
a kitchen wench.”

Edmund blushed. “That part was true. I was coming to
rouse Hugh and I truly thought he had someone else in there. I thought he was taking
out his grief at losing you on … Well, I did not think he would…. well….I am
truly sorry, my lady.”

“He has abducted me,” Alais explained, as she started to
walk, “so that the king must permit us to marry.”

“That was what I understood, eventually.” Edmund stopped
and Alais turned back to him.

“What is it?”

“I was not jesting about serving you, if you will have
me.”

“Why would you leave Hugh?”

“He doesn’t need me any longer. I have feared these many
months that he would throw his life away and now I know that he will not.”

Alais considered. “And how would you serve me, Edmund? I
do not need someone to protect me. Hugh will do that. I do not go to battle, so
you cannot ride beside me. You no longer need to protect me from Hugh.” Then
she smiled. “There is one way. My steward is old and has no son. I need someone
that I can trust at Leigh. It will be Hugh’s when we are married, but I doubt
he will argue against my choice.”

Edmund smiled. “I would be honoured to be your steward
and no, I do not think Hugh will argue with you, at least, not until the king
calls us to war.”

Alais frowned at the thought of Hugh going to war. It
would soon be spring and the war with France might start in earnest. “Would you
go with him?”

“If you would permit me. Joan would make the better
steward, anyway. I could teach her to read as you taught me.”

Alais smiled. “Then we will speak to him about it later.
For now, let us deal with our more immediate problem.”

There was little activity in the hall as they passed
through. The dirty rushes still covered the floor and the tables had not been
washed down. Alais sighed, she was certain that she had ordered the room to be
put to rights before she went to Hugh. He was right; it would be a hard fight
to turn Liss around.

It was cold when they went into the yard and neither
Alais nor Edmund had a cloak. They hurried to the priest’s house, where Edmund
berated his lord loudly and fluently and Alais stood by demurely. Father Alonso
frowned and looked doubtful. Alais remembered that he had been in the hall the
night before and had heard Sir William name her as his son’s whore. Edmund
obviously remembered, too, for he grabbed the priest’s arm and dragged him up
to Hugh’s bedchamber. Alais stayed behind in the hall and set the servants to
work on cleaning it. Then she went to look at the men who were too badly
injured to return to their own beds. Eventually she went to visit the
mercenaries, locked away securely. One had died in the night and she asked the
guards to arrange for his removal and burial.

Ready to eat, she returned to the hall. It was not much
improved and Hugh was making his displeasure known. Marguerite and her children
were brought downstairs and she tried again to persuade her brother to let her
stay at the manor house, but Hugh was unmoved by her begging. She was finally
dragged screaming from the house, her month-old baby carried by a servant
behind her.

Katherine had followed Marguerite into the hall, still
maintaining her detachment from the previous night. She watched Marguerite’s
dismissal calmly and no emotion showed on her face. Then Hugh turned to her and
Alais realised that her appearance in the hall was no accident; Hugh had had
her brought by the servants.

Hugh was disturbed by his encounter with his sister.
Alais hoped that she was the only one to see the slight tremor in his hand. She
took a step closer to him, meaning to take his hand, then remembered that he
had to make his place here and she could not make him appear weak. He had
noticed her move, however, and a small smile lifted his lips as she stopped.

“Lady Katherine, you were my father’s guest…”

“I will be your wife.”

Hugh stopped, his mouth still open. He drew himself up
to his full height and Katherine was forced to look up to him.

“Lady Alais will be my wife. You, however…”

“What! You would defy your father?”

“My father is dead and I am lord here. I choose not to
marry you. I have sent a messenger to your father to send an escort for you. If
he does not, I will send a few men with you. Either way, you will be gone from
here by the end of the month.”

Katherine was red with anger; she finally understood
that she was not to be lady at Liss.

“Prepare the escort. I will not stay here another moment
to be humiliated in this way.”

Hugh opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He
nodded, “As you wish.” Turning away from her, he caught Alais’ hand in his own.

“Now, you must be famished. Shall we have something to
eat before we are married?”

Hugh was busy with estate business for most of what was
left of the morning and Alais set herself to teaching the servants what was
required to run the estate of Sir Hugh de Liss. It was a thankless task and she
quickly found an excuse to visit Hugh in his solar.

He was talking to Edmund, but invited her in. Edmund
seemed bolstered by her presence and said boldly, “Now that you know how much I
miss Joan, will you let me go for her tomorrow?”

“Yes, go and fetch her home.”

“My lord,” said Alais, guiltily, “perhaps Edmund might
like to take Agnes with him. And perhaps Agnes might like to stay on at Leigh
for a while.”

Hugh stared at her.

“She might enjoy being somewhere else for a while,” she
explained.

Hugh looked at Edmund, who shrugged his shoulders.

“Do you think she would want to go?” asked Hugh. “Let us
go and find her. I have not seen her since our return.”

Alais was not sure that this was a good idea, but did
not care to tell Hugh why they should not find Agnes together. He took her arm
possessively in his and they left to find Agnes.

She was not in the solar with the other ladies,
gossiping over the fates of Marguerite and Katherine, nor was she in the
still-room making potions for the injured, nor was she in the large bedchamber
where the injured were being tended. They finally found her in the room that
she had formerly shared with Elizabeth, but which, following Elizabeth’s
marriage, she now occupied alone.

“Agnes.” Hugh smiled when he saw her. When Agnes lifted
a tear-stained face to him, Alais knew that she had already heard what had
happened.

“My lord,” the words seemed wrenched from her,
painfully.

“You are unwell, Agnes.”

“No, my lord, just weary from caring for the sick.”

Hugh looked to Alais for encouragement and Alais wished
again that she had come to do this on her own.

“My lady tells me you were a great friend to her when
she was here and I am grateful for it. You were always a friend to me.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Agnes could not look at Alais, who
in turn could not look away from Agnes.

“Edmund goes to Leigh tomorrow,” said Hugh, frowning
slightly as he realised he did not understand what was happening. “He goes to
bring Joan home and we thought you might like to go with him and stay a while.”

“Are you are sending me away, my lord?” asked Agnes and
Alais saw huge tears fall down her cheeks and into her lap.

“No, of course not,” said Hugh, finally aware that he
was treading on dangerous ground. “You can stay if you wish. We thought you
might enjoy the journey. Edmund could stop at Winchester so that you could see
the cathedral,” he finished lamely.

“I would rather stay here, my lord.” Agnes did not say
‘with you’, but from the way his eyes widened, Alais could tell that Hugh had
heard it, as she had.

“Well,” said Hugh, falsely cheerful, “if you are not to
go, I must tell Edmund. My lady?”

Alais smiled at him. “If you do not need me for the
moment, my lord, I would rather stay with Agnes.”

He nodded gratefully and left them alone.

“So you are to be married,” said Agnes bitterly when the
door had closed behind him.”

“I truly did not know he loved me when we spoke.”

“He loved you even then?” Agnes was horrified.

Alais nodded.

“There never was any hope for me, was there?” she
sighed.

“Not really,” agreed Alais, sitting beside her and
taking her hand in her own. “He will always esteem you greatly.”

“But that is not the same as love.”

“I think it is a kind of love,” said Alais, “to be
esteemed by a man like Hugh, that is something worth having. He does not give
his affections easily and does not change once he has given them. I truly
thought it would do you good to go with Edmund. It will be painful for you
here.”

Agnes nodded. “He does not know?”

Alais shook her head. “And never will, not from me,”
although she thought it too late for such a promise. Agnes had given herself
away and Hugh would avoid her company if he could.

Agnes reflected for a moment. “Then I will go.”

Alais struggled not to show her immense relief at Agnes’
decision and left her alone while she went to tell Edmund that the situation
had changed again.

The marriage was blessed that afternoon, in the church
and, having declared a holiday, Hugh fed the villagers that night in the hall.
After tasting the food for the celebration, Alais asked Hugh if she could send
a message with Edmund for him to send back the under-cook from Leigh. That
night the senior wards and some of the ladies accompanied Hugh and Alais to
Hugh’s bedchamber. Hugh did not yet wish to move into his father’s room. “When
you tire of me, that will be the time to move out of your chamber,” he had
whispered to Alais.

Having been escorted to the bedchamber, Alais was half
afraid that the attendants would reinstate the old custom of seeing the
marriage consummated, but they were left alone. Although Alais’ many loud cries
of delight throughout the night could have left no one passing the door in any
doubt that the marriage had been very happily consummated.

One morning, early in May, Alais was sitting with Sarah
and Hilda in her bedchamber, describing the symptoms that were making her feel
so unwell. So far, she had succeeded in hiding them from Hugh. She did not want
to worry him, but she had finally decided to discuss it with Hilda and Sarah in
the hope of finding a cure.

“There is no cure for this,” laughed Sarah, looking at Hilda
for confirmation.

Alais looked between them. What was wrong with her?
Would she die? When? How could she tell Hugh? Would he find another wife to
give him heirs?

“Do not fret, my lady,” smiled Hilda, reaching out and
patting her knee. “It is the oldest illness. You are with child.”

Alais laughed with relief. She was carrying Hugh’s heir.
She jumped up excitedly, “Then I must find my lord and tell him.”

She left the two old women together and rushed off to
find her husband and found him coming in from the yard where he had been
training. The men who had been his father’s wards were now in his care and he
took their training seriously. His bare chest glistened with a sheen of sweat.
He smiled and opened his arms as she rushed up to him and caught her up into a
hug and a kiss that left them both breathless.

“You are pleased about something, my lady,” he said,
when he finally stopped kissing her.

“Yes, my lord, very pleased.”

“My lord.”

Alais realised with a start that the steward had been
standing behind them for some time with a stranger by his side.

“What is it?” Hugh demanded. “Who is this?”

“The king’s messenger,” the steward explained.

The joy faded from Hugh’s face to be replaced by a
worried frown. He released his hold on Alais. “You have a letter for me from
the king?”

The messenger bowed, “Yes, my lord.”

Hugh held out his hand for the letter and placed his
other arm around Alais’ waist. Breaking the seal he opened the letter and read
it. Then he went back to the beginning and read it again. Then he folded it
again. “Are there any other letters?” he asked.

“No, my lord.”

“Then you are welcome to take your rest here for as long
as you need.”

The messenger bowed and followed the steward away. Alais
placed an arm around Hugh’s waist and they walked quietly to Hugh’s solar.

“The king does not give permission then,” she said as he
shut the door behind them. He caught her up into another kiss. When he had
finished he pulled away from her and smiled. “The king,” he said, “is very
pleased to allow his beloved subject, Sir Hugh de Liss, to marry Lady Alais de
Montjoye.”

“Oh Hugh!” She pulled him down for another kiss.

“We will send a messenger to Leigh this afternoon,” he
said, “and we will leave tomorrow. That should give them time to make ready for
the celebration.”

They had decided that when they heard from the king, one
way or the other, they would go to Leigh and have Uncle Guillaume bless their
marriage and then celebrate with the people at Leigh. Alais knew that Hugh was
looking forward to seeing Edmund again. When Martin, the steward, had fallen
ill before Edmund arrived it had seemed sensible to have Edmund stay on and
learn how to take his place. He, Joan, Agnes and the children had all stayed at
Leigh. Alais knew that she was looking forward to seeing her uncles and all the
people at Leigh. It was not her home any longer. Her home was wherever Hugh
was, but she longed for him to love it as much as she did, but she knew it
would never replace Hill in his heart and they would spend some time there on
their way back to Liss. She hoped that their child would be born at Hill.

“Oh, my lord,” she said, “I quite forgot…”