1606011324-Lady-Knight-Chenery Page 13

  Broc had met the lady and her father while at court. The earl had found accommodations in London shortly after losing his lands to another. Once settled, he promptly started to worm his way into William’s good graces.

  The man himself disgusted him. In his middle years, Theodoric looked his age. His brown hair had thinned and was cut quite close to his head. He may have been well built during his youth, but now he had let his body go to fat. It was not too hard for Broc to guess Theodoric had taken full advantage of his high status. The man’s eyes always looked red and puffy from too much drink.

  The Lady Alwen was nothing like her father. In fact, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Even prettier than the Saxon girl and that was the only reason why Broc had chosen her for his wife. She would give him beautiful children and not much else could be said about her.

  The lady’s yellow blond hair fell in waves down her back. Her eyes were blue, but not as blue as the other Saxon girl’s. She had skin so white Broc figured she never allowed the sun’s rays to touch it.

  Alwen gave him a shy smile. Broc quickly looked away. He had no love for the lady and probably never would. She would only serve one purpose. All he expected of her was to bear him children and take care of his home. He wanted nothing more from her. They were going to be married at Elmstead after they arrived. Broc wanted to get it over with as soon as he could.

  William had given his consent to the marriage, but Broc had sensed his friend had not been too pleased with his choice of bride. He had gone as far as to say Broc would be miserable if he went through with it. He also warned Broc life at Elmstead would be turbulent with Lady Alwen in residence. Broc still had no idea what William had meant.

  Up ahead, Elmstead came into view. Kicking his horse into a canter, Broc stepped up the pace. Without looking back to see, he knew the others would keep up.

  * * * *

  Ariel stepped out of the main hall as Broc charged through the village with four strangers following him. When all the horses came to a halt in the yard, only then did she realize a woman was among the strangers.

  Watching Broc, Ariel saw him go to the woman and help her dismount. She was very beautiful. From the way she smiled at Broc, her appearance heralded changes at Elmstead. Broc took the girl by the hand and led her over to Ariel. She wanted to run, but it wouldn’t change the inevitable.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Wulf. It will save me the time in sending for you. I would like to introduce you to the Lady Alwen, my betrothed.”

  At those two words, my betrothed, Ariel felt as if Broc had slammed his fist into her stomach. “Nice to meet you. When is the wedding to take place?”

  Broc smiled at Alwen. “Just before the evening meal, tonight.”

  He was slowly killing her and Broc had no idea what his words were doing to her. “Well, then I will leave you. You have much to do before the ceremony.”

  The sound of Broc’s voice stopped Ariel from making a quick retreat. “There is one more thing, Wulf. I have chosen you to act as my witness to the marriage. I will expect you back at the hall.” Ariel tried to refuse, but Broc wouldn’t allow it. “You have no say in the matter. I’m your lord and you will do as I wish.”

  Ariel gave way this time and nodded her head in acceptance. She then roughly brushed past him and stomped off to her father’s hall.

  * * * *

  Swein found her there a little while later. Ariel paced the floor, cursing Broc one moment and wailing in anguish the next. “You can stop the marriage, Ariel.”

  Ariel stopped her pacing and looked at her father. Her eyes showed how much Broc had hurt her. “I will not do it.”

  “Then you will watch the man you love marry another.”

  Swein watched his daughter silently start to cry. He wanted to go to her and hold her, but right now she had to get her emotions back under control. He could see she tried to pull herself together when she took a deep breath and lifted her head up to face him.

  “I made a vow never to tell Broc. No matter how much he means to me, I will not stop the marriage.”

  Swein acknowledged what Ariel said with a nod of his head. “It would be a blessing if you did tell him. His betrothed will only make problems for Elmstead.”

  “Why? She looks harmless enough.”

  “Aye, she is. You left before you saw who her father is. It’s Theodoric, Earl of Essex. Well, at least he used to be.”

  Ariel gasped. Swein knew Ariel had seen Theodoric’s cruelty to others first hand during the summer. She had found him revolting to say the least. His presence at Elmstead boded ill for both of them.

  * * * *

  At the time specified by Broc, Ariel returned to the main hall. Broc watched her every move shortly after she arrived. Letting him know she would not be intimidated by him, Ariel stared back.

  “You can stare at him all you want, but Broc will still marry the girl.”

  Ariel tore her eyes away from Broc and turned to look at Ranulf. “I know. He was the one watching me. I do believe Broc thought I would go against his wishes.”

  Ranulf peered down at Ariel with a sad look on his face. “Can you go through with it?”

  Ariel lightly shrugged Ranulf’s question aside. “Of course, I’m not a coward. Besides, I have no choice in the matter.”

  A look of pity washed over Ranulf’s face, but it quickly became replaced with rage. “How could he do this to you? Has he no feelings? He must be able to see what you actually are.”

  Deep down inside Ariel asked herself those very things, but what good would it do. “That is exactly the problem when it comes to Broc, he does not see. He probably never will. It just shows how much our short time together had meant to him.”

  Ranulf took a step closer to Ariel. He moved so he was a mere inch away then lowered his voice so only she could hear what he said. “If it had been me, I would never have forgotten. Ariel, you need not be alone. I would be proud to have you as my wife.”

  Ariel at first didn’t know what to say. To be truthful, she couldn’t find much wrong with Ranulf. He was virile and handsome. The fault lay with her. She was just not ready to accept another man in her life.

  “I can’t accept your offer, at least not yet. I can tell you one thing that will never change. I will never go back to what I once was. I’m as much a knight as you are. I will not give that up for any man.”

  Ranulf bent his head so he could whisper into her ear. “I would have you any way you choose. I’ve seen you fight. You may be better than I. It’s in your blood. I would be a fool to make you give it up. It would only drive you away.”

  Before she could answer him, a hand grabbed Ranulf by the neck and roughly pushed him away from Ariel. She knew who it was without even looking. Broc stood where Ranulf had been a moment before. His eyes practically shot sparks. If Broc had the ability to kill with a look, Ranulf would have been a dead man. Once more Ariel felt her temper rise at the man standing before her. Lately, the most prominent emotion Broc elicited from her was rage.

  “Leave Ranulf alone. You have no rights over him.”

  That only made Broc’s eyes flash sparks in her direction. “So it would seem, but the same cannot be said for you. It’s time. Come with me now.”

  Tamping down her fury, Ariel silently followed Broc to the dais where a priest, Lady Alwen, and her father waited for them. Reaching the others, Broc took Alwen’s hand and the priest started to say the words that would bind them together.

  With each word the priest spoke, Ariel’s rage turned to despair. When the couple kissed to seal their vows, Ariel felt the sensation of drowning in a deep dark lake wash over her. It killed any hopes she had of one day sharing her life with Broc. Now it was too late.

  After signing her male name to the marriage document, Ariel sat down on the bench next to Ranulf. She felt completely numb.

  After the newly married couple sat down, the serfs started to serve a lavish meal. None of it passed Ariel’s lips. Afterwards, she
wouldn’t even remember what had been served. A full goblet was all that mattered. She never once looked at the raised dais where Broc sat with his bride.

  If she had been watching, she would have seen Broc was not exactly acting like a bridegroom should. He ignored his food and his bride. A goblet never stayed for very long out of his hand. When Ariel’s eyes weren’t on him, Broc’s gaze never left her face.

  The time for the bedding approached and the Lady Alwen left the hall with some of the village women. They took her to Broc’s chamber where she would be prepared to receive her husband. Broc didn’t even look up when she stood to leave. The two guards, who had come with Broc’s now father-in-law, came to stand on either side of the bridegroom’s chair. They had to gain Broc’s attention by giving his shoulder a tap. Broc jerked and turned to look up at one of the men.

  “Come, my lord. It’s time for you to join your new bride in your chamber.”

  At the man’s words, Broc drank a whole goblet of mead in one gulp. He then tried to stand and failed in the attempt. In the end, the two men had to each take one of Broc’s arms and half carry him to his chamber. More than one person present wondered aloud if Broc would be able to perform his marital duty this night.

  * * * *

  With a flick of her wrist, Alwen dismissed the village women. They had disrobed her and helped her into her husband’s bed. She had no further use of them. She had only allowed them this close to her because there were no other women of her class available. Now she waited for her husband.

  It had been unbelievably easy to hook Broc St. Ceneri. Almost too easy if the truth was told. For some unknown reason he seemed to need her. Theirs would not be a love match by any means, but she found her husband attractive and counted herself lucky to even have that.

  The chamber door crashed open. Alwen watched her father’s men drag Broc into the room and roughly dump him on the bed beside her. Without a backward glance, they left her alone with her new husband.

  A person would have had to be blind not to see Broc had managed to drink himself into a stupor during the meal. Only Alwen hadn’t realized how much he had consumed. It had to have been a great quantity for him to be in such a state. Looking over at her husband, she found him asleep and dead to the world around him.

  Chapter 23

  A week had gone by since Broc had brought his bride to Elmstead and life was a far cry from being normal. The presence of the former overlord and his men made everyone jumpy. The biggest problem was worrying over Theodoric. He wasn’t making any preparations to leave Elmstead.

  The days after the marriage Ariel found to be exceedingly hard. Having to watch Broc take his vows had made her come to grips with her true feelings. She had started to fall for him during her training. Her feelings for him had not changed no matter how many times she told herself he meant nothing to her. Now it was too late to tell him. Every night in the privacy of her own chamber, Ariel mourned over her lost chance.

  If Ranulf had not been such a steadying force in her life, Ariel probably would have run from Elmstead. The sight of Broc and Alwen together tore her apart. At times it became almost too much for her to bear. During those instances, Ranulf would make her put on her armor and take her out to the practice field. There, he let her vent her frustrations out on him. After a few hours of steady sword play, Ariel felt ready to once more face Broc.

  Today was no exception. Sensing her mood, Ranulf donned his armor and told Ariel to meet him on the field when she was ready. Instead of going directly to Ranulf, Ariel slung her armor over her shoulder and went to the meadow. The day felt cold, but the sun shone down brightly, giving a slight reprieve from the winter dullness. A light dusting of snow covered the ground.

  Not until she reached the meadow did Ariel realize she was not alone. The earl’s guards were a short distance behind her. Ignoring them, she hoped they would go away and leave her in peace, but they were not to be put off so easily. When Ariel refused to acknowledge their presence they forced her to. Ariel steeled herself as they slowly approached her.

  “Well, the little knight is alone. Where is your Norman friend? Did he finally get tired of looking after you?”

  When Ariel did not respond, the man grew angry. “It looks as if this boy thinks he’s better than us. Isn’t that right, Godwin?”

  “It would seem so.” The one named Godwin stepped in front of Ariel and pulled her amour out of her hands. It clanged when it landed on the ground near her feet. Seeing temper flash in her eyes, he laughed. The one who had spoken first moved to stand beside his companion.

  “What do you think, Godwin? Should we teach this young one to respect his elders?”

  “Aye, Hugh. I think he needs to be taught a lesson.”

  Before Ariel could move away both men lunged at her. They were larger than she, but Ariel fought them with all of her might. In the ensuing scuffle, the front of Ariel’s tunic ripped open. Feeling the cold wind hitting her bare skin, she automatically tired to clutch the material together with her fist. That was her downfall. Ariel’s attackers took the advantage as she tried to close her tunic. They both grabbed her and threw her to the ground. The air left her lungs in a whoosh as she landed in the snow. Gasping for breath, Ariel realized the two men had seen what was under her tunic.

  The one called Hugh, straddled Ariel’s middle and grabbed her by the throat. “I think this is our lucky day, Godwin. I think we have stumbled onto something here.”

  When his friend didn’t seem to understand, Hugh took his dagger out of its sheath. Hooking it into Ariel’s tunic, he cut it and the bindings around her chest. At the sight of her bared breasts, Godwin sucked in his breath.

  Ariel panicked as Hugh started to work on her belt buckle. Arching her hips, she tried to throw him off, but it was no good. All it accomplished was Hugh putting more pressure on her throat. Still she struggled until lack of air made the world blacken.

  One minute Ariel struggled to take her next breath and then the next, she sucked in large amounts of air. She remained oblivious to what went on around her. All that mattered was getting her breath back. The silence that suddenly fell was ominous.

  Breathing normally again, Ariel looked around her. Her attackers had gone, but she was far from being alone. Broc stood above her with his eyes glued to her chest. While fighting to get her breath back she had made no attempt to cover her chest.

  Jerking the material together, Ariel shot to her feet and started to back away from Broc. His eyes bore into her with each step she took. She had to get away. He now knew who she was. Turning, she started to run and brushed past Ranulf who had just reached the meadow.

  Seeing her disheveled condition, he shouted to her as she ran by him. “Ariel, wait! What did those two do to you?!”

  Ariel didn’t stop or even let on that she had heard him. She had to get away from Broc. Behind her, she heard Broc bellow for her to stop.

  * * * *

  She didn’t stop running until she reached her father’s hall. She had nowhere else to go. Knowing Broc, he would search for her. He would want answers and Ariel had no choice but to tell him. At least here his wife wouldn’t overhear what they would say to each other.

  Throwing open the door, Ariel saw Lily was the only one there. “Where’s Colwyn?”

  Lily gasped at the state of Ariel’s clothes. “He’s asleep in your chamber. What happened to you?”

  Ariel had to make sure Lily was not there when Broc showed up. “I’ll explain later. Right now, I need you to leave.”

  Lily hesitated as if she were unsure whether or not she should leave Ariel alone. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Aye, just go. I’ll be fine.”

  Giving her a reassuring hug, Lily silently walked out of the hall. A minute later Broc burst through the door. As he came to stand just inside, he looked her up and down taking her measure. “Why? Why would you pretend to be a boy?”

  When he tried to move closer to her, Ariel held up a hand to stop him
. “Don’t come any closer. I won’t be able to say what needs to be said if you come any nearer.”

  Seeing Broc had heeded her words, Ariel attempted to answer him. “It was the only way I could go and fight with the fryd. My father needed to stay at Elmstead, so I took his place.”

  Broc roughly ran his hands through his hair in apparent agitation. “But why not tell me who you are? You had to have known me.”

  Ariel made a sad little chuckle. “Aye, I did, but you didn’t know me. No matter how close you came, you were blind to what was in front of you.”

  That statement caused a groan to slip past Broc’s lips. “Oh, god. The women and what I did to you in London. You could have told me.”

  Ariel pulled herself up straighter. “Nay, I wanted you to see me as I am. I knew you the instant I saw your face on that battlefield. I’ve never forgotten you.”

  At Ariel’s words, Broc seemed unable to stay away from her any longer. Crossing the room he tried to wrap his arms around her, but Ariel wouldn’t allow it. She backed away out of his reach.

  “Aye, I was blind, but that doesn’t mean I had forgotten you. You have been in my dreams since I left. That was the reason why I asked for Elmstead, I wanted to look for you. You have become a part of me.”

  Ariel cringed at his words. “Really? Yet you can take another as your wife?” Knowing she had hit a sore spot, she continued. “Well, now you will have to forget about me. You belong to another. You were never really mine in the first place.”