“How?”
“The same way you are.”
Christopher understood when he meant immediately. “A marriage?”
Gruffydd nodded. “She was extremely young,” he said. “Her husband was extremely old. He died before they had been married a year.”
Christopher wasn’t sure he liked the fact that Elle had been married before. In fact, he wasn’t sure he liked the fact that she had concealed that from him. She knew of his plans of an advantageous marriage and had every opportunity to tell him that she had been married before, yet she hadn’t, and he wondered why.
“How long ago was this?” he asked.
Gruffydd sighed, thinking back to that turbulent episode in his family’s life. “She was betrothed when she was born,” he said. “My father did not live much longer after that. When she had seen thirteen summers, she married a man who was a prince of Gwent, and the hope was that any children from the marriage would secure a permanent alliance between Gwent and Powys, but no children were born. Her husband told everyone that it was because Elle was barren, but I suspect that was not the case. The man had been married four times before he married my sister and only had one daughter out of all of those marriages. It was unfair of him to blame the problem on Elle.”
More information on something Christopher found disturbing. He certainly didn’t want a barren wife for his heir, but Gruffydd seemed to think there was more to it. He believed him, because it wasn’t as if the man was trying to dump his sister on the House of de Lohr. Quite the opposite. Even though hedidn’t like that she had been married before, he’d been ordered to make a marriage. It wasn’t as if he had many choices at this point.
For the sake of peace, and an alliance with Powys, he was willing to overlook it.
“She was no more than a child when she married,” he said after a moment. “She is a woman now. A marriage to a man who is not old enough to be her grandfather will be different.”
Gruffydd shrugged. “Mayhap,” he said. “Mayhap not. But I should like to be clear in the fact that I do not think this is a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because you are trying to tame the wind, my lord. It cannot be done.”
Christopher thought that was a rather lyrical way to put it. “That is possible,” he said. “But the truth is that your sister is Welsh royalty. She and you are all that is left from the ruling house of Powys. You and your sister are quite valuable, as allies, as…”
“Commodities,” Gruffydd finished for him.
Christopher nodded faintly to concede the point. “Your sister cannot be allowed to continue as she has been,” he said. “The decision has been made to marry her to an earl, in fact. The Earl of Leominster.”
That didn’t mean anything to Gruffydd. All of the English warlords and their titles seemed alike to him. “Is he at least a good man with a heavy manner?” he asked.
Christopher chuckled. “He is the best man, and his manner his far heavier than your sister’s,” he said. “Have no fear—she will be in capable hands.”
Gruffydd shook his head. “I do not worry for her,” he said. “I worry for him.”
Christopher continued to snort. “I would not,” he said. “As I said, he is capable.”
Gruffydd thought it was all quite mad, but he didn’t protest. The reality was that his sister would cease to become his problem if she married, so in a sense, he was being rid of her, and that did not trouble him. Let her become some English earl’s problem.
But as for him…
“May I then return to the lady I am fond of and wed her?” he asked. “She is from Welsh nobility on her mother’s side. Her father is English. I can return to my post as garrison commander and maintain Brython as your ally.”
But Christopher shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “Brython will be garrisoned by my heir, Curtis. He is the Earl of Leominster.”
Gruffydd’s eyebrows rose when he realized what de Lohr was telling him. “You mean he will…?”
“Marry your sister, aye,” Christopher said. “You have other properties, do you not?”
Gruffydd was still not over the fact that his sister would be remaining at Brython with her new husband, who happened to be the earl’s son. That bit of news had him reeling, something he struggled not to show.
“I do have other properties,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “But you would leave Elle here, at Brython? In the shadow of her rebellion? Is that not dangerous?”
Christopher’s gaze lingered on him as he pondered what was an astute question. But it could have been something else, too. “I am attempting to deduce whether or not it is your jealousy speaking and not genuine concern,” he said truthfully. “Brython is a jewel in the crown of the marches. It is very important and strategic. I realize it must be a blow to be told you are no longer the garrison commander, but you had your opportunity and you failed. I would see Brython in more capable hands.”
Rebuked, Gruffydd struggled with his humiliation. “It was genuine concern, my lord,” he said. “Yet you seem convinced that your son can manage my sister, so I will not say another word about it. But consider yourself warned.”
