Richmond stood by the wall, leaning against the cold stone for support as he struggled with his astonishment. Gavan moved towards him, eager to be of assistance if Richmond would allow. Never mind if the missive was not any of his business; he would make it his business.
“What in the hell is going on, Richmond?” he demanded quietly. “Why are you so unbalanced?”
Richmond felt Gavan’s presence, slowly turning to look at him. A man he had literally trusted with his life for over ten years, and he had known him far longer than he could recall. He was a man who had no idea of the true situation around him; for all Gavan knew, Richmond and William were old friends, and Richmond was very fond of spending the majority of his time at Lambourn. Considering the Earl of Berkshire was a strong supporter of Henry, it was not an unusual situation.
Never once had Gavan questioned Richmond’s strong attachment to the earl and his family. Gazing into Gavan’s brown eyes, Richmond realized that the time for truth had come.
He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself. “What I am about to tell you will not leave this room. Do you understand?”
Gavan nodded. “By my oath as a knight, I swear it.”
Richmond’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer before pushing himself off the wall, pacing across the floor. “All is not what it appears to be, Gavan. I have been in Henry’s service for eighteen years, a very long time. When I have not been fighting for Henry’s throne, I have been here at Lambourn. My routine and dedication has never varied.”
Gavan’s gaze was open, curious. Richmond continued. “I came into his service when he entrusted me with a special mission, a task of the utmost import. Henry himself selected me and for eighteen years I have completed this task flawlessly.”
Gavan was still gazing at him, but a look of puzzlement touched his features. “What task?”
Richmond lowered himself onto the same table Gavan had occupied, raking his fingers through his dark brown hair. “I am the Lady Arissa’s guardian. She’s Henry’s daughter, the result of a liaison between himself and another woman. The woman was married to a knight who threatened to kill the babe, knowing shewas not of his loins. When Arissa was five days old, I brought her here to Lambourn and have been her protector ever since.”
Gavan’s puzzled expression bloomed into a look of complete astonishment. His mouth popped open as he stared at Richmond; quickly, he clamped his jaw shut and put a hand to his head as if to stop the spinning. “The Lady Arissa is Henry’s daughter?”
“Aye,” Richmond’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “William knows, of course, as does Lady Maude and Mossy. Including Henry and myself, there are only five people in possession of this knowledge. And now you. You understand why this revelation cannot become public knowledge.”
Gavan took a deep, unsteady breath as he attempted to calm his swirling thoughts. “It would seem there are several reasons why this cannot become public information. With the instability of Henry’s reign, she would be a perfect target for blackmail or exploitation. Or her mother’s husband may still be interested in being rid of her. God’s Teeth, Richmond, no wonder we have spent the majority of the past ten years here at Lambourn. You have been watching over Riss!”
Richmond nodded slowly, feeling every one of his thirty-nine years. “Watching over her like a hawk. And falling in love with her in the process.”
All of the color drained from Gavan’s face. If he had been shocked before, that particular expression did not begin to encompass the surprise he felt at Richmond’s subsequent admission. He stared at his friend as if he had gone completely daft.
“You are inlovewith her?” he repeated in a strangled voice.
Richmond glanced at his second, noting his disbelief. “Believe me, Gavan, I am equally stunned by the occurrence. It simply…. happened. More importantly, she returns my feelings.”
Gavan’s mouth was hanging open again. “But she’s pledged to Whitby! What are you..?”
Richmond put up a quelling hand. “I am well aware of the overall ramifications. I have thought of little else. Until this moment, my greatest worry was confronting Henry with the situation and demanding that he dissolve her contract to Whitby so that I could marry her, if he would even consider allowing the union to take place,” he glanced at the red embers of the parchment smoldering in the hearth. “Unfortunately, Henry seems to have other plans for me.”
Gavan watched the dimming flames. “You mentioned a reward. What reward?”
Richmond sighed heavily, rising from the table and clenching his huge fists. “For eighteen years of loyal service, Henry has seen fit to reward me by instigating a betrothal between myself and a very wealthy widow, a woman of importance and standing. ’Tis a tremendous honor, promising money and prestige, a distinction any man would be thrilled to receive,” his gaze trailed up to Gavan, sluggish and somber. When he spoke, his tone was laced with irony. “But not me. I am acquainted with this woman and want no part of her.”
The anticipation of his answer caused Gavan to lean forward on the table, bracing himself with his thick arms. His brown eyes glittered. “Who?”
“The Lady Cecily Percy de Clare.”
Gavan simply stared at him as the name sank deep. Each revelation seemed to be greater than the previous and, suddenly, his eyes widened to the point of popping from his skull. “Hotspur’s sister!”
Richmond nodded weakly, pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the impending ache. “And if I refuse, Hotspur will be insulted, not to mention the fact that our king will probably string me up by my thumbs,” his hand came down, slappingagainst his massive thigh. “This is an added element that is not only unwanted, it is beyond belief. I risk offending both factions by my refusal.”
“And if you offend our king, he will not be inclined to grant your petition for Arissa,” Gavan supplied softly, his shock numbing him to any further emotion. “God’s Teeth, Richmond, you certainly know how to get yourself into trouble.”
Richmond smiled; a thin, ironic gesture. “’Twould seem so. Our king believes he’s doing me a favor by wedding me to Northumberland’s daughter, a powerful position by any account, and I will not fault him his generosity. In addition, he’s also making a political match by pledging his most loyal knight to fortify an alliance that has never been particularly robust. He’s strengthening the bonds, and I cannot fault him for that, either.”
Gavan did not say anything for a moment as the gravity of the circumstance settled. As the fire in the hearth died and the orange sun cast its final light over the landscape, he turned to Richmond.
“What do you plan to do?”
Richmond, the cut above his eye swollen and his inflamed nose aching, gave a laborious sigh. “Above all else, I will marry Arissa. This entire mess pales in comparison to my love for her.”
