“That’s Christopher de Lohr’s seat,” Marius pointed out. “I know de Lohr. A big man, quite arrogant. He used to be Richard’s champion, you know.”
“I know,” Covington said. “Everyone knows that, and de Wolfe is a close friend and ally. As I was saying, when they arrived, de Wolfe attacked me. Not physically, but verbally. He knows of our plans, Marius. He knows why I married Alice and he knows that Rupert de Thorington is not loyal to Philip of France. He is not sympathetic to our cause.”
Marius frowned. “Then if he is not sympathetic, why did he come?”
Covington shrugged. “I am not entirely certain,” he said. “Mayhap he came in the beginning because he is allied with The Marshal and he wanted to lend support, but in the end, he tried to exert his control over me. He told me to leave Hawkstone and he wanted to take Lady Emelisse away from me, but I would not let him. I may have ruined my relationship with him, but I do not care. No man will push me around, even if he is my liege.”
Marius poured himself more wine. “Not to worry,” he said. “You are becoming upset over something that does not matter. I will marry Emelisse and Hawkstone will become mine. No one will be able to dispute that, not de Wolfe or even the king. We shall have both Winterhold and Hawkstone under our control and in a year or two, everyone will forget the unpleasantness that preceded that merger.”
“I hope you are right.”
“Of course I am,” Marius said. “In fact, I shall not wait– I shall go to Hawkstone on the morrow and bring a priest with me. I will marry Emelisse at her family’s home and take them both, and then this situation will be finished once and for all.”
That was all Alice needed to hear. Leaving father and son in the solar to continue their plans for world domination, or at least their corner of the world, she rushed off to find a man loyal to Hallam to send a message to him.
The news of Marius’ arrival and his plans were heading to Hawkstone within the hour.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Hawkstone Castle
Maxton had beenholding the line at the gatehouse with the fifty soldiers they had brought with them when he saw Caius emerge from the keep.
Curious, he watched the man lumber towards him across the sloping, muddy bailey until they finally came within range of one another that they could make meaningful eye contact. At that point, Caius waved his hand at Maxton as if indicating for him to follow, and then headed towards the great hall.
Maxton broke away from the gatehouse to pursue.
He followed the man into the hall with its partially burned roof. The section of the hall that was left to the elements was piled with melting snow, but the larger section of hall that still had the roof appeared relatively untouched. Caius moved over near the darkened hearth and Maxton approached him.
“What is amiss, Cai?” he asked.
Caius didn’t even know where to start. “Have you seen Morgan?”
“I saw him leaving the keep. Why?”
“Where is Kevin?”
“Finding out just how many Winterhold men are left outside of the keep,” he said. “Why, Cai? What’s wrong?”
Caius let out a long, pent-up sigh. “The lady’s brother is dead,” he said. “He died last night of an arrow wound to the chest, meaning the lady is now the sole heiress to Hawkstone.”
Maxton’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Christ,” he muttered. “Then she can truly never go back to Winterhold. If de Wrenville holds her, Hawkstone’s battle is finished. He can do as he pleases with it.”
But Caius shook his head. “It is not the simple,” he said. “The lady is prepared to take up her brother’s mantle and remain caged up in the keep with thirty-one Hawkstone soldiers to the death. She feels very strongly about it. She will not surrender.”
Maxton puffed out his cheeks as the revelations just kept coming. “I see,” he said. “You left her there?”
“Aye,” he said. “I probably could not have removed her in any case. She intends to remain. Max, if we leave her here, she will die. There is no question about it.”
Maxton nodded. “Mayhap,” he said. “Cai… I know what you said when we first arrived, how as knights, we are sworn to protect the weak and innocent, but if you are thinking of getting more deeply involved in this, I would recommend against it.”
Caius glanced at him. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I know you. Something is going on in your head that you are not telling me.”
Now, it had come. Caius was prepared to deny it, but in good conscience, he could not. Moreover, he wasn’t in the habit of lying to his friends, men who were like brothers to him. The lines were blurring even more as he leaned against the cold hearth, trying to put his thoughts into words that they could both understand.
At the moment, he didn’t understand anything.
