“And he gave you this missive?”
“Nay,” William shook his head. “Jordan did. She read it before I did. She was cleaning the man’s chamber and it fell from his saddlebags. The letter was open, the seal broken, and she saw my name. Naturally, she read it, as it pertained to her husband.”
“How did she take the news?”
William was looking at the tabletop, thinking on how to answer. “It did not please her,” he finally said. “It was not an ideal way to discover that your husband, whom you thought was perfect, had fathered a bastard. I do believe she was a little jealous, even after all of these years.”
Kieran wriggled his eyebrows. “I can well imagine that,” he said. “I am certain Jemma would not have taken such news half as well as Jordan did. I’d be missing a certain part of my body right now.”
William cracked a smile. “How unfortunate for you,” he said. But he quickly sobered. “The point is that Herringthorpe doesn’t know I have it. He does not know thatIknow. Clearly, he knows that I am his father, but I have many questions about this.”
“What do you mean?”
William lifted a dark eyebrow. “Whyis he carrying that missive around?” he said. “Jane wanted him to give it to me. Why hasn’t he?”
Kieran shook his head. “I do not know,” he said. “But the more I think on it, the more I do not like it. There’s nothing like a man with a vendetta carrying around something to remind him of that vendetta.”
William looked at him curiously. “You think he means to harm me somehow?”
Kieran shrugged. “I do not know,” he said. “But the man just lost the only father he’d ever known, and now you find him carrying around a missive from his mother, to you, explaining that you are War’s true father. He must be grieved and angry and confused. Wouldn’t you be?”
William couldn’t disagree. “Jordan has advised me to ask him why he has the letter and why he has not given it to me,” he said. “What is your suggestion?”
Kieran opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a knock on the solar door. Both Kieran and William turned to see War standing in the doorway.
For a moment, they were both caught off guard. Had he heard their conversation? That was on their minds but until War indicated that he’d heard, neither one of them was going to react in any way. They were seasoned knights who had long learned not to give away what they were thinking.
But the mood, at least for them, was full of uncertainty.
“I am sorry to interrupt,” War said, looking between the two. “I was hoping I might have a moment of your time, Lord Kilham. If this is not a good time, then I shall come back at your convenience.”
William passed a glance at Kieran before replying. “Now is a perfect time,” he said. “Come in, please. We have been discussing du Reims’ death, among other things. I have just finished writing a message to the man’s father, which has been one of my unhappier duties.”
War stepped into the chamber. “Although I did not know du Reims, I know who his father is,” he said. “Tobin du Reims has spent much time in London, as a guest of the king on occasion.”
“Have you ever been to Thunderbey Castle?”
War shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “But I have heard that it is quite impressive.”
“It is,” William said. “The Earls of East Anglia and the House of de Wolfe have been friends and allies for decades. Back to the days of my father, in fact, when our alliance formed with the House of de Lohr. De Lohr and du Reims are related.”
War nodded. “I knew they were your ally,” he said. “Speaking of allies, and not to rush things along, but are you still planning on taking me to Northwood and Berwick, or would you prefer to do that another time? Much has happened since we spoke of it yesterday.”
William sat back in his chair. “I must say that I am not as enthusiastic about a journey to Northwood and Berwick now as I was yesterday, but you came here for a reason and that reason was not to sit around and be idle,” he said. “We shall go tomorrow morning. And I did not thank you and your men for lending your swords to the raid in Coldstream. It was a privilege to serve beside you, War.”
War smiled faintly. “The honor was mine, my lord,” he said. “In fact, I was hoping that we could become even closer allies. That is what I wished to speak to you about.”
William thought this might be the moment when War spoke of the secret they all knew. It was that great ghost in the room, hanging over them, and William found that he was eager to know what War was thinking on the subject.
He braced himself.
“I am listening,” he said. “Speak freely.”
War took a deep breath and cleared his throat, eyeing Kieran. “It is a… personal matter, my lord,” he said. “I mean no disrespect to Sir Kieran, but may I have a moment of your time alone?”
Kieran started to move but William stopped him. “You should know that Kieran and I have no secrets,” he said. “Kieranhas been my second in command for twenty-five years, my best friend since I was a young boy, so even if he is not in the room, chances are he will know of the subject matter at some point. And he is very wise, a neutral and calm voice when the situation is wrought with emotion. I would like him to stay unless you are insistent he leave.”
War shook his head without any marked disappointment or irritation. “As you wish,” he said. “If you trust him, then I trust him.”
