William nodded to silently thank him, but he was thinking that War was most definitely leading up to Jane’s missive. On the other hand, William knew he didn’t have the missive, so why tell William what he knew without the proof? That was the first inkling that it might be something different.
He found out for certain when War opened his mouth.
“I am not entirely sure this is the right time to ask you this, but I find that I do not wish to delay,” he said. “Time is short and things happen, like skirmishes in the midst of a peaceful visit. My lord, I would like permission to court Lady Annaleigh.”
That brought a reaction from William. He couldn’t help the surprise that rippled across his face. Kieran, too. He looked at William to see what the man thought of the request and he realized they both had the same expression.
Astonished.
All William could think of at that moment was of Jordan’s plan to matchmake between War and Annaleigh when War had first come to Castle Questing. He’d been irritated with her for her plans but, as it seemed, she’d been right and he’d been wrong.
He’d never hear the end of it.
“Annaleigh?” William finally said. “You wish to court my wife’s cousin?”
War nodded. “I do, my lord,” he said politely. “But I would like to explain something you are not aware of. This goes back to the battle at Etal Castle several months ago.”
William was even more puzzled. “I am listening.”
War took a deep breath, focused solely on William as if Kieran weren’t in the room. He’d never had to ask a man to court his daughter, or in this case, a ward, and the only indications of nervousness were his hands, clasped behind his back, with white fingers because he was gripping them so tightly.
“As you are aware, I was badly wounded in the battle,” War said. “I had crawled into a thicket of trees by the river, trying to hide myself from the marauding Scots who go about stripping the dead of their valuables. I knew I would not be able to defend myself, so I hid. Annaleigh was one of the women roaming the battlefield and she found me. Instead of trying to kill me, she tended me. She saved my life, my lord.”
William was even more astounded now. “God’s Bones,” he muttered. “Is this true? I hadn’t heard this, not at all. Annaleigh never told me.”
“That is because she kept it to herself,” War said. “She was not certain how her kin would react if they knew she saved the life of an English knight, so she hadn’t told anyone. You probably should not tell anyone, either. It could jeopardize her because she has told me that her clan blames her for that battle. They might move against her if they knew that she saved the life of an enemy.”
William was already shaking his head. “They’ll not hear it from me,” he said. “The information will not leave this chamber. But the coincidence is uncanny.”
“Coincidence, my lord?”
William nodded. “That was exactly how I met my wife,” he said. “It was after a border skirmish and I had a nasty leg wound.She found me on the field of battle, stitched my wound, and saved my life.”
That seemed to relax War a little. “You’re right,” he said. “Itisan uncanny coincidence. It would seem that the women from Clan Scott are brave beyond measure.”
William grunted in agreement. “More than you know,” he said. “Have you seen her since? Or was your arrival at Castle Questing the first time you’d seen her since the battle?”
War smiled weakly. “It was the first time since the battle,” he said. “She told me her name those months ago, but I had no idea where she was from or anything beyond her name. When I arrived at Castle Questing, I had the opportunity to thank her for what she did, but my feelings for her grew from there. I would very much like to court her, my lord. Nay,morethan that. I would very much like to marry her and I seek your permission.”
As his surprise faded, William thought heavily on the question. Before him stood inarguably one of the most powerful knights in England. The man was as glorious as a rising sun, a man among men, who had not yet reached his zenith. He was the commander of a massive castle on the coast, but a man like War Herringthorpe was destined for bigger things.
It was the de Wolfe blood in him.
William liked to think that the skill and talent of War was due to his bloodlines. There was no denying that de Wolfe men were great knights. More than that, War carried the blood of the House of de Percy, a hugely prestigious and powerful family. When those two bloodlines met, the creation was exactly what stood before him–
Powerful.
Courageous.
Intelligent.
Legendary.
And this man wanted to court Annaleigh.
Nay… marry her.
But William didn’t feel as if he could freely give his permission, not until a few things were made clear between them. He’d been expecting War to come to him with what he knew, with Jane’s letter, yet War came to him instead with a request to court one of William’s wards. While he was pleased by the request and had no real objection other than the final word would have to come from Annaleigh’s father, he was still wrestling with the fact that War was his son and hadn’t yet confronted him with it.
