“Nonetheless, I will come courting,” Andrew said,
“whether you will or no, Adair Radcliffe, and I shall not be the only man on your doorstep suing for your hand.
But I will be the only man worthy of you.”
“Indeed, sir, and you have a fine opinion of yourself, I can see,” Adair responded tartly. “I can but wonder what others say of you, but I shall ask, you may be certain.”
“Our families have been neighbors for many years,”
Robert Lynbridge said quietly. “It would please both my grandsire and me should you accept my brother’s suit.”
Adair smiled at the older of the Lynbridge brothers.
“I am flattered, sir, by the attention that your family would lavish upon me,” she said, “but I need some time to myself before I consider any marriage I would make.
And I would want Uncle Dickon’s advice and blessing on any union I might consider contracting,” Adair told them.
Robert nodded. “I understand, and you are, of course, correct. I know my brother would certainly accept the duke’s decision in the matter.” He stood up. “The weather is unusually fair this day, and I think that Andrew and I should take the opportunity to journey home before the day is much further advanced.” He nodded to his younger brother, who also arose.
Adair now stood. “Elsbeth, fetch a jar of the plum preserves I did in September.” She turned to the two men. “For your grandsire, sirs. As I remember he had a sweet tooth for my mother’s plum preserves, and I have used her recipe.”
Andrew chuckled. “He still has that sweet tooth, sweetheart, and I shall tell him you sent the preserves to him with a kiss.”
Adair burst out laughing. “How is it that two brotherscan be so different?” she asked him. “You are quite wicked, sir.”
“But you like it,” he teased her, and chuckled again when she blushed.
“Here is the jar,” Elsbeth said, coming up to them and shoving it into Andrew’s hand. “Try not to break it, my fine laddie, before the old man has a taste.”
Adair escorted her guests into the courtyard, where their horses were even now awaiting them. It was at that moment they heard the blare of horns and the thunder of hoofbeats, but before they had a chance to consider it a large party of horsemen swept into the courtyard, led by Duke Richard.
Adair’s face lit up when she saw him, and she ran to his horse as he dismounted, kissing the beringed hand he held out to her. “Uncle Dickon! Welcome to Stanton!”
The Duke of Gloucester kissed his niece on both cheeks, and then, setting her back from him, said, “You have been a very naughty girl, poppet. The king was most disturbed when you departed court so precipitously. It was most rash of you.”
“You know why I left,” Adair said softly.
The duke nodded, and then his eyes swept over the two young men. “Andrew Lynbridge,” he said. “And this must be your elder brother.”
“My lord duke,” Andrew said, bowing low. “It is good to see you again. And, aye, this is my brother, Robert, our grandsire’s heir.”
“Your brother was one of my finest captains, sir,” the duke addressed Robert. “What brings you both to Stanton Hall?”
“We are neighbors, and our grandsire asked that we pay our respects to Mistress Adair,” Robert answered the duke.
“Good neighbors are a blessing,” the duke said.
“You were here the night?” A richly dressed young man by the duke’s side spoke.
“Aye, sir, we were,” Robert Lynbridge replied.
The young man turned to the duke. “This is untenable, my lord! That my wife should have been alone in her house with two men, and no chaperone. Is she un-chaste, then, that she was sent from court? My father did not believe for one minute that tale that Lady Margaret told of the bride going north to prepare her estate for my arrival.”
“Wife?” Andrew Lynbridge said softly. His glance flicked to Adair, who looked astounded by the peacock-ish young man’s statement.
“Aye, my wife, Lady Adair Radcliffe,” came the reply.
“I am Llywelyn, born FitzTudor, now Radcliffe, the Earl of Stanton.”
