“And if they are clever, rule the roost,” the younger girl said mischievously.
The duchess smiled. “Shall I tell my husband then that you are agreeable to a marriage with Andrew Lynbridge?”
“If Andrew will agree then so will I,” Adair said. “For Stanton, and its future.”
And while the duchess had spoken with Adair, her husband had been speaking with Andrew Lynbridge on the very same matter.
“Marry the lady?” he said, surprised by the duke’s overture.
“She is now my ward,” Richard of Gloucester replied.
“She needs a husband to hold Stanton for the king. I prefer a man whose loyalties I can count upon, and not another FitzTudor. I do not trust the Lancaster faction, despite the deaths of Henry the Sixth and his son. Thereis still a Lancaster heir, and Margaret Beaufort is ambitious for her son.”
“It would please my father,” Andrew said slowly.
“There is, however, one small drawback to marriage with Adair,” the duke said. “Before Jane Radcliffe bore her child it was agreed that if that child was a female, and the earl fathered no legitimate sons, Adair would be the Countess of Stanton in her own right. That you already know. But you may not know that the king decided that her husband would have to bear the surname of Radcliffe, and forgo his own family’s name before he might become the earl. I know Lord Humphrey will not be pleased to learn that, and certainly you are not. But can you accept this condition?”
“I would be Earl of Stanton if I did, wouldn’t I?” he asked.
“Aye,” the duke replied.
“And I would have all the rights a husband has over his wife’s property?”
Richard of Gloucester nodded. “You would.”
Andrew Lynbridge chortled. “When my grandsire began casting covetous eyes on Stanton, I told him that if I could wed Adair the land would be mine and not his.
And will it not be clearly more so if my surname is Radcliffe, my lord?”
The duke saw the humor in the situation, and laughed himself. “Indeed it would, Andrew,” he ageed.
“Then I shall do it,” Andrew said.
“You must be kind to Adair, and respectful of her,”
the duke warned the younger man. “I have had a great fondness for her since we first met. She was such a brave little girl in the face of such terrible tragedy. She has grown into a lovely, if headstrong, young woman. She’s like a fine but yet wild young mare. You will tame her if you treat her with gentleness. And you will not be sorry for it. Adair understands loyalty.”
“This matter should be settled before the winter sets in,” Andrew said.
“It should,” the duke replied. “I will have the marriage contract drawn up, and if my niece is willing we will celebrate your union before you return to Stanton.
Go now, and find her. Make your peace with her.”
Andrew left the duke’s privy chamber and went to the great hall. There he found Adair sitting by a fire as if she had been waiting for him. There was no one else about. “May I sit by you?” he asked her. “I have spoken with the duke. He would have a marriage between us.
Will you have it?”
She motioned him to sit by her side. “I have spoken with the duchess. I will consent to a marriage between us. I did not wish to wed a year ago because I wanted time to become familiar with my home again. I did not choose to marry a stranger, especially the son of a Lancastrian. I can never forgive them for murdering my parents. I am sorry the king did not consider that when he made the match for me with Pembroke’s son, and then celebrated a proxy marriage without me. All was done for his benefit, not mine. I will assent to a match between us because I know, though I am capable of much, I am not able to defend Stanton and hold it for the king by myself. I need a husband to do that. I know you, Andrew Lynbridge, and you would seem a good man.”
“I am a good man,” he told her seriously. “I will care for you, and I will defend Stanton,” Andrew said, reaching out and taking Adair’s hand in his. Raising it to his lips, he kissed the delicate little hand. “I will not fail the duke, or Stanton, or you, Adair. You have my word on it.”
“And you will accept the Radcliffe name in place of Lynbridge?” Adair said.
“I will,” he responded. “You understand, however, that this marriage shall be a real and complete marriage, and not in name only. You are a grown girl, and I am a man. I want a bedmate as well as a helpmate. And we will need heirs.”
Adair felt her cheeks grow warm. Bedding Andrewhad been the farthest thing from her mind. She was doing this for Stanton. But as Duchess Anne had gently pointed out, Stanton did need heirs, and one did not get heirs by just wishing for them. “I understand,” she agreed, nodding.
“You are a virgin?” he asked, looking into her face for the truth. It didn’t actually matter to him, but he did want to know.
