Victor cocked a graying eyebrow. “Mayhap there is,” he said, feeling his frustration on the upswing again. “If I’d wanted a wife, I would already have one by now. You have no right to do this.”
Edward was finished arguing with the man. “Are we truly to enter into this circular conversation again?” he asked drolly. “You do not want a wife but I am giving you one. Let us cut to the meat of the situation; no amount of arguing is going to cause me to change my mind, so it would be better if you kept your mouth shut. You are succeeding in infuriating me and that is not a good thing. I am not, however, unsympathetic to your plight. I know this is not a welcome addition to your life so I intend tosweeten the deal. In addition to a wife, I intend to gift you with a knight of legendary skills and reputation, a man known not only in England but throughout the known world. He made a name for himself as a paid assassin in the Levant and now I intend that he should serve you. It will be quite a prideful thing to have this man in your command.”
Victor wasn’t particularly interested in what Edward was saying until he came to the part about the knight. The gifting of a knight from the king to a lord was considered quite prestigious because the king would only gift men he held in very high esteem, men of great talent and power. It was, indeed, a great honor to be gifted with a knight of the highest order and Victor, being a man who prided himself on his great stable of knights as well as a well-equipped army, was definitely interested in receiving a prominent warrior.
“Who is this knight?” he asked with genuine curiosity.
Edward felt very smug in his reply, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “Have you ever heard of the Scorpion?” he asked, sitting forward and resting his arms on the table. “He is an English knight who has carved out quite a reputation for himself in the Levant. He is a hired assassin and it is said that no man escapes him. He is as silent as a scorpion and twice as deadly.”
Victor’s interest grew and a light of pleasure came to his eye. “I do not believe I have heard of the man,” he said. “But that is not surprising. I do not have great contact with travelers and diplomats as you do. So he is impressive?”
“Vastly.”
“And his skills are beyond compare?”
“You will be the envy of every warlord in England.”
That was something that appealed to Victor’s vanity very much since he was well known for his collection of highly skilled knights. “Is this so?” he asked. “What of his family?”
Seeing that he finally had Victor’s interest, Edward sat back to pour himself more wine. “He comes from the House of Hage,” he said. “Saxon royalty. A few centuries ago, they ruled southern Mercia, but since the Normans came they have assimilated themselves into the new order of England. His father was a very great knight who served the legendary Wolfe of the border, William de Wolfe.”
Victor was impressed. “Of course I have heard of de Wolfe,” he said. “And you say the Scorpion’s father served the man?”
“They were the best of friends.”
Victor pondered the lineage of the mysterious Scorpion. “Then he hails from fine stock indeed. Have you met the man?”
Edward nodded. “I have only just met him,” he said. “You will meet him tonight. In fact, he is to join us for sup in a few minutes along with your new bride.”
With the mention of the new wife, Victor’s good mood faded. He was back to being frustrated again. Heavily, he sat opposite Edward. “I do not suppose we could leave the woman out of it?” he asked. “I should like to meet my new knight without distraction.”
Edward’s gaze was steely as he looked at his cousin. He knew he had the man. “Nay,” he said deliberately. “The terms are this, Victor– no wife, then no knight. If you want the Scorpion, then you must accept the wife. This is non-negotiable.”
Victor grunted, knowing he had just been cornered. It was a discouraging feeling, as if a bucket of cold water had just been thrown over him, and it was an effort not to vigorously resist. He wanted the knight, God only knew, he did. His vanity demanded it. But the wife… not so much. In order to get one, he had to accept the other.Damn Edward!Victor puckered his lips as if he was about to say something quite nasty, but just as quickly backed down and drank his wine instead.
“Bastard,” he mumbled.
“What did you say?”
Victor looked at him. “I said that I have been bested,” he lied. “Bested. What did you think I said?”
Edward started laughing. He couldn’t help it. He drank his wine, his voice echoing off the cup. “I know exactly what you said,” he remarked. “Take heart, Cousin. The Scorpion shall be well worth the price paid.”
Victor simply shook his head. “I doubt that.”
Edward set his cup down. “All you have to do is impregnate the girl and send her off somewhere until she gives birth,” he said. “See to her comfort for the rest of her life somewhere else while you raise your son in the manner you see fit. But you are not, under any circumstances, to be cruel or abusive to the woman. I know you do not want her but you are forbidden to treat her like an animal. Is that clear?”
Victor’s brow furrowed. “Do you truly think I would do that?”
“I know you, Cousin. You can be cruel when you want to be.”
Victor simply looked away. As Edward regarded his cousin, mulling over the all of the things he was capable of, servants entered the small hall with trays of bread, cheese, fruit, nuts, and other delicacies. It was evident that they were preparing for the supper hour that was swiftly approaching.
As the servants prepared the table and Edward grabbed at food as it was set around him, Victor rose on his big legs and moved towards the hearth. His movements were pensive as he thought on the turn his life was about to take. Edward’s idea about sending the woman away had been sound and, in truth, was the only attractive suggestion in this entire situation. Victor had properties in Dorset and Somerset, so there were places he could send her. The one factor that concerned him, however, was impregnating her. He’d only been with one woman in his life, when he was about fifteen years of age, and that had been enough of an experience to convince him that women weresimply not his taste. It had been a disgusting experience as far as he was concerned.
He’d had dozens of lovers, all of them male, but it wasn’t something Victor spoke of. His sexual preferences were his own and he was a private man. Therefore, his biggest distress in all of this was consummating the marriage. Edward was expecting a son from him and it would not bode well were he to disobey the king. As Victor stood there and fretted, guests began to enter the smoke-filled hall. It was soon for him to meet his new wife, like it or not.
It was most definitely not.
