She pondered that for a moment, recognizing the name. “He is an important man, is he not?”
“He is. He is now the man who rules England.”
“But England has a king.”
Kevin nodded. “A king who is a child,” he said. “William Marshal is the lad’s protector and advisor.”
“Do you serve him still?”
He smiled weakly. “One is never truly out of the service of William Marshal,” he said. “But I have resigned my position if that is what you are asking. However, if he calls, I must answer.”
“Your brother, too?”
“My brother most of all.”
Juliandra thought on what he’d told her. It seemed to her that Kevin was no simple knight if he had ties to William Marshal, who was inarguably the greatest knight England had ever seen. He controlled much of the country, as well, meaning Kevin was much more prestigious than she had originally thought.
He was no simple Marcher lord.
“Then you are a warlord, the kind my father dislikes so intensely,” she said with a smile.
Kevin chuckled. “I am a warlord, indeed,” he said. “Unfortunately, warlords are necessary. We are the only thing that stands between civility and chaos. Your father should appreciate us more.”
Juliandra shrugged, mostly in agreement. “My father dislikes everything these days, so do not take it personally.”
Given what he’d been told about the man, Kevin understood. “He hates warlords and the church,” he said. “There isn’t much left. I would assume that he at least loves his only child.”
She looked at him, then. “I am not an only child,” she said. “You may as well know that I have a brother, although my father refuses to speak of him and acknowledge him. He disowned him when he married against my father’s wishes.”
Kevin’s brow furrowed. “That is quite serious,” he said. “But it seems a little severe to disown him for marrying without permission.”
She shook her head. “There is a difference between marrying against my father’s wishes and marrying without permission,” she said. “The story is quite unbelievable, but I assure you that it is true. A troupe of minstrels passed through Pool about a year ago and they were very good. They played in the town’s square for a few weeks and people would come from all over to see them. They made a good deal of money with the coinage given to them for their entertainment and my brother, who worked in my father’s shop, became quite enamored with one of the singers.”
Kevin could already see where this was going. “And he ran away with her?”
Juliandra nodded. “Sadly, he did,” she said. “But that wasn’t the worst part. My brother is a year younger than I am and the woman is old enough to be his mother. Burke is such a kind and tender-hearted lad and this woman was very sweet to him. He was truly convinced that he was in love with her, but my father was certain the woman was manipulating him. One morning,Burke left and so did the minstrel group. Ever since then, my father has forbidden anyone to speak of my brother, including me.”
Kevin understood something about disowning a family member. He did that to his own brother for years, convinced his brother had dishonored himself and his family. As it turned out, what Sean had done had all been in the service of his dedication to a safe and prosperous England.
But Kevin didn’t see that at the time.
Now, he did.
Therefore, he had some sympathy to the plight of young Burke ap Gethin.
“That is a difficult situation,” he said. “But I would not give up hope. Time has a way of healing those situations. Burke may come back to you yet.”
Juliandra nodded sadly. “I hope so,” she said. “I miss my brother very much. I wish I knew where he had gone and how he was faring. We’ve not heard from him in all that time.”
“You will,” Kevin said. “He is still family. As I said, time has a way of healing those wounds.”
She looked at him, an inquisitive cast in her expression. “You speak as if you know something about family troubles.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “It would take me years to tell you everything I know about family troubles,” he said. “Suffice it to say that I do indeed know a great deal about them. I therefore speak from experience.”
She smiled as if convinced by his wisdom. The subject of Burke was always a painful one, something she really couldn’t speak of. She probably shouldn’t have even said anything to Kevin but, somehow, she didn’t want him thinking that her father was a general malcontent.
He had his reasons.
