One of Aeron’s men, a cousin, in fact, spoke from behind him. “What do you have in mind?”
Aeron turned to look at the son of his father’s brother, a man he had been raised with. “We should have never let theSaesnegtake possession of Wybren, Adan,” he said. “We should have done something the very day the knight took possession, but Glynn would not help me. Do you recall? He was reluctant. But I do not need him.”
Adan eyed his cousin with an expression that suggested years of living in fear of the man, but he’d long learned to be calm with Aeron or nothing would be accomplished. Aeron could shout louder and angrier than anyone, so Adan kept his composure as much as he was able.
He looked to the men from The Neath.
“Go outside and wait for us,” he instructed. “We will speak on this matter and decide what is to be done.”
The sergeants nodded and headed out, dragging Megsy along. She didn’t want to go, more interested in what Aeron would be saying because it pertained to Juliandra. But they dragged her through the door and once they were out of earshot, Adan turned to his cousin.
“You already sent word to Phylip about this,” he said. “You must wait for him to answer. He knows more about theSaesnegthan you do.”
But Aeron shook his head. “Ihavewaited,” he said. “And see what has happened? Now the bastard has Juliandra and something must be done.”
Adan took a deep breath. “Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?” he said. “You plan to attack Wybrenwithouthelp from Phylip?”
Aeron looked at his cousin, a man he considered wise but also cowardly. Adan wasn’t fond of battle.
“We should have done it at the start, before theSaesneggained a foothold,” he said. “I should have insisted Glynn give me his men, but I did not. I was a fool. Now they have Juliandra, sullying the woman before I had a chance to do it.”
Adan could see the unreasonable rage building and he knew he had to make his case before the blind fury took over.
“Listen to me,” he said. “You may be able to raise hundreds to attack Wybren, or mayhap not. Glynn did not give you his men for a good reason– too many of the warlords know what attacking a Marcher castle will do to them. It will bring all of theSaesnegMarcher lords down around us and we cannot fight them all.”
Aeron didn’t want to admit that he was right. “Then what?” he said sarcastically. “We do nothing, Adan? You know that Icannot sit aside while that bastard takes that which belongs to me.”
Adan shook his head. “You must wait for Phylip to respond,” he said. “You will need his support.”
“I do not need his support.”
Adan lifted a dark eyebrow. “You do and you know it,” he said, holding up a hand to beg patience while he continued. “Aeron, you must put a siege out of your mind for now, at least until you hear from Phylip. Right now, you do not have enough men. It would be futile because you would not have enough support for a sustained campaign against a castle that has never been breached.”
Aeron was confident in his arrogance. “No one has ever seriously tried,” he said. “With enough men, we can get over her walls. It can be done.”
Adan switched tactics. “Then theSaesnegmight harm Juliandra to punish you for your aggression,” he said. “Did you ever think of that?”
Aeron hadn’t, but he hated to admit such a thing. His rising battle ardor was cooled. “Nay,” he finally said. “They are cowards and brutes. I suppose it is possible that they could.”
Adan nodded firmly. “You want her returned to you whole and safe, not thrown over the wall to punish you for your actions,” he said. “If theSaesnegwants a woman, then mayhap that is what we should do. Exchange Juliandra for another woman and that would solve the problem of Juliandra’s captivity. We could bring him one, someone beautiful and lush.”
Aeron’s eyebrows lifted. “More beautiful and lush than Juliandra?”
Adan conceded the point. “I realize that will be difficult, but if you want your lady returned to you safely, then you will have to offer theSaesnegsomething equal, or better, in return,” he said.“Give him another woman in exchange for yours. Tell him that the woman we have is more valuable than Juliandra somehow.”
Unfortunately, Aeron wasn’t very bright. He thought in very simplistic terms, which meant he thought that such an exchange might be a good idea, not realizing that his cousin had only presented it to keep him from raising an army and turning this section of the Marches into a battlefield.
Adan was trying to prevent a bloodbath, that was true, but he was mostly trying to prevent a death–his.
He could only hope his cousin took the bait.
“Could it be that simple, then?” Aeron said, excitement in his tone. “We give him another woman and Juliandra is returned to me? But the woman we offer will truly have to have something outstanding, something that makes her more attractive than Juliandra.”
Adan was already nodding as if he had the perfect solution. “She will,” he said. “I am thinking of Yestyn’s wife, the woman who has provided him five children because he cannot keep his hands from her. You know the one– with black hair and black eyes, and breasts that are enormous and milky. The woman makes every man who meets her want to bed her. You can smell her female scent from a distance, like a siren’s call.”
Aeron knew the woman. She was bold and lush and curvy, with big, red lips that she never hesitated to put on a man’s privates, even after she spoke the words of marriage with one of Aeron’s biggest and toughest men.
He finally snorted.
