But that did not discourage Aeron.
Somehow, in his mind, the denials were a challenge. No man had ever truly denied him his wants and he was convinced that Gethin would not be the first one. He knew he could break the man down, or at least he thought he could. Aeron’s family had been powerful warlords for a century or more, so Aeron was living under the false illusion that he had some power when it came to selecting his bride.
As it turned out, he had no power at all.
It had never been so apparent as it had been at the gates of Wybren Castle.
Aeron wasn’t a man accustomed to failure and therefore had no way to truly control his rage. After falling asleep in the dirt in front of the iron gates of The Neath, he was awoken at dawn by two old servants, including Megsy, who had brought himwarmed wine and a blanket. Evidently, his plight had moved them into showing some measure of humanity, and they had brought him a few things for his comfort. But all Aeron saw were the open gates, and he pushed through the servants and rushed straight into the house.
After that, they could not get him out.
Without Gethin or Juliandra in residence, Aeron had the run of the place, and run he did. He stormed around the house, knocking valuable things from their shelves and shouting of his hatred for both Gethin and Juliandra. At one point, he managed to get hold of a fire poker and he began smashing things, creating a mess and destroying the things that Juliandra loved. It was his way of punishing her, but more than that, it was an outlet for his particular brand of madness.
There were a few of Gethin’s hired men at the house, but Megsy prevented them from fighting with Aeron and throwing him out, mostly because that would probably create a bigger problem than they already had. Megsy, who was in charge with Gethin and Juliandra away, hoped that Aeron would simply wear himself out and go home under his own power. He was volatile, and unstable, and having the guards throw him out would have only added fuel to that fire.
Megsy was hoping he would simply leave on his own.
But in the midst of Aeron’s rage, he began speaking of things Megsy didn’t know. Between the screaming and the smashing, she discovered that Juliandra was remaining at Wybren of her own accord. Aeron said something about her being betrothed to the English overlord, but Megsy couldn’t seriously believe that. She thought, perhaps, that it was Aeron’s madness speaking and nothing more.
Never did she imagine it to be true.
As the day continued, Aeron showed no signs of leaving. After he had smashed a significant amount of valuables andpossessions, he ended up in the hall demanding food and drink, which was brought to him by nervous servants. The drink had been severely watered down because the last thing they wanted was a drunk madman on their hands, so Aeron drank watered wine that had been heavily mulled so he could not taste just how much it had been watered. He ate their bread, ate their cheese and fruit, and drank copious amounts other watered wine, all the while continuing to curse Juliandra.
That went on well into the afternoon.
Still Aeron showed no desire to leave. It seemed that he wanted to be in Juliandra’s home, cursing her and weeping over a lost betrothal. He wanted to be where she was born, where she ate and slept, even though she wasn’t there herself. He wanted to be close to her because he could no longer physically control her.
He’d lost her to a bloodySaesneg.
“This will not stand, you know,” he said to several nervous servants hovering in the hall. “I have been wronged and I shall have my satisfaction.”
Megsy was one of those standing in the hall. “Then you must wait until Lord Gethin returns home,” she said steadily. “We can do nothing for you.”
Aeron had his feet on the feasting table. He’d already thrown bread crusts and apple cores onto the floor, but he kicked over the watered wine as Megsy spoke.
“Gethin is a captive of theSaesneg,” he snarled. “He will never be released and Juliandra has become theSaesneg’swhore. Therefore, this house belongs to me now!”
Megsy’s hopes that Aeron would grow tired and leave were fading. “You cannot stay,” she said. “This is not your home.”
Aeron picked up an apple and threw it at her, barely missing her head. “Shut your mouth, you crippled wench,” he said. “No one is here to stop me!”
“I am here to stop you.”
The voice came from the entry to the hall. Shocked, Aeron whirled around to see Juliandra standing there.
And she did not look pleased.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Juliandra stood inthe doorway between the entry hall and the great hall with a big, iron rod in her hand. Upon closer inspection, it was a heavy pike from Gethin’s armory, which was next to the front door. Having spent quite some time out in the garden, lamenting the situation she found herself in, Juliandra finally summoned the energy to enter the house and immediately heard the voices in the hall. She recognized one of them without question.
Aeron.
She was in no mood for whatever he was perpetrating here.
In fact, she wanted to kill him.
Exhausted and on-edge, she could see Aeron rising out of his seat at the big feasting table that filled up much of The Neath’s hall. A glance around the chamber also showed her that there were many broken and smashed things, and she had no doubt that Aeron was responsible. The fearful look on Megsy’s face told her that, as well.
