“When you least expect it, she shall appear.”
Essien simply shook his head. He didn’t care and he didn’t want to continue the conversation. A wife was of no interest to him, much as he’d explained to his brother. In fact, he wasn’t happy that he’d had to field that conversation twice in the same day. Noticing that the servants were bringing in a fresh barrel of wine, he headed in that direction, fully prepared to drink away his irritation.
Little did he know that he would be unable to run from that conversation from this night forward.
For Essien al-Kort, things were about to change.
CHAPTER FOUR
Things were certainlylively in the great hall this night.
He’d watched the entire fiasco with the flame-haired de Lohr daughter and the knights who were determined to teach her a lesson. She was lively, that one, as he’d seen her during the day around the tournament field and in the lists. He’d even offered to escort her into the village for sweets but was summarily denied by the woman’s father. He’d been kind about it, to be sure, but he’d denied him and then ignored him. Or forgot about him. It was all the same to Lance le Kerque.
He was used to be ignored by the de Lohrs.
He didn’t even know why he’d offered. He’d been pursuing his liege’s daughter since nearly the moment he swore his fealty, but Lady Catalina, a widow, wasn’t exactly receptive. She was such a beautiful woman, elegant and graceful, and had an ethereal quality about her that Lance found fascinating. Maybe that was why he’d gone in pursuit of her, because he’d never seen anyone like her, but it could also be because she was Eckington’s heir. She had also inherited a great deal from her dead husband, some foolish knight who had gone off and gotten himself killed. Or he’d just died. Lance really didn’t know. He only knew that the man was dead and had left behind his exquisite wife and twoadorable daughters. Perhaps her latest rejection had damaged Lance’s confidence enough that he had to find another lady to boost it, hence his interest in Rebecca de Lohr.
But he’d been denied her, too.
Such was his life.
His liege, Lord Eckington, was with the Earl of Hereford, somewhere on this property. Lance hadn’t seen him in hours, ever since de Lohr had greeted him during the tournament and then the two of them had stolen away. That left Lance alone, in command of Eckington’s escort and presumably in charge of keeping an eye on Lady Catalina and her children. He’d been so caught up in sending Eckington’s escort back to their encampment to the east, where all of the competitors were camped, and then the list for the mass competition contestants when it was finally posted by the marshals, that he’d failed to notice Lady Catalina’s disappearance until she returned with a knight who was introduced as Essien al-Kort.
God of Vengeance.
Lance thought he recognized him from tournaments in the past, and that suspicion was confirmed when he learned the man’s name. Essien was polite and departed as soon as he delivered the women, but Lance was left feeling humiliated that another man had done his duty for him. He should have been paying closer attention to Catalina and her daughters. He was fairly certain her already mediocre opinion of him had grown exponentially worse because of his lack of attention.
He couldn’t blame Essien. The man was in the right place at the right time. All he could do was blame himself and make the decision that, rather than pursue Catalina personally, trying to establish something between them, he would simply go to Lord Eckington and plead for her hand. She would have to do what her father told her to do, so perhaps that would be his best course of action.
If Eckington ever made it to the feasting hall.
In the meantime, Lance would enjoy the food and entertainment, which had been Lady Rebecca and her friends, but now that their spectacle was over, a group of men and women near the hearth had commenced playing musical instruments and singing. The hall was starting to settle down and more food was being brought forth to keep the guests satisfied until Hereford and his wife appeared and the meal commenced in earnest. But the truth was that Lance only had one goal whilst he was here at Lioncross Abbey, and it had nothing to do with the tournament.
He wanted to get Hereford alone.
This was the closest he’d ever come in his entire life. All of those years of serving various lords in his youth and ending up in Brabant and Vilinius, fighting other men’s wars, before returning to England as a bachelor knight and riding the circuit until the opportunity with Eckington presented itself. He’d been wanting to serve a de Lohr ally for many years, but not any de Lohr ally—one that was close by sheer proximity to Lioncross Abbey and Christopher de Lohr. He had to be able to get close to the man with ease—physically close—and Eckington had been part of that plan. It had been sheer luck that he’d managed to obtain a position with him. But now, here he was. At Lioncross.
And he intended to get Hereford alone.
He’d come too far not to.
It was time.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Ithink we’vehad too much to drink.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because the chamber issparkling.”
Christopher started laughing. He was sitting in his solar with Harald de Efford, Lord Eckington, and the older man had him in hysterics. Harald was congenial, wise, and humorous to the bone, something Christopher had always liked about him. He wasn’t any good in battle or with a sword any longer, though he’d never been particularly talented with either, but he was very astute when it came to politics. Christopher had relied on his counsel in the past and the man had never failed him. But more than anything, he simply enjoyed the man’s company from time to time. He’d long learned not to enjoy a man’s company for fear he’d turn on him.
But not Harald.
He was loyal to the bone.
“Is it sparkling?” Christopher said, looking around at the old walls, the stacks of books, the big black cat that liked to nap on the shelves. “Harald, I do not think it is sparkling. I think there is something wrong with your eyes.”
