William dipped his head in thanks. “I hope so, my lord,” he said. “Thank you for the honor today of riding against you today. It was a privilege.”
Christopher nodded, his gaze moving down William’s arm, to the hand that had gripped the lance.
“And for me,” he said. “But I did not hit you hard enough to dislodge the lance.”
“You hit harder than you realized.”
“Nay, I did not.”
“Then I must have had a weak moment.”
Christopher couldn’t decide if he was furious or amused at what he suspected. “No de Wolfe has a weak moment,” he said. “It is not in your nature.”
William shook his head. “Nay, it is not,” he said. “But it is not in your nature, either. You were going to kill yourself rather than forfeit a bout, no matter how exhausted or advanced in years you were. A man your age should not go up against younger men with better stamina.”
Christopher frowned at the truth, insulting though it was. “William, if you threw this match, I will have the marshals set the guides up once more and we shall go again,” he said. “Once I knock you from your horse, and Iwillknock you off, I am going to beat the guts out of you and use your rotten hide as a rug in front of my hearth. Then you can talk to me about old men and stamina.”
William was trying desperately not to laugh. “My apologies,” he said. “I did not mean it as it sounded, only that you have earned your reputation. You should not jeopardize it against someone as unworthy as me.”
Christopher shook his head reproachfully at the smooth-talking young knight. “You are a devil,” he growled. “Answer my question—did you deliberately lose your lance?”
William’s eyes were glittering with warmth at a man he loved and adored. “Of course not,” he finally said. “I would never do such a thing. I lost my grip on it and it simply slipped out of my hand. I lost to a legend today, quite fairly. And I am proud of it.”
With that, he directed his horse away, leaving Christopher both fuming and touched. There was no question in his mind that the knight known as the Wolfe had thrown the match. But he wasn’t going to argue with him.
God bless the man.
Wherever Edward de Wolfe was, Christopher had a feeling the man was very proud.
And so was Christopher.
*
“I am goingto be ready for de Wolfe in the mass competition,” Essien said. “With his loss to Hereford, the man will be out for blood.”
Addax waggled his eyebrows in agreement. A couple of hours after the tournament had ended, they were preparing for a preliminary bout in the mass competition. Preparing along with them were other members of their team in Ashton, Peter, Cassian, and Alexander.
It was a hell of a team.
“Wolfie is siding with his brother,” Cassian reminded them. “The man is unbeatable in a mass competition. We should have enticed him over to our team.”
“With what?” Essien wanted to know. “He’ll laugh if we offer him money.”
“Give him somebody’s sister,” Ashton said, looking at Cassian. “You have two sisters-in-law who are available.”
Cassian scowled. “Rebecca would rip off his arms and beat him to death with them,” he said. “And Olivia is too young.”
“I heard that William and Wolfie’s father married their mother very young.”
“Notthatyoung.”
Ashton conceded the point. “I suppose,” he said. “All I know is that I am going to try to stay away from him. I would like to leave the competition with my head intact.”
“Ash, you’re nearly as unbeatable as he is,” Essien said. “And speaking of unbeatable, the rumors are flying that William threw his bout against Hereford. That’s what some people are saying. Have any of you heard that?”
Alexander lifted his head from where he’d been securing his scabbard. “None of that talk, Es,” he said, his voice low. “That can ruin a man’s reputation.”
Essien looked at the man. “I didn’t say it,” he said. “I simply said that I’d heard rumors. My suggestion was going to be that we quash them as we hear them. It doesn’t do William or Hereford any good for those to be making the rounds.”
