Suddenly, the memory wasn’t so buried.
“Mary,” he repeated softly. “Mary…”
As he looked at the knight, he began to realize why he looked so familiar. His breathing quickened as memories of lovely Mary from his youth came tumbling down on him—all of the pain and longing that he’d ever felt, the fear, the concern for the child she carried that he would never see.
Realization swept over him like a wave.
Now he knew why the knight had come to see him.
“She was sent away when her father discovered our plans to be married,” he finally said. “I am assuming that is the Mary you are referring to.”
The knight nodded slowly. “It is, my lord,” he said quietly. “Mary St. Albans.”
Creston felt as if he’d been physically struck. It was confirmation of his suspicions, something he was wholly unprepared for. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what the knight expected from him, but as he looked at that tall young man, all he could feel was surprise and gratitude. Great gratitude that his son had been born and was now a man with responsibility in the French court. God, what a prideful thing that was to hear.
His son had survived.
He had also thrived.
Slowly, Creston lowered himself down into the nearest chair.
“If you’ve come to berate me for not marrying your mother, then you should know that I very much wanted to,” he said. “I knew she carried you and I was desperate to marry her. Your grandfather, however, had other plans. After Mary was sent away, I tried to locate her, but I was met with walls at every turn. Someone finally had the decency to tell me that she had married a French lord, so I stopped looking. After that, there was no point. But I will say that her loss drove me out of the English royal court. Blackchurch found me around that time and I have been here ever since.”
Theo found another chair, sitting across from Creston and simply staring at the man. “My mother told me about my origins,” he said. “She did not tell me until I came of age and she would not tell me your name at first. She would only say that I was conceived in love with a man who was not her husband, before she ever met my father. And I do call Raul de Betheny my father, because he was. He was a good man.”
“I’m glad,” Creston said sincerely. “I truly am. You cannot know how I have worried about you, hoping your mother married a man who would accept you. She was in such a difficult position. I prayed that her husband was good to her.”
“He was,” Theo assured him. “He was good to us both. He was an older man, with daughters, and when I was born, he was overjoyed—and I do mean overjoyed. They never had any more children, so when my father died years ago, I inherited everything. I was his heir, his son, and he was very proud of that.”
It did Creston’s heart good to hear that news, more than he thought it would. A man in need of a son had found a boy in need of a father. Tears stung his eyes as he smiled at the young knight.
“Thank God,” he said hoarsely. “I am so glad to hear that. You cannot know how that eases my heart.”
Theo nodded faintly, still studying Creston’s face as if he’d never seen another face in his entire life. His curiosity, his scrutiny, was overwhelming.
“I have had a good life,” he said. “I just wanted you to know. And… well, I suppose I just wanted to meet you. Now I see where I get my handsome looks.”
Creston burst into soft laughter, though there were still tears in his eyes. “I was thinking how much you look like my father,” he said. “The resemblance is uncanny.”
“And you have other children now? Other sons?”
Creston nodded. “I married my wife about ten years after the debacle with your mother,” he said. “We have six young children, though one of them, the eldest, was stillborn. I still include him when I speak of my children because he existed. He is important to us, still.”
Theo’s eyes glimmered with some warmth. “That is generous,” he said. “You are compassionate.”
“I love my family.”
Theo’s smile grew. “You are happy?”
“Never happier,” he said. “And you?”
Theo nodded. “Verily,” he said. “In fact, there is a young lady I am fond of. I am hoping for a betrothal, though negotiations have been difficult. I have no parents any longer, so it is just me, and I believe her father thinks I am too young.”
Creston grinned. “You arenottoo young,” he said. “Besides, you have de Royans blood. That means you were a man when you were born. If it would help, I will write to this man and tell him so.”
Theo chuckled. “Hopefully, that will not be necessary,” he said. “I hope to convince him on my own.”
Creston didn’t want to overstep his bounds, but it seemed to him that Theo might be lonely, given both his parents were gone. If he were an only child, other than older sisters, it might be a difficult time for him. It might be why he’d come to England, seeking his biological father. Truthfully, Creston couldn’t get a good feel off the knight as to why he’d actually come. Perhaps it was nothing more than curiosity.
