“And what makes you think that Bertram will be at all receptive to my father and his suggestion of betrothal?’
“Because your father saved Bertram’s life once, and any honorable knight will consider that a life debt.” William pointed his finger at him. “You will bring your father to me and I will tell him what is to be expected.”
Garren growled low in his throat and turned away, stomping off across the room. He knew the decision had already been made no matter of his protests. Ignoring the tantrum, William picked up his pewter chalice and swirled the last of the red liquid, watching the dregs at the bottom of the cup. Had he been a fortune teller, perhaps he could have divined the future of this particular venture. There was much at stake.
“Garren,” he said quietly. “When you became an agent for the king, it meant that your life was no longer your own. We must do as we must to preserve England and Richard’s throne. Your particular calling in this is a great one that I cannot leave to a novice. It requires your wisdom and skill.”
“Marriage requires no wisdom and skill,” Garren rumbled. “It requires the hide of an ox and the loins of a rutting bull. We have a number of younger men in the king’s service that could do as well as I or better.”
“Untrue,” the Marshal countered. “I have known you for eighteen years. You have served me and your king flawlesslywith your strength and cunning. This could be perhaps the most important task you have yet to undertake. Can you not see that, lad?”
Truthfully, Garren could. Going into the de Rosa lair was an enormous risk. But he would have rather faced a thousand rabid men in battle all by himself than plunge into matrimony.
“My lord,” he tried to soften his tactics. “I am not the marrying sort. My life has been dedicated to the service of the king. I am not a lover, nor am I particularly comfortable with women. Although I appreciate the seriousness of this mission, as Bertram de Rosa is indeed a formidable supporter of John’s, I sincerely believe there are others better suited to a marriage.”
William wasn’t swayed. “You are perfect, foremost because your father and Bertram fostered together when they were squires. They have known each other many years. What could be more natural than your father proposing a marriage contract between his son and Bertram’s daughter? There is no one else I can trust with such a coincidental connection. Bertram will never suspect a thing.”
“That you’re planting a spy in his midst.”
“For all he knows, he is simply gaining a son.” He put his cup down and sat forward, his yellowed eyes intense. “Can you not see the importance of this? What we learn from de Rosa could quite possibly bring about the end of John. For months the prince has been working towards something big, a move against his brother that we cannot seem to determine. With you in the de Rosa stronghold, it is more than possible that you can discover the prince’s plans and put an end to all of this. Is that not what we are all fighting for?”
Garren took a long, deep breath. He ran his fingers through his short, sand-colored hair, trying desperately to contradict William’s assertion. But he could not. The Marshal was correct, and Garren saw the logic of it. Being a logical man, it wasdifficult for him to continue resisting. He was dedicated to the service of Richard, and if the king required him to marry to aid his cause, he was sworn to obey.
“Christ,” he finally hissed. “I could handle this task very well if it did not involve a woman. Useless, petty, clinging….”
William put up a quelling hand. “The Lady Derica de Rosa is a beautiful woman, so I am told.”
“A viper can also be beautiful until it bites you.”
William could do nothing more to convince him. The man was set. William stood up, his back curved with age. Once, he had almost been as tall as Garren himself. Now he found himself looking into the man’s chin.
“You will bring Allan le Mon to me by the end of the week so we may discuss this proposal,” he said with a finality that could only come from William Marshal. “I plan to have you wed to Derica de Rosa by late spring. Do you have anything further to say?”
“Would it do any good?”
“No.” William was moving toward the door of his solar, a strong indication that their meeting was over. “I shall look for your father in a few days to discuss the arrangement.”
Garren was angered, resigned to his future. The most important task of his life would probably also be the most taxing. He wasn’t fearful of the mission in the least; what concerned him was a spiteful, suspicious, conniving wife. It would cause him to be on his guard on both fronts, and he did not relish the thought. It would make the undertaking twice as dangerous. When he paused at the door to bid the Marshal farewell, he noticed an odd look to William’s eye.
“There is something more I should probably tell you, Garren,” the old man said, “and though I am reluctant to do so, it is only fair. The Lady Derica is the only female in her family forgenerations. I am told they treat her as if she is the Virgin Mary incarnate. She is protected, pampered, and coddled.”
Garran rolled his eyes. “Iknewit. A spoiled, petty female. Of all the….”
“Wait,” William laid a wrinkled hand on his arm. “I am not finished. She has three uncles and three brothers in addition to her father, and I am told they guard her with the ferocity of a pack of wolves. You must know that acceptance as her husband will not be a simple thing. There will be much trial and tribulation with it and you must be amply prepared.”
Garran snorted, an ironic smile on his lips. “Nothing about this is going to be simple. What is one more obstacle?”
“You must be ready for the scrutiny, on all sides.”
“Could I not be assigned a simpler task? Abducting the Pope, perhaps?”
William shook his head. “Garren….”
“Or perhaps you would like me to march into Windsor and, announcing I am a spy for his brother, challenge John to a game of ‘catch me if you can’?”
“You jest,” William smiled weakly. “Good. As long as your sense of humor remains intact, I know you will be successful. It takes humor to temper the serious nature of this endeavor and keep your sanity. I hesitate to suggest it may be the most important one of your life.”
There was something in William’s tone that caused Garren to sober. “You have already done that.”
