“Tommy is betrothed to her,” he said simply. “Northumbria would not break the contract, Jordan. I have not had the opportunity to tell you of our conversation, but I asked him to break the betrothal and he refused. That is why he fled this morning, because of our rather contentious conversation. The betrothalisintact.”
Jordan looked at her husband, long and hard. Somehow, she sensed he didn’t seem so angry about the fact that Northumbria had refused to break the betrothal. Knowing her husband as she did, God help her, she knew what he was thinking.
“Ye’re goin’ tae make Tommy marry her, are ye not?”
“He would be the biggest land holder in the north.”
Jordan tried to become angry but she didn’t want to explode in front of Adelaide. She bared her teeth and balled her fists, struggling not to lash out at her beloved husband. Still, she couldn’t help the passion in her actions or in her voice.
“But the man would have tae marrythat!”
She was pointing to Adelaide now, so very infuriated. But in the same breath, she understood her husband’s position perfectly. Even if they could somehow break the betrothal, the chance of Adelaide marrying someone who would assume that great power and create a great upheaval in the north was always a grim possibility. The king had favorites that would salivate to have such wealth in England.
It would create a crisis of power, which was what her husband was trying to avoid.
“Let us be realistic,” William said, sounding as if he were trying to rationalize the situation. “We have been very fortunate that all of our children have found love matches. If Thomas does not… most men do not find love matches. It is the truth. Marriage is made for alliances, not love.”
Jordan didn’t believe him for an instant. “Yemarried for love.”
“But you were also a chieftain’s daughter. We have been through this. What happened with us was very fortunate.”
“But Tommy willna be so fortunate.”
William just looked at her. He didn’t have to speak because Jordan already knew his answer. She was thinking of her son and his happiness. William was thinking of the future of his entire family as well as Thomas’, as the next Earl of Northumbria. It was an incredibly powerful position, one that would make Thomas a major player in the north, even more than his brothers were.
As Scott and Troy had once said, on the day that they were all trying to talk Thomas into the betrothal with Adelaide, the older de Wolfe brothers had all made good for themselves with properties and wealth. But even all of those properties, and all of that wealth, couldn’t compare to what Thomas would have when he married Adelaide de Vauden.
The Earldom of Northumbria.
“He will thank me for this one day,” William finally said. “Mayhap he will not find happiness with his marriage; mayhap it will only be tolerable for him. It is an unfortunate thing, but he will make a fine earl and he is badly needed, Jordan. I will not live forever, and when I go, I want to make sure my sons, and my family, are protected and the family legacy shall live on.”
Jordan could feel great disappointment on behalf of her son, disappointment that he would sacrifice his happiness for wealth and position.
“Ye werena so determined for him tae marry Adelaide before the death of the earl,” she said in a low voice. “Ye told Tommy as much. Ye toldmeas much, English. Ye even spoke tae Northumbria tae see if the betrothal could be broken. Why the change of heart now? What has changed?”
William’s gaze traveled to Adelaide, who lay upon her blood-smeared bed with maids all around her. “Up until this morning, Northumbria was still in control of his earldom,” he said quietly. “A man with a reasonable mind was in command. Tommy inheriting the earldom was still years away, far enough away that, mayhap, a suitable replacement could be found should the betrothal be broken.”
“But now there is no more time for that.”
William shook his head. “Nay,” he said, his gaze returning to his wife. “Wehaveno more time. That madwoman over there is in control, but more than that, she is alone. When Edward discovers that Northumbria is without an earl, she becomes the most valuable commodity in England. God only knows who we will have on our doorstep if Edward has his way, and it is my intention to control the situation.”
“With yer own flesh and blood.”
William’s jaw ticked, torn on a decision he knew he had to make. “That has been my intention from the beginning,” he saidquietly. “It was a moment of weakness for me to think otherwise, Jordan. I was thinking with my heart and not my head when I suggested breaking the betrothal. I was angry because I felt deceived by Edmund. But I’ve had time to think, to understand what is best for us all– Tommymustmarry the girl. He must do it now before Edward catches wind of Northumbria’s death.”
Jordan sighed faintly. “Ye sent a man for him, did ye not? He’ll be here in a few hours. Ye can tell him tae his face that ye’ve changed yer mind. I wouldna be surprised if he doesna agree with ye.”
“He will do what he is told.”
Jordan looked at her husband. In truth, he was an old man. He’d been involved in the politics of England for over sixty years and he’d been making difficult decisions for nearly as long. He hadn’t achieved that longevity by being weak or fickle, and she knew that he’d been trying to gain something quite valuable for Thomas with the marriage to Northumbria’s heiress. That had been his goal from the beginning. It would have been a perfect situation if the heiress hadn’t been a madwoman.
Jordan wondered if her own feelings were causing her to neglect her son’s political and financial future. Did she want her son to find love and happiness over financial gain that would make him a very important man in England?
It was the worst decision she and William had ever had to make.
Confused, and saddened, Jordan turned away from William, making her way over to the bed where Adelaide lay, a bandaged arm over her eyes as she dozed. Seeing that there was nothing more she could do at the moment, Jordan whispered instructions to the servants, to watch over the woman and to send for her if needed, before motioning to William to follow her from the chamber. Together, they quit the chamber as the weeping German nurse slipped in.
In silence, they moved to the chamber across the landing, only to see that Caria and her nurse were missing. Thinking they were probably in the yard somewhere, as it was a mild day outside, Jordan and William took advantage of the vacancy of the chamber to catch up on some much-needed rest. It was what they had been trying to do when panicked servants had told them about Northumbria’s tattered escort.
