The knight’s eyebrows lifted. “You look older,” he said. “I am Edward de Wolfe. Hereford is occupied right now and has sent me to see if I can be of assistance to you.”
Antoninus cocked his head. “De Wolfe?” he repeated. “Wolverhampton?”
Edward nodded. “My father is the Earl of Wolverhampton,” he said, “which makes us allies with de Shera. It was my ancestor who gave your ancestor The Paladin.”
Antoninus nodded. “I know, my lord,” he said. Then, hesitantly: “Should I thank you, my lord?”
Edward laughed softly. “Nay, lad, that is not necessary,” he said, sitting down on the bench next to Antoninus. “But you can tell me how we may be of service. Why have you come?”
Antoninus was reluctant to speak at first. He’d come to speak with de Lohr, but Edward de Wolfe was just as good, to be frank. The man’s father was the Earl of Wolverhampton, which was quite close to The Paladin, but the Earl of Hereford and Worcester was far more of a Marcher Lord. The man controlled nearly a third of the Marches, miles and miles of the southern section.
When it came to Wales, he would understand the situation more than anyone.
“Are you friends with Hereford, my lord?” he asked.
Edward nodded. “I have served him for many years,” he said. “I went to The Levant with him. In fact, it is funny you should ask that because my family and I are preparing to go north to live with my father now that he is aging poorly. These will be my last days with Hereford, as I will soon be assuming my place as the next earl. But you did not come to Lioncross to hear that; tell me why you have come, young de Shera. What is so important that you have ridden all the way here?”
Antoninus took a deep breath. He’d been planning this moment in his mind for days but now that it was upon him, it was difficult to know where to start.
“My brother, Tatius, has sent me,” he said, grasping for words. “To understand why I have come, I must give you some background. Several months ago, Tatius was approached by a Welshwoman named Nesta ferch Madog. She is a descendent of the last king of Pengwern.”
“Pengwern?” Edward repeated, curiously. “That is near Wolverhampton. It is an ancient Welsh kingdom.”
“Indeed, it is,” Antoninus said. “Many years ago, Nesta was married to Owain Dant y Draig, who was a descendant of the last King of Rhos. Nesta and Owain’s fathers brokered a marriage between the two and a child was born of the union, a daughter. After the child was born, it was Owain who took her from her mother and gave her over to William Marshal to protect. This was many years ago, my lord.”
Edward put up his hand to stop him. “What does this all have to do with your brother?”
Antoninus held up his own hand, begging patience. “I am coming to that, my lord, but I must give you the entire story,” he said. “Recently, Nesta approached Tatius with a marriage proposal. She wanted my brother to solicit a betrothal from William Marshal between him and her daughter, who is now of age.”
Edward was listening quite intently as he tried to figure out the point of the young man’s tale. “Between Tatius and Nesta’s daughter?”
“Correct, my lord.”
“And William Marshal is guardian of the girl?”
“Correct, my lord.”
“Why not the mother? Why was the child taken from her?”
Antoninus lifted his shoulders, weakly. “Nesta says that Owain stole the child away and she could not get close to her because William Marshal was protecting her from King John,” he said. “Tatius thinks that Owain stole the child away because Nesta was going to put the girl in danger.”
“How?”
“By using her to inspire an uprising in the north. She is a Welsh princess of the purest Welsh blood, my lord.”
Edward digested that, his brow furrowed as he thought on what he was being told. It was quite a complicated and concerning tale.
“So why areyouhere?” he asked. “What has happened that Tatius would send you to Chris?”
Antoninus was feeling rather desperate as he told his story, desperate on behalf of his brother. “Tatius agreed to the marriage, but he did it before he realized what Nesta was trying to accomplish,” he said. “The woman has convinced my brothers, Atilius and Fabius, that if they help her in her rebellion against Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, the last Prince of Gwynedd, then they shall receive great lands in the north once Rhos has become its own kingdom again. She is using the marriage of Tatius to her daughter to inspire her army of Welshmen because her daughter will be a great countess and have access to the de Shera armies to support the rebellion. My lord, I greatly fear for Tatius. He is the Earl of Ellesmere but he is not strong enough to stand against Atilius and Fabius. They control the armies and they are siding with Nesta. Their greed is limitless.”
Edward’s jaw was hanging open by now as the point to all of this came into focus. “Are you telling me that they are planning a rebellion in the north of Wales using de Shera troops?Englishtroops?”
“Aye, my lord, that is exactly what I am telling you.”
“When?”
“Nesta’s daughter is due to arrive any day now.”
