Gallus sighed heavily, wiping some sweat off his brow as he sheathed his broadsword. He looked over the bailey, seeing that there were several wounded and perhaps just as many dead. It was quite a bit of carnage for so short a fight.
“We had better leave immediately,” he said. “We must return for Lady Courtly and….”
“Nay,” Maximus cut him off, looking at him. “I am not returning her to Kennington, Gal. I am marrying her first thing in the morning.”
Gallus closed his eyes softly, briefly, in a gesture of great regret. “I knew it would be too much to ask you to wait,” he muttered. “If you marry the woman without her father’s consent, this could get ugly. Surely you know that.”
“I know that.”
Gallus eyed his brother in the dim light of the bailey. “You know that I would never deny you your heart’s desire, Max, but are you sure about this?” he asked sincerely. “Do you truly want to travel this path or can you wait until the lady’s father has calmed sufficiently and seek his permission?”
Maximus was serious. “You heard what the aunt said,” he replied, lowering his voice so the de Shera men gathering around them wouldn’t hear. “Kellen will never give his permission. This is a chance I must take, Gal. I am as sure about this as I have ever been, about anything, in my life.”
Gallus wouldn’t argue with him but it was clear that he was disappointed. He was disappointed that de Lara was so resistant, disappointed that Maximus was so determined. It would make the entire situation quite edgy for years to come, and they would forever be at odds with Viscount Trelystan when the man should be their ally. Nay, it wasn’t a good situation at all. But he knew if he denied Maximus that his brother would do it, anyway. He might even do as he had threatened and flee the country. If that happened, Gallus would be devastated.
“Very well, then,” Gallus said, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder and turning him for the horses gathered near the gate. “Then let us return to the inn and retrieve the women. We must find another place to stay this night, as de Lara knows what inn we are housed in. He could very well regroup his men and come after us.”
Maximus nodded, relieved his brother was not going to fight with him on the matter of Courtly. Gallus may not have agreedwith his decision but at least he wasn’t going to argue with him. He would support him, no matter what.
“I will send Stefan out to find us new accommodations,” he replied. “Let us leave this place now before something else happens.”
Gallus didn’t have to be told twice. He and Maximus and their men mounted their horses and fled into the night, leaving Ellice watching from the corner of the kitchen yard.
God’s Bones, how she wished that the man she had loved those years ago had been determined to have her as much as Maximus was determined to have Courtly. She was happy for her niece, at least as much as she could be, but she was also jealous. Jealous that her time for such things had come and gone.
As the de Shera men headed north towards Oxford, Ellice didn’t even bother to go and check on her brother. She was more concerned with Isadora, as the young girl was now quite alone with her sister being taken in marriage. Ellice had never felt very maternal towards her nieces but she found that she rather felt that way now towards Isadora. The child would miss her sister greatly.
Ellice, for the first time in her life, would attempt to give the girl comfort but, more than that, she intended to give her brother counsel. It was time for him to stop feeding on old fears because it was clear that his burden was beginning to affect them all; first Ellice, now Courtly, and soon Isadora. The man had to be made to understand that what happened to his wife had been an isolated incident. The women in the family had to be allowed to have lives and loves of their own. If they didn’t, they would grow to be just as bitter as Ellice was, and Kellen had to be convinced of that fact.
Beating some sense into her brother’s head would be the most difficult task of all.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The room wasquiet and dark but for a glowing fire in the hearth. It also smelled heavily of rosemary, that crisp fragrance that assaulted one’s nostrils in a most glorious way. Jeniver was very fond of it, as the scent seemed to help her pregnancy-related illnesses. It soothed her. As Gallus entered the chamber he shared with his wife at The One-Eyed Raven, his gaze eagerly sought the woman out. When he finally found her in the darkness of the chamber, what he saw was not what he had expected.
Jeniver was dead asleep on the bed. He knew this because she was snoring softly and she always snored softly when she was exhausted. Courtly was lying on the bed, too. The woman’s lower half was in a chair next to the bed but the upper half of her was lying down next to Jeniver. She, too, was sleeping soundly, weary from her exhausting day with Maximus.
Maximus was standing behind Gallus as the man lingered with the door half-open, surveying the room. Maximus opened his mouth to speak but was immediately silenced by Gallus when the man put a finger to his lips. Gallus pointed at the bed and Maximus slipped in behind him to see what he was indicating. What Maximus saw brought a smile to his lips. Silently, the pair slipped out and softly shut the door.
“We cannot allow them to sleep much longer,” Gallus whispered. “As soon as Stefan returns with new accommodations, we must be ready to leave. I fear that de Larais already amassing men to come here and wrest his daughter from us, so time is of the essence.”
Maximus rubbed his bearded chin, thinking on the situation. “It is,” he grunted. “But it concerns me greatly that there will be no defense from an attack of armed men if we go to another inn. No walls, no moats, no measures of defense– de Lara can simply walk into the common room and from there, we will be left defending doors that any normal man could kick down.”
Gallus was forced to agree. “I am not entirely sure we have much choice,” he said. “But I will admit that I am worried that my wife will be caught up in the maelstrom. She would not be able to take such excitement in her present condition.”
Maximus knew that was true and he was coming to feel the least bit guilty about everything, but only for Jeniver’s sake. “Mayhap it would be best if I take Courtly and go,” he said. “At least take her out of Oxford. We can meet up with you later in London. That way, Kellen will have no cause to go after you and, subsequently, put your wife in danger. I would never wish that upon her, Gal. You know that.”
Gallus nodded. “I know,” he said. “But even if you flee, de Lara will still have cause to move against me. That does not solve the problem.”
Maximus struggled with increasing guilt. “Then I will marry Courtly tonight,” he said. “That way, even if Kellen manages to get to her, he cannot take her. She will be my wife and the Church will side with me in any dispute.”
It was a technicality that Maximus was relying on. Gallus knew it was foolish to assume such a thing and, deep down, Maximus did, too, but he was not going to admit that he had perhaps acted rashly in all of this. He had made his choice, and his decision, and he would stand by it.
“Possibly,” he finally said. Then, he slapped his brother on the shoulder. “In any case, let the women sleep for a little whilelonger while you and I share a meal. I am famished. De Lara provided absolutely nothing by way of a meal. He was a terrible host.”
Maximus snorted as he allowed his brother to direct him back downstairs to the common room. “That is because he did not have his daughter there to cook for him.”
Gallus grinned, moving with his brother down to the common room where Tiberius and the rest of the knights were already congregated around their usual table. The inn was rather full this night, as a storm was rolling in from the east, and many people were seeking shelter from the coming rains. Gallus knew this would make Stefan’s job more difficult of finding another place for them to stay, but he remained hopeful. Still, they would have to discuss other options in case Stefan was unable to locate something suitable.
