Cast Love Aside (35 page)

When he was gone she remained where she was,
with the fingers of one hand at her lips and her other hand
outstretched toward the door as if to pull him back to the room,
and into her arms again.

* * * * *

To Lilianne's surprise, William joined the
group King Henry called to the solar the next morning. Alice came
with him, which was no surprise at all. Alice hadn’t left William's
side since he arrived at Richton.

William looked much improved, and so did
Desmond when he appeared. Magnus was solemn, as Lilianne expected.
When he saw her, his gaze locked with hers for a long moment. She
perceived a deep grief in him that mirrored her own emotions.

“Now then,” King Henry said when they were
all assembled, with Royce standing at his right hand as usual, “I
have concluded that while you were wrong to disobey Royce's orders
to stay here at Richton in his absence, the end result of your
disobedience is so felicitous where Desmond is concerned, and so
advantageous to my relations with the French king, that I can
forgive what you did. In fact, some rewards are in order. Sir
Desmond, I hereby offer you a post at my court.”

“Sire, I thank you,” Desmond said, “but if
it’s all the same to you, I would far rather remain a spy. The work
suits me well, you see, and considering all the temptations at
court, I'd be likely to get into trouble rather quickly. I mean no
offense by refusing the offer, my lord.”

“I take none,” the king responded. “I’ll
grant you two months in which to recover from your wounds, after
which you are to report to Royce for your next assignment.

“Well, Sir Braedon, are you willing to remain
as one of my knights?”

“Gladly, Sire, provided only that I am free
to assist Royce whenever he has need of me,” Braedon responded with
his usual mischievous grin.

“Young devil that you are, I doubt if you'll
spend much time at court,” the king said, smiling back at him. “I
will see that you have a new horse, a new suit of clothes, and a
large bag of gold coins to waste on the ladies.”

“I thank you for your generosity, Sire.”
Braedon made a deep bow to the king.

“Royce,” King Henry continued, “since Sir
William is your sworn man, would you like to tell him what his
reward is to be?”

“With pleasure. William, I am promoting you
to the position of seneschal of Wortham Castle, the position to be
assumed as soon as you have recovered your strength. Your quarters
will be quite spacious. I’m sure there will be room for a lady,
should you decide to take a wife,” Royce added, looking at
Alice.

“Thank you, my lord,” Alice responded, a
blush suffusing her face with a pretty glow. When William clasped
her hand as he thanked Royce, Alice's blush deepened.

“Lady Lilianne,” King Henry said, drawing her
attention away from the happy couple, “I understand from Magnus
that Count Erland stole your dowry.”

“Yes, he did,” Lilianne responded, wondering
if the king was about to consign her to a convent, which was the
usual fate of destitute young women who had no relatives to take
them in. She'd have to refuse, for she wasn't suited to a
cloistered life. Since she wasn’t Henry’s subject, she was free to
reject his commands, though she knew she would have to do it
politely. She hoped he would understand that she'd prefer to accept
Royce's offer to serve his daughter at Wortham. But first, she had
an important duty to see to. “My lord, Erland stole far more from
my brother than he ever did from me.”

“I intend to bestow upon you furniture,
linens and other fabrics, and silver plate, household goods to
replace your original dowry,” Henry said.

“I do thank you, my lord, but Gilbert—”

“We will speak about Gilbert in a moment,”
the king told her rather sharply. “Now, as for you, Magnus, do you
wish to remain under Royce's command, to carry out missions
assigned by him? I do warn you that, if you agree, you will be
forbidden to deviate from his orders in the future.”

“Unlike my brother,” Magnus responded, “the
work of spying does not suit me.”

“I thought not,” Henry said. “Therefore, I
have another task for you, one I believe you will find more
congenial.”

“I will serve you as best I can, my lord,”
Magnus said with quiet dignity. “Only tell me what you require of
me.”

“There is a property in Kent called Brixton
Manor. I have been told it’s in near-total disrepair,” the king
said. “The lord who held Brixton in fief to me died recently,
leaving no heirs. I need an energetic man to become the new lord of
Brixton, to assume control of the manor, to oversee repair of the
buildings and make certain that the farmlands included in the fief
produce sufficient crops to pay the yearly taxes due to the crown.
Since it is somewhat late in the season, I am willing to forego the
taxes for the first year, but I will expect to be paid in full at
the next harvest. Would you be interested in such an
enterprise?”

“Yes, I would,” Magnus said. “And I thank you
with all my heart.”

“There’s just one problem,” King Henry said.
“As lord of Brixton, you will need a well-trained chatelaine,
someone capable of undertaking restoration of your household while
you are busy with the buildings and the farmlands.”

“I believe I can find such a lady,” Magnus
replied, looking at Lilianne. His face was solemn, but his eyes
fairly glowed with joy.

She gazed back at him in growing wonder. Was
it possible? Had she heard the king correctly? Had he just bestowed
on Magnus the one honor that would make both of them happy, or was
she dreaming? She needed a few moments to digest what was
happening. When she forced herself to pay attention to the king’s
next declaration, she discovered yet another wonder to make her
rejoice.

“Since you will be a landed knight, you will
also want at least one squire,” King Henry told Magnus.
“Fortunately, here stands young Lord Gilbert, who needs to regain
his health after his imprisonment, and who must be trained as a
knight, so he can be fully worthy of his ancient title. I believe a
stay in Kent will restore him.”

“I will gladly accept Gilbert as my squire,
if he agrees,” Magnus said. “I understand that Erland neglected his
training, perhaps not wanting Gilbert to become proficient in the
use of sword and lance, and thus become a danger to his uncle, but
from what I’ve seen of this brave lad, I believe it won’t take long
for him to learn what he needs to know.”

“My lord Gilbert,” King Henry said in formal
tones, “I do solemnly promise you that very soon I intend to
conquer the part of France where Manoir Sainte Inge lies. When you
are of age, will it trouble you greatly to swear fealty to me,
instead of to King Louis?”

“Not at all, my lord,” Gilbert responded with
no hesitation. “King Louis dealt treacherously with me by allowing
Erland to usurp my estate. If you restore my heritage to me, I will
happily become your liege man. In fact, I will ride into battle at
your side to regain my land!”

“That is exactly what I thought you'd say.”
King Henry appeared to be repressing a smile. “In the meantime, are
you willing to become Sir Magnus's squire?”

“Yes, my lord, I am,” Gilbert stated
firmly.

“So be it, then.” The king stood. “All that
remains now is to reveal Count Erland's fate to him. My lord
Gilbert, Lady Lilianne, you may accompany us if you wish.”

“Oh, yes!” Gilbert cried, abandoning grown-up
formality. “I can't wait to see his face when he realizes I am
still alive.”

“May I join you, Sire?” Desmond asked. “Like
Gilbert, I want to see Erland's face.”

Only Alice and William decided to remain in
the solar. Still, Erland's room in the western tower was
overcrowded when all of his visitors crammed into it. King Henry,
who was in the forefront with Royce, planted his fists on his hips
and stared at the French king’s infamous agent.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Erland greeted
the king with complete self possession. “I've seen you from afar
but never expected to meet you. Why are you here, my lord? Am I
finally to be sent back to France in exchange for another
agent?”

“In fact, I have decided to keep you here at
Richton for a while longer. Under close guard, of course,” Henry
told him.

“He ought to be drawn and quartered,” Gilbert
said.

He had been hidden behind the taller figures
of the king and Royce, but now he pushed his way forward to face
his uncle. Desmond came with him. Erland gaped at his two erstwhile
prisoners as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

“What? How?” Erland gasped.

“Poor Erland,” Desmond said, giving vent to
all his powers of sarcasm. “I regret to inform you that the price
you paid to the Scottish agents who seized me was wasted. As you
can see, I am a free man again.”

“And I am still alive, thanks to Sir
Desmond,” Gilbert added.

“Ah, but I still hold Manoir Sainte Inge in
fief to King Louis,” Erland reminded him.

“Yes,” the king said, his tone hardening as
he continued. “You had yourself made heir to your nephew so that
after you had starved him to death you would inherit his lands and
title. I do wonder, Count Erland, whether success would have sated
your ambition or whether, having achieved your initial goals, you
would have decided that you wanted still more lands and wealth, and
even higher rank in the world.”

“I believe you are poorly informed by your
spies,” Erland said, seeming unfazed by the accusations.

“I won’t reveal my future plans to you,” King
Henry said. “Knowing them would only madden you since, imprisoned
here as you are, you have no way to sell any secret information, or
to earn a reward for your treachery. Good day to you, Count
Erland.” He and Royce left Erland's chamber.

“By the way, Count Erland,” Braedon said,
flashing a devastating smile at the Frenchman, “I thought you’d
like to know that the last time we saw your man, Norbard, he was
seriously wounded in both arms. He won’t be fighting again for a
long time.” With that, Braedon departed, taking Desmond and Gilbert
with him.

“Contemptible man!” Lilianne declared, facing
her uncle. “You are where you ought to be, and I trust King Henry
will keep you here for decades. I hope I never have to speak to you
again, and I pray Gilbert never has to see or deal with you again.”
Turning her back on him, she stalked out of the room, Magnus by her
side. The two heavily armed men who guarded Erland’s door stepped
in front of it as soon as it closed.

“I didn't tell Erland what I wanted to say,”
Magnus remarked as they went down the stairs. “Just in case he ever
is released, I didn't want him to know who is really responsible
for his imprisonment.”

“You are,” Lilianne said. “But I know you,
Magnus. You aren't afraid of Erland. You just don't care for
boasting.”

“Oh, no, Lilianne.” As they emerged into the
bailey, Magnus's large hand came down on her shoulder, halting her
progress toward the keep and turning her around to face him. “You
are the person most responsible for putting Erland where he is
today. Have you forgotten that without your help, we could never
have gotten him out of the manor and onto the
Daisy
to bring
him here? Without you, William and Braedon and I would most likely
be dead, killed while trying to fight our way out of the manor's
main gate.”

“At the time, it wasn't a matter of helping
you,” she said, ever truthful. “I was thinking that you would force
Erland to tell me how to find Gilbert.”

“I know.” Magnus's beautiful, sweet smile
softened his harsh features. “Only consider where your love for
your brother has led you.

“Lilianne,” he said again, with a quick
glance at the men-at-arms and squires moving about the bailey, “I
am no longer a landless knight, though I cannot imagine what I will
find when I reach Brixton Manor.”

“I know what I will find there,” she said,
her smile matching his. “I will find my brother, safe and well.
Better yet, I will find the man I love.”

Magnus stared into her eyes for a time, and
the banked fire she saw there warmed her through and through. It
was daring of her to declare her love so boldly, yet she had known
he would not disappoint her.

“Gilbert will grow up and be knighted and,
eventually, he will go elsewhere to live,” Magnus said.

“When he does, I will still have the company
of the man I love.”

“Only if you consent to become my
chatelaine.” Magnus's happy grin far surpassed any smile of
Braedon's. “Lilianne, will you marry me? I am not the great lord
you deserve, and our life will most likely be hard, at least for
the first few years, but I can promise to love you as no man has
ever loved a woman before.”

“I think Alice and William would dispute your
claim,” she teased gently.

“
Will you marry me?”
He stretched out
one hand to her.

“Of course, I will.” On this matter she
needed no time for thought; her heart could rule. She placed her
hand in his. “Oh, Magnus, I love you beyond all reckoning.”

He caught her in his arms, lifting her off
her feet, making her feel small and fragile as only Magnus could
do. Laughing joyously, he whirled her around and around, while the
men in the bailey looked on in unconcealed amusement.

“We will establish a happy, loving family,”
Lilianne declared when he had set her down and she could speak
again.

“I'm not sure I know how,” Magnus said, doubt
creeping into his voice.

“I'll teach you. Oh, my love, I have just had
the most wonderful idea,” she exclaimed.

“Indeed, you have,” he said. “The wonderful
idea of marrying me.”

“This idea is
almost
as wonderful as
that. King Henry said that Brixton Manor is in sad repair, which
means you are going to need assistance in restoring it. Desmond
needs a quiet place to stay until he's completely well again.”