Infamous (24 page)

Jory glanced quickly at Meg but didn't think she had overheard. “I'll be able to ride for months yet,” she murmured to Guy.

“Nevertheless, I'd like you to rest tonight. Tomorrow will be soon enough to explore Flamstead's nooks and crannies. Meg will show you my living quarters and Mr. Burke will bring your luggage. As soon as I've stabled the horses, I'll join you.”

When they entered the castle, Mr. Burke explained, “The Great Hall is far smaller than the one at Warwick, since Flamstead has no garrison of fighting men. There are guards, of course, and the castle household, but the rest of the inhabitants are horsemen, grooms, and stable hands.”

Guy's living quarters were up only one flight of stone steps and consisted of two large chambers. Mr. Burke carried Jory's trunk into the bedroom and Meg lit the candles.

“Thank you both. I shall do my own unpacking. Go and see to your own needs, Meg.”

“I shall bring you some hot water, my lady, then leave you to your own devices while I make sure the cooks provide us with a palatable meal.” Mr. Burke held the door for Meg, who swept past him as if he were invisible.

By the time Jory had hung her clothes in the wardrobe, Guy arrived with his own luggage. After they washed and changed, he took his wife down to the hall for dinner. He led her up onto the low dais and grinned at the assembled household. “It gives me the greatest pleasure in the world to present my beautiful wife, Lady Marjory, Countess of Warwick. I know you will serve her well.”

All raised tankards, cheered, and chorused, “To Lady Marjory.”

Jory stood and lifted her goblet in a salute to the assembly. The six knights who had accompanied them, along with Mr. Burke, were seated at the first table below the dais. Beyond them were the castle servants and the horsemen, some of whom had wives. “Thank you for your warm welcome. Flamstead feels like home.”

Later, when they retired, Jory put on her nightgown and knelt on the wide bed. “Guy, I need to discuss something with you.”

“About which side of the bed you want to sleep on?” he teased.

“I want to sleep on your side, of course. No, be serious for a moment. When people learn I'm having a baby, my family for instance, everyone will congratulate you about becoming a father again and…it could make you feel awkward.”

“My love, I
shall
be a father again. Their good wishes won't make me feel awkward in the least. I promise the baby won't be a problem, Jory. Stop worrying.”

“Oh, Guy, I don't know what I would do without you.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “You'll never be without me.”

 

During the week that followed, Jory and Guy spent every day together. Her interest and love of horses was almost as great as his and, like a sponge, she soaked up all the details of breeding and bloodlines that he taught her.

“This week has been heavenly. I was absolutely fascinated last night when I watched you deliver the foal. At first I was glad it was a filly rather than a colt, but when it managed to stand up and stagger toward its mother, all that really mattered was that it was strong and healthy.”

“You discerned its sex, but can you guess its lineage?”

“Yes,” she said with confidence. “It's a crossbred Anglo-Arab: delicate head, deep chest, short back, high tail, and long slender legs. They are reputedly spirited and intelligent.”

“Rather like you. I believe I'll call her Jory.”

She laughed, pleased at the name. “Do you christen them all?”

“I do. They have names from mythology, the galaxy, and upon occasion I resort to the names of plants and such.”

“You mean like buttercup and daisy?”

“Good God, no! See that large grey stallion? I named him Phallus Impudicus, which is Latin for stinkhorn fungus.”

Jory threw back her head and laughed with glee. “And for very obvious reasons. You have a wicked humor, Warwick.”

“Do you consider that a virtue or a vice?”

“You have
virtues
?” she teased.

“Not many,” he admitted. “Why don't we ride down to the river and I'll teach you to swim?”

“I know how to swim, but you can teach me a vice or two, my lord Phallus Impudicus.”

They dismounted on the riverbank and tethered their horses where they could crop the sweet grass. Guy began to strip immediately and, not to be out-done, Jory followed suit.

“I feel like a pagan!”

His glance swept her naked beauty from head to foot. “Nay, pagans are swarthy-skinned, black-haired heathen devils, like me. You look more like an ethereal water sprite.”

“But don't both indulge in sensual pleasures?”

“Let's find out.” He picked her up and carried her into the tall wildflowers that bloomed in profusion at the river's edge. He stretched out and pulled her down on top of him in the dominant position. “Let me teach you the art of
frottage
.”

“Oh yes, please,” Jory said breathlessly. “That is a delightfully sinful-sounding French word.”

“You have no idea, English.”

 

Toward month's end, Jory saw that her waist had thickened, but as she packed her stylish gowns for the visit to Hedingham she knew they would conceal her condition for the present. Even though it was not absolutely necessary to reveal to Lynx and Jane that she was with child, and she was slightly apprehensive about doing so, she felt a need to get it out in the open.

“Would you like to pick out a palfrey for Jane? I think that would make a splendid gift for your brother's wife.”

“That is so generous of you, Guy! Jane has a mystical affinity for animals. She'll be thrilled with a palfrey from Flamstead.”

That afternoon he showed her two dozen year-lings and allowed her to make the choice. Remembering that Jane had ridden a white horse in Scotland, Jory chose a filly that was the same color. “Since Meg has trouble in the saddle these days, I see no need to drag her to Hedingham; the castle boasts a dozen tiring women.”

“Perhaps you can lure one away from your sister-in-law. Meg is woefully inadequate for a lady with your elegance and style.”

Jory rolled her eyes. “Don't let her hear you, Warwick!”

“Mr. Burke won't be going either. I will leave him in charge here. Hedingham's not far; an escort of two should be adequate.”

“If we're leaving in the morning, I should finish my packing.”

Guy sought out two of the knights who had accompanied him from Warwick. “We will be leaving for Hedingham in the morning and staying at Lynx de Warenne's castle for a few days. Learn all you can from his men about the two years they spent in Scotland.”

“J
ory, you look radiant.” Jane, who had been standing beside Lynx to welcome the Earl and Countess of Warwick to Hedingham, ran down the castle steps in her eagerness to greet her dearest friend. “'Tis obvious that marriage agrees with you.” Jane watched avidly as Guy de Beauchamp lifted his wife from the saddle. Pride and love were etched in his face and, Jane also discerned, more than a touch of possessiveness.

The women embraced each other. “Jane, you are absolutely blooming. We brought you a gift.” She took the reins of the white palfrey and led it forward. “It was Warwick's idea.”

“Oh, she is a rare beauty. I thank you both with all my heart.” Jane fondled the animal's nose and whispered something in her ear. “There isn't a chance in the world that Lynx will allow me to ride her now that I am starting my seventh month, but that will give us time to form an inseparable bond with each other.”

Lynx joined them and shook hands with Guy. “Welcome to Hedingham. The gift for my wife is most generous of you.” He took the palfrey's reins. “Come, I'll show you where you can stable your mounts. Then it will be the dinner hour. My wife is eager to show off her newly acquired skills as chatelaine, and we dare not be late for the meal.” He winked. “You know how fiery redheads can be.” Lynx beckoned a squire and asked him to show the Warwick knights to their sleeping quarters.

When the two men were alone, Guy asked, “How is John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, faring?”

“Thank you for your concern. His health is much improved.”

When Lynx offered nothing more, Warwick abandoned subtlety. “Surrey turned his forces over to Pembroke and now the king has made the earl head general of the army.”

“Since Pembroke now commands the most fighting men, John and I expected him to be made head general.”

“Did you also expect the king to order the army north?”

“What you are really asking is:
Did I know that the Bruce intended to seize the Crown of Scotland?
”

“Did you?” Warwick asked bluntly.

“Bruce, Earl of Carrick, is the rightful King of Scotland.”

“Your answer tells me that you
were
expecting it.”

“I was, though it came as a shock to Edward Plantagenet. He thought he had conquered the Scots and all he had left to do was appoint English administrators to run the country. As well as fighting in Scotland, I garrisoned a castle for over two years and know the Scots will never bend the knee to Edward Plantagenet. What he did to Wallace will only make them more determined.”

“When Edward calls his barons to war, as he assuredly will, I would like to know who will answer the call and who will refuse before I make my own decision,” Warwick declared.

“Well, I can tell you flatly that Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, will refuse. When my first wife, Sylvia, died leaving him without heirs, the king declared that the Crown would claim the marshal's landholdings upon his death. On the other hand, I warrant that John de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, and his son, Henry, will answer the king's call to war. He takes his post as England's constable seriously and wants to pass it down to his son and heir.”

Warwick nodded. “Will you answer Edward's call to arms?”

“Like you, I would prefer to know what the other barons will do before I make my decision. I am inclined to refuse, since I know it's a losing proposition, but His Majesty can be vindictive and I have a wife, a son, and another child on the way. In the end I will do what is expedient, as I am sure you will, Warwick.”

“You may depend upon it. Shall we join the ladies?”

In Hedingham's Great Hall Warwick saw that Jory had changed her riding outfit for a gown of deep violet with a low-cut décolletage to show off her jewels. Her head was uncovered and her silver-gilt hair whispered about her shoulders in a most enticing way. His wife looked dazzling and he saw that he wasn't the only one to notice. He watched closely as she kissed one knight on the cheek and moved into the embrace of another handsome young devil. He strode over so that she would introduce her admirers. His gut knotted.
If one of these swines is Robert, he's a dead man!

“Ah, Warwick my love, may I present my brother's squires, Taffy and Thomas? They have always been extremely protective of me.”

With difficulty, Warwick managed to be civil to the pair. As he led his wife to the dais, she stopped to greet and bestow her smiles on so many of her brother's men-at-arms that he was grinding his teeth by the time they reached their seats. He made an effort to curb his jealousy and told himself that he had better get used to it—Jory was always at her loveliest when surrounded by admirers. “It appears that every de Warenne male has lost his heart to you, my beauty.”

“They are just being polite. To a man, I warrant they have transferred their affection to Lynx's beauteous wife, Jane.”

He glanced down at Jane, who sat next to him, and said gallantly, “Lady de Warenne, you grace your husband's hall with your beauty and warmth. He is a very lucky man.”

Jane's face glowed. “Jory warned me about your fatal French charm, Lord Warwick.”

Jory leaned forward. “Don't tell him that, Jane. His head will swell, not to mention other parts of his anatomy.”

“Oh, how I've missed your saucy lessons.” She smiled at Warwick. “Your wife taught me the art of seduction. She knows everything there is to know about men and how to manipulate them.”

“Indeed?”

Jory's eyes met her husband's and she tried to hide her dismay. “Jane was unbelievably innocent and unworldly.”

“Desirable qualities in a bride.”

Jory's dismay deepened. Need he point out that she had been neither innocent nor unworldly? She found the courage to answer his words with a jibe. “Warwick's an expert on brides,” Jory said solemnly and saw the corner of his mouth twitch with amusement.

Over his wife's head, Lynx looked at Guy with commiseration. “I don't envy you the taming of her.”

Jory smiled serenely. “Warwick wouldn't want me any other way.”

Guy captured his wife's hand under cover of the table. “That's true,
chéri
,” he murmured.

Jane's hand went to her belly. “Oh, my baby is kicking again.”

Guy smiled down at her. “Are you hoping for another boy?”

“I am hoping for a girl this time, my lord.”

“That is exactly what my wife is hoping for,” he confided.

“Jory, you are having a baby? Why didn't you tell us?”

Jory blushed. “I didn't want to be the center of attention.”

Lynx choked on his ale. “You may be able to delude yourself, Minx, but we know better. Congratulations, Warwick. You already have a son, but I despaired of having a child until I met Jane.”

Jory squeezed her husband's hand, silently thanking him for making it seem the most natural thing in the world that she was with child.
I feel so blessed to have this man
. She smiled at Jane. “Now it will be your turn to give me lessons. May I help with the wee lordling's bath in the morning?”

“If you can pry him from his nurse. Grace Murray rules the nursery here at Hedingham, as she did at Dumfries.”

“I'm familiar with Edinburgh and Stirling, but not Dumfries,” Guy remarked casually. “Is Dumfries Castle in the dales?”

“Yes, it is in Annandale…much wilder countryside than here, but it will always hold a place in my heart,” Jane confided.

Annandale is Bruce territory. It is no coincidence that Lynx de Warenne garrisoned a castle there.

Before he retired, Warwick spoke with his knights. “What were you able to learn about the time they spent in Scotland?”

“Because de Warenne's uncle was governor, they were called on to fight in the front lines and chase down Baliol until the wily devil was captured. They said de Warenne persuaded the Bruce to fight on the side of the English many times, though he and his men were reluctant. The Bruce brothers often visited Dumfries, the castle de Warenne garrisoned. During the time de Warenne was recovering from his near-fatal wound, the visits increased. They became thick as thieves and even spent last yuletide together.”

Warwick nodded. “Keep your ears open. Good night.”

 

Next morning, Jory was up with the lark. “I'm off for some baby talk with Jane and her ladies. My nephew is the most beautiful child in the world—I can't wait to see how he's grown.”

Guy touched her face with the back of his fingers. “Your cheeks have the soft bloom of rose petals this morning. It does me good to see you so happy.”

“Thanks to you. All my apprehension about revealing my secret has melted away. You have turned what could have been the most difficult time in my life to the happiest. You are my magic man.”

Guy breakfasted in the Great Hall with Lynx and the de Warenne men-at-arms. Then Lynx took him to the castle's armory, where the blacksmiths were forging small metal links into chain mail shirts that were much more flexible than breastplates. When Guy admired them, Lynx made him a present of one.

As Warwick mingled with the de Warenne knights he found himself paying close attention to the names of those who were young and handsome. There was Giles, Bernard, Royce, and Harry, but as far as he could tell, none seemed to be named Robert.

They emerged from the armory into the bailey and saw a tall knight ride in with his squire.

“I don't recognize him,” Lynx remarked to Warwick.

“I do,” Guy replied. “It's Ralph Monthermer, who became Earl of Gloucester when he wed Princess Joanna.” Warwick had met his friend Gilbert de Clare's first lieutenant many times over the years. “He's a good man.”

Ralph dismounted and his squire took his horse. Guy greeted him warmly and introduced him to Lynx de Warenne.

“I have a message from His Majesty for you, Lord de Warenne, but I didn't know you would be here too, Lord Warwick. I shall kill two crows with one stone since the king's message is intended for all his premier barons.”

Guy and Lynx exchanged a knowing glance. The call to arms had come sooner than either had expected.

“Come into the hall and refresh yourself, Gloucester. Did you ride in from London or Windsor?”

“Neither. King Edward is at my castle of Hertford. He summoned me to bring a force of fighting men from Gloucester.”

They took Monthermer to the hall, and the three men were enjoying tankards of ale when Jory arrived on the scene.

“Ralph! Is that you? Oh, I cannot believe it!” She ran to him and the two friends embraced each other. “Are you at your castle of Hertford? Is Joanna with you?”

Warwick slanted a dark brow. “Is there no end to your conquests,
chéri
?”

Lynx threw him a wry glance. “I'm afraid there isn't.”

“Yes, Lady Marjory, Joanna is at Hertford, as is her father,” Ralph Monthermer confirmed.

“How wonderful! Will you take me to visit her, Guy? Hertford is within spitting distance,” Jory declared.

Ralph looked from Jory to Guy de Beauchamp with speculation.

“I'm the Countess of Warwick. I wrote and told Joanna but sent the letter to Gloucester Castle. Oh what fun…I shall be able to tell her in person. Is baby Margaret well?”

“She is a baby no longer, my lady.” Ralph grinned. “I congratulate you on your marriage, Lord Warwick. You must be the envy of every man in England.”

Jory gifted him with a radiant smile. “How soon can we go?”

“Since King Edward has summoned our presence, we had best go today.” Guy looked at Lynx for confirmation. “The sooner we get it over with the better, I warrant.”

Jory glanced quickly at Guy and then Lynx.
Stop worrying. They'll both refuse the king's call to arms to fight in Scotland.

“I shall go up and pack immediately. We can leave after lunch. Do you think Jane would like to come with us, Lynx?”

“I'll ask her, but I doubt she would enjoy a visit with the royal Plantagenets.”

A few hours later, as everyone assembled in the hall for the midday meal, Jane brought her son to show him off to the guests. “He has his father's long legs and has begun to walk by himself,” his mother told Guy proudly.

The boy staggered a few steps toward Warwick, who bent and picked him up. The laughing child immediately grabbed a fistful of Guy de Beauchamp's long black hair and chortled with glee.

“No, Lincoln Robert, that's naughty,” Jane scolded. “I'm so sorry, Lord Warwick. His father encourages his antics.”

“He's a strong, handsome lad.” Guy asked casually, “Named Lincoln after his father, and Robert after a valiant de Warenne knight perhaps?”

“Nay, my lord. He's named after his godfather, Robert Bruce.” She took her son from Guy de Beauchamp's arms and turned to see Jory enter the hall. “Here comes your beautiful godmother.”