Rise of the Defender (62 page)

     The earl shrugged, examining a particularly
fine chair. “He's already amassed quite a mercenary army, you know.”

     “I know, but how large? My sources tell me
conflicting stories,” Christopher said. “And how in the hell is he paying these
cutthroats?”

     “His loyalists,” William said frankly. “He
has some very wealthy backers, Chris, and they are feeding their wealth
directly into his coffers. Believe me, he has the means to pay an army. A
massive army, nearly ten thousand men as near as we can gather.”

     Christopher nodded. “I'd been told that,”
he said. “But I have not been in England long enough to verify the information
myself.”

     “You have had other things to attend to,”
William acknowledged, then fixed him with a reluctant gaze. “But that's not the
only problem. 'Tis rumored that John is trying to establish an alliance with
Philip Augustus which, if successful, will supply him with almost limitless
power and men.”

     Christopher sighed heavily, studying his
boots for a moment. “I fought with the French king in Palestine,” he said. “He
and Richard were like two roosters, each vying for the dominant position. There
is no love lost between them and he will surely find allies in Richard's
enemies. Leopold is out for Richard's blood for what he did to him at Acre,” he
shook his head slowly. “Richard is in danger of losing his throne, isn't he?
With his disappearance, 'twill be easier for John to claim the kingdom.”

     William nodded. “I am afraid that is what
it will come down to,” he said quietly, sitting in the chair he had been examining.
“Richard has very powerful allies, his largest being the church. But if he is
missing and presumed dead, then there is no use defending a kingdom for a dead
king. John will rule.”

     Christopher stared thoughtfully at the
floor for several long, pregnant minutes. Neither man spoke, the severity of
the situation sinking in and a great cloud of doom settling.

     “Does John know yet?” he asked.

     “When I sought you, he had yet to be
informed,” William replied. “But that may have changed since then.”

     Christopher sat still a moment longer
before pushing himself off the table and crossing his arms. “It would seem to
me that if Richard is missing, then someone should go looking for him. As his
champion, it must be me.”

     “Nay, lad, not you,” William said firmly.
“As his champion, it is important you stay here and control the crown’s troops
so that John cannot use them. If you leave, there will be no one to stop him.
You cannot appoint your own replacement - only Richard can do that.”

     “We cannot simply sit here while Richard
may be in grave danger.” Christopher said passionately in the first real
display of emotion. “He very well may require assistance.”

     “There is nothing you can do,” William
said. “Even if you were to find him, 'twould be you and he against the whole of
the continent. You said yourself that Leopold and Henry and Philip were out to
get hm. You alone could not defend him against every troop on the continent,
formidable as you are. And most certainly if he is traveling in disguise, do
not you think that Richard's champion riding into France and Germany would
attract attention?”

     Christopher looked at him a moment, hard,
before turning away in frustration. He kicked at the floor, scuffing his boots.
“So what do we do, my lord?”

     “At the moment, nothing,” William replied.
“The justices will be meeting on the morrow regarding this crisis, I am sure. I
go now to deliver the message personally to all of them.”

     Christopher turned to hm. “'Twill take you
all night. Allow me to assist you in this so that we may both be in bed before
the sun breaks the horizon.”

     “I would be grateful,” William admitted,
rising. “I am not as young as I used to be, not as young as you.”

     Christopher snorted. “At thirty-five years,
I am hardly young. Richard is a mere three years older than myself.”

     “You are young,” the earl insisted with a
weary smile. “When you reach my age, you will know what old is. By the way,
Chris, I have not had the chance to congratulate you on your marriage to Lord
Barringdon's daughter. A fine match.”

     “Thank you, my lord,” Christopher mumbled.

     William moved for the door, eyeing
Christopher. “You know, if I were you, I would return her to Lioncross. 'Tis
not safe for such a beautiful woman here in John's court. The prince will set
his sights on her, if he hasn't already.”

     Christopher's jaw ticked. “I am well aware
of the prince's lust,” he replied. “As for returning her to Lioncross, I feel
better able to protect her here. My knights are with me and she is never alone,
whereas at Lioncross, there is less protection.”

     William's hand rested on the door latch and
Christopher stopped, facing him in the dim room. “Chris, before John makes his
move to seize Richard's holdings, you must leave Windsor and return to your
keep if you expect to preserve your life. He shall go after everyone loyal to
his brother, especially ranking officials such as you and myself.”

     “I can handle John's mercenaries,”
Christopher said confidently. “Yet in faith, the only thing that concerns me is
if John does indeed ascend the throne. My only hope is that he will allow me to
live out my life in England in peace, although I have grave doubts that that
will be the case. I fear I may find myself fleeing to Ireland or Scotland.”

     “All of us, lad,” William smiled wryly and
opened the door. “'Twould make a fine commune living amongst Richard's ousted
loyalists. Now, I shall deliver the messages to the clergy justices. That
leaves you with the nobles.”

     Christopher nodded curtly. “Most of which
are at Windsor, except for a very few. I should be done by midnight at the
latest.”

     “Waste no time,” William said. “I will see
you on the morrow.”

     Christopher left the marshal and made his
way back to the fragrant and stuffy dining hall. His great sense of foreboding
was overshadowed by the urgency he felt. The feast had finished and the
orchestra was filling the hall with a lively tune. As he moved toward his wife,
he made sure to take note that John had already left the hall and his sense of
urgency multiplied.

     Dustin smiled happily as he approached the
table and was pleasantly surprised when he bent down and kissed her on the
cheek.

     “I have business to attend to, sweet,” he
said in a low voice, though there was no mistaking the serious tone. “Marcus,
will you see my wife safely to our apartments?”

     “Of course, my lord,” Marcus replied,
deeply curious as to the marshal's message but knowing better than to ask.

     Dustin, however, looked crestfallen. “Where
are you going?”

     He glanced at Marcus a moment before
forcing a smile at his wife. “Do not concern yourself,” he said, kissing her
cheek again. “I shall return as quickly as I can. Enjoy the rest of the
evening.”

     He left quickly so she could not ask him
anymore questions. However, outside the hall beneath the blanket of brilliant
stars, Marcus caught up to him.

     “What's happened?” he demanded.

      “Who's with Dustin?” Christopher countered
sharply.

     “Edward and Leeton,” Marcus replied. “She
is fine. Now tell me what's happened.”

     Christopher glanced about to make sure
there were no prying ears. “Richard's missing,” he said grimly. “He disappeared
from his ship off the coast of Corsica and William thinks he may be traveling
inland to Normandy. I go now to deliver the message to the noble justices.”

     Marcus closed his eyes briefly and crossed
himself with his good hand. “Dear God, with half the continent after him it
will be a miracle if he survives.”

     Christopher nodded. “Keep close watch on
Dustin and yourselves,” he warned quietly. “John will undoubted try testing his
reins of power now that Richard has vanished and I fear his first moves will be
against his enemies, Richard's allies. Find David and Dud immediately and warn
them of the events, but let the information go no further this night.”

     “Rest easy, Chris, your wife is in good
hands,” Marcus assured him. “We won't leave her until you return.”

     “Thank you,” Christopher slapped him on the
shoulder and left him standing in the hall, wondering grimly what the state of
the country would be in come the dawn.

     Marcus sent two soldiers in search of David
and returned to Dustin, who was seated between Leeton and Edward and watching
the dancing before her. She smiled politely as Marcus took his seat.

     “Are you a dancer, my lady? Surely you must
be.” Marcus didn’t want her pestering him about Christopher and immediately
delved into another subject. “Edward is a fine dancer, aren't you, de Wolfe?”

     Edward waved him off. “Of course I am, but
if I were to dance at this moment, my entire dinner would come up.”

     Dustin shook her head. “I learned to dance
as a child, like every well-bred young lady, but I haven't danced since then. I
do not remember how.”

     “A travesty,” Marcus said gravely. “The
most beautiful woman in the kingdom has forgotten how to dance.”

     Dustin grinned and shrugged, watching the
women's surcoats twirling before her. In faith, she would love to dance but she
knew all eyes would be upon her and she would only end up embarrassing herself.
So she watched, content for the moment, and enjoyed the company. Yet her mind
was with her husband, wherever he had gone and hoping he wasn't in any danger.
Danger seemed to follow him.

     Time passed and songs were played, people
enjoyed themselves. Dustin had imbibed a bit too much wine and was enjoying
herself immensely, laughing and joking with the three knights at her side.
David, Dud and Trent joined the group eventually and Marcus took David aside to
explain the latest developments. David, as always, over-reacted but controlled
himself for the sake of appearance. Feeling particularly protective over Dustin
with his brother about, he seated himself directly behind her and kept detached
from the conversation as his eyes roved the hall for John's henchmen.

     Almost as soon as David took his seat, a
young woman approached the table and curtsied deeply in front of them. They all
eyed her suspiciously, except for Dustin and Edward. Edward thought her to be
quite lovely and Dustin simply wasn't naturally distrustful. The woman was tall
and her luxurious blond hair was pulled back primly. When she looked up, Dustin
thought there something familiar about her eyes but could not place her.

     “Do not you even recognize your own family,
David?” the girl said. “I realize that it has been over five years, but surely
I have not changed that much.”

     David's eyes widened and he shot to his
feet. “Deborah!” he croaked, vaulting over the table and taking the woman into
his arms. “Jesus Christ, it
is
you. But…we still believed you to be in
Bath. What are you doing here?”

     The Lady Deborah Valeria du Reims de Lohr
smiled, her smile exactly like her eldest brother’s.  With her lovely blue eyes
and pert nose, she was a beauty.

     “The tourney, of course,” she answered her
brother. “I came with the earl and his wife. I only heard upon our arrival this
day that you and Christopher were here. Where is our illustrious big brother?”

     David was still flabbergasted. He hadn't
seen his sister since she had been twelve years old, and the gawky girl he
remembered did not resemble this exquisite creature in the least. “He's about,”
he answered. “Jesus, Deborah, I still cannot believe it is really you.
Christopher will be thrilled.”

     “Not as thrilled as I was to hear that our
Lord kept you safe in the Holy Land,” Deborah said, studying her brother's
face. “Christopher's reputation has been a great source of pride for me. How
magnificent he must be.”

     David nodded, recovering his shock and
remembering Dustin. “Ask his wife,” he said, indicating Lady de Lohr on the
other side of the table. “This is Chris' wife, Deborah, the Lady Dustin
Barringdon de Lohr.”

     Deborah's eyes fairly sparkled as her gaze
settled on Dustin. Dustin rose, feeling the love and acceptance flowing from
the woman even though they had just met. It was an unusual, wonderful
experience and she felt as if she should throw her arms around her newly-found
sister-in-law.

     “Lady Dustin, 'tis indeed an honor to meet
you,” she said sincerely. “I had no idea my brother had married and I apologize
that I have no wedding favor for you, a situation I will immediately remedy.
But please accept my congratulations.”

     “Thank you,” Dustin replied. “I am so happy
to meet you, Lady Deborah. Will you be staying in London long?”

     “A week or so, mayhap,” Deborah said. “Long
enough for us to get to know one another. I finally have a sister!”

     She clapped her hands together gleefully
and the entire group laughed at her delight. David pulled up a chair for his
sister and she joined their conversation, sitting next to Dustin as if she had
known her all her life.