Serpent (34 page)

With Penelope locked up tight in the keep, Bhrodi conducted business in the bailey, walking among his chieftains and reaffirming bonds. He discuss his marriage again and his reasons, and the second time around, almost all of them were willing to listen and also willing to agree. There were a few who were still uncertain but not in a violent way; they were men who had daughters of marriageable age and were offended Bhrodi hadn’t considered their daughters first, but that insult soon passed into memory.

For now, they had a battle to plan because the last Welsh prince was in need of their help and with Bhrodi de Shera leading the army, they were apt to give it.

On the morrow, T
he Serpent would lead the way.

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Corwen Castle

The Welsh Marches

At forty-four years of age,
Edward the First of England was a tall man with curly dark blond hair that was starting to turn white. From years in combat, he was rather muscular but a poor diet had contributed to a rounded belly and an occasional bout with gout. Oddly enough, he was rather soft spoken but when he did speak, his persuasive tone was hindered with a hint of a lisp. Intelligent to a fault, he didn’t need a great booming voice to get across his wishes; his well-spoken diatribes were filled with hazardous innuendos. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind who was in control of the whole of England.

When Edward heard that William de Wolfe had entered his encampment, the king went out of his way to seek William out just as the man was dismounting his weary charger. Edward had grown up idolizing William, as the knight had been a great friend of his father’s, so he promptly hugged William in greeting
. It was an extreme break in royal protocol, but Edward showed no hints of embarrassment. He was thrilled to have The Wolfe in his camp and he took William and his men into his very large tent for conversation and refreshments. There was much to discuss.

“I received your missive last week regarding your daughter’s betrothal to Bhrodi de Shera,” Edward said as he handed William a pewter goblet of wine. “Has the wedding taken place?”

William sipped at the very fine wine. “It has,” he said. “I sent the missive to you when we departed for Wales. She married de Shera probably about the same time you received the announcement.”

Edward’s pale eyes were alight. “I am extraordinarily pleased to hear that,” he said. “I am more than pleased that de Shera accepted the contract.”

William nodded. “He accepted it without much resistance,” he said. “Therefore, the hereditary kings of Anglesey are now linked to the House of de Wolfe. I knew you would be pleased.”

Edward was nodding eagerly, but it was clear that the wheels of his mind were turning. Edward’s mind was always turning
. “It is a fine day, indeed,” he said. “It makes my life so much more… controlled.”

“Why is that?” William asked.

Edward collected his own cup of wine. “Because de Shera is now allied with the English, of course,” he said as if William was an idiot. “I have waited for this day, de Wolfe. I am so proud and happy that you have given this gift of peace to me.”

William wasn’t as joyful as Edward was, not in the least
. He had no patience for not coming straight to the point of the matter. He’d spent three long days riding to Corwen and wasn’t in the mood for idle chatter as Edward seemed to be. William was here for a purpose.

“We have heard that you captured
Castell y Bere,” he said, looking Edward in the eye. “We have also heard that Dafydd ap Gruffydd escaped the siege and is heading north, where you already have a heavy presence at Caernarfon, Rhuddlan, and Conwy. Where you do
not
have a heavy presence is Anglesey and it is my concern that Dafydd has sought refuge with de Shera.”

Some of the joy drained from Edward’s face. “Why do you worry?” he asked. “De Shera is now our ally.”

William signed faintly and set down his wine. “It is not that simple and you know it,” he said, his voice low. “Simply because de Shera married my daughter does not instantly make him your ally. He is still a Welshman and still deeply entrenched in his country’s struggle against you. Did you truly believe something as simple as a marriage would remove all of his loyalty to his own people?”

Edward’s good mood was completely vanished.
He moved closer to William, a deadly gleam to his eye. “I offered a marriage contract between him and a daughter of your choosing for exactly that purpose,” he said. “Never forget that de Shera is the Earl of Coventry. God’s Blood, the man is half-English. It is time he shows some loyalty to that half. It is time he shows his loyalty to
me.
”

William could see that Edward was inflexible in the matter. It didn’t surprise him necessarily, but it concerned him
. He knew Paris and Kieran were in earshot; he could feel them. Having served with those men most of his life, he knew when they were close. It was a bond they shared. He could also sense their concern as well. But before William could reply, Edward turned away from him and focused on Paris.

“De Norville,” he said amiably. “How do you find living at Castle Questing these days? It must be quite odd no longer serving as the captain of the guard for the Earl of Teviot.”

Paris forced a smile; he didn’t particularly like Edward and never had. There was something very untrustworthy and seedy about the man.

“I was very happy to turn the job over to my eldest son,” he said. “Now I live at Questing with my wife and our younger children, and I force William to pay for my food and drink. It is an excellent arrangement.”

Edward laughed, clapping Paris on the shoulder as he turned back to William. “William is a wealthy man,” he said. “He can afford you. How is your wife?”

Paris’ smile faded; he didn’t like talking about his wife even on a good day, and he certainly didn’t want to speak of her condition to a man he didn’t like.

“She is well,” he lied. “She sends her greetings, of course.”

Edward nodded. “Of course,” he said, moving on to Kieran, who was standing big and silent several feet away. Edward
looked the man over. “And you, Hage? How is your family?”

Kieran didn’t like him, either. “They are well,” he said generically.
“Thank you for asking, Your Grace.”

Edward wasn’t inclined to carry on any more of a conversation with Kieran than he already was; everything he’d said had only been pleasantries, anyway, mostly because he hadn’t wanted to get into a heated discussion with William about de Shera
’s loyalties. Chatting with de Norville and Hage was a way of cooling his temper. As he reached for more wine, William spoke.

“
What are your plans for seeking out Dafydd, Your Grace?” he asked. “Do you have any intelligence on where he may have gone?”

Edward poured himself more wine before answering. “We know he is north, in Snowdonia, but we do not know exactly where,” he replied. “I have many men out
searching for him as we speak and in two days, the entire encampment is moving out to aid in the search. I must be on-hand when Dafydd is found and flushed out, but now that I know de Shera is married to your daughter, I shall send men to Rhydilian Castle to see if Dafydd has gone there. I am sure your daughter will be truthful and tell us if the man has arrived even if de Shera’s loyalties are not quite so clear.”

William’s jaw began to tick. “And what happens if de Shera chooses to side with Dafydd?”

Edward looked at him. “Then the man is in breach of the terms of his marital contract and I will treat him as I treat any other Welshman,” he said coldly. “After I destroy Dafydd, I will destroy Bhrodi de Shera and you will help me. Am I making myself clear, de Wolfe?”

William met the king’s gaze without flinching, even though it was a terrible and wicked gaze
. God, there were so many things he wanted to say at that moment but just couldn’t bring himself to. He had to get away from Edward and rethink his strategy. He also had to rethink his loyalties for if Edward went after Bhrodi, William wasn’t entirely sure he would go with him. If he refused to fight for the king, that would bring up an entirely new set of issues. In fact, the prospect was quite horrifying.

Nay, he couldn’t engage the king in any manner of argument.
At least, not at the moment. Edward had to believe that The Wolfe was still loyal to England as he had always been. Fact was, William wasn’t loyal to England at all. He was loyal to his daughter. After a moment, he forced a smile.

“
Clear indeed, Your Grace,” he said, rather lightly as he tried to throw the man off of his true thoughts. “But let us hope it does not come to that. For now, I would ask permission to rest. I’m too damn old to be riding day and night without sleep and if we are departing in two days, then I must ease my old bones for the difficult journey ahead.”

E
dward was back to being amiable; he had that ability in his personality to go from deadly to joyful in a split second, a trait that worried even his closest advisors.

“Go and rest, my friend,” he said. “I will send for you when it is time to sup
. You must tell me all about the wedding and all about de Shera. I’ve never met the man. I’d like to know what you think of him.”

William nodded, set his wine down, and bowed out of the tent with Paris and Kieran on his heels. The three of them marched towards the southern end of the encampment where their men were gathered
. All the while, William was struggling not to explode. His hands and jaw were working furiously.

“Breathe, William, breathe,” Paris said quietly. “Be calm, man. We must think our way through this.”

William was struggling. “There is nothing to think about,” he said. “I have fought for England my entire life but at this moment, I will not fight for Edward if he goes after de Shera.”

Paris put a big hand on William’s shoulder. “Will you fight for de Shera, then?” he asked softly.

William came to an abrupt halt and looked at Paris. “My life, my love, and my loyalty are with my daughter,” he said. “I will not let Edward destroy her. If it comes to that, I will fight for de Shera. I must. I cannot let the man destroy Penelope.”

“It is what he has planned all along,” Kieran said softly. When William and Paris looked at him, he met their gaze steadily. “We all know that Edward has always intended for complete domination of Wales. He will have it one way or the other. He was hoping that by
marrying Penelope, de Shera would submit to English rule but I am equally sure that is not the case. De Shera may be half-English, but he is all Welsh – his heart and soul lie there. If Edward wants all of Wales, he is going to have to go through de Shera to get it. He has planned that all along. The marriage was just a ruse.”

William put his hands on his hips angrily. “If you have known that, why didn’t you tell me?”

Kieran shook his head. “Because it only became readily apparent right now. Edward never had any intention of honoring any manner of peaceful alliance with de Shera. He wants the man’s submission or he wants his life.”

He was absolutely right; it was shocking and terrible information but it was something they had all known from the beginning, or at least they should have.
William sighed heavily, averting his gaze as he looked at his feet. His mind was in utter turmoil.

“Jordan told me that blood is stronger than a kingdom,” he muttered. “
She also told me I must side with Edward to keep control of him. I cannot do that if I am the opposition. She said the only way to protect Penelope is to undermine Edward.”

“Jordan would make a fine battle commander.”

William was feeling rather ill as he mulled over his conversation with the king. “Oh, God,” he breathed. “I cannot fight with de Shera, can I? Jordan is correct; I must fight with Edward. It is the only way to help my daughter, mayhap even the only way to save her. I have to know every move Edward makes in order to do Penny, or de Shera, any good at all.”

Paris sighed faintly. “You are walking a difficult path, my friend,” he said softly. “This campaign with Edward could very well see your reputation tarnished if he discovers he does not have your completely loyalty.”

William knew that. “I do not care about my reputation nearly so much as I care about my daughter,” he said with some regret. “Who knew a serpent could destroy a wolfe?”

No one had an answer for him; they all knew
what was at stake. It was like a nightmare, one William had walked into with trust in his king and in an alliance with de Shera. Now, it was all falling apart. He should have been smarter about it and he cursed himself for his foolishness. He should have realized there would be no peace so long as Edward was determined to conquer Wales. In his old age, he had hoped for such things as peace.

The price of that foolishness might be his daughter’s life.

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