Shadowmoor (de Lohr Dynasty #6) (46 page)

Easton looked at the scar for a moment before returning his gaze to Maddoc’s face. “Did you kill him?”

“I did, my lord. But he was trying to kill me. I had no choice.”

Tears rolled from Easton’s eyes and he dropped his head, digesting what he’d been told. A sense of sadness settled with all of them, seeing a man who had just been told his son had been killed. No one was particularly sure how Easton was going to react after this; he’d just learned that people he had come to know, and trust, had essentially lied to him. No one would blame him if he stormed from the castle and took back everything he’d donated to Shadowmoor. In fact, that was what Daniel fully expected. But as he watched, Easton did something very surprising.

The man suddenly came off the wall, heading for Maddoc. Maddoc tensed, preparing for some weapon or fist to come flying out at him, but Easton abruptly threw his arms around Maddoc and began to weep loudly. Stunned, Maddoc had no idea how to respond. He looked at David and Daniel, his eyes wide, and David simply shook his head sadly. In that moment, Maddoc could see that perhaps all Easton needed was a bit of compassion, which did not come easily to him. Gingerly, he put his arms around the man and hugged him.

“I am sorry,” Easton wept. “I am so sorry he did that to you. Brighton was an aggressive boy, a spoiled boy, but I did not know he had such evil in him. I am so sorry he took your betrothed and tried to kill you. Please… please do not hate him. Please forgive him. For my sake, I must know that you forgive him.”

Maddoc was genuinely torn. Hating Brighton de Royans came as naturally as breathing, so it was difficult for him to think otherwise. He had no idea what to say to the grieving man, struggling to bring the words forth.

“I do not blame you, my lord,” he said. “But Brighton made his choice. He chose dishonor in a situation where a true and good man would have taken a different path. He caused a lot of pain and sorrow.”

Easton released Maddoc, wiping at his eyes and laboring to control himself. “I know,” he said. “I know my son. I can easily see how he would have not given up against something he very much wanted. But… but in time, if you could forgive him, I would be grateful.”

Maddoc felt a good deal of pity for Easton, the grieving father whose son had died doing something ignoble. But his hate was still very fresh for the man’s son; it would take time to get over that. His inclination towards pity upon Easton did not overcome his sense of hatred towards Brighton. He sighed heavily.

“I will try,” he said. “I can only promise you that I will try.”

Easton nodded as he continued to struggle for his composure. “And I am content with that,” he said. Then, he looked at Daniel. “I do understand why you did not tell me. I am sorry my son brought so much shame to the House of de Royans by violating the House of de Lohr as he did. I pray you understand that we do not condone Brighton’s behavior. Although I am shattered over the loss of my son, I am very ashamed for what he has done. I pray in time you will forgive him his stubborn shortcomings.”

Daniel put a hand on Easton’s shoulder. “His shortcomings are not your own,” he said softly, insistently. “That is why I was reluctant to tell you the truth. You and Caston have become good friends and allies. I shall always be grateful for the generosity you have shown. You are great and honorable men, and your friendship will always be treasured.”

Easton forced a smile, patting Daniel’s hand. “You are most gracious,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Now, if you will excuse me, I must find Caston. He must know what has happened.”

“Would you have me go with you?” Daniel asked.

Easton shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “I will tell him alone.”

With that, he stood tall with as much dignity as he could muster and walked away, heading down the stairwell that led to the entry level. They could hear his footfalls moving away but there was a heavy sense of sorrow that he had left behind. They all felt a good deal of pity for him. When the footsteps faded, Daniel looked at his father.

“I know we did the right thing by telling him, but I am still sorry that we had to,” he said. “It makes me hate Brighton all the more that he has hurt his father so. Easton is a truly good man.”

David lifted his eyebrows, pondering the situation. “It had to be done,” he said simply. “A man has a right to know of the death of his son.”

Daniel nodded reluctantly. “I suppose.”

He started to say more but movement in the chamber abruptly caught his attention. Daniel could see the legs on the mattress moving, which meant Liselotte was moving. Surprised, he bolted into the bedchamber with David and Maddoc close behind him.

As soon as the men entered the warm smelly chamber, they could see that the Liselotte was awake and speaking. She was holding Glennie’s hand and Glennie was hovering over her, smiling and whispering. But when Glennie saw Daniel enter the room, she pointed to him.

“Look!” she said to Liselotte. “Here he is. Wonder no more about him.”

Daniel rushed up to the side of the bed, falling to his knees and taking Liselotte’s hand from Glennie. Daniel gazed at Liselotte as if there were no one else in the room; he drank in her pale complexion, her tired eyes, but to him, she had never looked more beautiful. He put a big hand to her forehead.

“You are awake,” he whispered, kissing her hand. “How do you feel?”

Liselotte smiled weakly at him. “Tired,” she said. “As if someone tried to cut me in half. My body is sore.”

Daniel snorted at her attempt at humor, kissing her hand again. “I was fighting a battle and suddenly, some mad woman was throwing herself on the man I was trying to kill,” he said. “Was that you, perchance?”

Liselotte’s smile faded. “It was.”

Daniel’s humor faded, as well. He kissed her fingers again. “Why, Leese?” he asked softly. “Why would you do such a thing?”

Liselotte fought off the cobwebs in her mind, struggling to think back to that moment in time when she gored Bramley with her father’s dagger. She felt incredibly weak and nauseous, but the same strong sense of determination swept her. She remembered everything that happened, exactly as it happened. She would have done the same thing again if given the chance.

“Is he dead?”

“He is.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “I am glad,” she said, tears coming to her eyes. “I am so very glad.”

Daniel tried to soothe her. “But why did you kill him?” he asked. “I had the situation under control.”

Liselotte gripped his big hand with both of hers, an intense and desperate gesture. “I did it because the man had done so much to try to destroy me,” she explained. “My father is dead because of him, my brother is dead, and all of Shadowmoor suffered. I had no control over that… there was nothing I could do to stop him. But as I saw you battling him, I suddenly felt like the moment to take back my life was upon me. For everything he’d done, he deserved to be killed. I needed to do it; not you. It was not your right to exact vengeance against him. It was mine.”

Daniel understood a great deal in that softly uttered sentence. “So you sought to punish him?”

“Aye.”

He nodded his head, comprehending her need for justice. “I can understand why. I suppose it was your right more than anyone’s.”

Liselotte nodded in agreement. “I think so,” she muttered. “I am sorry if got in your way. I supposed I was only seeking the opportunity and not thinking on the consequences. You were so brave and strong in battle, Daniel. Papa once said he thought you were sent from God as our avenging angel, and I still believe that. After seeing you fight Bramley, I believe it all the more.”

He smiled at her, kissing her hand again, reverently. “It is over now,” he said. “Bramley is dead and it is over. You and I shall be married as soon as you are strong enough and the rebuilding of Shadowmoor will continue in earnest. I will have the best fortress in West Yorkshire by the time we are finished.”

Liselotte’s smile returned as well. She could hardly believe that after everything they’d been through, the trials and tribulations, that their marriage would be a reality, something she’d dreamed about since nearly the first moment she had met him. But it was more than the marriage; it was the love she had for him, the respect and adoration for this man who had risked everything to save her and her people. It was this man who had fought, and won, for love.

This man, her savior.

“Then I shall will myself to recover very soon,” she said. “I do not want you to change your mind.”

“I will not let him,” David said from the foot of the bed. When Liselotte looked at him, puzzled by the sight of a stranger in her room, David smiled. “I am Daniel’s father, my lady. You cannot know what a pleasure it is to meet you. I heard Daniel say he intends to marry you and I will hold him to it, at the tip of a broadsword if necessary.”

Daniel grinned at his father. “It will not be necessary, Papa,” he said. “I will go willingly.”

David lifted a dubious eyebrow. “Swear it?”

“I do. My wandering days are over.”

With that, he leaned in to Liselotte, kissing her more sweetly than he had ever kissed her before. As David stood at the foot of the bed and grinned, Glennie fixed on Maddoc and inched her way over to him, wanting to stand next to the handsome husband of her dear friend.

Maddoc saw her coming and simply winked at her, having come to know a rather silly and sweet woman over the past several days. He could see why his wife had liked the woman so.

“Do not believe what he says,” he whispered to Glennie. “We must go find the broadswords so he will not go back on his word.”

Glennie giggled. “Can I help?”

“Indeed, you can.”

“Good!”

But broadswords were not necessary when the wedding eventually came. Daniel never made it to the tournament at Skipton later that day, choosing instead to remain by Liselotte’s side as she recovered from her battle injury.

Caston, however, did compete. Even after learning of his brother’s death and the circumstances surrounding it, he did not hold a grudge. He understood Brighton better than most and he knew what the man was capable of. He chose to compete in the tournament and donate any winnings to Shadowmoor, just as he had agreed to. Five days after Liselotte’s brush with death, Caston returned to Shadowmoor on a dark and stormy night and delivered into her hands a fairly valuable purse.

It was an impressive and thrilling gift, one that would help bring Shadowmoor back to its glory. It wasn’t really necessary any longer with the addition of Daniel’s personal fortune to the l’Audacieux family, but it was more the value of the gesture; much as his father had, Caston hoped that Daniel and the de Lohrs would someday forgive Brighton his actions, but Daniel assured him that Brighton had long since been forgiven. Easton and Caston’s generosity towards Shadowmoor, since the beginning of their association, had seen to that.

Now, Shadowmoor, and the House of de Lohr, had strong new allies in the House of de Royans and it would be a bond that continued on for generations to come.

The wedding finally came. Nearly three weeks after Liselotte’s injury, she was strong enough to stand in the doorway to the cathedral in Bradford and recite her vows before the priest. David, Maddoc, Caston, Easton, Glennie, Gunnar, Marc de Russe, and even Ares the horse were in attendance to witness the vows. Liselotte and Daniel only had eyes for each other or they would have noticed Glennie sidling her way over to Marc de Russe, who was seemingly quite interested in the lovely blond. Love bloomed again on that sunny breezy day as Daniel de Lohr took a bride.

And Daniel never saw the hint of a broadsword at his back through any of it because it was never needed, not once. He was exactly where he wanted to be, gazing into the face of the woman he had sworn to love forever and beyond.

Finally, the wanderer had come home.

*
 THE END 
*

The de Lohr Dynasty:

While Angels Slept
(Lords of East Anglia)

Rise of the Defender

Steelheart

Spectre of the Sword

Archangel

Unending Love

Shadowmoor

Silversword

Medieval Just Got Real.

KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, an Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Historical Fiction. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY’s HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD’Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She was also a quadruple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2015.

Kathryn’s Medieval Romance novels have been called ‘detailed’, ‘highly romantic’, and ‘character-rich’. She crafts great adventures of love, battles, passion, and romance in the High Middle Ages. More than that, she writes for both women AND men – an unusual crossover for a romance author – and Kathryn has many male readers who enjoy her stories because of the male perspective, the action, and the adventure.