The Conqueror (Hot Knights) (22 page)

“I will not go,” she said. “I will stay here while you plead your case.”

“Nay. I want you with me.”

“But you said...”

He approached once more and took her face in his hands. “Possession of a piece of land can aid a man in keeping it. It might also be so with a woman, at least with a man like William.” He brought one hand down to press against her waist. “If your belly was already swollen with my babe, I know he would give you to me. He abhors the thought of any child being born outside of wedlock and suffering as he did.”

“I have hopes,” Edeva whispered.

“We shall have to try harder.” He leaned over to kiss her neck. “By the saints, when I see you like this, I want to...” He whispered some foreign word in her ear, making her blush.

“Jobert.” She pulled away, shaking with reawakened desire. “If you start that, ’twill be terce ere we even set out!”

He nodded. “Mayhaps I should call in the innkeeper’s wife to do your laces.”

“You do not trust yourself?” she teased.

“Nay, not when they are so close to your delicious breasts.” His gaze moved lower, and Edeva felt her nipples grow hard. How could this be, that she ached for him so soon after their wild joining?

“Have you ever done that before?” She nodded toward the table.

“Nay, never.” His smile was breathtaking. “With most other women, I would fear to hurt them.”

“But not with me?”

“Nay, I know you can take every inch of me. Is that not how the English measure it?”

She blushed again, even more furiously. “Jobert, call the innkeeper’s wife, lest we never get ready!”

“Nay, I will undo your laces. If I concentrate on what is ahead of us, my mood will grow sober and my hands steady.”

Edeva stood still while he laced up the sides of her gown and then pulled the laces tight so that her breasts pushed up against the square neckline. “Is this the Norman fashion?” she asked.

“I know not,” he said. “But I would have us use every weapon we possess to gain William’s favor.”

“He is a lecher?”

“Not at all. Indeed, he is said to be the most faithful of men, never straying from his wife’s bed, even when separated from her for months. But,” he leaned to straighten one of the tight sleeves, “William does have eyes in his head. And your beauty might sway his opinion toward our request.” He stepped back. “Now for the jewels.”

He brought the leather bag from the pack and helped Edeva put on the necklace made up of three pieces of gold-work decorated with dozens of garnets and the matching wristband around her arm. “There is a ring also,” he said.

“Enough,” she laughed. “I already feel like a maypole, hung with ribbons at Beltane. If there are more baubles, mayhaps you should wear them.”

“Impertinent wench.” He slapped her on the behind. She wiggled her hips provocatively, and he grabbed her and kissed her hard. “Now,” he said, releasing her, “we must go.”

It took them near the whole morning to reach Westminster. They road through the city, with its narrow lanes and crowds of people, and finally came into open green space. After passing scattered farmsteads, many still abandoned and unrepaired from William’s army’s last visit, they reached a small village. The rain had stopped, and a hazy fog drifted in and out. They did not sight the abbey built by Edward the Confessor until they were almost at the gates.

They were waved in without question, and once inside, Edeva could see why Westminster was not more closely guarded. The place crawled with knights, looking more like an army camp than a holy house. Edeva’s unease returned. She did not see any other women, or Saxons, and she could not help wondering if Jobert had been wrong to bring her.

In the courtyard, Jobert slid down from the horse and said, “I’m going to see if Girard’s word is good, if they will let us in,” he told her.

Before she could think to respond, he told Hamo and Roald to look after her, and disappeared into one of the buildings.

The horse snorted and pawed the ground, and Edeva went rigid. What if her mount decided to run away with her on its back? She leaned forward and said something soothing. Amazingly, the beast quieted, and Edeva turned her mind to other worries.

Her thoughts whirled around in circles.
Jobert wanted to marry her. He seemed to care for her. But he had loved a Norman woman, might love her still. And William might not let them wed anyway. He could strip Jobert of Oxbury and give it to another man and she might be given to another man as well. But she would kill anyone who tried to touch her. She would not accept another man as her husband. She would not!

Her dread grew. She was back at Oxbury before the Normans arrived, determined to kill them all, determined to return her life to the way it had been before her father went to fight at Stambridge and everything changed, everything went horribly awry...

“Jesu, lady, are you well?”

She looked over to see Hamo staring at her. “You’re white as bleached linen, lady. What’s wrong? Are you ill?”

Edeva nodded. Her stomach churned. She felt lightheaded and dizzy.

Hamo dismounted and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her off the horse. She stood trembling next to him. “I’ll fetch one of the monks,” Hamo said.

“Nay, I’ll be well in a moment.” She took a deep breath, trying to breathe deeply and evenly. She must get over this panic. Jobert depended on her.

“You’re certain you can stand?”

She nodded. “When Jobert returns, don’t tell him of this,” she said.

Hamo regarded her thoughtfully, then nodded and moved away.

Jobert arrived in a few moments. “He’ll see us,” he told her. “I don’t know what sorcery Girard worked, but we are to have an audience with the king of England.”

Jobert took her arm, and they went into the largest of the buildings. Inside, the anteroom was crowded with richly dressed Normans. They whispered to each other as she and Jobert passed. She caught the word “Saxon” and tensed. Jobert rubbed her arm soothingly.

At another doorway, they paused and waited.

The whispering grew louder. “Jesu, look at those tits... do you suppose her quim is gold, too?” Edeva felt Jobert’s tension, saw his hand go to his blade. But he did nothing. Obviously, he dare not challenge anyone in this setting.

After an interminable time, while Edeva tried not to listen to the hushed words and guffaws, a squire came out. He nodded at Jobert, but when Edeva started forward, the youth shook his head. Jobert gave her a desperate look. Edeva forced herself to indicate that he should go on without her.

She waited, standing stiffly, holding her head high.

“’Tis a Saxon queen.”

“Yea, and I would like to ‘conquer’ her.”

The jeers echoed mockingly in Edeva’s ears. But she noted that the men kept their voices low. They did not want their crude banter reported to the king.

She raised her chin a notch higher and fingered the extravagant gold and garnet necklace. Let them make jest. She was proud of who she was. Daughter of Leowine, a loyal thegn to King Harold, and a descendant of Alfred, the greatest English king of all.

“Did you see her jewels? Why, she carries a fortune around her neck!”

“And an even richer gold prize between her thighs!”

Sniggering laughter surrounded her. Edeva forbade herself to blush. There was a sort of awe in the way they spoke, an obvious admiration. They did not think her overlarge and unfeminine, an undesirable, clumsy wench. Sweet Mary, it was all too clear that they found her attractive!

She saw now why Jobert had brought her. He was proud of her and wanted to show her off.

The thought made her feel weak and liquid inside. Jobert wanted her to be his wife. He had come to the king to ask for her.

Suddenly, her fears vanished. If Jobert had loved another, she would make him forget her. She would make certain she filled his heart so completely, there would be room for no one else.

Jobert appeared at the doorway and nodded to her. For a moment, she considered how impressive he looked. The rich green tunic draped over his tall frame, accenting the rich hue of his hair and his proud features. She moved to take his arm.

King William was a massive man, like a broad oak tree with formidable arms and a noble, stern-faced countenance. He watched impassively as Edeva and Jobert approached, although she did see his gaze drop down to examine the heavy necklace and then, more briefly, her breasts.

Jobert knelt low and pulled Edeva down with him. When William raised Jobert, she stood also, facing the king’s keen, dark eyes.

“So, this is the heiress.”

“Yea, my lord. She is daughter to Leowine, who held Oxbury from King Edward.”

“And you wish to wed with her?”

“Yea, the people of the manor hold her in regard. ’Twould assure my control over them and secure the area.”

The king turned and walked to the other side of the small room. “But I hear there have been troubles at Oxbury. Ambushes, fires set.” He met Jobert’s gaze. “’Twould seem you do not have the place secure after all.”

“There are rebels in the woods, a handful only.”

“Yet they have caused you much trouble. I have had a report today that they have burned the manor house at Oxbury and caused serious damage.”

Edeva heard Jobert suck in his breath. “Where did you learn such news? When we left Oxbury three days ago, all was well.”

The king frowned. “I don’t remember the man’s name, but he said the priest had sent him.”

“I did not think they would attack again, or I would not have left the manor,” Jobert said.

“It seems you were overconfident, that there is work left to do before Oxbury is firmly under Norman control.”

Jobert said nothing.

The king went to a table where a clerk sat with rolls of parchment piled around him. William fingered one of the manuscripts, but did not look at it. “There has been a charge against you, Brevrienne. Do you know of it?”

“Yea, my lord, and I can answer.”

William held up his hand, forestalling Jobert’s next words. “Naught can be changed anyway, so there is little purpose to discussing the matter. What concerns me more are the difficulties you have had at Oxbury.” William’s gaze rested on Jobert, and Edeva felt a chill to her core. “’Tis not so large a fief. If I am to secure England, I must depend on others to enact my will.”

His glance shifted to Edeva, then back to Jobert. “Mayhaps your fondness for the woman has made you soft toward the English. Mayhaps you have not dealt harshly enough with them. If they dared to attack as soon as you rode away, they obviously have not tasted the full weight of Norman authority. See that when you return, they are made properly aware of what it means to defy their new king.”

“Of course, my lord.” Jobert cleared his throat and added, “With your permission to erect a stone curtain wall and reinforce the property against attack, ’twill be clear to them that their cause is hopeless.”

“Build your fortress, and the sooner the better. I will send a mason to aid you in the planning of it.” William nodded to the clerk, who wrote something down on the parchment in front of him.

“And my other request?” Jobert asked.

William’s gaze flicked to Edeva, taking in her appearance from head to toe. He approached and her heart began to race.

He reached out a massive, scarred hand and touched the banding on her sleeve. “’Tis exquisite work.” He met her eyes. “Flemish?”

Edeva licked her dry lips. Her voice came out in a breathy whisper. “In a way. The woman who taught me the skill was from Flanders.”

“You sewed this?”

“Yea, my lord.”

William turned to Jobert. “Do you know what my Matilda would do if she saw this workmanship? She would insist that I bring your woman to Rouen and marry her to one of my household knights. Such skill is rare and much coveted. And the fact that she speaks Norman French makes her even more desirable.”

Edeva saw Jobert’s hands clench. He said, “But what of Lady Edeva’s wishes? Is Queen Matilda so hardhearted she would doom another woman to a life of loneliness away from her people and...” he hesitated, his eyes meeting Edeva’s, “... the man she loves?”

“Love?” William’s brows—reddish streaked with gray—rose sharply. “I would have thought you would have abandoned such nonsense. It near cost you your life once already.”

Jobert’s gaze remained bold. “’Tis said that your marriage to Matilda is a love match. Would you not say that her affection has aided your cause many times?”

William gave a bark of laughter, so sudden that Edeva jumped. “I recall now that it is directness and persistence that makes you such a valiant knight, Brevrienne. Yea, Matilda’s affection has aided me. There are even times when I wonder if I could have gone on without her.”

He looked again at Edeva. “And nay, Matilda is not a hardhearted mistress. She would not keep your Saxon like a bird in a gilded cage, pining away for her homeland.” He faced Jobert. “I will consider your request further. For now, go back to Oxbury and do your duty.”

I
t could have been much worse, Jobert told himself as they rode out of the abbey. William had not refused him altogether, nor sent Edeva to his wife’s court.

Jesu! He had considered that some lord more powerful than he would see Edeva and think to steal his prize. And he certainly had not imagined that Edeva’s sewing skill would arouse the queen’s interest!

He glanced down at Edeva’s sleeve, peeking out from her cloak as she sat the horse in front of him. The embroidery was truly exquisite. With needle and thread, she could create flowers and birds whose beauty rivaled the real.

He tightened his arm around her waist. She was his. He would not let her go.

* * *

As soon as they reached the inn, Jobert ordered his men to prepare to return home. “Trouble at Oxbury,” he told them. “We’ll set off as soon as possible.”

Leaving them to fetch the rest of the horses and baggage, Jobert started out for The Black Horse. His prayers were answered when he found Girard hunched at a back table, dosing what looked to be a miserable hangover with a platter of chops, a loaf of bread and a bowl of steaming pottage.

“God’s teeth, man, you look wretched!” Jobert greeted him.

Girard looked up with one eye blackened shut. “Ah, but she was worth it,” he said around his swollen lips. “If only her bastard husband had not come home early.” He shrugged. “At least he had no dagger on him. Besides, I won the wager. Cleave told you, didn’t he?”

“Yea, he told me.” Jobert sat down. “He also told me that you had worked your magic and gained me an audience with William. My thanks, Girard. I am indebted to you.”

“Indeed, you are. I will not forget you owe me a boon, beyond the one, promised.” Girard tried to grin, but it turned into a grimace of pain. “Did William grant your request?”

“Nay. It seems there has been trouble at Oxbury, and William thinks I have been too soft in my dealings with the Saxons.” Jobert pounded the table with his fist, making the wooden platter leap upward. “Bloody Christ! I don’t see how they dared attack. I thought their numbers were dwindling, that they were growing discouraged.”

“A last desperate effort?”

Jobert shook his head. “I don’t think so. I fear that someone is helping them, someone who wishes me to fail.”

“Valois?”

Jobert sat back. “I didn’t think his quest for vengeance would follow me all the way to England. But he wants to see me ruined, and he is obviously paying someone to spy upon me, aid my enemies and mayhaps even try to murder me.”

“I do not think he would resort to that.”

“Oh, no? I was struck by a crossbow bolt while riding through the woods on duty for the king in Gloucestershire.”

“Mmmm,” Girard mumbled, taking a bite of bread.

“I put it off as part of a failed ambush, but no other man was wounded, and the Saxon woman tells me that her people do not use the weapon.”

“Mmmm,” Girard said again. He dipped another piece of bread in the pottage and stuffed it in his mouth. He seemed to gain strength and vigor before Jobert’s eyes. The fool would probably plan another liaison with his lover this very night!

“I did not think much of any of this until you told me about Valois going to the king,” Jobert said. “Then I realized he had determined to destroy me by any possible means.”

“You’d best watch your back, my friend. Valois has formidable resources.”

Jobert nodded grimly and stood. “I have to return to Oxbury, to see what is left of my demesne. I mentioned to Edeva about the device for your pennant. If our paths do not cross again by chance, come to Oxbury and collect it. You will always be welcome there, Girard.”

Girard rose and the two men shook hands.

* * *

“I’m sorry, Jobert, I didn’t think my brothers would attack again. I believed that if you showed mercy to Alnoth, they would consider making peace with you.”

“’Tis not your fault, Edeva.” Jobert settled her on the horse as they mounted to begin the journey home. “You could not know what the rebels would do.”

Nor could she know that the rebels might be aided by some outside enemy, Jobert thought. This was the first time they had spoken of the situation at Oxbury, and he had decided not to tell Edeva of his fears. She already seemed so distraught.

“My brothers are such fools. Don’t they realize they cannot win?”

“Mayhaps they find the idea of life under a Norman lord unbearable and they intend to fight to the very death.”

Edeva sighed heavily, and he wished he could ease her. But, better she face the truth of what the future held for her kin now, rather than discovering it the day he was forced to hang them.

“What could they be thinking of, to burn the manor house? I wonder if anyone was hurt. If the fire reached the upper bedchamber. All my cloth, my mother’s things.”

“Hush now. You cannot do anything until we get there, so ’tis no profit in worrying.”

She nodded, sighing again. Jobert decided he must find some way to distract her.

When they stopped to water the horses in a half-frozen stream, he took her arm and began to lead her into the woods.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

He turned so he faced her and gazed into her crystalline blue eyes. “I’m going to divert you from your troubles.”

“How?”

He smiled at her. “How do you think?”

She flushed and he sensed her breathing quicken. He guided her deeper into the underbrush. She said, “You’ll find no tables here, my lord. Nor a bed either.”

“I am a resourceful man,” he assured her.

When they reached a thicket of hawthorn bushes, Jobert stopped. He looked around, seeking a tree fit for his purpose. He found one and drew Edeva toward it. Before they had even reached the spot, his hands were under her cloak, tracing the shape of her breasts. “I wish you had worn a kirtle with laces,” he said.

“I only have two gowns fashioned like that, and neither is appropriate for traveling.”

“A pity,” he whispered, kissing her neck. Finding no way to reach bare skin from this direction, he began to pull up her skirts.

“Your hands are cold,” she murmured.

“Not for long.”

He felt her shudder as his fingers found their goal. “1 want to strip you naked and look at you, Edeva. To see you spread out beneath me, golden and rosy. A feast for my eyes. And a banquet for my hungry mouth.” He nuzzled her neck, then brought his mouth to her ear and traced the dainty lobe. Nibbling tenderly, he licked the whorl of her ear and finally stuck his tongue deep into the silky recess there.

Edeva gasped and her body buckled against his. Honeyed warmth covered his fingers, and his own body felt close to bursting. He released her to grab a handful of her skirts and drag her towards the tree. He pressed her up against it, kissing her roughly. She clutched at his tunic. “Jobert, oh, Jobert.”

“Ah, my love, I’ll give you what you want.”

He freed his shaft and raised her skirts once more. Lifting her, he fitted himself against her slippery opening. She squirmed, trying to ease his way. When he found his mark, she gave a harsh cry. He braced her against the tree and drove into her.

Pulsing, shattering waves washed over him as he climaxed.

When he had released her and they both leaned panting against the tree, she said, “How many other ways are there we have not tried?”

He chuckled and brushed his fingers across her glowing face. “What? Bored already, are you, wench?”

“Nay, only curious.”

“Well, there are others, but we will have to wait to reach Oxbury to try them.”

“How many?”

He shook his head. “I have not pursued the matter.”

“But you knew of all these ways,” she persisted.

Incredibly, he felt his shaft stirring. Nay, he would not have her again, even if she provoked him, “We’ll explore together.” He brought his face to hers, kissing her sweet mouth, and then grazing her plump lower lip with his teeth. “Come, we must go back. My men will wonder what we were up to.”

“Jobert.” She resisted as he took her arm. “I cannot ride like this. I’m sticky and wet everywhere.”

“I had not thought to bring a cloth.” He looked down d spied a patch of snow in the deep shadows beneath the tree. Bending over, he grabbed a handful. He held it out “Lift your skirts.”

Her passion-warmed cheeks grew even rosier, but she did as he bid. He caught a glimpse of golden paradise he washed her.

“Better?”

She nodded, shivering. “At least I am clean now.” She straightened her skirts, then he took her hand and pulled her after him.

“The snow gave me an idea,” she said, as he settled her on the horse.

“What?”

“Shhh, ’tis a secret. I’ll share it with you when we reach Oxbury.”

He had succeeded in his goal, Jobert thought as they rode north. Edeva appeared completely distracted from her earlier turmoil. And he—Jesu, he was still half-hard! When Edeva was near he felt like the randiest bull, capable of performing until he dropped from exhaustion.

He reminded himself to keep his wits about, him as they rode through another secluded glen. With Edeva he might be able to fulfill all his fantasies, but only if he stayed alive.

* * *

“Mother of God, how could they?” A sense of horror struck Edeva as she stared across the valley and saw the ugly marks of fire blackening the side of the manor house.

“At least it still stands. They must have sounded the alarm almost immediately. And there...” Jobert pointed. “It looks as if they fired the palisade wall.”

The sick feeling in Edeva’s gut deepened. Her brother had tried to burn down Oxbury with no regard for who might be hurt.

“I did not realize they were so desperate,” she said. “I did not imagine they would do anything like this.”

“Desperate, they are that,” Jobert said grimly. “’Twas a bold plan. We are fortunate to find more than a smoking ruin. My men must have acted quickly.”

“Or the servants and workers.”

Jobert nodded. “It took all of them to fight a blaze like that one. Which is why I plan to rebuild the hall and the curtain wall in stone, to reduce the effectiveness of fire as means of attack.”

“I wonder if anyone was hurt. Poor Rob and Niles—they have barely recovered from the last attack.”

Jobert spurred the horse, and they rode at a fast clip through the valley. The rest of the knights followed close behind. As they neared the gate, Jobert gestured that his men should proceed cautiously.

“You think we might be attacked?” Edeva asked.

“We cannot be too careful.”

But it was one of Jobert’s men who greeted them at the gate. “My lord, ’tis pleased I am to see you are safe,” the guard bellowed down to them. “We’ve had such troubles here. But, God willing, they are over now. The rebels have been captured!”

With those words, Edeva’s foreboding turned to full-blown anxiety. If the rebels had been captured, they would be hung. She could not argue for mercy this time.

“Let us in,” Jobert ordered, “and tell us what has happened.”

They were inside the gate in seconds, and listening to he guard give a rapid account of the last few days.

“The attack came on the very day you left for London. We would all have burned in our beds if it were up to the worthless bastards at the gate, but one of the kitchen wenches saw the flames and raised the alarm. We all ran for buckets, tubs, anything we could carry water in. Even then, we would never have succeeded in putting out the fire if it had not been for the hand of the almighty. When it began to sleet, that gave us the edge to get the blaze under control. But no sooner had they got the one fire out than there was another at the backside of the palisade behind the granary.”

“Did you see them?” Edeva demanded. “Did you see the attackers?”

The guard shook his head. “I think they shot burning arrows into the palisade wall while we were distracted.”

“But how did they set the hall ablaze?” Jobert asked. “That is too far to shoot a flaming arrow.”

“No one knows,” the guard answered. “One of them must have gotten inside and done the deed under our very noses.”

“And the men set to guard the gate?” Jobert’s voice was tight with anger.

“Drunk. They did not know anything was amiss until the alarm was raised.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Edeva asked.

The guard shook his head. “A few burned hands and singed beards, but nothing like the kitchen fire.”

Jobert dismounted. As he helped Edeva down, she saw that his face was white with rage. “And the rebels?” he addressed the guard, “Did you say they were captured?”

“Yea, although that was afterwards. The priest suggested that he speak to the prisoners in the granary. When he returned, he told us to saddle our horses, and he would lead us to the rebels, And, by the Rood, he did. Surprised them during a meal, and we had them surrounded before they could flee. One of them grabbed a knife and was cut down. We took the other seven prisoners.”

Seven! Was that all that was left of her brothers’ forces? And what of the man who was killed? Had it been Godric or Beornwold engaging in one last foolish, defiant act?

Although she knew it was witless after all the terrible things they had done, Edeva paled at the thought of her brothers being hung.

“Where are they?” Jobert asked.

“In the souterrain, my lord. I did not think you would give a care for their comfort.”

The other guards and the knights who traveled to London had gathered round. “What are you going to do, Brevrienne?” Hamo asked. “Hang them at first light?”

Jobert did not answer, but his jaw worked and his eyes were like shards of green glass. He said, “I want the men who were on duty the night of the fire brought to me.”

Payne and Osbert nodded, looking grim. As they turned to head toward the hall, Jobert added, “And the woman named Golde. Last time my guards overindulged, she was the cause of it.”

Edeva waited tensely. She wanted to ask Jobert how he meant to deal with her brothers, but she feared what his answer would be. She also feared he would hang Alnoth and Withan along with the others.

“My lord?” She moved close to Jobert and spoke softly. ”Alnoth and Withan aided your men. I pray you don’t forget that. Please consider what you once said, that if they would swear to you...”