The Darkland (28 page)

Edmund’s giddy demeanor
vanished. It was odd, truly, as if a fire had suddenly been doused.
"Just... Micheline? Not I, nor my sister?"

Spencer shook his head.
"'Tis to be a private wedding, my lord. Immediate family only."

"But I
am
immediate family," Edmund insisted. "After all, he will be marrying
the sister of my wife."

Spencer remained firm.
He had no love for Edmund de Cleveley, nor did le Vay, hence his exclusion from
a wedding Spencer wished would never happen.  "I understand, my lord, but
Lord le Vay was specific. Lady Micheline only."

Edmund stared at the
knight. He had arranged this marriage, after all, and now he was not even
invited. But rather than lodge a protest, he wisely decided to obey le Vay's
wishes. After all, the man had just sent three hundred men to support the reclamation
of the Wicklow estate. Edmund wouldn't dream of taxing the man further with his
petty demands.

"I see," he
said quietly, but it was obvious he was disappointed. "But his demand that
only my wife attend brings me to a rather unpleasant confession."

A seed of apprehension
blossomed deep in Spencer' belly. He knew, before Edmund even elaborated, what
that confession would be. Given the sinister reputation of The Darkland, there
was no other alternative.

"And what is that,
my lord?"

Edmund was emotionless
as he spoke. "My wife threw herself from the tower the day after our
wedding. I am afraid you will have the unpleasant duty of informing both le Vay
and his wife that Lady Micheline is dead."

Spencer's body tensed,
struggling to bite off words of condemnation that begged to come forth. But his
control was not so strong that his cheeks did not flush, nor his pale blue eyes
glitter with rage. Edmund noted the reaction, his own stance hardening.

"She did it
herself!" He nearly shouted. "How dare you look at me as if... as if
I had something to do with it. I never touched her!"

It was all Spencer could
do to keep from refuting him. To do so would surely be to jeopardize his own
life and freedom. Instead, he lifted his shoulders weakly.

"I never suggested
otherwise, my lord." He was struggling to maintain his calm. But he simply
couldn't hold himself back. "Given the reputation of Anchorsholme Castle,
you will hardly blame le Vay or Lady Mara if they believe otherwise."

Edmund exploded. "I
do not care what they think!" he bellowed. "This is my keep and the
vassals within belong to me. I command the power of life and death within Anchorsholme,
but I cannot control everything. Especially a distraught young woman determined
to end her pitiful life. You will tell them this, de Shera, and you will make
them understand!"

Spencer's jaw ticked. He
had already said too much, as indicated by Edmund’s over-defensive rage. But,
God help him, he simply couldn't help himself and more words spilled forth
before he could stop them.

"I cannot make them
understand when I do not understand, my lord." His voice was tight.
"And there is something else I do not understand; why have you not had the
courtesy to tell Kirk of your plans for his lady? Do not you think he will find
out, eventually?"

Edmund grabbed the
nearest weapon, a gilded candleholder with three thin tapers. Hurling it across
the room, he narrowly missed Spencer's head.

"Get out!" he
screamed. "Get out before I kill you myself! This is none of your affair
and I shall kill you if you interfere!"

Spencer was wise enough
to leave. Edmund raged and stormed, destroying anything he could get his hands
on as Spencer marched from the room. By the time he reached the front door, he
was very close to breaking himself.
Lying bastard!
he thought furiously.

His charger was still in
the bailey, being tended by a stable hand. Spencer stormed up, yanking the
reins from the young man. The servant scurried away and Spencer mounted,
feeling desperate to put distance between himself and Edmund De Cleveley. If
only for Mara's sake, he would like nothing better than to throttle the man.
Punishment that was a long time in coming.

The charger snorted
irritably in response to Spencer's frustrated movements. His stirrup was
twisted and, muttering curses, he struggled to turn it around when a soft voice
caught his attention.

Spencer glanced up into
a pair of plain brown eyes. Actually, there were two pairs of identical brown
eyes. Clinging to one another, the duplicate women emerged nervously from the
shadows of the inner wall.

"My lord," the
first lady began. "I am Lady Valdine Martin. My husband Corwin is serving
with Sir Kirk in Ireland."

Spencer was still
frustrated and angry. He paused in his struggles with the stirrup, sighing
impatiently.

"And?"

The first woman
swallowed. "My sister and I watched you..."

"... ride in and we
heard the argument..."

"... with Lord Edmund.
Is it true that Lady Mara..."

"... is marrying
Lord le Vay?"

Definitely not a subject
Spencer was willing to discuss. He cast the sisters an annoyed look and
finished straightened out his stirrup.

"That is none of
your affair," he said shortly. "If you will excuse me, I am expected
back at Quernmore."

"Wait!"
Valdine threw herself in front of the charger as Spencer spurred him forward.
The animal danced and shrieked, thoroughly angering Spencer.

"Foolish wench,
move aside!" he commanded.

But Valdine refused to
move. "My lord, I cannot!" she said earnestly, glancing about to make
sure there was no one to hear her. "Please, we must speak with you!"

Spencer had had enough
of the pesky woman. "Move aside or I shall run you over."

Valdine swallowed hard,
but she did not budge. "Lord Edmund lied, my lord."

Spencer stared at the
woman. Her simple sentence had been enough to delay his departure. "What
do you mean?"

Valdine moved closer to
the horse, followed by her cowering sister. The two huddled together as they
spoke.

"Lady Micheline is
not dead," Valdine murmured. "Lord Edmund wished..."

"... her dead, but
Sir Corwin saved her."

The speech pattern was
strange but Spencer could not spare it any thought; at the moment, the message
they bore was far more intriguing.

"Your
husband?" He looked to Valdine. "But why did Lord Edmund tell me she
was dead?"

"Because he does
not know she lives." Valdine's voice was hoarse with emotion, with
urgency. "My husband took her..."

"... to the tower
in the hope that Sir Kirk would..."

"... return to
escort her to sanctuary. But Sir Kirk..."

"... is in Ireland
now, not to return for some time."

Spencer' anger cooled as
the story unfolded. "Is the lady still in the tower?"

The women nodded in
unison. "Since we cannot rely on Sir Kirk, we must..."

"... help her
ourselves."

"And how will you
do this?"

Valdine looked at her
sister, the two of them obviously terrified. Spencer dismounted his charger.

"Tell me."

Valdine took a deep
breath. "We had hoped to dress her in peasant clothing and whisk her from
the keep."

"A valid
scheme."

Valdine nodded
hesitantly.  "We were planning to do it today. Lady Micheline has the
clothes in her possession, but..."

"... finding an
escort to take her to the monastery at Crosby has..."

"... been
difficult."

"How so?"

Valdine glanced about as
her sister trembled. "The soldiers who remain are reluctant to go against
their liege. I sincerely believed we would..."

"... have their
support, but it would seem that out of loyalty to the House of de Cleveley,
they are fearful of the consequences should..."

"... their aid to
Baroness Bowland be discovered."

Spencer glanced to the
battlements, noting the positioning of sentries, old soldiers who had seen
better days. Scratching under his hauberk, he sighed heavily.

"I see," he
said softly. "And you would have me assist you?"

Valdine almost
collapsed. "Oh, my lord, we were fearful to ask. Other than a few peasant
children and servants, we have no help..."

" ... at all. It
has been terribly frustrating!"

"What on earth are
they afraid of?"

"Of the curse of
The Darkland. They are fearful that it..."

"... will turn
against them if they defy Lord Edmund."

Spencer sighed again,
turning to glance at the structure behind him. "So the fear of the evils
of The Darkland has prevented anyone from going against the grain." He
returned his focus to the trembling women. "Well, I for one do not fear
The Darkland or her reputation. And if Lady Micheline needs a champion, then I
am determined to help her."

Valdine reached out,
grasping his mailed hand. "Thank you, my lord. We truly feared we were at
an end."

Spencer was feeling the
slightest bit of satisfaction that he would be bringing shame to Edmund by
rescuing his wife from under his nose. But more than that, he was determined to
prevent the death of another young woman at the hands of a man who had no
concept of the value of life. Spencer was brave and strong, and he was not
afraid to do what was right.

"You have come to
the right man, ladies," he said confidently. "I shall escort Lady Micheline
to Crosby and take great pleasure in doing so. Now, it would seem we must
solidify the plan. Do you think you can bring her down from the tower without
incident?"

Valdine and Wanda
nodded. "The plan is to take her through..."

"... the kitchens
and out through the tunneled gate."

"Where is the
gate?"

"On the north side,
by the kitchen yard," Valdine replied.

Spencer tightened his
gauntlets. "Bring her. I shall be waiting."

Valdine and Wanda dashed
away without another word. Spencer mounted his charger, passing a final glance
at the towering structure of Anchorsholme and resisting the urge to smile.

Not another, you
bastard. You will not take another!

                            
***

Johanne entered the smelly
solar, locating her brother by the lancet window. He seemed preoccupied,
staring over the bailey, as she approached and rubbed against his leg.

"What did Spencer
have to say?" she purred, grabbing his flaccid member through his hose.

Edmund pushed her hand
away, still gazing over the bailey. "He came to tell me that le Vay is
marrying Mara. And to escort Micheline to the wedding."

Johanne would not be
deterred. She lifted her skirt and straddled Edmund’s leg, bumping her Venus
Mound against his thigh. "There was never any doubt that the old man would
take to her," she replied. "What did you tell him of Micheline?"

"That she threw
herself from the tower." He was thinking on pushing her away again but his
physical reaction was difficult to ignore. "He did not believe me, I could
tell. Now, why on earth would he be speaking to Valdine and Wanda?"

The change of subject
captured Johanne's attention and she stopped rubbing against him long enough to
peer from the window, following his gaze. After a moment, she shrugged and
returned to masturbating.

"I suppose they
want to find out if Spencer knows anything about the conflict in Ireland."
She licked her brother's ear. "On your desk, dear. I need you now."

Edmund ignored her,
watching curiously as Valdine and Wanda suddenly rushed away from Spencer. The
knight mounted his horse and bolted from the inner bailey, leaving Edmund
thoroughly puzzled by their behavior.

"Not now." He
moved away from his sister. "I want to see what Valdine and Wanda are up
to. Something is not right; they were acting very strangely."

"They always act
strangely." Johanne followed her brother as he quit the solar. "Where
are we going?"

Edmund gestured to the
door leading to the bailey. "Where
they
went."

"And if they went
nowhere?"

Edmund paused by the
door, the dust from the bailey filling his nostrils. "They are up to
something, Johanne. And I must discover what it is. They had no valid reason to
speak to Spencer, and suddenly they dash away from him as if he has sent them
on an errand. Though I cannot imagine what that would be."

Johanne pursed her lips
irritably. "Something subversive, I am sure."

"Do not mock me.
The man stood in my solar not five minutes ago accusing me of killing my wife.
There is no way of knowing what treachery he is up to. Enlisting Valdine and
Wanda to help him, no less!"