Page 23 of Insurrection (Guard of Six #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Penderyn

T he Bryn was extremely unhappy.

“How can you ask me such a thing, Ivor?” he said. “From you. Of all people—from you !”

Ivor sat across from the man at his shattered kitchen table, the one that had been in the midst of the fight the previous night. Ivor had arrived at The Bryn’s home at dawn just as the man was returning from tending Old Adda and stood with him as The Bryn was overcome with horror at the condition of his home. Fortunately, Ivor was there to explain everything, including the fact that Celyn and Madelaina were safe, and as soon as The Bryn regained his composure, the two of them moved inside and began to assess the damage.

Until Ivor brought up the subject of Madelaina and a certain English knight.

Then everything came to a halt.

At first, The Bryn had been greatly confused on the subject matter, until Ivor realized that the man only knew Kent as Trevyn d’Einen. Madelaina had used that same ruse when she introduced Kent to her father. Ivor was forced to explain the situation and that d’Einen was, in fact, an English knight named Kent de Poyer.

A man who very much wanted to marry Madelaina.

That was when The Bryn exploded.

“I realize it is not expected,” Ivor said. “And I fully realize you were expecting that I would marry Madelaina one day. But let us be truthful with one another—Madelaina does not love me. And although I am very fond of her, I do not love her either. But I know someone who does.”

The Bryn waved him off angrily. “I do not wish to discuss this now,” he said. “Look around you, Ivor—my home is in ruins. May I, at least, restore my home before you bring up such a tactless subject?”

Ivor could see his point, but he didn’t agree with it. “Why wait?” he said. “We can speak of it as we are fixing your table or restoring your door. I am afraid this is not a subject that you can ignore.”

“Why not?”

“Do you want Madelaina to end up as Celyn did those years ago?”

That shook The Bryn. It also told him that something serious had been going on behind his back, something he’d been entirely unaware of. Madelaina was an adult woman, and he didn’t pay much attention to her daily activities because he trusted her, and also because they weren’t usually scandalous in nature. She spent most of her time in the herb garden or working in his shop. But perhaps he should have suspected something was afoot when she introduced him to the big, handsome Trevyn d’Einen.

Who wasn’t Trevyn d’Einen, after all.

He didn’t want to discuss any of this right now, but perhaps he should. Nay, he didn’t want Madelaina to end up as Celyn did, those years ago.

Mayhap he needed to listen to Ivor.

“Damnation,” he muttered. “Is that what this has come to? Another Saesneg?”

“You married a Saesneg,” Ivor reminded him quietly. “You gave up your family for her. You started a new life for her. Why do you not let your daughters have the same love that you had? You have already failed Celyn. Do not fail Madelaina.”

The harsh words nearly doused all of The Bryn’s resistance. The old man sat there, frowning, avoiding making eye contact with Ivor. He was hotly opposed to what Ivor was suggesting, but on the other hand, he had been in the same situation, once. But this was different.

… wasn’t it?

The Bryn was a man who controlled the village, and, in many ways, he’d advised and controlled Ivor through that advice. He could give counsel but he couldn’t take it well, mostly because it pointed out his shortcomings.

No man liked to be reminded of his failures.

“Celyn’s circumstance was different,” he muttered. “She was young. Too young.”

“She was old enough to love.”

“She was also old enough to conceive a child, but that does not make her old enough to fathom the consequence of what she did,” The Bryn fired back, but it was without force. Reliving the decision he made for his daughter, something he’d secretly agonized over throughout the years, was not something that made him feel good about what he’d done. “Do you not understand? I did not want her to suffer as I had suffered. I wanted her to marry a Welshman and live with the approval of her people. I lived without the approval of mine, and it was difficult.”

Ivor could see that he was struggling. “So you denied her love in exchange for respect.”

The Bryn was resolute. “She did not suffer the same fate as I did.”

Ivor peered at him curiously. “How did you suffer?” he said. “It is true that your people disowned you, but you at least had the love of a good woman. Celyn had the respect of her people, but that is a cold comfort when one is lying in bed at night, alone and sad. All I am saying is that you must not make the same mistake again. Kent de Poyer is a good man, better than any man you can hope for. He is my friend and will treat Madelaina with love and respect. She will want for nothing. And someday, she will be a countess. A lady revered by her subjects. Do not let prejudices stop you from making the right decision for Madelaina, I beg you.”

The Bryn was clearly wavering but was too stubborn to admit it. He sighed heavily, perhaps with regret, but perhaps also with resignation.

Old age had softened him.

“You plead strongly for this Saesneg,” he muttered. “You are also pleading for the woman you hoped to marry.”

Ivor smiled wryly. “Life is full of surprises,” he said. “It is as I told you. Maddie does not love me, and although I am fond of her, I think Kent would make her happier. In fact, I know he would.”

The Bryn pondered that for a moment. “A countess, you say?”

“A countess married to a man who serves Henry directly,” Ivor said. “There is no finer man for her, I promise.”

The Bryn grunted. “So you’ve said,” he said. “But I will ask Madelaina. I want to hear what she thinks about all of this. And you promise me that my women are safe?”

Ivor nodded. “That was the first thing I told you when I arrived,” he said. “Do you know who took them to safety?”

The Bryn shook his head. “You?”

Ivor frowned. “I was a prisoner,” he said. “The person that took them to safety was Bennet de Bermingham.”

The Bryn stared at him for a moment as that name sank in. It couldn’t be! Slowly, he closed his eyes and turned away.

“God,” he muttered. “Not that man. Not him.”

“He serves with Kent,” Ivor said steadily. “He saved Celyn and Madelaina from harm. And he wishes to speak to you.”

The Bryn looked at him sharply, seeing the smile playing on his lips, and stormed up from the table.

“Stop toying with me,” he said. “You know I do not wish to see him and you know why.”

“I know,” Ivor said. “It was explained to me last night. After Gaspard de Russe took his son away, Kent spoke to me about Madelaina and then summoned Bennet, who told me what happened with Celyn. He told me the entire story. Truly, Bryn, I must say that I was surprised to hear what happened. While I understand why you did it, to protect Celyn, it all could have been avoided if you’d just let them be married. Instead, Bennet has lived the last twenty years with your lies defining his career and not even having the woman he loved as comfort. I think you owe the man.”

“I do not owe anyone!”

“Don’t you?”

The Bryn turned to Ivor, preparing to berate him, but he couldn’t muster the conviction to do it. He knew what he’d done those years ago. He was well aware that he’d ruined a man’s career. Though it had been necessary, deep down, he wasn’t proud of it.

“You do not understand,” he said. “Celyn, pregnant and without a husband, would have condemned her for the rest of her life. I had to do something. I had to say something.”

“I know,” Ivor said. “Strangely enough, Bennet does not seem to harbor any ill will. He does not wish to scold you for what happened those years ago. But he does want to ask you a question.”

“What is it?”

“If he can marry Celyn.”

The Bryn didn’t react for a moment. He simply stared at Ivor. Then he put both hands on his face in a gesture of both disbelief and surrender.

“God,” he muttered. “Say it is not so.”

“It is,” Ivor said quietly. “Please let your children be happy. You have that power. It is not fair to them that you were able to marry your forbidden love and they cannot. You are not protecting them, you know. You are condemning them to a lifetime of unhappiness when excellent men, devoted men, are ready and willing to be their husbands.”

The Bryn dropped his hands from his face, looking at Ivor. “And you?” he said. “If you do not marry Madelaina, then who?”

Ivor grinned. “That is also dependent on you,” he said. “It seems that Bennet has a lovely sister, much sought after. If I can convince you to allow him to marry Celyn, then Bennet shall introduce me to his sister.”

He waggled his eyebrows happily, and The Bryn gave up. He could see where this was all leading and he knew what he had to do. No more resistance, no more stubborn refusals and tantrums. It was finally time to let all that go.

Ivor was right—he had to let them be happy.

“Such a day already,” he moaned. “You are expecting me to make these important decisions immediately.”

“I am expecting you to give this your attention,” Ivor said. “The cottage can wait. Think of Celyn and Madelaina’s happiness now.”

The Bryn signed heavily. “If I do, will you leave me alone?”

“I will.”

“Very well,” he said. “Where are these men, that I may speak with them? And without you around. You have the tongue of a viper, convincing me to do things as if I have no will of my own.”

Ivor laughed softly. “You indeed have a will,” he said. “As long as you are doing the right thing.”

The Bryn scowled at him. “Where are they?”

Ivor pointed toward the garden, and The Bryn turned to see four people standing out there—Madelaina and the man she’d introduced as Trevyn, and Celyn and Bennet. He even saw Arthur as the dog nosed around in the garden. He hadn’t noticed them before because his back had been to the garden. He marched over to the broken garden door and yanked it open, pushing it aside when one of the hinges snapped.

“God’s Bones,” he muttered, shoving the door enough to prop it up before facing those in his garden. His focus was on the men. “You two will help me repair this place, since it was your comrades who did this. Then we will speak on your wishes, which Ivor has explained to me.”

“And?” Madelaina said, her face full of hope. “What will your answer be?”

The Bryn frowned at her. “That is between me and the Englishman.”

Madelaina, who had been full of forgiveness that morning when Kent came for her at the inn, wasn’t willing to wait for her grandfather’s answer. She took Kent’s hand, holding it tightly, as she faced the old man.

“Please,” she begged softly. “What will your answer be?”

The Bryn sighed sharply. “If I tell you, will you come inside and clean this cottage regardless of my answer?”

The hope faded from Madelaina’s eyes a little. She was fearful of what he was going to say. “Aye,” she said honestly. “I will do what needs to be done.”

The Bryn could see how his question had upset her, but to her credit, she was facing it bravely. He crooked a finger at her and she went to him. Reaching out, he pulled her into a fatherly embrace, gazing down at her sweet face.

“Of course I want you to be happy,” he said, gently gruff. “That means everything to me. If it is not with Ivor, then I hope you are happy with the next Earl of Talgarth. It will be a different life from what we lead here. Do you understand that?”

Madelaina nodded seriously. “I do,” she said. “But it will not matter so long as Kent is by my side. I can face anything if he is there.”

“He shall be there.”

Madelaina’s face lit up. “Do you mean it?”

“I mean it. Now, get inside and start cleaning up that mess.”

Madelaina shrieked and ran back to Kent, throwing her arms around his neck and nearly knocking the wind out of him. He staggered back, keeping his balance as he hugged her more tightly than he’d ever hugged anyone in his life. Truly, it was one of the most momentous moments he’d ever experienced. With Madelaina still hanging on him, he went over to The Bryn.

“Thank you, great lord,” he said sincerely. “I will endeavor to always be worthy of her.”

The Bryn nodded, noting the grip Madelaina had on his neck. “Is she choking you?”

“Mostly.”

“You deserve it,” The Bryn said, motioning to him. “Pry her off and get inside. There is much to do.”

With a grin, Kent headed into the cottage with Madelaina still wrapped around his neck. But their departure left The Bryn alone with Bennet and Celyn.

This situation was a little more serious. There was history there. The Bryn was certain they were going to acknowledge that at some point, and quite honestly, he hadn’t been prepared to revisit Celyn’s past this morning, but here it was. Her past was in front of him.

He forced himself to face it.

“Celyn,” The Bryn said. “Go inside and chaperone your daughter. I will speak with de Bermingham in private.”

Celyn looked at Bennet fearfully, but the man simply nodded to her. Reluctantly, she headed into the cottage as The Bryn and Bennet faced off against one another.

A moment twenty years in the making.

“I must say that I was surprised to hear that you had come back with Henry’s army,” The Bryn said. “You’ve not changed much over the years. Just older.”

“The same could be said about you.”

The Bryn wondered if that was an insult. It probably was, just as he’d meant his comment as an insult. After a moment, he lifted his eyebrows.

“It would be a simple thing to do verbal battle with you again,” he said. “It would be a simple thing to feed on the resentment and dislike I held for you so long ago. Aye, I disliked the man who bedded my daughter so that she became with child. Any father would.”

Bennet cleared his throat softly and averted his gaze. “It was wrong of me, I know,” he said. “But I do not regret it. I loved Celyn very much. Even after all these years, I still do. My feelings for her have not diminished in any way. The seams have not frayed. The light has not dimmed. She is mine and I am hers. It will always be that way.”

The Bryn thought on those rather eloquent words. He knew that Celyn had lived a relatively lonely life. She had never entertained another suitor. She was good to the poor, pious in her prayers, but that wasn’t enough to fulfill her. Even The Bryn knew that.

He’d known it all along.

“Years ago, I married an English lass,” he said. “I am certain that surprises you, but I did. I do not think you met Celyn’s mother, my beautiful Endelyn, but my marriage to her estranged me from my family. I was cast out, to live in shame with the woman I’d chosen. It was difficult to live without my family and my people, but it would have been more difficult to live without Endelyn. I did not realize that when you came into Celyn’s life, so casting you out was a simple thing. I did not realize how difficult it was for both you and Celyn until Endelyn died and I was alone. Then I realized what it was like to live without the woman I love.”

Bennet was listening to him, but his manner was guarded. “It is not easy.”

“Nay, it is not.”

“Then you will understand why I am here to ask for Celyn’s hand again.”

The Bryn nodded, looking at Bennet seriously. “Would you have come had Henry’s orders not brought you to our doorstep?”

Bennet shrugged. “Probably, at some point,” he said. “But Henry’s orders did bring me here. I choose to view it as God’s will. He has once again put me in front of Celyn because we are meant to be together. I cannot explain it any better than that.”

The Bryn accepted that statement. “You were a boy when I last saw you,” he said. “But you are a man now. And as a man, I will tell you of something that has changed my mind about you.”

“What is that?”

There was warmth in The Bryn’s eyes as he spoke. “Your daughter is the finest woman to ever walk this earth,” he said. “I have raised her and there are things of importance that I have instilled within her, like loyalty to her family and to her country, and the need to help others, but there are things she possesses that cannot be taught. She is compassionate and kind, and she has a sense of duty and determination that she did not get from her mother. I can only assume she got it from you. I think only a man of great breeding and great character can produce a child like that. You are to be commended.”

Bennet hadn’t expected to hear that come out of The Bryn’s mouth. Slightly confused, but also flattered, he dipped his head in thanks.

“It is kind of you to say so,” he said. “I am looking forward to getting to know her for myself, if she will allow it.”

The Bryn fell silent for a moment, clearly contemplating his next words. When he finally spoke again, it was quiet and with sincerity.

“Bennet, I know I disrupted your life greatly those years ago,” he said. “I hope you understand that it was only in my quest to make Celyn appear incorruptible. What I mean to say is that I wanted people to be sympathetic toward her and did not want anyone condemning her for the situation she found herself in. What I did was in defense of my daughter.”

Bennet had known they would touch on this subject at some point and was grateful for the opportunity. For certain, he had much to say on the subject.

“I am a man of patience,” he said. “I am a man of understanding, or at least I hope I am. While I understand that you were determined to protect Celyn, as you should have been, your lies had a profound impact on the career of a young knight who was hoping for a great and noble destiny. After you did what you did, I was condemned to the lower ranks. No one wanted me. I ended up serving Henry because the Earl of Hereford knew that you had lied, and told Henry so. Henry sent me to Richmond Castle, where I served for many years. I have always wanted to tell you that your lies changed my life forever. It was not fair what happened. But I want to tell you now, as a father with a daughter, that I understand why you did what you did. In your position, I would have done anything to protect her also.”

The Bryn eyed him with a hint of approval in his eyes. “It takes a man of great understanding to say something like that.”

“I hope I have grown in character over the years. I hope I am always willing to learn and grow.”

“Well said.”

“Does that mean I may marry Celyn finally?”

The Bryn snorted softly. “It means that I shall soon be living alone in this cottage because my daughter, and granddaughter, are both to be married,” he said. “But… they are marrying fine men. I was a fool not to see that before, Bennet. I hope I may call you Bennet.”

“You may.”

“You must still call me The Bryn. Call me anything else and I shall take back all of the nice things I have said.”

Bennet grinned, not a gesture that usually came from him because he was far more reserved than that. But The Bryn’s words, and subtle attempt at humor, had him smiling as he’d never smiled before. But he abruptly closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as the smile turned into a grimace.

“What’s wrong?” The Bryn asked, concerned at what he was seeing. “Are you in pain?”

Bennet shook his head. “Nay,” he said quickly. “No pain. But my eyes are watering with joy and I do not want to look like a fool for weeping.”

The Bryn chuckled. “You do not look like a fool,” he said. “You look like a man who has finally gotten what he wants out of life. Go inside and tell Celyn and see if she does not weep for joy also.”

Bennet did.

Now, it was Celyn who attached herself to her man’s neck and wouldn’t let go. Around them, Ivor and Kent and Madelaina were slowly picking up the pieces from the English raid. Bit by bit, little by little, the cottage was being cleaned up, and as The Bryn stood in the garden, watching the happy people inside his abode, he couldn’t help but feel good about it. He couldn’t help but think there would be a good future for them all.

And the future gleams like diamonds.

For Kent and Madelaina, and Bennet and Celyn, hopefully it always would.