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Caria nodded, still wiping her eyes, as her nurse snuck up behind her and took her by the hand to lead her away.

Thomas watched her go, heading back to the keep and back to the big bedchamber, even waving at her when she turned her sad face to him.

She managed to pass William on her way to the keep, who put his hand on her dark head as he passed by.

“Why is Caria weeping?” William asked as he drew close. “What is it now?”

Thomas smiled weakly. “She is a weepy one.”

“She is.”

“She wants to live with me at Wark.”

William snorted. “She speaks of that constantly,” he said. “Your mother and I have denied her, but she is headstrong. She will not stop asking.”

Thomas thought on Caria’s strong-willed personality. “Her mother was not that way at all,” he said. “Remember? Tacey was so timid and shy. And she was so tiny– I think Caria is going to be her mother’s size. Even now, she looks smaller than her age.”

William nodded, thinking of the tiny little girl who had been so remarkably strong. “She may be small, but she is mighty,” he said. “I have no doubt that little Caria will grow up to do great things.”

Thomas could hear Caria in the distance as her nurse tried to take her into the keep, squealing unhappily about something.

He grinned. “She would make an excellent Princess of Wales,” he said.

“Or even a queen if you marry her off to some Saxon king. Think of the Welsh bloodlines that would take flight through the nobility of the German kingdoms. She would become the mother of nations.”

“Possibly,” William said. “But I am not certain it is safe to ever divulge her bloodlines, especially with Edward the way he is at the moment. If he knew we had a Welsh princess in our midst, he could bring the whole of England down around me and accuse me of being a traitor. He would tear up the north to get to me and to Caria. Which is why you and I must have a serious discussion about Northumbria’s death. ”

Thomas immediately sobered. He knew what his father was going to say. He’d resigned himself to it during the ride that had brought him home from Edenside. He knew this discussion was coming and he was prepared, as difficult as it was for him to accept.

“I know, Papa,” he said quietly. “I must marry Adelaide.”

William wasn’t surprised at Thomas’ response. The man wasn’t a fool. He knew what William did and, for once, they were thinking alike when it came to this betrothal. But still, there was something inside of him, buried deep, that made him feel so damned guilty about it.

“Aye,” he replied honestly. “Tommy, please know that this gives me no pleasure. All of my children have found happiness in their marriages and I had sincerely hoped that for you. But it seems as if it is not to be. Right now, the Northumbria earldom is without a strong commander at its head, and the moment Edward hears of Edmund’s death, my guess is that he will have a dozen Scots and French nobleman lined up to assume the earldom.

We cannot allow that to happen, lad. That would throw the north into turmoil. ”

Thomas groaned faintly, folding his big arms across his chest in a gesture that looked a good deal like his father. “It was only this morning that you were apologizing for the situation,” he said. “I received the impression that you spoke to Northumbria about it.”

William nodded. “I did,” he said. “I tried to force him into breaking the betrothal, but he would not do it. I was hoping that, with time, I could present him with suitable candidates to take your place, and that was my intention. But with his death today, we no longer have that luxury of time. It must be you, Tommy.”

They were standing on the steps leading to the great hall and, suddenly, Thomas felt inordinately weary.

His father’s words were as he’d expected but, still, the reality of them was almost too much to bear.

He sank down onto the top step as his father followed suit.

Together, they simply sat there, letting the news of what must happen sink in.

“What about Troy’s son, Andreas?” Thomas asked. “He is much closer in age to Adelaide and he is a de Wolfe.”

“Andreas is a remarkable knight, but he has much to learn. To give him a powerful earldom would be a mistake at this point. Northumbria needs an experienced man.”

“What about Brodie de Reyne?” Thomas was thinking of all of the single knights he knew. “The man has served Troy for many years and lost his wife several years ago. He is a son of Baron Hartlepool of Throston Castle. The House of de Reyne is a major house in the north.”

William was nodding before Thomas even finished. “And they are great allies,” he said. “I knew Brodie’s grandfather, Creed de Reyne, as a young man and he was an excellent knight and a wise commander.”

“Then Brodie is a candidate?”

William shrugged. “If you can convince Adelaide to see him, and to agree to him, and if Brodie agrees, then the marriage would have my blessing. But I must ask you a question.”

“What is it?”

“Would you really see the most powerful earldom in Northumberland in Brodie’s hands? Or would you rather control such power?”

Thomas thought on his older brother’s knight, a man who had been with Troy for at least twenty years.

Brodie de Reyne was close to Thomas’ age, in fact.

They were friends, of course, and Brodie had been a talented and skilled knight, much as his father and grandfather had been, but his father had him thinking about giving over Northumbria to Brodie.

In fact, Thomas saw a major issue with that scenario– Brodie would probably end up hating him for saddling him with a madwoman like Adelaide, and that didn’t sit well with Thomas. As much as he didn’t want to be married to the woman, he wouldn’t wish her on his worst enemy.

Or a dear friend.

“I suppose I could not do that to Brodie or to Andreas,” he muttered after a moment. “If either one of them married her, he would end up hating me. But, damnation, Papa… I wish there was an easy answer to this situation. Of all the times for this to happen.”

William looked at him. “What do you mean?”

It occurred to Thomas that he really didn’t want to explain that comment, but it wasn’t as if he could take it back or his father could un-hear it. Struggling not to feel foolish, he waded into unfamiliar territory.

“I mean…” He stopped, paused, and then started again. “I mean that if this whole betrothal with Adelaide hadn’t happened, I might have chosen another lady for my wife.”

“Who?”

“Desmond’s sister, Lady Bowlin.”

William’s brow furrowed. “The Beguine?”

Thomas nodded. But when he saw the expression of disbelief on his father’s face, he felt very much like explaining just so his father would know he wasn’t foolish.

“She is unlike any woman I have ever met, Papa. She’s brilliant, so very brilliant, and she’s kind and compassionate.

She would make a Lady de Wolfe that I could be so proud of, and the truth is that I never thought I would say those words about anyone.

Up until two days ago, Tacey was the only wife I had ever wanted.

But now… damn the unfortunate timing, but Lady Bowlin has made me change my mind.

If I was not betrothed to Adelaide, I would marry Lady Bowlin tomorrow. ”

William looked at his son with some astonishment before puffing out his cheeks and turning away. It was a good deal to absorb.

“Truly, Thomas?” he finally said. “In the past eight years, you have lived a wild life from England to The Levant and back again and, all the while, Desmond de Ryes was holding the key to your happiness?”

Thomas smiled weakly. “I am as surprised as you are,” he said. “I knew Des had a sister but nothing more than that. Many men have sisters, including me, so there was no reason to think Desmond’s sister was any different from the rest. But she is, Papa… she is .”

“And you… like her?”

“A great deal.”

William pondered that irony for a moment, looking up and seeing the glittering stars spread across the heavens.

“I was lamenting to your mother tonight about the absence of Kieran to counsel me in this time of great decision,” he said.

“Someone told me once that the stars in the heavens are really the souls of every great warrior who has ever lived. Achilles, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne… all of them are up there, looking down upon us, and I know for a fact that your Uncle Kieran is up there, looking down upon us as well. Someday, I will join him, and you will look up at the stars with your own son and tell him of your father. I wonder what you will tell him, Tommy. That he was the greatest knight you ever knew? Or that he forced you to marry a woman you did not love for strategic gain?”

Thomas was looking at his father seriously.

“I will tell him that my father was the greatest man I have ever known,” he said.

“I know I was born well after your prime as a knight, and I never knew you with two good eyes, but you are the greatest man I have ever known, Papa, and I am very proud to be your son. I know… I know there are times when I have disappointed you. From the time when I was Dhiib aleasifa , and then I returned and served the Duke of Dorset until I grew bored of that. It took me some time to find my way home, but I did find my way because I knew you would be here, waiting for me. Do you know why I eventually came home?”

William cocked his head slightly. “Because you missed your family?”