Page 24 of The Sword and the Damsel (The De Veres #2)

V ictor arrived at the countess’ castle looking decidedly the worse for wear. His shirt was missing a sleeve. His injured shoulder was bound. His fine cotte was slashed open in several places. But Victor didn’t care. He had no time to make himself presentable. Alais was alone on the streets of Hastings with Robert’s thugs chasing after her.

He hurried up to one of the guards at the gate. “Luke, isn’t it? I must see her ladyship at once. Is she within?”

“My-my lord, what happened to—”

“No time. I must see my aunt immediately.”

Luke bowed and stepped aside. “Of course, Sir Victor. I must warn you she is entertaining a guest.”

Victor strode past. “I don’t care if she’s entertaining the Queen Eleanor. My quest is urgent.”

As he entered, a servant came running up. “Sir Victor! We were not expecting you. What—”

“I need to see my aunt immediately.”

Something in his grim demeanor must have scared the servant, who mumbled, “Right away,” and went running.

Victor jogged to keep up as the servant guided him to the formal hall where his aunt conducted her daily business.

The room was cavernous with high, arched ceilings that disappeared into shadow. Tapestries with military scenes hung on the walls, illuminated by a few small braziers that failed to warm the space. His aunt sat in her accustomed spot in an ornately carved, tall wooden chair that was practically a throne. In a much humbler chair beside her sat a woman. Was it—?

Could it be—?

“Victor,” Alais cried out and jumped up to run to him. He caught her in his arms and clasped her close, desperate to kiss her but knowing this was neither the time nor the place. Instead, he had to content himself with feeling her heart beating against his chest and holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her. “I was so frightened that Robert would succeed in his plan. I’m so glad to see you alive, though I’ll never forgive him for hurting you.” She took in his wounds and frowned.

“And I’ll never forgive him for hurting you,” he said, taking note of the bruise and cut on her forehead. Red-hot fury filled him at the sight. He wanted to tear Robert limb from limb for daring to touch her. And what else might Robert have done? Blood thundered in his ears, and it was all he could do to keep himself from tearing off in a rage to find his cousin now he knew Alais was safe. But Alais came first. And he knew she was far from safe in his aunt’s clutches.

“Touching,” said his aunt, watching them with a sharp eye. “Such a tender reunion.”

Without relinquishing Alais, he turned to face his aunt. “My lady, I must return to Winchelsea with Alais without delay.”

“Now, now. No need for haste. You are both injured and in need of care. Stay with me and recuperate. It is good to have you back, Victor. I’ve missed you.”

She’s missed my sword.

“My lady, I must return Alais to her family, and it was at your command that I swore fealty to the Earl of Winchelsea. We must return. We cannot stay.”

His aunt smiled, her eyes sparkling with calculation. “But when your wife showed up on my doorstep this morning, I sent messengers to the Earl of Winchelsea. He is likely on his way as we speak. So, you see there is no need to go anywhere. Stay. We have much to discuss.”

Victor took a deep breath to calm himself. “First, I would like a word with my wife in private. And I need to send a message to the men who are with me.”

“Ah yes. The Templars. You never should have involved them, my dear. You should simply have come to me. But since you did, I’ll have word sent to them that you have found Lady Alais, and she is safe. They are free to return to Westfield. I have sent a guard to Sir Robert’s house to arrest the members of his household. If Sir Robert values his neck, he will not return to Hastings.”

Victor nodded. He would rather have thanked the knights from Westfield in person, but it was more important for him to speak with Alais. “And a moment alone with my wife?”

She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Go if you must. But don’t take long. I wish to speak to you before the earl arrives.”

Grabbing Alais’s hand, he led her from the hall and pulled her into a small meeting room with an ornately carved table and chairs and little else.

As the door closed, she flew into his arms. He crushed her to him, bending her backward with a kiss. Her lips filled him with fire as did her frenzied caresses. When he let her up for breath, he spun her around and kissed her again.

“Tell me what happened to you,” he said, relinquishing her at last. “I was so afraid Robert had tied you up and locked you in some dark cellar. How did you escape from him?”

She took a deep, tremulous breath and answered, recounting what had happened since he last saw her and leaving nothing out. With every word she spoke, his fury with Robert deepened, as did his determination to find his cousin and end his sorry life. After she finished her tale, she squeezed her eyes shut. “I know what Robert must have told you. I promise you he didn’t.”

Thank God!

She looked up at him, eyes glistening and luminous with unshed tears. “I swear to you I didn’t betray you. Nothing happened between us, no matter what he said. I know you must suspect the worst, and I have no way to prove to you that I’m telling the truth, but I beg you to believe me.”

Victor tightened his arms around her and rocked back and forth. “I believe you, and I’m so sorry this happened. You were so brave. But please know that I would love you no matter what.”

She exhaled and leaned into his embrace. A tear leaked out and trailed down her cheek. She burrowed her face into his chest. “I’m yours and yours alone, Victor.”

As her loving words sank in, relief and joy flooded him. It still defied belief that she had chosen him, but he could no longer doubt that her affections were his.

“I know you are, no matter what may have happened. I want to be the only man to make your body sing. He couldn’t do that without your consent, and I know he didn’t have that. Even if his lies were true, I would still love you, though, for your sake, I’m deeply relieved nothing happened. You’re mine and I’m yours, Alais. No matter what.”

He wanted to take all the pain away, undo all that had transpired since that terrible evening at Guestling, but all he could do was hold her as she sobbed and love her with all his heart.

He was going to destroy Robert for hurting her. Wherever Robert had fled, he was going to hunt him down.

As her sobs subsided, she wiped her eyes. “What happened to you? He told me he was going to kill you. I was so worried.” She touched his bandaged shoulder ever so gently. “How badly did he hurt you?”

“I’ll be fine. It’s just a flesh wound.”

She laid a soft kiss on the bandage, and he thought his heart might burst. He was the luckiest man in England to have such a loving wife.

“I went after you as soon as I found the empty room and his note. He attacked me with a band of brigands on the way to Hastings. I fought them back, and Robert ran. I chased him north all the way to the woods just south of Westfield when I lost him in the fog.”

“Do you know where he was headed?” A vengeful fire lit her eyes as she spoke. Thank heavens she was angry rather than afraid. Just another thing he admired about Alais. She had spirit and fire.

“Not for certain, but he has some ties in Canterbury. I have reason to suspect he went there.”

“What happened next?”

He smiled. “I let him go and came for you.” He recounted the fight at Robert’s house and his search for her after learning of her escape. “I’ve never been more scared in my life than when we found you were gone. The thought of you alone on the streets of Hastings…”

Fierce pride lit her eyes. “I survived without getting caught, as you can see.”

He claimed her lips in a fast and passionate kiss. “I will never underestimate you again, though I have to say I never thought you would willingly come here.”

She bit her lip. “It was the lesser of the two evils. Better to be caught up in Lady Helisende’s political maneuvering than be imprisoned by Sir Robert. And now that I’m family, she has to treat me better, doesn’t she?”

Looking her in the eye, he said, “Do not underestimate my aunt. She is a far more dangerous enemy than Robert, but I share your hope that she does not view you as an enemy. Even family, though, she treats like pawns on a chess board. She will try to use you to achieve her own ends.”

Alais nodded thoughtfully. “I expected that. I knew it would stir up trouble for Daniel if I came here, but our marriage creates the groundwork for an alliance, however tenuous. Perhaps it is for the best if Daniel and Lady Helisende reach a more mutually beneficial understanding than their current agreement allows.”

Victor would never cease to be amazed by the woman he loved. “You are more clever and more insightful than anyone gives you credit for. No one ever bothers to look past your playful personality to see the sharp intelligence beneath, do they?”

She beamed and shook her head.

“Speaking of my aunt,” he continued, “we should get back to her. I am anxious to learn what she hopes to gain from keeping you here, so that we can find a way to extricate you.”

She nodded, and he kissed her forehead. Taking her hand, he led her back to the hall where Lady Helisende waited.

When they entered, they found her deep in conversation with Sir Thomas, the commander of her knights. His hair was grayer than the last time Victor saw him. The man looked like a sea cliff, all sharp angles and rough edges.

Sir Thomas caught sight of Victor and cleared his throat. Lady Helisende looked up and, seeing the two of them, smiled with undisguised avarice. “How lucky for us, Sir Thomas, that as the Earl of Winchelsea approaches, we have his commander under our roof,” she said. “And his sister-in-law too. Last time the earl visited, he had the might of Hawkhurst at his back, not to mention the mercenary army he hired to defend Winchelsea. Now, though, we catch him at a disadvantage. Our soldiers are the equal of his, and he has no one to lead them. I’m so glad I sent you to Winchelsea, Victor. You’ve gained the earl’s trust more quickly than I could have imagined, and now here you are, back with your favorite auntie. Come here and make yourself useful. Tell us how many men he has and how they are positioned.”

Victor’s jaw dropped. She expected him to betray his liege lord after sending him away? Did she think he had no honor at all? Alais’s grip tightened on his arm. Her eyes widened in alarm.

“My lady, I cannot tell you that. I swore an oath to the earl at your behest. You told me to promise I was his man even if it meant using my sword against you.”

Lady Helisende waved her hand dismissively. “Of course , I told you to do that. He’d never have trusted you otherwise. But would you truly choose loyalty to an oath over loyalty to your own flesh and blood?

Come now, Victor. I’ve known you since you were a babe. I’ve given you every opportunity to show your worth and grow beyond a mere Castellan’s son. I made you the man you are. Do you dare turn your back on me now?”

The true magnitude of their peril came into sharp focus. His aunt didn’t just want concessions on an agreement. She wanted him. She wanted all of Winchelsea if she could get it. And damn it all, what she said was true. He did owe everything to her. Even his match to Alais would never have happened if she had not sent him to Winchelsea.

For years, he’d served her without question. She was his liege lady and his benefactor, not to mention the closest thing he had to a mother. While he liked to think he’d achieved what he had through his own talent and merit, if he was honest with himself, he could see her hand in nearly everything he had done of any import. Did he dare defy her when she’d made him the man he was?

Alais’s grip and questioning eyes brought him back to himself. His aunt may have made him, but his sense of honor had made him the knight he was. No matter what loyalty he owed her, he could not betray his honor for her sake. He could not break a solemn oath. Nor could he stand to betray Alais by siding against her family. He had to find a way out of this predicament that left his promise to Daniel intact.

“I owe you much, my lady, but my honor is my own. I will not betray Lord Daniel.”

Sir Thomas’s hand went to his sword, but Victor was quicker. He had no idea how he was going to fight his way out of his aunt’s castle, especially with his injuries, but he had to find a way.