Page 3 of The Sword and the Damsel (The De Veres #2)

“G ive me a moment to look this over.” Lord Daniel stroked his thick, black beard as he took his time reviewing the proposed duty roster and patrol plan for the Watch.

“Of course, my lord,” Victor replied. He sat across from his new liege lord awaiting orders, idly looking around the man’s office, which was orderly, fitted out with clever cabinetry like the interior of a ship. It had been a week since Victor’s arrival in Winchelsea, and he was still learning the lay of the land.

So far, Lord Daniel had been easy to please, unlike Victor himself. He was not pleased when his aunt, Helisende, Countess of Hastings, had wheedled him into moving to the nearby town of Winchelsea and entering the service of the earl. He wasn’t sad to leave Hastings. If anything, he was relieved to get away. But he didn’t appreciate how casually she’d let him go.

She wanted him to find himself a nice wife, she said, suggesting one of the unmarried de Vere daughters as a match, as if he was fit to be a husband. Before Spain, he might have been considered a good match for one of the de Vere daughters. But years of combat had changed him, and the Victor who returned to England had too many rough edges to make him a fit husband for some simpering noblewoman. Besides, he was damned if he was going to enter into a lifelong commitment just to serve his aunt’s political ambitions.

He had thought about joining the Templars, not that celibacy suited him, but a simple martial life away from court intrigue had a definite appeal. But his aunt forbade him and sent him here instead. “Make yourself indispensable to Lord Daniel,” she said, providing no further instruction. He suspected she might have some ulterior motive, but Victor had pledged his oath and intended to do the very best he could for his new liege lord.

“How are you getting along with the men?” Lord Daniel asked, looking up from the duty roster.

“Quite well, my lord. They’re well-disciplined and good at their work.”

“I’m glad to hear it. And they are welcoming your direction?”

“Indeed, my lord.”

Lord Daniel tilted his head. “Though your arrival was rather unexpected, I appreciate having a man of your skills and experience working for me. I’m still quite new to governing, as you’ve probably heard.”

Victor smiled. “My aunt told me your history, my lord. Quite unusual.”

He liked Lord Daniel. His Lordship was a young man, not much older than Victor himself. Having spent most of his youth disguised as a common shipwright, he didn’t have any of the arrogance Victor was used to seeing in the nobility. He was forthright, fair, and generous with his men. He was attentive to detail without being overbearing. He never pretended to know more than he did, and he asked good questions. His military knowledge was sadly lacking, but he commanded respect and was easy to follow.

“I’m not sure I want to know what your aunt had to say about me.” Lord Daniel chuckled. “She doesn’t like me very much.”

“She says you have a sharp mind and are a shrewd negotiator,” Victor said, carefully choosing the most complimentary thing his aunt had said about His Lordship.

Lord Daniel raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I’m sure she had a great deal more to say than that, but I won’t put you in an awkward position by asking you to repeat it.”

Thank God for that!

“But enough about your aunt,” Lord Daniel continued. “Let me finish looking this over so that we can move on to more pleasant topics. Like the new song I’ve been working on. If you have time later this evening, I’d love to play it for you and get your thoughts. I think you might find it quite entertaining.”

“I would like that, my lord.”

Lord Daniel nodded and turned back to the roster.

The afternoon after Victor’s arrival, His Lordship sat down with him with lutes and ale and brought in his friend Gerard, a troubadour with whom he had some family connection. They’d sat swapping songs for several hours. Lord Daniel’s wit was sharp, and his compositions were every bit as good as those Victor had heard at his aunt’s court. Gerard was better with the lute and had a better voice, but his original verse wasn’t as impressive. They were both far better than Victor could ever hope to be, not that either of them was anything but complimentary of his mediocre skills.

It felt odd to be so friendly with his liege lord, but he got the sense Lord Daniel was relieved to have a break from the formality and propriety of his position. His Lordship seemed grateful to have another companion and ally in this house full of women, especially as he was adjusting to life as a new father. It was good to make a new friend if he dared call him that. He’d lost so many friendships after he’d returned from Spain. They all said he’d changed, and maybe they were right. Since his return, he’d had no interest in anything but his work. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the comfort of casual camaraderie with other men.

Lord Daniel looked up from the parchment, clearing his throat. “I’d like for you to add another guard to the southern gate. There have been rumors of bands of brigands along the road to Hastings, and one cannot be too safe.”

“Consider it done, my lord.”

His liege lord turned back to the parchment.

Adding another guard was a bit excessive. How much protection did this tiny backwater need? The brigands were all targeting traffic from Hastings. Why would they bother with this piddling town?

Winchelsea wasn’t terrible. It was merely dull and provincial compared to Hastings. He supposed it was picturesque at sunset. The stone buildings almost seemed to glow in the evening light, with the proud lines of the castle crowning the view. The port was certainly thriving, even if it was dwarfed by Hastings’s. But the place only had six streets, and everyone knew everyone. There was no anonymity in a town like this, and…well…he had a memorable face. Then again, he’d become too recognizable in Hastings too, which was part of why he’d needed to leave. At least in Winchelsea, he had no enemies. Yet.

“Very good. I’m impressed,” said Lord Daniel, handing the duty roster back at last.

Victor smiled. “Thank you, my lord.”

Lord Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I have a favor to ask, Victor.”

“I’m at your command, my lord,” he said with a polite nod.

Lord Daniel exhaled and fidgeted, as if being called “my lord” made him feel itchy. “My wife is worried about her sister, Lady Alais. There’s a troubadour named Gilbert who expressed a bit too much interest in her. My wife sent him away the day you arrived, but she’s worried he might try to come back for her. She doesn’t think Lady Alais’s usual chaperone is sufficient defense, and she wants her guarded when she goes out, at least until we’re sure Gilbert is gone for good. I think you’re the man for the job.”

Victor went rigid and swallowed hard. The night he arrived, Lady Alais was dressed in red, a low neckline offering a tantalizing glimpse of her sweet and tender decolletage and a clinging waistline showing off the generous curves of her hips. He’d never felt such a powerful attraction to a woman on sight. Her dark hair shone in the candlelight, and her warm brown eyes were filled with mischief and merriment, though he also thought there was a hint of distress she was trying to keep at bay. She tugged at his heart. Well, perhaps not only his heart. If he was being honest, other parts of his anatomy were involved as well.

But then she had to go and comment on his face.

He tried to ignore her, really he did, but she was sitting right next to him. How was he supposed to get food without speaking to her? And she was paying far too much attention for his comfort. While she pretended disinterest, he could tell she was listening to every word he said to the earl. Worse, yet, she had the nerve to start flirting with him right after insulting him. She sat there and asked cheeky questions about a bawdy song and batted her eyelashes as if he was the same eligible bachelor who’d left for Spain two years ago and not the grizzled warrior who had returned.

Fortunately, he’d managed to avoid being seated next to her again after that first night. Lady Alais was a danger to his sanity and was to be avoided at all costs. The last thing he wanted to do was to spend his days trailing after her.

“I…well…um…may I ask why, my lord? Isn’t there someone in the baron’s household better suited?” He wasn’t a nursemaid for God’s sake, but he didn’t dare offer an outright refusal.

His Lordship leaned back in his perfectly crafted, high-backed wooden chair and tipped it onto the back legs, balancing as he spoke. “I’ve never seen anyone as cool and collected around Lady Alais as you seem to be. The night you arrived, she was doing everything possible to get under your skin, and you took it in stride. When she started batting her eyelashes, you gave her a look, and she backed down without you saying a word. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Cool and collected? It’s a good thing he had no idea how far that was from the truth.

Bringing the front chair legs back to the floor with a thunk, he leaned toward Victor. “There aren’t many men I can trust around her. She’s too pretty for her own good, and she flirts with absolutely everyone. She’s trouble. I know she doesn’t mean to be, but she doesn’t seem to be able to help herself.”

Too pretty indeed. It hurt to look at her.

“My lord, I’ll do whatever you need, but I’m not sure I’m the most appropriate chaperone for a young lady.” There was no way to refuse. The man was his liege lord. But surely there had to be a better solution.

“I’m not asking you to chaperone,” His Lordship said, tipping back in his chair again. “Her maid, Dora, will be with her. But Dora is an old woman with an unfortunate tendency to fall asleep when she should be paying attention, and even wide awake, she’s not intimidating. All I need from you is to fend off any men that might try to approach her when she leaves the castle.”

Victor raised an eyebrow. “Men, plural? There’s more than this Gilbert?”

“She’s beautiful, rich, and eighteen. Of course, there are more,” Lord Daniel said, coming down with a thud. “I feel like I spend more time helping Lord de Vere swat them away than running Winchelsea, which brings me to the other thing I wanted to ask you about. We’re planning a tournament next month. We’re hoping it will improve our relations with our neighbors. The Archbishop of Canterbury has been trying to expand his territories near Winchelsea. The Church is getting greedy and wants to expand at our expense, and we need allies to resist him. Also, God willing, the tournament will help us find Alais an acceptable husband. I’d like you to take the lead on organizing the preparations.”

Now there was a job a man could enjoy. “It would be an honor, my lord.”

“Thank you for agreeing…on both fronts.” He stood and clapped a large, calloused hand on Victor’s shoulder. “Your duties with Alais should only require a few hours a day. She spends most of her time at the castle.”

Victor gave an uneasy nod. He’d only intended to agree to help with the tournament, but it was too late to take it back now. He wondered if Lord Daniel lumped the topics together on purpose to make him agree.

“Carenza will be pleased that you’ve agreed. She liked the idea when I proposed it. There aren’t many people she would trust to defend her sister.”

“I’m honored by your trust,” he said with a forced smile.

“Thank you for stopping by. I’ll see you at dinner. And don’t forget to bring your lute for afterward.”

Victor walked away thinking about how Lady Carenza was too clever by half. There were moments when she scared him a little, reminding him of his aunt. It was no wonder Lord Daniel was besotted. Lady Alais was a clever one too, though she went to great lengths to hide it. He liked women with a spark of intelligence—not that he liked Lady Alais. So far, she’d been petty and rude, and he had no time for her nonsense. But if she ever stopped putting on her act of being a silly, shallow flirt, she could be quite irresistible. To another man. He was immune to her charms, of course. And now that he’d given his word of honor to prevent anyone from approaching her, he’d better stay that way.

He wandered out of the castle and down Castle Street until the castle gate was no longer in view. Then he turned and made his way to Birdie Street, which he had just discovered three days ago. It was a narrow alley off Castle Street that was easy to miss. One entered through a small stone arch that led to a cobblestone path that wound around the steep hillside to the east of the castle. The rough and shambling buildings lining the path housed the town’s poorer residents, as well as a variety of interesting establishments with names like The Dirty Horn, The Slippery Weasel, My Lady’s Chamber, and The Wayward Widow. Like most port towns, Winchelsea offered a variety of entertainments for the sailors and travelers looking for a bit of fun.

Victor was headed for the Bird in Hand, which specialized in young ladies that resembled famous and noble women past and present. There was a Cleopatra, a Helen of Troy, and even a fiery, redheaded Queen Eleanor. There was a saucy version of his aunt, Helisende, Countess of Hastings, who he studiously avoided, even though she teased him relentlessly when she realized who he was. And, of course, there was a Lady Isabella de Vere along with her three “daughters,” Carenza, Alais, and Iselda. After looking over the offerings of the house, he was embarrassed to find himself inexorably drawn to “Alais,” though he insisted on calling her by her given name, Jane.

Like her supposed namesake, Jane was flirtatious and saucy, but in contrast to the real Alais, she was quite kind to Victor. She looked remarkably like the real Lady Alais with her chestnut tresses, soft brown eyes, and her generous figure. She blew him kisses with her full, red lips whenever she saw him.

Victor had to admit he had a definite type, and Lady Alais de Vere, unfortunately, was his ideal made flesh. If he was going to be forced to spend his days with Lady Alais, at least he could find some relief with Jane for the torture he would have to endure.

Jane took him by the hand and led him upstairs with a smile.

“What’s your pleasure today, my lady?” he asked, kissing her hand.

“Do you know no one else ever asks me that, my lord? The other ladies don’t know what they are missing,” she said with a sultry smile as she ran her hands over his buttocks.

“ Hmph . Well, I live to serve.” He nibbled on her ear.

Opening a door to one of the compact rooms, she drew him inside. “You are an unusual man.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He closed the door firmly behind them, ignoring the sighs and moans coming from neighboring rooms. “But you haven’t answered my question. Fingers, tongue, or cock?”

She whispered “tongue” in his ear, and he readily complied, making her melt and tremble with unfeigned pleasure before he would take any of his own. It had always been this way for him. He needed to see pleasure to take it. It had been frustrating when he was young, but he’d come to accept it and over time even appreciate the dedication and creativity it required of him. He had accumulated an extensive knowledge of female pleasure and used it to great effect when given the opportunity. He rather regretted that these days he only used his talents to pleasure prostitutes so they could pleasure him in return. It might be nice to thoroughly please a lover, or perhaps, even a wife.

He frowned. Where did that thought come from?

“You look sad, my lord. Were you not satisfied?”

“ Hmm ? Oh no. Quite satisfied. Just thinking too much.” He pulled on his clothes, left his payment, and headed back to the castle, bracing himself for another dinner with the lovely de Veres.