Beast: Great Bloodlines Converge (48 page)

He obviously believed it. Therefore, Gisella did, too. Still, it was a rather stunning revelation.

“May God so keep you, my beast,” she murmured, translating the words. “A lovely message, wouldn’t you say? It sounds to me as if the woman may have finally found peace and she was wishing you peace, as well.”

Bastian nodded, gazing down at her dark head. Lifting the hand that was clutching his elbow, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it gently. “I have found it,” he replied, looking into her beautiful eyes. “I have found everything with you.”

Gisella smiled up at him, feeling more love and joy and contentment than she had ever known possible. “No regrets that you married me, then?” she teased softly.

He laughed and kissed her hand again. “No regrets at all,” he said. “You?”

“Not at all.”

She cocked her head thoughtfully. “But what about the Armagnacs?” Gisella wanted to know. “Do you think they will ever give up the hunt for the Maid’s relic?”

Bastian sighed. “I do not know,” he said honestly. “If they ever contact me again, then I suppose I will be forced to deal with it at that time. One thing is for certain, however. The fight in France is not over. The cause the Maid championed will never be over until the English are driven out of France for good.”

It was a sobering thought. “And you will return to France to fight for England’s rights.”

Bastian nodded. “It is inevitable, considering the wars there have been going on for eighty years,” he said. But he realized that he didn’t want to dwell on that. There would be a time he would have to, but not now. Now, he wanted to focus on her. “But let us not speak of such things for now. Let us speak on more pleasant things, like my white stallion. I must thank you again for such a magnificent horse.”

Gisella giggled at the change of subject. She didn’t want to dwell on him returning to France, either.

“I was glad to give it to you,” she said. “Anything to help you in humiliating a man who truly deserves it.”

Bastian laughed, his big, white teeth gleaming in the early morning. “I think I shall purchase a white stallion for you as well,” he said. “Then, I shall buy all of our children white ponies so that every time Gloucester sees our family, he will be reminded two-fold about the white stallion he gave to you that ended up as my prize.”

Gisella laughed because he was. “
You
are my prize, husband,” she said, sobering as her love for the man flooded her veins. Truly, she was the most fortunate woman on earth. “
My
beast.”

Bastian took her in his arms right then and there, in the middle of the avenue, and kissed her deeply. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore; Maids, kings, dukes, or war. He had the one thing he never knew he needed, the love of a woman who had become his stars, his moon, and his sun. Now, life was his to live with Gisella by his side. For all of the sacrifices he had made in his life for king and country, and for the risk he took for the tragic Maid, now, it was his time to shine.

The Maid had been correct. The Beast had been rewarded, indeed.

April, 1433 A.D.

Brambleham House (two miles south of Lydford Castle)

Richmond le Bec was a man of seventy-one years of age. He’d been around a very long time and had seen much in his lifetime. He had a beautiful wife, a proud career as one of the premier knights in the realm, and he had four wonderful and loving children. He had all a man could ask for except one thing.

More grandchildren.

That was why today was so very special to him. His youngest child, Gisella, would be arriving with her new baby and a husband whom Richmond had not yet met. Bastian de Russe, of the great House of de Russe, was the knight known throughout the realm as Beast for a variety of reasons. In fact, Richmond had asked men he knew, men that he assumed would know why de Russe was called Beast, and no one could give him a straight answer. Everyone gave him a different reply. Some thought it was because of his prowess on the battlefield.

Others, including his son, Gannon, who actually served de Russe, said it was because de Russe looked like a beast. Richmond hadn’t liked that answer. He didn’t want a grandchild that looked as if it were an aberration of nature and then he would be expected to love the thing. No, he sincerely hoped his son-in-law wasn’t called Beast because he was horrifically ugly. But if that was the case, he wasn’t sure he could get through meeting the man and keep a straight face.

His wife, Lady Arissa, was more optimistic about it. She was dying to get her hands on her new granddaughter, born this last fall. Little Audrey Aderyn le Bec de Russe had been born last October, a big and healthy baby from what her daughter had written. Audrey had been born after a fairly difficult labor, according to Gisella, who had struggled for two days to deliver the child, but God had been good and everyone had recovered well.

Now, they were bringing the child to visit her grandparents for the first time because Richmond didn’t travel well these days and had not been able to travel to London for the birth, so Gisella and Bastian had waited until the baby was old enough to travel before making the trek to Devon. According to their last missive, sent by messenger, they had been in a town two days away and this was the morning of the third day. Surely they would be here soon.

Which is why Richmond had been in the highest tower that Brambleham House had to offer. A fortified manor that had taken two years to build, it was the crowning glory of the le Bec family, who had moved out of Lydford Castle and turned it into a prison since Richmond was the High Sheriff of Devon. Now, they lived in a beautiful stone and timber home near the River Lyd, a place big enough to accommodate their four grown children, their spouses, and hopefully a herd of grandchildren. As it was, Richmond only had three, two from his eldest daughter, Emma, and now another from Gisella. And they were all girls. He was seriously thinking of disinheriting his sons unless they married soon and showed a knack for carrying on the family name.

But he put those thoughts aside, waiting for Gisella and her husband to make an appearance. As the sun rose over the Dartmoor Forest, all was right with the world this morning. Everything was new, fresh, and beautiful, awaiting the arrival of spring after a particularly brutal winter. As Richmond stood, poised in the tower, his failing eyesight scanning the landscape, he could see a rider approaching from the north where the main road was locating. Excited, he waited until the rider drew close to make sure it was one of the men he’d sent out to look for Gisella. He then took the stairs down to the courtyard as fast as his aged legs would take him, making it to the main gate about the time the rider was ushered in.

“Well?” Richmond demanded. “Have you seen them?”

The rider nodded, breathing heavily from the hard ride. “They should be here within the hour,” he said. Then, he grinned. “My lord, Gannon is riding with them.”

Richmond’s expression lit up. “My son is coming as well?” he said. He swiftly turned for the house. “I must tell my wife. She will be thrilled.”

The big, old knight lumbered up to the house, huffing and puffing from the exertion by the time he reached the front door, expertly shaped in local limestone in a beautiful Medieval arch. He was about to open it when the panel abruptly opened and his wife came through, nearly crashing into him. Richmond reached out to steady the woman.

“God’s Bones, Riss,” he said. “What is the rush?”

Lady Arissa de Lohr le Bec gazed up at her husband. A small, beautiful woman with pale blue eyes and black hair, she resembled her daughter to a fault. At fifty years and three, she looked much younger than her age, and she reached up to pat her husband on the cheek.

“I saw the rider,” she said. “Surely he has news of Gisella?”

Richmond nodded. “Astute as always, kitten,” he said, pointing in the general northerly direction. “They are about an hour out and I’m told that Gannon is with them.”

Arissa’s eyes widened. “Gannon?” she repeated. “My son is coming to visit? I can hardly believe it!”

Richmond nodded, somewhat ironically. “The prodigal son returns,” he said. “How long has it been since we have seen him?”

Arissa pondered the question seriously. “At least seven years,” she said. “The last time we saw him, he was leaving for France with de Russe. Do you think we can talk him into staying awhile? Lord Tavy has a beautiful daughter I should like to introduce him to.”

Richmond pursed his lips at her in disapproval. “You will send Gannon running off if you do,” he said. “Stubborn, that lad is. As least wait until he is drunk and unable to move before you spring Lord Tavy’s daughter on him. That will give us time to hold him down when he tries to bolt. He will be too sluggish to fend us off.”

Arissa laughed softly at the mental image of her husband trying to restrain their strong, young son from fleeing the house.

“You are probably right,” she said. Then, she cocked her head thoughtfully. “Mayhap we should drug his wine. That will make him utterly unable to leave. We could have the entire marriage ceremony conducted while he is in a stupor and he will awake a married man!”

Now it was Richmond’s turn to laugh. He pulled his wife into his arms. “That seems a bit severe, but we may have to consider it if Gannon does not come to his senses.” He kissed her and let her go. “I must return to the battlements. I want to see them when they come down the road.”

Arissa waved her husband off, grinning, watching the man shuffle back across the courtyard towards the tower that faced north. As she watched him, she reflected on their life together, of the children they had raised, and thanking God she had been given such blessings. There had been a time, several years ago, when she wasn’t entirely sure any of this would happen. Richmond had been badly injured in battle against the last Welsh prince and his condition had been precarious for quite some time. It had taken a full two months before they realized the man wasn’t going to die. That had been the longest two months of her life.

The wound had slowed him down a little but not entirely. Richmond le Bec was too powerful to quell completely. Even now, at his advanced age, he was still quite active and he was the local magistrate for most of the southern part of Devon in addition to the mining operations he oversaw on their lands. He was vital, active, and wise. Aye, she couldn’t imagine her life without the man.

Shaking herself from her lingering thoughts, Arissa went back into the manse and up to the first level where the family bedchambers were arranged. She had adjoining chambers for Gisella and her husband and the child, and she made sure they were well-prepared. She’d even found the old cradle that she had used for her own children and put it in the nursery. There were lambskin rugs on the floor and it was a lovely, cozy little room.

As she directed the maids to ensure that heavy draperies were hung on the windows to make sure they kept the room suitably warm, she could hear the sentries take up the cry. Someone had been sighted on the road. Knowing what that meant, Arissa bolted out of the chamber and headed for the courtyard.

Richmond was already in the courtyard, ordering the great iron gates open. As the gates slowly churned open, he stood back to watch, holding out a hand to his wife when he caught her out of the corner of his eye. It was the most difficult wait of their life, standing there, waiting to see their daughter and son, a new son-in-law and a new grandchild, wanting very badly to go running up the road to greet them. But that was undignified, and probably foolish, so they waited impatiently for Gisella and her party to make their appearance.

As they stood and fidgeted, a knight astride a big, black charger thundered through the gates. The knight threw up his visor, revealing that it was Gannon, and Arissa gasped with joy as he literally jumped off his horse and ran for his parents. Arissa threw her arms around her son, her second born, as he lifted her off the ground, squeezing her so hard that her spine cracked.

“Mother!” Gannon said as he squeezed. “I’m so happy to see you!”

Arissa had tears in her eyes.
My son is home
! “Gannon, what a wonderful surprise!” she said, delighted. “We did not expect you!”

Gannon gave his mother a final squeeze and put her to her feet. He immediately reached out and hugged his father, who was standing quite impatiently, waiting for a hug of his own. He swallowed Gannon up in an enormous embrace.

“My son,” Richmond murmured with satisfaction. “It has been a very long time. Let me look at you.”

He released Gannon and pulled off the man’s helm, looking closely at his face for signs of age or injury. Then he patted him down as if checking him for wounds or missing limbs. Gannon laughed as his father checked him from his head to his feet.

“Papa, I am well, I promise,” he assured the old man.

Richmond grunted, passing a final glance over the man. “You have spent a goodly time away from us,” he said. “I had to see for myself.”

Gannon grinned, cupping his father’s face in his hands and kissing the man on the cheek. “There is much to tell you,” he said. “I hardly know where to begin. I suppose I should start with my wife.”

Richmond’s expression slackened and Arissa actually grabbed onto the man for support, so great was her shock.

“Wife?” she repeated, stunned. “But… you have never sent us any news on this. I did not even know… Gannon, I could beat you! I really could!”

Gannon laughed softly, putting his arm around his mother as a carriage and several mounted men came into view. He pointed to the carriage.

“You do not have time,” he told her. “Gisella is here with Audrey, and my wife is in the carriage with her.”

Arissa didn’t hold back. She swatted her armored son right on the buttocks. Then, she stormed off towards the carriage that was now coming to a halt just inside the gate. She could see her daughter’s dark head and that of another lady, fair-haired. She waved to her daughter, who was squealing in delight.

“Gigi!” she cried. “Oh, Gigi, you are finally here!”

Gisella was so excited that she was already standing up, opening the carriage door before anyone could open it for her. She had the baby in her arms and as Arissa rushed towards the carriage, Richmond suddenly ran past her with much more speed than she had seen from him in years. He reached the carriage before his wife did, holding out his arms.

“My grandchild,” he demanded. “Give her to me.”

Gisella did, handing over the sandy-haired baby with the bright blue eyes. Little Audrey looked at her grandfather with a wide-eyed gaze as Gisella climbed down from the carriage and launched herself into her mother’s arms. With all of the hugging and happy weeping that was going on, no one noticed Bastian as he dismounted his charger and went to stand politely beside the carriage. As Gannon helped Sparrow out of the carriage, Bastian cleared his throat softly.

“Gannon, I do not believe your parents are much interested in me,” he said.

Gannon chuckled as Gisella let go of her mother, holding out a hand to her husband, who took it with a grin.

“Mama,” Gisella said, holding tightly onto Bastian. “This is my husband, Sir Bastian de Russe. Bas, this is my mother, Lady Arissa de Lohr le Bec. And that is my father, Sir Richmond le Bec.”

Bastian greeted Lady Arissa very politely, taking her soft hand and kissing it gently. “It is an honor, my lady,” he said, then turned to Richmond, who was quite taken with his grandchild. “My lord, I was raised on tales of your valor. To meet you in the flesh is indeed an honor.”

Richmond looked up from Audrey, who found the ties on his tunic quite interesting. He took a good, long look at the enormous knight that was married to his youngest child, his precious Gisella. Richmond was very tall at four inches over six feet, but Bastian de Russe was at least a couple of inches taller than he was. Looking at him, Richmond could instantly see why the man was called Beast. There was something about him that was honorable, knightly, and far more noble than mere mortal men. Richmond sensed greatness.

“Sir Bastian,” he greeted. “We finally meet.”

“Indeed, my lord.”

“And I am pleased.”

Bastian dared to grin. “Is it because I provided you with a grandchild, my lord?”

Richmond sensed his humor. “Partly,” he said. “Had Audrey been a boy, then I would have built a shrine to you. Speaking of which, I understand my son is married. I have not quite gotten over the shock of hearing the news.”