Fragments of Grace (Prequel to the Dragonblade Trilogy) (43 page)

Kurtis’ jaw was set. “Ingilby has arrived.”

Keir’s brow furrowed in disbelief, then lifted in
flagrant surprise.  He almost stumbled on the stairs in his shock.

“Ingilby?” he repeated, incredulous. “
Here
?”

Kurtis grabbed his brother to keep him from tumbling
down the steep stairs. “Aye,” he said ominously. “I was packing my charger for
my return to Alnwick when the sentries took up the call. Ingilby announced
himself in a big way and I told the sentries to deny him entrance until Lord
Byron gave the word.  Then I came for you.”

Keir’s eyes were wide with astonishment. But just as
quickly, the fire of fury began to burn, so hot that Kurtis could see the sweat
popping out on his brother’s brow.  Keir’s pace down the narrow stairs
quickened.

“He is here to claim his prize,” he growled. “He is
here in response to the missive Chloë and her mother sent.”

“What will you do?”

Keir’s jaw was ticking so furiously that Kurtis was
sure his brother was about to break his jaw.  It was a struggle for Keir to
keep calm, knowing why the man had come. 

“Did you send for the priest as I asked?” Keir
queried through clenched teeth.

Kurtis nodded. “I did,” he replied. “The man arrived
a couple of hours ago. I did not want to wake you so I put him in the knight’s
quarters for rest and food until you awoke.”

They had hit the entry level and could hear voices
in Lord Byron’s solar off to the left.  Keir grabbed his brother by both arms.

“Go get that priest and bring him to me,” he hissed.
“I will marry Chloë this instant and there is nothing that Ingilby can do about
it. She is mine, body and soul, and I will kill the man if he presses his
suit.”

Kurtis’s expression was serious. “It may come to that.”

Keir’s jaw began ticking again as he pushed past his
brother. “I know,” he muttered.

Keir entered Byron’s solar as Kurtis quit the keep. 
It was warm, almost overly, in Coverdale’s solar as Byron, Anton and Blanche
huddled in a small group near Coverdale’s massive table, quite clearly in
conference until they saw Keir.  At the sight of the massive knight, Coverdale
pushed his way through Anton and Blanche, making his way towards the knight.

“Keir,” he said, some trepidation in his voice. “I
am glad you are here. There has been a….”

Keir put his hand up to silence his liege,
struggling not to become furious with the mere sight of Blanche.

“I know that Ingilby has arrived,” he said flatly,
his gaze moving pointedly to Blanche. He couldn’t help it. “I also know the man
has no claim. He must be turned away immediately.”

Blanche responded, attempting not to appear too
intimidated. “Chloë and I sent him a proposal, Sir Keir,” she said evenly. “It
is a legal offer.”

Keir shook his head strongly. “It is not,” he
countered firmly. “Ingilby’s missive was sent to me and by rights, only I am
allowed to read it and negotiate any terms.  You and your daughter took matters
into your own hands, matters you had no right to negotiate, therefore making
your offer null and void.  Surely you realize that.”

“He believes he is here to negotiate on good faith,”
Anton said weakly, trying to support his wife’s actions. “The sentries said he
has brought at least two hundred men with him.”

Keir’s brow furrowed at the man’s weak stance. “And
you are afraid of two hundred men?” he asked, incredulous. “I have fought two
hundred men myself and have emerged without a scratch.  We have almost a
thousand men housed here at Aysgarth.  What on earth are you afraid of?”

Anton backed down; he was uncertain in his dealings
with Keir, a much stronger personality, and had no desire to butt heads with
him.  When Anton looked away, Keir turned back to Coverdale and Blanche.

“I will go to the gate and explain to Ingilby what
has happened,” he told them in a tone that left no room for dispute. “My lady,
you will attend me when I do this and recant your offer so he understands.  As
we speak, my brother is escorting a priest to Chloë’s bower and I will marry
her before the hour is out.  We will be done with this once and for all.”

Coverdale and Blanche passed concerned glances but
said nothing.  Keir stood there a moment, glaring at the both of them as if
daring them to contradict him, but no one dared to speak on the subject. 
Finally, Coverdale put a hand on Keir’s shoulder.

“We should make preparations for all possibilities,”
he said seriously. “Ingilby will undoubtedly not take kindly to this. 
Moreover, I doubt anyone has had the opportunity to tell you that we are
holding one of his men in the vault.  He will more than like be demanding the
man’s release.”

Keir eyed him curiously. “Why are you holding him?”

“Because he delivered Ingilby’s missive regarding
the exchange of Chloë for Merritt.  Kurtis was so incensed that he nearly
killed the man before Michael was able to remove him to the vault.”

Keir stared at Coverdale a moment, eventually
scratching his head in thought. “I do not want anything of Ingilby here after
this day,” he grumbled. “Turn his man back over to him and let us be done with
this.  I do not want to give Ingilby any excuses to return to you, me or
Aysgarth. Let us rid ourselves of him once and for all.”

Coverdale agreed.  As he and Keir swung into action,
Blanche and Anton regrouped around Coverdale’s enormous table, softly speaking
of the course their future was about to take.

***

“What are you looking at?”

Cassandra heard her sister’s soft question, turning
away from the lancet window that overlooked the bailey of Aysgarth.  She had
been mostly looking for her husband but had instead spied a small army amassing
outside the gatehouse.

“I am not sure,” she replied. “There seems to be a
great many men outside of the gatehouse. I wonder who it could be?”

Chloë was seated near the hearth, where she had been
ever since emerging from her bath.  It felt better to sit up, as her back had
been warmed and greatly eased by the bath. In fact, she felt brave enough to
stand up and slowly make her way towards her sister.

Cassandra turned around when she heard the
shuffling, concerned as she saw her sister slowly making her way to the
window.  She rushed to help her but Chloë waved her off.

“I can do this on my own,” she insisted, huffing
through the pain radiating down her back and legs. “I must learn.”

Cassandra pulled her eager hands back but they
hovered around her sister just in case the woman faltered as she made her way
to the window.  When Chloë reached the long lancet window, she gripped the wall
for support and inhaled heavily of the cool breeze.

“Everything smells so wonderful,” she sighed,
smiling as she took another deep breath. “The world is right and new this
morning.”

Cassandra watched her sister, suspecting why
everything seemed so marvelous this day. “It does,” she fought off a grin,” and
I am sure that Keir’s appearance has nothing to do with it.”

Chloë looked at her sister, giggling. “Of course
not,” she teased. “Why should it?”

Cassandra laughed softly, her gaze finding the
gatehouse and the collection of men outside of the walls. “It should not, I
agree,” she said, her smile fading. “But I would still like to know why all of
those men are collecting outside of the gatehouse. I wonder if they came with
Keir?”

Chloë saw the large group of men as well, soldiers
that were armed and two provision wagons from what she could see. “He would not
have left them outside of the walls,” she replied. “He will return soon and I
am sure he will tell us.”

Just as she spoke, there was a soft knock on the
chamber door.  Cassandra made haste to open the panel to reveal the small
figure of Lady Summer. 

“Good morn to you,” Summer said to Cassandra. “I
came to see how your sister is faring.”

“Lady Summer,” Chloë was partiually blocked by the
bed from where she stood near the window. “I am over here and I am faring very
well.”

Summer came into the room as Cassandra wriggled her
eyebrows. “She is very well because Keir has returned,” she smirked. “The man
can work miracles by his mere presence, apparently.”

Summer grinned as she and Cassandra made their way
over to the window where Chloë was standing.  Summer looked the woman up and
down; clad in a lusciously soft blue shift with her amazing red hair freshly
washed and cascading down her back, she looked like an entirely different woman. 
There was color back in her cheeks and lips, and she looked positively radiant.

“Well,” Summer put her hands on her hips as she
inspected her. “I see that you did not require my attention at all.  Apparently
the only medicine you needed was Keir.”

Chloë laughed softly. “That is not true,” she
insisted. “Your diagnosis worked wonders. I feel so much better today.”

“Good,” Summer returned her smile. “How is your
back?”

“Stiff but manageable. I sat in a warm bath and it
helped a great deal.”

“Have you gone for a walk yet this morning?”

“Not yet.”

“Then perhaps you can show me this beast of a
castle. A walk in the morning air would do you good.”

Chloë lifted an eyebrow, glancing outside to the
busy bailey and the army gathering beyond the closed gates.

“I am not sure we should,” she said. “Keir said he
would return for me and we would walk.”

Summer looked out of the window as well because the
other ladies were. All she could see were horses, men and animals.

“It would be best to walk while you are feeling up
to it,” she suggested. “I fear if you lay back down to wait for Sir Keir, you
may stiffen up and it would be painful. Perhaps we shall take a very short walk
now to keep your muscles loose and you may take a longer walk with Sir Keir
when he returns.”

Chloë didn’t see anything wrong with that and
neither did Cassandra. Donning a heavy blue brocade surcoat with magnificent
gold trim and gold tassels to secure it around her slender waist, Chloë held
out her feet while Cassandra put her hose and shoes on.  She still couldn’t
bend over.  With her glorious hair long and flowing down her back, she held on
to Summer and Cassandra as she quit the chamber.

It was very slow going down the treacherous stairs
and Chloë took her time, holding on to Cassandra and Summer as she took one
step at a time.  When she reached the bottom, she felt as if she had
accomplished something, as if those damnable stairs could not beat her again.

Taking the next flight of wider stairs down to the
entry level, she was feeling happy and energetic. Too many days of depression
and injury were fading away, being replaced by genuine joy and recovery.

“Where would you like to go?” Chloë asked Summer.
“There is a stable block off to the left.  There are some fine horses if you
like that sort of thing.”

Summer nodded. “I do,” she said.  “It will also give
me a chance to check on my own horse. I have not seen him since yesterday.”

Slowly, they began to move for the entry, past the
solar where Anton sat around Coverdale’s enormous table.  He was tucked back
against the wall by the door and did not see his daughters pass. The entry door
was open and the ladies stepped through, out into the cool morning sunshine.

The bailey was very busy as they slowly made their
way down the stairs.  The ground of the ward was soft and moist, but not
terribly so, and Chloë was able to keep her footing as they made their way to
the stable yard.  Several horses were out and being tended, including Kurtis’
big gray charger.  Summer and Cassandra had a tight grip on Chloë as they made
their way to the stalls.

“My father has fits when I ride my horse,” Summer
said. “He is a tremendously large animal but as tame as a kitten.  I have raised
him since birth.”

Chloë was concentrating on not slipping in any horse
droppings as she walked. “You must like horses a great deal.”

“I do,” Summer admitted. “It all started when I was
very young with a white pony my father gave me and my love of horses has only
grown from there.  I have even raised a few to race, but my father thinks it is
unseemly for a woman to race horses, so he races them under his name.  The
horses have won him a good deal of money.”

Chloë and Cassandra looked at her. “Racing horses?” Chloë
repeated. “An impressive hobby. Your talents and interests do not seem to be
usual, Lady Summer.”

Summer grinned, somewhat embarrassed. “I realize
that,” she said softly. “But I am who I am. No one can change that. Being the
youngest of seven children, and with six older brothers, I have been exposed to
manly pursuits more than most.  I suppose their influence greatly shaped my
views of the world.”

Chloë grinned at her. “I like that,” she said. “Will
you teach me what you know about good horses?  Perhaps I will want to race
them, too.”

Summer giggled as Cassandra shook her head. “Keir
would never allow it,” she insisted.