Lords of Darkness and Shadow (23 page)

He was glad she wasn’t going to argue the point further; in fact, he had been fairly terrified when one of the soldier’s assisting her up at the keep had told him she had gone wandering down in the outerbailey.  It had been a panicked flight to find her and he was grateful she was whole and safe. Still, he let the subject go for the moment, and gratefully so. He didn’t want to fight with her about it.

“As would I,” he said, glad to change the subject. “I will take you over to the stable and we shall see about getting some hay.”

The stable master was able to provide them with a great deal of soft, dry hay, which made for a wonderful night’s sleep in their newly boiled bed linens. In fact, it was so wonderful that Ellowyn slept well into the morning even when Brandt rose at dawn to go about his duties.  He let his wife sleep, watching her as he silently dressed, and thinking he’d never in his life been so happy or content. It was a remarkable feeling.

Ellowyn probably would have slept until noon had the sentries not awoken her mid-morning and Brandt went to make sure she was awake. It would seem that the Duchess of Exeter was required to make an appearance. 

Visitors had arrived at Guildford.

***

Lady Sabine de Ferrers, Baroness Albury, and her daughter, Daphne, had been sitting in the cold and rather darkened great hall for a half-hour before Brandt made an appearance.  Wife and daughter of Lord Albury, a vassal of Brandt’s, they were dressed in their finest for their visit to the duke’s.  Lady Sabine had a pure white wimple on that was surely cutting off the circulation to her head while her daughter, dowdy and round, dressed in scads of flowing robes, jewels, and a corset that was so tight that her bosom was nearly pushed into her chin.  Couple that effect with her plain dough-like face and the results were truly hideous.

Brandt didn’t have time for visitors so his patience was strained. The only reason he agreed to greet them was because Lady Sabine’s husband was very wealthy and commanded nearly eight hundred men.  Propriety dictated that Brandt be polite to his vassal, so after he made sure his wife was up and getting dressed, he begrudgingly made his way to greet the visitors.

He met the pair in the great hall where he had purposely made sure they were not offered anything more than a small cup of wine. He didn’t even want them up at the keep, and he certainly didn’t want to socialize with them beyond necessity. He simply wanted to know their business so he could get on with his day. When Lady Sabine saw him enter the cold hall, she bolted to her feet.

“My lord de Russe,” she said happily. “It is so good to see you alive and well after your campaign in France.”

Brandt barely cracked a polite smile.  Lady Sabine extended her hands to him in greeting and he forced himself to respond.  Her icy fingers clutched at him.

“Ladies,” he greeted the pair, trying not to look at the blob-like daughter. “I am honored by your visit. How may I be of service?”

Lady Sabine wouldn’t let him go even when he tried to force her to sit. “We heard that you had returned to Guildford,” she said. “Imagine our horror when we heard Arundel had possession of your castle.  What gall! Were you forced to throw him out to regain your seat?”

Brandt finally peeled her fingers off of him and indicated for her to sit.  He sat opposite the pair at the table, a safe distance away.

“Not in the least,” he replied. “When Arundel realized I had returned, they were happy to leave.”

“Why did they confiscate it in the first place?”

“I was told that they possessed it in the event I did not return from Edward’s wars.  Evidently, Fitzalan wanted first claim.” He shifted the subject, mostly because Lady Sabine was a terrible gossip and he didn’t want to fuel her imagination. “Now, I would be happy if you would tell me the reason for your visit. I am afraid I have much to do and little time to spare.”

Lady Sabine’s face fell somewhat that he wasn’t prepared to engage her in a nice, long visit, but she recovered. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

“My husband sends his regards,” she said. “When he heard you had returned, he wanted to make sure you were welcomed properly.”

“Where is your husband?”

“Ill with gout, my lord. He cannot travel.”

“I see,” Brandt replied, his patience evaporating.  He was done with pleasantries and stood up from the bench. “I thank you for your welcome, my lady, but you must excuse me. I have many tasks requiring my attention.”

Lady Sabine couldn’t hide her disappointment any longer. She stood up as well, dragging her plump daughter to her feet also.

“Are you planning on remaining in England, my lord?” she asked quickly. “Surely you have been away long enough.”

Brandt shook his head. He was already moving around the table in preparation for escorting them out of the hall.

“I do not plan to remain long,” he said. “I am returning to France within the month.”

“Oh,” Lady Sabine appeared crestfallen.  “I am sorry to hear that.  We were hoping you would stay for a time.”

Brandt had the woman by the elbow. He looked at her curiously. “Why?”

Lady Sabine blinked. “Because… well, because we simply were, my lord. My husband is fond of you and I believe he feels secure when you are in residence at Guildford.  We never had a son, you see, and I believe he has often times looked upon you as a son in a manner of speaking.”

Brandt resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her statement. Baron Albury was a selfish man with bad health and a penchant for heavy drink.  He didn’t care for anyone unless they carried a bottle of wine with them. More than that, he and Brandt barely knew one another beyond their acquaintance. But Brandt remained polite.

“Then I am flattered,” he said. “Please give him my regards.”

He was effectively shutting the conversation down as he forcibly escorted Lady Sabine to the door.  Her daughter trailed along behind. But Lady Sabine would not be cut off so easily.

“I will, of course,” she said. Then, she grabbed at her daughter, pulling her forward. “Daphne is home from fostering at Portchester Castle. I do not believe you have seen my daughter for many years.”

Brandt paused as the neared the hall entry, facing the round and pale young woman. She was even uglier at close range. “Lady Daphne,” he greeted with forced politeness. Then he looked at Lady Sabine. “Considering I have only seen you four or five times in my adult life, I will admit that I have only met your daughter once.  She was very young, as I recall.”

Lady Sabine looked at her daughter with a beseeching expression that she was trying very hard to mask.
Say something, you silly girl!
Fortunately, Daphne received her mother’s silent plea and cleared her throat nervously.

“I was ten or eleven years of age, my lord,” Daphne said, her voice thin and weak. “Did you enjoy your time in France?”

Brandt could see through the paper-thin attempt to keep the conversation going and it was a genuine struggle not to rudely chase them away.

“I was at war, my lady,” he said frankly. “I do not consider that an enjoyable time. Now, if you will….”

Daphne cut him off. “How long have you been in France this time?” she asked. “You have been there before on campaigns, have you not?”

Brandt sighed impatiently; he couldn’t help it. “I have been there almost three years,” he said with increasing annoyance. “Before that, I was in France on two separate campaigns, each one lasting nearly four years.  During that time, I have spent no more than a year in England intermittently. All of my focus is on Edward and his desire to claim what is rightfully his. Now, if you ladies will excuse….”

“Perhaps you will come and visit us at Albury before you depart for France,” Daphne said, clumsily interrupting him again. “My father would like to see you and we would have a great feast in your honor.”

“Although I appreciate the offer, you will understand if I decline,” Brandt said, moving them through the front door and out into the mid-morning sun. “I have a great many thing to accomplish and do not have time for social events.”

Daphne’s hopeful expression dampened. “I am sorry to know that,” she said sincerely. “I was hoping… well, perhaps you will allow me to return to Guildford and play for you. I am most accomplished on the harp and I would consider it an honor to play for you.”

Brandt eyed the woman; now he was coming to understand the purpose of their visit and it had nothing to do with welcoming him back to England.  He didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to him before now; Lady de Ferrers was on a husband hunt for her daughter and evidently thought the duke would be easy prey now that he was newly returned from the wars in France.  He quickly sought to make his position very clear.

“Although your offer is gracious, I will have to ask my wife if she would be agreeable to such entertainment,” he said. “I will send for you if she has an inclination to listen.”

Both Lady Sabine and Lady Daphne appeared shocked.  “Your
wife
?” Lady Sabine repeated, incredulous. “You… you are
married
?”

Brandt nodded. “Indeed I am,” he said, rather pleased at their expressions. “Now, you will excuse me, ladies. I will bid you a good day.”

With that, he turned away and headed back to the keep. But he was detained by Dylan, who pulled him into a private conversation somewhere near the smithy shack.  Unfortunately, he was blocked from Ellowyn’s view as she descended the stairs from the keep; although she was keeping her eye out for him, she missed him entirely but clearly saw the women standing near the great hall.  They were just standing there, looking rather lost, so Ellowyn made her way towards them.

“Greetings, ladies,” she said pleasantly as she approached. “I am Lady de Russe. I am not sure where my husband is, but I should be happy to entertain you until he can join us.”

Lady Sabine and Lady Daphne looked at Ellowyn with shock, outrage, and curiosity. It was an odd combination. Lady Sabine seemed the most incensed, shamed by Brandt’s treatment of her and now faced with his glorious wife. The bitter, petty woman had little control but in the midst of her tantrum, she was also very sly.  If she could create problems, she would.

“He has already joined us,” she snapped. “He was quite rude and… and inappropriate. We are leaving now.”

Although Ellowyn wasn’t surprised that Brandt had been rude, considering his behavior at their first introduction, she didn’t like the way the woman spoke of him. Already, her dander was up.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her pleasant attitude fading. “What did he do?”

“
Do
?” Lady Sabine repeated, flustered and exaggerated. “My lady, do you know what manner of man your husband is?”

Ellowyn was finished being polite. Already, the conversation had taken a terrible turn and she crossed her arms impatiently.

“I believe that I do,” she said. “If you think to slander him, I would not do it if I were you.  You will not like my response.”

Lady Sabine began pointing fingers. “How long have you been married to the man?”

“That is none of your affair.”

Lady Sabine’s eyes widened with indignation. “He is a man of immoral and lascivious character,” she declared, then dramatically lowered her voice, speaking as if scolding. “He made inappropriate suggestions to my daughter that would clearly compromise her moral standards. I heard it myself; he asked her to play her harp for him.
Alone
. What kind of man would do this? If I were you, my lady, I would make all due haste back to your family and away from that... that
monster
. Being exposed to French whores and immoral women has taken away his sense of propriety.”

By the time she was finished, Ellowyn was looking at the woman in complete shock.  Her mouth fell open.

“Are we speaking of the same man?” she asked incredulously.

“We are!”

Ellowyn wasn’t over her shock, but she was fully aware of the fury overtaking her. No one could speak that way of Brandt and get away with it.

“I do not know who you are and I do not care,” she said, her gaze riveted to Lady Sabine. “Do you seriously think to come to my husband’s home, slander him and call him a monster, and expect me not to defend him? You are a low-bred, foolish woman to say such things to a man’s wife and I have no doubt you are lying about his proposition to your ugly daughter; my husband has far better taste than that fat little toad. Now, you will remove yourself from my sight immediately before I find a switch and beat you both within an inch of your lives. Now,
go!
”

She was roaring by the time she was finished. Lady Daphne shrieked, grabbing her mother by the hand and yanking her towards their fine carriage.

“Oh!” Lady Sabine gasped as he daughter dragged her along. “How dare you say such things to me! You ill-mannered…!”

She didn’t get the words out fast enough before Ellowyn was hitting her in the mouth with a clod of earth she had scooped up at her feet.

“Get out!” Ellowyn bellowed as she picked up another handful of dank, dirty earth and threw it again, hitting the woman on her pristine-white wimple. “Get out of here, you stupid cow, and take your revolting child with you!”