Raised By Wolves Volume four- Wolves (85 page)

But it was their concern. Their lord was dead. There was a new lord. All they depended on had been cast to the winds. Finally, I could countenance their anxietyand fear no longer.

I squeezed Gaston’s hand and whispered, “I must speak to them.”
With reluctance and anxiety pinching his features, he nodded and released me.
“Stop!”I said loudlyenoughto be heard. “I willexplain.”
Jenkins turned to glare at me, and then remembered his place—or rather, mine—and dropped his eyes.
“Let me through to the stairs,” my Wolf ordered with firmkindness.
They parted and made a path until I stood on the stairs going up to the next floor. There I was able to turn and overlook the sea ofanxious faces fillingthe hall.
“I am John Williams: your master’s son. He summoned me home fromJamaica.”
This quieted them, and they studied me with consternation and curiosity. By the time questions began to form on their lips, I knew what I must say next:how the matter should be presented. I held up myhand to staythemand spoke quickly.
“My cousin Shane and my father quarreled over the matter ofmyarrival, and now bothare dead.”
Surprise gripped them, and many began to whisper urgently:seekingconfirmationofwhat theythought I said.
“My father is dead,” I repeated. “Shane shot and stabbed him, and he did the same to Shane. There was much confusion, and we could not prevent it. They are gone. I amEarl now. The king’s manhas confirmed it.”
Manylooked to Jenkins for confirmation, and he nodded solemnly. Some of the women began to wail and the men to curse.
“This has been a great blow and a surprise to us all!” I said to hush them again. “I am as overwrought as any of you! But I wishto assure youthat youwillbe dealt withfairly. No one here willbe cast into the street or go hungrybecause ofthis. You must be patient and allow us time to sort through matters, though. And we allmust grieve.”
“Should we prepare the bodies?” someone asked from far downthe hall.
“Aye,” I said. “The Earl of Whyse has said he will send someone to assist with the planning of a proper funeral. But aye, please make thempresentable ifyouwish.”
“Mylord,”Jenkins said tightly.
“Then you oversee it!” I hissed to him and then smiled congenially.
He pushed his wayback downthe hallto the kitchen.
I thought it likely I would break my word and put him out onthe street soon.
“My lord?” a young woman in a maid’s dress asked from the stairs above me. When I turned to her, she bobbed a deep curtsyand asked, “Shallwe prepare the lord’s chamber for you?”
I thought of them preparing my father’s room, and was immediately horrified. It felt wrong to take his place so soon. And Gaston, how were we to…
“Is there a guest room?” I asked her. Several of them nodded. “Then prepare it with fresh linen. It is too soon to address the matter ofmyfather’s things.”
“I will insure nothing is disturbed… my lord,” an older maninthe household liverysaid stiffly.
I assumed he had been my father’s valet. I thought of him dressing me and suppressed a shudder. How was I to do this? MyHorse was glaringdownmyWolf.
Will you be needin’ anything else this night, my lord?” an older womanasked fromthe hallbelow. She wore anapron.
Aye, I needed to run very far away. I looked for Gaston and found and him with his father and Theodore standing in the doorway to my father’s study. They were very close: if I dove across the hall they could catch me. My matelot’s eyes were warmand steady.
“Food,”Gastonsaid.
“Aye,”Theodore added, “There’s brandyinhere.”
“Food, please,” I told the woman. “Something warm. We will take porridge if that is all there is at this hour. Several bowls. Please bring it to the study. Now, I have much to discuss withmyadvisors.”
Thankfully—for their sake—no one blocked my path to the study; and Gaston pulled me inside and we pushed the door closed withrelief.
“That was well done,” the Marquis assured me with a

hand and pulled him to the settee. We sat, and I fought my Horse’s urge to plunge about and runscreamingfromthe house. “Are you both truly well?” the Marquis asked. He and Theodore were regardingus withworry.

“We are unharmed,” Gaston assured them. He took a deep and steadying sigh and disentangled his fingers from mine. He went to help Theodore pullthe heavy chairs fromthe front of my father’s desk closer to the settee. Then he was sitting beside me again, and Theodore was passing me a bottle before taking his seat, and the Marquis was settlinginto his.

“How are you here? How long have you been here?” I asked themto distract myself.
“How are the children? Did Agnes and Yvette birth?”

Gastonasked.
The Marquis and Theodore smiled at one another. “We have been here since March. We would have been

here sooner, but we had to wait for the women to birth and recover. You have two healthy sons,” Theodore told me, “and their mothers are quite well, as are all our people. We only lost one doginour travels.”

“I have two sons,” I breathed. Despite this avowal of their existence, I felt these purported children were less real to me than they had been when I had written to themfroma church in Panama. I wondered where Cudro and those letters were. I wondered whichdoghad beenlost.

“What were theynamed?”Gastonasked.
“Ulysses and Alexander,” Theodore said. “Ulysses was born to Mistress Williams—excuse me, Lady Dorshire—on December Eighteenth, and Alexander was born to Madame Doucette onFebruaryEighth.”
“Well, two sons… I suppose I shall not need to worry about begettinganheir,”I said.
Grimaces appeared on the Marquis’ and Theodore’s

“It is somewhat more complicated,” Theodore began. “Where shallwe begin…”
“Non!” I snapped. “Do not dare think I will sit still through a rambling chronological dissertation. Please relay the salient facts as quickly as possible. We will sort through the rest ofit later.”

He appeared chastised and unsure ofwhat to say. The Marquis was chuckling and patted Theodore’s arm reassuringly before addressing me. “Agnes is your wife, and her eldest child willbe your heir.”
I frowned at that, wondering what he was making a distinctionabout; and thenGastongasped beside me.
“Mysonis Will’s heir,”he said withwonder.
“Oh Gods…” I said as I realized what we had wrought withour web ofdeceit and marriages.
The Marquis did not appear upset. He was laughing at our expressions. “It is all for the best. And truly, my boys, we thought it would not matter to you, so we did not attempt to explain the details of that matter to Whyse. He knows you have had a Catholic ceremonywithAgnes.”
It did not matter to me. That realization was a sudden beacon in the storm swirling in my heart. The light steadied my Horse. The children were what was important. I looked to Gastonand found himsmilingas ifwe had defeated anarmy.
“
Our
children,”I said.
His smile widened. “Oui.”
“Speaking of that—and as we are avoiding ordered explanations…” Theodore said. “Where is
your
wife?” he asked Gaston. “Did youtrulysayPanama?”
Gaston shrugged helplessly even as worry tightened his features. “We pray they are well. We left her with Pete. He was wounded and we left themboth with our good friend Peirrot at a fortress they had taken. Then we marched on Panama. We have hoped they were able to sail with Peirrot. There was a plan to secret them away on his ship. And… She probably should not secret them away on his ship. And… She probably should not be considered mywife anylonger. She is withPete now. Though I know not…” He sighed and looked to his father with guilt. “I have made sucha mess ofthings.”
The Marquis shook his head and smiled anew. “Non, my son, you have done me proud. I amthe one to blame for…” He sighed and grinned ruefully. “The state ofmyaffairs.”
“Mylord, what
is
the state ofyour affairs?”I asked.
“I am a nobleman without lands—or country.” He shrugged. “Truly, I have come to terms withit.”
“Theydrove youout?”I asked.
He shook his head. “I chose to save the Church and my enemies the trouble. When I received Monsieur Theodore’s letter explaining that they were in Rotterdam, I took what I would—including my precious granddaughter—and I arranged for the lands to be managed in my absence; and for my wife— who is not pleased with events, or me—to live at a fine house witha fine fortune near the rest ofour grandchildren. ThenI went to meet your people. My enemies can do what they will in my absence. I do not think I willbe returningto France.”
My matelot’s eyes were closed with pain, but he opened themand said, “So mydaughter is withyou.”
His father nodded. “I would entrust her to no one else.”
I was as heartbroken as my matelot, but the Marquis did indeed seem well with his state of affairs. “So you went to Rotterdamand then…”I prompted.
“The Marquis arrived, and we discussed your plans,” Theodore said, “and, he felt you were being rash and we should intercede. Once the babes were born, we came here to learn intercede. Once the babes were born, we came here to learn what we could and see if we could find you before you accomplished your goal. Our inquiries alerted the Earl of Whyse to our presence; and he made us aware of the king’s curiosity about youand your father.”
“We changed our minds about… Why in the name of… Whydoes the kinghave interest inme?”I asked.
“Do not flatter yourselfovermuch,”Theodore said witha grin. “His interest was in Modyford and Morgan; and how their dealings with the Spanish related to English foreign policy. You were an interesting permutation of that; and related to another problem—or rather, another
annoyance
ofthe king’s.”
“Your father,” the Marquis said. “He was hated by your king. Not personally, but for what he represented. Your father— and many other lords concerned for their immediate well-being —sided tacitly with Cromwell during your civil war. Yet they remained ontheir lands and withtheir titles after your rightfulking was returned to the throne. And now they are a thorn in his side: one he cannot remove directly. He saw you as a way ofplucking one of them.” He shrugged amicably. “Much as my enemies saw revelations concerning my son to be a way ofplucking me. What is a disadvantage inone arena has provenour benefit inanother.”
“I suppose we should be very thankful of that,” I said. Despite my belief in the Gods, They were still distant things compared to corporealpowers like kings:powers that I feared. I did not want the interest of the king or his involvement in my life. Kings always wanted things.
“So what did the king want; for me to kill my father?” I asked.

somehow discredit your father.” He sighed and shrugged. “Actually, good Theodore and I have often worried about what form the king’s plan might take concerning the resolution of this matter. Our only reassurance has been that Whyse has been sincere and emphatic that the king would rather have you as the EarlofDorshire thanyour father. Provided…”

Theodore’s loud sighinterrupted him.
“Provided what?”I asked.
“We’ve learned much of your father’s business dealings

“Oui,” the Marquis added. “In France, he would have suffered dérogeance for engaginginbusiness not befittinga lord.”
“I suspected as much,”I said. “Why are you worried?”I asked Theodore.
He sighed again and chewed his lip. “I am worried you willhave a fit ofconscience and layour plans to ruin.”
“Now I am worried I will have a fit of conscience and layyour plans to ruin,”I said withdread.
The Marquis found this amusing.
Theodore remained grim. “We have explained much to Whyse, and he in turn has told us of the king’s expectations of you—should you becoming the Earl of Dorshire come to pass: whichit has.”
Gaston and I glanced at one another with worry. I met Theodore’s gaze again. “Tellus.”
“To start, the king would have you surrender the business interests: some he would have you surrender to the Crown,” Theodore said quickly. “The estate is more than adequate to support… everyone.”
“And, there are interests the king does not want that can easily be transferred to others,” the Marquis said and pointed at Gaston.
“All right,” I said and shrugged. “I am not concerned about the money or businesses; though I know I should be for the benefit ofthose who depend uponme.”
That thought weighed heavily across my shoulders. No matter what disagreeable thing the king might want, I must consider the needs of everyone...
first
; lest I deliver even more trouble and harmupon our loved ones. It was likely that with the Dorshire lands alone, I could support us all. Our son would be a lord. Agnes would be a Lady. We would alllive verywellindeed —as long as I did as was expected… This was the wage of beinga man.
Myfather’s partingwords rose to haunt me,
You cannot win. They will not let you.
I shuddered.
“What else?” I asked quickly. “What else does he want? Am I expected to be discreet? Am I expected to surrender Gaston? AmI expected…”
The Marquis held up his hand. “Non! We explained that that was not a thing you would do. Whyse told us that the king cares not what his loyalnobles do in their homes; as long as they are loyal.”
I frowned and anxiety continued to tinge my words. “How does the king define
loyalty
? And does that mean I must not admit my relationship with Gaston except behind closed

doors?”“The king defines
loyalty
as voting as he wishes in the House of Lords, and supporting his plans and agendas, and servinghis needs,”Theodore said carefully.

“In exchange,” the Marquis said with a reassuring smile, “he will support you against any complaints or concerns about your private life. It is my understanding that you should be able to attend court functions withmysonat your side.”He shrugged. “You should not publicly announce your relationship, but it being tacitly known will be accepted. You will not have to hide from the servants for fear oftheir gossip inthe market.”

“Youare sure?”I asked.
The Marquis and Theodore nodded solemnly. “According to Whyse, the king is pleased you have a

wife and two sons,” the Marquis said with another eloquent shrug. “You have done your duty to maintain the continuity of your title and estates. Who youbed now is not important.”