Shadowmoor (de Lohr Dynasty #6) (18 page)

Glennie simply grinned, broadly, and pulled Liselotte along with her as she approached the older man. “Papa,” she said. “This is Lady Liselotte l’Audacieux. Her father is lord of Shadowmoor. My lady, this is my father, Sir Easton de Royans.”

Liselotte curtsied politely. “My lord,” she said. “My deepest gratitude for your invitation to sup tonight. Allow me to introduce my brother, Gunnar l’Audacieux, and our noble escort is Sir Daniel de Lohr.”

“It was Sir Daniel who saved me from those terrible men in town, Papa,” Glennie said before her father could respond to the introduction. “He was positively heroic.”

Daniel forced a smile at Glennie’s enthusiasm as the woman’s father looked him over. Easton was a handsome man with cropped blond hair and a bald spot right on the top of his head. He was big and had been muscular once, but in his middle age, much of that had gone to fat.

Still, he wasn’t unattractive in the least, and as Daniel looked at the man, he could definitely see the resemblance between Easton and Brighton.
So this is Brighton’s father
, he thought.
He is a man with some joy on his face because he does not yet know his eldest son is dead
. It was a sobering thought, but one that had Daniel on his guard. He would be supping with, and asking help from, a man whose son he had helped kill. But that didn’t matter; he wanted something from de Royans and he would have it. As Daniel wrestled with the familiar bitterness that the de Royans name provoked, Easton smiled at his guests and extended his hand to Daniel.

“Sir Daniel,” he said, shaking Daniel’s hand when the man reached out. “You cannot know the depths of my gratitude. Glennie told me what happened in town today and you have my undying thanks for saving her. I am in your debt, sir.”

Daniel shook his head as he released the man’s hand. “It was no trouble, I assure you,” he said. “It was my pleasure. Having us in your home for sup is certainly thanks enough.”

Easton was still smiling, still inspecting Daniel. “You are a de Lohr,” he said with admiration in his tone. “It seems as if I have heard that name my entire life. When I was a very young man, I served as a squire in The Holy Land with Richard, and the name de Lohr was often spoken with appreciation. Are you related to Christopher or David?”

Daniel nodded. “David is my father,” he replied. “Thank you for remembering him so kindly.”

Easton nodded. “Indeed,” he said, his pale blue eyes glimmering. “To have a de Lohr save my daughter is quite an honor. It will give me something to boast about.”

Daniel laughed softly. “I am flattered, but it was truly no trouble.”

Easton simply nodded, his gaze then moving to Liselotte. Something in his expression changed then; it went from stark admiration of the de Lohr name to something a bit more curious. Interested, even. He studied Liselotte a moment before speaking.

“And to have the daughter of the Lord of Shadowmoor in my home is a great honor, indeed,” he said sincerely. “I am sorry that your father and I have never met. It seems as if I am always running about, conducting business, and never giving time to my neighbors. It is something I hope to rectify in the future.”

Liselotte smiled politely. “And it seems as if we simply keep to ourselves and never leave the fortress much,” she said, wondering if the man was expecting an invitation to visit and not wanting to give him one. She sought to change the subject. “Thank you for your gracious invitation to sup, my lord. Netherghyll is quite a large place. I would imagine it has a very prestigious history.”

Easton nodded. “It does, in fact,” he said. Then, he held out his elbow to her. “May I accompany you inside, my lady? We can speak in the warmth of the hall. It looks as if the weather is about to turn on us again.”

Liselotte took the man’s elbow, glancing at Daniel as she did so. He smiled encouragingly at her, having seen how awkward she was in social situations, and he was proud that she had handled herself quite well so far. Liselotte must have sensed his approval because a faint smile flashed across her lips before Easton lead her away.

Daniel watched her go, unable to take his eyes from her in her gorgeous red dress. She looked like an angel and his heart began doing strange things in his chest. It was fluttering and jumping, making him feel breathless, and it was all directly related to his vision of Liselotte as she walked away. Something about her was causing these strange symptoms. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought that he was smitten with her. But that was impossible.

… wasn’t it?

“Sir Daniel?”

Broken from his train of thought, Daniel turned to see Glennie standing next to him, smiling prettily. She held up her hand, very close to his arm.

“Will you please escort me inside?” she asked sweetly. “I am so glad you and Lady Liselotte have come. I am looking forward to this so very much.”

Daniel forced a smile at the woman because she was looking hungrily at him again and he felt much like
he
was about to be on the menu this evening. Figuratively, of course, but he knew he would have to be on his guard. He didn’t like that lustful gleam in Glennie’s bright eyes….

“Of course, my lady,” he said gallantly, extending his elbow to her. “It would be my honor.”

Glennie snatched his elbow and nearly sent him off balance with the force of her grab. Daniel was thinking that it felt very much as if she’d latched on to him forever. He wondered if her fingers were going to burrow into his arm like tree roots so that they would never be separated, and he would be forced to drag the woman around for the rest of his life as she hung off of his elbow like a giant growth. If Lady Glennie had anything to say about it, he was sure he’d never make it out of Netherghyll at all.

As he’d suspected all along, he knew a hunter when he saw one.

Daniel waved Gunnar along with them as they headed for the long building with the steeply pitched roof and, in spite of Glennie’s nonstop chatter, Daniel still found himself watching the sway of Liselotte’s hips in front of him. It was seductive, alluring to the point of distraction. But he continued to smile periodically at Glennie as she talked, simply to acknowledge that he was listening to her. She didn’t have his complete attention but it wouldn’t do to insult her since he wanted something from her father this night. Offending Glennie would not aid those plans. Therefore, he tolerated her attempts to flirt with him. He did not, however, flirt back.

The doors to the hall were open as they approached; great wooden panels with plates of iron bolted to them that had the de Royans coat of arms. It was a three-point shield with an ax emblazoned upon it and very impressive. Following Liselotte and Easton into the rather big room, Daniel was hit in the face with the stale warmth from the blazing hearth. It smelled heavily of rushes and of freshly baked bread, and he looked up as they entered and he could see the enormous crossbeams that stabilized the roof and the slats of thatching across the beams. The big room was well built.

To his right, a hearth as tall as he was burned furiously, spitting smoke into the room, which gathered up by the thatched ceiling. There were several dogs grouped near the hearth and Gunnar ran straight for them, falling to his knees as many happy dog tongues came out to lick him. As Daniel watched, one very big black dog that weighed more than Gunnar did decided to lie across the boy’s lap and Gunnar crowed with laughter. Daniel couldn’t help but grin at the happy boy, surrounded by equally happy dogs. He was in heaven.

“Remind me to check the dog pack before we leave to make sure I have not left a boy behind,” he said to Glennie. “I do believe he will be happy there for the evening.”

Glennie laughed softly at Gunnar, who was now lying on the ground as a dozen dogs licked him and tried to play with him. “They are quite friendly,” she said. “My father and brothers adore dogs, so they are always well-fed and very happy.”

Brothers,
Daniel thought.
Like Brighton.

The return of Brighton threatened to sink his mood again but he fought it, reminding himself that he was here at Netherghyll for a reason. He wanted something. Therefore, he forced himself away from thoughts of Brighton yet again as Glennie pulled him away from the dogs and over to the long scrubbed feasting table where Easton was politely seating Liselotte.

Daniel immediately noticed that there was already food on the table; several loaves of bread, dried fruits, and two bowls of something that turned out to be pickled onions. Instead of trenchers, there were actual plates of pewter set out as a display of the de Royans’ wealth, meant to impress visitors, and Easton was already helping Liselotte spoon onions onto her plate. Bread, butter, and some kind of stewed fruit were near the bread as well as a silver salt cellar in the shape of an apple.

It was quite a display of prosperity and Daniel took his seat after courteously helping Glennie into hers. But he came to notice that all of the food was coming at Liselotte first, and rather quickly, and he watched her carefully, wondering how she was going to handle the situation. She’d probably never seen so much food in her entire life.

Knowing that her family had been facing starvation, Daniel was concerned that Liselotte might be overwhelmed by it all, but so far, she was handling it with grace. Much better than he was handling Glennie, who was now sitting conspicuously close to him. He would scoot over an inch or two, and she would do the same. He was scooting his way right off the bench so, after three or four scoots, he finally came to a halt and began to help himself to the food. There was no use in trying to move away from her, as she wouldn’t be discouraged.

“You were going to tell us some of the history of Netherghyll, my lord,” Daniel said as he ripped apart a hunk of bread, deliberately not helping Glennie with her meal because he was becoming irritated with her. “I have traveled a good deal in Yorkshire but have never heard of the place. You are somewhat remote.”

Easton was being quite solicitous to Liselotte, who seemed unsure of the man’s attention. She kept trying to serve herself but he was doing it for her, making for an awkward situation, but Easton seemed undeterred. He continued to help her whether or not she liked it.

“Somewhat remote, aye,” he said as he waved over a servant who had just entered the hall carrying a heavy iron pot with a boiled beef knuckle in it. “But we sit near the road to Carlisle, the only such road in the west of England, so we are not too terribly remote. The location of Netherghyll was chosen for that very reason – near the road to Carlisle. The Cononley barony stretches from Eastburn all the way north to Skipton. It borders Shadowmoor’s lands to the south.”

Daniel was listening with some interest, settling down to his food as Glennie served herself. “Yet you are not allies with Shadowmoor?”

Easton paused in his attempts to assist Liselotte. “I think that Lady Liselotte can confirm that the Lords of Shadowmoor have always kept to themselves,” he said. “When Glennie told me she had met Lady Liselotte in town and had invited her to sup, you can imagine how surprised I was. I should like very much to know my neighbors to the south, but historically, Netherghyll has never much associated with Shadowmoor.”

Liselotte could see that the man was attempting to be tactful. “My lord, you need not stand on politeness,” she said. “Shadowmoor has, indeed, always kept to themselves, and has for many years. It has always been thus. I was trying to explain the reasons to Sir Daniel today – my ancestors sided with the Normans when they came and, therefore, became outcasts amongst their neighbors. It is still that way. It has never changed.”

Easton nodded, relieved that the lady understood the situation. “I always thought the Lords of Shadowmoor simply did not wish to associate with the rest of us.”

Liselotte looked up at him. “That may have been true in the past, but it is no longer the case,” she said. “Although we have nothing to offer by way of strength in an alliance, I am sure my father would like to come to know his neighbors.”

Easton smiled at her in such a way that provoked Daniel’s displeasure. Much as he didn’t like the way Glennie was looking at him, he clearly didn’t like the way Easton was looking at Liselotte. He was coming to think he’d come into an entire nest of hungry people, men seeking women and women seeking men. He struggled not to let his expression show it.

“It is unfortunate that you did not know your neighbors before now,” he said, distracting Easton from Liselotte. “I am sure that Lord l’Audacieux could have used your help four years ago when the persecution of Shadowmoor began.”

Easton’s brow furrowed curiously. “What persecution is that?”

Daniel nodded to the servant with the pot of beef, and the man began to slap meat onto Daniel’s plate. “The men who tried to assault your daughter in town today are sworn to a lord who has been making life miserable for Lady Liselotte and her family,” he said. “Have you heard of Lord Bramley?”

Easton was thoughtful, scratching his forehead. “Is he that man who took possession of Bramley Castle a few years ago?” he asked, watching Daniel nod. “I do believe I heard about him when he first took possession of the lands near Bradford. A traveling merchant, who stayed here one night, mentioned that he had sought shelter at Bramley the night before. He mentioned that the man was a nephew to the king, but other than that, I’ve not seen nor heard of Bramley since that time.”

Daniel pursed his lips ironically. “That is because he has spent all of his time harassing Shadowmoor,” he said. “They do not have the means to defend themselves against him and he wants their lands, so much so that he has nearly starved them out. And you say you’ve never met the man?”

Easton was concerned about what he was hearing. “I have not,” he said. “He has stayed away from me.”

“That is fortunate. How big is your army, my lord?”

“I carry nearly nine hundred men.”

Daniel slapped the table as if to emphasize his point. “That is why,” he said, looking at Liselotte. “It is my suspicion that he is going after Shadowmoor because you do not have the standing army that Netherghyll has. But once he has your property, however, he will have a great deal of land that borders Netherghyll. It is quite possible, at that point, he will begin a campaign of harassment against Netherghyll to confiscate her lands as well.”