Unending Love (17 page)

Adalind was listening intently.  When he
finished speaking, he could see the edginess, the fear, in her eyes, but she
held it admirably. “What does that mean?” she asked. “How did you stop him?”

“I killed him.”

Her mouth popped open and she inhaled sharply,
just as quickly closing her mouth and slapping a hand over her lips.  Mouth
shut for the moment, her eyes were wide on him.

“You did?” she hissed through her fingers.

He nodded slowly. “I had to, Addie,” he
murmured. “The man was bent on vengeance. He was out to kill me, hurt you, hurt
your family, and anything else he could accomplish. What I did, I did to spare
you and your family.  If there is a threat against you, it is my duty to do all
in my power to end it.”

She began to look rather sick and the hand came
away from her mouth. “
Sweet Jesὐ,”
 she breathed, hand now on her
belly. “I have driven you to murder.”

Maddoc took a big step to close the distance
between them.  His enormous hands closed in on her arms as he held her still.

“You did not,” he whispered. “It was my choice
and the only choice I could make.  But know this; I would kill every man in
this entire country if it meant keeping you safe.   I will always protect you,
Addie. Surely you know that.”

She gazed up at him, tears swimming in her big
green eyes. “I know that,” she murmured. “But what will happen
when
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Walter’s brother discovers what has happened? He
will come for you.”

He pulled her into his powerful embrace,
overwhelmed with the feel of her against him. She was soft and warm and supple,
and he was quickly succumbing.  Each successive embraced between them was more
powerful
than
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the last.  He was very quickly becoming deeply
enamored with her, more than he ever imagined.

“He will not come for me because there were no
witnesses,” he murmured into her hair. “We eliminated Walter and his entire
escort, so there is no trace.  Whoever finds him will think bandits set upon
him. We made sure of that.  There will be nothing linking him to Canterbury or
to me.”

Adalind clung to him, tears spilling over. “But
I am frightened,” she wept softy. “Hubert de Burgh is a powerful man.  Do you
not think he will trace his brother’s path back to Chilham and find out from de
Digge what transpired between Walter and you?  That will bring him right to Canterbury.”

Maddoc sighed faintly. “Even if it does, there
is no proof,” he murmured. “Anyone who knows the truth will not tell a soul and
even if they did, what happened was justifiable.  Walter had made it plain he
was out to kill me, so I defended myself, and for that poor idiot Eynsford, I
exacted justice. There is nothing dishonorable in any of it.”

Adalind thought on his words, thinking they
seemed logical.  It hadn’t been cold blooded murder; it had been a necessary
action of justice and self-protection.  She understood completely. But she was
still frightened.

“You are the most honorable man I know,” she
said, releasing her strangle hold on him and gazing up into his face. “I never
thought otherwise. But I am still scared that Hubert will discover what
happened.”

Maddoc looked into her sweet face, feeling warm and
giddy feelings wash over him.   He could have stared into that face all day.

“He will not,” he assured her.  “I do not want
you to worry.”

“I will try not to.”

He smiled faintly. “Good,” he said, thinking he
should probably let her go because the urge to kiss her was growing quite
strong and he didn’t want to make a spectacle in the stable yard. “Now, let us
return to the subject of Lady Victoria’s party.  It is mid-morning now; I would
suggest you return to your chamber and pack for the journey.  And tell Willow
she may not bring her bedding with her. I seem to remember a young girl who
used to like to drag her entire bed along when she traveled.”

Adalind grinned. “I do not think she does that
any longer,” she said. “At least, I hope she has outgrown such things. 
Speaking of my sister, however, she was quite smitten with one of your friends
– the very tall knight with the blue eyes and dark hair.  What was his name?”

He gave her a wry expression. “Michael,” he
replied, releasing her from their tight embrace. “Tell your sister to seek her
companionship elsewhere.”

“Why?”

“Because de Bocage is not meant for her.”

Adalind frowned terribly. “What do you mean by
that?” she demanded. “That is an awful thing to say.”

He held up his hands in supplication. “I simply
meant that he is titled and meant to inherit a fortune,” he replied. “He is
looking for a wife of connections and standing, which an earl’s granddaughter
is not.  Willow will not have any trouble attracting a lesser knight.”

Adalind’s frown deepened and she put her hands
on her hips. “I am an earl’s granddaughter, too,” she pointed out. “I seem to
be a fine match for you, as the grandson of a duke.  My sister is good enough
for any man.”

He was having a tough time biting off a smile.
He didn’t want to say what he was thinking.
That may be true, sweet girl,
but she’s not nearly the beauty you are.
  So he simply took her hand and
kissed it submissively.

“Michael is a bit of a rake,” he said softly. “I
would not want your sister to have her heart broken by such a man.  Perhaps she
will find a husband at Victoria’s party.”

It was a good way to soothe Adalind and distract
her at the same time.  Now she wasn’t quite so insulted by what he had said
about Willow’s infatuation with Michael.  In fact, it was enough of a
distraction to shift her thoughts completely to the party.

“I had better go and find Papa, then” she said.
“We will want to leave before the nooning hour, don’t you think?”
Maddoc was thankful for the complete change of focus. “Aye,” he said, glancing
up at the clear blue sky. “Providing the weather stays good, we can make it to
Shadoxhurst Castle by sunset.  But we must move swiftly.”

Adalind was already gathering her skirt,
preparing to move quickly to the keep. “Can we take the wagon?”

Maddoc watched her as she skipped away. “Can we
not travel more lightly than that?” he asked.

“Nay!”

He grunted, resigned. “One trunk each, then, and
one trunk only. I do not escort a baggage train.”

She giggled as she came to a halt, grinning at
him. “No, my lord, you escort
me
, and if I need more than one trunk
because I want to dress appropriately for the man who has pledged for me, then
I shall. And no argument from you.”

“Can I argue just a little?”

“If you do, you will lose.”

“I am coming to suspect that.”

She giggled again and ran off.  Maddoc watched
her go, a grin playing on his lips. “Be ready to leave by noon, Addie,” he
called after her.

She waved at him and said something he didn’t
quite hear; she was too far away.  He lost sight of her as she disappeared
around the keep. Still, the memory of her lingered in his mind and resulted in
a constant smirk as he went about his duties arranging the escort. 

Gerid, roped into helping him, noticed that
foolish grin on Maddoc’s face but said nothing. The man had been acting
strangely ever since he had returned from France and, consequently, became
reacquainted with Adalind de Aston.  Moreover, he suspected Maddoc’s
disappearance had something to do with the woman as well. 

Gerid didn’t know all of
the
[J31]
 
facts yet, but he was a bright man.  He was
coming to think there was something more than acquaintance between his big,
brooding liege and the earl’s granddaughter.

Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you
The love of all man’s days both past and forever:

CHAPTER
TEN

The trip to Shadoxhurst Castle had been
uneventful.  David, though still in the throes of dealing with Maddoc’s
solution to Walter de Burgh, had been unable to deny his granddaughter the trip
she had so been looking forward to.  Adalind had known little joy over the past
few years and the past few days had been particularly bad, so David was
disinclined to deny her something that was already bringing a smile to her
face.  A thrilling party and the opportunity to see old friends were too much
to resist.

He had therefore succumbed to her pleading and
by noon, Adalind, Willow, Christina, and Emilie were packed and ready to move
out.  David reasoned that if what Maddoc said was true, then de Burgh was no
longer a lurking threat so there was no reason not to leave the safety of
Canterbury.  Maddoc, efficient as always, had organized a sixty man escort to
Shadoxhurst, including two wagons, so David had very little to do but mount his
charger and ride escort along with the rest of the knights.

It had been a strained ride, at least between
Maddoc and David.  David barely said a word to the man as they had traveled
southwesterly during the course of the cool and breezy afternoon.  Maddoc had
taken point while Gerid and David had ridden back near the wagons; therefore,
no one noticed any tension between David and Maddoc because they were apart
most of the time.  The only person who might have noticed was Adalind, and her
gaze was on Maddoc the entire time as he rode strong and proud at the head of
the column.  She had didn’t see or hear much other than him.

Shadoxhurst Castle was a smaller castle with a
rather compact, square bailey surrounded by tall gray walls, and a big round
keep smack in the middle of it.  It was part of the barony of Ashford, one of
David’s vassals, and manned by a seasoned knight, Ridge du Bose, and his lovely
daughter Victoria.  In fact, Victoria had just returned from fostering at Lewes
Castle in Sussex, so the party was as much an opportunity for the proud father
to show off his grown daughter as much as it was for her birthday.

Arriving well after sun set, there were several
houses already in attendance for the morrow’s activities.  The castle was open
for the most part as the guests set up their encampments both in the bailey and
outside of the walls, and already it was like one giant party as guests mingled
at different campfires as the food and drink flowed.   As Maddoc, Gerid, and
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the host of Canterbury soldiers set up their
encampment just inside of the gatehouse, Adalind and Willow went in search of
Victoria but were told she had retired for the night.  Their disappointment
faded as they found entertainment and food with several visiting houses, people
they had known in their childhood who were now very glad to see them. 

David, too, loosened up as the night progressed
and he visited with several old friends and allies.  Even as he chatted and
drank, his mind kept wandering back to Maddoc as the man saw to the
organization of their encampment. He was coming to think he’d been too harsh to
judge Maddoc for his actions against du Burgh, knowing that the knight only had
their best interests at heart.  

After they had been at Shadoxhurst a couple of
hours, David noticed that Adalind and Willow were sitting before the campfire
of allies from Folkestone, and several young men were quite happily enjoying
their company. Adalind had imbibed a little too much wine and was being her
usually vivacious self, but the young knights were being overly flirtatious
with her.  It gave David the excuse he needed to find Maddoc and speak with
him.  He was weary of being angry with a man he looked upon as a son and was
glad to find a reason to re-establish communication.

He found Maddoc dealing with a locked wagon
wheel on one of the wagons he didn’t want to bring in the first place.  The
smithy was having difficulty with the axel and had summoned Maddoc for
assistance, mostly because Maddoc had the strength of a bull and was able to
help the man manipulate the wheel.  But David pulled Maddoc off the wagon,
uttered a few words to him about his betrothed and her current social situation,
and Maddoc was off like a flash in search of Adalind.  David watched him go
with a grin on his face.

Maddoc found Adalind surrounded by the young
bucks and, without a word, took her hand and led her away.  Adalind had no idea
why he was upset with her because in her alcohol-hazed mind, the young men were
focused on Willow, but Maddoc knew better.  He stopped short of scolding her
but made sure she knew that the young men were not, in fact,
focused
[J33]
 
on Willow.  Only a blind man would have paid
more attention to Willow with Adalind’s glorious beauty standing right next to
her.  And with that, he made his tipsy lady go to bed, but the situation only
grew worst the next day.

It all started when the festivities started at
noon.  Ridge du Bose, a handsome and skilled older knight, had all manner of
entertainment arranged for his daughter’s celebration, including a tournament
of sorts involving his guests.  There were eleven houses attending and each
house had at least two or more knights, so he solicited entrants from his
guests, including Canterbury, and not only did Maddoc and Gerid enter the
contest, but David did as well just for the fun of it.  His wife was horrified,
but David assured her he would be careful.