Unending Love (2 page)

“Was she sent home in disgrace?” he asked.

David shook his head. “Nay,” he said quietly.
“It seemed to be her choice. Some of the women were quite mean to her from what
I gather and she’d had enough.”

“Shall I ride to Winchester to avenge her?”

David grinned. “You would, wouldn’t you?” He
slapped Maddoc on the shoulder and stepped inside the entry. “I do not see a
need for that, although I appreciate your offer. Come greet Adalind and see
what the years have done for her. How long has it been since you last saw her?”

Maddoc followed the man into the cool, dark
entry with the great hall just beyond.  Canterbury actually had two halls; a
giant separate building in a corner of the bailey for more formal feasts and a
smaller one inside the keep that the family used.  However, it was still an
enormous room with big stone columns. It was warmly lit and he could see
movement inside. He felt comforted to be in the big, old keep, as it had been
his home for a number of years, and the smell of smoke and fresh rushes settled
him.

“She was nine years old when she went to foster
at Warwick Castle,” he replied. “Then she returned to Canterbury when she was
around twelve or thirteen years, I believe, before she was off again to Winchester
Court. It’s been at least five years since that time.”

“Five years, six months, and twenty-two days to
be exact.”

Another voice entered their conversation,
causing both Maddoc and David to turn in the direction of the golden-lit hall. 
A woman of unearthly beauty was standing in the archway, smiling at Maddoc, and
it took the man a moment to realize that it was Adalind.  His bright blue eyes
widened.

“Lady Adalind?” he couldn’t help the awe in his
tone.

The Lady Adalind Alianor de Lohr de Aston smiled
hugely. “So you recognize me?” she asked. “I wondered if you would. It has been
a very long time since I last followed you around the grounds, annoying you to
tears. ‘Tis good to see you, Maddoc.”

Maddoc had to make a conscious effort to keep
his mouth from hanging open.  The skinny, irritating child he’d watched grow up
was no longer the awkward little girl he remembered.  Somehow, someway, Adalind
had grown up and filled out, creating something of a heavenly vision. 

Like most of the de Lohr family, she was blond,
but her hair was a darker shade with streaks of copper through it, and her eyes
were a vibrant shade of green.  With her delicately arched brows, pert little
nose with a dusting of freckles, and rosebud lips, Maddoc could instantly see
why she apparently had hordes of men following her around in Winchester. 
Something this exquisite would not go unnoticed.

“’Tis good to see you as well,” he responded,
trying not to appear too stunned. “How long have you been back at Canterbury?”

Adalind moved out of the archway, heading
towards him, and it was all Maddoc could do not to stare like an idiot at her. 
She was average in height but there was nothing average about the womanly
figure she had developed over the past few years, deliciously embraced by the
yellow surcoat.   She reached out her hand to him as she approached and he
instinctively took it.

“About a week,” she replied, tugging on his
hand. “I have been waiting impatiently for you to return from France. Come
inside and tell me all about your trip.”

Maddoc let her hold his hand, following her into
the great hall with its enormous table that could easily seat forty people. 
Servants moved about, kicking the dogs out of the way as they set food and drink
upon the scrubbed surface.   Maddoc steadied Adalind as she sat on the bench,
lowering his big body next to her.

David wasn’t far behind them.  He collected
another chalice of ale and took a seat. “Do you not want to know what happened
to those two fools who were dueling to the death outside? You haven’t even
asked me about them.”

Adalind turned her nose up. “That is because I
do not care,” she said. “They are both idiots. I hope they will give up their
pursuit and return home.”

David snorted as he settled back in his chair,
the only chair at the entire table. Every other seat was a bench.

“They are still here,” he said, “but Maddoc put
an end to their battle.  By now they are probably picking themselves up off the
ground, wondering what hit them.”

Adalind turned her smiling face in Maddoc’s
direction. “Did you champion me, then?”

Maddoc still wasn’t over the shock of Adalind
having become such a beautiful creature, made worse when she smiled.  Her smile
was no longer bucked-tooth, but white and radiant.  He returned her smile,
modestly.

“That is my job,” he said. “I am sworn to
champion everyone in the Earl of Canterbury’s household and you happen to fall
under that directive.”

Adalind stared at him, her smile fading after a
moment.  “Of course,” she said, taking her eyes off of Maddoc to claim a cup of
wine. “Ever the loyal servant, Maddoc.”

Maddoc could sense her happy mood fading. All of
that radiance seemed to dim suddenly and he found himself repeating their
conversation, wondering what he had said that might have upset her. Was it the
fact that he had said it was his job to champion her? All seemed to sober after
that statement.   He wondered why.

“I would like to hear of your stay in Winchester,”
he tried to keep the conversation going, feeling oddly confused at the moment.
“Did you enjoy your time spent?”

She shrugged, toying with her wine. “There were
times when I enjoyed it,” she said. “I enjoyed the parties and the festivals.
Oh, and Grandfather, I ran into an old friend of yours at the Street of Merchants
a few months back.  He sends his greetings.”

David was sipping at his ale. “Who?”

“Lord Forbes,” she said. “A very big bald man. 
He lives at Dunster Castle. He had some grandchildren with him, all girls. He
says to tell you that you have not cornered the market on female children.”

David started laughing. “Gart Forbes,” he shook
his head at the memories. “Other than Maddoc and his father, Gart was the best
knight I have ever seen. A truly powerful and frightening man. Before your
Uncle Daniel was born, Gart and I used to joke about all of the female children
I had.  I once told Gart that I was going to trade him two of my girls for one
of his boys.”

Adalind grinned because he was. “Would you still
do such a thing?”

David shook his head. “Of course not… although
there were times when I would have gladly traded away your mother’s sisters. 
Emilie had two younger sisters, and then Emilie and I had three girls in a row
before Daniel was born.  Then….”

Adalind cut him off. “Then my mother had two
girls, Aunt Caroline had two girls, and Aunt Catherine finally had a son.” She
shook her head, teasing. “How do you put up with so many women?”

“It is not easy.”

He was snorting into his cup as he said it,
taking a long drink.  Smiling at her grandfather, Adalind glanced at Maddoc to
see that he was grinning also.  She pointed a finger at him.

“And you,” she said. “How old are you now,
Maddoc?”

Maddoc met her intense green gaze. “If you
recall, your mother and I were born on the same day three years apart,” he replied.
“I have seen thirty-one years.”

Adalind cocked her head thoughtfully. “And you
have not yet found a wife? I find that astonishing.”

Maddoc’s humor faded somewhat as he reached for
his own cup of wine. Before he could reply, David answered.

“Addie,” he admonished softly, sternly. “’Tis an
inappropriate question. You….”

Maddoc lifted a hand, cutting him off. “She does
not know,” he defended her. “She has been away for many years. She could not
have known.”

“Know what?” Adalind’s focus shifted between
Maddoc and her grandfather.

Maddoc looked at her. “I did have a wife,” he
said, his tone somewhat quiet. “In fact, we were married about six months after
you left for Winchester Court.  But she died in childbirth before we had even
been married a year.”

Adalind’s jaw dropped, her eyes round with
horror. “Oh, Maddoc,” she gushed softly. “I had not heard. No one ever told
me.”

He shrugged, returning his attention to his
drink. “There was no reason to, I suppose,” he said. “As I said, it was a long
time ago.”

Adalind was still mortified. “If it was shortly
after I left for Winchester Court, it was no more than four or five years ago.”
She shook her head, putting a soft hand on his mailed arm. “I am so sorry,
Maddoc. I did not mean to sound callous. I did not know.”

The twinkle was back in his eyes as he looked at
her. “I know you did not. No harm done.”

Adalind was still feeling very bad. “Who was
she? Anyone I know?”

Maddoc shook his head. “She was from Navarre,”
he said. “My father selected her for me. In truth, I only met her a few days
before our marriage.  She was a tiny brown-eyed French girl who, I found out
later, had always been in ill health.  The pregnancy simply took its toll.”

Adalind squeezed his arm before letting him go.
“Still, I apologize for being insensitive,” she said, trying to think of a way
to salvage her blunder. “Before I make a complete fool out of myself and
embarrass my grandfather further, you asked about my time spent in Winchester. Let
us speak of the great and terrible times I had there.”

Maddoc was back to smiling; Adalind had grown
more animated over the years and her bright personality was something of an
anomaly in a world where demure women were the preference.  He rather liked her
vivaciousness and he could easily see why it would threaten other women.  There
was something very magnetic about her.

“Speak of the great times,” he said. “I do not
think I want to hear of the terrible.”

Adalind wriggled her eyebrows. “Nor do I wish to
speak of them,” she said, sobering somewhat. “Although there were more terrible
times than great times. It was unfortunate that….”

She was cut off by a big bang followed by something
that sounded like a growl.  Adalind, David and Maddoc turned towards the source
of the sound, seeing the two beaten brothers standing in the entry to the great
hall.  They were dirty, and somewhat pale, but the fury in their eyes was
unmistakable.

“You!” the taller brother jabbed a finger at
Maddoc. “You will pay for your actions, knight.”

Adalind was on her feet. “Deinwald ap Athoe,”
she snapped, putting herself in between Maddoc and the hall entry. “I have told
you and your hard-headed brother repeatedly that I do not want you here. I have
no interest in either of you as you have known from the beginning, and nothing
you can say is going to change my mind. I have asked you to leave twice now yet
still you remain.  I want you to leave Canterbury immediately, do you hear?”

Deinwald was weaving unsteadily somewhat, still
fighting off the after-effects from Maddoc’s devastating punch. His mouth was
swollen, his pimpled skin red and flushed.  He ignored Adalind’s orders.

“You will change your mind,” he said firmly. “I
am to inherit a great deal, my lady, and you must give me a chance to show you
what a fine husband I will make.”

Beside him, his brother started to move into the
hall, heading for Maddoc. “You shall feel our wrath, fool.  You had no right to
interfere.”

David was on his feet now, moving towards the
aggressive young men. “Get out of here,” he pointed a finger at the door.
“Adalind has asked you thrice to leave yet still you remain.  Now I am ordering
you from Canterbury. If you are not out within the hour, I will turn du Bois
loose on you and I promise you will both regret such a thing.”

Up until this point, Maddoc
had
[J2]
 
remained seated and silent, watching the
situation unfold.  He was waiting to see how David reacted and prepared to take
his direction from the man.  When David ordered the brothers from the hall,
however, they were disinclined to obey right away. They stopped their advance
for a moment, lingering by the door, before looking at one another in both
confusion and defiance.  At least they had some sense, knowing they would not
get much further with the lady if they defied her grandfather, a very powerful
earl.  But when they refused to leave as ordered, Maddoc stood up.

“The earl has commanded you to vacate,” he
rumbled threateningly. “Since you seem incapable of following his directive,
allow me to assist.”

It was said in the most dangerous tone
possible.  The brothers remained by the entry, but they took a healthy step or
two in the direction of the keep entry as Maddoc began to stalk them.  The
shorter and more foolish of the brothers threw a finger in Maddoc’s direction.

“You shall not lay a hand on us,” he commanded,
but his voice cracked in fear as he spoke and completely ruined what he had
hoped would be construed as a threat. “What right do you have to assault us?
You are the hired sword and unworthy of engaging us in combat.”

It was the wrong thing to say.  Ever
stone-faced, Maddoc simply lifted a threatening eyebrow as he advanced and
mentally planned on all of the terrible things he would do to the pair once he
reached them.  But his building steam was interrupted when Adalind put herself
in between Maddoc and the foolish brothers.