Free Rise of the Defender by Kathryn Le Veque Page B

Nottingham,” she
whispered pleadingly. “I would be happy there.”
         “And you would not be happy here if you
remained?” he asked, not really wanting her to go but not wanting her to be
miserable if she stayed.
         After several long moments she shook her
head negatively, her only answer. He could see the tears starting anew as she
turned away from him.
         Christopher sighed. He found increasingly
that he did not want her to go, but he would not order her to remain. It would
be better to have no wife at all than a miserable one making his life hell.
         “Very well,” he replied. “You may depart as
soon as you are ready. My men will escort you.”
         “Thank you, my lord,” she whispered,
standing over the freshly turned earth of Mary’s grave.
         With a final, and perhaps sad, glance, he
turned and left her in the dimness of the chapel.
     
    ***
     
         Christopher did not see his wife the rest
of the morning. He knew she had come out of the chapel, according to his
sentries, but she did not appear for the nooning meal and he checked with the
kitchen to see if she had requested her meal sent to her rooms. She had not,
and he grew irritated. He had no time for all of this foolishness; he had a
keep to run.
         Forcing himself to forget about the woman
he had been forced to marry, he delved into assessing his keep and deciding where
to begin the renovations. He knew Dustin’s dowry was extensive, even though he
had yet to know the exact figures, but combined with his own wealth, he knew it
to be enough to make Lioncross the jewel of the Marches.
         Edward assisted him with his observations. The
man had a head for money and building, and was a great help to him. As he
talked, Edward listened and offered educated opinions, finally helping him
narrow down his priorities.
         The sun overhead was warm and but the air
was cool toward mid-afternoon. The bailey was virtually void of any activity as
the servants stayed within the confines of Lioncross, and the sentries up on
the wall were pacing their rounds. At one point, Christopher caught sight of
Jeffrey pacing the walls and the two men eyed each other like two cocks.
         “What is it about that man that riles you
so?” Edward asked, somewhat amused.
         Christopher shook his head and turned back
to then business. “I do not know. I do not trust him.”
         “Why? He has done nothing,” Edward said.
         Christopher shrugged, reading the parchment
in front of him that he had been writing on. Edward grinned.
         “I have been talking to some of Barringdon’s
men,” he mentioned. “They like him and seem to think he is a strong soldier.
They also say he has eyes for your wife.”
         Christopher looked at Edward and then back
up to Jeffrey on the ramparts. “Dustin?” he scratched his neck and re-focused
on the vellum. “Why am I not surprised? Then mayhap it is a good thing that she
is going away.”
         Edward s mirth faded. “Are you really going
to let her go?”
         “She wishes it and I will grant her,” he
replied, making another notation.
         Edward watched his friend, seeing that the
man did not wish to discuss the subject. But Edward was naturally curious and
wondered why Christopher could so easily dismiss such a lovely woman. He was
shallow, true, but he also knew he was capable of deep feeling.
         “When will you dismiss Jeffrey?” Edward
asked after a moment.
         “Today,” Christopher replied.
         “And when is Dustin leaving for Nottingham?”
his friend asked, peering up at a broken corner on the side of the keep.
         “I do not know,” Christopher answered. “Whenever
she is ready. Mayhap in the next few days. I will want you to ride escort, of
course.”
         “Of course,” Edward agreed dryly. “Who else
to protect the Lion Claw’s wife? “Incidentally, when Jeffrey is