Chapter One

Gloucester, England

October, 1141

S ir Reynard Norwood stood along the wall of the solar with several other knights waiting to be noticed. He was not used to being idle and doing nothing but feasting and paying attention to the women at court. Court life ! Bah! He fumed. He was not cut out for the flirtatious advances of the women who did everything in their power to persuade him to bed them. 'Twas not that he was not tempted a time or two… He was, after all, only human, but they wanted more from him than just a one-night tumble in their bed.

He had some monies stored away from the time he had been in service to the Empress. Yet 'twas not enough to see him live a comfortable life or ensure an estate of his own. As a younger son, he was not set to inherit. For Reynard to earn land, he had surmised long ago that such an outcome could only be accomplished by the graciousness of the Empress granting him something in his own name. The other alternative was to marry someone landed. He grimaced, thinking again of the grasping women of court. Now that the Norwood good name had been restored, 'twas as though every woman in all of England wished to wed him. As for himself, he had no wish to wed. Not anymore.

A brief vision of a beautiful young girl flitted across his mind. Lady Johanna … Her hair had been as black at the midnight sky and she'd had eyes so green they rivaled a forest after a rainfall. She had been everything to him and he would have pledged her his troth if he had been given the opportunity. Aye… he had been so in love with her despite their age. Had he really been but ten and seven? Six years seemed like a lifetime ago and he heaved a heavy sigh as the memories once more plagued him.

Johanna lived on the borders of their land. Their union would have made both their parents happy and would have ensured the couple would take over Johanna's castle once her parents were one day gone from this world. Reynard remembered when he received word that she had taken ill. He barely had time to saddle his horse and arrive at their gates. But he had been too late. She had perished from an illness, and he had been lucky that he, too, had not taken ill. He had vowed that day he would guard his heart against another woman attempting to take Johanna's place.

Reynard had barely been given any time to mourn her loss before Brockenhurst was put under siege by King Stephen's men. Their father—the parent who had raised them alone after the death of their mother bringing Reynard into the world—had told them to gather what they could and escape through the secret tunnel whilst he held off the men to give Reynard and his brothers time to reach safety. 'Twas the last time they had seen him alive. The Norwood brothers lost more than their home that day. They had lost their beloved father who had been beheaded after he refused to renounce his allegiance to Empress Matilda.

His brief return to Brockenhurst to witness his older brother Wymar's wedding to the Lady of Norwich proved his brother had his work cut out ahead of him to restore the estate to its former glory. The keep, thank the heavens, had remained intact but many of the outer buildings, along with the stone wall surrounding the estate, were in need of heavy repairs. 'Twould be years before all would be returned to what it once was.

His other brother, Theobald, was also now wed to a woman who turned out to be of noble birth—something that had been a surprise even to the lady in question. Who would have known when his brother found a woman in the forest that she would turn out to be the missing heiress to Calbridge Castle? His brothers were lucky men, having fallen in love with wives who were rich, beautiful, and skilled with swords, as well. Their happiness left Reynard wondering if love would ever find him again.

He scowled, thinking of being bound to one woman for the rest of his life. He was still young and up to now, he had thought of little other than the pleasures life could bring him and the monies that would line his coffers with the empress's support. But one day the war would end, and what then? Would he not be required to wed as well? The empress appeared to have a plan for all the Norwood brothers, including Lord Richard Grancourt who was a much a part of his family as any other.

When had their plan to stay together as a family fallen apart? Mayhap 'twas the moment Wymar was restored his title and Brockenhurst returned to its rightful owner. Once that had happened, their lives had not been the same. Battling for the empress to be the rightful queen of England had been ingrained in their souls and Reynard had willingly followed his brothers' lead at the Battles of Lincoln and Winchester. But now… he gave a heavy sigh. He was tired of doing nothing but waiting.

"Stop fidgeting, Reynard," Richard hissed as he stood next to him.

"I am anxious," Reynard replied. "I hate doing nothing but listening to whatever may happen next to affect my life."

"She does nothing but what is best for her cause. You know that," Richard replied whilst he continued to stand there as though he was a marble statue.

"I just want some kind of action to relieve this infernal boredom," Reynard said, swiping his hand through his dark brown hair.

An amused chuckle left Richard. "Be careful what you ask for."

Reynard's gaze went across the room to the empress, who was visibly agitated. She argued with the men who offered their opinions on the next course of action, laying out their options. There were not many. Winchester had been her attempt to atone for her loss of London. She had barely made it to her half-brother's estate in Gloucester. Her army was defeated and had become scattered. Her coffers were near empty, making Reynard wonder if perchance he may not be rewarded someday as handsomely as he had hoped.

"There must be another way! I cannot believe they are holding Earl Robert as a prisoner. How the devil was he even caught?" Empress Matilda bellowed, banging her fists upon the table.

"I do not see what else can be done, my Empress," Reginald de Dunstanville said with a slight bow.

"I cannot give up Stephen as my hostage. If I were to do so, I would give up any bargaining power that I still hold," she replied angrily as she began to pace again.

"If you wish to see your half-brother released from his own captivity, then you will have to yield to their demands."

"I must have Robert returned," she growled in frustration, "else any further campaigns will be for naught. I will never be able to take the throne without Robert's assistance."

One of the empress's barons chimed in. "'Twill be the best solution," Brian fitz Count answered.

"Very well. We shall see that Stephen is released from Bristol and send word to Queen Matilda that in return, I demand Robert's release. To expedite the matter, we can make the exchange in Winchester."

"Who will you send for such an important mission? Not only must you send someone who can see that the usurper does not escape but you must needs find someone trustworthy to see to the earl's well-being."

Reynard's attention went to the empress and their eyes met across the room.

"Norwood," she called out.

"Aye, my Empress," Reynard answered, stepping forward.

"I shall task you with the honor of exchanging my brother the Earl of Gloucester for the usurper Stephen. Make your way to Winchester with a contingent of men after securing the false king from Bristol. In the meantime, we will make our way to Oxford, and you can meet up with us there after the prisoners are exchanged."

Reynard bowed. "As you wish, Empress Matilda." Reynard turned and went to stand before Richard. "Care for a little adventure?"

A smirk lit Richard's face. "I thought you would never ask."

They two men softly chuckled and left the room to ready themselves for their travels. Reynard could only ponder what awaited them upon the open road.