Chapter Nine

“You are a glutton.”

Mira looked at Douglas with her eyebrows lifted, her eyes wide, and an expression bent on murder. They were sitting at a small, rough-hewn table, along with several other people, next to one of the larger bakeries on the street of the bakers.

But this conversation was just between the two of them.

“What did you just say to me?” she demanded.

He was trying very hard not to laugh. “You,” he said slowly, “are a glutton.”

“That’s what I thought you said.”

“It’s true.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You ate more than I did, Douglas de Lohr,” she said. “You even ate that horrible stew that had all of the innards and eyeballs in it.”

“It was delicious.”

“It was disgusting!”

He did laugh then. They’d just come from the street of the bakers where two ovens, one enormous and one smaller, were blazing and smoking and creating some of the most marvelous baked goods. There were eleven bakers on the street—several smaller ones and then three or four larger ones. It was the larger ones who also prepared food, like fish pie or cheese tart or that terrible stew Mira had described.

It was called Garbage, and aptly so, because the contents came from the butchers on the next street and this particular vat of Garbage, in an enormous iron pot, had been cooking for almost a year. It was a continuous pot of stew. Every day, one of the bakers added water and another added more entrails or brains or chicken feet to it to keep it going. It was hot and cheap and nutritious and the broth alone, because it had been cooking so long, was rich and dark and salty. Douglas thought that Mira probably would have liked it had it not been for the chicken heads floating in it.

That alone meant she wouldn’t touch it.

But she hadn’t gone hungry. The street of the bakers, from one end to the other, offered a wide variety of foods. There was something for everybody. Mira had a fondness for eggs, so everything they hunted for had to have egg in it. Baked eggs, scrambled eggs, an omelet of eggs, and so on. Mira had been especially fond of a baked egg dish that had cream and cheese in it, and she’d stuffed herself silly with that and about a half a loaf of bread. Given that she was a rather tiny creature, Douglas found it humorous that she’d eaten so much.

Hence the glutton comment.

“Say what you will about the stew,” he told her. “If you were half as brave as you thought you were, then you would try it.”

Mira shook her head even before he finished his sentence. “Not me,” she said. “But I do thank you for the feast. It was lovely.”

He collected his purse, a leather pouch at his belt, and weighed it in his hand. “I spent too much money on you,” he teased. “I am poor, so we must go now.”

Mira grinned. “You are a de Lohr, so I doubt you even know what being poor means.”

“Do you?”

She shrugged, her smile fading. “Nay,” she said honestly. “Not really. I have some money, money that I have earned from Lady Isabel, but I’ve never gone hungry. I’ve always had a roof over my head and I am determined to keep it.”

She was referring to their earlier conversation about her being destitute if Lady Isabel decided she was no longer effective with the young wards. Douglas was well aware, but he didn’t want to return to that particular subject.

“And you will remain well taken care of if I have anything to say about it,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at a busy intersection where the street of the bakers intersected the avenue that led to the market. “Are you truly finished? Because if you are, we should return to the group. I am not entirely sure Lady Isabel would like you to be alone with me without an escort for so long.”

Mira stood up, brushing crumbs off the traveling dress she wore. It was simple, brown in color, but she wore it like a goddess.

“You are correct,” she said. Then she walked around the table and looked at him. “Douglas, I’ve decided something.”

“What is that?”

“I am not going to let Astoria and the rest of the girls vex me,” she said as they began to walk. “If they are petty and jealous, then that is their weakness. Not mine. If they continue to behave that way, I will tell them so.”

He smiled. “I would expect nothing less from you.”

They were heading toward the intersection now, moving through the crowds of people. Mira lifted her hand, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked on ahead and the marketplace.

“Silly, foolish chickens,” she said, disgruntled. “I’ll show them what honor is. What character is. They’ll not get the better of me.”

Douglas could see the marketplace ahead, too. “I would not say they are entirely foolish,” he said. “They do have an eye for me, after all. They have good taste.”

She looked at him in exasperation. “God’s Bones,” she muttered. “You are not supposed to say that. I may say it, but not you.”

“Why not?”

“Do you truly need your pride fed so badly?”

“If you are not going to flatter me, then I must flatter myself.”

Mira broke down in snorts. “Poor man,” she said. “It’s not enough that nine other young women think you are handsome. You must hear it from me, too.”

“That would help.”

“Then I am concerned,” she said, growing serious. “Is that enough? Should I go to the church and have the nuns tell you that also? What about the children playing down the avenue? Shall I have them sing your praises, too?”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Easy, lass,” he said. “No need to get nasty.”

She looked at him as if she had no idea what he meant. “I am only trying to bolster that great and fragile pride you have.”

“Fragile?”

“It must be if you put such stock in only one woman’s opinion.”

He fought off a grin, scratching his forehead. “You certainly know how to put me in my place,” he said. “I suppose I should be grateful.”

She flashed a grin when he couldn’t see it. “You should never put so much weight on one woman’s opinion.”

“I will do as I please, especially if it is the woman I have proposed marriage to.”

They were coming to the middle of the intersection now, still moving through the crowd, but now avoiding cross-traffic. When a cart came too close, Douglas reached out and grasped Mira’s arm, pulling her back to avoid being hit. They were about to continue when Jonathan abruptly appeared.

“Douglas,” he said. “Good. I’ve found you.”

Both Douglas and Mira looked at him. “So you have,” he said. “We were just returning to the group. I hope Lady Isabel is not wondering where we went. Truly, we just went to find food. Nothing scandalous.”

Jonathan shook his head. “Not that,” he said. “Everyone is heading back to the escort quickly. It seems there are Tatworth men in town, and we are concerned they might start something.”

Douglas went from relaxed man to professional knight in the blink of an eye. His expression tightened and he took on the look of a hunter. “Have they seen us?” he asked.

“Not yet.”

“Where are they?”

Jonathan pointed off toward the southeast, where there was an entire row of two- and three-storied wattle and daub homes, neatly in a line.

“Over there,” he said. “There is a group of about seven of them. Eric recognized them, so we are hurrying everyone back to the castle.”

Douglas couldn’t really see who he was talking about because there were a lot of people in town on this day.

He frowned.

“What in the hell are they doing here?” he wondered aloud. “Axminster is not their town. They have no business being here.”

“Unless they are scouting for Lord Tatworth, simply to get the lie of the land.”

Douglas looked at him. “To see if we’ve let our guard down?”

“Possibly.”

Douglas didn’t like the sound of that. “Then we are going to find out what their business is,” he said. “Come along.”

Quickly, he and Jonathan escorted Mira back to the escort, where the ladies were just loading up into the carriage. Because Douglas wasn’t certain what they might be facing, he separated eight soldiers out of the escort, and Davyss, to form the confrontation party. Eric would take the remainder of the soldiers and the women back to the castle. Even if Eric wouldn’t wield a sword, the soldiers would and Eric was proficient at command.

The decision had been made.

But Lady Isabel wasn’t so sure.

“Douglas,” she said, “is there truly a need for this? If we leave them alone, won’t they simply go away?”

Douglas knew she was concerned. She wanted to keep the peace. She’d been concerned for everything that had happened after her allies defeated Tamworth, including Tamworth’s discipline. Now she didn’t want his men confronted in a public place. But Douglas had his reasons.

“My lady, the simple fact is that they have no reason to be in Axminster,” he said. “Unless they are shopping at the marketplace, which I strongly doubt, there is no reason to be here. This is not their village. I simply want to find out why they are here and reiterate that they are not welcome in Axminster.”

Isabel was torn. “But why must you confront them? Can we not leave well enough alone?”

“Would you prefer I leave them to do whatever it is they are here to do and they end up harassing the citizens of Axminster?” he said. “My lady, they do not belong here. I am going to ensure that they understand that.”

Isabel sighed heavily, looking to Mira, who nodded her head. “It is better this way, my lady,” Mira said. “You do not want those men creating trouble.”

Isabel still wasn’t entirely in agreement, but she didn’t argue. She turned and climbed back into the carriage as Mira turned to Douglas.

“What are you going to do?” she asked quietly.

Douglas’ eyes glimmered. “Why?” he said. “Are you worried about me?”

She sneered. “Never,” she said. “I hope they cut your head off.”

He couldn’t help the laughter. “You’ll be sorry you said that if they do,” he said. “You had better say a prayer that you have not cursed me.”

Her smile broke through, letting him know that she had been jesting. “Aye, I would be very sorry if they did,” she said. “May I remain here and wait for you?”

He shook his head and turned her for the palfrey she had ridden. “You may not,” he said flatly. Once they reached the animal, he lifted her up onto the horse. “Return with the escort and wait for me there.”

He started to turn away, but she reached out and grasped his arm. She ended up catching a handful of his long hair, and as he turned to look at her, his arm slipped from her grasp but his hair did not. He held it, fingering it, as she gazed into his eyes.

“Be careful, Douglas,” she murmured. “Please.”

There was a pull between them at that moment that was difficult to describe. Something liquid and powerful, like the currents of a river, pulling and pushing with unseen force. It was the very first time the jesting, the conflict, the denials had not been an obstacle between them and all they could feel was something warm and real.

It was real.

Douglas could feel the impact.

“I will,” he said after a moment, taking her hand away from his hair and kissing it before letting it go. “Go back now. I will see you later.”

Mira nodded, perhaps reluctantly, and gave her horse a little kick to move it forward. The escort was already moving away, but once she caught up to the carriage, the soldiers forming the escort closed in around her for protection.

That was all Douglas needed to see.

Trying to shake off the power of that moment between them, he turned to Jonathan, Davyss, and the eight soldiers left behind.

“We are going to pay the Tatworth men a little visit,” he said, crooking his finger. “Follow me, but do not draw your weapon unless they draw or I give you a command. Clear?”

Ten heads nodded, though the knights knew that Davyss would like nothing better than to feed Lespada some flesh and blood today. In fact, the young knight had his hand on the hilt and the weapon was already halfway out of the sheath. Jonathan had to push the weapon back down again, much to Davyss’ displeasure.

But he understood.

Douglas had the Tatworth men in his sights as the group crossed the marketplace and headed toward the corner where the defeated enemy was located. As Douglas walked, he reached into the purse at his side, the same one with the coins, and pulled forth a strip of cloth. Gathering his hair back, for it was long enough to cover his chest and then some, he tied it up with the strip of cloth so it wouldn’t get in the way if there was a fight. That was something he always did. He had his mother’s hair, thick and beautiful, and she had never had the heart to cut his as a child. The master knights of Kenilworth, his trainers, had tried to force him to cut it but he wouldn’t, so he’d gotten in the habit of tying it back so an enemy couldn’t grab it and use it against him.

When the hair went back, Douglas meant business.

“You,” he said loudly as he came upon the men that were still gathered on the corner. “Identify yourselves.”

The seven men, who had been laughing and drinking since they were standing near a tavern, didn’t react at first. They didn’t realize that Douglas was talking to them. But one man noticed and, with fear on his face, tapped the man next to him and pointed. Very quickly, the men realized that a heavily armed knight was addressing them and was backed up by two more heavily armed knights and several soldiers. The man in the front, who had originally had his back to Douglas, turned around and appeared not to have any real concern with what he was facing.

He looked Douglas up and down.

“You first,” he said.

His men burst into laughter, but it was nervous laughter. More than that, they were starting to back away. Before Douglas could reply, a small, thin man from the tavern next door suddenly darted out and pointed at the drinking Tatworth men.

“They stole from me!” he cried. “Those drinks are mine. They took them and would not pay!”

Douglas looked at the old, frightened man. “They’ve not paid at all?”

The man shook his head. He was dressed in broadcloth that was soaked and stained, and he had a rag that he’d been using to dry off his hands and would have looked like any other happy citizen, but his face was red with anger and he was pointing furiously to the collection of Tatworth men.

“They came into my tavern and demanded drink,” he said. “I provided it and they’ve been steadily drinking since the nooning hour. But they came outside with their drink and have refused to pay me for any of it.”

Douglas looked at the man who seemed to be in the lead. He was older, with bad skin and dirty blond hair.

“Is that true?” Douglas asked.

The man grinned, revealing big, yellowed teeth. “We’re not done yet,” he said. “We’ll pay when we’re done.”

Douglas didn’t believe him for a moment. “Pay the man.”

“When we’re done.”

“Do it now or I’ll take your money and do it for you, plus something extra for the man’s trouble.”

The threat of physical violence was quite real. The man in the lead looked Douglas over to try to determine if he was simply being a bully, or perhaps he was only bluffing, but somehow, he didn’t think so. He snorted rudely, pointing to Douglas’ de Lohr tunic.

“Hereford,” he said. “I’ve seen that before.”

“If you have, then you know I mean what I say. Pay the man now.”

It took the man several long seconds to decide that was probably the best course of action for him and his men. There was a nearly even number of men on both sides, with the knight’s group having a slight advantage, but more than that, the man in the lead knew that he and his friends were no match for three heavily armed knights.

That made his decision for him.

With another snort, this one of frustration and irritation, the man yanked his purse from a pocket and opened it, tossing coins onto the ground at the tavernkeeper’s feet.

“There,” he said. “Take your damnable money so the de Lohr dog will be satisfied.”

Douglas cocked an eyebrow. “You have a big mouth for a man who is looking death in the face,” he said. “Because you are clearly too stupid to realize that, let me tell you what sort of danger you are in. I am Douglas de Lohr, son of the Earl of Hereford and Worcester. My companion to my right, this enormous knight, is the brother to the Earl of Wolverton. He is a de Wolfe. He is also the brother to William de Wolfe, the greatest knight in the north of England. But mostly, this man is a Blackchurch-trained knight and he can kill each man standing with you without any help from me. The other knight is the heir to the House of de Winter. You know the de Winter war machine. He may be young, but I assure you, he is quite deadly.”

The revelations pouring forth had the man in the lead standing up to take notice. His comrades were already trying to flee, but the de Lohr soldiers were stopping them. No one was going anywhere. The man tossed his drink aside and put up his hands in a supplicating gesture.

“We are causing no trouble,” he said. “We’ve done no harm. Why do you harass us?”

“You tried to steal drink from the tavernkeep,” Douglas pointed out. “You’ve yet to tell me who you are. How do I know you are not here to cause harm or create damage? If you do not tell me, I must assume the worst.”

That caused the man to rethink his stance. “My name is Meriwether,” he said. “I serve Rickard Tatworth.”

“Ah,” Douglas said. “Now we have an answer. And your friends? All Tatworth men?”

“Aye, my lord.”

For the first time, Meriwether was starting to show Douglas some respect. Now that he’d tipped his hand and introduced all of the strength he brought to a fight, he seemed more willing to talk.

“What are you doing in Axminster?” Douglas asked.

Meriwether slowly produced a dagger he’d had tucked away. “Because I commissioned this from one of the smithies a few months ago,” he said, making sure to hold it by the blade carefully. “I’ve come to town to pay for it.”

“Did you actually pay for it?”

Meriwether snorted again. “The smithy is bigger and stronger than you are,” he said. “Aye, I paid him. I had to unless I wanted my head smashed.”

“But you sought to cheat the tavernkeep, who is not bigger and stronger than the smithy.”

Meriwether lifted his shoulders in a noncommittal gesture. “I told you that I was going to pay him,” he said. “I did.”

Douglas gave him a disbelieving look, but before he could reply, it seemed like a gang of people came up behind him and, suddenly, a woman was flying at Meriwether with some kind of club in her hand. Before Douglas could intervene, she crowned Meriwether with it and an all-out brawl was sparked.

“He stole from me!” the woman was screaming as she hit him again before Douglas could grab her. “He stole from my stall! I want my things back!”

Punches were flying and people were rolling around in the dirt as some merchants descended on the men from Tatworth. Douglas, Jonathan, Davyss, and the rest of the soldiers were forced to jump in and start separating the combatants. Douglas narrowly avoided being hit in the head with the same club, which turned out to be not a club at all, but a stone pestle to grind grain.

And the woman’s aim with it was true.

“Stop,” he commanded, taking it from her as he pulled her away from the fighting. “Lady, you will control yourself. What’s this about?”

“Him!” the woman shouted, pointing at Meriwether. “He came into my stall and scooped things up with his hands and then threatened me when I tried to stop him. I will stop him now!”

She pulled away from Douglas, heading again for Meriwether, who was just starting to come around, but the fight was dwindling by now and Douglas indicated for the woman to stand aside while he hauled a dazed Meriwether to his feet.

“It sounds as if you’ve been a naughty lad today,” he said. Then he held out a hand, palm up. “Where is the merchandise you stole from this woman?”

Meriwether shook his head, trying to shake off the stars. He was going to deny knowing what Douglas was asking for when he caught sight of the woman with the pestle in her hand. He could also see that several other merchants that they’d stolen from that morning were pounding his comrades and taking back what had been stolen. Trinkets, soap, combs—they’d had their pick this morning, and no one had challenged them because they’d threatened everybody.

But now, there was safety in numbers. Seeing that the tavernkeep had gotten his money, the merchants descended. When Meriwether was too slow to respond, Douglas snapped his fingers.

“Come on,” he said impatiently. “I don’t have all day. Where is it?”

Realizing he was caught, Meriwether reached into the pockets of his tunic and began pulling things out, slapping them into Douglas’ open palm. It was all jewelry, things for women, and Douglas looked at it in confusion.

“What’s all this?” he asked. “Did you steal this for your wife?”

“I don’t have a wife,” Meriwether said, pulling out the last piece, a necklace. “But gifts like this can get me what I want in any town from Carlisle to Birmingham.”

He lifted his eyebrows suggestively, and Douglas eyed the man he had little patience for. The woman was standing a few feet away, still screeching about her merchandise, so Douglas called her over to identify it. She could, of course, inspecting it for damage as she told Meriwether just what she thought of him.

The last thing Douglas handed her was a necklace with a gold cross pendant. He glanced at it as he handed it over to her, but held it a moment longer to inspect it. It was a lovely piece, a delicate cross with semi-precious stones on it, and on the back he could see an inscription.

“Meum arbitrium,” he muttered. “My choice.”

The woman plucked it out of his fingers. “Good,” she said. “I was afraid this one was lost and I didn’t want to lose it. ’Tis worth a good deal.”

Douglas held his hand out for it. “Let me see it,” he said. “What kind of stones are on it?”

The woman reluctantly handed it back to him. “Garnets,” she said. “Amethyst and peridot. And the big pearl in the center of it.”

The more Douglas looked at it, the more exquisite it became. “My choice?” he repeated. “What does that mean? What choice?”

The old woman was holding her hand out for it. “I purchased it from a nobleman who sold me his daughter’s jewelry,” she said. “The lass had taken the veil and had no more need for her finery. He said that he gave his daughter that necklace when she decided to take the veil, as a gift to commemorate the occasion, but she had to give her jewelry up when she went in the convent.”

Douglas continued to look at the piece. “It could mean something else,” he said after a moment. “For example, if a man were to give it to a woman, it could indicate that he chose her.”

“Chose her for what?”

“His wife, of course.”

The woman nodded. “True,” she said. “May I have it back now?”

“How much do you want for it?”

The woman realized she might have a sale on her hands. “I bought it for six pounds,” she said. “I’ll take ten if you’re serious. That necklace is solid gold, worth a great deal.”

He nodded. “I can see that,” he said. “I will give you seven pounds for it.”

“Eight pounds and it is yours.”

He handed it back over to her while he pulled out his purse. Eyeing her for a moment, he pulled out two gold coins, worth about seventy pence each. He put them in her palm and she smiled brightly at him, thrilled to have sold him such a fine piece.

“’Tis a pleasure doing business with you, my lord,” she said. “My name is Magda. I own the stall with the red windows over on the street of the merchants. If you’d like to come by and see the rest of the things I bought from the nobleman’s daughter, I’d be delighted to show you.”

He carefully tucked the necklace into his purse and secured it back on his belt. “I might,” he said. “Set the good pieces aside and I’ll return in the next day or two. And if anyone ever comes to town again and steals from you, or harasses you or your fellow merchants, send word to Axminster Castle and I will come personally to dispense justice.”

Magda was thrilled to hear that. “Thank you, my lord,” she said. “What’s your name?”

“De Lohr.”

“De Lohr,” she repeated thoughtfully. “Hereford?”

“Aye.”

That was good enough for her. With a bold wink at him, she headed off with her merchandise and her pestle, talking the other merchants with her because they, too, had reclaimed their merchandise. When they were gone, heading back the way they’d come, Douglas turned to the Tatworth men.

“Now,” he said in a low voice, “I do not want to see your faces in this town again. Tell Tatworth that his men are not welcome in Axminster and neither is he. If I catch you in town again, I’ll throw you in the vault and keep you there. Is this in any way unclear?”

Meriwether nodded reluctantly. “Aye.”

Douglas pointed a finger to the road that led out of town. “Go,” he said. “And do not come back.”

Meriwether gathered his dazed and bruised men, heading to the livery on the edge of town to collect their mounts. Douglas sent a few soldiers after them to make sure they left as ordered. That left Douglas, Jonathan, Davyss, and five soldiers remaining.

“Let get out of here, too,” Douglas said, turning to Jonathan, to Davyss. “Back to Axminster for us.”

Davyss and the soldiers broke away, heading back to the area where they’d left their horses, as Douglas and Jonathan brought up the rear.

“Did I see a welt on de Winter’s eye?” Douglas asked.

Jonathan grinned. “He is going to have a beautiful black eye by tonight,” he said. “But he is a true de Winter. The man is greatly at home in a fight.”

Douglas grinned as they skirted the marketplace on their way to the horses. “He is eager, that is certain,” he said. Then he glanced at Jonathan. “And you? No damage?”

Jonathan shook his head. “I hardly raised a sweat,” he said. “What did you buy from that woman?”

“You saw that, did you?”

“I did. What was it?”

Douglas reached into his purse and carefully pulled out the necklace, handing it to Jonathan, who inspected it closely.

“Exquisite,” he said. Then he noticed the inscription on the back. “Meum arbitrium. My choice? My choice for what?”

“It evidently belonged to a young woman who took the veil,” he said. “Her father gave her that to commemorate the moment, but she couldn’t take it with her, so the merchant purchased it.”

“Charming,” Jonathan said, handing it back to him. “What are you going to do with it?”

“Give it to Lady Mira.”

Jonathan looked at him then. There was a scowl on his brow. “I heard about the spectacle yesterday,” he said. “When you knelt before her and declared your undying love.”

Douglas fought off a grin. “Is that what I did?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Nay,” he said. “Not at all. It was a ruse to keep all of those silly women off my trail. If they know their quarry has been captured by someone else, then they should leave me alone. At least, that was the hope. Unfortunately, they’ve been making Mira’s life miserable because of it. Jealous, petty women.”

“So you’re going to give the necklace to Mira and make it worse?”

Douglas shrugged. “I’ve decided that I will marry her,” he said, looking at Jonathan’s surprised expression. “I’m serious. I must marry, Wolfie. My mother has been harping on it for years, and I’ve finally found someone I can imagine spending my life with. Mira’s a good lass. Beautiful, intelligent. My choice.”

He was holding up the necklace as he said it, and Jonathan wasn’t any less surprised by the declaration. In fact, he was a little apprehensive about it.

“Careful,” he murmured. “An entanglement with a woman is how I ended up here, at Axminster. You must be careful how you handle this, Douglas.”

“What do you mean?” Douglas said. “What does this have to do with you?”

Jonathan took a thoughtful breath. “Surely you have been wondering why de Winter ordered me to remain here.”

“I assumed you would tell me when you were ready.”

They’d reached the horses by this point. Davyss was already mounted, as were most of the soldiers, and the others were just now coming down the road in their direction, having seen off the Tatworth men. Jonathan took the reins of his horse before turning to Douglas.

“Lady Elizabeth Bigod is the niece of Roger, my liege,” he said quietly. “I will not bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that Libby and I loved one another. But she was pledged to a Flemish warlord, an old bastard with more money than God and a big army. I will admit that we were planning on running off together to be married, far away where her uncle could not find us, but she was betrayed by one of her maids and our plans were discovered. Bigod put her on a ship to Flanders and that was the last I saw of her. He sent me to de Winter because he feels that he can no longer trust me, which is true. I did betray his trust, at least where Libby was concerned. All this to say that you must be careful when it comes to a woman. Sometimes… sometimes the unexpected happens. People get very odd when it comes to love.”

Douglas was genuinely saddened to hear the tale. “I am sorry for you, lad,” he said. “Why not go after her? If I loved a woman, nothing could stop me.”

Jonathan was trying to be brave about a very touchy subject. “You’d think so,” he said. “You’d be wrong. She is already married, and even I cannot come between a husband and wife. Even if the wife should have been mine.”

Douglas couldn’t say much to that, mostly because he knew the man was right. “Then what will you do once we leave Axminster?” he asked. “Return to Grayson?”

Jonathan nodded. “Probably,” he said. “I thought to return to my brother, too. Although Robert and I are like oil and water together, I know he will accept my fealty, so it is not as if I have nowhere to go. But I will admit that it has been a difficult few months.”

He was smiling weakly, but Douglas could see the pain in his eyes. “I can only imagine, my friend,” he said softly. “Why not come to Lioncross with me? My father would kill for the services of a knight like you. We could keep you very busy on the marches.”

Jonathan’s smile turned genuine. “I was thinking about that, to be truthful,” he said. “It might be better than returning to Warstone, where Robert and I will butt heads over every little thing.”

A smile crossed Douglas’ lips. “Think about it, then,” he said. “We’ll speak more when you’ve had a chance to ponder it.”

“I will do that.”

By this time, the soldiers from the Tatworth departure had finally joined them and everyone mounted up. In short order, they were heading back to Axminster, tearing down the road as the sun began to wane. It had been an eventful day already and they were eager to return home.

None more eager than Douglas.

He had a certain young lady to see.