Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Early November

I n the big master's chamber that she shared with her husband, Chrystobel was helping one of the house servants tend freshly washed clothing. Since their marriage almost three weeks ago, Chrystobel had come to learn that her husband was somewhat slovenly. Not in the literal, terrible sense, of course, but the man didn't keep his clothing clean in the least. Therefore, he had several tunics that had hardly been washed, if ever, and that included two heavily padded tunics he wore under his mail coat.

Upon acquiring such knowledge, as it wasn't difficult considering how badly some of his clothing smelled, she was able to coax him into turning over all of his clothing to her so she could wash it. Keller was embarrassed that his wife had to wash his filthy laundry, but Chrystobel was thrilled to do it.

As she was ironing freshly washed and dried tunics with a hot stone upon a smooth, worn tabletop, she kept hearing what sounded like strained voices outside. Sticking her head from the lancet window that faced north over her garden, she was able to look down and see George and Aimery wandering through her garden, evidently chasing something. She called down to them.

"Watch out for my garden," she said. "Do not step on anything!"

The knights looked up at her. "We are being careful, Lady de Poyer," George said, pointing. "There is a rabbit in your garden."

"And you want to catch it for supper?"

George shook his head. "Your sister wants it for a pet!"

Chrystobel fought off a grin when Izlyn, who had been standing just out of her line of sight, suddenly appeared and waved up at her sister. The young woman was thrilled to have the high-strung Ashby-Kidd brothers as playmates, which they had been for well over a week now. They treated Izlyn like a princess and because of it, she had spoken at least four more words. It was amazing what respect and happiness could accomplish. As Izlyn waved her hands happily at her sister, Chrystobel waved back.

"Be cautious," Chrystobel warned again. "I do not want to see my flowers trampled."

The knights didn't mention that most of the flowers had long since bloomed and were already dead or dying. They simply waved her off and Chrystobel returned her attention to her laundry. It was a clear November day, not particularly cold, and as she focused on her task. Her husband had tasks of his own.

The tallymen were downstairs in the small hall with Keller providing updated tallies and information about Nether's vast sheep herds. That information had always been Trevyn's domain and Chrystobel knew little about it, so Keller and his razor-sharp mind took to the business aspect easily. He seemed to enjoy the financial side of Nether's empire and she was content to run the castle as chatelaine just as she always had. The past few weeks had seen Keller and Chrystobel form a very comfortable and extremely affectionate working relationship as each one settled into their new roles as Lord and Lady Carnedd of the Carnedd Barony.

As Chrystobel carefully rolled up an ironed tunic, her thoughts lingered on Keller. Surely a sweeter, more attentive man had never existed. She was sure of it, in fact. He was always thinking of her first, bringing her a few late-fall posies or a pretty bird feather he had managed to come across. Since their rather rough beginning, there had been no more misunderstandings or harsh words between them, and they had settled into a symbiotic relationship as man and wife. Every night, Keller would make love to her and every morning, he would kiss her awake and do more of the same. He had become very confident in his role as husband and she swore she hadn't seen him nervously pop his knuckles in weeks. That bad habit seemed to have faded away the more comfortable he became with his wife.

As Chrystobel tucked away the rolled tunic into the large wardrobe that had once belonged to her father, her thoughts were lingering more heavily on Keller and she decided to go downstairs and visit him. It seemed that they were never far away from each other and she left their warm, comfortable chamber and headed down the steps to the entry level below.

As soon as she hit the landing, she could hear voices in the small hall. There were several men in the room, standing around the table that Keller was seated at. He had parchment in front of him and a quill in hand, speaking to one of the shepherds about a young flock that was off to the east. The flocks were heading into winter and their wooly coats were filling in, and Keller was curious about the amount of wool each sheep would produce, but his conversation ended the moment he saw Chrystobel standing in the doorway. At that moment, he had eyes only for her.

He extended a hand to her, inviting her in, and Chrystobel smiled brightly as she entered the room, reaching out to take his offered hand. Keller excused the men standing around him, telling them to go to the kitchens for food, and they eagerly obeyed. Once the men quit the keep and it was just the two of them remaining, Keller reached up and pulled Chrystobel onto his lap.

His big arms went around her, his face buried in her neck. He inhaled deeply, smelling her sweet, musky scent. He'd come to depend on that scent, keeping him a sane and happy man. These past few weeks with her were just how he always imagined a contented relationship would be, only there was more to it. Somehow in the past several days, he realized that he loved her. He hadn't told her yet, of course, for things like love and emotion were treacherous waters, indeed. He hoped to summon the courage to tell her soon, but until then, he was content simply to feel and breathe her.

"How long has it been since I last saw you?" he whispered.

Chrystobel smiled, her arms around his head and shoulders. "Hours," she said dramatically. "Mayhap even days."

He chuckled. "Sometimes it seems like that," he said, pulling his face from her flesh and gazing at her. "What have you been doing?"

She toyed with his dark hair. "Finishing the last of your wash," she said. "I spied George and Aimery out in my garden chasing a rabbit for Izlyn."

Keller grunted. "Those two are supposed to be tending to the collection of horses I have confiscated from your brother," he said. "I do not intend to keep all of them and would like an inventory and surmised value. And you say they are chasing a rabbit?"

Chrystobel shook her head at him. "Do not become angry," she said. "It is for Izlyn, after all. I suppose she could always go find Gart and force him to chase the rabbit for her."

This time, Keller shook his head. "Forbes has more important things to do."

"Like what?"

"Like manage the battlements," he said, feigning sternness as he gently pinched her nose. "Rhys is in the gatehouse and William is sleeping because he had night duty."

She grinned at him, letting him know that she had been jesting, but quickly sobered. "How long are Gart and Rhys planning to remain here?" she asked. "Of course, Izlyn will be crushed when Gart leaves. She says she is going to marry him."

Keller snorted rudely. "She will have to set her sights on someone else," he said. "Forbes is not the marrying kind."

"Why not?"

"Because his wife is whatever directive David de Lohr dictates," he said frankly. "Gart lives and breathes de Lohr blue. He will never let anything distract him from that."

Chrystobel thought on that. "It is a sad state, then," she said. "He seems as if he would make some lady a fine husband."

Keller shrugged. "Mayhap," he said. "But tell Izzie to focus her attentions elsewhere. Gart Forbes is not meant for such a sweet and gentle soul."

"That is a kind way of saying she is not even a consideration."

"Well, she is not ."

Chrystobel laughed softly. "What about George or Aimery?"

Keller rolled his eyes and stood up. "Those two?" he said, making a face to convey his distaste. "I suspect they would only marry her for the money and if that was truly the case, I would have to kill them, so put those two out of your mind as a husband for your sister. She is only twelve years old, for Christ's sake– she does not need a husband for another six years at least."

Chrystobel eyed him, teasing him. "It will be your duty to find her one."

Keller nodded rather comically, resigned to the inevitable. "They shall all have to pass tests of my choosing before I will even consider them."

"What kinds of tests?"

He shrugged. "Seeing how fast they can run with a raging bull chasing them," he said, pretending to be thoughtful. "Seeing how well they can fend off six bulky knights and six equally big broadswords. Gart will help me with that test, of course. Mayhap I shall see if they can beat me in a fist fight with one of their arms tied behind their back. You know, tests. "

Chrystobel was laughing by the time he was finished. "That is terrible!" she exclaimed softly. "She will never find a husband that way."

He smirked at her, pulling her close for a sweet kiss. "It will certainly narrow the field," he said. "Only the worthy will survive."

Chrystobel giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Either the very worthy or the very persistent," she said. "But none of this answers my original question. How long are Gart and Rhys going to stay?"

Keller didn't particularly want to talk about his knights with Chrystobel in his arms. He could think of much better things to talk about but he dutifully answered her. "When we returned from the ambush at the church those weeks ago, you will recall that I sent out several missives, one of which was to William Marshal," he said. "I informed him of my first few days at Nether and told him that, for the time being, it is wise to keep Rhys and Gart here with me. The two attacks against me could be local rebels or it could be something bigger. We simply do not know, so I would rather err on the side of caution and keep Rhys and Gart at Nether until we can determine if there will be more hostilities. The Marshal will inform de Lohr that I intend to keep his knights."

"Is William Marshal de Lohr's liege?"

"William Marshal is everyone's liege."

Chrystobel thought on the man who seemed to control every fighting man in England, the very man who had brokered her marriage. She realized that she owed him everything.

"When do you think William Marshal will send his reply to you?" she asked.

"It could be months."

It seemed like a very long time to wait for an answer, but Chrystobel supposed the Marshal was a busy man and would get to it when he could. "What about those other missives you sent out to local warlords?" she asked. "Have any of them replied?"

Keller shrugged. "The missives I sent to my allies down around Pembroke have seen responses," he said. "My old friends will be coming to Nether at some point to help me establish relationships with some of the local Welsh chieftains. As for those local chieftains, however, I have not had any responses. It has only been a couple of weeks, however, so I am not concerned. They will respond, eventually."

She smiled faintly. "Do you think it would help if I went to call on the warlords personally?" she asked. "I know a few of them. I may be able to help you."

It wasn't a bad idea but he didn't want to play up his marriage to a Welsh wife just yet. He wanted to see how the local chieftains would react to him and him alone, as the new lord of Nether.

"I appreciate your offer," he said as he pulled her close once again. "I will certainly let you know should I decide to accept it."

He kissed her again. The taste and smell of her filled him and he wrapped his big arms more tightly around her, kissing her deeply as she turned weak and pliable in his arms. He loved it when she went limp. It made him feel powerful and dominant. His kisses grew more forceful but they were interrupted when the entry door opened, slamming back on its hinges. Keller released his wife as Rhys entered the small hall.

The man was dressed in full armor, which was now required by anyone manning the gatehouse. But it wasn't the fact that he was in full armor, it was the expression on his face. Before Keller could open his mouth, Rhys held out a big gloved hand. Within it was clutched a large piece of sealed parchment.

"A missive for you, Keller," he said, his expression grim. "The messenger who delivered it said that Hen Domen Castle is under siege. They are requesting assistance."

The mood of the room darkened. Keller's brow furrowed as he reached out and accepted the missive.

"The messenger told you this?" he clarified. "Where is he?"

Rhys shook his head. "The man handed it to our sentries and swiftly departed," he said. "He said he had to return immediately. What messenger would do that? He should have waited for a response from you at the very least."

Keller was growing increasingly puzzled as he noticed the seal on the message. The dark green wax bore the stamp of Shropshire– a shield crest with a diagonal line through it and the words "Deum super omnia." God above all . Keller gazed at the seal a moment before breaking it and unrolling the parchment.

As Rhys and Chrystobel stood by in tense silence, Keller read the carefully written missive. It looked as if an educated man had written it. The seconds ticked away as he digested every word. By the time he got to the end of the parchment, he began to speak.

"De Boulers has been attacked by a local Welsh warlord," he said. "He asks for help. Hen Domen, if I recall correctly, is near the town of Trefaldwyn on the marches. I must see my map to be sure."

Since Keller had been conducting most of his business in the small hall, the maps, parchment, and writing instruments he had brought with him were stored on a rather large writing table that had been brought into the room for just that purpose. He set the missive on the small feasting table and went over to his collection of maps and other items, rifling through them until he came to the map he had been looking for. As he turned back for the feasting table, he glanced at Rhys.

"You had better find the other knights and send them to me," he said. "And wake William. He will need to hear this, too."

Rhys nodded and was gone, quitting the keep as Chrystobel stood there in fearful silence. Her gaze was fixed on her husband.

"What does this mean?" she asked, trying not to sound frightened. "Are you leaving to go to battle?"

He had his map half-unrolled but went to Chrystobel and put an arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple. "It is not as bad as all that, I am sure," he reassured her. "By the time we get there, the fighting will more than likely be over."

He kissed her again and dropped his arm from her shoulders, taking his map over to the feasting table and unrolling it, anchoring the ends with fat tapers. As he hunched over it, studying the map that depicted all of Wales and the entire stretch of the marches, Chrystobel came up behind him. She studied his broad back, his powerful form, as he scrutinized the map. He was thinking of the marches and she was thinking of him. God's Bones, how she would crumble if something were to happen to him. She was so very frightened for him. Reaching out, she touched his back, her hand moving across his broad body until it came to rest on his hip. Laying her cheek against his upper arm, she held her husband to her, feeling his warmth and life, trying not to let her fear get the better of her. Instead, she focused on the map to take her mind off her disquiet.

"That is a lovely map," she said quietly.

Keller's eyes were on the mid-marches. "It belonged to my grandfather," he said. "When I was assigned to Pembroke Castle, my father gave it to me. It has been invaluable."

Chrystobel noted the lovely designs and clean lines. She also noted the de Poyer family crest– a big red shield with three birds of prey in yellow. She'd never seen it before.

"My father has maps," she said. "They were in his chamber and I packed them away."

Keller nodded. "I found them," he said. "I went through his possessions before they were stored and took the maps. They are mingled with mine now. His maps of the interior of Wales are more detailed than mine."

Chrystobel's gaze moved to the pile of maps and papers over on the writing desk against the wall. She could see her father's smaller maps neatly stacked on the table with Keller's bigger ones. Not wanting to further distract her husband with chatter, which was really just nervous chatter on her part, she remained silent, leaning against him as he continued to study the map.

Too many sorrowful things were going through her head. She knew Keller was a knight and had fought many great battles. Perhaps, foolishly, she had hoped that would end when they married and they could live in peace for the rest of their lives. Aye, it had been a foolish thought, she knew.

Sighing sadly, she moved away from Keller, wandering over to the end of the small feasting table where the missive from Shropshire lay partially opened. She wasn't trying to be nosy, nor was she particularly curious about the missive, but she happened to look at it as she moved towards the end of the table. As her gaze moved over the letters, she noticed something suspicious about them. She'd seen letters like that before, many times, and she reached out, snatching the parchment and unrolling it completely. As she read the scribed characters, her eyes widened with both shock and dismay. Dear God… it couldn't be!

"Keller!" she gasped. "This… this missive!"

Keller looked up sharply from his map at the sound of her voice. "What is it?"

Chrystobel's mouth popped open. She couldn't help it. Horror flushed her veins as she held the missive out to Keller.

"This is my brother's writing!" she hissed. "Gryffyn wrote this!"

Keller snatched the missive from her, peering at it. He could feel the woman's terror and it bled over onto him. But, more than terror, his most predominant emotion at that moment was rage. Pure, unbridled rage.

"Are you certain?" he demanded, aghast.

Tears popped to Chrystobel's eyes and she nodded furiously, so much so that her careful braid began to unravel. "Aye," she said, her voice tight. "I would know his writing anywhere. I have seen it enough to know that Gryffyn wrote this missive!"

Keller stared at her, seeing her complete sincerity. But he still had his doubts, futile doubts clawing at him in the face of something quite shocking. Could it really be true?

"It is still possible for more than one man to have similar writing," he said, having difficulty disputing her. "An educated man wrote this. I can tell from the words."

Chrystobel wiped at her eyes. "Gryffyn is educated," she insisted. "My father made sure all of his children could read and write. God's Blood, my sister can write in three languages and so can Gryffyn. Believe me when I tell you this is his writing. He is trying to mislead you!"

After a moment, his focus moved back to the missive. The more he looked at it, the more disgusted and enraged he became. By the time the knights joined him in the small hall, he had been working on a steady simmer for at least a half of an hour.

Woe betide the man who truly enraged Keller de Poyer.

*

"It bears the seal of Shropshire," Keller told his knights. "I can only assume that d'Einen either stole a seal or had one made. Who's to know how he came across it in the first place, but he evidently has. This is the last time this man will try to deceive me. If he truly believes I am stupid enough to fall for this, then he is in for a rude awakening. I will play his game but I will win it, once and for all."

Rhys was reading the missive as Keller spoke. The other knights were looking rather disgusted by the entire thing, enraged and frustrated as Keller was that Gryffyn d'Einen was going to such lengths to destroy him. As Keller fumed, Rhys glanced over at him.

"Are we completely sure this was written by d'Einen?" he asked. "No disrespect intended towards your wife, but I have seen Shropshire's seal and this is it. What if this truly came from Shropshire and the handwriting is from someone else who scribes similarly to Lady de Poyer's brother?"

Keller wasn't offended. In fact, he nodded his head in agreement to everything Rhys was saying. "I have thought on that myself," he said. "My wife is convinced it is her brother's writing and given that we've been attacked twice now by Welsh rebels, with no true knowledge of how the rebels always seemed to know our every movement, my suspicion has been that Gryffyn d'Einen has been behind it all along watching everything we do. This missive, if indeed written by him, would only confirm that suspicion. The man is trying to destroy me."

Rhys drew in a long, slow breath. "I cannot disagree with you," he said. "But unless we have someone who comes to us and confirms that he saw d'Einen write this missive, we must go on the assumption that it indeed came from Shropshire and that Shropshire is calling for aid. We cannot refuse the call."

Keller sighed heavily. "I am aware of that," he said. "But let us assume it is not from Shropshire and that d'Einen indeed sent it. For what purpose? The only logical assumption is that he is trying to get me out of Nether, but why? To attack my army on the road?"

Behind him, William shook his head firmly. "Nay, Keller," he said. "I had dealings with d'Einen, lest you forget. I saw the man in action. It would be my guess that he is trying to remove you from Nether altogether. With you away, the castle will be vulnerable to a rebel attack. He is trying to get you out ."

Keller looked at William, pondering his statement. With another heavy sigh, he turned away from his knights and began pacing. The knuckle-popping started again, in earnest, as it usually did when he was frustrated. It was his habit of choice. Carefully, he considered the situation.

"So he is trying to remove me," he muttered, more to himself than to the others. "He wants to remove me so he can claim Nether and, more importantly, claim his sisters. He knows I would not take the women with me on a battle march, so I can only assume he wants to get at them."

"He will kill them, Keller," William said quietly. "You know this to be true."

Keller nodded, his gaze lingering on William. "I cannot go the rest of my life fighting off my wife's brother," he said. "Eventually, I may fail and the results could be devastating. He would reclaim both Nether and my wife, and this I could not stand for. It would therefore stand to reason that I must eliminate him. I have been spending all of my time on the defensive. Mayhap it is time to go on the offensive and eliminate the man once and for all."

William and Gart, who was standing next to William, nodded in agreement. "He means to destroy you," Gart insisted. "You must destroy him first ."

Keller knew that. He paused a moment, staring up at the ceiling as he thought over the situation carefully. He had the finest knights in all of England on his side. It was time he used them to his advantage.

"Very well," he decided, finally turning to look at the group. "If d'Einen wants me out of Nether, then mayhap I shall go. At least, to his eyes, I shall be taking my army to Shropshire, but in reality, I will be here at Nether, waiting for him to make his move."

"A trap?" William cocked an eyebrow. "An excellent idea. What did you have in mind?"

Keller scratched his head in thought. "How many men do I have here at Nether?"

"Five hundred and fifty," William replied.

Keller absorbed that number. "I have to send more than just a few men out in response to the Shropshire missive," he said. "If the Welsh are watching, and you know they will be, they will be suspicious if I only send out one hundred men. It has to be more than that to make a good show of things."

"Agreed," Rhys said from behind him, still holding the missive. "Send the Ashby-Kidd brothers out with two hundred and fifty men, and dress some of those men up as knights so that any observers will count more than two knights. The rest of us will remain here, lying in wait for d'Einen and his men to make their move."

Keller nodded thoughtfully to that suggestion. He liked it, but he had more to add. "If d'Einen is trying to remove me from Nether, then it is because he wants to clear the way for an easy conquest," he said, scheming as he went along. "Being that he has lived here most of his life, he knows the fortress better than most. He knows that Nether is nearly unbreachable because of the Gorge of the Dead that surrounds her walls. There is no place for a man to get a foothold to mount the walls, which makes the gatehouse the most vulnerable point of entry."

"The gatehouse is nearly impenetrable," Gart said. "All we have to do is burn the wooden bridge that spans from the gatehouse across the Gorge of the Dead, and then there is no way to reach the gatehouse."

Keller turned to look at Gart. "But there is that passageway that leads from the kitchens down to the gorge," he reminded him. "You were supposed to block it off. Did you?"

Gart nodded. "I took barrels from the stores and clogged the passageway," he said. "It is blocked off by all manner of heavy obstacles now. It would be virtually impossible to get through."

Keller's dark eyes glimmered. "Remove them," he said quietly.

Gart's brow furrowed. "But why?"

A flicker of a smile crossed Keller's lips. "I can only assume d'Einen plans to use that passageway," he said. "Let him. Let him come up those narrow stairs where I will be waiting at the top to take his head off. If I want to destroy the man, then I have to make it easy for him to come to me."

Gart understood then. "Of course," he agreed with approval. "That passageway is only big enough for one man at a time to enter. Let them all come."

Keller was feeling extremely confident with his plan. It wasn't the fact that Gryffyn was trying to kill him. Men had been trying to kill him for years, so that didn't bother him in the least. What bothered him was that Gryffyn seemed determined to get to Chrystobel and Izlyn. Any man who would target women was a vile man indeed, but Keller already knew that. More than that, he had been correct when he said he couldn't live with the threat of d'Einen hanging over his head for the rest of his life, and neither could his wife. At some point, Keller was going to have to take a stand, and the stand would come now. He was finished playing games.

It was time to win, once and for all.