Catherine Coulter - Pendragon

"Thank you, but I'm not all that fond of almonds, Aunt Libby."

Libby stopped humming. She rose slowly, shook out her skirts. "What is wrong, Meggie?"

"It's William."

"Oh my God-my precious boy is hurt? Someone has harmed him? Oh no. Don't keep me waiting, Meggie, spit it out."

"No, your precious boy is just fine. However, he has done a very bad thing."

"Not just a simple bad thing? A very bad thing? That's impossible. He is delightful. He is perfect, or nearly so. Now, what is this all about?"

"Come downstairs with me and I will let Thomas tell you."

"Thomas is a man. Thus he will be rough and not at all conciliatory. You will tell me."

"William has evidently gotten a local girl pregnant. Her father was here and quite enraged. He wanted to kill William. Thomas told the father that he would see to things, and so he will."

"Oh, is that all?" Libby heaved a huge sigh of relief and sat herself down again. "Thomas can give the father a bit of money, tell him boys will be boys, and all will be well. You frightened me, Meggie. It wasn't well done of you. Do tell Mrs. Black to bring me a bit of tea. Thank you."

"But, ma'am-"

"Go away, Meggie."

Meggie went. Pendragon Castle-it sounded so very wonderfully gothic, so very mysterious, filled with romantic legend. It sounded as if ancient memories and perhaps a sprinkling of magic could make their way into your bones if you lived here.

Surely Pendragon Castle hadn't expected to have such a strange concatenation of people living in it, giving it not a whit of mystery, romance, or magic. What would future generations believe permeated the castle walls after this crew departed?

Thomas was pacing the estate room. He looked harassed. He looked to be talking to himself.

Meggie said from the doorway, "Aunt Libby doesn't care. She doesn't think it's anything at all. She says you'll just give the father a bit of money and that will be that."

Thomas looked heavenward in utter weariness and said, "Why am I not surprised?" He sighed, plowed his fingers through his hair, which made her smile even through the dark cloud of misery William had brought into the castle.

Meggie said thoughtfully, "I suppose you could have him gelded, like a horse."

"Now, there's a good thought. Who would we get to do it?"

"The girl's father," Meggie said without any hesitation at all.

Thomas walked over to her and pulled her against him. "This is a damnable situation," he said against her hair. Her hair-it smelled of some sort of flower, he didn't know which. He found himself rubbing his nose in her hair, realized what he was doing, and pulled back.

"I am going to tell William that he will marry the girl, if, that is, she and her father will have him. I will also give her a dowry. And I will tell William if he doesn't change his colors and become a decent husband, I will have him join the King's navy. What do you think? I will also cut him off without a cent. That will doubtless provide his biggest incentive to keep his male parts at home with his wife."

"William doesn't have any money? From his mother?"

"Oh no, my father kicked her out not long after William was born, didn't give her a sou. I have paid for Oxford, for tutors."

"That's a wonderful idea, Thomas. It should keep him in line." She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his mouth, running her fingertips over his black, black eyebrows. "If I were the girl's father, I'm not so sure I'd want William as a son-in-law."

"I think Teddy MacGraff will be quite pleased. He'll see William as being completely in his power, which he will be."

She thought about that a moment. "Is Teddy MacGraff big and tough?"

"Very."

"Let's do it. We can announce it this evening."

"Perhaps we can even tell Aunt Libby that she will shortly be a grandmother. It will rile her no end to have a grandchild before Madeleine." He laughed.

"Good heavens, why?"

"She is very vain, just like my mother. Only thing is, Libby is younger than my mother by two years. Yes, my mother is going to be delighted."

Lord Kipper came to dinner, as he did nearly every evening since he and Libby had become involved in an affaire . At the end of the meal that still wasn't very good, even though Cook swore she'd followed Mary Rose's recipe for the stewed mutton down to the dash of thyme, Thomas rose and tapped his fork on his wineglass to gain everyone's attention. "William," he said to his younger brother, "you look less dead this evening than you did this morning."

William raised hopeful eyes at the sound of his half-brother's jovial voice. "Yes, I am fine now, Thomas."

"You will be more than fine very shortly. Actually, very shortly you will be a married man. You will wed Jenny MacGraff right here next Sunday. You and Jenny will live here, of course. I will provide Jenny a dowry."

With surprising agility, Libby jumped to her feet, nearly knocking her chair over she came up so quickly. "You cannot mean this, Thomas. It is absurd. The idiot girl's pregnant, who cares? It happens all the time. Give Teddy MacGraff a couple of pounds, he'll go away happy."

Madeleine said, "Thomas, Libby's right. This can't be the best way to solve this problem. The MacGraffs are nothings-nobodies! Goodness, Teddy MacGraff is a merchant! Oh, wait a moment-goodness me, can you believe it? Libby, you will be a grandmother! Ah, what a terrible thing, just terrible."

"No, I will not be a bloody grandmother! I do not recognize this child as William's. Indeed, I imagine he isn't the father at all. She drew him in, seduced him. He is a boy, incapable of producing a child."

Thomas laughed, he just couldn't help himself. He looked over at William, who was pale as the tablecloth, his fingers clutched around his wineglass, his eyes glazed.

Thomas said, "Yes, you will indeed be a grandmother, Aunt Libby. And yes, Thomas is the father. The wedding will take place next Sunday right here at Pendragon or-please listen to me, William. Are you?"

William jerked his eyes up from the wine that was such a lovely red. "I am listening, Thomas."

"You will marry Jenny MacGraff. You will be a good husband to her and a good father-at least better than our own father, which isn't saying much at all-or you will never again be welcome here at Pendragon. I will also cut you off without a sou. That is your choice. William, it is your decision. What say you?"

William looked from his mother back down to his wineglass. He picked up his fork and played with it, then slumped down in his chair. He raised pitiful eyes to Thomas. "Perhaps it isn't my child, Thomas. Perhaps Jenny has bedded many men and-"

"Don't be a fool, William. She was a virgin. Or will you try to tell me that she wasn't?"

"Perhaps a girl can have many virginities, perhaps she can develop a new one to lure in young men-"

"Which will it be, William?" Thomas asked with great patience, his voice implacable. Thomas had said earlier to Meggie that he couldn't imagine why any girl would want William, but the girl did. As for her father, Teddy had rubbed his hands together and smiled. It hadn't been a nice smile. "I'll see to it the lad behaves himself," Teddy had said, and Thomas believed him. He then gave Thomas a ferocious smile and shook his hand to seal the bargain.

"Marriage," William said into his lower lip. "I choose marriage."

"And you swear you will do your best to be a good husband and a good father?"

"I swear."

"Good. Niles, will you attend William's wedding?"

Lord Kipper raised a sleek brow, smiled, and raised his wineglass. "It will be a very nice wedding," he said. "To William and-what's-her-name?"

"Jenny MacGraff."

"To William and Jenny."

Everyone drank except Libby and William, who both moaned into their glasses.