Susan Paul - The Bride's Portion

“Silence, Aunt Leta,” he commanded quietly, and the room fell still again. So still that Lillis thought she could hear the frantic pounding of her heart.

“My lady of Wellewyn,” he spoke with unnerving softness, “let us have an understanding. I assure you that you will not leave here tonight.”

Lillis felt Edyth trembling violently beneath her hands, and she licked her dry lips.

“We will, ” she insisted.

“You will not.”

Lillis understood him, could hear in the tone of his voice exactly what he meant. They were prisoners. She wanted to give way to the fear that struck her so fiercely, but she wouldn’t. She would not. Instead, she demanded, “What is your name, sir, and what place is this?”

He seemed surprised at her question, as though she should know where she was and to whom she spoke.

“This is Gyer, my lady, and I am Alexander Baldwin, the Lord of Gyer.”

He spoke the words with such meaning and expectancy that Lillis felt even more unsettled. He was watching her for some kind of reaction and seemed dissatisfied that she had none.

“You do not know of Gyer,” he stated.

“I have not been home for more than ten years, Alexander of Gyer, but I do have some small memory from my childhood of a place called Gyer. Is it not a neighboring fief to Wellewyn?”

He gave her no answer, but turned to address those behind him.

“They will stay in Mother’s chamber. Aunt Leta, send servants with food and drink. Tell them to give these ladies whatever they require.”

“Your mother’s chamber, Alexander? It isn’t right!”

“It will be as I say,” he answered curtly. “Go now. Willem and I will escort the ladies to their chamber.” He looked at the twins. “Wait for me below,” he said in a voice that made them leave the room at once.

Lillis and Edyth found themselves alone with Alexander of Gyer and the man named Willem.

“You will come with us,” the Lord of Gyer stated rather than asked.

Edyth shook her head and clutched Lillis’s hands. “Oh, no, my lady!” she sobbed. “They are going to hurt us! They are going to kill us!”

Lillis bent to put her arms around her companion’s trembling form. “Now, my dear, they’re going to do no such thing. They shall take us to a very nice chamber—” she sent an angry glare at the Lord of Gyer, who nodded “—and we shall eat until we are full and then we will rest.”

“I—I am very hungry,” Edyth whimpered, shuffling toward the open door.

The man named Willem carried a torch to light their way, but when they reached the first stair Edyth stumbled. Lillis moved to hold her up, then was surprised to find that the Lord of Gyer had also reached out a steadying hand.

“Let me,” he murmured, prepared to help the older woman down the stairs. But he had made a mistake. When Edyth realized, even in her weakened state, whose hand it was that grasped her arm, she shrank against her mistress in a state of full distress.

“Don’t touch her!” Lillis warned, stopping on the step and enclosing Edyth in a strong embrace. Her trembling maid fell against her and wept.

Alexander of Gyer stared at her.

“Are you a knight, Alexander of Gyer?” Lillis asked angrily.

His face registered shock. “Yes.”

“Then I hope you pray well to God tonight.”

He understood her meaning, she saw, but said not a word, only nodded and turned to lead the way down the stairs.

It took some time to reach their destination, Lillis having to help Edyth every step of the way, but finally they stopped in front of a door that opened to a beautiful chamber, as clean and orderly as their previous chamber had been filthy and disorderly. Lillis guided Edyth inside, relieved to see that a fire was already burning in the fireplace and that candles had been set out for illumination.

“Someone will come to see to your needs,” Alexander of Gyer said. Finally Lillis looked at him. He appeared different in the full light, bigger and more formidable. He was wet and obviously tired, and his heavy armor looked uncomfortable. He was younger than she had originally thought.

“We will speak in the morn, my lady. I will wish you a good eve until then.”

Making a slight bow, he turned and left, the man named Willem trailing behind him. The door closed with a thud, and Lillis heard the unmistakable sound of the lock being turned.

“Here you are,” Willem said as he stuck his head through the door. “I should have known where you’d be when you didn’t appear for the morning meal.”

Alexander looked up from the table at which he sat and gave Willem a brief smile. “Come and keep me company.” He nodded at a chair across from him. “I fear I slept ill last night and rose earlier than usual. Cook fed me some bread and cheese in the kitchen.”

Frowning, Willem strolled across the room. “You do look tired, Alex. This matter with Wellewyn wears on you, and I imagine our... guests trouble you, as well. Have you decided what you’ll do with them?”

Alexander shook his head and lifted one hand to rub his tired eyes. Slept ill last night? In truth, he’d not slept at all. Coming home to find Lillis of Wellewyn a captive in his home had left him in shock, and he had lain awake, staring into the darkness and wondering what he should do with her. He had several choices, and not a one of them ideal.

He could send Jaward a missive, letting him know that his daughter was being kept at Gyer, and could word it in such a way that no obvious threat would be implied, or he could come right out and tell Jaward to meet his terms else his only child would suffer. The problem with the latter was that Jaward would probably realize Alexander didn’t possess the meanness to actually hurt a woman; the problem with the former was that Jaward would simply go to the king and petition his aid in having his daughter returned. Holding Lillis of Wellewyn certainly seemed like a good way of getting what he wanted from the old man, but Alexander wasn’t yet sure how to go about using her to his advantage.

“No,” he answered at last, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve not yet decided what I’m going to do. I’ve instructed Aunt Leta to bring the lady to me after she and her companion have breakfasted. I thought I would see what she knows about her father’s activities. Any information she can give us will be helpful. If she has any information that she’s willing to give.”

Willem was quiet for a moment, then said, “She’s very beautiful, is she not?”

A glance at his younger brother showed that Willem was carefully inspecting his knees, his face having turned red, and the sight made Alexander grin. Willem was one of the bravest men Alexander had ever known, especially in battle, yet for all that he was painfully shy of women. Merely mentioning that he found a lady to be beautiful made him blush.

“Yes, she is,” Alexander agreed. “Most beautiful. Not at all what I expected after seeing Jaward.”

Not at all what he’d expected, regardless of Jaward. Alexander had walked into that chamber last night and found himself faced with a woman unlike any he had ever before seen. She was certainly the tallest woman he had ever met with, and she had the blondest hair he’d ever seen, as well. She had looked like a shining angel in the glow of the candlelight. Even her brows were blond, causing her blue eyes to stand out quite noticeably. Alexander had been able to see the light blueness of them right through the dark. Her features were fine, with high cheekbones and a full mouth complementing her pale, white skin. He remembered her hands—strong hands, beautiful, with long, shapely fingers that looked as though they could mete out a great deal of pain—or pleasure.