A Knight Of Honour Part 5

'Not foolish, Elona,' he replied stiffly. 'I am the one who should know better.' He saw some of his men gathered a short distance from where they stood and realised that the kiss had been noticed by more than one. There was much curiosity and some amus.e.m.e.nt, which was only to be expected. 'd.a.m.nation!'

'What is it, Stefan?'

'I was seen to kiss you,' he said. 'I must take care it does not happen again or my brother will believe that I have betrayed his trust by stealing his bride.' He raised his hand, summoning the youth he had told her of. 'd.i.c.kon-attend to your mistress. She is in some distress.'

The young lad came running and the other men turned back to their business, which was the unloading of goods and horses from the boats that had just landed on the beach.

'I have done my best to comfort the Lady Elona,' Stefan said in a voice loud enough to carry. 'But I am a rough soldier and I do not know how to ease her hurts. I shall leave her in your charge, d.i.c.kon. I charge you take good care of her and respond to her as you would to me. Indeed, she is your mistress now. You are to obey her wishes in everything.'

Stefan walked away, leaving the youth to help Elona as best he could. He was aware of hidden smiles as he approached the small group of soldiers and knew that his impulsive behaviour had been noticed. All the more so since none of them would ever have seen him behave so tenderly towards a lady before.

His reputation for living almost as a monk had been exaggerated, but since he chose his women carefully and conducted his affairs in private, few would know of them. And there had been none since Isobel. Her scheming had so disgusted him that he had thought it impossible a woman should reach the inner core of him again, but he had been mistaken. Elona had touched him in a way that no other woman ever had, and he was afraid to look too closely at his own heart.

Elona de Barre was not for him. She of all women was forbidden, for she was all but betrothed to his brother. He must put his sinful thoughts of her away, forget the sweetness with which she had melted in his arms, offering herself in a way that had almost caused him to forget his honour. Had they been alone.. .but he must guard against that happening!

He was stung with remorse at the memory of his behaviour. Had he prevented her from eloping with her squire only to seduce her himself? How could he have betrayed himself by giving into temptation, even if only briefly?

It must not happen again!

He did not look back at her as she talked to the young squire. Somehow he must conquer this l.u.s.t that had come upon him since the first moment of seeing her!

'You are sad, lady,' d.i.c.kon said as he saw the way her eyes followed Stefan. 'May I do anything to comfort you? I could play my lute or sing for you an' it pleases you.'

'Thank you, d.i.c.kon, but I shall be better in a moment. I was thinking of my brother and my father-and of my home, which I may never see again.'

'It always hurts to lose those you love,' d.i.c.kon agreed, his smile soft and understanding as he saw her expression and guessed what she would not say. 'My father sent me away from home when I was but five, and I served the Duke until I was eleven, when he gave me to Sir Stefan.'

'Oh, you poor thing,' Elona said, forgetting her own worries as she looked at him in sympathy. 'How could they treat you like that-as if you were a mere possession?'

'I was, my lady,' d.i.c.kon replied, but seemed untroubled by the fact of his servitude. 'My father was poor and he sold me into the Duke's service. But when Sir Stefan received me as a gift he set me free. I am a freeman now and may seek service where I please-though I would never leave my lord.'

'Would you not leave him even to win honours in the Duke's service?'

'Not unless my lord bid me to it,' d.i.c.kon said. 'It is my pleasure and my duty in life to serve Sir Stefan-and now you, lady, since he asks it of me.'

'I am pleased to have you serve me, d.i.c.kon,' Elona said and smiled at him. He reminded her of her brother when he was of the same age and gladdened her heart. 'But I shall not forget that you are your own man and may leave me if I displease you.'

'I do not believe that any man would willingly leave you, my lady,' d.i.c.kon replied sincerely, bringing a faint flush to her cheeks. 'I hope that I shall serve you well, now-and in the future.'

Elona nodded, but she wondered a little at the look in his eyes. He was one of those who had observed that kiss.. .the kiss that had set her whole body aflame with a strange sweet sensation that she had never felt before, and that she realised must be desire. It was the overwhelming power of that new sensation that had made her cling so wantonly to Stefan. Little wonder that he had turned from her in disgust. And yet he had wanted her; she had felt it, sensed it as he held her. But perhaps it was not fitting for a lady to show her feelings so openly. She ought to have pretended to a maidenly reserve.

d.i.c.kon clearly believed that she was destined to be in his lord's life for more than the short time that it would take to deliver her to Banewulf. But Stefan seemed determined that she was promised to his brother. Had the betrothal been signed and sealed it could not have been broken, of course, for it was almost as sacrosanct as a marriage ceremony, but there had been no vows taken, no marks made on parchment and sealed to hold her to her promise.

Stefan was at times the most infuriating man-cold and harsh when he chose-and yet he could be so thoughtful, so tender. There was something in him at times that made her think they were more alike than they yet guessed, as if there was an inner thread that bound them whether they willed it or not. His kiss had awakened the sleeping woman inside her, stealing something from her that could never be returned, for it was her love, and once given she could not take it back.

She would have no other to husband, Elona decided. She was not promised to Alain de Banewulf and she was certain from what she had heard of him that he would not suit her. No, it was Stefan she wanted-Stefan she loved, though foolishly, for she was sure her love was not returned. What he felt for her was the l.u.s.t of a red-blooded man for a woman he found attractive, nothing more.

But she would have him or no one, she thought, and a little smile curved her mouth as she began to wonder how best to make sure that he desired her to the point where his need overcame his reserve.

'Tell me more about your lord, d.i.c.kon,' she said. 'Is he a good man to serve?'

'Oh, yes, my lady,' the youth said and a grin split his face. He pushed back his long, sandy hair as he helped her to mount her palfrey and stood looking up at her, holding the reins until her horse settled. 'There is none better despite his frowns and his stern manner. It will be my pleasure to tell you all you need to know.

The look he gave her was clearly conspiratorial and Elona knew that he had guessed her secret. She had no fear that he would betray her, for he was obviously on her side.

'Then you may ride beside me,' she said. 'For I would learn as much of your lord as you can tell me.'

Chapter Four.

Stefan had taken a house for them within the city walls, but Elona was dismayed when she saw how small it was. Just the kitchens and a small hail below and three chambers above that, put together, were hardly the size of her bedchamber at home.

'I do not believe that this will accommodate us all,' she said, feeling puzzled. Surely he could not expect her to stay here? 'Are there no larger houses to be hired in London?'

'None to be had for love or money,' Stefan said with a rueful expression. 'The city is full to bursting, for the King has summoned his knights to a tourney and their ladies oftimes come with them. It is a holiday, a time of celebration. Fear not, Elona. The house is for you and your servants. Four of my men will sleep on the floor downstairs to guard you, but the upper chambers are for your own use.'

'What of you and your retinue?'

'We shall set up our camp outside the city walls. It is, after all, the way we have followed for many years and will be no hards.h.i.+p for us.'

'Oh...' Elona was aware of a sense of loss. For some days he had slept no more than a few paces from her pavilion and she had grown accustomed to the sight of his powerful figure about the camp. She thought that she would have preferred to remain with him, but would not say so and was unconscious of the wistful tone of her voice as she asked, 'When shall I see you?'

'Not for two days,' Stefan told her, his eyes dwelling briefly on her lovely face, noticing the uncertainty reflected there. 'My business with the King will occupy me until then. I shall come to escort you to the tourney, but you must find your own amus.e.m.e.nt in the meantime. I imagine there are merchants enough to keep you from straying into mischief.'

'Visit the silk merchants?' Elona frowned. Once she would have flown into a temper at his teasing, but now she knew it meant nothing. She had not previously met with a sense of humour in a man and scarcely knew how to react. 'How shall I pay them? My father always attended to such matters.'

'You may tell the merchants to apply to me for payment.'

'But will they accept such an arrangement?' Elona was hesitant as she looked at him, trying to read his expression and failing.

'Oh, yes, I believe you will have no difficulty. However, I shall give d.i.c.kon a letter of authority and you may leave him to settle with the merchants on your behalf. It is his business to serve you and save you such inconvenience. All you have to do is choose whatever you wish and as much as you please, for it may be some time before you are again in London, and it is best to choose enough now rather than send for the wares you need.'

Elona accepted that her father had given Stefan a sum of money to defray her expenses and put the matter from her mind. She would miss seeing him every time she looked around, but it was only for two days and in the meantime she would enjoy visiting the merchants of this city.

Yet a little voice in her head told her that she would have enjoyed it so much more if he had accompanied her.

The bedchamber was strewn with bales of beautiful silks and damasks; a bewildering array of colour and the finest cloths available. Elona had discovered such treasures at the merchants she had visited that she had bought recklessly.

'Do you think I have spent too much?' she asked her women as she ran her fingers reverently over the gorgeous fabrics. 'I did not intend to buy so much, but the merchant kept showing me more and I could not resist.'

'Such is the way of merchants,' Bethany said. She picked up a pair of dainty slippers. They were made of soft leather and embroidered with beads. 'These are particularly fine, my lady.'

'I prefer these...' Elona pointed to a pair of yellow shoes with heels made of painted wood. 'Or perhaps these...' She had bought ten pairs in all and matching girdles, some of them jewelled or adorned with gold and silver. 'Oh, mercy, I fear Sir Stefan will say that! have bought too much! How will he ever get all these things on the wagons? They were already filled to bursting point.'

'I dare say he will have to hire another wagon,' Bethany said with a giggle. 'You will not need to visit another merchant for years.'

Elona bit her lip, beginning to regret her reckless spending. How could she have been so very extravagant? It was just that she had never seen so many lovely things. At home the merchants had brought samples of their wares to her father's house and her stepmother had advised her on what she ought to purchase. They had normally chosen cloth for two or three gowns each from the selection shown them.

Discovering a row of cloth-merchants' shops, all of them with vivid, tempting signs hanging outside, had been like walking into a magical world of enchantment for Elona.

At first she had found the city daunting. It had seemed noisy, dirty underfoot and the streets smelled awful. Beggars with dreadful sores sat in the filth at the roadside and begged for alms until they were driven off by some honest burgher with a stout stick; painfully thin dogs hunted amongst the rubbish for rotting food, and it was difficult to ignore the horrid stench. Elona had wondered why anyone would choose to live within the city, and it was not until she came to the cloth merchants that she had begun to enjoy herself.

Each shop was a part of the merchant's home. There were huge wooden shutters that were let down during the day and boarded up at night, and it was possible to see through to the wares on display inside. Some of the cheaper wares were on display in the street, but the more expensive goods were inside.

Elona had spent several happy hours going from one merchant to another. Now, as she saw how much she had bought, she was anxious lest Stefan should scold her-or worse still, tell her she must return some of these wonderful things!

'I think he will be very cross with me,' she said. 'But there, it is no matter. It is my father's money I have been spending, not his!'

'No, of course you have not been too reckless,' Stefan a.s.sured her when he came to the house that evening. She might have spent twice as much and he would have thought it worth it for that look in her eyes. He had thought her magnificent when she was angry, but when she smiled at him like that.. .but he must not let himself think that way! 'If you are to marry, you must be well prepared. Did I not tell you to buy whatever you desired?'

'I hope my father gave you sufficient monies, sir, for I fear I may have spent more than you expected.'

His expression remained unaltered. 'Have you bought all you need? That is my only concern.'

'Oh, yes,' she said, smiling as she saw his indulgent look. 'Besides all the lovely materials I found a new gown at one merchant's shop. It had been made up by his sewing women for a customer who had not collected it, and he was pleased to sell it to me. Bethany has altered it to fit me and I shall wear it to the tourney tomorrow. It is finer than any gown I have in my trunks.'

Her words were more revealing than she knew.

'What colour is your gown?' Stefan asked, his eyes intent on her face. She had such pleasure in these simple things-gifts that many another would have taken as their due.

'Green,' Elona said, her eyes lighting with pleasure. 'A deep leaf green with a girdle of gold threads-do you think that suitable?'

'Oh, yes,' Stefan replied. 'I am glad you chose green, for I believe this chain will go with it.' And the emeralds he had bought for her would match the colour of her eyes, though they changed with her moods, becoming darker or brighter as she went from anger to happiness.

Elona stared as he took something from beneath his tunic. He was dressed as always in the plain tunic and hose of a soldier with a heavy hauberk of mail and leather. He had a small silken pouch in his hand, which he handed to her in an odd manner... almost shyly, she thought.

'What is this?'

'You will need some ornament to wear to the tourney, Elona. All the other ladies will be richly dressed. I have noticed that you wear only a plain silver cross. I asked your women and they said you have no other.'

A little defensively, she touched the cross that hung from a silver chain at her breast. 'It was my mother's. I have had no need of anything more.'

'I believe you may feel more comfortable with some ornament tomorrow,' Stefan said. 'Why do you not look and see if it pleases you?'

Elona drew the chain from the pouch. It felt heavy and she saw that the gold was intricately worked and that several dark green stones were set into the metal. It was a thing of beauty and very precious. She frowned, for she guessed that it must be valuable.

'Are you sure my father gave you sufficient gold to buy all these things, sir?' she asked, lifting her bright gaze to his. 'I would not be in your debt, for I cannot pay you myself.'

The Lord de Barre had never been particularly generous to his daughter in the past. Until his son died it had always been Pierre upon whom he lavished his gifts, and Elona who received what was necessary, but that was the way of things and she had not noticed any lack. It was true that she was heir to his lands, but they would pa.s.s to her husband once she was married. She knew that it was her father's wish that it should be so ordered, and indeed, it was the custom. A man was a better guardian of lands and wealth than a woman, though Elona knew that some women held lands in their own right.

She had never wished to inherit the de Barre lands. They should have gone to her brother, her own portion something much more modest.

'Your father has been generous, Elona,' Stefan told her, breaking into her thoughts. 'You do not come empty handed to your wedding.'

Elona nodded. Of course, the chain would form a part of her dowry. She had thought for a moment that it was a gift from Stefan, but he would not give her something like this. Why should he? Only a man who intended to wed would give such a gift.

'I understand. I must be grateful to my father-and to you for thinking of me. The chain is beautiful and I am grateful that you took so much trouble to choose it for me.'

Stefan smiled, but said nothing. The chain was a gift from him as were all the other goods he had told her to purchase. Although a dowry would be paid on Elona's marriage, and her father's lands become her husband's in time, the Lord de Barre had provided little for her present expenses. It had been Stefan's idea that she might like to visit the merchants of London. He had made it his business to learn all he could of her life, and he knew that, far from being the Lord de Barre's spoiled daughter as he'd first thought her, she had oftimes been neglected in favour of her brother.

Perhaps it was that knowledge, gained from Will de Grenville and her women, that had made him want to indulge her a little. After all, he was a rich man, well able to spend large sums of money if it pleased him, and it pleased him to give her some happiness. She, too, had known what it was to come second in a father's affections. Forced to leave her home for a strange land, to live with people she had never met, and perhaps to wed a man she did not know, Elona had faced her future bravely.

She had not begged or pleaded, because to make a fuss might have caused her father to suffer. Stefan admired her restraint and the character that led her to put her father's wishes before her own.

He had been aware of her inner struggle. Had she been given a chance, she might have fled with her squire in the hope of being forgiven after the marriage by her father. Stefan believed that she would have been sadly disappointed. The Lord de Barre was more likely to have cast her off as a disgrace to her family and his name.

Stefan had guarded her well, as much for her own sake as any other, and now that they had reached the safety of the English court, he was in the mood to relax and allow her to enjoy herself.

'Have you ever been to a tourney, Elona?'

'No-at least, there was a small one held at my home a few months before my brother died. Pierre was the victor-he was so brave, so clever, that he vanquished all corners, including knights who had won many honours at larger tourneys. I was so proud of him that day...' She sighed. 'Pierre promised to take me to the Duke's court when I was seventeen, but... it was not to be.' She lifted her head proudly, determined not to let her sadness spoil the treat that lay ahead for them. Her brother had loved her and from him she had received much kindness. 'I am looking forward to the tourney very much.'

'As am I,' Stefan said softly. The shadows in her eyes touched him in a way he had not thought possible. He was aware of a need to protect and cherish her. 'It will be my pleasure to escort you. And now I must leave you; the hour grows late. I shall return soon after c.o.c.kcrow, for we must be early enough to secure you a good place, Elona. You will want to see everything.'

She smiled as he took her hand and kissed it gallantly. After he had gone she held the spot where his lips had touched her to her cheek, feeling a warm glow inside. No one had ever taken such care for her pleasure, not even her beloved brother.

If she had had any doubts they had all fled now. Stefan de Banewulf would be her husband or she would have none at all.

'Oh, it is so exciting,' Elona cried as she saw the pennants flying in the wind, the bright colours of the knights' pavilions that had been set up in the field and the throng of richly dressed ladies and gentlemen. 'I have never seen so many people in one place.'

'Now you know why it was difficult to find a suitable place for you to stay,' Stefan said. 'It is a huge occasion; this tourney is the most important of the year and all the knights will try to win honour here.'

'I do hope that they will not injure themselves,' Bethany said anxiously-she knew that one of Sir Stefan's men had entered the lists of challengers, and, although nothing had been said, there was an understanding between them.

'It happens,' Stefan told her seriously, 'but it is not often that anyone is killed unless he falls badly-or a lance enters his breastplate. If a knight is well prepared, and his armour well maintained, he should suffer nothing more than a few cuts and bruises.'

'You do not fight?' Elona looked at him, a shaft of fear touching her heart. If he were to be in danger all her pleasure in the day would disappear.

'Not this time,' Stefan a.s.sured her. 'I have fought and won honours enough, most on the field of battle. Today I am devoted to giving you pleasure, Elona. I shall be by your side and we shall sample all the delights on offer together.'

'What kind of delights?' she asked, giving him a teasing look that brought a gleam to his eyes. When she looked like that she was irresistible!

'Why, from the peddlers and side-shows, lady,' Stefan said. 'Have you not seen them wandering amongst the crowd?'

'Yes, I had noticed,' she replied. She pouted at him, little knowing that it raised a raging desire in him to sweep her up in his arms and carry her off. 'Shall I have my fortune told, Stefan?'

'If it pleases you. My only wish is to give you a day you will remember as being happy-' Liar that he was! His true wish at that moment was to take her into his arms and feel the warmth of her melting surrender, but such thoughts were dangerous and must be quelled. With some difficulty he recalled his wandering thoughts. 'But first I must take you and introduce you to the King. I would warn you that he is not well, Elona. Some say he has ailed from the day that his knights murdered the sainted Archbishop Sir Thomas a Becket, and that he is cursed by the crime that will forever stain his memory-but I think it is merely the curse of age that takes its toll of him.'

'I have heard men speak of that ill deed,' Elona said and looked grave. 'Some say it was a careless word from the King that sealed the Archbishop's doom, causing those knights to foully slay him, but they say also that His Majesty was justly angry with them and has regretted it from that day to this.'

'Jam certain that is so,' Stefan said. 'But I do not judge a man on words spoken in anger. Any man might speak as Henry did when his patience is at an end-just as a blow may be struck in the heat of the moment and then regretted-it is the slow drip of malicious poison that I despise and hate. Liars and those who would use slyness to gain their evil way.'

There was something in his tone then that made Elona look at him. She caught a flicker of anger in his eyes, a hardening of his mouth, as if he was remembering something, and yet in an instant the look had gone and he was smiling at her.