“Are you telling me that noble titles are more important to you than love?” Brianna began to feel angry.
“Signed betrothal contracts take precedence over love. Our fathers, both Earls of the Realm, also signed the contract. It is a fitting match between equals. Love will come after we marry.”
“We will never be married, Lincoln. I will speak to Lynx and Jane about this.”
Lincoln immediately changed his tactics. He stopped demanding and started cajoling. “Brianna, you would never be so cruel as to speak of this to my mother? It would be heartless to spoil her visit to Scotland after she has waited all these years.”
“I don’t want to hurt Jane,” Brianna protested. “She is the sweetest and most gentle lady I know.”
“Then do not hurt her, I beg you. For my mother’s sake, say nothing about breaking the betrothal until she has enjoyed her visit and we return home. Our wedding was planned for Christmas. That gives you lots of time to think about it and perhaps change your mind. When December comes, if you still feel the same, I will release you.”
Brianna hesitated. “Lincoln, I would feel much better if we made a quick, clean break.”
“You would feel better? Forgive me, your feelings are paramount in this matter.” His voice dripped sarcasm. “Forget you are the daughter my mother has always wanted. Forget that this will break her heart.”
“I am covered with guilt that I must hurt her, but I feel that Jane will understand.”
“Yes, my mother is indeed selfless. She is a most understanding lady, who always puts others before herself.”
Brianna drew in a deep breath. “I suppose I could wait until you return from Scotland. But, Lincoln, I want you to understand that I will not change my mind.”
“I quite understand how stubborn you are.”
No, Lincoln, you haven’t the faintest idea!
“Brianna, how’s my imp of Satan?” Lynx de Warenne teased.
She flushed. His words made her feel like a handmaiden of the devil. Lynx had ridden over to Colchester to discuss the upcoming journey with Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel, but had returned in time for dinner.
“When I told FitzAlan I was taking my family with me to Scotland, he decided to take his daughter, Blanche. He offers his ship, which he keeps at Colchester, for the journey to Edinburgh. That would be far less fatiguing for the ladies than riding all the way to Scotland.”
“That is most generous of Lord Arundel,” Jane declared happily.
“Brianna and I think Blanche FitzAlan a very sweet young lady,” Lincoln Robert declared.
Young Jamie rolled his eyes and Brianna choked on her wine.
After dinner, Brianna followed Lynx into his library and closed the door. “I find it strange that you are eager to do the king’s bidding. Edward and Despencer are nothing but tyrants.”
“Indeed they are, but there is method in my madness. If I negotiate a truce with my friend Robert Bruce, my castles and lands will not be forfeit.”
“They have threatened you?”
“Not in so many words, but it is implied that if I am successful, my estates will be safe. I know I can trust your discretion, Brianna. Don’t let on to Jane. Lincoln returned from Farnham to warn me that our neighbor’s property that runs parallel with ours has been sequestered by Despencer.”
“He’s a vicious, greedy swine! If you were approached by those who would unite against this tyranny, would you join them?”
Lynx stiffened. His face set in stern lines. “I will not discuss treason with you, Brianna. Do not involve yourself in men’s affairs. Splendor of God, you are just like your mother. You may trust me to do what is best for my family.”
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry.”
His face softened. “Jane will enjoy showing you Dumfries, and perhaps you and Lincoln can visit Wigton Castle, which is just across the Solway Firth from Jane’s old home.”
Brianna opened her mouth to protest, and then closed it. She had agreed to keep quiet about ending the betrothal until Jane returned from Scotland.
“When do you plan on leaving?”
“We’ll try to sail in a week. I’d rather not wait any later than the first week of September. Autumn comes early to Scotland, and winter weather soon follows. Don’t forget to pack your furs.”
The evening passed in a blur for Brianna. When Lynx and Jane retired early, she suspected it was so that she and Lincoln Robert could be alone. “I’m tired. I think I’ll go upstairs too.”
Alone in the lovely chamber that had belonged to her mother, she found that she could think more clearly. She readied herself for bed and then her fingers sought the wolf touchstone. She clasped it tightly. Please guide me on the right path.
Lynx and Jane took it for granted that she was going to Scotland with them, but in truth she had no desire to go. Since she had agreed not to break off the betrothal until after the trip, it would mean that she would have to live a lie every day of the journey, and she shrank from it. Don’t be such a hypocrite, Brianna. You are quite capable of lying and practicing deceit. You’ve been doing it for months to help Isabelle and Mortimer.
As she pondered her dilemma, she realized that she could make an excuse to Lynx and Jane why she could not go to Scotland, without disclosing her intention to break her betrothal with Lincoln Robert.
She pulled on a bedrobe over her nightgown and went down the long hallway that led to Lynx and Jane’s bedchamber. Their door was slightly ajar and when she heard her name spoken, something made her stop and listen.
“Brianna has Robert’s eyes. Their large, soft brown Celtic eyes are identical. I’ve often suspected the Bruce is her father.”
“You mustn’t say such things. Many people have brown eyes,” Jane admonished her husband.
Brianna was stunned. I cannot possibly be the daughter of the King of Scotland! She stood in the dim hallway, her heart pounding, her head spinning, and her feet rooted to the floor. When the dizziness passed, she silently backed away from their chamber and returned to her own room.
She went to the mirror, raised her thick dark lashes, and saw the large brown Celtic eyes staring back at her. Brianna’s fingers closed over her wolf touchstone. You brought me secret knowledge. The reflection of the room behind her evoked her mother. Jory’s spirit seemed tangible in the very air.
You left Scotland and immediately married Guy de Beauchamp. The Earl of Warwick is not my father! Anger and pain rose up in her. How could you? How could you both deceive me?
Chapter 23
“Simon, may I trouble you to take this letter to Hedingham for me? The de Warennes invited me to sail with them to Scotland and coward that I am, I find it easier to make my excuses in a letter than in person.”
“It’s no trouble, Lady Brianna. The weather is lovely and I fancy a ride.”
“Good. I have every intention of riding to Warwick soon.” Brianna’s anger and pain had not lessened one whit after she returned to Windsor, and she knew she would find no peace until she journeyed to Warwick and confronted her parents.
When Brianna asked Isabelle for permission to go home for a visit, the queen gave her consent. “I shall try to manage without you. After all, if you had gone to Scotland with your betrothed, your absence from Windsor would have been far longer.”
Brianna began to pack. It was a seventy-mile ride to Warwick and would take three days. When Simon Deveril returned, it would take him only a day to ready himself and the horses.
Simon brought her two letters from Hedingham. She opened the one from Lincoln Robert first.
My Dearest Brianna:
I regret that you are not coming to Scotland, but hope the time apart will allow you to reflect upon your foolish decision to break our betrothal. Our families have set their hearts on this marriage and it would be both cruel and selfish to disappoint them. I feel confident that by the time I return, you will have changed your mind.
Fondest regards,
Lincoln Robert de Warenne.
/>
She sighed, well aware that she was cruel and selfish without being told by Lincoln. She opened the letter from Jane.
Darling Brianna:
I am so sorry that your duty to Queen Isabelle prevents you from sailing to Scotland with us. I will miss you sorely, as will Lincoln Robert. As soon as I learned about Lynx being asked to negotiate a truce with Robert Bruce, enabling me to visit my family at Dumfries, I dispatched a letter to your mother telling her that you were coming with us to Scotland. Perhaps you could let her know you were unable to join us.
I am so excited and happy about this visit. For me, it is like a dream come true. I intend to enjoy every moment.
All my love,
Jane de Warenne.
Though Jane was the Countess of Surrey, Brianna noted that she did not use her title to sign her letter. Jane is so unpretentious. I’m glad I kept the news from her about breaking my betrothal. It would have ruined her visit.
As prearranged, Wolf Mortimer met up with his brother, Edmund, the de Bohun brothers, and Adam Orleton in Hereford. Because Orleton was the Bishop of Hereford, it was a safe haven where they could rendezvous.
Since Wolf was usually aware of impending danger, he had deliberately chosen to recruit in the Welsh Marches. He rode at night, often following the royal troops who had been sent to search for and capture his father. Though Edward had given Despencer title to the lands of Mortimer, d’Amory, and Audley, Wolf Mortimer recruited the people who inhabited those lands to secretly pledge their support for Roger Mortimer.
“I also have pledges from Chepstow, Usk, Raglan, Clifford, and Hay,” Wolf said with a grin. “I’m working my way north. I’ll be visiting our own castles of Wigmore and Ludlow tomorrow.”
Edmund shook his head in wonder at his brother’s reckless daring. “I believe I have persuaded Aylesbury and Woodstock.”
John de Bohun had pledges from Tewksbury and Gloucester, and his brother, Humphrey, had recruited Dorchester and Oxford. Next they intended to recruit in Cambridge, a strategic city, and then secretly contact nobles along the east coast.
“A remarkable achievement for only one month,” Orleton praised. “I have been in communication with the bishops of Bath, Lincoln, Norwich, and Winchester. All condemn the tyranny of Edward and Despencer, and fortunately bishops have the powerful protection of the Church and the ear of the pope.”
“Rickard de Beauchamp is adept at getting messages to and from my father in France. If necessary, he is prepared to cross the Channel to meet secretly with Roger Mortimer,” Wolf told them. “We need the backing of the most powerful earls such as Chester. I will ride there, but first I will seek out Thomas of Lancaster’s brother Henry Plantagenet. The king not only executed his brother, but also deprived him of Lancaster’s earldom and possessions. He is bound to be bitterly opposed to Edward and Despencer, and lust for their downfall.”
“Somehow, sometime, someway, someday!” Wolf Mortimer swore the vow and awoke with a start. Once again he had been dreaming of Brianna. Since the two days they had stolen at Chertsey, when they had consummated their love, her image was ever before him. Last night, as he lay in bed he had tried to conjure her, so he could transcend the physical and join her in spirit, as he had often done before. Since he had returned her touchstone, he possessed no object that held traces of her essence, and no matter how he willed it, a vision of Brianna did not materialize.
His dreams, however, were amazing. Sometimes their lovemaking was highly erotic, like riding wild horses on a magic carpet. At other times it was sweet and gentle, and breathtakingly tender. As he lay with his lips buried in the warm hollow of her throat, it was as if he had found sanctuary.
Last night Wolf dreamed Brianna was at Warwick. Unlike his mystic visions when he experienced true second sight, he knew dreams were unreal and ephemeral, prompted by wishful thinking. Perhaps my dream was trying to tell me something. His longing for her was so great, he decided to stop at Warwick on his way to visit Henry Plantagenet at nearby Kenilworth Castle.
“Wolf Mortimer, it is an honor to welcome you to Warwick.” Jory de Beauchamp gave her unexpected visitor a kiss of greeting, and said fervently, “I thank God for your father’s escape from the Tower last month.”
“I assure you God had nothing to do with it, Lady Warwick.”
“Of course you are right,” she acknowledged. “It must have taken a great deal of planning by courageous men.”
“And women,” Wolf added lightly.
“Rickard came for one night and told us Roger had escaped and that you and the de Bohuns had managed to free yourselves from confinement. Guy Thomas had a hundred questions, but Rickard was amazingly closemouthed.”
“That is because we are hunted fugitives. If caught, we would all lose our lives, including Rickard.”
Jory took Wolf into the hall and poured him ale. “Brace yourself for his questions. Guy Thomas will be overjoyed to see you. He has taken on a lot of Warwick’s responsibilities since his father’s accident.”
“Accident?” Wolf’s brows drew together.
“Early in the year, my husband suffered a blow to the head and ever since he has been losing his sight. It is not completely gone, he still can see shadows, but his days of combat are over.”
“That is most regrettable, my lady. Please accept my sympathy—I would not dare offer it to Warwick.”
Jory smiled. “How very astute you are.”
He longed to ask about Brianna, but controlled the impulse. If she were at Warwick, he would soon know. If she is here, I cannot ask her to marry me. I am still a fugitive. His senses became drenched with her. Perhaps I will ask her to wait for me. Wolf’s heart contracted painfully. He clenched his fists. That would be totally self-serving. Before we parted I told her I wanted no undying vows. She must be free to make her own choices.
“Here comes Margaret,” Jory said. “News of your arrival is spreading like wildfire.”
Wolf turned and saw the pale, poignant face of Margaret Audley. Her eyes were wide with apprehension.
He smiled. “I have some encouraging news, my lady. I saw Sir Hugh a fortnight ago and he was hale and hearty.”
Her hand went to her breast. “Thank heaven! Can you tell me where he is, Wolf?”
“Your husband has regrouped all his fighting men. He has made secret contact with the people of Audley and has their allegiance, but he is no longer in perilous South Wales. He has gone to d’Amory’s Hampshire castle of Odiham, a safe refuge.”
At that moment, Guy Thomas came striding into the hall. Margaret’s son James was trying to keep up with him. “Wolf Mortimer! I cannot believe you are here in the flesh!”
Wolf grinned. “Are you growing taller, or am I shrinking?”
“I’m growing taller,” young James asserted.
“You are indeed. Your father will be most impressed when he sees you.” Wolf restrained himself from tussling the boy’s hair and treating him like a child.
Guy Thomas said, “He follows me about just as I did with you. I’ll try not to ply you with a million questions.”
When Warwick arrived with the ever-present Brutus at his side, Wolf bade Shadow, “Stay.” She went down on her haunches and made no move toward the black wolfhound.
Guy de Beauchamp shook hands with Mortimer and invited him to the library where they could talk in private. He sat down at the desk and Brutus stretched at his feet. “It’s the height of irony that I have one of the best book collections in England that I can no longer read.”
“I warrant you’ve read every book and will retain the knowledge.” Wolf took a seat. “My father arrived safely in Paris and received a warm reception from King Charles.”
“Undoubtedly it was Queen Isabelle who arranged a safe haven for Roger at her brother’s court.”
“Aye. Perhaps Lady Brianna told you that he charmed the queen into helping him escape?”
“You mean he seduced her. I hear the censure in your voice. Don’t fault him, Wolf, for manip
ulating her. She is using him too. Isabelle must clearly recognize that Roger Mortimer is the only man capable of ending the tyranny of Edward and Despencer.”
When Warwick made no mention of Brianna, Wolf went on to tell him what he and the de Bohuns had been doing since they left Windsor. “Adam Orleton is uniting the bishops and tomorrow I will ride to Kenilworth and ask Henry Plantagenet to pledge to our cause. In theory, he is the highest magnate in England.”
“I believe Henry will commit to you. He has petitioned Parliament for his brother’s earldoms of Leicester and Lancaster, though he knows it’s futile so long as Despencer rules the king. I pledge you my Warwick men-at-arms. Rickard will lead them.”
“I thank you, sir. I don’t know how we will ever repay you.”
“The Mortimers and the de Beauchamps have a bond of blood. Our fortunes are inextricably tied together.”
Wolf flushed. The Mortimers have no fortune. We are reduced to beggars.
“I hear the bell summoning us to dinner. Come, Brutus, it would be rude to keep the ladies waiting.”
Jory sat at her husband’s right hand and placed Wolf beside her. Guy Thomas quickly took the seat beside him.
Wolf held his breath as his glance swept about the hall, hoping that Brianna would show up for the evening meal. When she did not arrive, his hopes plummeted.
In spite of his promise, Guy Thomas plied him with questions and Wolf strived to answer him with honesty and humor.
Halfway through the meal, Jory decided her son had monopolized their guest long enough. “I received a letter from my brother’s wife, Jane, yesterday. It seems King Edward has sent Lynx de Warenne to Scotland to negotiate a lasting truce with the Bruce. Jane was born in Dumfries and is excited to visit her family.”