“Really!” Her tone had definitely sharpened. “And did you give him leave to do so, my lord?”
“He will be arriving today near the noon hour.”
It was Elise’s turn to come out of her chair and slap the table with the palm of her hand. “ ‘Twas so good of you to give your consent, Master Seymour!”
“I gave him nothing save the best of advice,” Maxim answered casually. “I have no authority to say him yea or nay, but bade him seek your answer for himself. In all honesty I warned him against doing so and to don cuirass, helm, and buckler if he was intent upon the matter and valued his skin at all.”
“Oh, you . . . !” A fiery brightness came into the jewel-blue eyes, while her lips tightened to a pinched whiteness. “You dare bandy my name and abuse my repute with your cronies! Oh!”
Her fists were clenched tightly with rage as she, unable to bear his mocking grin a moment longer, spun on a heel and beat a retreat toward her chambers. But if that gawking fool thought the battle won and done with, he was to pay a heavy price for that presumption. She paused on the first flight of stairs and requested rather sharply, “Could you send Fitch and Spence up with some buckets of water? Plenty of them! I am in a mood to try that copper tub in my chambers.”
It was shortly before the noon hour when Maxim, having returned from another ride that encompassed the borders of his newly purchased lands, passed his chamber windows and, from there, caught a glimpse of Captain Von Reijn’s small party coming along the trail toward the castle. He opened a panel to have a better view and chuckled at the sight that greeted him. At times Nicholas had a penchant for being flamboyant, and this matched his best. His attire was as rich as any king’s. Indeed, the heavily embroidered chamarre nearly bedazzled the beholder as its gold threads twinkled in the sun. The fur lining apparently kept him from feeling the chill, for he rode his mount as if it were a fine spring day. He grasped the reins in one gloved hand and rested the other fist on his hip where it held the fanciful coat open in such a way as to reveal doublet and puffed trunk hose of dark crimson velvet. His plumed toque sat jauntily upon his head, and even from where he stood, Maxim could see a costly gold chain adorned with flashing gems hanging around the man’s neck.
Mounted guards wearing chest-plates of polished brass rode fore and aft of the captain, and the halberds they bore marked their intent to defend him from any miscreant who would try to waylay him. Following behind the threesome came a rather rotund servant who led a packhorse weighted down with all manner of bundles, casks, and cases. His own steed was loaded down not only with his considerable weight, but with copper pots and a wide assortment of paraphernalia that clanged and clattered as they approached.
“Behold, the suitor cometh,” Maxim observed with an amused chuckle. Leaving his chambers, he made his way downstairs and went outside to await his guests. He stood on the top step in a bold stance, feet spread wide, and fists resting on his hips, while the brisk wind ruffled his close-cropped hair. The Hansa captain had approached the seemingly lifeless pile of rubble with a look of distaste, and when he espied his host, he spurred his horse into the van and led his party across the moat.
“Maxim!” Von Reijn called in buoyant greeting. “How fares the day vith yu, good friend?”
“Sweetly,” Maxim rejoined. “The morning has graced me with many pleasurable sights to woo the eye.”
“Ja, it vas a beautiful sunrise, I must agree.” Nicholas nodded, then glanced about him at the tumbledown wall and structures. “Though ‘tis hard to imagine how yu could enjoy any view from this pile o’ stone.”
“A man never knows where he might behold marvelous wonders. Why, it could be right beneath his very nose,” Maxim remarked, with a mind toward the sight that he had glimpsed from his own windows that morning.
“Not in this place!” Nicholas stated with conviction.
Maxim laughed and descended the stone steps. “I see you have chosen to ignore my warnings and have ventured forth on this hazardous quest of yours. While you are still unmarked and whole of limb, set your feet to ground and come warm yourself before the hearth.”
Nicholas slid from the saddle and tossed the reins to Spence as the pair of servants came running to assist the guests. The captain slowly turned full circle as he surveyed the courtyard, its crumbling stonework and the sagging roofs of the outbuildings. “I had at least hoped to find some shelter for the horses.”
“ ‘Tis there.” Maxim directed the man’s attention toward the stable. “ ‘Tis solid enough and out of the wind. Behind it there’s even a room with a hearth where your men can find respite. Fitch will see they are given food and a cup or two of ale to stir the blood.”
“Not too much of the ale,” Nicholas advised. “They must be alert for the trip home tonight.”
The portly man seized an armful of pots and pans and rattled and clanged his way into the keep, as Maxim’s amused gaze followed him.
“I’ve brought Herr Dietrich, my cook, to assure a vorthy repast for this eventide,” Nicholas explained. “I’m sure there are some here who vill be happy to hear that.”
“Anything is better than salty gruel,” his host grunted dryly. “I have had my fill of it this past week.”
Nicholas chortled and approached with a hand held out in friendship, and Maxim clasped it in a warm, amiable welcome.
“ ‘Tis a heavy escort you keep for only an hour’s ride out of the city,” Maxim remarked, inclining his head toward the guards.
“A man cannot be too careful.” Nicholas winked as he confessed, “In truth, I thought it might impress the lady.”
“I was inclined to hopefully regard it as protection against the lady,” Maxim quipped and then chuckled as the captain paused in sudden confusion.
Clapping his guest on the back, Maxim escorted him up the steps and into the hall where Nicholas strode about in some wonder, looking much like the late Henry the Eighth of England. He set his feet wide apart and, drawing back the rich coat, settled his fists on his hips. “Ja, I can understand vhy the townfolk never came up here. They believe this castle is haunted, and by the looks of it . . .”
Fitch skipped a step near the entrance and stumbled headlong into the back of his companion who had stopped dead in his tracks The captain s words had won their full and undivided attention, and as they righted themselves and carried several bundles to the cook, who had taken charge of the hearth, they cast cautious glances about the hall, as if they now expected some unseen specter to fly out at them from the shadows.
“It is a dark and foreboding place, to be sure,” Nicholas continued. “It abuses the term castle.”
“Actually, you’ve arrived after some improvements have been made,” Maxim replied with a lopsided grin. “Think of what it must have looked like when the girl first came.”
The Hansa captain snorted. “It is hard to imagine it looking vorse.”
The Marquess directed him toward a grouping of chairs set apart from the hearth. “Come, my friend. Rest yourself.”
Stripping off his gloves, Nicholas dropped his rugged frame into a chair and leaned forward. Bracing an elbow on his left knee and resting a fist on the other, he peered intently into the face of his host. “Vell, man? Vhat say yu? Is the girl agreeable?”
Maxim responded with a noncommittal shrug. “ ‘Tis hard to say, Nicholas. She has a mind of her own and does not confide in me.”
“But yu told her,” the merchant captain pressed.
“I did.”
“And she said nothing?”
“Nothing that would indicate her intentions.”
“Ach!” Nicholas slapped his gloves against his thigh in frustration. “This damnable uncertainty! It gnaws at me!”
Maxim stepped to a nearby table, splashed a small amount of mead into a tankard, and handed it to the distraught man. “Here, this will bolster your courage.”
Von Reijn accepted the offering and gulped it down with one toss of his wrist, drawing his host’s dubious re
gard. He beckoned for more, and Maxim raised the flagon to splash more liquid into the mug.
“I’ve never seen you so wrought up over a wench before,” he observed, and settled into a chair beside him. “I remember when you came to my estates to scour the countryside for any young, eligible ladies in attendance. You did not limit your attentions to any singular choice then . . .”
“Come now, Maxim,” Nicholas chided as the corners of his mouth twitched with humor. “Yu know I’m a blessed saint.”
“Have a care, Von Reijn!” Maxim grimaced. “You may bring lightning bolts down upon our heads, and I bid you keep in mind this is the only roof I have at the moment.”
“Vhat are yu suggesting?” Nicholas challenged, feigning outrage. “I demand an explanation.”
A tawny brow lifted in deep skepticism as a smile played about Maxim’s lips. “I know of the vows purportedly taken by the members of the Hanseatic League, but there are many of the Hansa who have their own definition of those vows, that in secret they are naught but lusting roués bent on the conquest of every comely wench who captures their eye.” He shrugged. “ ‘Tis none of my concern whether you are chaste or chastened. You’ve been a rogue from the cradle, and I feel some responsibility for having brought the girl here. I know you are no innocent.”
“Vell, neither are yu!” Nicholas blustered.
Maxim smiled pleasantly. “I’ve never laid claim to that fact.”
The ice-blue eyes flew to Maxim as the gentle taunt met its mark “A foul cut,” Nicholas protested in good humor. “Vu destroy my reputation.”
“An impossible feat since you have done that yourself. Besides, I only challenge your claims between thee and me, friend.”
Nicholas waggled his head, accepting the other’s rebuke. “Between thee and me, friend, I admit to being something of a rascal.”
A slow smile turned Maxim’s lips. “I’ve known that for some time.”
“But the girl, she is different from most. She has touched my heart.”
Maxim almost came out of his chair with a derisive snort. “Have a care for what you give into her hands, I bid you, Nicholas. If you offer your heart to that maid, she will rend it to hash in a thrice.” He well remembered his torn ear. “She is a spiteful and spirited wench.”
“Have I not sailed vith her across the North Sea?” Nicholas pointed out in hot defense of the girl. “Ja, she has spirit, I vill agree, but spiteful? Nein! She is only fighting for her freedom. Vould you not do the same?”
“I would at least listen to reason.”
“Is it not reasonable for the girl to vant to go home and to insist she be taken? The act against her vas unreasonable.”
“ ‘Twas a mistake,” Maxim agreed helplessly. “Had my men taken Arabella, I’m sure she would have been satisfied to stay.”
“Did yu ask her?”
The simple question set Maxim to glowering. “I intended to.” He lowered his gaze and swirled the mead in the bottom of the mug. “I meant to the night of the wedding. I wanted to soothe her fears at being taken from Bradbury.” His face came up with an angry slant to the brow and a tight set to his lips. “I was forestalled in that endeavor by a chance meeting with Mistress Radborne and her recognition of me. It seems from the very first she has been ever underfoot and always in the way.”
“Ja!” Nicholas chortled loudly. “I heard about yur escapade at Bradbury Hall. Yu bearded Edward properly, and in yur own hall!” He laughed again. “ ‘Tis been bandied about that Edward now sleeps behind a locked and guarded door. Vu have put the fear of shadows into the good squire.” He dissolved into tearful guffaws again, and it was not until he sobered under Maxim’s disgusted glare that he continued. “Mayhap yu have roamed too boldly and far afield, and that is the reason yu find the girl so much in yur path.”
An angry snort came from the Marquess. “From the very first she has thwarted my cause.”
“Vhat exactly is yur cause, Maxim? Vhat prompted yu to do such a thing? Vas it love for Arabella, or yur desire for revenge against her father?”
“I only meant to allay the consummation of the wedding until . . .” Maxim clamped his jaw and frowned sharply, uncomfortable with the other’s prodding questions and his own defense. “Good Lord, man, do you think I’d have sought Arabella as my wife had I not cherished her above other women?”
Nicholas leaned back and considered his friend thoughtfully. “From vhat yu’ve said of her”—he almost chewed on the words as he mulled over the possible reasons in his thoughts—“she is both beautiful and soft-villed. It vould seem such a voman vould be a logical choice for yu to marry. She vould be pliant, not given to high spirits or rebellion, nor vould she make unreasonable demands.” He paused until he gained the other’s undivided attention. “Yu said often enough that yu had a need to acquire a vife and family in order to carry on the name. Vhat I’m vondering, my friend, is vhether you chose Arabella with yur mind or yur heart. And then, once betrayed by her father, did yu seek her out of spite, or vas there in truth a burning passion yu felt for the lady?”
“I’m sure a veritable dynasty would have sprung from our loins,” Maxim ground out in useless, but dogged, determination.
“Yu cannot blame the damsel for looking to another. Yu vere supposed to be dead.”
“ ‘Twas Edward’s eagerness to seize another fortune that forced her to wed Reland,” Maxim insisted.
“Come now, man,” Nicholas gently prodded. “Yu vere little more than a dead man vhen yur men brought yu to my ship. ‘Tis to Ramonda’s credit she kept yu alive for the voyage, but ‘twas most of a month before yu could walk Give Arabella yur sympathy,” he urged. “She vas in all likelihood much pained by yur death and longed for the bliss of vedded life. Yu should be glad yu’re alive to seek some other voman to varm yur bed.”
“I am grateful to be alive!” Maxim exclaimed. “I’m very grateful that Spence and Fitch were in a boat hidden beneath the bridge, as we had planned for my escape. They have most assuredly proven their loyalty to me and have served me well, down to the saving of my life. ‘Twas a wry twist of fate that they had never set eye on Arabella, an oversight I now regret, but you needn’t think me despondent to the point I do not appreciate being alive!”
Nicholas paused a long moment, then murmured in hushed tones, “If yu value yur life, my friend, I vould caution yu also on another matter.”
His host looked up and, in curious wonder, waited for him to continue.
The Hansa captain complied. “Yu have met Karr Hilliard, a high master of the guild?”
Maxim inclined his head to indicate a positive response. “On my return voyage from England, he made himself known to me. You probably know it was his ship I was sailing on.”
“Karr Hilliard owns many Hansa ships, and he is most serious about profit. He is an agent of the Hansa until the next Diet in the summer, vhen he vill probably be elected again. He is easily the richest and singly most powerful person in the league.”
Maxim remained guarded. “He bade me call upon him should I venture to Lubeck” He reached inside his doublet and withdrew a waxen seal with the imprint of a signet on it. “He gave me this to gain entry to his presence.”
Nicholas took the seal and examined it before reaching a finger into his shirt and pulling out a gold chain to which was attached a brass stamp. The face of the stamp was smaller, but similar to the signet. “It is a seal of the Hansa. Every Hansa captain has one and is svorn to keep it on his person at all times.” He handed the waxen image back to Maxim. “That one vill open many doors for yu. The size bespeaks its importance. I neglected to tell yu that Karr Hilliard is also the most dangerous man yu vill ever know. He has ordered men to go under the axe on the merest suspicion. In Lubeck his power is absolute, and he is far more dedicated to the cause than I, my friend. Surely I have not been a fine example of the Hansa. I have felt no great need to seclude myself from the vorld around me or to maintain the secrecy that the league guards so jealously. Vhen
I apprenticed as a youth in the Hansa, I slept in unheated and unlighted kontors as did other lads, seven or eight of us to a room. I even survived initiations that killed others, and in all of this I formed my opinions apart from the league. Karr Hilliard is of the sort to be vary of; he is one of the first to take part in the rituals to initiate our youth . . . and he has killed some because he extended their trials beyond the limits of reason. He is a mean-spirited man, and it has come to my attention that he has been making inquiries from Lubeck as to yur reasons for being here in Hamburg.”
“Why should he be interested in me?” Maxim inquired as he lowered his eyes to stare into his mug.
“He hates vhat is happening to our ports and trade,” Nicholas stated. “Ve are slowly being squeezed out of existence. A hundred years ago ve vere the masters of trade from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. Now ve are fighting to survive. Elizabeth is against the presence of our kontors in England, and Hilliard has taken offense. He has already lost two ships to that pirate, Drake.”
Maxim momentarily raised his gaze. “Aye, I’ve heard as much. Bound to Spain, they were. It seems Philip’s seizure of English grain ships in the Basque ports this summer gave the Queen cause to outfit her sea dog for raids against the Spanish.”
“Drake has likevise become a menace to us since his return to sea! He loves to tweak the noses of the Portuguese and Spanish, and now he is tweaking ours!”
“Look you, I’ve no great love for Elizabeth myself after the injustice that was done to me,” Maxim replied. “But face it, man, the Hansards have nearly throttled English trade for the past two or three hundred years because of their vast monopolies. They’ve paid no tolls or taxes in England for at least that long. Ever since King Edward the Third borrowed from the league and pawned the royal jewels, English merchants have had to suffer even in their homeland. By Edward’s decree, the Hansa reigned supreme for a time, but whenever English seamen ventured into Hansa ports, they were cast into prisons and treated as unwelcome vermin. Perhaps Elizabeth is remembering the ninety-six English fishermen who were captured off Bergen, bound hand and foot, and then thrown into the sea by members of your league. Whatever ill feelings she might have toward the Hansa, ‘tis Spain she has come up against.”