Christopher could see the utter delight in her features as she spoke of becoming Alexander’s wife. He smiled at her, patting her hands. “Are you certain, Cissy?”
“I have never been more certain in my life.”
Christopher kissed her on the forehead, taking one last look at his daughter before he gave her off to another man. “Then it seems my decision is made,” he said. He looked at Alexander. “She is yours, Sherry. Pray treat her right or I will do to you what you did to FitzRoy.”
Alexander chuckled, knowing it was the zeal of a father speaking but that there was also some truth to it. “No need to worry, my lord,” he said. “Or may I all you Papa?”
“You may not.”
“Father?”
“Nay.”
By this time, Christin was far gone with giggles and Alexander was pretending as if he were very hurt. “Then what am I to call you? My lord seems terribly formal.”
Christopher waved a dismissive hand at him. “We have time to decide.”
“I much prefer Dada.”
Everyone was laughing at that point. Christopher shook his head at the lot of them. “You are a ridiculous fool,” he said to Alexander. “But you are a fool my daughter clearly loves. As David said – welcome to the family, Sherry.”
It seemed that Alexander had been waiting all his life to hear those words but he didn’t realize that until now. He would soon take a wife and with her came a great, noble family who loved each other deeply. His father-in-law was perhaps one of the greatest knights who had ever lived and there was tremendous honor in that.
But no greater honor than in the bride herself.
She was quite a woman.
As Christopher and David headed out of the livery, going to see to their captive army and Sean’s delivery, the rest of the knights trickled out of the livery one at a time, each one personally congratulating Alexander and Christin until only Maxton was left. He approached Alexander, taking the man’s hand and smiling wearily into his face.
“Marrying my wife was the best thing I have ever done, Sherry,” he said. “My advice to you is to let your wife rule your heart and your home. You will be a much happier man for it.”
Alexander smiled in return, holding the man’s hand for a moment. He considered Maxton one of his dearest friends and since Maxton wasn’t good with sentiment, he knew the effort it had taken for the man to speak from his heart.
“You and I have known each other many years, Maxton,” he said. “I remember when you married Andressa. I remember thinking you had been somehow weakened by falling in love with a woman, but now I realize how wrong I was.”
Maxton snorted softly, gave Alexander’s hand a squeeze, and headed out of the livery, following the path of the others as they headed to The Cock and Bull. When they were finally alone, Alexander turned to Christin, noting that she appeared particularly pensive.
“What is it?” he asked.
She cocked her head thoughtfully. “I have been thinking.”
“Of what?”
“Ramsbury.”
“What about it?”
She looked at him pointedly. “Because this whole situation started when the French spy told me that there was a threat from within, right under our noses. We went to Norwich, which we had to go to, anyway, but everything seemed to take off from there and we never did discover if there was a threat against John from within.”
“And?”
“And I think that the king does not need anyone trying to kill him when he is so willing to destroy England himself,” she said. “Look at what he has done – he was willing to marry me to his bastard son, knowing my father would try to destroy him for it. It would have torn England apart.”
A smile spread across Alexander’s face. “You are coming to the conclusion that the rest of us are,” he said. “John is his own worst enemy. It is difficult to protect a man from himself, but that is the duty we find ourselves with. All of The Marshal’s agents.”
“Then you do not think one of the allies is a threat? Someone who might have been at the celebration at Norwich?”
Alexander shrugged. “It is difficult to say,” he said. “But I don’t believe the French spy had anyone in particular in mind when she said that. I am coming to think she truly did mean the king himself.”
That made sense to Christin. She wrapped her hands around his big forearm, smiling up at him.
“Then you can figure it out,” she said. “I will be busy being Lady de Sherrington.”
“May I seek your advice on such things, then?”
“I would be honored, my lord.”
He laughed softly and patted her hand. “Very well, then,” he said. “Now that we have that straightened out, what now? Shall we find a church and marry?”
Her eyes widened. “God’s Bones, we shall not,” she said, pulling him out of the livery. “If you fear my father, my mother will be twice as terrifying if we marry and she is not present. For now, we return to Lioncross Abbey, tell my mother that we have permission to marry, and let her plan such a thing. It is her right, as my mother.”
He grinned lazily as she pulled him out into the street. “Whatever you wish,” he said. “But I will again ask the question – what do we do now?”
Christin came to a stop, looking down the road towards the south, seeing her father and uncle in the distance as they went to find the army. The sun was just starting to rise, the dawn of a beautiful new day, and all was right with the world.
It was the beginning of the rest of their lives.
“I could use food and sleep like the others,” she said. “You?”
He nodded. “I am suitably weary,” he said. “But your father will be seeing to the army for at least an hour, I would think. There is much to see to. I wonder what we could do with that hour?”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling when she realized what he meant. “Really, Sherry,” she scolded softly. “Is that all you think about?”
His smile faded and his dark eyes took on a glimmer that was as warm and pure as when the world was new. A new day, a new life, a new wife.
“Aye,” he whispered. “It is all I think about. You are all I think about, Christin de Lohr. I love you more than I could have ever anticipated.”
Her eyes immediately began to well. “And I love you. Until the end of all things, I will.”
His reply was to take her in his arms, out in the middle of the street, and kiss her deeply as the sun rose.
They put the following hour to good use.
And Christopher was none the wiser.
EPILOGUE
Six Months Later
Ashdown Manor
Christin had her eyes on him.
It wasn’t that he’d been showing any signs of nerves or angst during their journey from Lioncross Abbey to Ashdown, because he hadn’t. He’d been even tempered and normal as far as she could see. But there was something in his dark eyes that conveyed apprehension no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
Apprehension at seeing his father for the first time in twenty years.
It was just the two of them on this journey because that’s the way he wanted it. Christopher had offered to let him take men-at-arms with him, as many as he wanted, but Alexander had declined. When he faced his father, he wanted it to be only him and Christin. He didn’t need an escort or a gallery of witnesses.