Page 320 of Historical Hotties
“King’s Protector is more of a command from Bedford than it is a title that I am pleased to accept,” he finally said. “The nine-year-old king needs a protector, or at least Bedford and Gloucester believe so. Therefore, I have been appointed the task of being a bodyguard for their nephew, young King Henry. But Bedford knew this would be a distasteful assignment for a field commander, so he has granted me Etonbury Castle in Bedfordshire along with the title Baron Henlow and Arlesey in compensation. I now have a big chunk of Bedfordshire that belongs to me. You may address me as Lord Henlow from now on.”
Aramis and Worthington were grinning at him. “And?” Aramis prompted. “What else did he grant you?”
Bastian sighed softly. He knew what the man was driving at. So they had undoubtedly heard about the marriage contract, too, the intrusive magpies that they were, and it was an effort not to show his displeasure.Great Bleeding Christ, he thought to himself. He was going to have to face the marital contract sooner than he’d hoped. There was no way to avoid it.
“Am I to understand that you have heard that part of it, too?” he asked unhappily.
Aramis nodded. “It, too, is all over London,” he replied. “You have been awarded a bride from the very powerful le Bec family. Richmond le Bec himself will be your father-in-law. Surely you are grateful for this match.”
Bastian scratched absently at his jaw. “I suppose I should be,” he said. “But I am not ready for a wife yet.”
Worthington couldn’t resist picking at him. “We hear she is vastly talented and vastly beautiful,” he said. “She’s part of the Duchess of Gloucester’s court and I have heard she can speak five languages, paint, recite, and sing. Rumor has it she is the best singer in all of England. The young king is evidently very fond of her. I also heard that the Duke of Gloucester has his eye on the girl, so mayhap you are doing her a favor by taking her out of Eleanor’s court. If Richmond le Bec hears that Gloucester has eyes for his eighteen-year-old daughter, Gloucester’s days are numbered.”
Bastian nodded his head patiently. “I have heard all of this,” he said. “You forget that the lady’s brother is sworn to me. Gannon le Bec is my friend as well as my knight and he has told me everything I need to know about his youngest sister.”
That statement interested the pair. “Does le Bec seem agreeable to you marrying his sister?” Worthington asked.
Bastian nodded his head. “He does,” he said. “But, much like me, he has little choice but to accept the situation.”
As if on cue, a big knight in a full complement of plate armor suddenly appeared at the top of the ramp that led down from the cog. Leading a blond and equally armored charger, the tall, dark-haired knight came to the bottom of the ramp, catching the attention of Bastian has he moved.
“My lord,” he greeted Bastian, politely acknowledging the other two de Russe males. “All of your men have disembarked. De Lara and I are the last.”
Bastian looked up to the dark deck of the ship, seeing another knight appearing at the top of the ramp. These were big, battle-hardened warriors, sworn to him personally, and he relied on them heavily. In the darkness, their silhouettes were big and wraith-like, as if they were angels of doom. The grating of the armor as they moved sounded like death itself. These were the Beast’s minions, men who were feared nearly as much as de Russe himself.
“Ah, I see de Lara,” Aramis said as the second enormous knight headed down the ramp leading his heavily-burdened charger. “So your cousin on your mother’s side is still sworn you, eh? The de Laras usually keep close to their own families along the Marches. I am surprised to see that Lucas is still with you.”
The second knight came off the ramp, steering his charger clear of le Bec’s because the horses didn’t like one another. Tall, fair, and leanly muscular at the young age of twenty years and three, Sir Lucas de Lara recognized his cousin’s uncle. Bastian had three uncles on his father’s side and Lucas knew all of them; Aramis, Trenton, and Hugh. He liked Aramis the least and Worthington even less in spite of the fact they had fostered together. Aramis was ruthless and politically ambitious and Worthington was the same. They wouldn’t have pissed on their own mother to put out a fire if, in leaving her burning, it would have furthered their own agendas. Therefore, Lucas flipped up his visor and acknowledged the men coolly.
“My lords,” he said crisply, his focus immediately turning to Bastian. “The men are gathered, my lord. Where would you have us move them?”
Bastian pointed north. “Take them out of the city to Holborn and then head east on the old Oxford Road. When you reachthe Tottenham Road, which will lead north in to Bedfordshire, camp at the crossroads for the night and then continue north to Etonbury Castle. I shall catch up with you in a day or two.”
De Lara nodded smartly, although there was curiosity in his expression. “Where will you go, Bastian?” he asked quietly. He had permission to address his cousin informally. “Your father sent word that he is in London. Will you go see Uncle Braxton?”
Bastian shook his head, trying to turn away so that Aramis and Worthington wouldn’t hear what he had to say. He didn’t want them repeating anything.
“Not right away,” he grunted quietly. “I am sure that is why Uncle Aramis and Worth are here, to take me to my father, but I have been instructed to see Gloucester first before I do anything else, so I will be heading to Greenwich to see Humphrey before I do anything else.”
De Lara kept a straight face because he knew Aramis and Worthington were watching him. “To the new Bella Court?” he asked, muffled. “I hear that God himself is jealous of the place.”
Bastian lifted his eyebrows in acknowledgement. “An icon of prideful luxury for his wife, I am sure,” he muttered. “She has always had a massive entourage. He had to have somewhere to contain it. I am sure a greater lair of depravity and corruption has never existed.”
De Lara struggled not to grin. “And you are about to head into the belly of the beast,” he said. “I am quite curious to see it myself. Shall le Bec and I ride escort?”
Bastian shook his head. “Nay,” he said flatly. “You two are in charge of the men. I will catch up to you once I’ve seen Gloucester.”
De Lara wouldn’t be so easily put off. “Isn’t le Bec’s sister at Bella Court?” he asked. “She’s part of the Duchess of Gloucester’s court, you know, and Gannon has mentioned his desire to visit his sister. He hasn’t seen her in two years. Why notlet us come with you? Besides, I want to wallow in wickedness and decadence, too. Why should you have all the fun?”
Bastian looked at his cousin, displeasure on his features. “There is no reason for you to go.”
“But I want to meet your new wife.”
Bastian couldn’t help the expression of extreme distaste now rampant on his features. “I am going to see Gloucester so that he can introduce me to my betrothed,” he said impatiently. “I do not plan to marry her this night, so why must you come to witness my displeasure as I am introduced to the woman? It is not her fault I am not happy with this marriage and if, on the off-chance I manage to offend her, I do not want le Bec there for obvious reasons. If I say something wrong, I do not want her running to her brother so that he comes to punish me for upsetting his sister. This is a very delicate situation, Luc. You will not treat it so casually.”
De Lara did grin, then. “You know Gannon would not challenge you in any case,” he said. “He knows you well enough to know that you would not consciously insult the woman, but he has made mention of wanting to see her. We can have the senior sergeants take the men north. Let Gan and I ride with you to Bella Court. You may have need of us.”
Bastian sighed with frustration, mostly because he didn’t want to argue with Lucas any longer. He was too exhausted to particularly care, to be truthful, so he would let his knights come along simply to shut the man up. He also suspected that Lucas wanted to see the women of the duchess’ court, as he had a discerning eye for women in general. Whatever the case, he was not entirely opposed to letting his knights come along. He waved Lucas off as he turned back towards Aramis and Worthington.
