CHAPTER FIVE
A SELF-SERVING MAN
Fortunately, the weather for travel hadn’t been too terribly bad considering the snowstorms they’d suffered over the last week. This was the day that Aland had planned to visit Selborne Castle, no matter what the weather. The morning had dawned with a bright blue sky and a landscape that was swathed in white. It was crisp, cold, and delightful.
Standing in the bailey of Selborne as his horse was taken away, Aland surveyed the vast bailey of the very large castle. He could see Gabriel de Nerra on the wall, lifting a hand in greeting to him, and he could also see one of the other de Nerra brothers, Cullen, waving at him from his position at the gatehouse. Gavin, of course, was still in London serving at Westminster, but there were plenty of other brothers that stood between Aland and his rule of Selborne.
Such were his misfortunes in life.
With lands that bordered the de Nerra empire, he’d always wanted control of those lands but it was impossible. Val de Nerra had four sons – Gavin, Gabriel, Cullen, and young Theodore, so the best Aland could hope for was marrying the eldest de Nerra daughter and hopefully gaining some control through her. Any benefits from the House of de Nerra that might fall on her would fall on him as well, as her husband, and he was very anxious to seal a deal he’d been working four long years for.
His motives weren’t entirely self-serving. Juliana was a beautiful girl, and sweet, and he had always been fond of her. He really did want to be a good husband to her, but he would have been less eager to marry her had she been a poor lord’s daughter. Fortunately, she wasn’t, but she hadn’t exactly been eager for his suit. He’d been trying for years and the best Val could tell him was that she simply wasn’t “ready” to marry until the missive he’d sent last week. Val had responded by inviting him to Selborne for a pre-Christmas feast to discuss the marriage and Aland had been more than willing.
So here he was.
With the sun blinding him, he had to lift a hand to shield the glare as he caught sight of someone coming out of the enormous keep. By the size of the man, he presumed it to be Val, so he headed for the steps leading to the keep in order to meet the man. But he put his foot on the first step, which was coated with ice he couldn’t see, and he ended up on his backside in the mud. Val came rushing down to help him up.
“God’s Bones,” Val said, bracing himself as he pulled Aland to his feet. “Did you hurt yourself?”
Aland could see that the whole backside of him was muddy now. “Only my pride,” he said dryly. “And it was such a lovely day up until now.”
Val fought off a grin. “I can loan you clothing while yours is being cleaned,” he said. “Do not fret.”
Aland was wearing a heavy coat, which was the only thing that really had any mud on it. He began to pull it off as he carefully made his way up the steps with Val.
“No need,” he said. “If your servants could simply clean the coat, I would be grateful.”
Val handed the muddied clothing off to his majordomo as they entered the keep. “I’m sure some warmed wine will ease your wounded pride,” he said. “Come along into my solar and let us speak for a time. It has been a while since you and I have seen each other, Aland.”
Aland entered the two-storied entry of Selborne’s keep, a truly lavish abode that had been home to generations of the de Nerra family. There were fresh boughs around the hearth and on the floor, giving the place a smell of fresh greenery even with the snow outside. There was a fire in the hearth, snapping and crackling, as Val led him into another room off the entry.
This room smelled of oak and smoke, with furs on the floor and even on the chairs. There was a big table at one end of it that had all manner of vellum and ink and writing implements. A massive pair of stag antlers was mounted above the hearth, jutting out into the chamber, and Aland paused to look at the size of them. Val glanced up and happened to see where the man’s attention was.
“That was the biggest stag I have ever seen,” he said. “I was hunting with the king in Chute Forest many years ago and brought down that massive stag. Henry was kind enough to permit me to keep a trophy of the animal.”
Aland was impressed. “You have served two kings, have you not?”
Val nodded, interrupted by a servant bringing in some warmed wine and setting it upon the table. When the servant vacated, Val went to pour the steaming, spicy wine for his guest.
“Henry and his son, Richard,” he said. “Your father served Henry as well.”
Aland nodded. “Auden de Ferrers was a devotee of Henry,” he said, accepting the cup of wine. “Did you know my father well?”
“Not too well,” Val said as he went to stand by the hearth. “He was my neighbor for many years but your father spent a good deal of time at his properties in France. Do they still belong to your family?”
Aland shrugged, taking a sip of the steaming drink. “Very little,” he said. “My father also went to war with Henry many times and wars are expensive. The only reason we still have the Hawkley lands is because of my mother. She refused to let my father sell them to finance his wars with Henry.”
Val had heard that, in fact. He’d known Aland’s father for many years and although not good friends with the man, he still knew a bit of the man’s history. Auden had been very ambitious, hence the money he spent supporting Henry, and Val wondered secretly if his son wasn’t the same way. The finest clothing, the finest horse, the finest weapons and schooling… Aland had only known the finest of everything. If Juliana married him, she would know the finest as well. An added benefit was that she would be living very close to her parents. Perhaps that was the greatest reason of all that Val was willing to consider Aland.
“It sounds as if your mother was a wise woman,” he finally said. “And you have a sister, too, do you not?”
Aland shook his head. “She died last year. She was a postulate, you know. Yaxley Nene Abbey.”
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“She was sickly. It was her time.”
“It was God’s will, then.”
“Aye.”
The conversation trailed off into somewhat awkward silence. Val knew that the man hadn’t come to chat meaninglessly about his family. He’d come with a purpose, to speak on Juliana, but he was more than likely unsure how to bring up the subject. Therefore, Val simply delved into it. There was no use wasting time.
“Well,” he said after a moment, “shall we speak on something more pleasant, then? Mayhap discuss the heart of your visit?”
Aland seemed to perk up. “Indeed, my lord. How is Lady Juliana?”
Val suppressed a grin at the eager look in the man’s eye. “She is well,” he said. “I told her that you have come to visit. I am sure you will see her at supper tonight.”
“I see.” Aland’s face fell a little. “Am… am I not permitted to speak to her before then?”
Val grunted softly, reluctant to speak of his daughter’s adverse stance on the marriage but thinking he should probably say something. Aland had spent four years pursuing her and, as Val feared, at some point he was going to give up on the elusive Juliana and go find someone else to marry. Therefore, he knew he had to say something about it. He felt the young man should know what was really going on.
“You may, if she is agreeable,” he said. Setting his cup down, he fixed Aland in the eye. “Aland, you have known my daughter for several years.”
“Since we were children, my lord.”
Val continued. “And you know that… well, she has always been very fond of someone since she was a child. But that someone has married and she cannot quite seem to move beyond her infatuation with him. If you must know the truth, that is why I have put off your offer of marriage for so long. I have been hoping Juliana would come to her senses and I still believe she will in time. It will take some patience on your part, lad. She is stubborn, like her mother.”
As Aland listened to that explanation, he scratched his head curiously. “Fond of someone since childhood?” he repeated. “May I ask who, my lord?”
Val hesitated. “I am not attempting to create competition. I am simply telling you the reason behind Juliana’s reluctance. I told you that she was not yet ready for marriage, and it was the truth for the most part. She was not ready to think of a husband other than the man she wanted.”
Aland was more concerned than upset by the news because this was the first he’d heard of another man in Juliana’s life. “It is not a competition, my lord, I assure you. But if there was someone standing in the way between you and the woman you wanted to marry, would you not want to know who it was?”
He had a point. Val still wasn’t sure if he should tell him or not, but there was truth to what he’d said – he had a right to know who was standing between him and Juliana. It wasn’t as if he could do much about it.
“This man is married,” he finally said. “He was married a few years ago, so I am sure the feelings my daughter has for him are not returned.”
“Is it someone I know, my lord? Is that why you are so reluctant to tell me?”
Val hesitated a brief moment before speaking. “Rhogan de Garr.”
Aland’s eyes widened. “Rhogan?” he repeated. “But… but he left for France with the French princess four years ago.”
Val nodded patiently. “Juliana has always had a soft place in her heart for him,” he said. “Aland, it is a lot to ask of any man, to be faced with the phantom of an unrequited love, but now that you know, mayhap you will be a bit understanding in this matter. I believe Juliana can be convinced to marry you, but it will take some time.”
Aland didn’t know if he felt some relief at understanding what Juliana’s reluctance had been or if he was angry that it had taken Val four years to tell him.
“Some time, indeed,” he said. “Rhogan left for France four years ago, my lord. Lady Juliana has not forgotten the man in four years? There has been ample time.”
Val nodded, sensing annoyance from the man. “I realize that,” he said. “If you will only be patient a little longer, then I believe I can convince her otherwise.”
Aland stared at the man. Rhogan was his old friend and he had been in contact with the man since his departure to France or, at least, he’d heard of the man’s life since he’d left. He almost opened his mouth to tell Val of what he’d heard of Rhogan but he didn’t. He held his tongue, at least as far as the information went, because what he had to say wouldn’t mean much to Val. But it would mean a great deal to Juliana and it was Juliana he had to convince. The more he thought about the woman being sweet on Rhogan after all of these years, the more irritated he became.
“You have had four years to convince her otherwise, my lord,” he said. “To be perfectly honest, it has not worked. I have seen her sparingly during that time and never without you or your wife as a chaperone, so however you have handled the matter has not made any difference to Juliana in the least. Does she still long for Rhogan?”
Val nodded reluctantly. “She does.”
“Then you must let me speak to her,” he said imploringly. “Give me ten minutes alone with her and let us see if I can convince her of her futile actions. Will you permit it, my lord? You have had me waiting four years for you to handle the situation, but to no avail. Give me ten minutes with her and let us see if I cannot change her mind. If I do not, then I will withdraw my suit and you do not have to worry about me any longer. But least give me a fighting chance, my lord. Please.”
Val couldn’t very well deny the man, for what he said was true. Val had failed for four years to convince Juliana that any love for Rhogan was futile. Perhaps it would be just the jolt that Juliana needed to hear an impassioned plea from a suitor. He supposed it couldn’t turn her away from Aland more than she already was. In fact, she might even see how serious Aland was and perhaps that would cause her to reconsider. In any case, he agreed with the man. Nodding his head, he stood away from the hearth.
“Very well,” he said. “I will give you that chance. You remain here and I will bring her to you. But know that I will be on the other side of that door and if I hear anything untoward, I will not hesitate to enter the chamber and toss you out on your ear. Is that in any way unclear?”
“It is perfectly clear, my lord. Thank you.”
Val’s gaze lingered on the man a moment, a purely fatherly expression suggesting pain and agony should Aland try anything unseemly towards the daughter he was extremely protective over. Aland understood the expression well and he simply nodded as if to surrender to it before Val finally quit the chamber.
And Aland was both relieved and excited about seeing Juliana. Finally, he would have the opportunity to say what needed to be said to Juliana. Given the fact that he knew of Rhogan’s life since departing for France those years ago, he thought it was something that Juliana should hear, too. It was foolish for her to idolize someone who wasn’t worth the effort it took to speak his name.
At least, that was what Aland was going to impress upon her.
He had one chance to do this right, to make her listen to him, and he was going to take it.