He took a deep breath and forced himself back to the matter before him. He vaguely recalled Isabelle Kelsey from visits to Dragonwick with her father. He had seen little of her, though, as he and his friends had preferred to make themselves scarce when their foster father’s brother was about. He had a vague recollection of a solemn child with overlarge eyes and dark hair that had been arranged carefully at all times.
Simon shook his head. “I know nothing of her, but that she is the get of my enemy. Yet what matter if I did? I must fall in with King John’s wishes. I can only assume that he has already informed Kelsey of his intent in this because the girl has been sent for and will, I assume, be awaiting me on the morrow.”
“That was presumptuous.” Jarrod frowned.
Christian added, “The king must have been planning this all along. Listening to the evidence was a mere formality.”
“Aye, the letter condemned me from the beginning. It takes more than a day to travel here from Dragonwick. If the girl is to be here by morning…” Simon took a deep breath. “Christian has indeed come to the crux of it. Even if I could escape the king’s ‘justice’ I could not abandon my responsibilities.”
“But marriage?”
Simon leaned closer to them, pitching his voice so it could not possibly be overheard. “The king has offered only two alternatives of which I have told you, and marriage, though only slightly more so, is the most palatable of the two. Yet haps the marriage might not be such a drastic step. Haps there is a way to leave my options open.”
Christian leaned toward him, his blue eyes intent with new interest. “And what way might that be?”
Simon shrugged. “If the marriage is not consummated, an annulment might be obtained at some point in the future.”
Now Jarrod smiled coldly. “You mean at some point when we lay siege to Dragonwick and win her.”
Christian shook his head fiercely. “Nay, there is no hope of that now. Not with Simon already under punishment from the king. We could never convince him that our cause had been just.”
Simon nodded, his regret tingeing his voice. “Aye, it is too late to hope to win Dragonwick from the knave. What I must think on is getting free of his control.” He turned to Christian. “Your father was friend to mine.”
Christian nodded. “Of a certainty.”
“Then perhaps, for the sake of the lands he held so dear he would do me a service.”
Christian sat up straighter. “What have you in mind?”
“My father was friend to many. If your father was to write those who might be willing to come to my aid and enough of them did so, John might be forced to free me.”
Christian nodded. “Of course. John would be forced to release you if enough pressure was brought to bear. I am certain there will be no difficulty in finding those who are willing. Kelsey has made many enemies.”
Jarrod scowled. “I will not offer to approach my brother. He would not be likely to even grant me entrance to Kewstoke.”
Again Simon heard his pain, and knew he had no answer for it, but his own love. He faced him. “I would ask a different, but equally dear, boon of you, my friend. Could you make your way to Avington and watch over it in my absence?”
Jarrod bowed. “Of a certainty.” He then raised a tight fist. “Kelsey can not be allowed to roam free, to escape retribution for all he has done, including this new evil. He must meet his reward.”
“And he will,” Christian added. “Eventually we will find a way to get to Kelsey in spite of King John’s support.”
Simon shrugged, fighting his own frustration. “But for the moment I will be in no position to see it done, trapped as I will be beneath his very thumb.”
“But we shall not be.” Jarrod narrowed his black eyes.
“Nay, we shall not,” seconded Christian.
Simon cast them both a quelling glance. “You must do nothing to put your own lives in jeopardy. Kelsey has proven himself a more slippery eel than any of us has foreseen.”
Jarrod nodded. “When I strike it will be with care and none shall have reason to believe you involved. He will ride around a bond in the and….”
“Pray give this notion of garnering support amongst the nobles a chance. Haps Kelsey would find himself on the receiving end of the king’s wrath if enough information was brought to light.” Simon did not imagine that Jarrod could act against Kelsey without being found out.
With obvious reluctance, Jarrod nodded, as did Christian.
Feeling only somewhat relieved, Simon raked a hand through his heavy dark hair, addressing Jarrod, “You will go to Avington until I am able to get further word to you?”
Jarrod nodded. “Aye.”
Christian sighed. “I will go to my father. In the event I am needed, Jarrod will send word on to me at Greatham.”
Again Jarrod nodded his midnight-dark head.
“You have my thanks,” Simon told them earnestly. “I will tell my men that they are to accompany you, Jarrod. There is no need for them to come to Dragonwick. Does Kelsey mean me harm, they will not be able to prevent him.”
Christian frowned, his expression direct. “You will watch your back?”
Simon reached for the cup and took a long drink. “I will, for I have no doubts that I must do so if I am to come out of this alive. For we have seen how far Kelsey is willing to go for what he wants.” His free hand covered the dragon on his shoulder.
Jarrod and Christian did the same. “Aye, after murdering his own brother to gain an earldom, your death would not trouble him in the least.”
Chapter Two
Quietly, Isabelle waited in the crowded and poorly appointed chamber she was sharing with several other ladies of the court. She had seated herself on a narrow backless chair some distance from where the other women chattered whilst pretending to attend to their sewing.
She did not know why her father had summoned her here to Windsor, nor had she wanted to come. She had only been to court on one other occasion with her father, who seemed to like court life little better than she. He preferred to be on his own lands where he was the law.
Nay, she had not wished to come. The first time she had been to court, she had been gawked at and disdained by the other ladies, though she could not understand why they would behave so cruelly to a girl of no more than fourteen years. This visit had proved no different. If only she could return home to Dragonwick. But what choice had she in it? Her father was master of her fate as he had reminded her more times than she could ever begin to count in the twenty years of her existence.
She was infinitely aware of the fact that to anyone, including her father, viewing her from the outside she would appear completely unmoved. Yet her mind rolled with questions and fear of what he might be about.
Why had he sent for her? When he had left for court he had seemed agitated about some matter. Yet he had shared nothing with her.
It had crossed Isabelle’s mind that there might be a possible suitor involved. But her father had not told her to make herself amenable as he had each time he had dangled her before a hopeful at Dragonwick. And there had been more than a few. Possible alliance to an earl drew those who would further their own positions. Thus far none of the men had offered enough on their own part. The Earl of Kelsey would not give up his pawn, for keeping her unwed had made allies of those men who still sought to win her.
She had not even seen her father except at dinner the previous evening. He had done no more than cast a sweeping glance over her, saying that she was