Royal Feud

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She gripped her hands together before her waist, bowed her head, and silently prayed. God. I will give You one more chance If You really do cut if You really are listening, then save me

Under cover of the veil Devlin glanced sideways at his bride. The unblemished side of her face was toward him so he could not see the ruined side of her face at all. She must have been very pretty at one time. How had she received those grievous wounds? Who could have hurt her in such a vicious manner? He felt nothing but pity for her.

Devlin dragged his attention back to the priest's blessing. When the priest removed the veil, he stood and held his hand out to Hermione. She placed her hand into his without looking directly at him. After helping his wife stand, he ushered her out of the chapel, glancing back to see Wyham escorting Lucy with Morefy and his sons following them.

As soon as he reached the base of the stairs, Devlin halted. He let go of Hermione's hand and scanned the inner bailey, where the servants and villagers were still gathered.

Morefy's men stood together in a group near the gate with two saddled horses. Devlin narrowed his eyes as he looked from the group up to the crenellations where his guards were stationed. His soldiers appeared to be keeping a watchful eye on the enemy. When he was satisfied all was well, he turned to watch the others exiting the church.

Lucy and Wyham came to a stop next to them. "Earl Morefy," Lady Lucy said when he and his sons had reached the bottom of the chapel steps, "please come to the hall and join our feast to celebrate Devlin and Hermione's wedding.

"Nay. Thank you, Lady Lucy." Morefy gave her a curt bow. "I may have been forced to wed my daughter to your son, but I do not have to take a meal with him. Gerald will stay to witness the bedding. Percy and I will go home."

Devlin exchanged a look with Lady Lucy and shrugged but remained silent. "As you wish, Earl," Lucy said. "Come, Percy," Morefy said. The earl strode toward his men. Neither her father nor her brother acknowledged

Hermione in any way as they walked past her. The two men mounted their horses and rode out of the castle, barreling through a group of villagers standing in the courtyard. Under threat of the rushing horses, the villiens scattered like leaves blown by an ill wind. At the castellan's signal, the guards lowered the portcullis over the main castle gate after Morefy's departure.

Gerald, ignoring Devlin and his sister, walked over to join his men. "Lord Wyham," Devlin asked, "does not Morefy's departure violate the king's command?"

"In point of fact, Ishton,” Wyham replied, "I believe the king commanded you to

hold a feast for Morefy, not that the earl had to partake of it." Devlin made a derisive grunt under his breath, disgusted with the cavil response. He climbed back up the chapel steps so he could address the crowd. After silence descended over the inner bailey and he had their attention, he spoke.

"Everyone is welcome to join the feast to celebrate my marriage to Lady Hermione." The cheers that greeted his announcement were lackluster and subdued, a far cry from the enthusiastic response he and his mother had earlier received from the people. Devlin descended the steps and offered his hand to Hermione. He kept his gaze forward as he escorted her into the donjon. Once inside he led her up to the dais opposite the door where the lords' table awaited them and pulled back the chair to the left of his.

"Milady," he said. "Thank you, milord."

She spoke so softly Devlin could barely hear her voice. He remained standing until Lucy was seated on his right side, Wyham next to her, and Gerald on the other side of Hermione. After signaling Renwold that the feast could begin, he stared unseeingly at the steward as the man directed the servants.

How were they going to get through their wedding night? If the mere touch of his hand against his bride's caused her to tremble so badly, he could only imagine her terror if he were actually to try to mate with her. Hermione was obviously frightened of him. What had she been through in her past to have caused her such horrendous physical, and no doubt mental, pain?

Once the butler poured wine into the goblet he and Hermione were to share Devlin offered it to her first. When she shook her head, he gratefully took a long drink before he set the cup on the table. After cutting the white bread trencher they shared into two, he gave her half, then served her the choicest cut of roasted venison from the silver serving platter in front of them. He racked his brain, trying to think of something. anything to say to her, but came up blank. Glancing at Lucy and Wyham to his right, he envied the ease with which the courtier and his mother conversed.

Devlin tried to focus his attention on his food, but he could not enjoy the stuffed roast suckling pig, normally one of his favorite dishes. As the first course was being removed, Devlin looked at Hermione's trencher. She had barely touched her food and sat with her hands folded in her lap with her head bowed.

"Rather paltry meal, Ishton." Gerald's loud voice caused the rest of the company, sitting at trestle tables in front of the dais, to turn toward him. "I do not think this is quite the feast King Henry had in mind when he handed down your punishment. But, then, having to sleep with your hideously ugly wife is punishment enough for a lifetime." Gerald laughed uproariously.

The smoldering anger, hatred, and bitterness that had been churning in Devlin's gut

all day flared into a roaring conflagration. Devlin grabbed the arms of his chair and pushed it back from the table. Lucy laid a hand on his arm and leaned toward him. "Devlin." Her tone was quiet but insistent. "You must treat our guest with courtesy, even if he does not deserve it nor reciprocate." Devlin stilled for a moment, clenching his teeth together so tightly his jaw ached"

"Excuse me, ladies, Lord Wyham." He stood and strode from the hall, into the dreary winter afternoon. Pausing on the front steps of the donjon, he took several deep breaths of the frigid air. As he drew the cold into his lungs, he let it seep into his core, trying to quench the rage before it could consume him.

His behavior in leaving his bride at their wedding feast was unforgivably rude, but he stayed any longer, he would not be able to contain his seething anger and would bear Gerald to a pulp. That would be even ruder, he supposed. He laughed without humor. At least he had chosen the lesser of two evils with which to offend his new bride.if

Once he had his temper under control, he wandered among the people, accepting their congratulations, firmly ignoring the sympathy evident in their voices and their eyes. The servants and villagers, enjoying the feast in the bailey, did not seem to feel the cold, warmed as they were by the freely flowing ale and strategically placed bonfires. He spotted Bernard on the crenellations on the inner wall and climbed the turret steps to join the knight on the allure.

Bernard's triangular face was dominated by his strong jaw and prominent nose. Like the castellan, to whom he was second in command, the senior knight was intensely When Devlin reached Bernard's side, he scanned the woods surrounding the castle. loyal to Ishton.

"Any signs of trouble?" Devlin asked.

"Nay, milord," Bernard replied. "One of the scouts has returned and reported that Morefy went straight back to his demesne without encountering anyone. The other scouts have his castle surrounded. If Morefy leaves his demesne, one of the scouts will ride back to alert us while the others trail him."

"Good." Devlin nodded. "Have guards been assigned to watch Gerald and his men?" "Aye, milord. Sir Hugh has handpicked the most experienced men to do so. They have been instructed to make sure their quarry is not aware that they are under surveillance. Gerald and his men will not be able to make a move without our being aware of it, and they will not know they are being watched."

"Good," Devlin replied. "Keep me apprized about Morefy's movements. For now we have done everything we can to protect Ishton. We will simply have to wair and see