Jax fell silent, contemplating that scenario. Although he was vastly uncomfortable with it, it was better than the alternative– acting brutally towards her. As he contemplated the relationship between his daughter and her captor, Christopher spoke.
“Is there anything the man said that would be helpful to us in regaining Lady Allaston?” he asked. “Did he discuss any plans with you? Anything of value?”
Rod shook his head. “He did not speak of anything I would consider valuable to use against him,” he said. “Are you planning on launching an offensive any time soon?”
Christopher glanced at Jax before speaking. “Not immediately, at any rate,” he said. “Two days ago, I sent a missive to Cloryn Castle acting as a mediator on Lord de Velt’s behalf. Since I am not directly involved in the situation, Lord de Velt came to me to ask for assistance. He thought using me as a mediator might ease some of de Llion’s volatility. I will act like a buffer, as it were. But the same day I sent a missive to Cloryn, I also sent a missive to Keller de Poyer at Nether Castle asking for reinforcements. I do not want to ask for reinforcements fromany marcher lords because it would deplete their force should de Llion decide to move against them, so de Poyer is the logical choice. He is buried deep in Wales and not in the direct line of sight of de Llion’s activities.”
Rod nodded in understanding. “I know Keller,” he said. “He and my brother were good friends. Rhys spoke very well of the man.”
Christopher moved to pour himself another cup of wine as he spoke. “It is my hope that he sends me what I requested in order to reinforce my ranks,” he said. “In any case, I believe it prudent to wait and see what kind of response I receive from de Llion. If he is as determined as you say he is, he may look at my attempt at mediation as interference. It might earn me his wrath, so I am taking a serious chance doing this.”
“And I appreciate it,” Jax said, making sure Christopher understood just how pleased he was to have the man’s help. “But something is concerning me now that we have heard from de Titouan. If what he says is true and Allaston is remaining with de Llion willingly, and is in good health, I am hesitant to move on the man. I know my daughter. If she is working on a plan, we must give her time to complete it. If she thinks she can single-handedly bring de Llion to his knees without violence or blood, then I am wondering if we should not give her that opportunity.”
Christopher looked at him. “Do you believe she is truly capable of negotiating with a mercenary who is out for your blood?”
“You’ve not met my daughter.”
That was true. Christopher had never met her so he didn’t know how persuasive she could be. Still, he didn’t like, not in the least.
“What would your wife say to you right now if she heard that?” he asked. “She is the girl’s mother, after all. Would she agree with you?”
Jax cracked a grin. “She would demand I go and get her.”
Christopher’s lips twitched with a smile. “Then I will suggest this,” he said. “Let us wait a nominal amount of time for three important reasons– the first being that we should give de Llion time to respond to my missive and the second being that we should wait to see if de Poyer can spare reinforcements from Nether. And the third… oh, Christ, I did not even think of this. Rod, do you remember what your Uncle Morgan looked like?”
Rod’s brow furrowed at what he thought was an odd question out of the blue. “I was a very small boy when I last saw him,” he said. “I remember images of the man and not much more. He was very big and he had big, booming laughter. He was also missing most of the little finger on his right hand. I remember being fascinated with that as a child. My grandfather said he lost it when a horse bit it off. That made me frightened of horses for a very long time. Why do you ask?”
Christopher looked at Jax. “Did you hear that?” he asked. “The man was missing his little finger on his right hand. Did you notice this on your John Morgan?”
Jax’s dual-colored eyes were glittering with the possibilities as he looked at Christopher. “I do not know,” he said truthfully. “I cannot recall. We sent a missive to Northumberland to send his bodyguard to the Marches the same day we sent off the missives to de Llion and de Poyer, so I suppose now all we can do is wait and see.”
Rod was confused, looking between Christopher and Jax. “You sent a missive to Northumberland, too?” he asked. “I do not understand what is being said. Why did you do this?”
Christopher turned to him. “Brace yourself, lad,” he said. “There is much more to this situation from de Velt’s perspective. There is a chance your uncle is alive and living in Northumberland at Alnwick Castle. Several men were taken after the fall of Four Crosses and not killed outright becausetheir labor was needed, and it is possible that your uncle was one of them. The man in question is now serving the Earl of Northumberland as his body guard. We have sent word to Yves de Vesci to send that man, called John Morgan, to the Marches. If he is Bretton’s father, then we intend to present him to de Llion in exchange for Allaston, and you just gave us a very definitive clue to identifying the man– the missing finger.”
Rod’s jaw popped open in sheer astonishment. “God’s Blood,” he hissed. “I can hardly believe it. Could it be true?”
Christopher nodded. “It is possible,” he said. “Was his body ever positively identified at Cloryn? Did your grandfather ever dare to seek the truth?”
Rod was ashen with shock. “I… I do not know,” he said. “I know that he was told of Cloryn’s siege and how everyone was killed, including the garrison commander.”
“Whotold him?”
Rod shook his head. “I do not know,” he said. “Rumors, fleeing villagers… who is to say?”
Christopher cleared his throat softly, eyeing Jax as he did so. “Rod,” he said casually. “I realize this was an extremely difficult thing for your grandfather to go through, but mayhap it would be wise to bring him to Lioncross. If Northumberland’s bodyguard arrives and it is indeed your uncle, mayhap your grandfather would like to be here when he comes.”
Rod was growing overwhelmed and saddened by the entire circumstance. “And what if it is not?” he said. “It would hurt him more to get his hopes up after all of these years.”
“Then do not tell him the truth behind my summons,” Christopher said. “Ride to Bronllys and tell your grandfather I wish to see him. I will then keep him on hand until Northumberland’s man arrives. If it is your uncle, then your grandfather will know it right away. If it is not, then no harm done and I will make up an excuse as to why I summoned himin the first place. You haven’t told him about the confirmation of Bretton’s identity, have you?”
Rod shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “I came here first. I am not sure what I am going to tell my grandfather. Bretton did not want me to tell him at all.”
Christopher agreed. “For now, I concur with that,” he said. “Let your grandfather live in ignorance for a while, at least until Northumberland’s man comes. Then, we will determine how to proceed in any case.”
It was sage advice and Rod simply nodded wearily. In fact, he was quite exhausted and wanted to have some time to rest and reflect on the most recent information. He was still quite stunned. Finishing up what was left in his cup, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up.
“Agreed, my lord,” he said. “But there is one more thing. Since Lord de Velt destroyed Four Crosses Castle and my uncle along with it, my grandfather bears a great deal of hatred towards him. When he comes to Lioncross, inevitably, he will come into contact with Lord de Velt at some point. That will upset him as much as anything else will.”
