on his and moved her mouth over his, warming with the touch, and feeling the p assion in her tender young body. He would not let her do more; he set her from him.
“ You are a young and gentle maid and I would not have you hurt,” Mallory told her. “ Take the choice of your father, and in good faith give your love to another. Do not linger for a fruitless fate.”
“ Nay,” she said stubbornly. “ I will wait.”
“ Edythe, you must not! There is no hope I will change my mind.”
She had the green eyes of her mother and they mirrored Udele’s determined nature, though tears sparkled in them now. “ You may not, sir knight, but neither will I. My heart cannot countenance another, and I will not make you a false promise now. Go with God. I will pray for your safety.”
Exasperated, Mallory shook his head and wearily mounted his horse. The huge oaken doors opened for their departure, and just before they closed behind them, Edythe saw him turn to look at her again. Quickly she raised a hand in farewell, but she was not sure he saw.
With a tear tracing a slow path down her cheek, she turned and left the courtyard.
Chapter 3
Servant and noble alike made their stores of grain and sheared the sheep for their coats of wool: all thoughts seemed centered on enduring a long, cold winter. Sir Conan de Corbney installed himself firmly in the house of his father. The men who had lately chosen to ride with him were well received in Anselm and took their pallets with Alaric’s men-at-arms. And as fall pressed on to the land, Conan and his father mulled over plans for the future. To the northeast of Anselm was Stoddard, a keep and hamlet very small by comparison, but one of Alaric’s prize possessions. It was there that he bred and raised horses, trained specifically to carry the knight in heavy battle raiment and to respond to the rider’s command and touch. The quality of his horses was well known in England. Many were pledged to the king’s service, and those that could be sold brought a fine price from nobles who would travel far to select one of these destriers.
It was in Alaric’s mind that Galen would one day have Stoddard, and a large portion of the undeveloped land surrounding the keep would go to Edythe for her dowry. Stoddard could be thusly divided, for little space was needed for the small amount of farming the peasants did there for their own subsistence. The glory of Stoddard was its horses, and the land needed for the breeding, grazing and running of the beasts was near the keep and well protected.
Many years before, Alaric had placed the hall in the capable hands of Sir Rolfe, a Saxon with a good reputation among the Normans. The castellan had managed that holding well over the years, following Alaric’s orders when they were g iven and, when necessary, improvising and relying on his instincts. Alaric provided Rolfe and his family with a rich home and a fair percentage of the yearly income, and Rolfe held the keep against would-be raiders.
Now word came that Rolfe had secured the keep with a great number of soldiers. Sir Rolfe had not left Stoddard in nearly two years, and had sent no revenues to Alaric in six months, giving away his intentions to claim the keep and protect it as his own, against even his liege lord: Alaric.
These pretensions on the part of this once-loyal vassal caused Alaric much concern and frustration, the hurt of being betrayed having long since given way to anger. If there had been no son such as Conan, Alaric would have ridden with his men to storm Stoddard. Now, Alaric would make use of his son’s strong arm.
Conan’s energy soared in anticipation of doing battle on his father’s behalf. Many nights wore thin as he and a combina tion of his and Alaric’s men discussed the various means of attacking the barricaded walls.
“ I say send bowmen ahead of the horsed knights to absorb their first and early strength of the attack. Later, if the gates do not open,
“ You are a young and gentle maid and I would not have you hurt,” Mallory told her. “ Take the choice of your father, and in good faith give your love to another. Do not linger for a fruitless fate.”
“ Nay,” she said stubbornly. “ I will wait.”
“ Edythe, you must not! There is no hope I will change my mind.”
She had the green eyes of her mother and they mirrored Udele’s determined nature, though tears sparkled in them now. “ You may not, sir knight, but neither will I. My heart cannot countenance another, and I will not make you a false promise now. Go with God. I will pray for your safety.”
Exasperated, Mallory shook his head and wearily mounted his horse. The huge oaken doors opened for their departure, and just before they closed behind them, Edythe saw him turn to look at her again. Quickly she raised a hand in farewell, but she was not sure he saw.
With a tear tracing a slow path down her cheek, she turned and left the courtyard.
Chapter 3
Servant and noble alike made their stores of grain and sheared the sheep for their coats of wool: all thoughts seemed centered on enduring a long, cold winter. Sir Conan de Corbney installed himself firmly in the house of his father. The men who had lately chosen to ride with him were well received in Anselm and took their pallets with Alaric’s men-at-arms. And as fall pressed on to the land, Conan and his father mulled over plans for the future. To the northeast of Anselm was Stoddard, a keep and hamlet very small by comparison, but one of Alaric’s prize possessions. It was there that he bred and raised horses, trained specifically to carry the knight in heavy battle raiment and to respond to the rider’s command and touch. The quality of his horses was well known in England. Many were pledged to the king’s service, and those that could be sold brought a fine price from nobles who would travel far to select one of these destriers.
It was in Alaric’s mind that Galen would one day have Stoddard, and a large portion of the undeveloped land surrounding the keep would go to Edythe for her dowry. Stoddard could be thusly divided, for little space was needed for the small amount of farming the peasants did there for their own subsistence. The glory of Stoddard was its horses, and the land needed for the breeding, grazing and running of the beasts was near the keep and well protected.
Many years before, Alaric had placed the hall in the capable hands of Sir Rolfe, a Saxon with a good reputation among the Normans. The castellan had managed that holding well over the years, following Alaric’s orders when they were g iven and, when necessary, improvising and relying on his instincts. Alaric provided Rolfe and his family with a rich home and a fair percentage of the yearly income, and Rolfe held the keep against would-be raiders.
Now word came that Rolfe had secured the keep with a great number of soldiers. Sir Rolfe had not left Stoddard in nearly two years, and had sent no revenues to Alaric in six months, giving away his intentions to claim the keep and protect it as his own, against even his liege lord: Alaric.
These pretensions on the part of this once-loyal vassal caused Alaric much concern and frustration, the hurt of being betrayed having long since given way to anger. If there had been no son such as Conan, Alaric would have ridden with his men to storm Stoddard. Now, Alaric would make use of his son’s strong arm.
Conan’s energy soared in anticipation of doing battle on his father’s behalf. Many nights wore thin as he and a combina tion of his and Alaric’s men discussed the various means of attacking the barricaded walls.
“ I say send bowmen ahead of the horsed knights to absorb their first and early strength of the attack. Later, if the gates do not open,
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