The Pawn Read online

  The Pawn

  A Medieval Romance

  Book One of The King’s Cousins Series

  By Alexa Aston

  Copyright © 2019 by Alexa Aston

  Kindle Edition

  Published by Dragonblade Publishing, an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Books from Dragonblade Publishing

  Dangerous Lords Series by Maggi Andersen

  The Baron’s Betrothal

  Seducing the Earl

  The Viscount’s Widowed Lady

  Governess to the Duke’s Heir

  Also from Maggi Andersen

  The Marquess Meets His Match

  Knights of Honor Series by Alexa Aston

  Word of Honor

  Marked by Honor

  Code of Honor

  Journey to Honor

  Heart of Honor

  Bold in Honor

  Love and Honor

  Gift of Honor

  Path to Honor

  Return to Honor

  The King’s Cousins Series by Alexa Aston

  The Pawn

  The Heir

  Beastly Lords Series by Sydney Jane Baily

  Lord Despair

  Lord Anguish

  Legends of Love Series by Avril Borthiry

  The Wishing Well

  Isolated Hearts

  Sentinel

  The Lost Lords Series by Chasity Bowlin

  The Lost Lord of Castle Black

  The Vanishing of Lord Vale

  The Missing Marquess of Althorn

  The Resurrection of Lady Ramsleigh

  The Mystery of Miss Mason

  The Awakening of Lord Ambrose

  By Elizabeth Ellen Carter

  Captive of the Corsairs, Heart of the Corsairs Series

  Revenge of the Corsairs, Heart of the Corsairs Series

  Shadow of the Corsairs, Heart of the Corsairs Series

  Dark Heart

  Live and Let Spy, King’s Rogues Series

  Knight Everlasting Series by Cassidy Cayman

  Endearing

  Enchanted

  Evermore

  Midnight Meetings Series by Gina Conkle

  Meet a Rogue at Midnight, book 4

  Second Chance Series by Jessica Jefferson

  Second Chance Marquess

  Imperial Season Series by Mary Lancaster

  Vienna Waltz

  Vienna Woods

  Vienna Dawn

  Blackhaven Brides Series by Mary Lancaster

  The Wicked Baron

  The Wicked Lady

  The Wicked Rebel

  The Wicked Husband

  The Wicked Marquis

  The Wicked Governess

  The Wicked Spy

  The Wicked Gypsy

  The Wicked Wife

  Unmarriageable Series by Mary Lancaster

  The Deserted Heart

  Highland Loves Series by Melissa Limoges

  My Reckless Love

  My Steadfast Love

  My Passionate Love

  Clash of the Tartans Series by Anna Markland

  Kilty Secrets

  Kilted at the Altar

  Kilty Pleasures

  Queen of Thieves Series by Andy Peloquin

  Child of the Night Guild

  Thief of the Night Guild

  Queen of the Night Guild

  Dark Gardens Series by Meara Platt

  Garden of Shadows

  Garden of Light

  Garden of Dragons

  Garden of Destiny

  Rulers of the Sky Series by Paula Quinn

  Scorched

  Ember

  White Hot

  Highlands Forever Series by Violetta Rand

  Unbreakable

  Undeniable

  Viking’s Fury Series by Violetta Rand

  Love’s Fury

  Desire’s Fury

  Passion’s Fury

  Also from Violetta Rand

  Viking Hearts

  The Sins and Scoundrels Series by Scarlett Scott

  Duke of Depravity

  The Unconventional Ladies Series by Ellie St. Clair

  Lady of Mystery

  The Sons of Scotland Series by Victoria Vane

  Virtue

  Valor

  Men of Blood Series by Rosamund Winchester

  The Blood & The Bloom

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Books from Dragonblade Publishing

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from The Heir

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Blackstone Castle, Sussex—1325

  Lady Sybil de Blays finished her instructions to the cook regarding tomorrow’s meals and then sought out the Blackwell steward. Finding him in conversation with their captain of the guard, she signaled for him to follow her to the records room. She quizzed the man thoroughly regarding the tying and winnowing that had been completed yesterday and was pleased with the answers she received. Thanks to her superb management skills, Blackwell thrived—no thanks to her worthless husband.

  Lord Adelard de Blays was a handsome man. That was where his talents ended. As the third son of the Earl of Blackwell, Adelard had not been tutored in estate matters. He had fostered far in the north, near the Scottish border, and had attained his knighthood there. Sybil thought his sword skills merely adequate, though he did sit a horse well and passed along his love of the creatures to their daughter. Her husband spent the bulk of his day in the training yard, watching the men at their exercises, while she ran not only Blackstone Castle but the rest of the estate.

  Though she had spent a good portion of her time at the royal court before her marriage seven years ago, Sybil actually had taken to country life. Instead of a countess, she thought of herself as the Queen of Blackwell—and expected everyone to bow before her.

  Leaving the records room, she went upstairs to see her children to bed. A servant would already have them dressed in their nightclothes but Sybil liked to spend a little time with Landon and Katelyn before they fell asleep. She would ask about what they had done that day and use small moments to share her vast quantity of knowledge before telling them a bedtime tale. Both children worshipped her and Sybil adored them in return. She looked forward to this time, knowing it would only be the three of them together.

  Without The Bastard.

  Quill Cardon’s presence at Blackstone Castle was like a plague that clung to her, one she picked at and flung away, only to find it returned again and again. The boy was the only thing she had no control over. On that, Adelard stood firm. Her husband had proven to be timid around his domineering father and once the old earl succumbed to a
poplexy only a week after she and Adelard wed, her husband had been easily cowed by his new wife.

  In a way, that had pleased Sybil. She enjoyed issuing commands and found she had an innate sense of how to run a castle and estate. Thanks to her talents, Blackwell flourished. Adelard stayed out of her way, allowing her to make decisions usually left to men.

  Except for anything concerning The Bastard.

  Sybil never referred to the child by name. She had done everything to see him gone from Blackstone but her husband refused to budge. Apparently, Adelard had had an unnamed lover who carried his child. When his two older brothers perished within days of one another, he had been called home to Blackwell. Sybil had been betrothed to Bardolf, the eldest, who would become the future earl. When Bardolf succumbed to a raging fever, the second brother had become the new heir. Gunter, who was extremely close to his brother, had remained disgustingly drunk for three days and then fallen from his horse in what everyone graciously deemed an accident. She always thought Gunter, who idolized Bardolf, was fearful of trying to take his brother’s place and deliberately tried to make a jump impossible for a sober horseman, much less an inebriated one.

  Having come to the castle to prepare for her wedding and get to know her future husband before the ceremony uniting them in holy wedlock, Sybil watched as the two brothers had been put into the ground next to one another in quick succession. Betrothal contracts had been hastily rewritten and she found herself suddenly wed to Adelard, who seemed to blend into the woodwork in every situation, afraid to draw any attention to himself.

  When her father-in-law suddenly passed, Sybil knew she could assume the power that Adelard either didn’t want or refused to take. She’d been able to order or manipulate or cajole him into any decision—except ones concerning The Bastard.

  Adelard brought the babe home to Blackwell even as Sybil found herself with child. He told her his lover had died in childbirth and it was up to him to raise their son. Sybil demanded that someone else assume care for the child. She didn’t want to know his name. For the first year, Adelard would disappear from the training yard and Sybil knew he went to see the boy. Once she gave birth to Landon, she demanded that The Bastard leave Blackwell lands for good.

  Her husband refused.

  Instead, Sybil eventually discovered that the child was being raised by their blacksmith, Will Cardon, and his wife. As Landon grew older, Adelard started including the two boys in outings together. He taught them to ride. Hunt. Fish. Always together. Nothing Sybil said would change her husband’s mind.

  And so her hate grew, slow and steady.

  Taking a calming breath and thrusting all thoughts of The Bastard from her mind, she entered the bedchamber and saw her beautiful children both sitting in their beds, eagerly awaiting her. Sybil told them a tale about a dragon slayer and then a second one about a knight on a quest for the Holy Grail. When they begged for a third story, she declined, telling them it was time for sleep.

  “Mother, I forgot my sword in the great hall. May I get it? Please?”

  The toy weapon was Landon’s newest obsession. Adelard had two wooden swords crafted, one for each of his boys, and the two constantly engaged one another in battle across the bailey. Landon took the sword with him everywhere, even resting it against his leg while he ate and propped against the wooden tub when he was bathed. He would never get to sleep without it next to him in the bed.

  “Aye, you may fetch it. No dawdling, though. Retrieve the sword and then come back straightaway. Do you understand?”

  “Aye, Mother.” Landon yanked back the bedclothes and scurried from the room.

  “When do I get a sword, Mother?” Katelyn asked, annoyance obvious in her tone.

  Sybil smiled down upon the girl and stroked her fingers through her daughter’s long, silky hair. Katelyn had both her father’s raven hair and his emerald green eyes, a combination that proved devastating. Already, Sybil could see glimpses of the great beauty that Katelyn would be someday. Her daughter also had a bold spirit and followed her two brothers across the estate, wanting to partake in whatever they did, even surpassing the two boys at times. She was far more adventurous than Landon and enjoyed riding above all else. While she resembled Adelard physically, with her looks and height, her intelligence definitely came from Sybil. At five years of age, Katelyn already grasped how to read. Sybil would make sure this daughter of hers learned not only how to manage domestic issues within the keep but ways to use her beauty to get whatever she wanted from any man.

  “Mother, answer me! When may I have a sword like Landon and Quill?”

  She kissed Katelyn’s brow. “Sorry, my little princess. My mind wandered a bit.”

  “Where did it go?”

  Sybil smiled, loving how curious this child of hers was. “You may have a sword when you turn six. Not before then so don’t think to ask me again. If so, I will change my mind and make it seven before you receive one.”

  Katelyn nodded solemnly, her eyes as round as the full moon.

  Adelard would call Sybil harsh for telling Katelyn this but, as a good mother, she knew how to balance severity with love. Because this was how she raised her children, Sybil knew Katelyn would think about the sword every day but never ask again. Her daughter would learn patience and understand that good things came to those who practiced it.

  “Time to sleep, my darling. Close your eyes so you can dream of beautiful things.”

  Katelyn did as she was told and Sybil looked at her daughter with love. It did bother her somewhat how much both children favored their father. Landon also had hair as black as night and the same mesmerizing green eyes. Like Adelard and Katelyn, Landon was tall, even taller than The Bastard, who was a year older. Sybil resented how, in a year, Landon would leave Blackwell to foster as all seven-year-old boys of the nobility did. That she should be separated from her son and still have to look at The Bastard while she missed her own boy would be punishment enough.

  Sybil thought she would have to put an end to the outings the three children went on sometime soon. If she didn’t, Katelyn would expect to be in The Bastard’s company once Landon left Blackwell. Sybil did not want her daughter near the boy. Once again, hatred for Adelard’s oldest child swept through her. She worried if anything happened to Landon, Adelard might petition to have The Bastard inherit Blackwell.

  She couldn’t allow that to happen. Even if it meant lying with Adelard again, something she hadn’t done since before their daughter’s birth. Though the thought repulsed her, Sybil would do what needed to be done to insure that a true de Blays became the next earl.

  Glancing down, she saw Katelyn had fallen asleep. She picked up her daughter’s small hand and held it to her cheek, basking in her love for the girl.

  The door opened and her husband entered the room. He came in each night to kiss the children goodnight. As Sybil released Katelyn’s hand and watched him cross the room, she knew something was wrong. Before she could ask him, he went to the bed and gazed longingly at Katelyn and then kissed her cheek.

  The girl stirred and opened her eyes. “Father?”

  Sybil resented how her daughter looked lovingly at this man. She wished Adelard would drop dead as his father had so she would be the only one the children turned to.

  Adelard kissed Katelyn again and told her to go back to sleep but Katelyn begged him to go riding tomorrow. He assured her they would and she snuggled back against her pillow, falling asleep as Adelard brought the bedclothes around her.

  “Where is Landon?” he asked.

  Her husband still had a restless air about him. Something was in the wind, though she doubted he would tell her. They spoke as little as possible.

  “He went downstairs to retrieve his sword. He left it in the great hall. You know how he takes it everywhere with him. I could not get him to climb into bed unless I allowed him to fetch it.”

  A look of pain crossed her husband’s face. It gave Sybil a jolt. She could see his body tense even as he gave he
r a look of pity. The combination frightened Sybil to her core.

  “I’ve done something terrible. At least that’s what others will say. You and the children will be the ones to suffer for it, though I’m guilty of no crime.”

  Sybil wanted to scream at him, fool that he was. What idiotic scheme had he involved himself with, especially one severe enough to impact her and their children? Adelard wasn’t political, even though he was a cousin to the king. With the general feeling of mistrust spreading across England, thanks to the Despensers’ influence over King Edward, it wasn’t wise to claim a kinship with whoever sat on the throne.

  “I won’t tell you what. The less you know, the better it might go for you. Just know that the king’s men are coming for me. They will be here shortly. Do your best to guard the children.”

  Despite his serious words, Sybil couldn’t help but smile. Adelard, fool that he was, must somehow be mixed up with some plot against the king. That would be the only reason that he would warn her that the king’s men would soon arrive. Thankfully, she knew nothing. Neither did the children, who were too young to understand politics. This might be the chance she yearned for. Adelard would be gone. She would be in complete control of Blackwell and hold it in trust for Landon. She’d never have to couple with this man again.

  And she could send The Bastard away. Far, far away.

  Or have him killed.

  “Farewell,” he said. “I am sorry I was not a better husband to you—but, in fact, I was no husband at all.”

  At first, Sybil thought he referred to not pleasing her in love play. Then something in his eyes betrayed him. Cold fear gripped her.

  “What?” she asked, afraid to hear his response.

  “No one except for Walter knows. He witnessed my marriage to Cecily Elyot. Quill is my legal son. Landon and Katelyn are bastards.”

  Sybil sprang from her chair and slapped him hard. Before he uttered another word, she raked her nails across his cheek. Adelard grabbed both her wrists.

  “Enough,” he said harshly. “I know you will do what it takes to shield our children. No one need ever know. Keep the secret—from them and the world.”

  Her eyes blazed at him. “And your . . . other son?”

  “Gone. You’ll never find him.”