With a grin, Matthew opened the door to find Gaston de Russe standing there. Impossibly enormous, powerful, dark, and frightening, Gaston de Russe was as ominous and terrifying as Matthew was congenial and benevolent. The two were also the best of friends as well as cousins. Gaston shoved the door open and stepped into the room, immediately spying the women in Matthew’s bed. He sighed heavily.
“Why am I not surprised?” he grumbled, pointing to the women and then flicking his hand in the direction of the door. “Out, both of you. I will not tell you again.”
Orders from the knight they called The Dark One were not meant to be questioned or disobeyed. The women began to scurry, picking up their clothes from the floor, trying to dress and protect their modesty from the big, dark knight, which was a ridiculous thing to do. It wasn’t as if he gave any care to either one of them. He did, however, turn his back on them to face Matthew as the women frantically dressed.
“Did you get any sleep?” he asked Matthew wryly.
Matthew was still grinning at his big cousin. “Of course I did,” he said, turning away and going in search of his breeches.“At least, I think I did. A little, I suppose. Come to think of it, I do not know.”
Gaston shook his head at the man, resigned to Matthew’s behavior. “Your father said he was going to marry you off soon,” he said. “Maybe that will curtail these primal urges you seem to have.”
Matthew found his leather bottoms and pulled them on. “Not any time soon,” he sniffed. “My father has been threatening to betroth me for a few years now but he has yet to do it.”
“Doesn’t he have someone in mind?”
Matthew shrugged. “He says he does,” he replied. “The niece of an ally, I think. Howard Terrington. Do you remember him?”
Gaston nodded his head. “I do indeed,” he said. “I do not like him. He is shifty and I do not trust him. His niece, you say?”
Matthew made a face. “She is only five years of age,” he said, unhappy. “I am sure I can talk my father out of it.”
Gaston cracked a smile. “Why?” he asked. “You will have to marry, eventually. If your wife is five years of age then you will not have to marry her for quite some time, at least another ten years of so.”
Matthew simply shook his head as he secured the ties on his breeches. He glanced up as Raven and the other woman ran past him, fully clothed, and disappeared into the darkened corridors beyond. He sighed.
“Is that what you came to talk to me about?” he asked Gaston, irritated. “You want to know when I am getting married?”
Gaston grunted and shook his head, moving over to the bed and sniffing the air. “Jesus Christ,” he hissed. “It smells as if animals have been mating in here.”
Matthew crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest. “Did you also come to criticize me?”
Gaston fought off a grin as he moved to the lancet window that overlooked the eastern portion of Babylon’s walls. “Nay,” he said, pleased that he had managed to annoy his usually easy-going cousin. “I came to talk to you about le Bec. Has he said anything more to you about the move on Manchester?”
Matthew shook his head. “Not since Warwick departed last week,” he said. “Why do you ask?”
Gaston was looking out over the countryside. The snows had melted surprisingly fast because the past week had been clear weather with bright sun. Now, all he could see were fields of dead grass beneath the sunshine. Below him in the inner ward, the castle was going about its business and the sections of wall that had been damaged by two successive sieges were being repaired from a quarry nearby. Aye, everything was back to normal. But it shouldn’t have been. He turned to Matthew.
“Warwick gave Kenton specific instructions to plan for the subjugation of Rochdale and Manchester,” he said. “Kenton should have at least have come up with a plan during this past week but I have heard nothing. I thought he might have said something to you.”
Matthew uncrossed his arms and looked away, heading to the chair where his heavy woolen tunic was slung over the back. He collected his tunic and pulled it over his curly blond hair.
“He has not said anything to me about it,” he replied, somewhat subdued. “Have you asked de Birmingham or Forbes or le Mon?”
Gaston nodded. “They are as much in the dark as we are.”
Matthew pondered that a moment. “Kenton has been too busy with Lady Thorne and her children to worry about a siege on Manchester.”
Gaston nodded. “I know,” he agreed. “I have seen it, too. So have his men. I suppose that was the point I was driving at. LeBec is very distracted and if word gets back to Warwick, he will not be pleased.”
Matthew knew that. “We have fought with Kenton le Bec since we were both knighted,” he said. “He is the consummate knight, professional and perfect. He was at Towton, for Christ’s Sake, and survived it, so that is some indication to the man’s skill. But I also heard he lost a wife and child a few years ago. It is not wrong for a man to want to fill that void, Gaston.”
Gaston glanced at him. “Nay, it is not wrong,” he said, “but Warwick will not see it that way. Do not take my statements as condemnation against le Bec; I respect and admire him a great deal. But if Warwick finds out he has been distracted by Lady Thorne, it is quite possible that Warwick will send the lady away. You know this as well as I do. If he is forced to do that, it will not go well for le Bec.”
Matthew sat down on the chair to pull his boots on. “Then mayhap we should bring that up to the man.”
Gaston shrugged. “And if he does not respond? Do we send word to Warwick that le Bec is otherwise occupied and Manchester will have to wait?”
Matthew shook his head. “We donot,” he said. “Gaston, I have no great love for Warwick. You know that. My loyalty would much rather be with le Bec for I know he is a true and loyal knight. I feel in this case that we must speak with le Bec and voice our concerns, for his sake. If le Bec does not move on Manchester, Warwick will come down on him. Even if he knows that, he must be reminded. Mayhap that is all he needs– a reminder that we are expecting something great from him. And so is Warwick.”