The Agents of William Marshal Volume II: A Medieval Romance Bundle Read online

  THE AGENTS OF WILLIAM MARSHAL COLLECTION

  VOLUME II

  A Medieval Romance Bundle

  By Kathryn Le Veque

  © Copyright 2005, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 by Kathryn Le Veque

  Kindle Edition

  Text by Kathryn Le Veque

  Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited.

  All Rights Reserved.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  License Notes:

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or borrow it, or it was not purchased for you and given as a gift for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If this book was purchased on an unauthorized platform, then it is a pirated and/or unauthorized copy and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do not purchase or accept pirated copies. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work.

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  Contents

  A Time of End

  The Whispering Night

  Lord of the Sky

  Netherworld

  Winter of Solace

  A TIME OF END

  A Medieval Romance

  Book Four in the Executioner Knights Series

  By Kathryn Le Veque

  Alexander de Sherrington, the man affectionately referred to as “Sherry” by his friends, is off on the greatest adventure of his life… and his target is Lady Christin de Lohr.

  Lovely and vivacious, Christin is as headstrong as her mother but born with her father’s innate sense of politics. She fostered in the finest homes and proved herself to be smart, intuitive, and calm under pressure. Unbeknownst to her father, William Marshal recruited Christin into his network of spies and even as she serves a de Lohr ally, the House of de Winter, as a lady-in-waiting for Lady de Winter, she completes missions at The Marshal’s directive.

  Enter Alexander de Sherrington.

  He is intrigued with the beautiful new spy, and he and Christin are thrown together due to necessity. But Alexander soon realizes there is something very special about the daughter of Christopher de Lohr. As a romance blossoms, King John has his own plans for Christin – marrying her to his bastard son to undermine Christopher’s power.

  The only one who can stop the marriage is Christin herself.

  Join Alexander and Christin, Christopher and David, and the rest of The Marshal and de Lohr allies in this epic adventure of intrigue and romance that pushes the bonds of trust between allies. It’s Medieval Mayhem in 13th Century England!

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I’ve got to say… I love me some Sherry!

  Finally – his story is here. And his leading lady? None other than Christin de Lohr.

  This book is set between the last chapter and the epilogue for Starless, Book 3 in the Executioner Knights series, and what a story it is. The Executioner Knights series is growing by leaps and bounds, with so many awesome knights who are part of William Marshal’s spy ring. I originally wrote about the spy ring in the novel The Whispering Night, and then in Lord of the Shadows, so it’s been a lot of fun to expand on that particular aspect of England’s political underground.

  If you’re wondering why my original spy from The Whispering Night, Garren le Mon, isn’t in any of these books, the reason is simple – at the end of his story, he fled to France, so he’s over in Gascony while all of these adventures are going on.

  But back to the tale – for those of you keeping track of the de Winter aspect of this series as it ties into another novel, High Warrior, I have to explain something – we have two Daveigh de Winters. The first Daveigh was mentioned in the novel High Warrior, and I only mention this because the hero of that novel, Bric MacRohan, has also made appearances in the Executioner Knights series.

  Bric serves Daveigh de Winter of Narborough Castle, while Daveigh’s uncle, also Daveigh de Winter (and the brother of Daveigh’s father, Davyss de Winter the First) is the garrison commander at Norwich Castle and the father of Lady Delesse de Winter, who was mentioned in Godspeed as having broken Dashiell du Reims’ heart. We met Delesse, briefly, in The Mountain Dark, Book 2 in the Executioner Knights series. For those keeping track, Davyss de Winter – hero of Lespada – is the son of Grayson de Winter, half-brother of Daveigh de Winter of Narborough Castle. They both share the same father, Davyss I.

  Confusing, I know, but those de Winters really aren’t original when it comes to names. They’re all named after each other – Davyss, Hugh, Grayson, and Daveigh. That’s what you’ll see the most of. In fact, a heroine in the Reign of de Winter series even comments on it. You can actually find the House of de Winter family tree on my website.

  Back to the House of de Lohr – I’ve never fully outlined the children of Christopher and Dustin, but we know they had a bunch of them. The first time I gave a full accounting was in A Blessed de Lohr Christmas, so here it is again:

  The children of Christopher and Dustin:

  Peter (Christopher’s son with Lady Amanda)

  Christin

  Brielle

  Curtis

  Richard

  Myles

  Rebecca

  Douglas

  Westley

  Olivia Charlotte (the future Honey de Shera)

  Now, aside from the de Lohr family, lots going on in this story. William Marshal has spent the past few years in and out of England, mostly in Ireland, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that he and John were at odds, and also because some English lords were trying to take over his Irish properties. In this story, he’s only recently returned home again, back to serve John.

  Something else to note – this takes place about four years before Lord of the Shadows, and Sean de Lara once again plays a fairly major role in this book. I’ve loved writing the Executioner Knights series and one of the reasons is because we get to see Sean in action over the years and why he was called Lord of the Shadows. We also get to see some poignant scenes between Sean and his brother, Kevin.

  No pronunciation guides in this book because there are no odd names (surprising, I know!). Castles such as Norwich are real, but Lioncross is fictional. This is such a fun story, so enjoy it. I know I did!

  Hugs,

  HIC FINIS DAT DEUS (GOD ENDS HERE)

  Year of Our Lord 1211

  Ramsbury Castle

  Seat of the Duke of Savernake

  The target was on the move.

  This night was the culmination of intelligence, of rumors and whispers. A miasma of information had swirled for months like the fogs that often settled in during the winter – thick, like stew, masking the ingredients therein. It was the night when the information had finally become clear and spies from William Marshal’s stable would catch the double agent who had been carefully cultivated, lured into believing this was the night when all of France�
�s dreams would come true.

  William Marshal’s men had been clever. The agent was an English nobleman, one Lord Prescombe, with ties to the French king. He’d pretended to ally himself with William Marshal, offering his army and money to help the English king, John, regain his properties in Normandy. John had lost Normandy some time ago but had spent the past year building up money and ammunition in order to take an invasion force over the channel and gain back what he believed was rightfully his.

  But the French king, Philip, wanted those plans.

  To catch the French spy, this night of nights had been created.

  It was a feast that would live in legend for years to come. The Duke of Savernake, Edward de Vaston, was a great supporter of William Marshal and the host of the event. The Savernake army was one of the largest armies in Southern England with the exception of the Earl of Canterbury’s army. David de Lohr, the Earl of Canterbury, shared the distinction along with his brother, Christopher, of having one of the largest and best-equipped armies in all of England.

  Armies that William Marshal depended heavily upon.

  In fact, both Christopher and David de Lohr were at the great feast tonight, meant to celebrate the marriage of the heiress to the de Vaston dukedom, Lily, to a somewhat minor but wealthy nobleman named Clayton le Cairon. That was the premise, anyway. The truth was that Lily and Clayton had married the month before, so this celebration was conveniently late.

  But it had been a perfect excuse for William Marshal to call together his network of spies in the hunt for the French spy. Along with Christopher and David de Lohr, other notable agents included Alexander de Sherrington, known as Sherry to his friends. If there was ever a perfect agent, Alexander was it. The man was the perfect combination of knightly skill, experience, and intelligence. He was also the most deadly assassin in The Marshal’s arsenal, a man who preferred to work alone but was no less comfortable leading a contingent, which he was now.

  A contingent of some of William’s finest agents.

  Also at the top of that contingent were Maxton of Loxbeare, Kress de Rhydian, and Achilles de Dere, the original Executioner Knights, men with great and vast reputations that had been established in The Levant with Richard’s Crusade. All three men had settled down and married since their return to England, and Achilles had brought his wife, Susanna, who had been an agent for William Marshal before marriage and motherhood had taken priority.

  Even as William looked over the enormous great hall of Ramsbury Castle, he found satisfaction in knowing Susanna was once again primed for action. She was one of his best. In fact, she was playing the proper wife even as her husband and his friends were pretending to become drunk. William saw Susanna remove Achilles’ drink on more than one occasion, which gave William a good laugh. Achilles was a big, fearsome knight, but it was clear who was in charge of that relationship.

  Along with Maxton, Kress, and Achilles was Dashiell du Reims, the commander of the army for the Duke of Savernake and an agent for William when he was needed. He sat at the same feasting table with the original Executioner Knights, and Susanna, along with Bric MacRohan, the commander for the Narborough Castle’s de Winter armies. Bric was Irish to the bone and one of the most frightening, most deadly men William had ever known.

  Another perfect assassin.

  The Marshal’s group rounded out with Sir Kevin de Lara, Sir Cullen de Nerra, and the eldest son of Christopher de Lohr, an outstanding young knight by the name of Sir Peter de Lohr. Peter came into the service of William Marshal a few years before and was already one of The Marshal’s best agents, much to his father’s distress. Peter was smart, cunning, talented, and deadly. But he wasn’t the most talented spy in the de Lohr family. That title went to Christopher’s eldest daughter, and Peter’s sister, Christin.

  She was the one they called The Ghost – there one moment, gone the next, and no one was the wiser until it was all over.

  William watched Christopher as the man sat with his daughter and son. He often wondered what the man would say if he knew his daughter had taken to the spy business like a duck takes to water. William lived in fear of that moment, actually, because he knew Christopher would not react well. Nor should he – he had a lovely daughter to protect. William’s gaze moved to Christin. She had long, dark hair and enormous gray eyes. She looked like an angel. In fact, there were few women in the world with Lady Christin de Lohr’s beauty.

  She was young, well-spoken, charming, and quite witty in all conversation except that she came across as rather naïve. But that was what made her such an exceptional agent – no one realized she was assessing them and analyzing information until it was too late. William knew for a fact that she had killed at least three men she’d been sent to draw information from. She served Lady de Winter from Norwich Castle as a lady-in-waiting, but that was a cover. Her liege, old Daveigh de Winter, sent her off at The Marshal’s command.

  And her father knew nothing about it.

  Christin was here tonight, along with the rest of William’s agents, but her directive was specific – she was to make herself agreeable to the spy and get him drunk so the men could remove him from the hall and make him disappear.

  She was the perfect weapon.

  But she hadn’t had the chance. The French spy had arrived with a woman on his arm, a woman who had showed great aggression towards Christin when she approached Lord Prescombe, so Christin had been forced to back off and reassess her strategy. They’d all seen the man depart the great hall several minutes earlier with his companion, presumably heading for the garderobe, but neither had returned to the hall yet. Dashiell, who had been out patrolling the wall, had seen the man heading around the side of the keep to the kitchen entrance, but not the woman. She was missing.

  It was time to mobilize his agents. With a nod of his head to Peter, the young knight was by William’s side.

  “My lord?” he asked.

  William’s gaze was over the room. “Lord Prescombe has decided to re-enter the keep through the kitchen entrance,” he said. “Spread the word. Everyone knows what they are to do.”

  “Aye, my lord.”

  Peter was off, very casually, as if nothing were amiss. As he approached the table where his father and uncle were speaking with his sister, he nodded slightly to Maxton, who casually stood up himself. He yawned, feigning drunkenness, which had Kress on his feet to steady him. Big, bearded Maxton gripped Kress, his tall and blond companion, and the two of them staggered out of the hall, presumably to find the garderobe as well.

  But their act had Achilles and Susanna on their feet, with Achilles deliberately picking a fight with his wife and storming off because she kept taking his drink away. But it was all an act. Susanna, looking wounded, watched him walk away as Kevin and Cullen joined him, all three of them staggering out of the hall under the guise of being drunk.

  Christin, seeing that Susanna appeared as if she were about to cry, broke off from her father.

  “Papa,” she said, holding up a hand to interrupt the conversation. “I think Lady de Dere requires my comfort. Please remain and enjoy your meal. I will return shortly.”

  With that, she rounded the table and went to Susanna, who appeared properly injured by her rude husband. As Susanna and Christin headed out of the hall through a door that led into the heart of the keep, presumably to engage in womanly conversation, Bric MacRohan finally stood up from the table and, with cup in hand, made his way over to Peter.

  “Time to move, young de Lohr,” Bric said in his heavy Irish accent. “Make it good.”

  Grinning, Peter threw his arm around Bric’s neck and the two of them departed the hall in a chummy fashion. With the table cleared of almost everyone, Christopher and David sat there, realizing they were very much alone.

  “Was it something I said?” David wondered aloud.

  Christopher shook his head, pouring himself more of Savernake’s fine Spanish wine. “Probably,” he said. He watched Peter and Bric disappear through one of the sm
aller doors in the hall. “You know, it is quite disturbing to me to see Peter make such great friends with MacRohan. He could find better companions.”

  David snorted. “You adore Bric,” he said. “The man is as fine as they come. It’s good to see that Peter has been accepted by all of The Marshal’s men.”

  Christopher looked pointedly at him. “You mean he has been accepted by all of The Marshal’s agents,” he muttered. “He thinks I do not know, but I do. He is a spy like the rest of them.”

  David didn’t react to that. He simply took the pitcher of wine and poured himself more as well. “Who told you?”

  “That is of little matter. Did you know?”

  “They call him The Ghost.”

  “I know.”

  Christopher sat back in his chair. “Did you notice how they all left at the same time?”

  “I did.”

  “Something is afoot.”

  “My thoughts, as well.”

  “Evidently, I must look stupid if they do not think I noticed.”

  “You don’t look any more stupid to me than you usually do.”

  Christopher cast his brother an exasperated look but was prevented from replying when he spied William Marshal making his way over to their table.

  “Look,” he muttered, putting his cup to his lips. “The Puppet master himself. The man is making an assassin out of my son.”

  David grinned. “Peter can take care of himself,” he said. “If I were you, I would pretend that I still didn’t know. Give the old man the illusion that he knows more than you do.”

  Christopher simply lifted his cup to William when the man came to join them. The three of them indulged in Savernake’s fine drink, each man pretending there wasn’t something going on around them, something that involved The Marshal’s finest agents.

  And one agent Christopher knew nothing of.