It was an hour later when the butler returned and Aldric, along with Vincent and Theo, were escorted to meet Lord Bedford in the drawing room. Aldric thought the man was a nervous wreck, pacing back and forth and sweating profusely like a pig ready for slaughter.
"Lord Norsewood." He scurried over, then bowed the moment Aldric was at the door. "I sincerely apologize for the wait. Your arrival was... very unexpected before the due date. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."
Aldric, Vincent, and Theo strolled in, and Aldric sat down on the sofa while Vincent and Theo stood behind him.
Aldric flicked his gaze across the room, noticing it was not only Lord Bedford who was present, but the lady of the manor, too, along with two young men in their early twenties. He suspected the woman was Lady Katherine Bedford and the two young men Lord Bedford's sons Austin and Charles.
"May I introduce my family," Lord Bedford said. He raised his hand toward Lady Bedford. "My wife, Katherine Bedford." He turned to the two young men. "My sons, Austin and Charles."
Lady Bedford stiffly bowed. "My lord."
Aldric gave her a slight nod of his head in return.
Lord Bedford took his seat next to his wife on the sofa. Then, as if exhausted, he wiped his forehead with the sleeves of his shirt. He said, "Now then, a spot of tea perhaps?"
Aldric said, "No." After all, he had had enough of bland tea. Now, if it was that dark drink Quinn had given them, that was a different story. He continued. "Perhaps we can get straight to business, Lord Bedford."
"Uh, yes, of course, my lord," Lord Bedford said.
Aldric said, "I take it you've received, read, and understood the missive King Henry sent you?"
Lord Bedford nodded. "Uh, yes, indeed, my lord."
"I take it there is no objection on your part?" Aldric asked. He needed to be sure there was no misunderstanding or objection. Considering his infamous reputation, he didn't want a reluctant bride being forced into this marriage against her will.
Lord Bedford shook his head vigorously. "No, there's no objection at all, my lord."
Vincent tilted his head to one side. "No objection, eh?" He chuckled, looking around the room with interest. "Then where's the bride? I don't see her here."
At that, Lord and Lady Bedford glanced at each other, and Lord Bedford said, "That, uh, you'll meet her tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Aldric raised a brow. "Lord Bedford, I was hoping to meet my bride today. In fact, I have plans to leave as soon as my bride and I take our vows, and that is tomorrow."
"Such haste, my lord?" Lady Bedford asked.
"I plan to return to Norsewood before winter sets in, my lady, and I have no patience for delays."
"I see," Lady Bedford said.
"I assume then that a wedding ceremony tomorrow is acceptable?"
Lord Bedford nodded his head furiously again. "Indeed, my lord. In fact, the earlier, the better." He turned to Lady Bedford. "Isn't that right, my dear?"
"Indeed," Lady Bedford said.
Vincent asked, his eyes twinkling, "May I ask which of your lovely daughters is the lucky woman. Lady Calla or Lady Iris?"
Lucky? Who'd consider marrying a man who murdered his late wife lucky? Lady Bedford thought. Despite Lord Norsewood's obvious good looks that even she herself admired and couldn't seem to tear her gaze away, the man was still a monster, nonetheless.
Lord Bedford widened his eyes at hearing Vincent's question, and Aldric thought the man was beginning to sweat rather too much for one who wasn't doing any hard exertion. His face, in fact, was as bright red as a cooked lobster.
Lord Bedford said, "Uh, well, you see, it won't... be either Calla or Iris." He chuckled nervously, wiping his forehead yet again.
While Aldric was impassive, Vincent raised a brow with intrigue. "Really now? Then who could the bride be? I believe it's been made abundantly clear she needs to be of your bloodline, Lord Bedford."
Lord Bedford chuckled nervously. "Yes, of course, she is of my, uh, bloodline, sir."
"Then what is her name and how is she related to you, my lord?" Theo asked, his eyes dark and his tone threatening. "I've heard you only have two daughters. Is there a third we don't know about?"
Lady Bedford said, "Her name is Quinn, and she is Lord Bedford's illegitimate child, sir." She raised her head a notch higher and continued, "I admit I am not pleased with my husband's past transgression, but he has since changed and is now a very faithful spouse. Quinn is eighteen and has consented to wed Lord Norsewood."
"Quinn?" Aldric asked, astounded at hearing the name.
"Indeed, my lord, Quinn Fairchild," Lady Bedford said.
Quinn Fairchild. Could it be the Quinn he had met earlier? Aldric thought. But Quinn was a boy. Yet, he remembered the slenderness and softness when he had wrapped his hands around Quinn's waist. Could it be that Quinn had disguised herself as a boy? Considering how graceful, gentle, and nimble she was, it was very possible, and he felt a sense of delight washing over him.
Vincent chuckled. "Quinn Fairchild. What a lovely name. Just out of curiosity, what is Quinn, the future Countess of Norsewood, like?" At Lady Bedford looking at her husband, Vincent said, "Surely, you know your child, Lord Bedford? Her likes and dislikes, things such as that."
Lord Bedford said, "Uh, well, that, uh..."
"She's a timid little ra... I mean woman," Austin said.
Rat. Aldric knew Austin was going to say rat, and he shifted his gaze to the man, a sense of rage erupting through him. No one should ever refer to Quinn as a rat.
Austin saw the intimidating glare and felt himself involuntarily squirming in his seat. Goodness, he thought, but the monster's stare really did send him shaking in his boots, just as the rumors implied. He kept his mouth shut henceforth and prayed for the meeting to end soon.
Lady Bedford snorted. "Timid? She is anything but timid. I swear she barged in here only the other night and made such excessive demands."
Charles said, "If you want to know her physical traits, she's a beautiful little thing. I assure you, my lord will not be displeased, especially where passionate nights are concerned." He smirked. "I admit I have my fair share of temptation, but alas, Quinn is my half-sibling." Not to mention a boy, he added in his mind.
"Charles, stop spouting such nonsense," Lady Bedford snapped.
Aldric shifted his gaze to Charles, and he felt the sudden urge to smash the young man's face in with his mighty fist. As a man with an excellent sense of character judgment, he knew Charles was an arrogant, power-hungry bastard who liked to trample on the weak and the insignificant and force himself on women. He prayed Quinn wasn't one of those.
Vincent said, "Charles, is it? I hope you realize you're saying something that's quite demeaning to Lord Norsewood's bride. I'm afraid if you go further, we'll have no choice but to show you that no one, not even the future Lady Norsewood's family members, can get away from the wrath of Lord Norsewood or those serving under him."
That wiped the smirk off of Charles's face, and he went pale at the threat.
Vincent continued. "I assume then that you meant to imply Lady Quinn is a rare beauty?"
Charles nodded mutely.
Changing the subject, Lady Bedford said, "We've prepared rooms in the guesthouse, my lord. I understand you've traveled far and are quite exhausted from the journey." She turned to Mr. Gray. "Gray, show Lord Norsewood and his men to their rooms."
Mr. Gray nodded. "Aye, my lady."
Moments later, Aldric, Vincent, and Theo walked out the door, leaving the Bedford family to sigh in relief. Immediately, Lord Bedford called for Mrs. Ross. "Bring Elizabeth here!" he ordered.
In the sitting room attached to their bedrooms of the guesthouse, Vincent plopped himself down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other as he rested one arm over the back. "I swear if it's back at Norsewood, I'd reconstruct Charles's face until he's unrecognizable. The bastard is despicable." He turned to Aldric. "I don't know the dynamic relations of the Bedford family members, but I have the gut feeling our pipsqueak hasn't been treated well here."
"I concur with that," Theo said.
Aldric said, "Our pipsqueak?"
Vincent snorted and then smirked. "Come now, Aldric, I know deep down you're fucking delighted at hearing that your bride is none other than the pipsqueak." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe she pretended to be a boy and nonchalantly waltzed about in the woods and encountered orcs. She is one senseless lassie."
Vincent's words reminded Aldric of the dead orcs, and he turned to Theo. "Tell me, Theo, what do you think happened with the orcs?"
Theo clasped his hands together, and a dark frown appeared across his face. He said, "Apart from the ones you slaughtered, there were five others. Two were burned to a crisp and the other three were killed by some sort of blast. The corpses were coated with water."
"Can you clarify?" Aldric said.
Theo said, "I've seen corpses like those before. They were done by mages with very strong magical power. One was a fire elemental user and the other a water user. Clearly, by the remains I have examined, it's undisputed that they were done by at least a tier five mage."
"Tier five? That's high," Vincent said.
"Such a mage would be a leader of their own squad in the army," Aldric said.
Theo asked, "Did you see no one else when you saved Lady Quinn?"
Aldric shook his head.
Theo said, "This is only my speculation, but perhaps it is Lady Quinn herself who killed those orcs?"
"With such powerful elementals magic?" Vincent asked. "Come now, Theo, we all know such a thing doesn't exist. Besides that, fire and water are polar opposites. In theory, the two elements would clash and cause a rift to the mana vein in one's body."
Theo said, "Perhaps then Lady Quinn is a special case and has been blessed by more than one deity?"
Aldric said, "If that were the case, Lord Bedford would not have sacrificed her as my bride. Having a blessed child with such abilities will only bring him more influence and power."
Vincent nodded in agreement. "Indeed, why would he give her away? This brings us to the conclusion that it's either our pipsqueak is not blessed or that she is, but Lord Bedford doesn't know."
Theo said, "I'm inclined to conclude the second. Lady Quinn is blessed, and Lord Bedford doesn't know, hence she is not reported to the kingdom's court."
"Which means the woman who gave birth to Quinn kept it a secret?" Vincent asked no one in particular.
Aldric said, "She probably has her reasons."
Vincent chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Aren't you one lucky man, Aldric? To not only gain a rare beauty for a bride but one that could cook up a storm and a mage with two powerful elementals magic."
Aldric snorted. "Assuming we're talking about the Quinn we've met earlier."
Vincent said, "I'm very sure it's the pipsqueak." He chuckled. "Boy, but I can't wait to see her getting the shock of her life to finally realize her future husband is none other than you, Aldric." Then he added, "And I can't wait to delight myself with her cousin. She was indeed a pretty little thing and very amusing to tease."
Theo took out his storage pouch, retrieved a hat, and rested it on the table. He said, "I found that at the site in the woods. I believe it belonged to Lady Quinn."
Aldric reached out and picked up the cap. As he inspected it in his hand, he said, "I've never seen one in this style before."
"And the material looked luxurious," Vincent said. "Perhaps the type from Lady Quinn's hometown?"
"Perhaps," Aldric said as he got up and strolled over to the balcony. He leaned against the rail and gazed into the distance, Quinn's flat cap still in his hands. With a slight smile on his lips, he thought that he couldn't wait to see Quinn again. By tomorrow, she'd be his bride and he'd be taking her to his home, and strangely enough, he was looking forward to that.