The Falls of Erith by Kathryn Le Veque Read Free Book Online

politely.
    Brooke
smiled broadly at him. “My lord,” she dipped in a practiced curtsy. “Please
meet my grandmother, the Lady Constance Gray de Montfort.”
    De
Montfort . It was
the first time Braxton had heard that name within these walls. It confirmed his
suspicion that the de Montforts did indeed retain the holding once awarded to
their ancestor Simon.  Now it belonged to a derelict branch of the family. He
bowed his head in greeting.
    “My
lady,” he addressed her. “I am Braxton de Nerra. These are my men.…”
    The
older woman cut him off before he could introduce her to what she undoubtedly,
by her expression, considered rabble. 
    “De
Nerra,” she repeated. “Correct me if I am wrong, Sir Knight, but are you of the
Anjou de Nerra’s?”
    Brooke
piped up before Braxton could reply. “Anjou? In France?”
    Constance
nodded coolly, her gaze never leaving Braxton’s face. Her entire manner reeked
of breeding, of arrogance. “The House of de Nerra is the hereditary family to
the Earldom of Anjou.”
    Brooke’s
face lit up, looking at Braxton through new eyes. “An earldom?”
    Braxton’s
eyes were steady on the older woman.  He never did look at Brooke. “My family
is another branch. We do not hold the Earldom of Anjou.”
    “I
see,” Constance’s amber eyes appraised him. “So you have no connection with
Anjou at all?” Before he could answer, she waved her hand as if to wash away
the probing tone of her words. “You will forgive me, Sir Knight, but I was
raised in a fine house. I am quite familiar with peerage and it is always a
pleasure to meet an equal.”
    Braxton
had known the woman all of thirty seconds and already he didn’t particularly
care for her. “The current earl is my father’s second cousin,” he replied. “I
have never met him, nor have any of my three older brothers.”
    It
was an implication to the old woman not to expect what he thought she might be
driving at. An Anjou de Nerra would be a wealthy catch for her granddaughter
if, in fact, she was seriously trying to marry the girl off. He could just see
by her manner that she was ambitious, vain and haughty. No, he didn’t like her
in the least.
    “You
have three older brothers?” Brooke was back in the conversation, oblivious to
the odd tension between her grandmother and the knight. “Are they all knights,
too?”
    Braxton
looked at the girl. “Aye, my lady, they are.”
    Her
eyes glistened. “Where? Do they serve great Houses or do they wander around
like you do?”
    He
broke into a grin; she certainly didn’t mince words. “My eldest brother remains
at my father’s house, as he will inherit his rights upon the passing of my
father. My other two brothers my father as well, as the sons of Baron
Gilderdale.”
    A
servant brought a trencher for both Constance and Brooke. Brooke delved into
the venison as if she was starving, while Constance merely picked at it.
Braxton was much more interested in watching Brooke, who wasn’t particularly
mannered. She gobbled and wiped her hands on her surcoat, and somewhere during
the conversation had spied Edgar and Norman.  Now her attention was torn
between Braxton and boys her own age.  While Brooke had a sweet innocence about
her that was refreshing, the old woman had the countenance of a hawk sighting
prey.
    “Do
you see your father much, my lord?” Brooke asked with a full mouth.
    Braxton
accepted his own trencher from a nearby servant. “Not too often.”
    “What
of your wife, Sir Knight?” Constance came at him from his other side. “Surely
you must see her now and again.”
    Like
a good warrior, the old woman went straight for the jugular. Braxton turned his
attention to her as one would attend to an adversary. “I am not married, my
lady,” he said evenly. “I will never marry.”
    “Why
not?”
    “Because
I cannot provide my wife with a steady home. I move with my army, constantly. I
have no intention of settling in one place.”
    A
light twinkled in