Keller leaned in to hear him better. “What promise?” he asked. “To whom?”
Trevyn shook his head, looking at his lap. “To my wife,” he said quietly. “She perished of childbirth fever shortly after Izlyn was born. She made me promise… she could never bring herself to discipline the boy, you see, and she made me promise not to lift a hand to him. She could control him whereas I could not, so it was never an issue until he became older and then… he is my only son. He is allowed to do as he pleases.”
Keller drew in a long, calming breath, glancing at William to see the man’s reaction. William appeared both puzzled and disgusted, so Keller pressed Trevyn.
“But he terrorizes your entire family,” Keller said, unsure of his personal feelings with regard to the man’s answer. “Why do you permit this?”
Trevyn merely shook his head. “He was a lively boy when he was young,” he said. “He was mischievous but not naughty. But somehow as he grew older, the foul streak arose. I had promised my wife not to strike or discipline him, so I let him do as he pleased. Now… there is no way to stop it. I promised my wife, after all.”
Keller stared at the man a moment before looking to William. The big blond knight met Keller’s gaze before removing his hands from Trevyn’s shoulders. Having a wife for as long as he had, William understood Trevyn’s point of view more than most. He plopped his big body down on the bench and faced the man.
“I can understand that you promised your wife not to strike him,” he said, his tone considerably less hostile, “but in making this promise, do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve allowed the man to run wild and terrorize all of you. I am sure that is not what your wife had in mind when she made you promise not to strike him.”
Trevyn was still staring at his lap. “Mayhap,” he agreed quietly. Then, he lifted his head and looked at Keller. “But it has come to this. Gryffyn knows no fear or boundaries. He takes what he wants, he does what he wants, and even though he is my son I have grown to hate him over the years as one would hate an enemy. Do you know why I brokered this deal with William Marshal? Giving him my castle and lands? It was not to know peace with the English. Nay, that was not the reason. It was so that my son could not inherit these lands that have belonged to my family for generations. Instead, Gryffyn will inherit lands in England, a country he hates intensely.”
It was a shocking admission. Keller’s rage at the old man had calmed significantly by the time Trevyn was finished. In fact, he understood his reasoning completely.
“But you made your daughter part of this deal,” he pointed out softly. “You offered to marry her to an Englishman of the Marshal’s choosing.”
Trevyn nodded. “I know,” he said. “I wanted it that way. At least it would remain somewhat in the family if Chrystobel married the new lord of Nether. At least my grandchildren would inherit it, but not my grandchildren through my son. I do not want that line to have anything to do with what is so beloved by the d’Einens. I pray every night that my son will die without having issue and that his evil ways will die out with him. The House of d’Einen is a good family, my lord. But Gryffyn has tainted the name.”
Keller sighed loudly, glancing over at William for the man’s reaction. William looked at Keller as if to say how can we become angry with him now? Keller finally cleared his throat softly.
“Where is your son?” he asked quietly. “I do not want to kill the man. I only wish to locate him.”
Trevyn shook his head. “He has more than likely left the fortress,” he said, sounding defeated. “He has a friend he cavorts with, a local lord named Colvyn ap Gwynwynwyn. The man lives at Castell Mallwyd, about a half day’s ride from here.”
“And you believe he went there?”
“It is possible.”
Keller glanced at William again, both men knowing that there wasn’t much more to be said on the subject. It was assumed that Gryffyn had left the fortress. After a moment, Keller rose from his seat, as did William. The knights began to move away from the table, heading for the hall entry.
“You will tell me if he returns,” Keller said to Trevyn. “Meanwhile, my soldiers will be manning this castle and her walls. Your soldiers, particularly since they are loyal to your son, will be kept elsewhere and watched over by my men. Today, the English will assume the full mantle of Nether Castle.”
Trevyn merely nodded, resignation in his tone. “As you say.”
Keller’s gaze lingered on him. “And you, my lord?” he asked quietly. “Will I have your loyalty as well?”
Trevyn was looking at his lap again. “I cannot say I am readily an English subject,” he said. “At least, not yet. But I promise you that you will have no trouble from me.”
“For now, I will accept that.”
Without another word, Keller and William quit the hall, closing the door behind them. Once the door was shut and the room returned to the cold, dark, and cavernous chamber, leaving Trevyn quite alone, the old man signed heavily and buried his face in his hands. After a moment, a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sob burst from his lips, first one and then another. He kept his hands over his eyes, silently weeping, as a panel near the hearth shifted and a figure emerged.
Gryffyn appeared in the shadows, his gaze on his father. He had been hiding in the passage used by the servants to travel to and from the kitchen area, a secondary passage that was submerged in the thickness of the walls of the great hall. Unless one was a native of Nether, the passage was easily concealed and therefore not easily known. But Trevyn knew about it and he also knew that Gryffyn was hiding in it, listening to the entire conversation with the English. As he wept, he wept for himself. He was the coward de Poyer had accused him of being.
“Excellent, Father,” Gryffyn said quietly. “Now they will let their guard down. They will not be looking for me within the fortress any longer.”
Trevyn wiped at his eyes. “You heard what they said,” he muttered. “You told your sister to kill her husband. How could you do such a thing?”
Gryffyn’s features hardened. “How could she not do such a thing?” he countered savagely. “The foolish bitch has betrayed me and she will pay. I will kill her before this day his finished.”
Trevyn continued wiping at his eyes. “If you do, her husband will kill you,” he said. “You heard the man. He is already protective of her.”