Disclaimer:

I do not own William Thatcher, Kate, Wat, Geoffrey Chaucer, Roland, Count Adamar, or King Edward, but all of the other characters in this fan fiction are my creation.

Author's Note:

I know that this is a short chapter, I'm sorry about that, I have a lot planned for the next few chapters. Things are going to start to get really sticky for Josephine and her companions. The next chapter will be longer.

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A Daughter's Tale

Chapter Seven – Homecoming

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Josephine was glad to be home and in her own bed again. She knew that she had to tell Lenior what Geoff had told her about the Count but she just didn't know how. As she lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling she was finding it hard to sleep. Geoffrey's words plagued her mind, she just couldn't believe that Christopher could have anything to do with Count Adamar's plans, if he even had any. There were so many questions involved. Maybe she needed to find some answers before talking to Lenior. "Josephine, are you still awake?" Lenior asked in a low whisper.

"Yeah, I can't sleep. I thought you fell asleep hours ago."

"No, I can't sleep either, I just keep thinking about Jean-Philippe. I really don't know why you don't like him, he is simply wonderful."

Josephine rolled her brown eyes, "You really don't know him that well do you?"

"I know him nearly as well as you know your Lord Dover." Lenior snapped defensively.

"I don't really know him that well either." The young blonde folded her arms behind her head, "I just think that we should be a bit more cautious where they are concerned."

"I pride myself on being an excellent judge of character Josephine, if there were something untrustworthy about either one of them I feel quite sure that I would have picked up on it."

Josephine shifted uneasily, she should have known that Lenior would not listen, she would have to go above the brunette's head if she were going protect her. "Let's just forget about it for tonight, it is late and I am having a hard enough time trying to rest."

Lenior remained silent. She had learned that it was better not to push Josephine, or try to sway her opinion. She did intend to find out more about her Count at the next tournament, even if it meant sneaking around behind everyone's back.

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The next morning after her usual routine, Josephine decided to have a chat with Roland, hoping that he could make his daughter see the danger that having a friend like Jean-Philippe could pose. She waited until they were alone de-armoring her horse; she studied his round face for a moment before deciding how to start. "Roland, have you ever heard of Count Jean-Philippe Adamar?" She asked quite knowingly.

Even if she hadn't have known, the look on the jovial man would have given her her answer. His dark eyes widened and his brow creased with worry, "Where did you hear that name?"

'Lenior and I met him at banquet in Paris. She seems to have taken quite an interest in him, he is a friend of Chris'."

"Is that so? Did he show the same interest in my daughter?"

"Oh, yes, they seemed to get on quite well. I think she may have found her match."

Roland's nostrils flared at her careless statement; "I seriously doubt that. I will not have my daughter prancing around with a man like that. You'd do better to stay away from him and that Lord Dover fellow as well. If there is one thing I know about Adamar it is that he is his father's son and can not be trusted. That family is full of nothing but villains."

"Why do you say that? Who was his father?"

"His father was the most vial man I have ever encountered. He used his power to get what ever he wanted and he got a way with it too, at least until your father put a stop to it. He knew that your parents were in love and it drove him mad, he wanted your mother for himself. He went to your Grandfather and began negations for your mother's hand. The day your father was found out Adamar went back to your grandfather and pushed the issue, if your father would have lost that tournament Jocelyn surly would have married Adamar…against her wishes of course. I have a feeling that his son will want revenge against your family. I can not allow you or Lenior endanger yourselves by associating with a man like that."

Josephine's face fell, she had already hear the same story from Chaucer, but somehow hearing it from Roland is seemed that much more real to her. She prayed that both men had been wrong about Lord Dover, she couldn't bare the thought of him betraying her. "Thank you Roland, at least now I know what I may be up against. I only hope that Lenior will heed my warning."

"Leave her to me, I know how to handle my daughter."

With a slow nod Josephine headed out of the stable, all the while thinking about her dilemma. Now that she had told Roland she might have lost whatever trust she had managed to instill in her new friend. As she neared the house she decided to just wait and see how everything played out once Roland talked to Lenior. She made her way up to her room to be alone for a while and think about the situation she was now in. She laid down on her bed with her arms folded behind her head and stared at the ceiling. Before long she found herself drifting off to sleep.

Josephine was awakened suddenly by the sound of her door bursting open. She jumped up to a seated position to see who the intruder and came face to face with a livid Lenior. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

The young blonde stood up and took a step toward the angry girl, "You wouldn't listen to me, I thought if you heard it from someone you trusted you would understand."

"Oh, I understand all too well Josephine, you think that just because you are playing the part of a noble knight you can run my life."

"That's not it at all, I don't want you to get hurt Lenior, you are the only real friend I have ever had."

"I that were true then you would have told me what you knew of the Count! You are just afraid that I will blow your cover and let all of your secrets slip." Lenior took a step forward and narrowed her brown eyes, "Don't think for a moment that my father can keep me away from him, if I choose to see him in Munich, no one will stop me." With that she turned quickly on her heel and fled the room slamming the door on her way out.