The Highlander’s Promise, page 11
Jasper would have plenty of options for company should he desire it.
Are you jealous?
Terin turned around and grabbed the partlet waiting on the foot of her bed. She settled it around her shoulders and tied it beneath her arms. It buttoned up in the center of her neckline, covering her cleavage to keep her warm.
She was going to ignore that question.
Really. She was not going to think about whether or not she was jealous.
Coward.
Someone rapped on the door, saving Terin from having to think any further about what she thought of Jasper Chattan.
With any luck, he’d be gone before noon training.
And ye will be alone.
Disappointment settled into her as she opened the door to find one of the women from the day before.
“Come along now,” Meghan greeted her. “If we’re late, do nae expect much to be left on the tables.”
Terin followed Meghan into the passageway. There were many people walking briskly toward the hall. The only males in sight were youths following their mothers. Meghan led Terin to a line. There was a pile of pottery bowls, and everyone took one before filing past a large pot of porridge. A girl was scooping it out.
Terin ended up sitting down on a bench alongside Meghan and dozens of other women. Boys were sitting together on the other side of the hall. Conversation rose as everyone consumed their first meal. The process didn’t take more than half an hour.
After eating, they piled their bowls in large tubs before everyone appeared to be going in the same direction. Terin followed, heading into the yard as the sun rose.
The long workhouses had their doors wide open. Terin followed Meghan into one to find it full of spinning wheels.
Women sat down and began working them.
“The looms are down on the far side,” Meghan shared with her. “And then the fleece is stored above us. If ye have no talent with the wheel or loom, there is plenty of carding to do.”
“Mistress Terin will be working in the tower.” A woman suddenly appeared.
Terin turned to see a matron with a ring of keys hanging from her belt. “I am Orla. The mistress has sent me to fetch ye up to the main tower since ye have an education befitting account books and languages.”
Meghan smiled brightly. “Ye’re fortunate.”
Meghan hurried off a moment later, leaving Terin with Orla. The workhouse was full of the sounds of the spinning wheels going as women began to sing songs. Everywhere Terin looked, something was going on. There were scores of children around, some of them even trying their hand at carding wool while their mothers worked.
“We have plenty of hands here,” Orla remarked as Terin started to walk beside her. “The challenge is to find a way to produce enough wares to sell in order to feed us all.”
Orla stopped at the top of the steps. “These are all workhouses. We weave hemp and wool during the winter. The fields need all hands the rest of the year.”
Orla continued into the upper yard. Terin heard the sound of wooden swords connecting. The yard ahead of her was full of boys. They ranged from waist-high to ones who were nearly grown. Jasper was in their midst. His men were taking up positions with different groups to train them.
He seemed to know his place well.
“It’s good to have Jasper back,” Orla remarked. “He is our chief.”
“So I see,” Terin muttered.
Had Jasper brought her home with him?
Was that why he’d kissed her?
Jasper caught her looking at him as she followed Orla along the side of the yard. He was everything she’d thought of him the first time she’d seen him.
Strong.
Steadfast.
His body was powerful because he trained hard. It was the sort of strength one only gained from spending hours in the yard. Right then, Jasper was in the center of the two columns of youth. His attention was on them as he called out commands. The lads were not polished. Their timing lacked the sharpness, but their expressions declared their determination to gain the skill they lacked.
Terin lost sight of them as Orla passed inside the great hall and continued on toward the study.
“We are in need of an accomplished bookkeeper and someone who speaks Bavarian,” Orla said. “Danish and Latin would be helpful as well.”
Such were the skills a noble bride would be prepared with before she was sent to marry the heir to a large clan like the Chattan. Larks Point was a huge household in itself, and the study was full of ledgers that needed balancing.
Terin soon found herself in front of a table with enough work for a month. She dove into it, astounded by the amount of people on the tower grounds. Every new arrival was listed in a ledger along with details of their family origins.
“Take the time to learn how we run,” Orla interrupted as she opened several large books on the table and placed them side by side. “We run a school for literacy and, as ye saw, the training of the boys. The girls mostly learn a trade from the women. The ones who seem to take to reading and mathematics more naturally stay in school longer hours. And then there are the trades. Pottery. Blacksmithing. Tailoring. Any tradesman we can entice to spend the winter with us is someone we make the most of.”
“What is this column?” Terin noted a unique set of entries in one of the books.
“Cannon Row,” Orla offered a knowing grin. “The mistress has a bit of scarlet humor at times, and she’s the one who named it. Beyond the south wall is the compound where the grown men live. That’s where ye will find the tradesmen and the married men. They are not allowed inside Larks Point, for we have a great number of girls and women here.”
“Hmm,” Terin muttered. “I suppose that arrangement keeps trouble from brewing.”
“It still does from time to time,” Orla answered. “The noose ye saw coming in has a purpose. Rape is not tolerated here. And any girls who take to teasing the men will be lashed.”
A woman appeared, her apron held up in front of her with folded letters inside it. “Our rules sound stern, and yet, we have plenty of tradesmen who want to make Cannons Row their home.”
“Of course, they want to come where there are plenty of widows eager to please them,” Orla said.
The second woman deposited the letters on the end of the table. “The mistress says to go through these, and see if any of these tradesmen have a skill Larks Point is lacking.”
“She wants me to make the choice?” Terin asked, slightly aghast.
“I thought ye said ye were me niece?” Davonna asked from the doorway.
Orla and the other woman lowered themselves as Davonna swept into the room.
“I am,” Terin responded clearly.
“You should be accomplished in running a household,” Davonna continued.
Terin nodded.
“The goal,” Davonna stopped in front of the table where Terin sat, “is to produce everything we need and discover a way to craft goods that will fetch enough money to make a profit, so we can build. Some of the tradesmen in Cannon Row are here at great expense to us. These letters might be from someone who can teach a unique skill.”
And someone would have to read through them all. Terin nodded. She felt Davonna watching her as she broke the wax seal. The mistress of Larks Point stayed only for a moment before she was heading out of the room.
*
He was distracted.
Jasper gripped his arms as he tried to focus on the boys he was training.
The day had never lasted so long.
Never…
The sun was taking its sweet time sinking to the horizon. Terin wouldn’t venture into the training yard. It wasn’t a place for women because, as Retainers were training, kilts often flipped up.
She’s ridden with ye and yer men…
She had. But now, she was somewhere in the tower.
He wanted to see her in a dress.
Jasper grinned. He was a rakehell and no mistake.
The evening shadows finally began to stretch out across the yard. Jasper noted the signs of fatigue in his students. There was a skill involved in training recruits. He had to take them just beyond their abilities each day in order to see them improve.
Yet, at the same time, if he pushed them too far, they’d be unable to train the following day.
He suddenly let out a whistle. Smiles appeared on the faces of his students. They reached out to slap one another on the shoulder, congratulating their classmates on completing the day’s training.
“Wash up,” Knox ordered them all.
Jasper lowered his chin to try and hide his smile. Knox was still simmering over the scrubbing he’d suffered at the hands of the matrons of Larks Point.
It was all in good fun.
Jasper followed everyone down to where water was scooped out of the river into long troughs. Everyone stripped their shirts away and washed with soap.
The matrons would turn away anyone who stank, which meant arriving at supper well after everyone else had sat down. It was a unique rule, but Jasper admitted the great hall was much more to his liking without the level of stench from unwashed bodies which most strongholds came with.
By the time he dunked his head and rinsed out his hair, the cook was ringing the supper bell. His students hurried to pull on their shirts, many of them taking off for the great hall while they were still tucking in their shirttails.
Jasper enjoyed the comedy of their actions as he righted his own clothing. But once he finished, he used his long legs to close the gap between the lads and himself.
But it wasn’t supper he was in a hurry to get to.
No, he had a different prey in mind.
*
Larks Point didn’t have high ground.
The great hall didn’t have a raised portion at the end of it for the laird’s table. Instead, Davonna sat at a long table at the end of the hall on even footing with her people.
“Come along,” Orla waved Terin toward that table. “Ye should sit with yer aunt.”
Terin lowered herself onto a bench, watching the other women at the table for clues as to how the meal would progress. All around her, there was scuffing as people filled the hall to bursting. Not a single bench went unused. Toddlers were sitting on their mothers’ thighs as everyone pushed together so that no one suffered being without a spot. Hushed conversation was brief, and it died away as everyone appeared to be waiting for something.
A priest appeared behind Davonna. His hands shook with age, but everyone held their silence as he called out a prayer. He made the sign of the cross over the assembly before saying, “Amen.”
The moment he finished, the hall filled with the sound of conversation. Dishes clanked as food was dispersed. Larger plates were passed around the table.
Terin enjoyed the meal. The women around her engaged in lighthearted banter. It was a simple meal and yet filling. Terin savored a slice of cheese before realizing she was tired. She started to rise.
“Terin, join me,” Davonna said.
The women who had claimed the seats next to their mistress weren’t happy to hear Davonna issue the invitation. One of them pursed her lips in irritation as Davonna rose without even looking her way.
Terin followed her out of the great hall. Orla trailed them for a bit until they passed through the opening in the wall that led to a passageway. Orla stopped there, turning around to block the space and prevent anyone from following them.
“Do nae worry about them,” Davonna told Terin softly. “They have me all day long. Is it too much to ask for an hour to sit and simply be myself?”
Davonna continued on until they came to a small doorway on the side of the passageway. She pushed it open, and Terin followed her.
“We do nae have much in the way of places for privacy,” Davonna remarked. “Still, it is mine.”
What lay beyond the doorway was a small room. There were shelves on one side of it and a table in the middle. There was only enough room for a few benches. But it was warm and inviting. Someone had lit a candle that was sitting in the center of the table.
“Welcome to my haven.” Her aunt indicated one of the benches. “Join me, niece. Let’s have a sip of wine and enjoy what fruits there are to be had from our labors.”
Terin sat down. Being back in a dress made her notice the way her skirts settled around her ankles. Davonna had gone to the shelves. She took a moment to select a bottle before carrying it back to the table.
“Did ye build this entire place?” Terin asked her.
Davonna offered her a half-smile. She had pulled the rope stopper from the top of the bottle. She tipped it over, allowing a dark liquid to pour into two goblets.
“This place?” Davonna asked as she sat down and took up one of the goblets. “Only the tower was here when I was delivered here for my incarceration.”
Terin choked.
Davonna chuckled.
“Do nae be so shocked,” Davonna instructed her as she drew off a sip from her goblet. “Let me tell ye, niece, I have the same stubborn streak in me that saw ye making yer way here.”
Terin grinned.
“Do nae make me drink alone,” Davonna ordered.
Terin reached for the goblet sitting on the table and lifted it to her nose. She drew in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the wine.
“French wine?” Terin inquired.
Davonna lifted her goblet in a silent toast. “Aye. Neil and Seana send me treats now and again.”
“From what I know of the situation, they should treat ye well,” Terin remarked.
The wine was clearly potent, for Terin realized her words were personal. Or perhaps it was the fact that she was relaxing at long last.
“Sorry,” she said after another sip. “I suppose I am feeling very free tonight.”
“Excellent,” Davonna toasted her again.
Terin smiled.
And Davonna sent a grin back at her. They both sipped at their goblets, and then Davonna was filling them up once more.
The wine warmed her. Terin pulled her overskirt up to her knees to cool off. Davonna rose and went to the small window. She opened the shutters and threw them out wide.
Terin let out a tinkle of laughter as a gust of wind blew in. The air was crisp and cold, and delighted her for some odd reason.
“I built it…all.” Davonna pointed at the lower portion of Larks Point. She was drawing off another sip before she gestured for Terin to join her at the edge of the window. “When I came here, it was a dusty, crumbling, rat-infested tower. Hardly fit for the wretches who were condemned to keep watch here.”
Davonna pointed at the workhouses. “I built those.”
She turned and grabbed the bottle of wine to refill their cups. “Without a silver penny granted to me, I found a way to earn money.”
“How?” Terin perched herself in the windowsill. She laced her fingers around the goblet, smiling when Davonna filled it up once again.
“Larks Point sits on the road between several clans and the fleece fair,” Davonna began to tell her story. “Only, it’s a long way still to the fair, through forest and over rough ground. The merchants didn’t care for me at all, for they all charged the wagons inflated prices for horse feed and stable space. I bought that fleece here at a reduced cost and put out a call for widows and orphans to help me make that fleece into something to sell.”
Terin’s eyes rounded.
So simple.
Yet so brilliant.
“They came,” Davonna went on with her tale. “Those women like you, who wanted more than to be cast-offs and burdens. They carried their children up here, with no promises of what they’d get.”
“But that is the sort of help ye needed,” Terin said.
“Yes!” Davonna exclaimed. “I needed the ones who were ready to fight for a better tomorrow. We clustered together that first winter. Carding and spinning and working the two looms I had found in a storeroom. We nearly starved.”
Terin frowned. “Why didn’t Laird Chattan send ye enough food? Orla said ye stepped forward and came here so he could wed the woman he fancied over ye, his contracted bride.”
“Orla has a loose tongue,” Davonna remarked. She sipped at her wine and remained silent.
“Do nae think poorly of her,” Terin added earnestly. “She told me only the facts after I asked.”
Davonna was leaning against the wall, gazing out at the place she’d raised from the dirt.
“It is nae a secret,” Davonna remarked after a long moment. “Even if I would rather the details of my past all remained there.”
“Why?” Terin asked. “Ye should be proud of what ye have built.”
“I am,” Davonna replied softly. “I didn’t build this for the Chattan… I built it to prove I will not be pitied. That I would have a decent life, no matter the turn my marriage had taken.”
“I will raise my glass to that idea.” Terin drained her goblet.
*
“Orla, I am going through.” Jasper kept his voice low.
But he was dangerously close to losing his temper.
Davonna’s personal assistant had her feet planted wide and made no change in her stance.
“Jasper.”
Jasper turned his head, surprised to hear Fallis calling his name. The veteran Retainer was a permanent fixture at Larks Point and the only man who might be considered Jasper’s better.
Jasper turned, frustration tightening in his gut. Being separated from Terin was taxing him sorely.
And vexing him nearly beyond his ability to control.
But Fallis gestured him away from the doorway Davonna had taken Terin through.
Jasper reached up and touched on the corner of his bonnet. Fallis inclined his head as Jasper came closer.
“They are drinking wine,” Fallis remarked in a near whisper. “Allow them the space to be women.”
It was sound advice.
Jasper didn’t like admitting it, but he saw a look in Fallis’s eyes which made him nod before turning and heading out of the great hall through the front door.
“Davonna has not had someone she could talk freely with in a very long time,” Fallis said.
Jasper turned to see him coming up behind him. Fallis stopped beside Jasper. The yard was cold, the wind promising snow within the hour. Everyone was hurrying to their beds now that supper was finished.
