The Agents of William Marshal Volume I: A Medieval Romance Bundle, page 39
Kress could see that. In truth, it was impressive. If the woman had the skills to back up that unruly mouth, then she would be a fearsome creature, indeed. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before turning to Achilles.
“Sit down,” he muttered.
Achilles did as he was told, but he was clearly unhappy about it. Furthermore, he refused to turn his back on Susanna, so he moved to the other side of the table where he could face her to ensure she didn’t try to move on him with his back turned. He ended up sitting next to Alexander, who shook his head reproachfully at the young knight.
If there was a fight to be had, anywhere, Achilles was usually in the middle of it. That was simply his nature. Man or woman, Achilles would not back down from a fight. But Alexander could see – they all could see – that perhaps Achilles and Susanna were going to have to be watched so they didn’t try to kill each other. The tension between the pair was obvious.
In fact, Kress was wondering just how closely they were going to have to watch the pair. As Achilles settled down next to Alexander, Kress leaned in to the man.
“I want no trouble out of you,” he said quietly. “Do you understand me?”
Achilles took a deep, calming breath. “Aye.”
Kress didn’t push him, but he was fairly certain Achilles didn’t mean it. His attention moved to Susanna, standing over by the hearth.
“You are under my command, my lady,” he said to her. “Do you understand that?”
Susanna nodded firmly. “I do, my lord.”
“One more infraction against any of us and I will leave you behind. Is that clear?”
It was the first time Kress saw any reaction from the woman. Her jaw tightened, but that was all. Her response was calm.
“It is, my lord.”
Kress studied her for a brief moment, to see if he could spot any hint of rebellion from her, before returning his gaze to Cadelyn. The woman had just resumed her seat and she was looking at him with a hint of what he thought might have been an apologetic expression. Kress didn’t further address the situation; for the moment, he let it slide.
But he had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last of it.
“Now, my lady, if we may concentrate on the situation at hand,” he said. “Your betrothed is expecting you shortly, by summer, so I will give you two days to say your farewells and pack your belongings. We have no time to waste.”
Cadelyn stared at him. “Two days?” she said, aghast. “But… but it will take far longer for me to pack my belongings. You cannot ask me to pack up my life in two days!”
Kress tried to be patient. “You have known we were coming for quite some time,” he said. “You should have been at least moderately packed.”
Cadelyn blinked as if surprised he should say such a thing. In fact, Susanna had said the exact same thing to her, but she wouldn’t acknowledge that. She wouldn’t even hint at it. She was still muddled from the very moment of coming into the hall and realizing the handsome knight she’d flirted with in Lynn, and given that lewd poem card to, was, in fact, her escort to Chester.
Oh, the foolish luck!
Cadelyn should have been embarrassed about the situation but, in truth, she wasn’t. She wasn’t sorry she’d given him the poem in the least. If anything, she was coming to realize that she was glad she had. She took a moment to look him over as she sat there, feeling both contrite and defiant about her packing status.
Kress…
His name was Kress. When she’d met him in Lynn, he’d had his hauberk on, but not his helm, and that had given her a good view of his handsome face. Square-jawed, with a blond beard covering it, a straight nose and big, blue eyes. He had lovely eyes. Now that the hauberk was peeled back, she could see that he had cropped, damp blond hair on his head to match his beard. The man was positively golden with all of that blond hair, and quite attractive.
All that attractiveness wanted her to be packed up in a mere two days.
“I have been at Castle Rising for many years,” she said after a moment. “My entire life is here. Of course I knew you were coming, but I did not know exactly when, so I have not moved swiftly with my packing. There are things I must leave behind and things I wish to take. Are we traveling with a wagon?”
Kress shrugged, looking to Padraig. “I did not bring one,” he said. “I was assuming the lady would ride a palfrey, but if you have a wagon to spare, she can ride in that with her belongings.”
Padraig looked over at Cadelyn. “What do you prefer, my lady?”
Cadelyn lifted her eyebrows. “The thought of being on a wagon for days and weeks on end does not excite me,” she said. “May I ask Lady Delesse if she can spare her carriage? That would be much more comfortable.”
Padraig waved her off. “It is not as if she ever leaves Castle Rising,” he said. “Ask her. If she agrees, I shall permit you to take it. But I want it returned.”
Kress nodded. “I will ensure that it is,” he said. His gaze hovered on Cadelyn for a moment. “I suppose there is nothing else to speak of at the moment. Do you have any questions, my lady?”
Cadelyn didn’t. She knew she had to pack, now hurriedly, and she knew when they wanted to leave, but she also knew that she had something more to do beyond the packing and bidding farewell to her life at Castle Rising. There was the small matter of taking Yerik with her, something she’d not mentioned to Padraig or Delesse. She was fairly certain that Padraig would see no reason why a cleric should accompany her to Chester, and Delesse would more than likely question such a request.
Therefore, Cadelyn thought that perhaps the only thing to do would be to pick Yerik up on the road and demand he accompany her. As she’d already told Susanna, surely Kress would not object to a man she presented as her own personal priest. A little lie, but she wasn’t beyond that to have the man accompany her. Cadelyn might have to leave Castle Rising, but she fully intended to bring Lady Dark with her, that last remnant of her life in Norfolk that she very much wanted to continue in the uncertainty of her future.
Struggling to control something in a life that was no longer her own.
“I have no questions,” she finally said, looking to Padraig. “May I go, my lord? I have much to do and little time to do it.”
Padraig waved her on. “You may go,” he said. “Make sure to ask my wife about her carriage so we can prepare the thing if you are to take it.”
Nodding quickly, Cadelyn fled the hall, taking Susanna with her. She was moving unnaturally fast, but given the fact that she had a great deal to accomplish, no one saw that as strange. Once the women were gone, Padraig sent a servant for more wine.
“My apologies about Susanna,” he said, pouring the last of the pitcher into his cup. “She is quite obedient, but she is not the silent type.”
Kress sighed heavily, glancing at Achilles as he did so. “Nor is Achilles the retiring sort,” he said. “The man will fight anyone, man or woman, who issues a challenge. We are trying to break him of that particular habit.”
Padraig smiled thinly. “Just be careful with Susanna,” he said. “After Exelby, she trained at Blackchurch on the Devon coast. You’ve heard of the place, no doubt.”
Kress looked at him strangely. “That is an elite training school,” he said. “She trained at Blackchurch?”
Padraig nodded. “Both she and her brother,” he said. “They do take women if they are talented enough, and she was. The school is run by the Lords of Exmoor.”
Kress snorted. “They are more pirates than they are reputable lords,” he muttered. “They train men for a profit, but they turn out fine warriors. I fought with some in The Levant. You’re telling me that woman trained with the pirates of Exmoor?”
Padraig was amused by his disbelief. “If you do not believe me, let your friend have a go at her,” he said, gesturing to Achilles. “She’ll not make an easy victim, I assure you.”
Kress looked at Achilles, his head wagging back and forth. “Did you hear that?” he said. “She trained at Blackchurch. If I were you, I would watch my back.”
Achilles had little interest in the admonition. He looked away, taking a big gulp of wine while Alexander and Bric grinned at the man’s clear defiance at any suggestion that a woman might be a threat.
While more food and wine were brought out, Kress wasn’t particularly interested in it. His attention turned from Achilles to his damp, sweaty body, and he was coming to think that he might like to wash his face and hands, and even change his clothing. He’d been in the same stuff for days on end. With a weary sigh, he stood up.
“If you would tell me where we are to sleep, my lord, I would like to clean myself before sup,” he said. “It has been a long ride from London.”
Padraig nodded swiftly, calling over his majordomo, who was at the hearth trying to clean out a partially blocked chimney.
“Odo,” he called to the man, waving him over. “Show Sir Kress to the knight’s quarters and bring the man a bath.”
The old majordomo, with soot on his face, was more than happy to oblige. As Kress gathered his saddlebags and left the great hall alone, because no one else seemed to want to go with him, he followed the old man from the keep to a series of single-story outbuildings to the south with a protected well in front of them. They were stone-built, and heavily-fortified with tiny windows and big, iron doors, and the old man indicated the larger outbuilding to Kress.
“You and your men shall stay here, my lord,” he said. “As you can see, there is a well right here should you need water, but I shall send you heated water from the kitchens to wash. Do you require a tub?”
Kress shook his head. “Not now,” he said. “A basin will do fine.”
The old man nodded and scurried off. Beneath the light of the setting sun, Kress paused before entering the building, taking a moment to look over the vast and truly impressive grounds of the inner bailey. The tall earthworks that surrounded the inner bailey were blocking out the sun at this point, casting great purple shadows across the courtyard, and Kress was about to enter the outbuilding when he caught sight of something scurrying from the keep. A small figure in a cloak, and he didn’t give it much notice until the cloak blew back in the sunset breeze and he could see a pale, blue surcoat and long, blonde hair. He recognized the figure as that of Lady Cadelyn.
Curious, Kress paused and watched her as she quickly fled the inner ward, heading through the big gatehouse with the bridge that spanned the moat and led out to the courtyard that contained the stables and other outbuildings.
He stood there a moment, wondering why the woman was heading to the stables at this time of night. More than that, the urge to follow her was quite strong, mostly because he simply wanted to speak to her. Perhaps he’d speak on the card she’d given him, or perhaps not. Perhaps he would tell her that he was sorry for being rather bold with her, considering she was a betrothed lady and he was to escort her to her future husband. Perhaps he just wanted to clear the air between them.
At least, that was the excuse he would use.
Tossing his saddlebags into the knight’s quarters, he decided to follow Lady Cadelyn’s path to the stables. He wasn’t in any big hurry, making his way across the inner ward and to the gatehouse and the bridge. All the while, however, his gaze was on the outer ward, the one with the stables, and over and over in his mind, he was rehearsing what he planned to say to her.
Fancy meeting you at Castle Rising, my lady?
Was there a message to me in that card you gave to me, my lady?
Damn your marriage, let me feast upon your beauty?
Alas, but no… none of those seemed very appropriate, or polite, so he thought perhaps to simply tell her it had been an honor to meet her and he was sorry if he’d said anything to offend her. Women liked to hear that kind of thing. He was in the process of planning out something quite flattering when a horse abruptly departed the stables, several feet in front of him, cutting down the path to the north where the main gatehouse was situated.
It took him a moment to realize that the rider had been Lady Cadelyn.
Something told Kress to follow her.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was dark by the time Cadelyn reached Lynn, which was not so very far away from Castle Rising. In fact, the village and the castle shared a main road between them, so it was simply a matter of staying to the road that ran alongside Castle Rising as it took her straight into the heart of the town.
Everything was lit up at this hour as night fell, smoke from the evening cooking fires heavy upon the air. Astride her leggy mare with the one blue eye and the one brown eye, Cadelyn made her way through the outskirts, smelling fresh bread and roasting meat, trotting down the uneven dirt road as it headed in towards the town.
Torches were lit and the town watch was out, prowling around in groups of men, ensuring the town was safe. Since the town belonged to the bishops of Thetford, there was a small garrison of the bishop’s men, heavily-armed, and then a large volunteer group of men who maintained peace and order. She could hear them calling to each other as they walked the perimeter walls, their torches piercing the darkness.
Cadelyn knew that Susanna was going to be quite angry with her for coming alone. She’d left the woman in her chamber, helping her pack her trunk, while she lied and said she needed to get something from the wash. She hadn’t gone to the wash at all, but to the stable. By now, Susanna had figured out something was amiss and was surely coming for her.
Therefore, she had to make this fast.
St. Margaret’s loomed up ahead, the church yard dark for the most part and the steeple silhouetted against the starry sky. Directing her horse around to the side of the church where Yerik had sold the illicit cards, she dismounted her palfrey and pulled the animal into the shadows, tying the beast off before heading to the gate that was locked at this hour.
Peering through the iron slats, she could see the cloister beyond and men moving about. There was someone nearby, at least within earshot, so she began to hiss at the man, catching his attention. When he came near, warily, she extended a pence and asked him to send Yerik to her. The man was hesitant until she gave him another pence. Then, he wandered off.
Nervously, Cadelyn waited, wrapping the cloak tightly about her slender body, her eyes darting about her surroundings to make sure an entire legion of cutthroats wasn’t about to slip up behind her. Every sound had her jumping and every shadow had her imagination running wild. Every so often, she’d return her gaze to the iron gate and attempt to see if Yerik was coming through the shadowed yard. She hoped the priest hadn’t simply run off with her money without summoning him, but the truth was that she hadn’t known many priests that were the trustworthy type.
At the moment, she was going to have to have a little faith.
It took some time, unfortunately. Just when she thought the priest had taken her money and run, she could see Yerik’s round figure approaching, a heavily-smoking torch in his hand and a hood over his head against the cold night air. Pressed back against the arch of the gate to stay hidden as much as she could, Cadelyn pressed up against the gate as Yerik came near.
“What took so long?” she hissed. “Where have you been?”
Yerik looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching him. “It is the meditation hour,” he said. “Brother Josephus told me there was someone at the gate to see me and the man cannot keep his lips shut so, by now, others know of the woman that has come to see me, too. What is so important that you are out in the dark like this?”
Cadelyn’s face was pressed between the bars. “My escort arrived today, the one that is to take me to my betrothed in Chester,” she said. “They have given me only two days to pack my belongings.”
Yerik’s young face was serious. “Why must you depart so soon? Surely they will give you time to settle your affairs.”
She pursed her lips wryly at him. “What affairs would I have?” she asked frankly. “I cannot tell them about my affairs with you, so I have no choice but to go with them. What about you? Can you leave in two days?”
Yerik seemed quite concerned and, in truth, dubious. “I am not for certain,” he said, glancing behind him again. “The clerics are already working on the next poem card.”
“Tell them they can sell it and keep the money,” she whispered. “But you… I need you to come with me. You promised that you would.”
Yerik nodded, but it was reluctantly. “I know,” he said. “And I will, but what is the plan? Shall I come to Castle Rising?”
Cadelyn shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “You will wait on the road and watch for our departure. Then you will catch up to us and I will tell the escort commander that you are my personal priest. He cannot deny me my priest.”
Yerik sighed. “Are you for certain? Did you ask?”
“Of course not. Once you have joined us on the road, he cannot deny you. If I ask, then I give him the opportunity to refuse. ’Tis better to tell the man than ask him.”
Yerik wasn’t so certain, but he didn’t argue with her. Lady Cadelyn was a woman of determination and once her mind was set, nothing would change it. He knew that. But he was nervous… nervous about leaving a place where he had some prestige, supervising the clerics, a warm bed and decent food. But the lure of making money with the poem cards was stronger than his attachment to St. Margaret’s. He knew, whatever happened, that Lady Cadelyn would take care of him.
She hadn’t let him down yet.
“Very well,” he said reluctantly. “What will you have of me, then? Am I to work while we are traveling?”
Cadelyn nodded quickly. “Aye,” she said. “I will give you a new poem and you will work while we travel. I will insist you ride in the carriage with me. Once we reach Chester, you will seek out the cathedral there and find men willing to share in the profits of the cards. Surely there will be some; I never met a poor cleric who would turn down the opportunity to make money.”
