Child of the Kindred, page 51
part #2 of The Rienfield Chronicles Series
“Well, that seems fair. Now, tell us mo chroi, tell us what caused you to lose your temper and reason the way you did,” Aiden directed Marina, as he brushed the hair out of eyes.
Marina could only look at him for a moment with quivering lips, before finally
releasing a shaking sigh, and then began to relate all that her family had gone through after her father had died from a long illness. How his family had forced them to leave their spacious and comfortable home, to live in a poorly maintained guest house. It was cold and damp when the rains came, and they were given only a meagre allowance from their father’s relatives, that was barely enough to live on. Her mother had been forced to sell all her lovely furnishings and jewellery. Then in the throes of desperation, after cruelly being told once again by her father’s relatives that they would not receive any more allowance than they were already being given, she watched her mother go to King Garron, and renew their acquaintance. Marina then told them with renewed sobs, how she knew her mother had seduced Garron, to secure a better life for all of them. Marrying him, knowing he did not love her, but only wished for companionship, well knowing he would not make her Queen. Her only desire was to have her family cared for, and to no longer have to be bullied and belittled, by her in-laws. Not caring what the other Nobles thought of her, and what was whispered amongst them.
“Then when I saw how Maiwen was treating the maid, it just all came flooding back to me. So I picked up the glass and threw the wine at her, as a way to get back at Maiwen’s cruelty, as a way to get back at how my mother was treated. Maiwen began to curse at me, and told me she was going to demand that Caleb punish me,” Marina said, in a tearful voice.
“Well she did, and as far as I am concerned, she got her way. I think now would be the time to take Marina home, Aiden. I will return to the meeting and have it be concluded. Marina, you will remain the rest of the evening in your room. I will come and speak with you again later,” Caleb remarked, as he smiled lightly and left the room, to end the meeting.
“Aiden, do you think Caleb is still upset with me?” Marina asked with trepidation.
“Trust me dearest, if he were, you would not have to ask me,” Aiden replied with a warm smile.
“I wish to have this matter considered resolved, and end the meeting now. I need to get back to the Lodge and check on my family to see how everyone is doing after today’s debacle,” Caleb retorted in a tired voice, as he sat back down at the table.
“Indeed, I heartily agree with you Prince Caleb,” Argon replied. Standing up, he continued, “I declare this matter to be resolved, and this meeting concluded. Are we all of one accord? Say, Aye!”
A chorus of “Aye’s” was heard from all.
“Come now Phariss, let us go to the Standing Bear and have a bit of stew and a pint or two. In fact, I say we all set out, and let the lad leave and tend to his brood,” Remy said with a broad smile, as he slapped Phariss on the back good-naturedly.
“That is the best idea I have heard all day. Come, Fergus, you should join us. Let the doting Daidi take care of his family as he wishes, and we shall relax and enjoy Marcus’ good natured company,” Argon suggested, as he smiled warmly at King Fergus and Caleb.
“Very well, I will join you too. Caleb, tell your mother I shall not be long, and to have our usual tea and biscuits waiting for me in the sitting room,” King Fergus asked of Caleb, reaching over, and giving him a warm pat on the shoulder.
Caleb smiled slightly at his father as he stood up, and then made his way out of the room.
“Caleb,” Phariss spoke up, as Caleb turned and looked at him from the doorway. “I am sorry for what the children and your dear wife suffered through. You will hear no more about the incident, and neither will your young ward. You have my word,” Phariss said with a smile.
“Thank you, Phariss,” Caleb stated simply, smiling back as he left the room.
After Caleb had arrived at the Lodge, he was met by Laurel at the top of the stairs, looking sad and anxious.
“Is everything alright Caleb? Poor Marina has been a weeping pathetic wreck since she returned home. She kept apologising to Mother and me until we finally convinced her we were not angry. Aiden tried to assure her, no more would come of it, but she is just hysterical. Please go and speak to her, mo chroi, so that she will calm down. I am about to make her some tea with chamomile and lavender to help her relax,” Laurel said with sad eyes, as she placed her hands on Caleb’s chest.
“Of course, mo stor,” Caleb replied as he kissed her forehead softly. “Do not worry any longer. I shall go and talk to her now, and then we will have a nice quiet dinner with Mother and the children. Well, at least as quiet as it can be,” he grinned knowingly.
Laurel smiled back lovingly as Caleb walked down the corridor to the bedrooms. As he approached Marina’s room, he knocked and waited a moment for an answer, only to have Aiden open the door. He stepped out into the corridor with a sad and frustrated expression.
“I am glad you are here. Did you get this completely resolved with Phariss?” Aiden asked in a low voice as he closed the door.
“Yes, I did, and he assured me it would not be brought up again,” Caleb replied reassuringly.
“Good. Now maybe you could convince Marina it is all over and done with. She has been crying since I brought her home. She is afraid they are not convinced, and you are still going to punish her. I tried reassuring her that was not the case,” Aiden said frustratingly.
“I will go in and speak to her now. Why do you not go and find Laurel? She went into the kitchen to fix Marina a special cup of tea. Then you can tell the staff you and Marina will be having dinner in her room this evening,” Caleb replied, hitting Aiden’s arm lightly.
“Alright then, I will be back shortly,” Aiden answered with a worried glance at the door, before turning and walking down the hall towards the stairway.
Caleb took a deep breath and walked into Marina’s room quietly. As he entered, he looked over and found her lying in bed and crying softly, laying on her side, her shoulders shaking with her tears. Caleb walked up to her bed and sat down next to her, moving her hair gently away from her face. Marina looked up with surprise, as Caleb smiled down warmly at her. She sat up and placed her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder.
“I am so sorry Caleb. I did not mean to cause all this trouble,” she sobbed pitifully.
“I know dearest. Shh, it is alright. Please do not think of it any longer. I have taken care of everything,” Caleb spoke in a warm and soothing tone, holding her gently in his arms.
“I will apologise if I must, but only because I upset you. I know it was wrong, I could not help myself. I truly do not know what came over me,” Marina exclaimed, with renewed sobs.
“Shh, I know you could not. You need only write the letter, and not for a day or so. Please dearest, I am not upset any longer. Calm down now, I do not wish for you to become ill. Then I will be forced to put up with Aiden being all pathetic and distraught. Trust me, that is something none of us wants to deal with,” Caleb said, as he held her away from him to have her look into his eyes, moving her hair away from her face.
He smiled at her warmly as she attempted to calm down and smile back at him.
“That is much better,” he said, speaking in a calm, deep voice, as he brushed the tears from her cheeks. “Now, he will be back at any time with a cup of tea that Laurel made special for you. I wish for you to drink it, and have a bit of supper that Aiden is arranging. He is certainly not going to ask me, but I have no doubt he will be staying with you tonight. I have no objections. I do, however, wish you to please get some rest. I will have the children come in and say goodnight before they go to bed. So, can I leave you for now, with the assurance that you will calm down, and no longer be concerned about today?” Caleb asked with a kind smile.
“Yes, I will try and relax now,” Marina answered, in a small, tired voice.
“Excellent. I will be back later with the little hooligans, to say goodnight,” Caleb said as he kissed her forehead, standing he then turned to leave the room, looking over once more to smile at her.
As he made his way to the dining room, he met Aiden and put him at ease that she was doing better. Aiden smiled and sighed deeply, then thanked Caleb.
“I will repay you for having to give the vicious shrew the compensation,” Aiden relayed in a sad voice, placing his hand on Caleb’s shoulder.
“I will simply have you help me move the ridiculously heavy cradle about when we need to,” Caleb said smiling broadly.
“Fair enough,” Aiden replied with a laugh, going back into Marina’s room.
Dinner was actually an enjoyable event, as the children had a wonderful afternoon with Imagin and Neave, and recounted their day delightedly to everyone. After dinner, Caleb and Laurel played Pass the Boar with them in the sitting room, and then told King Fergus of their tea party when he returned. After saying goodnight to their sister and Aiden, Caleb then read them a story as he and Laurel cuddled with them in Oriel’s bed. After tucking them in for the night, Laurel and Caleb retired to their room. Laurel went into the bath and bathed quickly, and when coming back in the room, found that Caleb had already changed and was in bed. She quietly walked over to the bed and joined him. Caleb took her in his arms, holding her close and kissed her passionately for a few moments.
“It was quite the eventful day everyone had today,” Laurel mentioned quietly, as she softly stroked Caleb’s face and ran her fingers through his hair.
“It most certainly was. I am happy we were able to resolve everything, and not have to drag it out any longer,” Caleb replied with a heavy sigh.
“I do feel badly though, that Marina must be restricted for a week. She will miss the shopping trip that Kerrie and I had planned at Welstone. Perhaps we could put it off until Marina is free to go with us?” Laurel suggested, though still having a good idea what Caleb would say.
“You will not. Marina is being punished for her serious and ill-advised indiscretion, she will not be rewarded by a shopping trip. And you will not buy her anything either,” Caleb replied in a tired but stern voice.
Laurel snuggled in closer, gently caressing Caleb’s chest and smiling knowingly, not surprised by his comment.
“Maiwen was most harsh and abusive to the serving girl. Mother was very upset with her, and told Maiwen it was unacceptable. Maiwen then said, some other rude remark to the girl, and that is when Marina just lost control of her temper. After the incident, Mother and I tried to convince Marina to come home with us immediately, but she insisted on seeing Aiden first,” Laurel explained, smiling sadly at remembering Marina’s angry display.
“Well, a week’s restriction at home and being assigned to assist the maid is nothing compared to what could have happened. She is most fortunate I felt sorry for her and did not give her a sound spanking right there at the Headquarters. It very likely may have saved me from paying Maiwen the compensation. But, the poor girl was a wreck, and I just did not have the heart to still be angry with her. If she does anything like this again, it will be Aiden’s concern. I have my hands full as it is with the littlest hooligans and their mischief, as well as everything else I must deal with. I am going to be very honest with you mo stor, Aiden was patient with her because he expected me to deal with this. He does not take these situations as well as you think. He does not take being embarrassed well at all, even less than I do. If Marina does anything to cause him that, I cannot say he will be as calm as he was today,” Caleb said reaching over, and drawing Laurel closer to him.
“You are a most compassionate and loving guardian my Prince. Our child will have a wonderful father. Do not worry concerning Marina any longer, I will try and speak with her about things. Also at some point, just as we have had to adjust to each other, Aiden and Marina will as well,” Laurel murmured, smiling sweetly at him.
Caleb smiled back at her, kissing her forehead softly.
“Mo ghra, I am so exhausted. I just wish to hold you and fall asleep,” Caleb spoke in a weary voice.
“Of course my dear husband. Just close your eyes and sleep,” Laurel replied in a soft voice, as he kissed her again and held her even closer.
She smiled contentedly as she heard him breathing quietly and peacefully, her head against his chest. She felt the child within her move softly, Caleb then placed his hand on her belly, caressing her gently. The child’s movements stirring once more than gradually stopping.
“You have put the baby to sleep,” Laurel murmured with a laugh.
“Good, now we can sleep as well,” Caleb replied drowsily, laughing with her.
Soon they both drifted off together in each other’s warm embrace.
Deaglan walked hurriedly through the lobby, having just received word that Seamus and Cian had returned to the castle from following Tramaine. His handsome features furrowed with worry and concern as he entered the study. As he walked into the room, Cian and Seamus were standing in front of the desk that Phineas sat behind, all looked over at him as he came up to them.
“So it was her then? The traitor was indeed meeting with Sari in the forest?” Deaglan asked, his voice filled with anger.
“It does appear that way,” Phineas answered in a weary tone, looking up from the desk.
Deaglan stepped forward, putting his hands down on the desk, leaning on his arms as he moved closer to Phineas.
“Then let me kill them now and be done with it, Master Phineas,” Deaglan said in a low and intense tone, his eyes blazing with anger and frustration.
Phineas looked up, smiling sympathetically at him. He was well aware of how much Deaglan had cared for King Garron, how much he still cared for Laurel, and how they all had suspected that Tramaine was responsible, or at least party to the King’s death and Warrick’s bloody rampage.
“I am afraid I cannot let you do that, my friend. Not yet. We will need to report our findings to King Fergus and Prince Caleb. We will more than likely be advised to watch him closer, which is something we will start doing immediately. I will leave the details up to you, Deaglan. I would just advise you not to make it too obvious, so as not to arouse his suspicions. Seamus and two other Sentinels will be leaving in the morning for Heathwin, then returning as soon as possible before the heavy snow and rains begin. This is a time for patience Deaglan. We will deal with Tramaine soon enough,” Phineas said with a knowing grin.
“Very well, Phineas, but I can assure you, Prince Caleb will share my feelings on the matter,” Deaglan replied, trying to calm his anger and frustration. “Good work gentlemen. Cian, after dinner, I would like to speak with you in my study. If anyone should need me until then, I will be at the garrison going over the duty roster with Captain Logan, and we will discuss the new arrangements to keep track of the weasel,” Deaglan said in an irritated tone as he turned, leaving the room, shutting the door loudly behind him.
Cian and Seamus grinned wryly at each other, as Phineas smiled, shaking his head.
“You wished to see me, Commander?” Cian asked, after being acknowledged to come in from knocking on the door.
The young Gwenlais Guard entered what had once been, Tramaine’s private room and study. Since Deaglan had now become the Commander of Guards and the newly formed Gwenlais Army, he moved into the castle as his presence was in constant demand. His family home, though spacious and comfortable, was still almost an hour’s ride from the castle. The staff were more than happy to have the new Commander living amongst them, as he was friendly and gracious to all of them. Deaglan had become even more admired and respected, after the heroic rescue of Laurel and the recapture of Gwenlais.
“Yes, Cian. Come in and take a seat please,” Deaglan replied with a warm smile, looking up from his writing for just a moment, as Cian sat down in front of the large beautifully made desk.
When Deaglan had taken up residence in the castle, he brought with him all of his favourite belongings, his father’s large desk being one of them. When he had finished what he had been writing, Deaglan folded and sealed it with soft wax, then placed the letter in a small leather binder. Deaglan then looked up smiling once more at the young man, regarding him for a moment, before speaking again.
“It has been brought to my attention by my sister Edeen, that she and you have struck up a friendship of sorts. I would very much like to hear your feelings on the matter,” Deaglan remarked with a slight grin, yet his eyes looking quite intense, as he studied the young Guard’s surprised expression.
“Oh…why, yes Sir. We have indeed become friends. I have had the pleasure of being a guest at your mother’s home for dinner on several occasions. I find your sister to be a most charming companion,” Cian replied, as he tried to smile back, but his voice and raking his hand through his dark auburn hair clearly showed his nervousness.
“Yes, she said the same thing concerning you. As she has reached her eighteenth season, she has requested that she will be permitted to accept potential suitors. I have given her my consent. What are your feelings concerning this?” Deaglan asked, grinning in wry amusement at Cian’s surprised but broad smile.
“I wish to say I am most happy to hear of your consent, Sir. May I be so bold as to enquire that I may be allowed to call upon Edeen in the coming weeks?” Cian requested, his smile becoming broader.
“Not so fast, I have an assignment for you first. You will be accompanying Seamus and two other Sentinels back to Heathwin to report your findings to King Fergus and Prince Caleb. You will be staying only a few days, as you and your companions will need to return before the river becomes too high to cross. In total, the trip should take no more than a week. I also wish for you to deliver this letter to Her Highness, Princess Kerrie,” Deaglan answered, handing the slim leather binder to Cian.
