Joan of the Sword Hand

by S. R. Crockett

  CHAPTER XX

  THE CHIEF CAPTAIN'S TREACHERY

  The Duchess Joan was in high spirits. It had been judged necessary, inconsultation with her chief officers, to ride a reconnaissance in personin order to ascertain whether the advancing enemy had cut Kernsberg offtowards the north. On this matter Von Orseln thought that her Highnesshad better judge for herself. Here at last was something definite to bedone. It was almost like the old foraying days, but now in a moredesperate cause.

  Ten days before, Joan's maidens and her aged nurse had been sent forsafety into Plassenburg, under escort of Captains Boris and Jorian asfar as the frontier--who had, however, returned in time to accompany theparty of observation on their ride northward.

  No one in all Castle Kernsberg was to know of the departure of thiscavalcade. Shortly before midnight the horses were to be ready under theCastle wall. The Sparhawk was appointed to command the town during VonOrseln's absence. Ten men only were to go, and these picked and siftedriders--chosen because of their powers of silence--and because, beingunmarried, they had no wives to worm secrets out of them. Sweetheartsthey might have, but then, in Kernsberg at least, that is a verydifferent thing.

  Finally, having written to their princely master in Plassenburg, thatthey were leaving on account of the war--in which, as envoysextraordinary, they did not desire to be further mixed up--CaptainsBoris and Jorian made them ready to accompany the reconnaissance. Itproved to be a dark and desperate night of storm and rain. The starswere ever and anon concealed by the thick pall of cloud which the windfrom the south drove hurtling athwart them. Joan herself was in thehighest spirits. She wore a long blue cloak, which completely concealedthe firmly knit slender figure, clad in forester's dress, from pryingeyes.

  As for Werner von Orseln, that high captain was calm and grave as usual,but the rest of the ten men were plainly nervous, as they fingered theirbridle-reins and avoided looking at each other while they waited inreadiness to mount.

  With a clatter of hoofs they were off, none in the Castle knowing morethan that Werner the chief captain rode out on his occasions. A townsmanor two huddled closer among his blankets as the clatter and jingle ofthe horses mingled with the sharp volleying of the rain upon hiswind-beaten lattice, while the long _whoo_ of the wind sang of troubloustimes in the twisted chimneys overhead.

  Joan, as the historian has already said, was in high spirits.

  "Werner," she cried, as soon as they were clear of the town, "if westrike the enemy to-night, I declare we will draw sword and ride throughthem."

  "_If_ we strike them to-night, right so, my lady!" returned Wernerpromptly.

  But he had the best of reasons for knowing that they would not strikeany enemy that night. His last spy from the north had arrived not halfan hour before they started, having ridden completely round the enemy'shost.

  Joan and her chief captain rode on ahead, Von Orseln glancing keenlyabout him, and Joan riding free and careless, as in the old days whenshe overpassed the hills to drive a prey from the lands of her father'senemies.

  It was grey morning when they came to a goatherd's hut at the top of thegreen valley. Already they had passed the bounds of Hohenstein by half adozen miles. The goatherd had led his light-skipping train to the hillsfor the day, and the rude and chaotic remains of his breakfast werestill on the table. Boris and Jorian cleared these away, and, with thetrained alacrity of seasoned men-at-arms, they placed before the party abreakfast prepared with speed out of what they had brought with them andthose things which they had found to their hand by foraging in thelarder of the goatherd--to wit, sliced neat's-tongue dried in the smoke,and bread of fine wheat which Jorian had carried all the way in a net athis saddle-bow. Boris had charge of the wine-skins, and upon a shelfabove the door they found a great butter-pot full of freshly made curdedgoats' milk, very delicious both to taste and smell.

  Of these things they ate and drank largely, Joan and Von Orseln beingtogether at the upper end of the table. Boris and Jorian had to sit withthem, though much against their wills, being (spite of theirsweethearts) more accustomed to the company of honest men-at-arms thanto the practice of dainty eating in ladies' society.

  Joan undertook to rally them upon their loves, for whose fair fingers,as it has been related in an earlier chapter, she had given them rings.

  "And how took your Katrin the ring, Boris?" she said, looking at himpast the side of her glass. For Jorian had bethought him to bring onefor the Duchess, the which he cleansed and cooled at the spring without.As for the others, they all drank out of one wooden whey-cog, as wasmost fitting.

  "Why, she took it rarely," said honest Boris, "and swore to love me morethan ever for it. We are to be married upon my first return toPlassenburg."

  "Which, perhaps, is the reason why you are in no hurry to returnthither, seeing that you stopped short at the frontier last week?" saidthe Duchess shrewdly.

  "Nay, my lady, that grieved me sore--for, indeed, we love each otherdearly, Katrin and I," persisted Captain Boris, thinking, as was hiscustom, to lie himself out of it by dint of the mere avoirdupois ofasseveration.

  "That is the greater marvel," returned the lady, smiling upon him,"because when last I spoke with you concerning the matter, her name wasnot Katrin, but Gretchen!"

  Boris was silent, as well he might be, for even as he lied he had hadsome lurking suspicion of this himself. He felt that he could hope toget no further by this avenue.

  The lady now turned to Jorian, who, having digested the defeat and shameof Boris, was ready to be very indignant at his companion for havingclaimed his sweetheart.

  "And you, Captain Jorian," she said, "how went it with you? Was yourring well received?"

  "Aye, marry," said that gallant captain, "better than well. Much better!Never did I see woman so grateful. Katrin, whom this long, wire-drawn,splenetic fool hath lyingly claimed as his (by some trick of tongue bornof his carrying the malmsey at his saddle-bow)--Katrin, I say, did kissand clip me so that my very soul fainted within me. She could not makeenough of the giver of such a precious thing as your Highness's ring?"

  Jorian in his own estimation was doing very well. He thought he couldyet better it.

  "Her eyes sparkled with joy. Her hands twitched--she could not keep themfrom turning the pretty jewel about upon her finger. She swore never topart with it while life lasted----"

  "Then," said Joan, smiling, "have no more to do with her. She is a falsewench and mansworn. For do not I see it upon the little finger of yourleft hand at this moment? Nay, do not turn the stone within. I know mygift, and will own it even if your Katrin (was it not?) hath despisedit. What say you now to that, Jorian?"

  "My lady," faltered Jorian, striving manfully to recover himself, "whenI came again in the honourable guise of an ambassador to Kernsberg,Katrin gave it back again to me, saying, 'You have no signet ring. Takethis, so that you be not ashamed among those others. Keep it for me. Imyself will place it on your finger with a loving kiss.'"

  "Well done, Captain Jorian, you are a somewhat better liar than yourfriend. But still your excuses should accord better. The ring I gave youis not a signet ring. That Katrin of yours must have been ignorantindeed."

  With these words Joan of the Sword Hand rose to her feet, for theex-men-at-arms had not so much as a word to say.

  "Let us now mount and ride homeward," she said; "there are no enemy tobe found on this northerly road. We shall be more fortunate upon anotheroccasion."

  Then Werner Von Orseln nerved himself for a battle more serious than anyhe had ever fought at the elbow of Henry the Lion of Hohenstein.

  "My lady," he said, standing up and bowing gravely before her, "you seehere eleven men who love you far above their lives, of whom I am thechief. Two others also there are, who, though not of our nation, are inheart joined to us, especially in this thing that we have done. With allrespect, your Highness cannot go back. We have come out, not to make areconnaissance, but to put your Grace in a place of safety till thestorm blows over."
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br />   The Duchess had slowly risen to her feet, with her hand on the swordwhich swung at her belt.

  "You have suddenly gone mad, Werner!" she said; "let us have no more ofthis. I bid you mount and ride. Back to Kernsberg, I say! Ye are notsuch fools and traitors as to deliver the maiden castle, the Eagle'sNest of Hohenstein, into the hands of our enemies?"

  "Nay," said Von Orseln, looking steadily upon the ground, "that will wenot do. Kernsberg is in good hands, and will fight bravely. But wecannot hold out with our few folk and scanty provender against theleaguer of thirty thousand. Nevertheless we will not permit you tosacrifice yourself for our sakes or for the sake of the women andchildren of the city."

  Joan drew her sword.

  "Werner von Orseln, will you obey me, or must I slay you with my hand?"she cried.

  The chief captain yet further bowed his head and abased his eyes.

  "We have thought also of this," he made answer. "Me you may kill, butthese that are with me will defend themselves, though they will notstrike one they love more than their lives. But man by man we have swornto do this thing. At all hazards you must abide in our hands till thedanger is overpast. For me (this he added in a deeper tone), I am yourimmediate officer. There is none to come between us. It is your right toslay me if you will. Mine is the responsibility for this deed, thoughthe design was not mine. Here is my sword. Slay your chief captain withit if you will. He has faithfully served your house for five-and-thirtyyears. 'Tis perhaps time he rested now."

  And with these words Werner von Orseln took his sword by the point andoffered the hilt to his mistress.

  Joan of the Sword Hand shook with mingled passion and helplessness, andher eyes were dark and troublous.

  "Put up your blade," she said, striking aside the hilt with her hand;"if you have not deserved death, no more have I deserved this! But yousaid that the design was not yours. Who, then, has dared to plot againstthe liberty of Joan of Hohenstein?"

  "I would I could claim the honour," said Werner the chief captain; "buttruly the matter came from Maurice von Lynar the Dane. It is to hismother, who after the death of her brother, the Count von Lynar,continued to dwell in a secret strength on the Baltic shore, that we areconducting your Grace!"

  "Maurice von Lynar?" exclaimed Joan, astonished. "He remains in CastleKernsberg, then?"

  "Aye," said Werner, relieved by her tone, "he will take your place whendanger comes. In morning twilight or at dusk he makes none so ill aLady Duchess, and, i' faith, his 'sword hand' is brisk enough. If thetown be taken, better that he than you be found in Castle Kernsberg. Isthe thing not well invented, my lady?"

  Werner looked up hopefully. He thought he had pleaded his cause well.

  "Traitor! Supplanter!" cried Joan indignantly; "this Dane in my place! Iwill hang him from the highest window in the Castle of Kernsberg if everI win back to mine own again!"

  "My lady," said Werner, gently and respectfully, "your servant Von Lynarbade me tell you that he would as faithfully and loyally take your placenow as he did on a former occasion!"

  "Ah," said Joan, smiling wanly with a quick change of mood, "I hope hewill be more ready to give up his privileges on this occasion than onthat!"

  She was thinking of the Princess Margaret and the heritage of troubleupon which, as the Count von Loeen, she had caused the Sparhawk to enter.

  Then a new thought seemed to strike her.

  "But my nurse and my women--how can he keep the imposture secret? He maypass before the stupid eyes of men. But they----"

  "If your Highness will recollect, they have been sent out of harm's wayinto Plassenburg. There is not a woman born of woman in all the Castleof Kernsberg!"

  "Yes," mused Joan, "I have indeed been fairly cozened. I gave that orderalso by the Dane's advice. Well, let him have his run. We will reeve hima firm collar of hemp at the end of it, and maybe for Werner von Orselnalso, as a traitor alike to his bread and his mistress. Till then I hopeyou will both enjoy playing your parts."

  The chief captain bowed.

  "I am content, my lady," he said respectfully.

  "Now, good jailers all," cried Joan, "lead on. I will follow. Or wouldyou prefer to carry me with you handcuffed and chained? I will go withyou in whatsoever fashion seemeth good to my masters!"

  She paused and looked round the little goatherd's hut.

  "Only," she said, nodding her head, "I warn you I will take my own timeand manner of coming back!"

  There was a deep silence as the men drew their belts tighter andprepared to mount and depart.

  "About that time, Jorian," whispered Boris as they went out, "you and Iwill be better in Plassenburg than within the bounds of Kernsberg--forour health's sake and our sweethearts', that is!"

  "Good!" said Jorian, dropping the bars of his visor; "but for all thatshe is a glorious wench, and looks her bravest when she is angry!"