Perils of Wrath

by Park, Elsie

  “But—”

  “I said no,” he stated, his mouth set in a firm line.

  She stood there a moment, raindrops running down her face, then she stepped back and allowed him to leave without more hindrance. His eyes lifted to view something over her shoulder before he left.

  Audri turned to find Gail walking up to her. Heath stood a way off, waiting outside the doors of the great hall.

  “Come, Audri,” she bade, pulling the cloak hood back over Audri’s head before gently taking her arm in hand. “Let’s get you dry and get you some sustenance. Sir Heath would like our company at the noon meal.”

  Audri felt neither cold nor hunger, only the strong pull of curiosity to learn more about Sir Roland, who was slipping further away with every second she stood there.

  “Listen, Gail,” Audri said, leaning close to her companion, “don’t follow me.”

  Gail’s eyebrows turned down. “What are you up to?”

  “I need to get to the Griffiths before Roland does. He’ll never let me in on it if he knew I was there.”

  “Let you in on what?”

  “Whatever his connection is to the Griffiths. He’s being so reticent about it. I must know, Gail. There’s got to be more to their connection than casual acquaintance. This is my chance to discover who Sir Roland is. And I want to ask after Andrew and Autumn as well.”

  “All right, but I’m coming with you.”

  “No, Gail, not this time. I’ll move faster alone, and one person can hide more successfully than two.”

  Gail still seemed unsure, looking at Audri through narrowed eyes, but said, “Very well,” albeit with some hesitation.

  Audri nodded, relieved.

  “Your knight is sure to take the main road,” Gail volunteered. “You’ll beat him by a good fifteen minutes if you turn left at the butcher’s and cut though Hauber’s field.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Audri said. “Give a feasible excuse to Sir Heath for my absence from your companionship. We don’t need any more inquiries leading back to the Griffiths, putting them in danger again.”

  “Agreed.” Gail turned around and walked up to the large knight at the door. “Sir Heath, I’m starving. Would you be so kind as to accompany me into the great hall?”

  Heath’s mouth broke into a pleased grin. “’Twould be my greatest pleasure, Lady Pritchard.” He extended his arm, and Gail placed her hand upon it. “And what of Lady Gibbons?” he inquired, glancing back at Audri.

  “Ohhh, she’s being sent to the library by her merciless knight,” she said loud enough for Audri to hear. “She’s to read up on weapon tactics, something I have no interest in and that I cannot abide. I’ll have some food sent to her.”

  Acting the part, Audri set off toward the eastern wing of the castle where the library was located.

  Heath nodded and escorted Gail through the doors of the great hall. After they disappeared inside, Audri turned around and headed in the opposite direction toward the village.

  Audri jogged her way through the mired streets of Guildon. Though her breathing came in quick bursts—normal for the exertion—she was aware that her lungs weren’t really strained. Since the beginning of her training her energy and endurance had strengthened dramatically. She felt so healthy, so free, so proud of her accomplishments. She liked being fit. She smiled as she turned left at the butcher’s.

  The rain picked up in velocity as she cut through Hauber’s field. She was grateful to finally spy the Griffiths’ single-level cottage. The smoke rising from the chimney beckoned to her damp body, but she slowed her pace, caution filling her mind with the possibility that Roland had beaten her there despite her haste. She paused at the front door and put her ear against the wood. She didn’t hear any voices. She breathed out in relief.

  She knocked at the solid oak door, forcing her breathing to slow.

  Richard opened the front door, and though he seemed a bit surprised at her being there, he immediately admitted her into the cozy home. The smell of baked bread filled the house.

  She stepped through the threshold and felt the warmth of the fire from across the room where Liliana sat staring at Audri, her mending momentarily stalled.

  She didn’t want to tell the Griffiths she’d come to eavesdrop on a conversation with Sir Roland, for that would sound childish. She’d simply ask about the siblings’ welfare. That was as good a reason as any for visiting.

  “Good Sabbath to you,” she said to them as Richard closed the door behind her. She moved to the fireplace, stretching her hands out to be warmed by the flames.

  “What brings you out in the storm? Is all well?” Liliana asked, setting her mending aside and looking at Audri with alarm.

  “Yes, but I wanted to check in on Andrew and Autumn.”

  Liliana nodded, but concern reflected in her eyes. “Of course, but let’s get you out of that cloak first.” Liliana stood and helped Audri out of the soaked covering before hanging it on a peg by the fireplace to dry. “Have a seat, milady.”

  “Thank you.” Audri sat on a wooden chair beside Liliana. Richard took a seat on a stool next to Audri.

  “Are they back safe?” Audri searched the room with a glance but saw no sign of them.

  “Alas,” Richard shook his head, “they remain in the barn. We went there today and got our key back, but our attempt to sneak them out was thwarted when Hauber approached the barn as they were descending the ladder. Liliana grabbed Hauber’s attention, turning it away from the siblings but only long enough for them to move back into the loft. Liliana went back later to give the siblings some food under the pretense of checking on the goats again. We don’t usually check the goats more than once a day, and Liliana spied Hauber watching her from the window of his home. She knew it was too dangerous to sneak them out yet.”

  “Heaven, that was a close one,” Audri breathed, her eyes growing wide. “I hope he didn’t see me pass through his field on my way here. He might think that strange as well.”

  “Yes. I’m sure our odd actions have prompted suspicions from the mistrustful coot,” Liliana admitted. “Regardless of the danger, we may be forced to move them out sooner than we deem safe. The longer they stay in the barn . . .” Liliana let her sentence trail off, not needing to voice the obvious.

  Audri nodded her agreement. “I’ll help in any way that I can.”

  “Thank you, milady,” Richard said. “We’ll let you know when we’ve formulated a sure plan.”

  Audri gave a jerky nod. She felt anxious, not only for the predicament the siblings were in, but because Roland was due to arrive any minute. She needed a place to hide.

  “Listen, my friends,” Audri said, glancing at the older couple. “Sir Roland is on his way here as we speak.”

  Richard and Liliana looked at each other, lifting their eyebrows.

  “I came here against his orders,” Audri admitted as she stood up. “I know there is a connection between you and Sir Roland and that he’s probably coming to discuss it. But if Roland finds I’ve defied his instruction to stay away, I’ll surely pay the price for my disobedience, and it will come in the form of a sound scolding accompanied by grueling drills.”

  “I don’t know,” Liliana said with slow caution, clearly hesitant to permit eavesdropping on a private conversation. “If Roland is who we believe him to be, then . . .”

  “Then what?” Audri prodded. “What is it about this man that’s so mysterious, that connects him to Guildon and to you? I must know more about this knight who is by my side day in and day out.”

  The aged couple exchanged a tentative gaze.

  “Please don’t send me away,” Audri implored, looking from one to the other with creased brows. “You know you can trust my confidence with anything I hear.”

  “All right,” Richard said, standing up from his seat. “You may hide in the bedchamber.�
�

  “Thank you, Richard,” Audri breathed.

  “And here—” Liliana said, grabbing a woolen cloak from her mending basket “—put this on so you don’t catch your death away from the fire.”

  Liliana tossed the dry cloak and Audri caught it. Richard swept aside a linen sheet hanging from the top of the chamber doorway, a thin veil separating the bedchamber from the common room. Audri moved into the small sleeping area just as a knock sounded at the front door. Audri’s breath caught and Richard froze in place. She dared not think of her abysmal penance should Roland discover her. Liliana stood and Richard stepped into the room with Audri, letting the linen fall back into place. Behind the curtain, he quietly helped Audri into the cloak as Liliana moved to the front door.

  Chapter 12

  Roland knocked a second time on the thick wooden door that he’d pounded on just the day before. He was restless but excited that he’d finally located the couple he’d originally set out to find. He had been told by Emmy that he’d known the Griffiths as a youngster, but he held no remembrance of them. Perhaps his young mind had shut out all memories of Guildon after he was ripped from it. But would they recall who he was? And what knowledge might they have about his birth parents?

  Before long, Liliana Griffith, the stout older woman who claimed a strong resemblance to his former caretaker, Emmy, opened the sturdy portal. It was her likeness to Emmy, and hearing their first names, that had prodded him to check their last name yesterday, confirming an end to his search for the Griffiths.

  “Roland, my dear boy. Is it really you?” she said, her right hand coming up to rest over her heart.

  She does remember me. He wished he could return the sentiment, but try as he might, he held no strong memory of her.

  Roland dipped his head in respect. “I realize that seeing me yesterday probably came as quite a shock to you.”

  “A bit, yes.” Liliana nodded. “But not an unpleasant one, I assure you.” Then she squinted, her face turning serious. “Except for your pounding down our door, running Lady Gibbon’s students out of the house, and forcing the relocation of our fugitives.”

  Roland’s mouth opened to say something, but he wasn’t sure if she was upset with him or merely jesting. Then he saw her mouth turn upward, the skin around her eyes crinkling with the gesture.

  Roland breathed out in relief. “You truly are Emmy’s kin,” he said by way of a compliment to her lighthearted humor.

  “And proud of it,” Liliana returned with a wider smile. She stepped aside. “Come inside and dry yourself by the fire.”

  “Thank you, Mistress Griffith.”

  “Oh, Roland, call me Lili.”

  Roland nodded and stepped into the house. Liliana closed the door and ushered him to a chair by the fire. The aroma of burning logs in the fireplace mingled with that of freshly baked bread. It filled him with tranquility, something he hadn’t truly felt since leaving Fairhaven. The light fragrance of lemon hung in the air, reminding him of Audri. Even when she was soaked with sweat during drills, that pleasant fragrance still touched the air around her.

  Liliana took hold of Roland’s cloak as he shrugged it off, water dripping from the hem.

  She hung it on a peg by the fireplace. “Heavens, this year has been especially soggy. Our storehouses are hard pressed to keep all the seeds and grain dry. There have already been several drownings, both human and animal, and many fear a hazardous year for crops as well as a severe impact on food storage for the coming winter.” Liliana shook her head, her despondent eyes looking heavenward, as if asking God to aid them in this imminent trial. “But enough about what we cannot control,” she sighed. “May I offer you anything to eat, dear boy?” Roland smiled at the endearing title of dear boy. “You’re very kind, but I’m well enough.”

  Liliana nodded and sat down in her chair. “You’re a knight now,” she said with respect, visually inspecting his sword and spurs, “so I must address you as sir, not boy.”

  “No need for either, Lili. Roland will do.”

  Liliana smiled. “It’s so good to see you again. It’s been so long. Your hair has grown darker, having turned from near carrot orange to a handsome auburn. It suits your matured features.”

  And my fiery temper, Roland chided himself.

  “You’ve grown into such a fine-looking man, but you still retain enough of your boyhood features for me to recognize you.”

  Roland sat in a chair opposite Liliana and her mending basket and observed the gray-haired woman before him. Her trim and confident figure bespoke of someone who partook in daily physical labor but was made strong from it. The lines of time creased her face, but her expression maintained an energetic glow.

  “Where is Master Griffith?” Roland asked as he stretched his hands out to soak up the fire’s warmth.

  “Right here,” Roland heard to his left. He stood as Richard came over with a friendly smile on his thin, weathered face. Roland was considered tall, but Richard’s six-and-a-half-foot form surpassed his by a good six inches.

  Roland bowed in respect to his elder, but Richard waved the formality off with his hand and took Roland in a tight bear hug. Roland returned the embrace. Richard pulled back, his hands on each side of Roland’s broad shoulders, and studied him.

  “Yes, there’s plenty left of the young boy we knew in this developed face.” He nodded his approval before motioning Roland to sit down again.

  “And oh, before I forget,” Richard stretched his hand toward Roland, something metallic enclosed in it. “Your key.” Roland took it. “Thank you for your quick thinking last night.”

  “You’re welcome,” Roland said as he tied it onto his belt.

  “We got ours back this morn, though the siblings remain in the barn. They’re safe for now, we hope.”

  Roland nodded.

  “What key is that anyway that you were able to part with it?” Liliana asked.

  Roland chuckled. “It’s the key to my bedchamber.”

  Richard and Liliana stared at him.

  “When Sir Heath was watching Richard hobble over to his chair, I took it off my belt and hid it beneath my hand. When I reached into the bag with it under my palm and drew it up again, everyone assumed I’d pulled your key from the bag. I made a point of dropping it back in for Sir Heath’s sake.”

  “Clever,” Richard beamed.

  “But how did you gain entrance to your chamber last night without the key?” Liliana posed, her mending stilled.

  “Well, if truth be told, I’m quite skilled with a lock pick—but don’t tell anyone. It’s not common knowledge.” He winked and smiled at them.

  “And you just happen to have lock picks on your person?” Richard asked, his eyebrows rising along with the corner of his mouth.

  Roland chuckled again. “That I do, a precaution passed down from my father, Lord Calan Beaumont, Earl of Fairhaven.”

  “Unbelievable!” Richard said, smiling wide.

  Liliana laughed and shook her head. “To be adopted by the renowned Beaumonts! Now there’s an honorable name to be sure. Even this far north we’ve heard of that family’s noble and just ways. What great blessings have come your way, dear boy.”

  Roland dipped his head in agreement. “Yes, I have been richly blessed, which is why I chose not to disclose my family name in these parts—to protect them. In fact, I’ve feigned disinheritance.”

  Liliana nodded. “Smart lad. But what brings you back to Guildon, and how came you to land the unique position of esquiring our dear Lady Gibbons?”

  “To answer the latter, training Aud—uh, Lady Gibbons—was pure happenstance, I assure you. Due to my refusal to act as most Guildon knights do, Lord Craven entrusted the assignment to me. I had only accepted the task for the higher pay and better lodging—and to gain myself a little freedom. Though it hasn’t procured me as much liberty as I’d like, the a
ssignment has grown on me these past months, especially Lady Gibbons.”

  “But why would Lord Craven desire knighthood for her?” Richard asked.

  “He doesn’t,” Roland stated in all frankness. “He just wants her tamed through the harsh training, but he’s a fool if he thinks a woman as strong willed as Lady Gibbons would bend so easily.”

  “And a fool he most certainly is,” Liliana said with downturned brows, her distaste of the earl clear.

  “And what brought you back to Guildon?” Richard asked.

  “Well, you did.”

  Richard looked at Liliana. “Did we send him a missive?”

  Roland shook his head. “No, you did not.” He looked at Liliana. “It was your sister, Emmy Firthland, who directed me to you.”

  Liliana’s eyes brightened at the mention of her sibling. “How is she?” Liliana asked with eagerness. “It’s been so long since letters have been allowed to pass through our borders. Lord Craven regulates them so tightly, afraid of treachery from all sides.”

  “She’s well,” Roland assured her. “Very well, in fact. That sweet angel of a woman tolerated me for many years before Lord and Lady Beaumont adopted me. Her husband died when I was still very young, but she has been remarried for some years now to a fine fellow who loves the orphans they care for as much as she does.”

  “She always had a kind and giving heart,” Liliana said into the fire, emotion over missing her sister tainting her voice.

  “It runs in the family,” Roland praised, bringing Liliana’s tear-rimmed eyes around to him. She gave him a partial smile.

  Roland wasted no more time, taking a breath and diving right into the matter. “I’ve come seeking the truth, Lili. The truth about my birth parents—who they were and how they really died.”

  Liliana looked at Richard with uncertainty, a gesture not lost on Roland.

  “I will avenge my parents if they were in any way wrongfully treated by another.”

  The elder woman nodded. “As you should, my boy, as you should.”

  “Their names,” Richard started, “were Olin and Sharee Fletcher.”