The Clearing (Medieval Tale Book 2)

by Lina J. Potter

  “It was a miracle, pastor. What concerns me is that the man could have hurt Mirrie. She’s just a defenseless child. Your boy should be able to defend himself, as well. They can learn together. With the Virmans.”

  Her proposal met with no objection when presented that way.

  Lily considered raising the topic of her knowledge of healing. It would be nice to have the pastor on her side for when her husband eventually showed up, but she decided to wait. If she did her work under cover of the church, its leaders would take credit for everything. She also had no desire to end up in a monastery.

  Monasteries were full of troublemakers back in the Middle Ages. The same thing may be true here, but I don’t want to find out. I’ll just keep the focus on how my ideas are all sent to me from above.

  She batted her eyelashes and assured the pastor again that the children would have a fine time studying together, and that the tutors would be glad to have two pupils. Then she reminded him how lovely it would be to have a chapel in Earton castle. The ice began to break up, and the pastor smiled at her. She insisted that he live at the castle until his new church and home were ready, and promised him that her carriage would take him to the construction site and back every day. She never went anywhere and had no need of the carriage for herself.

  The pastor was buttered up within an inch of his life. By the end of breakfast, he was ready to tell the world that Lily was the most beloved bride of Aldonai.

  Once the Virman children get here, we’ll have a full school. They don’t need to learn fancy manners, but dancing class will be a lot more fun with a crowd. And the science, history and literature lessons will be useful for all of them. Miranda needs playmates. It will be good for her to learn to judge people by their minds, not their rank. Then when she grows up, she’ll have friends who can protect her. This I can do for her.

  No sooner had Lily gotten rid of the pastor than she ran into Martha in the hall. Her nanny looked horrified.

  “Lily dear! How is this possible?”

  Lily tried to think what could be bothering Martha. “What is it, Nanny? Has something happened?”

  “My angel!” Martha threw up her hands. Tears ran down her wrinkled cheeks. “A murderer! What in the world is happening? I didn’t even hear it!”

  “I’m glad you didn’t hear anything. You’re worried enough as it is.” Lily put an arm around her nanny’s shoulders, trying to ignore her strong body odor. She forced everyone else at the castle to bathe, but Martha was past being reformed.

  “How could I not be worried?”

  “Nanny, everything is fine. I’m alive, and praise Aldonai…”

  “Can I sleep in your room with you?”

  Lily almost screamed No! Martha was the last person she wanted in her bedroom. She already had Calma on the other side of the wall. Next thing she knew, there would be a sign reading “Daycare” on her door. There would be no way to do her exercises in private. Or write out her notes. She didn’t need a witness like Martha. But she would have to decline politely.

  “Nanny, that would be too hard on you. Let’s try something else, instead. I’ll have Emma move you to a room closer to mine, in the family wing. That will put you nearby, but not in my room.”

  “But Lily…”

  Lily raised a hand. “Nanny, there’s nowhere for you to sleep in my room.”

  “I could lie on the rug by your bed…”

  “And then you’re back will hurt so bad that you won’t be able to walk. Speaking of back pain, would you like Jamie to try to help you?”

  She could already tell that Martha had scoliosis. Massage would be helpful.

  I wonder if I could teach Jamie how to do physical therapy? I’ll have to think about it.

  “I don’t trust that boy.”

  “Nanny, he’s a good healer. I would never send you to someone who didn’t know his work.”

  “He’s too young…”

  “Go talk to him anyway. If you don’t like his advice, don’t follow it. If you do like his advice, it may help your back. And your legs.”

  Martha looked at her with gratitude. Lily, meanwhile, was burdened by heavy thoughts. Martha had known her for a very long time. She was sure to see the changes in her. That was dangerous. She might suspect something. It was one thing to clean out the castle and get rid of her pink dresses. It would be an entirely different matter to launch into the plans she was working on. She would have to keep Martha on her side, no matter what it cost her. As long as she was certain that Lily was still her little girl, Martha would protect her from anything and anyone. If, on the other hand, she began carrying tales about Lily, she would have to slit her throat with a razor blade. Martha’s, not her own. And she would hate to do it. The old woman truly loved her.

  Just one clarification, her inner voice broke in. The old woman doesn’t exactly love you. She loves Lilian Earton, egotist and fool. She raised her and made her that way. What about you? The old lady would be happy to watch you burn at the stake.

  Her inner voice was absolutely right.

  Lily gave her nanny a warm hug and stroked her hair. Suddenly, she had a wonderful idea.

  “Nanny dear, would you do something for me?”

  “What is it, Lily?”

  “Would you help me with Miranda? You raised me to be a true countess, but she has no one to help her. Have you seen her nanny?”

  Martha’s lips tightened into a line. Lily had hit the target. She suspected the two women had already had words.

  “Nanny, I want you to raise Mirrie the way you raised me. If it weren’t for you, I would never have amounted to anything.”

  “Dear girl, I’m not as young as I once was.”

  “You don’t have to do everything yourself. Just give her nanny the proper instructions. And make sure that she follows them,” Lily said with a crafty smile. “I’ll tell Calma that she must obey you. There’s also the pastor’s son, you know…”

  “What about him, Lily?”

  “They will be living here for a while until the boy turns around. I suppose you’ve already heard?”

  Martha nodded.

  “You’re just the person to teach him manners. I don’t want him wiping his nose on his sleeve anymore.”

  Martha nodded more vigorously.

  That will keep you busy!

  Martha would start telling Calma what to do, and Calma would react by plotting against Martha. Neither woman would have time to bother Lily and Mirrie. If necessary, she would toss them the pastor’s son. Having two nannies wouldn’t kill the boy.

  Lily smiled broadly as she described for Martha all the powers she would have over Calma. She would be the senior nanny. Without her word, nothing would be done.

  I’ll have a word with Calma later.

  It was a classic move. If you have a cat that pees in your slippers and scratches the furniture, the best remedy is not to beat him, but to get a second cat. Then all you have to do is feed them and watch them conspire against each other.

  That was the essence of Lily’s plan for Martha and Calma. Now they would have each other, and she would be free to get on with business.

  Lily promised to have Martha’s room moved that very day and ran off (supposedly to talk to the pastor).

  Enough of your smothering love! You’d sell me out for less than a copper coin. I love you, too, but I can’t trust you. This is painful and sad, but I’m not Lilian Elizabeth. I’m someone else. Forgive me, Nanny…

  Once she was rid of Martha, Lily took a deep breath and went to see Shirvey. She took with her a cup of wine that she had secretly dosed with digitalis and a laxative.

  I’ll hold off on the emetic for now. It’s a potentially poisonous plant, and I don’t want to kill the man.

  Shirvey was pale. He raised his eyes when she came in. There was a hunted look on his face.

  Lily briefly wondered why he had been put in the family wing of the castle. She wouldn’t have minded having Leif and Ingrid in her wing, but the
tutors and all the other outsiders ought to stay out. Even Taris Brok, her father’s agent, was in the guest wing. She made a mental note to ask Emma about the choice of rooms for Shirvey.

  “How do you feel?”

  Shirvey began to complain in a weak voice. His heart was palpitating. He had diarrhea and vomiting. In short, the man was ready to die. Lily sighed. She encouraged him. She pitied him. All the while, she felt like the biggest crocodile of all.

  I’m poisoning him, and I’m feeling sorry for him, and I’m treating him?

  She would never admit to the first, and she would try to avoid the last.

  Lily had no intention of providing Shirvey Lindt with any kind of medical treatment. Quite the opposite: she hoped to bring him to death’s door and frighten him so badly that he wouldn’t sneeze without permission from her and Jamie. Then she would read her husband’s letter, and after that use Shirvey however she saw fit. It was a fine plan.

  “I think you need treatment,” she said when she was tired of sighing. “I have a good healer. Jaimie Meitl. He is very experienced for one so young.”

  Shirvey was unenthusiastic. “What about medicus Craybey?”

  “I had him kicked out of Earton. We have a village healer, but Jamie is really the best there is. I hired him in Altver. He comes from a long line of healers.”

  Shirvey was in no condition to be stubborn. After about twenty minutes, Lily had permission for Jaimie to see him that evening. Shirvey would get his treatment, and she would see to her estate.

  “I have no idea what the earl will say,” Shirvey sighed.

  Lily had a card up her sleeve. “How could the earl ever manage without you? You’re so intelligent and loyal. I’m sure my husband is eagerly awaiting your report.”

  Shirvey proved to be easy prey for flattery. He told her that the earl had gone on a trip with Prince Richard. They would be spending the winter in Wellster. Once travel was possible in spring, they would head for Ivernea.

  Now she knew that his report would have to wait. Shirvey’s best hope was to send it by courier to Wellster and wait in Earton for a reply from the earl.

  She smiled.

  He won’t be here before next fall. Oh, I’ll suffer without my husband, alright. I’ll cry buckets of tears into my pillows. If I run out of tears, I’ll use buckets of salt water. I sure do miss him…

  Then she had a thought.

  She fought against it for a few minutes, but finally gave in and asked Shirvey if he knew who the other members of the party to Wellster were.

  He did know. Not all the names, but many of them. Eventually she learned that one Adelaide Wells had joined the group as a lady of the court. Her hands balled into fists.

  So that’s how it is? My dear husband drags his mistress with him wherever he goes while I sit here growing moss in the middle of nowhere. He sends me a letter and some instructions for the agent and then promptly forgets about me for another six months.

  Animal!

  You just wait, Earl of Earton.

  Lily took her leave of Shirvey. As she headed to her room, she reflected that she would have to tell Mirrie the stories from “You Just Wait, Rabbit!” She could just omit the technology that made it modern. Like telephones.

  Here’s another thought: why not build a playground outside for the children? Swings, a merry-go-round, a slide, and maybe a few other things. That’s all they need. I’m expected the peasant women to visit today. If we’re going to have children at the castle, we’ll have to create a playroom to contain them at least part of the time. Otherwise I’ll hang myself.

  I also need to write down some fairytales and start teaching Mirrie to read. I want her to be the best at everything: science, sports…

  “Lily!”

  Speak of the devil!

  A little whirlwind with dark hair and shining eyes came running toward her, followed by a second whirlwind with short, brown hair and wearing patched clothes. Miranda was obviously getting along well with her new friend.

  Lily found the peasant women waiting for her in the courtyard. When she stepped out into the yard, they looked up at her expectantly. They had already heard that the countess was willing to pay them for cleaning work.

  She had prepared an explanation. “While I was away, the castle has turned into a pigsty again. There are spider webs in the corners and dust under the beds. I want you to clean everywhere. I will inspect your work when you are done, but you will also be inspected by Lady Miranda.”

  Inspired by the sound of her name, the little girl stepped forward. She was flanked by Ivar and Gel.

  “If she says something needs to be cleaned again, you clean it again. Have I made myself clear?”

  The women nodded.

  “The three hardest workers will receive lengths of fabric for dresses.”

  Their interest was piqued. Fabric was expensive and hard to find. The women didn’t mind washing and scrubbing the castle. At least it wasn’t a real pigsty. And it had already been cleaned once.

  Lily took the women into the castle and assigned them to the rooms and hallways she wanted them to clean. Miranda was instructed to keep a close eye on the work. She winked at the Virmans, who nodded in understanding. They would keep the little tyrant in check.

  Then Lily went back outside to give the men their assignments. She divided them into four groups. The first group was told to dig out the moat under the watchful eyes of several Virmans. Jaimie and the blacksmith were given two men each to put their workshops in order. A third group of men was instructed to clear the site for a new church, cut down the wood and build it. Ten more men were sent down to the coast to build a smokehouse and dig shallow pits for evaporating salt.

  Lily had decided to put off repairs to the fortifications around the castle. They wouldn’t fall down next week, and it was important to have a source of salt. She had never gone without salt before – even in the leanest years when everything else disappeared from store shelves – but in this world she had to face the fact that salt was terribly expensive. So she would have the peasants dig brine pits to capture sea water that they could evaporate for salt.

  Lily knew how to get salt out of sea water and she knew what to do with it. The Virmans had told her that fish would be coming up the river to spawn soon. She would have the peasants make nets and catch as much fish as they could. A fish diet would get old over the course of the winter, but it was better than a starvation diet. She had explained this to the peasants in the simplest terms she could.

  Build what I tell you. We need to make salt so that the fish we catch will keep over the winter.

  The Virmans would teach them to salt and smoke fish. Lily suspected that salting was not widely practiced because salt was so expensive. And it was Etor’s fault that the smokehouse behind the castle was covered in mold. She wanted to have it torn down to make way for a new one, but Jaime Meitl convinced her to let him use it for his workshop. He said it would be the perfect place for him to hang his herbs to dry once it was cleaned out. If he was to live in the castle, he wanted his workshop to be nearby. Lily had waved her hand and told him to do as he liked, as long as he kept his workshop clean.

  After thinking for a while, she had decided to build the new smokehouse closer to where the fish were caught. The peasants would be catching and processing large quantities of fish, so it made sense to do it all the sorting, cleaning, salting and smoking in one place. Then they could divide up what went to the castle and what went to the villages.

  If they process fish at the castle, the whole yard will stink. No, it’s better to have all the processing done on the shore. They can toss all the entrails into the water.

  The Virmans strongly approved of the new location for the fish processing station. Gel and Heir were sent to oversee the construction. Lily sent an extra ten men with them to repair the existing fishing boats and build several new ones.

  Anyone could use the boats, as long as they give me one-fifth of their catch.

  The gr
oup going to the shore was also instructed to keep an eye out for Leif and send him signals when he sailed by.

  After sending a handful of men to do repairs in the stables and around the castle yard, Lily led the remaining men to a sunny site she had chosen behind the castle. She wasn’t sure exactly what to do with it, but she knew it was the perfect site for a playground.

  She explained to the men that they were to build play structures that children would enjoy. They could ask the blacksmith for hardware – he knew all about her plans. After having them repeat back to her what their assignment was, she ran off to check on the other workers.

  Did you think I could leave them unattended? Hardly. I’ve got more freeloaders per square foot than I need. Nobody wants to work, especially for someone else. They’re constantly pulling muscles, taking little breaks or complaining that a bird pooped on someone’s head. That won’t cut it with me. Here’s how I organize the job: I keep an eye on you and you follow my orders. If anyone has a problem with that, I’ll call my Virmans so they can explain the system with a log upside the head. I won’t have any slackers around here.

  “My lady! I need to change the bandages on your shoulder!”

  “I don’t have time right now, Jamie.”

  The boy would have none of it. He dragged her back to his room, where he removed her bandages and examined her wounds. Lily examined them, too. She winced. There was a slight infection, and she suspected she would have a nasty scar.

  “Jamie, I want you to steep a blend of herbs for me: willowbark, chamomile and wild strawberry. Then I want you to make an onion compress for me to put on it when I go to bed tonight. You make that by mixing honey and onion juice. I’ll send Emma to get it from you this evening.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  Once again, Lily caught a note of irony in his voice. She reflected that he was not simple enough for a village boy. He was too intelligent. And she sensed that he was not always truthful.

  Who knows what he’s up to. As long as he doesn’t cause me any trouble, I’ll let him be for now.

  “Emma, why is Shirvey housed in my wing? I never ordered it.”