Love's Ransom

by Kirkwood, Gwen

  ‘Fie on ye, Master Alexander, ‘We’ve seen nothing but strangers today.’

  ‘He is lean and ugly with a large nose? I’m told he is sly, slick as a rat.’ Lizzie realised Zander was serious, and anxious. She frowned.

  ‘Now you mention it there was such a man but he didna come tae the kitchens looking for food with the men frae the court. He seemed to be searching…’

  ‘I think he might have been trying to find a way inside without being seen.’

  ‘You mean he’s a thief?’

  ‘I think he means to harm Mistress Douglas, Lizzie, but please do not mention this. He is evil.’

  ‘I see! When I was sewing before the fire I thought a shadow passed by the door. After I finished my thread I climbed the stairs to the bed chambers. There was no one there. Perhaps I imagined it.’

  ‘Did you go up to Isabella’s chamber?’

  ‘No, my old legs are weary enough after all the excitement and extra work the truce day has brought.’ She stopped and stared at Zander, her eyes widening. ‘Surely no man would dare venture up there? But I saw smoke coming frae the chimney o’ Mistress Isabella’s chamber as I was coming back frae the privy. I wondered who had lit the fire when Nell is not here.’

  ‘Maybe he’s feeling cold up there if he’s had a long wait,’ Zander muttered. ‘Thank you Lizzie. Now can you do me one more favour?’ He drew her towards Walter. ‘Can you find a nightgown big enough to cover Walter and his clothes? He could remove his doublet…’

  ‘What? What plan are you hatching, Zander?’ Walters demanded indignantly.

  ‘Hush, hush my friend. Oh and can you get a nightcap, Lizzie?’ He turned to Walter. ‘You’re smaller than I am. If you feign a yawn or two and climb straight into bed I hope Truddle will not realise who you are in the dim light from the fire. If he really is there you must scream like a woman. I shall come to your aid.’

  ‘So I am to be a scapegoat?’ Walter scowled at him. ‘And you will act my hero! Well I can deal with any rogue who is stupid enough to hide in a lady’s chamber, if there is such a man.’

  ‘We have to be sure, and we don’t want to give him warning.’

  ‘I’m ravenous.’ Walter said grumpily. ‘I have not eaten since morning so your plan had better work. What if the man has hidden outside?’

  ‘I will get a bowl of broth for both of us while Lizzie finds the things we need. Will you go upstairs with Walter, Lizzie and try to speak like a young maid to her mistress. Truddle does not know you or Nell so he will not recognize your voice.

  Both Zander and Walter felt better when they had eaten. They made their way up the first flight of stairs to find Lizzie.

  ‘Remember you must not speak, only yawn or whisper,’ Zander warned. ‘Give me time to get to the other side of the garden and back again before you enter Nell’s wee chamber, then I shall be ready to join you when you need me. Hide your dagger but take it with you. If he is there he will be armed.’

  ‘But where are you going to hide?’

  ‘Never fear my friend, I shall not let you down,’ Zander said grimly. ‘If we are wrong and the man is not in Isabella’s room then whistle a jaunty tune, but be sure to search inside her clothes chest for it is big enough to hide a man.’

  ‘How do you know that?’ Walter asked, raising one eyebrow.

  Zander did not reply but set off in the direction of the narrow path beyond the garden. He saw Malcolm on the way and remembered the young man knew of Sam’s visit across the marshes, even if he didn’t know the warning he brought.

  ‘Mac I would like you to do one more task before you join the revelry.’

  ‘Very good, Master Zander.’

  ‘There may be a horse tethered somewhere beside the burn behind the tower. It may be hidden but it must have a long lead to allow it to reach the water. Will you search and if you find such an animal bring it into the stables? Remove any harness and panniers please. Store them safely and tell me tomorrow. You will be rewarded if you find such an animal. I believe the owner will have left it ready for a swift flight.’ The young man grinned and hurried away towards the burn, well away from the path Zander needed to take to reach the hidden entrance to the stairway leading to Isabella’s room.

  Meanwhile Lizzie had difficulty stifling her laughter as she helped Walter into the voluminous nightgown belonging to Eliza, who was in charge of the kitchens and by far the largest woman at Moyenstane Tower. She reached up on her toes to pull the night cap over his dark curls and he glowered when he saw her amusement.

  ‘I don’t believe a stranger would dare come up here. The plan is crazy,’ he muttered. ‘But if he is I’ll make him pay for this,’ he whispered in Lizzie’s ear.

  ‘Don’t forget to blow out the candle as ye enter the room,’ she whispered back. Walter nodded and feigned several noisy yawns.

  ‘All I want to do is sleep,’ he muttered through the last one as he opened the door and blew out the candle. He hurried to the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin, while his eyes became accustomed to the dim light from the fire.

  Neb Truddle couldn’t believe his luck when Isabella came to her room alone. Walter heard a scuffling noise coming from the far corner and peered across the room. There was a large oak chest across the corner. Until now he hadn’t believed any man would risk entering Moyenstane Tower, even less climbing to the very top and hiding in Isabella’s bedchamber. Discovery would mean certain death. Sir William was ruthless with any man who tried to cross him, or his family.

  ‘Hello,’ he called in a wavering whisper, hoping he sounded like a frightened female. ‘Is-is anyone there?’

  Neb was tugging off his lower garments in the confined space, eager in his anticipation of a pleasure he had long awaited. He vaulted over the chest and jumped straight onto the bed, taking Walter by surprise and knocking the breath from him as the man sought to clamp one hand over his mouth to stifle any screams. His other groped viciously beneath the voluminous nightdress. Walter had caught the merest glimpse of the man’s erect penis as he pounced on the bed. Now in a fury of indignation he grabbed at it and twisted hard. Truddle gave a scream of pain and shock and tried to draw back.

  ‘You bitch!’ he muttered, struggling to free himself without suffering more pain. ‘You’ll pay for this! You…’

  ‘And you will pay with your life,’ Zander’s deep voice threatened from behind him.

  ‘Oh my God!’ Truddle groaned in shock. ‘He said there was magic about! ’tis true! Ye’re all witches!’ He was sure the man must have been spirited out of the air. There had been no one else hiding in the room. The door had not opened. He trembled in fear now and glanced towards the window, half believing Zander must have flown in, but the shutters were still closed. Walter was surprised at Zander’s sudden appearance in response to Truddle’s scream. In the years ahead he would re-live this night and understand many things. Right now he was torn between laughter at the man’s predicament and wanting to deal with the evil devil as he deserved. He had no doubt now that he had meant to harm Isabella in the vilest possible way. He gave Truddle’s now shrunken penis a last disgusted twist before he rolled off the bed and stood tall and straight, pulling off the voluminous nightgown and the ludicrous nightcap.

  ‘What you are doing here?’ Zander demanded quietly. Truddle heard the steel in his voice and saw the firelight glint on the blade of a knife as it was raised towards his throat.

  ‘She’s my woman,’ he whined, almost sobbing with fear and frustration.

  ‘Do you mean Mistress Douglas, my cousin’s wife?’

  ‘Yes, damn you, yes!’ Neb tried to turn round to face the taller of the two men. He had been tricked. ‘Damn that lousy, lying blacksmith,’ he muttered..

  ‘What has Snodd to do with this?’ Zander demanded.

  ‘Only he knew! He helped me plan. But he warned me about witchcraft…’

  ‘Enough of this prattle,’ Walter snapped coming around the bed, remembering how the man had tried to grab hold
of him, and knowing how he would have made Isabella suffer. ‘He meant to steal another man’s wife. He must be castrated!’

  ‘No! No, not that!’ screamed Neb as Walter lunged towards him, pretending to grab hold of him again.

  ‘There is still time to see him hang before dawn,’ Zander drawled, ‘but I think Sir William will order him to be tortured first when he hears he had planned to take away his daughter-in-law and her unborn child.’

  ‘Why not begin now,’ Walter said, with a wink at Zander as he drew his own dagger and waved it around in the firelight. He was beginning to enjoy this escapade after all. ‘We must bind his hands then you can hold him down while I have the privilege of wielding the knife. He had intended doing vile things to me.’

  ‘I didna! Not to you. I didna!’

  ‘You thought I was Isabella,’ Walter said. His eyes narrowing now as he peered closely into Neb’s face, ‘and you intended to torture her,’ He shook his head taunting Neb until his blood ran cold with fear. His eyes darted to the window. The shutters were closed but they were not barred. Taking Walter and Zander by surprise he darted across, yanked them open and dived headfirst through the opening. He had forgotten how high he had climbed within the walls of Moyenstane Tower. The windows were narrow for easier defence in times of attack. Now Neb Truddle hung there, head and shoulders staring down at the ground far below, while his naked buttocks were stuck inside. Zander and Walter could not help laughing at the sight.

  ‘Maybe he prefers this way to hanging?’ Zander shrugged.

  ‘He’s certainly trying to wriggle his fat arse through the window,’ Walter agreed. ‘Shall we leave him like this while we bring Sir William? He will decide whether we should cut off a few slices…’ They had raised their voices deliberately so Neb would hear. Remembering his intentions towards Isabella they felt no sympathy. Neb groaned as another frantic wriggle caused a splinter in the wooden frame to tear at his belly. It might be painful but it was not too late to pull him back into the room. Zander touched his bare thigh with the cold blade of his dagger. Neb Truddle jumped in fright and gave a frantic twist. Suddenly he was free! Free? He gave a fearsome scream. Zander stared down with a feeling of horror as he hit the ground. Walter brought his discarded clothes from behind the chest and threw them after him, then closed and barred the shutters.

  ‘There’s no need to feel sorry for him, Zander. He meant to harm Isabella most viciously, judging by the way he grabbed at me. Thank God you were warned of his intentions,’ he added with a shudder. ‘The world is a better place without such men.’

  ‘I know you are right, my friend, and I thank you for your help. I shall tell Sir William of the day’s events and the man’s intentions, but it is better to let the rest of the world draw their own conclusions when they hear the body of a half clothed man was found lying in the courtyard.’

  ‘Yes, you are right,’ Walter agreed. ‘Shall you tell Isabella?’

  ‘I don’t know. Not yet. One thing I must do immediately is write a letter for her brother and get it to Sam before he and his grandson leave for home.’ It was Zander’s turn to shudder. ‘Thank God for loyal friends. We may never have known if Sam had not brought a warning. I shudder to think of the consequences.’

  ‘Isabella would certainly have suffered. You love her, don’t you, Zander.’ Walter said quietly. For a moment Zander was too startled to answer. Had he shown his feelings so clearly?

  ‘Of course I love her. She is my cousin’s wife,’ he answered quickly. ‘Henry and Anna are like my brother and sister. I would do anything to protect them, and theirs.’ Walter met his gaze steadily, then nodded and lowered his eyes. Zander had no idea what his closest friend was thinking at that moment, yet they had always been able to read each other’s thoughts.

  Zander knew better than anyone that if his uncle ever discovered he was the father of Isabella’s child he would be hung for treason, or at the very least publicly whipped and dispatched to foreign lands, never to return. Was Walter warning him? He knew he was taking a terrible risk in visiting Isabella at night when Henry was away. What fate would Isabella herself suffer if it was discovered she had welcomed him into her bed. She would never deny she had welcomed him. She was too brave and loyal for that. No, he must desist and stay away from her. As soon as he knew the baby was safely delivered he would go away. He would take passage on a ship and journey across the water, as his uncle had once done. How different his own fate might have been if the man who was his true father had not fled to other lands.

  The following day Isabella refused to wait for Zander to collect her and Nell so Walter accompanied them safely home. She was piqued that Zander had taken her away from the excitement of the truce day. Not only that but he had not hurried to bring her home. There was a coolness in her greeting when they met at table that evening. Sir William noticed.

  ‘Have you not told Isabella how you and Walter saved her from a cruel fate, Zander?’

  ‘I thought it might upset her. Knowing Isabella she would probably have insisted on riding to see Sam, and in her condition…’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ his uncle nodded. ‘I expect she is missing Henry. I can’t understand why he needed to visit the monastery. I should never have allowed Father Oliver to be his tutor. If it is not a monk he wants to be, he hankers to be a physician!’

  ‘Henry is very good with at healing with his herbs and salves,’ Zander defended his cousin. ‘The farmers look to him to cure the ailments of their animals, sometimes their families too.’

  ‘Yes, yes, they seem to have faith in him for that, but what use would it be if he is needed to fight and lead the clan? I trust you will always be there to support him, Zander, as you did when he was a boy.’

  ‘I doubt I can do that,’ Zander said. ‘I have decided to travel and see more of the world, as you did once,’ he added quickly, anticipating Sir William’s objection.

  ‘I went to save my neck, though I admit I enjoyed my travels. I would never have left your mother had I known…’ he broke off abruptly, his mouth tight.

  They had almost reached the shortest day of the year when Henry returned. After so many weeks apart Sir William shook his head in despair as he watched Henry greet his lovely young wife with no more than a chaste kiss on her cheek. Isabella appeared to accept this as normal. He had brought two donkeys. Their panniers were laden and from one Henry carefully lifted two kids with soft creamy coats.

  ‘They are nanny goats. They will provide milk for our children,’ he said. ‘I shall make a pen for them near the garden.’ The other panniers were filled with various plants and salves, and lastly a parcel wrapped in cotton. It contained a sheet of glass with a beautifully painted border in reds and blues and greens.

  ‘I thought you would like this Isabella. I shall fix it in the window frame of your room to keep out the cold. It will be brighter and prettier than closed shutters.’ Isabella was delighted with his gift and stood on her toes to hug him and kiss his cheek, whereupon Henry blushed like a girl, in his father’s opinion. He had also brought several books for himself and two which he thought Isabella would like to read, in addition to a book of herbal remedies which they would study together.

  When Lizzie had climbed the three flights of stairs to inspect the glass window she chuckled.

  ‘It is very pretty but no more young men will escape through the window now.’

  ‘Whatever do you mean, Lizzie?’ Isabella asked.

  ‘D’ye mean to tell me neither Master Walter nor Zander told you about the man with the big nose who came to take ye away on truce day?’ It was only then that Isabella learned of Neb Truddle’s visit and his subsequent death after struggling through the window to escape from Walter and Zander. Lizzie couldn’t stop chuckling as she recounted the picture of Walter dressed in a white night cap and voluminous gown pretending to be her.

  ‘So that is the reason Zander banished me to Anna’s!’ Isabella cried, ‘and I never knew. I treated him so coldly because I thou
ght he had deprived me of the pleasure of the day, and then he did not come to bring me home. I must apologise.’

  ‘And I must thank them both for rescuing you, dear Isabella when I was not here to protect you.’ Henry said. ‘The man deserved to die,’ he added with a vehemence which surprised Isabella for Henry usually deplored violence of any kind.

  Isabella had never been quite sure when her baby would be due but she was twice the size of Anna. When the pain began she assumed it was normal. She had seen various animals giving birth and she accepted pain as nature’s way of creating a new life. She was sure it would all be worthwhile when she had her own tiny infant to love and cuddle. Zander was alarmed. He was sure the baby could not be due for a few more weeks yet but he dare not share his concern, or his knowledge of the timing. He wondered if Henry’s uncanny intuition could be correct? Was Isabella having two babies?

  Isabella tried not to moan but she could not lie still in bed. She paced the room and longed for a breath of fresh air. She almost wished Henry had not installed the pretty glass window.

  ‘Ye canna go down,’ Lizzie pleaded. ‘I can see the pain is getting worse Ye might never get back up all the stairs.’

  ‘I know, but I long for some air. The pain is all in my back. It is not as I expected a baby’s birth to be.’

  On the second night Isabella was surprised when Henry came to her chamber. He had always avoided physical contact and he never saw her undressed. Lizzie seemed surprised too. She was inclined to be affronted.

  ‘I’m taking good care o’ her,’ she said sharply.

  ‘I know you will do your best, Lizzie, as you have always done for Zander and Anna and me. But you are tired. You need to sleep.’

  ‘Nell has given me her bed. She’s a good bairn. She saves my old legs, emptying the chamber pots and carrying up food and drink. I rest when I can.’

  ‘Nell is a loyal wee maid,’ Henry said patiently, ‘but you will be needed later so you must sleep now. Isabella is exhausted too. I have made a drink for both of you. It will help you to relax and gather your strength while you sleep.’