Autumn's Touch

by Elizabeth Rose

  “Take everything out of the room and burn it,” came Oxley’s voice from the door. He directed a barrage of servants into the room, all carrying baskets. As the servants entered, Oxley spotted her and entered the room. “Lady Autumn. What are you doing here?”

  She hid the dagger in the folds of her gown so he wouldn’t see it. He was looking at her very suspiciously. She didn’t want to say anything about the dagger before she could figure out to whom it belonged.

  “I came to see if I left my basket of healing herbs here. Oh, there it is.” She walked over and picked up her basket from the chair, slipping the dagger inside and pushing some lavender over it.

  “Nay,” said the guard. “You can’t take that.”

  “What?” Her heart jumped to her throat thinking he had seen her with the dagger.

  “It is Lord Ravenscar’s orders to burn everything in the room. So that means that basket of herbs must go as well.” He reached for it, but she backed away.

  “Give me the basket,” said Oxley, reaching for it again.

  “This wasn’t in the room. I brought it with me just this morning.” She held the basket to her chest.

  “You just said you left it here. So that’s a lie!”

  The man was smarter than he looked. She was contemplating running out the door when Benedict walked back into the room with his squire.

  “I’m sorry, my lord, I didn’t know you wanted Ravenscar’s things burned where we burned his body,” said Nelek.

  “Oxley, is there a problem?” Benedict looked up, coming to Autumn’s side.

  “It’s Sir Oxley, my lord. And this girl won’t give me the basket of herbs.”

  “Are you ill?” Benedict raised a brow.

  “It was by your order that everything in this room be burned,” said Oxley. “The basket must go as well.”

  “There is no need to burn our healer’s only means to cure us,” he said. “Lady Autumn, take your basket and leave before my guard decides to throw you into the fire next.”

  “Thank you, my lord.” With her eyes cast downward and the basket clutched to her chest, she headed for the door. As she left, she heard Benedict’s next command that almost made her heart stop.

  “I want all weapons found in this room turned over to me immediately. Everything else gets burned.”

  So, he had been looking for something in the room just like she’d suspected. But why would he be looking for a bloody dagger?

  Chapter 12

  “Are you sure no one found any weapons in Ravenscar’s room?” Benedict asked Nelek as they watched the former lord of the castle’s things going up in smoke. The bonfire was huge and would have been more than a risk had they made the pyre in the courtyard.

  “Nay, my lord,” said Nelek. “Nothing but his dagger that was under his pillow. That’s all. No real weapons.”

  “Dagger?” Benedict’s ears perked up at that. “Where is it? Let me see it.”

  “I’ve got it right here on my weapon belt next to my own dagger,” said Nelek, taking it off and handing it to him. Benedict’s heart sank. It wasn’t his dagger after all. He had to find it and clean the weapon of evidence before anyone discovered it was his blade that took the man’s life.

  “Never mind,” said Benedict with a wave of the hand. “Throw it in the fire.”

  “It seems a shame to waste a good blade like this, my lord, perhaps I can keep it.” Nelek tested the weight of it in his hand.

  “Nay. You cannot. Throw it in the fire.”

  Nelek looked over to Benedict and then down to his weapon belt. “Where is your dagger, my lord?”

  “I don’t have it. I – misplaced it somewhere. I think it . . . fell down the well.”

  “Down the well? I’ll have a servant sent down immediately to look for it.”

  “Nay! I’ll get another blade.”

  “But I know how much that dagger meant to you. After all, your father gave it to you on your eighth birthday just before he died. I’ll never forget that story since you told it to me at least a dozen times.”

  “I said forget about it. Now, I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

  “Oh.” Nelek looked down at the dagger in his hand and then held it out to Benedict. “Here, you take it. After all, you’re in need of a dagger. Since you’re lord of the castle, you should have Ravenscar’s weapons, too.”

  “I don’t want it,” he said, keeping his eyes on the fire, trying not to scream at his squire. This conversation was starting to bother him. Benedict couldn’t for the life of him remember what happened to the dagger after Ravenscar grabbed his hands and pushed his blade through his heart. Just thinking about it made him angry. How could he have been so off guard that he’d let a dying man do that to him?

  “Are you sure, my lord?” asked Nelek, not letting up with the conversation. “I’d think that -”

  “Ravenscar used his dagger to bloodlet himself. And he had the plague.”

  That did the trick. Nelek jerked backward and then took the dagger in two fingers and flung it into the fire. Then he held out his hand as if it had leprosy and he didn’t want to touch it.

  “I think I’ll go wash up, unless you need me for anything else.”

  “Nay. Go. And not another word to anyone about my missing dagger.”

  “Aye, my lord.”

  Benedict had brought his dogs out to the field to run around while he watched Ravenscar’s things burn. He’d burned the man’s bed, the pallet, the furniture and the rushes. There was still a pile of tapestries and clothes to burn as well as some of his liege lord’s personal belongings. Most of the things Ravenscar owned had been pillaged from raids and battles. Benedict wanted nothing to do with them. He would never be able to wash away the horrible images in his mind of the helpless, slaughtered people who had lost their lives for no good reason at all. What he’d told Autumn wasn’t a lie. He’d never personally taken the life of a woman or a child. But just by being part of Ravenscar’s army and under the man’s command, he felt responsible.

  “Oh, what beautiful tapestries.”

  He turned to see Autumn walking up with Ishbel at her side. He didn’t say a word. Instead, he gave an order to one of the servants. “Burn the rest of the things now.”

  “Yes, my lord.” The man and several others picked up the tapestries and started throwing them into the fire.

  “Nay! Wait! What are you doing?” shouted Autumn.

  “The tapestries were in Ravenscar’s room,” Benedict explained. “They must be burned with the rest of his things.”

  “Surely you don’t mean to burn something as beautiful as that.” She pointed at the last tapestry as the servants picked it up. “It is worth a lot of money. I’m sure it took weavers years to make.”

  “I’ll not take the chance of being infected again.” He turned to look at her but she was staring in disbelief at the fire that flared up and then started smoking. “Lady Autumn, you shouldn’t be out here.”

  “Why not?” she asked. Ishbel stood at her side wringing her hands, keeping her eyes on the ground, not saying a word.

  “You are not allowed outside the castle walls,” Benedict reminded her.

  Autumn stood with her mouth open for a second, trying to digest what Benedict had just told her. “Not allowed? You make it sound like I’m still your prisoner.”

  “I set Nairnie free, not you. Did you forget our deal?”

  “I’m not trying to escape so you don’t need to worry. I’m only here to give you a message from Nairnie.”

  “That’s what servants are for.” His eyes flashed over to Ishbel. Autumn could see the poor girl shaking in fright.

  “Ishbel was on her way out here to tell you and I said I’d come with her.”

  “What’s the message, Ishbel?” he asked, causing the girl to tremble even more.

  “M-my lord,” said Ishbel, keeping her eyes cast toward the ground. “Nairnie sent me to ask ye if ye want cabbage or turnips served with yer haggis.”<
br />
  “Tell her both.”

  “Aye, my lord.” The young Scottish girl was too frightened even to move. Autumn put her hand on Ishbel’s shoulder to calm her.

  “Ishbel, go back and give Nairnie the message. Tell her I’ll be there shortly to help wherever it is needed.”

  “Aye, my lady.” The girl curtseyed and then looked back to Benedict, her gaze never reaching his.

  “Well, go,” he said, sending the girl away at a sprint across the field toward the castle.

  “You frighten the children,” Autumn remarked, not able to stay silent she was so angry.

  “I do nothing of the sort.” One of his hounds barked and ran up to him with a stick in its mouth. Two more ran over and jumped up putting their paws on his chest. “Get down. You know better,” he said in a deep voice. The dogs sat down at his feet wagging their tails, wanting to play. He bent over and rubbed his hands over their heads, then took the stick and threw it hard. The dogs sat there whining but did not go after it. “All right. Go get it.” In the flash of an eye, all three dogs sped off across the field chasing the stick.

  “Your dogs are very obedient.” She felt her body tense in the presence of the animals.

  “If only I could say the same for humans.”

  He hunkered down and playfully wrestled with two more dogs. They started licking his face. Then, before she knew it, all twelve dogs ran to him, knocking him to the ground, wanting his attention. It frightened her as they yelped and jumped, pushing up against her as well. “Nay!” she said, raising her hands to cover her face and protect herself. There were just too many! It was not right.

  She’d been bitten by a dog when she was quite young and had never been fond of dogs since. Autumn loved all nature, plants, and animals, but dogs frightened her to no end. Big dogs, anyway. The small ones weren’t quite as bad.

  “Stop it, stop it,” she cried, seeing the dogs biting at Benedict, jumping on him as he lay prone on the ground. She couldn’t even see his face anymore. Panic-stricken, she held her skirts around her and cried out. “Leave him alone!”

  “That’s enough,” she heard Benedict say. When the dogs parted, oddly enough, he was smiling. Then he saw her face and got to his feet. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “You look frightened.”

  “They were – attacking you. There w-were so many.” She felt the tears welling in her eyes. She thought she could control her fear of dogs but there were so many that it had overwhelmed her.

  Benedict put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. The dogs all came running and she froze.

  “Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you.” He stepped in front of her and gave the dogs a command to sit. Like king of the animal world, they magically obeyed him, sitting at his feet, panting. “Bertram,” he called out, waving over the kennelgroom. The short, older man came running over holding half a dozen leads in his hands. “Take the dogs back to the kennel for now, but be sure to bring them into the great hall for the meal.”

  “They’re all coming inside?” asked Autumn, not liking the thought at all.

  “They’re my hounds and they eat with me. Have you forgotten I’m the lord of the castle?”

  “Nay, my lord. You would never let me forget that,” she mumbled under her breath.

  Bertram rounded up the dogs while Benedict turned back to her. “Walk with me back to the castle,” he commanded. Her eyes were still on the dogs and so was her mind. There was no way she’d be able to eat a meal with a dozen hounds at her feet under the table. She didn’t move.

  He extended his arm and then reached out to place her hand atop it. Together, they walked back to Ravenscar Castle as a proper lord and lady would.

  “There are gowns in the trunk in the tower where you are staying,” he told her. “I will send a servant to help you dress for dinner.”

  “I have a gown, but thank you just the same.”

  His eyes scanned down her body as he perused her. “I’ll send a tub and hot water as well.”

  “Nay, please. It is not necessary to make servants haul a huge tub and buckets of water all the way up the tower stairs. I’ll use a basin of water, instead.”

  He nodded as if the thought satisfied him. They walked for a while without saying a word and then he spoke again. “Do you really think the children fear me?”

  “Aye,” she said. “Didn’t you see the way Ishbel’s body was trembling?”

  “I didn’t notice. However, I did notice that you seem to fear my hounds.”

  She didn’t want to look weak in his eyes, so she did not admit that she did, indeed, fear the dogs. “I was just overwhelmed and surprised by so many at once. Why do you have all those dogs?”

  “I happen to like dogs.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Most of those dogs I’ve found wandering around on their own while out in my travels, so I brought them back to Ravenscar Castle with me.”

  “You seem to like to take in orphans.”

  He grunted but didn’t say a word. When they got to the castle gate, he released her. “I will see you at dinner, Lady Autumn.” Then with a slight nod, he left her there by herself once again.

  * * *

  An hour and a half later, Benedict paced back and forth in the great hall. He found himself salivating from the heavenly aroma of haggis, stewed cabbage with caraway, and pureed parsnips wafting through the air. Lady Autumn was still not here and the food was getting cold.

  “My lord, the kitchen servants are well past ready to serve the food,” said his steward, Sir Gawain. “Is there a reason why we’re waiting?”

  “Lady Autumn has yet to arrive.”

  “When will she be here, my lord?” asked Gawain. “The knights are hungry and already well in their cups waiting for the meal.”

  Ravenscar, at one time, had a good-sized army. Over the years with the risks the late lord took and the orders he gave, the army had diminished in size. Some men were killed. Others left, not wanting to serve such a horrible man. The four-dozen soldiers left were loyal. But even then, most of them sent their families away to live elsewhere, not wanting them to be in danger. He couldn’t blame them. No one had ever known when Ravenscar was going to go off on a tangent and start raiding, killing or even raping women just because he felt it was his right to do so. It would take a lot of work to bring things back to the way they should be.

  “I sent my squire to fetch her,” said Benedict. “Here he comes now.” Unfortunately, Nelek returned by himself. “Where is Lady Autumn?” he growled. “She’s holding up everything and I’m not happy.”

  “She said she’s not coming,” Nelek relayed the information.

  “Not coming?” Benedict frowned. Sir Oxley was standing nearby and overheard their conversation. He walked over with a tankard of ale in his hand, barreling through a few dogs that were in his way.

  “I’ll go get her,” he said, raising his tankard and downing the contents and then letting out a loud belch.

  “Nay, leave her. We’ll start the meal without her.” Benedict didn’t want Oxley anywhere near the very innocent Lady Autumn. There was no telling what he might try to do. He raised his hand and motioned to the servants standing at the entrance of the great hall with trays of food in their hands. Then he turned and made his way up to the dais with several of his dogs at his heels.

  “Shall I bring her food to her tower room?” asked Nelek, following right behind him.

  “Nay, you’ll do no such thing.” Benedict sat down on his dais chair, running a hand over Goliath, his favorite wolfhound. The dog stood next to him with his chin resting on the table since he was so tall. “If she doesn’t eat with me, she doesn’t eat at all. Be warned, Squire, if I find you sneaking food to her, you’ll be sorry. Do you understand?”

  “Aye, my lord,” said Nelek, not at all looking as if he agreed with Benedict’s decision.

  Nairnie followed a servant up to the dais. The servant placed a tray of haggis on the table right in front of Benedict. His mouth
watered, as he’d craved this for a long time now. No longer willing to wait, he reached for the haggis. His hand stopped in midair as he noticed the icy glare of Nairnie from the corner of his eye. He looked over to her but she wasn’t saying a word.

  “Thank you for making haggis, Nairnie,” he told her, trying to thaw the woman’s cold disposition.

  “Ye are no’ the lad I remember at all, Benedict,” the old woman said with a stiff upper lip. “Ye are turnin’ into Ravenscar more and more each day.”

  “I am sure I don’t know what you mean.” He put some haggis on his trencher and then picked up his spoon and broke it open. The meaty aroma wafted up into the air. It brought back memories of the time Benedict spent as a child with Nairnie in the Highlands after he’d lost his family. Those were tough times for him. If it weren’t for her, he’d be dead as well. Nairnie had been his rock. She was strong when he needed her to be. Without her, he wasn’t sure what would have happened to him.

  “Ye’d really let the lassie starve rather than to allow yer squire to bring her food?”

  He was bringing a spoonful of haggis to his mouth but stopped in mid-motion. “She ignores my command and so she will be punished.”

  “I see,” she sniffed. “Enjoy your haggis . . . Ravenscar.” Nairnie turned and headed back to the kitchen.

  Suddenly, Benedict wasn’t so hungry. He knew what Nairnie meant by that, but she was wrong. He wasn’t at all like Ravenscar. Resentment flowed through him by her comparing him to the vile man. A knot formed in his stomach at the thought. Then he remembered Autumn telling him that the children feared him. Had he really changed that much from the boy he used to be? He hadn’t thought so, but now he wasn’t so sure. It upset him so much that he couldn’t eat now if he tried.

  He threw down the spoon and shot to his feet, almost knocking over the chair in the process.

  “Lord Ravenscar, is something the matter?” asked Oxley, rushing to his side. The guard’s eyes fell to the uneaten food. “Is it the food? Is the old midwife trying to poison you? I can take care of her if you want. Just say the word.”