Milo eyed him. “I would wager that they will not tell you, at least not quickly,” he said. “Find Raymond. He had the night watch so he must be sleeping in his chamber. Send him to me and I will explain the interrogation that needs to happen in the gatehouse. As for you – follow whoever that was and waste no time. I would know where that man is going. If Raymond cannot wrest it from the gatehouse soldiers, then I would have your eyes on him. Hurry, now; time is of the essence.”
Stanley didn’t argue with him. He was on the move, sending the first de Wolfe soldier he came across for Raymond, instructing the man to send Montgomery to Milo on the battlements. Something was up and it was time for the de Wolfe knights to band together and hold the line until Scott returned. With the uncertain situation between the du Rennic knights and the de Wolfe knights, nothing could be left to chance. No one had requested permission to leave Canaan, yet someone had.
…but who?
That was what Stanley intended to find out.
In less than ten minutes, he was charging from Canaan’s north-facing gatehouse while Milo and Raymond planned to put the soldiers responsible for letting the rider go free through an unpleasant interrogation.
Not surprisingly, the du Rennic soldiers in the gatehouse didn’t seem to know anything.
*
Scott was afraid to look at Avrielle.
Not exactly afraid, but reluctant. Definitely reluctant. It all started when they were leaving town with the wagon full of seeds and plants, and Stephen had once again spied the villein boy with the small, black puppies.
Having just seen a dog show, the lad was clearly mad for dogs and, as Scott saw it, the peasant boy with the puppies surely didn’t need that many. He surely couldn’t feed so many dogs and as the party passed northward, out of town and heading for home, Scott paused long enough to speak to the villein boy’s mother about her son’s puppies. A short conversation about the dogs and then a silver coin for the mother, and Scott had himself a black puppy.
Or, more accurately, Stephen had himself a black puppy.
Oh, but there was joy in Stephen’s world now that he had a treasured pet. The lad had literally squealed with delight when Scott handed the puppy over to him and, even now, as Canaan loomed on the horizon below a sky turning shades of dusk, Scott could hear Stephen in the wagon with the puppy, petting it and hugging it and telling it how much he loved it. It did Scott’s heart good to hear that but he wasn’t so sure Avrielle felt the same way.
Hence, he was afraid to look at her.
Therefore, Scott rode at the front of the party with Stewart, not looking at Avrielle because he was certain he would see anger in her eyes. She might even make gestures suggesting she would strangle him at the earliest possible opportunity. It was, therefore, far better not to look at the woman.
Safer, too.
As Scott pretended he had no interest in the young boy in the wagon and the boy’s mother, Stewart had an interesting trip watching the dynamics of the whole thing. Having a wife himself, a woman he adored, he was wondering if Scott and Lady du Rennic had come to some kind of an understanding because the entire trip back from Mealbank, Scott hadn’t looked at the woman, not once. That was in great contrast to the trip to Mealbank, where Scott had looked at her quite often. It was puzzling, but Stewart thought it was rather amusing. He’d never seen Scott behaving in such a way so every hour, every minute, was something both surprising and, if he really thought about it, touching as well. Finally, the man with the heart encased in stone was smashing through those walls.
Stewart never thought he would live long enough to see that day.
With weary men from an all-day march to town and back, it was a grateful party that finally approached Canaan as the sun began to set, watching the heavy, iron portcullis lift to admit them entrance. The smell of burning rope and the sound of creaking chains filled the air with the grate lifting ever-so-slowly. Stewart and Jean-Pierre began shouting to the men, urging them to pick up the pace as they passed beneath the portcullis and into the cramped bailey beyond. With the sun setting, it was important to get inside and lock down the fortress for the night.
The wagon, surrounded by a sea of soldiers who were in the process of being dismissed back to the barracks, was finally removed to the stables where more soldiers, commandeered by Stewart, were waiting to offload the goods. In the hub of that bustle, Scott dismounted his warhorse and went straight to the wagon to offload the human cargo.
It was time to face Avrielle over the puppy scandal. Prepared for a verbal lashing, he made his way to the wagon where Stephen was standing in the bed, his face split in two by a massive grin as he held his puppy. When he saw Scott approach, he tried to lift the puppy up as if to show him.
“Look at my puppy!” he cried. “I have named it after you!”
Scott didn’t smile at the child although he wanted to. “Is that so?” he said, reaching up to lift the boy, and the squirming puppy, out of the bed. “I am not sure it is a good idea to have a dog with my name.”
Stephen’s face fell. “Why not?”
Scott could just hear the laughter of his men when a dog named Scott was whistled at. “Because it might be confusing,” he said tactfully. “I would hear my name and think you were calling to me.”
Stephen still wasn’t convinced. “But I named him Wolfe.”
Scott understood now. “Ah,” he said. “That is better than naming him Scott.”
“Why is your name Scott?”
“Because my mother is from Scotland. That is the name of her clan.”
Before Stephen could ask another question, Avrielle appeared at the end of the wagon and Scott reached up to lift her down, also. Sophia was still in the wagon bed, holding her baby sister, and she carefully handed the infant over to her mother once the woman was on solid ground. Scott reached in to help the little girl out of the wagon but she scurried down herself. That left Scott standing with Avrielle, meeting her gaze and knowing he should probably be the first one to speak.
“I find myself again asking you the same question,” he said quietly. “Are you angry with me? If you are, I apologize, but your son seemed so enamored with the dogs that I thought a puppy would make him happy. All young boys should have a dog.”
Avrielle looked up at the man, seeing that he was torn between defiance and remorse. There was far less defiance than there was of remorse and, in truth, she really wasn’t all that angry with him. He was only trying to be kind and she knew that. After a moment, she simply shook her head in resignation.
“You and Stephen are conspiring against me, no matter what I think,” she said, although she wasn’t entirely serious. “I see that he has you as his strong ally in all things.”
Scott smiled, a quirky sort of grin. “As I am your ally as well,” he reminded her. “But the dog seemed to make him very happy.”
Avrielle eyed her son, who had put the puppy down on the ground and it was now pissing all over the place. She sighed.
“I know,” she said, her gaze lingering on the boy. “Not much has made him happy since Nat died. I suppose I cannot become upset over it. You have brought joy back to my son, my lord. You have my thanks.”
“You are welcome, my lady.”
“Even though you did not ask me before giving it to him.”
“I stand rebuked.”
She looked at him, suddenly bursting into soft laughter. “Nay, you do not,” she said frankly. “You regret nothing.”
“I regret nothing.”
Avrielle continued laughing at him because he was shaking his head at her, being rather exaggerated about it. She was coming to think he could be very charming when he wanted to be. Of course she could not become angry with him; she probably never could, not when the man clearly knew he could get around her. There was a level of familiarity with them already that was deep with understanding. Instinct.
God, she loved that.
In her arms, the baby started to fuss, reminding her that the chil
d needed to be given over to the nurse for tending. She’d fed the infant again on the trip home in the privacy of the wagon bed but the babe would soon need to eat again. She rocked the infant to quiet her, knowing that this was the moment when she would retreat to the family chambers with her children and Scott would go off and get himself lost in knightly things.
But she didn’t want to leave him. Avrielle spent the entire day with the man and it was difficult for her to let him out of her sight now that they were home. So much had been said between them and the understanding they’d come to had her heart singing. The entire way home, when she should have been annoyed with Stephen’s new puppy, all she could think of was marrying Scott de Wolfe. Never in her life had she had such silly, giddy dreams, but she certain had them now. Her heart was so light she swore it would float straight away if she let it.
“I suppose a knight of your stature would never have any regrets in any decision he made,” she said, her eyes glimmering at him. “I hope that means you do not have any regrets about escorting the children and me to town. I know it took you away from your duties here at Canaan, but please know how much I appreciate it. With all of the seeds and plants we procured, I will have the garden looking beautiful once again.”
Scott expression was bordering on warm. “I am sure you will,” he said. He hesitated a moment before continuing. “But remember you are the Lady of Canaan. You do not need to hoe and plant yourself. There are plenty of servants to do it for you. You can simply direct them. Every army needs a commander, you know.”
She smiled at him, rocking the baby because the fussing was growing louder. “I will remember,” she said. “But I do so like to plant flowers.”
“Have someone else dig the hole,” he said. Then, he lowered his voice. “I should not like my future wife digging in the ground like a common serf. I realize you find enjoyment in the garden, but leave the dirty work to those better suited to it. Will you do that?”
Reluctantly, she nodded, but her heart was leaping in all directions at his mention of their future together. “I will.”
“Promise me?”
“I promise.”
He winked at her. “Good,” he said. “Now, take the child inside before she screams herself into anemia.”
Avrielle nodded, looking at the red-faced daughter in her arms. “Where are you going now? Shall I see you later?”
There was hope in her tone and the corners of his mouth tugged with a smile. “You shall, indeed,” he said. “I have duties to attend to now, including seeing to your brother, but I will seek you later.”
She was curious. “My brother? Why?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Do you recollect I told you of the battle between Nathaniel’s men and mine?”
She nodded solemnly. “I do.”
“Your brother took a very bad beating. He is not recovering well. As a favor to your father, I am tending to him.”
Avrielle thought that was all quite surprising – she had not expected to hear that Scott was tending to her brother’s fight wounds. But, then again, they’d not spoken of Jeremy or of the nasty fight that saw the du Rennic knights beaten down since it happened. She’d not seen her brother at all since then, mostly because she hadn’t wanted to. She didn’t want his violent nature around her children so she’d been keeping a distance. But now she was concerned that he wasn’t well.
“What is wrong with him?” she asked anxiously. “Can I help?”
Scott shook his head. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he turned her for the spiral stairs that led to the living chambers above. “There is nothing you can do that is not already being done,” he said. “Now, take the children upstairs. Get them away from this chaotic bailey. I will see you later.”
Reluctantly, Avrielle did as she was told, taking Sophia by the hand and calling to Stephen to follow. The little boy was more interested in chasing his puppy around than listening to his mother, but encouragement from Scott saw the lad picking the puppy up and following his mother up the stairs.
Scott stood there, watching them mount the stairs and waiting until they disappeared before turning his attention elsewhere. It was a futile gesture, really, because even though the woman was out of his sight, thoughts of her still lingered.
So did the smile on his face.
Quickly, he wiped it away, knowing his men were watching him. After the rumors regarding him and Avrielle, he didn’t want to throw any more fuel on the fire than he already had. Certainly his intentions were honorable, but that wasn’t anyone’s business at the moment. The growing feelings he had for her were his own, to be announced when the time was right. And that time wasn’t now.
But it would come.
The mass of men in the bailey disbanded as Scott made his way past the wagon, still being offloaded by soldiers who were carrying sacks of seed and potted plants into the old garden. Stewart was standing near the garden gate, directing the men, and when he saw Scott, he waved the man over. Scott headed in his direction.
“I am not sure where you want all of these stored so I am having the men put the sacks upon the stone bench so they will not become damp on the ground,” Stewart told him, pointing inside the gate to indicate the pile of seeds that was currently on the pretty stone bench. “Any potted plants are being put against the walls until Lady du Rennic decides what to do with them.”
Scott could see that all inside the garden was fairly organized. “I am sure she will be pleased with what you have done,” he said. “If Lady du Rennic is pleased, then I am pleased.”
It was a comment Stewart hadn’t heard before and he looked at Scott, seeing a relaxed liege before him. Normally, Scott was stiff, formal, in any situation, and Stewart was still becoming used to the new man before him, clearly increasingly smitten with Lady du Rennic. If Lady du Rennic is pleased, then I am pleased. Stewart tried not to grin about it; a comment like that was a sure sign that a man was far gone with his infatuation over a woman.
“Was she angry about the puppy?” he asked quietly.
Scott glanced at him, fighting off a grin. “She thanked me for making her son happy.”
“The lad was quite happy – that is the truth.”
“She also accused me of being in collusion with the boy.”
“A sure way to win over the mother is to be kind to the children.”
Scott’s smile faded as he looked at him. “Is that what you think I am doing?”
Stewart shrugged. “That is what I would be doing.”
Scott thought on that a moment. “I suppose that would be the usual tactic, but that is not why I did it,” he said. “I did it because it needed to be done. That child needed a dog and needed it badly. The poor lad is looking to adults for companionship and now that he has a puppy, the dog can be his companion.”
Stewart thought on that a moment. “You know the mind of boys,” he said. “I miss mine, in fact. I realize we have not been gone from Ravenstone overlong, but even a few days seem like forever sometimes.”
Scott could hear the longing in Stewart’s voice, which was unusual. The man usually kept himself guarded around Scott, strictly professional. He knew Stewart was attached to his boys and to his wife who was pregnant with their third child. It was always Stewart who manned Ravenstone when Scott would wander, although his wandering had been a lot less in the past year or so. That was how Scott knew that Stewart was attached to his family because he had seen it for himself. But the man never complained when the army went off on campaign, sometimes for weeks or months at a time. Not once had Stewart ever mentioned his longing for his family, no matter how long they were gone.
That realization gave Scott pause. Something in Stewart’s tone spoke volumes to a man longing for his family, now feeling brave enough to voice it.
Had he really been so blind all along?
“Has it been so difficult for you, Stu?” he asked. “Being my second in command, I mean. Where I go, you go, and if I stay away for weeks, so do you. Has that been so d
ifficult to bear?”
Stewart was surprised by the question but in the same breath, he knew the answer. He simply wasn’t sure he wanted to admit it, not even now when he and Scott shared a more relaxed relationship. Perhaps there were some things he still shouldn’t voice.
“I am a knight and you are my liege,” he said simply. “It has been my great honor to serve you, my lord. My wife understands that.”
Scott thought maybe that was what Stewart wanted him to hear. “You did not answer my question,” he said. “Is it difficult to be away from your family so much?”
Stewart sighed and averted his gaze. “I miss them; that is true.”
Scott was starting to feel like a bit of an ogre. Loyal, devoted Stewart was a family man and, more than likely, all he wanted to do was spend his time by his wife’s side, watching his children grow. That wasn’t something that Scott had ever understood.
Odd; he realized he’d never felt like that with Athena. She was the daughter of a knight and she had married a knight, and Scott went off and did what he pleased while she remained at home with her sisters and mother and the children for company. She’d never complained about it. He wondered if it had ever bothered her that he’d been off on his knightly duties so much. He wished he’d had the chance to ask her.
But Stewart wasn’t like that. He had a strong sense of home and family. Scott thought he had that sense, too, but perhaps he hadn’t. Not like that. But now, he had to admit that the thought of going home – really going home, to Castle Questing – was very appealing right now. For the past four years, however, Stewart had been his only family.
And the man had never complained, not once.
Scott was feeling the need to show Stewart how much he appreciated the man’s loyalty through the years. As he’d told him, there had always been one constant in his life over the past four years and that constant had been Stewart. The man was more valuable to him than he could ever know.
The Original de Wolfe Pack Complete Set: Including Sons of de Wolfe Page 197