Winter's Flame (Seasons of Fortitude Series Book 4)

by Elizabeth Rose

  “That’s right,” he said. “I’m ashamed to say I tried to use the situation to my advantage. I didn’t think I’d have a lot of work here and that would enable me to hide away. It also allowed me the time to finish training Josef in his apprenticeship. He is good, Lady Winter, but his heart was never in his work. He didn’t hone the skill of the trade the way you did with only half the training.”

  “No one knows you are going blind?” asked Winter.

  He shook his head. “I’ve kept it a secret. Only my wife and son knew. But since Josef left, I haven’t been able to do the work by myself. And without Evelyn here to cover for me – I’m afraid people are catching on that something is wrong.”

  “What did the butcher mean when he said a border lord took Josef?”

  “It’s true,” he said, leaning his elbows on his legs. “When the first Lord Ravenscar was still alive, he did a lot of things that were horrible, just like you said.”

  “What did he do to Josef?” asked Winter, bracing herself for something terrible.

  “One day, Ravenscar boasted to the border lord, Sir Martin de Grey of Northumberland when his ship was docked here. His ship was one of the last ones to come to our town for trade. When I first came here, I told Ravenscar about my reputation of being the best blacksmith in all of England.”

  “It’s true,” said Winter. “You are.”

  “Nay. I was, but not anymore,” said Wallace sadly. “I used that story so Ravenscar would let me stay. Had I known he’d one day use it against me, I never would have told him.”

  “What do you mean? Did he ask you to make a sword for him?”

  “Nay. Not for him. Sir Martin de Grey heard the story as well. He came to Ravenscar to commission a sword of the highest quality forged for him,” said Wallace. “He brought the metal and wanted me to craft it for him. Ravenscar made the deal without consulting me first.”

  “What kind of deal?” Winter sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

  “Sir de Grey came to Ravenscar with unique steel – Damascus steel.”

  “Damascus steel?” she repeated excitedly. Damascus steel was costly and not seen often. It had a wavy surface pattern produced by hammer-welding strips of steel and iron. With repeated heating and forging, the strips melded together making the incredible pattern.

  “Aye. He paid Ravenscar well for my services.”

  “What happened?” asked Winter. “Did he like the finished sword?”

  “You tell me.” Wallace got off the chair and headed across the room. He opened a trunk and lifted out a block of untouched metal. “This is it.”

  “You never made it?” asked Winter, coming over and running her hand over the hunk of steel. She had never seen Damascus steel before, and it was amazing. “I don’t understand.”

  “Sir de Grey was leery of Ravenscar. He demanded something in exchange that he would hold on to until he received his sword.”

  “Your son?” asked Winter, feeling sick to her stomach by the thought.

  “Aye.” With downcast eyes, Wallace nodded. “Ravenscar gave him my son, Josef. That was months ago. Evelyn fell sick right afterward – heartbroken, I believe. She died a few weeks later. I haven’t been able to do much work. With my bad eyesight, I’m afraid my career is over. Now, I’ll never get my son back.”

  “Nay, don’t say that. You were once the best blacksmith in all England. You can’t just give that up, nor can you let your son down.”

  “Without my wife and son, I have no desire to live. I’m afraid it’s over, Lady Winter.”

  Sadness stabbed at Winter’s heart. This man was a good friend of hers, and she would not let his life end up this way. There was no other choice. She would do anything she could to help him.

  “Get up,” she said, springing to her feet.

  “What?” He looked up with a weary expression on his face.

  “We have work to do.”

  “We?” Wallace slid out of the chair with the wood creaking under his weight.

  “I am first going to help you sharpen the butcher’s knife so that it’ll cut through stone. Then I’m going to go with you to shoe the plowman’s horse.” She walked over and scooped up the butcher’s knife and made her way over to the sandstone sharpening wheel. Sitting down on the seat, she hiked up her gown and put one foot on the pedal that made it turn. There was a bucket with a spigot hanging over the wheel. A basin below would catch the water dripping on the stone that was needed for sharpening the blades.

  “Lady Winter, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

  “I know exactly what I’m saying.” She pumped the pedal that made the grinding stone spin. Then she unplugged the spigot, and the water trickled onto the stone. As she worked the device, the stone spun toward her. Holding out the knife, she carefully started to sharpen the edges of the blade. “I’m going to help you the way you helped me so many years ago. You taught me the art of blacksmithing even though I should have been sewing in the ladies solar instead. Now, I will repay you for your kindness.”

  “Nay, there is no need to do that, Lady Winter.” Wallace rushed to her side. “You are a lady. Please, don’t give my problems another thought. It’s not proper.”

  “I don’t care what is proper,” she said, flipping the knife over and sharpening the other side, guiding it with the flat of her hand. The whine of the metal blade rang out as the spinning stone whirred. “I will help you in any way I can and, together, we will get Josef back here at your side.”

  “Sir Martin de Grey is due to show up any day now,” Martin told her. “He’ll be angry when he finds out I don’t have his sword ready. There is no telling what he might do to you, me, or Josef.”

  “Then we’ll have to get an early start first thing tomorrow morning,” she told him, holding up the butcher’s knife and blowing away the dust. “Here,” she said, pushing the handle of the blade into his hand. “Hurry back after you deliver the knife. I’ll start preparing what we need to shoe a horse.”

  “You want me to deliver this?” he asked. “But you were the one who sharpened it.”

  “That will be our little secret,” she told him. “No one has to know that I’m helping you. Until we manage to get Josef returned, I’ll take his place at your side.”

  “Nay, I can’t let you do this,” he said adamantly. “You are a lady. You belong in a castle with servants at your side. You certainly shouldn’t be in a smoky, dirty shop of a blacksmith, risking your reputation doing the job of a tradesman.”

  “Wallace,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “Were you ever able to shoo me out of your shop all those years that I stayed and watched and learned from you?”

  “Nay, I suppose not,” he told her.

  “And neither will you be able to get rid of me now.”

  “But when you were younger, my shop was in the courtyard of a castle, not in an old, dirty town. You can’t spend the nights here. It’s not right and I will not agree to it.”

  “Then I’ll sleep at the castle,” she told him. “That will make my family happy, too. But I’ll return here every morning. Together, we will get your business back to the way it used to be. Lord Ravenscar has already sent out his messengers letting the neighboring towns up and down the coast know that the old Lord Ravenscar is dead. Once they know it is safe to dock and trade here again, the town will be bustling with people.”

  “Well, I suppose . . . just until we get Josef back.”

  “Yes. Then he will be here to help you, and you won’t need me anymore. Now, hurry,” she said, turning him by the shoulders and heading him for the door. “We have a lot of work to do.” As she watched him leave and trip just outside the door, she gasped. “Be careful, Wallace. You’re holding a very sharp blade.”

  Turning back to the small, dark shop she realized what Wallace and her brothers said was true. It was the last place a lady should be, and it made her want to be here even more. That made her smile. This was so wrong and yet so right at t
he same time. Excitement coursed through her to be helping Wallace in secret. She made her way over to the trunk and pulled out the block of Damascus steel to get another look at it. It was light and smooth and had an intricate design laid into it. As she ran her hand over it, she felt the strength and agility of the blade trapped inside. She couldn’t wait to start forging a sword out of this steel tomorrow. It was a chance of a lifetime. Placing it back into the trunk, she closed the lid, suddenly having doubts.

  There was no way Wallace could forge the blade for Sir de Grey. It was all up to her now. She couldn’t make a single mistake because this was the only chance she would get. No one she knew had access to this very expensive steel that most likely had come from a country far away. Now, the question was, could she make the blade in secret and have it ready when Lord de Grey came calling at the blacksmith’s door?

  Chapter 2

  Winter stood at the docks the next day, bidding farewell to her family.

  “Ye stay out of the smithy, lassie,” Reed warned her, giving her a hug and kiss atop the head.

  “Ye ken she willna do that, so dinna waste yer voice, Brathair,” said their sister, Spring, from his side. Another of her sisters, Summer, was mounted on a horse having already said her goodbyes. Their eldest sister, Spring, wasn’t one for showing a lot of emotion since she’d been raised as a warrior. But she was changing since she married Laird Shaw Gordon, and hugged Winter before mounting her horse. Winter’s mother and father stood on the pier next to Autumn and Autumn’s husband, Benedict.

  “Spring! Summer! Why dinna ye come with us instead of ridin’ back to Scotland and Suffolk?” asked their father, Ross Douglas.

  “Aye,” said Benedict. “We’re going to drop off your parents in Scotland before we take the ship to France. We could swing down the coast afterward and drop off Summer as well.”

  “Rook and I will be escorting Summer home,” said Rowen.

  “Thank you,” said Summer. “I am looking forward to spending time with my brothers on the journey.”

  “I like the outdoors and will be ridin’ back to Scotland with Reed,” said Spring.

  “If you two change your mind, you are welcome to come on the ship with us,” offered Autumn. She looked up at her husband and smiled. “It’s going to be a trip we’ll never forget.”

  “Going to spend a little time celebrating your new marriage in France?” asked Rowen, mounting his horse as well.

  “I’m sure they’ll never forget the hot nights of passion they’ll be spending together in a country that is known for its lovers,” added Rook with a chuckle, already atop his horse.

  “Boys, that’s enough,” Annalyse scolded them. Annalyse was the mother of the girls. While the bastard triplets called her their mother, too, she was really the twin of their deceased mother, Gabrielle. “What Autumn and Benedict do on their trip is their business, and you shouldn’t get involved. Although I’m worried for your safety, Autumn. England is still at war with France.”

  “Not all of France is our enemy,” said Autumn. “Besides, Benedict has many alliances there. I’m sure this will be a trip to remember.”

  “Oh, it’ll be a trip we’ll never forget,” agreed Benedict, putting his arm around Autumn and pulling her closer. “However, I’m afraid there won’t be all those nights of hot passion you imagine, Rook.”

  “Why not?” asked Rook. “Is the thrill gone already?”

  “Nay,” said Autumn. “It’s just that we won’t be alone.”

  “Who is goin’ with ye?” asked Reed.

  “Take a look for yourself.” Benedict nodded as a horse-drawn wagon sped up to the docks, driven by Benedict’s squire, Nelek. On the bench seat next to him was the old midwife, Nairnie. The wagon was filled with children and dogs. The children were laughing and talking loudly, and the dogs were all barking and running around. Benedict’s steward, Sir Gawain, followed the wagon with even more dogs running alongside him.

  “My lord, I’m sorry we’re late,” said Nelek, stopping so fast that Nairnie lurched forward and had to grab on to the side so she wouldn’t fall out.

  “Ye dunderheid,” scolded Nairnie, reaching out and walloping Nelek with her bag of herbs. “Ye almost dumped an old woman onto the road.”

  “Sorry about that,” said Nelek, helping Nairnie out of the cart.

  “Aye, be careful. Nairnie is still healing from the bolt she took to save me,” said Benedict. “Be gentle with her.”

  “I’m no’ still healin’, Benedict. I’m just as strong as I always was, and dinna ye ever forget it.”

  “And as ornery, too,” Benedict mumbled under his breath.

  “I’ve been using my healing touch on Nairnie,” Autumn told him. “She’s no longer as frail as you might think.”

  “Well, let’s get moving,” Benedict called out. “Enar and Torkel, help Sir Gawain get those trunks aboard the ship. Ishbel and Iona, bring the bags.” The children were all Scottish orphans of war. Benedict had saved their lives when the castle was under the rule of the former Lord Ravenscar.

  “Wait for me,” called out the youngest of the children – the little boy named Rab. He climbed out of the wagon and then reached over and picked up a small, white, fluffy dog in his arms and headed for the ship. When he did, all the rest of Benedict’s dozen hounds raced down the pier after him.

  “Nay! The dogs are not coming with us,” shouted Benedict. His large wolfhounds came to his side. One of them jumped up and put its paws on Benedict’s shoulders. “Down, Goliath,” he grumbled, running a loving hand over the dog’s head before pushing it away. Autumn moved behind him, holding his arm, peeking out but staying protected.

  “You’re not still afraid of dogs, are you, Sister?” Winter rushed over and grabbed the other wolfhound named Sampson that was about to jump up on Autumn.

  “I’m learning not to be,” Autumn said, still standing behind her husband.

  “Nelek, why the hell did you bring the hounds?” asked Benedict. “What were you thinking?”

  “They wanted to say their goodbyes as well,” answered the squire, hauling a trunk up the pier.

  “Aye, Ravenscar, you look like you’ve got one hell of a trip planned,” said Rook with a chuckle.

  “I think this is where I leave,” said Rowen, turning his horse, trying to get away from all the barking dogs.

  “Goodbye, and thank you for coming to our wedding,” called out Autumn, waving as her brothers and two of her sisters started on their journey.

  “Lady Autumn, canna Bailey come with us?” asked Rab, cuddling the dog in his arms as he walked back toward her. The boy’s big green eyes begged her not to turn the dog away.

  Autumn looked up at her husband. “Benedict? Can’t we bring at least one dog with us? For the children.”

  “Nay,” Benedict grumbled, but Autumn still stared at him and so did Rab. He let out a breath. “Oh, all right. But just Bailey can join us, none of the rest.”

  Rab squealed and ran toward the ship with the dog in his arms, almost dropping the animal when it squirmed.

  “Wait!” Benedict called after him. “I hope that dog hasn’t been rolling in any weeds. Heaven knows I don’t want a rash while I’m trying to celebrate my marriage.”

  “Winter, why don’t you come on the trip with us?” asked Autumn.

  “Nay, but thank you,” said Winter, petting one of the dogs. “I’m going to stay here and help Wallace.”

  “Not in the smithy, you’re not,” said Benedict.

  Both of the girls looked up at him and smiled.

  “It doesn’t matter what I say. You’re going to go anyway, aren’t you?” asked Benedict.

  “My sister grew up spending most her time in the blacksmith’s shop,” said Autumn. “Benedict, you’re not going to be able to stop her. Especially since we won’t be here to do anything about it.”

  “Then I’m assigning a guard to you, Lady Winter. And don’t try to fight it, because he’ll be with you in town and anywhere you go
outside the castle walls.”

  “If you say so,” answered Winter nonchalantly, smiling and playing with one of the dogs.

  “Nelek, get Rab down from there before he cracks his skull,” shouted Benedict, spying the boy climbing atop the bowsprit.

  “Aye, my lord.” Nelek dropped a trunk and ran to collect the boy.

  “All right, Nairnie, get aboard,” said Benedict. “I only hope that you and Nelek can keep these children from driving me crazy. I’m not sure why I agreed to bring them along.”

  “They need this trip more than we do,” said Autumn. “They’re our children now, Benedict.”

  “I’m not sure I’d say that,” he mumbled, looking back to the ship where Nelek was crawling out on the bowsprit, chasing Rab. The other two boys, Enar and Torkel, were playing with the tiller. The girls, Iona and Ishbel, were standing much too close to members of his crew, smiling and laughing. “I suppose with Nairnie along, they’ll be shipped into shape in no time. I know firsthand how she raises children.”

  “I’m no’ comin’,” said Nairnie.

  “What did you say?” The look on Benedict’s face was amusing. Winter almost laughed. But when she saw Autumn from behind him motioning not to, she held back her amusement.

  “I’m stayin’ here with Lady Winter,” announced Nairnie.

  “But . . . we need you.” Benedict looked back at the ship and his face turned ashen. “What about the children? They need you.”

  “Benedict, ye command an entire army of men,” said Nairnie with her hands on her hips. “I hardly think a few orphans are too much for you to control.” She shoved her bag of herbs into his hands. “Here.”

  “What is this?” asked Benedict.

  “It’s time ye learn how to heal yer children’s wounds before yer bairn arrives. And I assure ye, with that motley pack, there will be many accidents.” She nodded to Torkel now climbing the rigging of the ship.