After leaving the palfrey in the nook, she then made the slow and dangerous climb up the rocky slope. A few years ago she might have made the climb with ease. Her legs then were young and had youthful strength. But this time around, the ascent seemed steep and more precarious. However she pushed herself onward, grabbing onto branches and rocks, propelling herself higher. Now was not the time to give into her aging body. Fixing her eyes on the apex of the cliff, the distance seemed to stretch toward infinity. Unable to help it, she glanced down behind her to assess her progress, and almost lost her footing at seeing the drop. Bad move, she scolded herself while taking in a huge gulp of air. She knew better than to look down.
Finally, her fingers gripped onto one last jagged stone and with one strong heave, she pulled herself over the top. For a second, she lay there on the ground, gasping and trying to catch her breath. And then, even though the climb tired her, she forced herself to her feet, knowing that Lady Edeline’s life depended on her help. She took a few more steps when she met with a set of thick shrubs. And then reaching over, she parted the branches wide enough so that she could squeeze her old body through.
The mouth of the small cave was now within sight, and she stumbled toward it.
When she burst into the cave a moment later, the pungent smell of mushrooms and various dried plants assaulted her senses. She placed a hand to her chest, trying to tame the breath that came out hard and fast. Soon her eyes became accustomed to the dim interior, and she searched for the Healer’s familiar figure. Almost immediately, her gaze alighted on the woman crouched next to a small fire.
“Mistress!” she cried. “We need you at the castle!”
The Healer rose to her feet, instantly recognizing her. “What is all this commotion, Ester?” she asked, her voice sharp.
“Lady Clarisse sent me to get you —” she said, taking in several gulps of air. She clutched tighter at the fabric of her woolen tunic.
“Why would Clarisse send for Mistress May?” a voice demanded.
Ester turned her head and saw Lady Amelie. “My lady,” she gasped. “I — I didn’t know that you were here.”
She scanned the dimly lit cavern and saw the king’s representatives, Lord Stanbury, the Healer’s daughter, and Alfred, one of the Healer’s servants — all the people she had initially missed when she first burst into the shelter. They stared at her as if she had just intruded in on their most important and exclusive meeting.
Pulling at her tunic nervously, she twisted the coarse material in her hand. “’Tis Lady Edeline…”
“Why are you being so hesitant? Out with it,” Amelie said, frowning. “Has my mother fallen ill again?”
“My lady has taken a turn for the worse,” Ester quickly nodded her head. “I fear that she might be —” Dying. She closed her mouth, unable to utter the word. But the dreaded word hung in the air as if she had said it out loud.
Lord Stanbury made a strangled sound in his throat and he struggled to raise himself from his pallet.
“My lord, do not get up,” the Healer ordered sharply.
Ester watched wide-eyed as Lord Stanbury ignored the Healer’s command. Until now, she had never seen the lord in such a weakened state. Even when he returned to Stanbury with battle wounds, the man seemed to exude power and strength. But this man was altogether foreign to her. He had been missing for less than a month, yet he appeared to be gone for much longer than that. Even through his beard, Ester could see that his face was gaunt. He wore no tunic, although there was a white linen swathe wrapped across his chest.
“You said that things have worsened for Lady Edeline,” Lord Stanbury said, his voice tense. The lord shook his head as his daughter reached to help him up. He grabbed onto the craggy wall beside him and pulled himself from the ground. Then when he managed to stand, he leaned heavily on the wall to steady himself. “Tell me how.”
“My lady started convulsing today, my lord,” Ester responded with successive nods. “On and off, on and off she would shake. Lady Clarisse feared that the physician won’t be able to help her and ordered me to fetch Mistress May.” Now remembering her task, she clasped her hands together at chest level, and looked imploringly at the Healer. “Please, Mistress, we need you to go to the castle and help my lady.”
The Healer nodded, and said briskly, “I will need to stop off at my cottage and gather my medicinal bag.” She looked over at her daughter and the servant. The young girl and servant obediently rushed to her side. “Alfred, put out the fire, and you, Gena, gather my things.”
“Aye, Mistress,” Alfred said. Taking a small bucket of water that sat by the wall, he poured it into the pot and giving it a quick scrub, he then tossed the dirty water into the fire pit. Sizzling and hissing filled the silent cavern as the ash and smoke curled up into the air. Meanwhile Gena hurried around the enclosure, stuffing blankets and other articles into a burlap sack.
“Alfred,” the Healer said, pausing in her task of gathering the dried mushroom from the straw pallet. “I need you to do one more thing. I want you to take Gena back to town with you, and have her stay with your sister.”
“But Mum, when will you return for me?” the girl asked, her large blue eyes wide with fear.
“I will return for you once I see to Lady Edeline,” she answered. “It should not take too lon —”
But her words were cut off abruptly when a man stumbled into the cave, almost careening into Ester in his haste to get inside.
Alfred stopped kicking dirt into the fire pit and looked bug-eyed at his friend. “Lester,” he demanded. “What the devil has gotten into you?”
“King Edward’s men,” Lester said, panting and trying to speak and catch his breath at the same time. He placed a hand on the side of his ribs. “The king’s men are making their way to Stanbury Castle! The troop is being led by the Lord High Steward himself.”
“Roldan is heading to Stanbury Castle?” Lord Stanbury asked incredulously. “How do you know this?”
“I — I retraced my steps back to Wykeham, and came across a small group of royal guards there. The king’s men were rowdy, and made a spectacle of themselves by accosting a poor milkmaid. And I wanted to tell them to leave her alone. Only when I got near them, I overheard one of the men talk about going to Stanbury. And before I had a chance to question them,” his eyes widened even more if that was possible, “the Lord High Steward stepped out of the Fox Trail Inn.”
Sir Derrik moved forward into the light. “You’re certain that ‘twas the king’s advisor?”
“Aye, very certain, sire,” Lester said. “He was garbed in the fine royal attire, which no commoner would dare try to wear. And the fact that the guards addressed him as Your Grace confirmed his identity.”
Lord Stanbury pushed away from the wall and walked to the middle of the cave. The color was back in his face, his spine erect, and he spoke in a voice that no longer sounded weak. “I will go to my lady wife. I need —”
“Nay, you cannot go back, my lord,” Sir Derrik said, interrupting him. “It will not be wise for you to return to Stanbury, especially if your brother is making his way there.” He looked at the lord grimly. “I have a plan.” He scanned the ground and found a stick. With quick strokes, he drew a map on the dirt floor. “There is a remote farm three hours north-west of here. Take one of the horses and ride to this place.” He traced a strong line and tapped at the ground with the stick. “While the Lord High Steward and his men make their way to Stanbury, you will go in this direction where you will find a small farmhouse. When you get there, tell Sir Gareth de Mowbrey that I sent you.” Tossing the stick aside, he turned to Lester. “Did you remember to cover your tracks so you wouldn’t be followed?”
“I forgot.” Lester closed his eyes and groaned. “In my hurry to get here, I neglected to look if anyone shadowed me.”
“Again?” Alfred interjected with disbelief.
“Look,” the other man said, his plump face becoming red. “’Twas your idea to bring —”
“Enough,” Sir Derrik cut in. “Whether or not anyone followed Lester, this cave will eventually be discovered. We’ll leave now while we still can.”
He looked briefly over at Lady Amelie. “The three of us will go back to the castle with the servant.” His gaze then met Lord Stanbury’s. “And you, my lord, will go to the farmhouse.”
The lord frowned, clearly not liking the idea of leaving his wife and child unprotected, and at the mercy of his brother.
“’Tis certain that I need to return and assist my mother. But perhaps you should escort my father to this farm,” Amelie suggested, throwing a worried glance at her father. “Lord Stanbury is in a weakened state, and will not be able to defend himself against outlaws or my uncle’s men, if they decide to follow him.”
“This passage to Sir Gareth’s farm is safe,” Sir Derrik said. “The man has made sure that no outlaw or cutthroat would ever think to venture near his home. As to why I should go back to Stanbury… I need to be there, otherwise the Lord High Steward will be needlessly alarmed.”
Chapter 27
“Sir Derrik!” Amelie called. When he didn’t turn around, she made an irritated sound with her tongue.
During their ride back to the castle, she had wanted to discuss how he planned to keep her father safe at the farmhouse, but the presence of the servant and the Healer kept her silent; it was better that only a few people knew about the details. So she allowed Derrik to set a rapid pace while her mind became preoccupied with worry and fear for her parents. Did her mother’s convulsing stop, and would she survive? And would her father make it to the farmhouse on his own, despite his injuries? These were questions that were impossible to answer but nagged at her mind. And in both circumstances, she had little or no control over the outcome.
Halfway through the journey, the Healer veered off to her cottage to get her herbal supplies, while she, Derrik and the servant continued onward to the stronghold. Fortunately or unfortunately they made it back to the fortress swiftly and in record time.
When they arrived at Stanbury Castle, she fully intended to question him on his scheme, but the stable master wasn’t even finished helping her off her horse when Derrik had already exited from the stable.
She would have immediately gone after Derrik, however at that moment Mistress May entered the stable with her palfrey. Having a quick word with the Healer, and witnessing her calm and confident manners, Amelie felt assured that her mother would be in capable hands.
With at least one fear put to rest, she felt a need to speak to Derrik, and put her mind at ease regarding her father’s welfare. Because the more she thought about things, it occurred to her that she knew little about the Hawk’s former commander other than the stories she heard as a child. Her father might temporarily be safe from Roldan, but was he safe from the man who lived in the secluded farmhouse?
Recalling the map that Derrik drew on the ground, Amelie knew that the area that he pointed to was remote and few men dared to go there. The region was considered wild and uninhabited, more so than the spot where the Healer’s cave was located. She could only imagine that there was a reason for a person to live so far from society, and that reason was probably not a good one. Sir Gareth, for all she knew, could be a criminal, crazy or both.
And with the worrying thoughts fixed in her mind, she felt an urgency to somehow guarantee her father’s safety. It would be ridiculous to finally find him, and then have him butchered by an insane knight.
“Sir Derrik,” she called again.
But Derrik still didn’t hear her. His long legs continued to stride across the courtyard and then up the stairs that led into the great hall. She chewed at her lip, in doubt about whether she should follow him, or wait until supper.
He would be out of sight soon if she didn’t decide. Then making up her mind, she picked up her pace and chased after him. It was only when he headed toward the private apartments that she hesitated again. Whether or not Margery was at her side, she knew it was improper to seek him out in his bedchamber.
Nevertheless she needed to speak to him about Lord Stanbury, a voice inside her insisted. It was her duty as a chatelaine to do so, and it wouldn’t take long to have a word with him. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that no one paid attention to her. Then keeping her head high and her steps firm, she hurried to the spiral staircase.
When she finally stood in front of Derrik’s door, her resolve wavered. She rubbed at the side of her neck. If Margery ever discovered her here, Amelie would be in so much trouble. But her nursemaid was nowhere to be found, and this was an urgent matter.
Amelie knocked on the door before she had a chance to change her mind. A movement sounded at the other side, and after what seemed like an eternity, the door opened.
“I don’t need another bucket of water —” Derrik stopped, a startled expression on his face. “What are you doing here, my lady?”
She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Derrik stood at the door without his tunic. She stared at his muscular chest, mesmerized once again by his sheer size and sculpted planes.
“I — I think I might have come at the wrong time,” she said, her voice sounding breathless. Her eyes flew to his and she swallowed, trying to moisten her mouth that had suddenly gone as dry as parchment. She forced herself not to look at his half-naked body. “I should leave.” Taking a step back, she felt the tell-tale flush creeping up her cheeks.
“Wait,” he said, grabbing her hand just as she turned to flee. His deep voice caused a small tremor to run through her body, and she allowed him to pull her into his chamber. He peered briefly down the hallway. “You came alone,” he added, before closing the door.
“I did not have time to search for my nursemaid,” Amelie nodded and reluctantly faced him. “And I thought we should…” Her voice trailed off as she saw something flicker in his eyes. Licking her lips, she suddenly felt nervous and only too aware that she was in his domain.
“You thought?” His eyes darkened as he watched her tongue dart across her lips. He stood in front of the door, his large hand still gripping hers. “You’re here already. Speak whatever ‘tis on your mind.”
“You can release me now. I have decided that I can wait until supper to ask you about Sir Gareth.”
“Oh,” he said as one blond eyebrow shot up, but he loosened his grip and dropped her hand. Looking thoughtfully at her, he asked, “What is it that you want to know about him?”
“My father is in poor health, as you know,” she said, her voice sounding a little anxious. “And I fear that if Sir Gareth is not of sound mind, my father —”
“Are you here to ask me if Sir Gareth has all his faculties?” he asked.
“Aye.” She noted the twinkle in his eyes, but nodded gravely, unsure what he found so amusing. “I do wonder about that. Not once have you expanded on his character, and I know that no sane man would live alone in the wilderness, and so far away from civilization.”
“You sound very sure of this.”
“There is nothing but forest in the region,” she said, ignoring the slight quirk of his lips. “As far as I know there is no town or village close by either. I want your assurance that my father will be safe from a — a lunatic.”
“Whether or not Sir Gareth is of sound mind, I don’t know. What I do know is that your father will be safe with him.”
“You have your opinions, of course,” she said, taking in a deep breath. Her throat felt tight, and she found it impossible to disregard his half-dressed state. Not wanting to look into his compelling blue eyes, she fixed her gaze on his collarbone. “But your words concerning your friend is not very reassuring, I am afraid.” She paused for a second, and the question that was foremost on her mind burst out, “Will you tell me the details of your plan? I know that when you reveal to King Edward about my father’s innocence —”
“I have no plan,” he interrupted.
“No plan?” she repeated, staring at him blan
kly. “But you said back at the cave… that you have a plan…”
“I lied. Everyone was in a panic, and I thought to defuse the situation before it got out of control. My thought was to send your father to Sir Gareth so he would be out of harm’s way. I have yet to come up with a strategy.”
Amelie gasped and then turned on him. “You told me that you would help me,” she said, frowning fiercely at him. “This is not helping at all!” She clenched both of her fists. “Are you telling me that all you have thought to do is to hide my father in the wilderness, while his name continues to be trodden upon? Is that what I am hearing?”
When he didn’t immediately respond to her question, a sudden rage rose within her. She put her hands to her hips, her eyes flashing. Then in a voice shaking with barely suppressed wrath, she asked, “And what do you intend to do about my uncle?”
“I have yet to work out a scheme for that as well.”
“What?” she asked vehemently. “You will allow my uncle to roam free while my father continues to face peril at his hands? What kind of knight are you?” She made a sound of disgust. “’Twas a waste of time to come to you. I would have been better off without your help.”
She moved to push him from the door. But he didn’t budge from his spot. As soon as she touched his arms, one hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. He dragged her to him, her chest heaving against his. Looking up at him, she saw that his eyelids were hooded and his gaze was indecipherable.
“I hope that you have not come here just to insult me,” he said quietly.
Amelie swallowed, fighting the urge to untangle herself from his grasp and step far, far away. She had forgotten how large Derrik was. And, most crucial of all, she failed to remember that he wasn’t a subject of Stanbury and under her rule. If anything, he had every right to take offense to her criticisms.
“Derrik,” she said. “I —” she started again but then stopped.
A Knight's Duty (The Knights of Honor Trilogy, Book 2) Page 18