But that countdown stopped when someone was blocking their path.
“Halt!” someone shouted. “Dacia of Doncaster, you will show yourself!”
Dacia’s head shot up. She had to look around Cassius’ enormous form, since he was directly in front of her, but she could see one of the priests from St. George’s blocking the escort. Curious, she reined her palfrey forward.
“I am Dacia,” she said. “I have seen you before. You are new to St. George’s.”
The priest was tall, with silver hair, dressed in immaculate brown woolen robes. He pointed to the ground.
“They told me you had come to town,” he said. “Get off your horse, Woman. Come here and face me.”
“You will address her as Lady Dacia, Priest,” Cassius growled. “Use that tone with her again and you’ll not like my reaction. She remains on her horse until I say otherwise. What do you want?”
The priest lifted his chin at Cassius, looking him over. “Who are you?”
“Sir Cassius de Wolfe,” Cassius answered without hesitation. “My master is King Edward himself, as I hold the position of Lord Protector to the king. Now, who are you and why are you making demands of the lady?”
He said it in the most unfriendly way possible, conveying to the priest the pain and anguish the man would suffer if he continued along his present path where Dacia was concerned. Even Argos, who had been so contentedly traveling beside Dacia, trotted forward and growled at the priest. But the priest wasn’t looking at the dog; he was looking at Cassius.
“Then it is you,” he said. “You are the one. You will come here and face me, also.”
Cassius was becoming exasperated. He had no idea what the man was talking about. “Get out of my way,” he said. “If you do not move, I will trample you, so it would be best to do as I say.”
He started to move forward, as did the rest of the column, but that seemed to throw the priest over the edge. He backed up, but he didn’t get out of the way.
“You cannot run and you cannot hide, Dacia of Doncaster,” he boomed. “I know your dark soul and if you do not repent immediately, hell awaits you!”
Cassius looked at Bose, who was off his horse in a flash, grabbing the priest by the neck and tossing the man aside. But at this point, there were other priests who had heard the yelling and had come to see what the fuss was about. As Bose manhandled a priest who was surprisingly strong and resistant, Dacia saw a priest that she recognized.
Father Lazarus had been with St. George’s as long as Dacia had been alive and he knew her grandfather well. It was Father Lazarus who put up his hands, trying desperately to prevent Bose from breaking the neck of the silver-haired priest. Confused and concerned by what was going on, Dacia reined her palfrey to a halt.
“Wait, Cass,” she said. “Something is not right. Wait a moment, please.”
She was off her horse before he could stop her, making her way over to Father Lazarus as Bose and the silver-haired priest began throwing punches. Concerned that Dacia might get caught up in something unpleasant, Cassius bailed off his horse and followed her, avoiding Bose as the priest kicked the man hard enough to send him onto one knee. A full-scale brawl was erupting between de Shera and the priest as Dacia and Cassius made their way over to the priest that Dacia recognized.
“Father Lazarus?” she said, apprehension in her voice. “What is happening? Who is that priest and why should he speak to me so?”
Father Lazarus was an old man who had seen a good deal in life. He knew all about Dacia and her grandfather, and he shared a good relationship with them. He never believed in Dacia’s witch’s marks even if some people had, but he was a man without a big voice. He was a rather timid soul, quiet and unassuming, and was therefore at the bottom of the hierarchy of priests at St. George’s. But he pulled Dacia away from the fight going on, pulling her away from the ears of the others.
“We had heard you’d come to town, my lady,” he said. “I was hoping to see you before Father Alfrick did.”
“Father Alfrick?” Dacia repeated, bewildered. “Do you mean the man who shouted at us?”
Father Lazarus nodded. “Aye,” he said. “Lady Dacia… I am not sure how to say this, but people in the town have been spreading rumors and I am sure they are lies, but the people of this town are unfortunate sinners. They like to listen to idle tongues who have nothing better to do but vilify the innocent.”
Dacia still didn’t understand and neither did Cassius. “What idle tongues, Father?” he asked. “Who are people speaking of?”
Father Lazarus had to jump aside when Bose and his priest rolled past him, fists swinging. But his focus remained on Dacia.
“They are speaking of you, my lady,” he said as quietly as he could. “They are saying that you stole your cousin’s intended by fornicating with him. It is also being said that you bore a bastard infant last year and buried his little body in the garden.”
Dacia’s eyes opened wide and she clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. “My God,” she hissed. “The villagers are saying such things about me?”
As Father Lazarus nodded, Cassius grabbed the man by the arm, his big fingers biting in. “Who is saying these things, Father?” he demanded. “You will tell me immediately who is spreading this slander.”
Father Lazarus looked at him without fear, an enormous knight with piercingly pale eyes. “I heard you give your name to Father Alfrick,” he said. “You are part of these slanderous lies, I am afraid. I have heard the name of de Wolfe spoken.”
Dacia was beside herself with shock and dismay. “Not him,” she said. “He has nothing to do with anything. But I do not understand… the only time I have come to town is to attend mass and then I return home again. I have not seen or spoken to anyone at all.”
Father Lazarus wasn’t without sympathy. “Even so, that is what is being said,” he said. “I am afraid that by the time it reaches us, everyone in town knows about it.”
Dacia just stared at him, unsure how to react to what she was being told, but something in what he said was sticking with her.
A clue as to where this all came from.
“You said that they are saying I stole my cousin’s intended?” she asked.
Father Lazarus’ gaze moved to Cassius. “Aye, my lady,” he said. “As I said, the name de Wolfe has been spoken.”
The color left Dacia’s face. She looked at Cassius, who was gazing back at her with anger that was smoldering in his expression. She could tell just by looking at him that he was close to exploding. But she also knew, in her heart of hearts, where this had come from.
Who it had come from.
You have stolen your cousin’s intended by fornicating with him.
Dacia had never been more disgusted or angry in her entire life.
“No wonder Old Timeo and his wife ran from me,” she said, her voice starting to tremble. “They must have heard this, something that could only have come from Amata. She is the only one who would say such things, especially about you, Cass. She’s the only one who knows about you, so it has to be her. Isn’t it, Father Lazarus?”
She was looking at the priest by now, but he didn’t want to give away too much. There was a certain confidentiality he was expected to keep, even with his gossiping flock but, in this case, he was reconsidering that stance. He knew Amata de Branton, too, and a more spiteful creature did not exist.
Especially when it came to her cousin.
Aye… he knew the history.
“She was in town when the rumors started,” he said after a moment. “I do not know if they came from her because she did not speak of it to me directly, but I heard that she is the one you stole from.”
Dacia closed her eyes to the reality of the situation, sickened by it, before looking to Cassius. “Now I know why she left Edenthorpe so swiftly,” she said. “She came to town and told her friends all of her lies, which they, in turn, spread around the entire village. Cassius, I am so sorry for this. I knew Amata was angry a
nd I surely did not care, but I did not think she would go this far.”
Cassius wasn’t sure what to do at that point. He was beyond furious, but they were dealing with a malicious young woman. Not a man he could fight or kill, but a spurned, spoiled young woman who was trying to ruin them both in the eyes of the villagers of Doncaster. He’d seen his share of petty women in his life, and there seemed to be an abundance of them in London, but he’d never heard of anything like this. He tipped his helm back, trying to restrain the powerful sense of revenge he was feeling.
“You needn’t apologize for her,” he said. “She has made her choice. I shall have to make mine.”
Dacia wasn’t sure she liked that. “What do you mean?” she said. “You cannot harm her, Cass. I know she is a mean-spirited and vindictive, but you cannot harm her.”
He looked at her sharply, offended by the mere suggestion that he might go to such lengths. But he had to remind himself that they hadn’t known each other that long. All she knew was that he was the king’s Lord Protector, a seasoned knight with a brutal reputation. With a heavy sigh, he shook his head.
“I have never lifted a hand or a sword to a woman and I never will,” he said. “But Amata and her lies cannot go without punishment.”
Father Lazarus intervened; he had to. The knight’s sense of justice was building this into something that would not go in their favor. “My lord, if you punish her, it will appear as if you are trying to silence her.”
Cassius looked at the man as if he were an idiot. “I am.”
The priest shook his head. “Nay, that is not what I mean,” he said. “I mean that it makes you look cruel and barbaric, as if you are preventing her from telling the truth about you. Does that make sense?”
It did, but Cassius was still exasperated. “But it is not the truth,” he said. “She is spouting lies because I rejected her and for no other reason than that. She had an interest in me, but I had no interest in her, and now she is punishing us for it. My attention has been, and always will be, on Dacia, who has done no wrong. She is completely innocent in all of this.”
Father Lazarus nodded. “I assumed as much,” he said. “Dacia and her grandfather are kind and good. Everyone knows that but, unfortunately, they are swayed by rumors and gossip. Most weak-souled people are.”
Dacia was looking at Cassius, wondering what the man was going to do. She could see how angry he was and she was deeply touched by his willingness to punish Amata.
But she couldn’t let him do it.
“Father Lazarus is correct,” she said softly. “Though I adore you for wanting to protect me and my reputation, if you confront Amata, it will only make things worse. She will tell everyone you tried to intimidate and threaten her, or worse. She has the ear of the people in this village and always has.”
Cassius looked at her, his expression between rage and knowing she was right. “Dacia…”
She cut him off, gently. “It is true,” she said. “I’ve known it all along, for when I was younger, I was friends with many of the girls in the village. One day, they all decided to shun me. I no longer had any friends. Amata told me that it was because they were afraid of the marks on my face, but I know it was because Amata turned them against me. Edie told me that, but she really didn’t need to. I knew. So this is just one more web of lies in a forest of lies that Amata has told against me.”
Cassius could see that beaten young woman again and he didn’t like it. He hated it. It made him want to sell Amata to the pirates and burn her house down. But he knew, deep down, that she was right. So was the priest.
He couldn’t do a thing about it or his actions would prove Amata’s lies.
“Then tell your grandfather what she has done,” he said, sounding as if he were pleading with her. “Surely he can repair the damage.”
“And have him fight my battles for me?” Dacia said. Then, she shook her head. “I must learn to fight my own battles, Cass. You have taught me that and it is a lesson I have been learning, quite nicely. I will deal with Amata in my own way.”
Cassius didn’t know what that meant, but it exasperated him. The whole situation exasperated him. As he shook his head, frustrated, Bose happened to walk past him, a bloodied nose and a cut above his eye. But he was walking tall and proud, as if he hadn’t just beat up on a priest, who was sitting on the steps of the church, hand on his head. As Cassius watched him walk back to the horses, Father Lazarus spoke.
“All of the priests know what has been said,” he said, mostly to Dacia. “Some believe you have been fornicating with this knight, so marrying the man immediately will ease their outrage, at least for that. But the rumor about the dead baby is another issue altogether.”
Dacia stared at the man. “I will not marry him immediately simply to ease their outrage,” she said angrily. “I will not be coerced into anything by those faithless fools.”
Cassius turned to look at her. “Angel, if it will ease the situation, then…”
She cut him off with surprising strength. “I told you that I will not do it,” she said, her rage returning to Father Lazarus. “I refused to be pushed into anything by those men who have nothing better to do than listen to idle gossip.”
Father Lazarus could see that she was quite enraged. “My lady, it is the only solution,” he said. “Right now, some of priests are considering sanctioning your grandfather as well as you, preventing you both from taking communion or praying within these walls. They are even considering sending word to the bishopric of York to investigate you, and something like that will only lead to heartache and terror. You cannot allow that to happen.”
She was nearly irate. “Investigate me for what?”
Father Lazarus didn’t dare look at the enormous knight. “The situation with the baby,” he said. “They want it to be considered a crime. A murder.”
Dacia’s hand flew to her mouth and a sob escaped. “You cannot be serious.”
“I wish I wasn’t. With God as my witness, I wish I wasn’t.”
Tears filled her eyes. “But… but I have never even been with a man in that sense,” she said tightly. “There has never been a baby. Amata is lying, covering up for the fact that she has bedded more men than she can count on her fingers and toes. She is trying to punish me and punish Cass because we love one another. Amata’s lies are the crime.”
Father Lazarus wasn’t unsympathetic. “I know, my child,” he said gently. “And there are others here who know, but there are still others who believe the lies. If you marry de Wolfe, then he can take you away from all of this. A marriage will be seen as a husband gaining control of you. Mayhap he can take you from Doncaster and you can start a life where people do not speak against you.”
Dacia was devastated. “I am not marrying him for that reason,” she said. “Why would I punish him so when these terrible things are being said about me? Why would I do that to him?”
Cassius stepped in. He had to because the situation was veering out of control. Dacia was veering out of control. He put himself between Dacia and the priest, his big hands on Dacia’s arms.
“Breathe, angel,” he said softly. “Calm yourself. We can work through this, but I need your level head.”
Unfortunately, Dacia was beyond that. The lies, the far-reaching implications of what had happened were not lost on her. Amata had set out to ruin her.
And she had.
But she couldn’t let her ruin Cassius.
“Cassius, I am sorry, but I will not be forced into a marriage under these terms,” she said, weeping. “Don’t you see? We cannot start our marriage to comply with Amata’s lies. She knew this when she spread these rumors. If we marry, then it makes it look like she was right.”
“It does not.”
“You heard the priest,” she said. “They want me to marry you to stop the rumors. If we do that, it is as good as confirming them.”
Cassius held on to her, afraid of what would happen if he let her go. “Dacia, listen to me,” he
said calmly. “We would not be confirming anything, but if it shuts up the gossip mongers, I am willing to do it.”
Her tears were flowing all down her face. “You wanted to get married at Berwick Castle, with your family around you,” she sobbed. “You said it yourself. That is what you wanted to do and what I wanted to do, but now… Cass, I cannot marry you, not when I am the focus of such terrible things. You are a man with a pristine reputation. You cannot marry a woman with a lesser reputation than you. It would tarnish that which you have worked so hard for.”
His brow furrowed. “This is madness, Dacia,” he said. “Doncaster is not the world. It is only a small part of England. No one else cares what these people think.”
“But I do,” she said, wiping the tears as fast as they fell. “It is my world. If you marry me, it will be your world, too.”
He was trying not to get into an argument with her. “You are overwrought,” he said, hoping against hope to stop her momentum. “Let us return to Edenthorpe. Tomorrow, the outlook will be different.”
Unfortunately, Dacia wasn’t listening to him. She pulled away from him, out of arm’s length.
“Nay, Cass,” she said. “I cannot do that to you. I cannot let them ruin you like they are trying to ruin me. It is not fair to you. I love you too much to let that happen.”
At first, Cassius had been in genuine disbelief about the entire situation. But now, he was feeling real fear. Dacia was afraid he would be hurt by his association to her and it cut him to the bone.
“They cannot hurt me, angel,” he said steadily. “We must stand strong together. That is the only way we can triumph in the end.”
Dacia was backing away from them. “You are a strong, talented knight,” she said, tears and mucus running down her face. “You are my knight. You said that Doncaster is a tiny part of this world but, in a sense, I am Doncaster. These lands have belonged to my family for hundreds of years. I can never leave it, so I must stay and face this crisis, but I will do it on my own. I do not want you singed by the fire that burns around me. And if the church becomes involved, I cannot let you be touched by that. Please, Cass… above all else, you must stay safe. These horrors are mine and mine alone.”
WolfeSword: de Wolfe Pack Generations Page 23