CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It had been a tricky ride over the Tarn Crag.
The rains had made everything a bog of mud, inches deep, even on the heavy sod that covered the Eastdale hills. What wasn’t mud was rock, and the horse had slipped twice on the ungiving surfaces as they’d made their way over the crag to Eastdale on the other side. Both times the horse had fallen, Stanley had gone down with the animal, only to help the beast to its feet again and continue on their way.
The only saving grace had been the fact that the day had been bright, with no rain in sight, and Stanley was easily able to follow the tracks left in the mud by the mysterious rider. He had left Canaan about fifteen minutes after the rider had and the man had been well ahead of him the entire way. All he could do was follow the tracks, all the way up the beck to the crest overlooking the vale on the other side.
That was where the situation became dicey.
It was so clear that Stanley could easily see the vale below with a large manor house and several outbuildings nestled amongst a copse of trees. He couldn’t see the cloaked rider at all but given that there was very little tree cover except far down in the vale, he could only surmise that the rider must have gone to the manor house. Stanley had a clear field of vision from one end of the vale to the other and the cloaked rider was nowhere to be seen.
Logic told him that the manor house had been the destination.
Unfortunately for Stanley, there were men moving in and around the manor house and the complex surrounding it, so he knew he would have to make his way down the mountain on foot. A man on horseback would be easily seen and from the angle of the sun, now in the early afternoon, the sunlight would be on the very mountainside he would be trying to descend. Therefore, he would have to be careful.
So, he retreated back to the beck and tied the horse up in the shadow of the trees, with plenty of fat grass to eat and the brook to drink from. With the horse tucked away, Stanley then made his way back to the crest of the hill overlooking the valley and planned his descent into the vale.
The wind was blowing now, from the west, gently moving the smoke from the manor house in his direction as the afternoon breezes began to blow. As high up as he was, it was more than a simple breeze, something that would move his cloak about, so he tossed the cloak on the ground and crept his way along the crest until he came to a fold in the rocks, like a small gully, that led all the way down the mountain. Once, it had been a stream but now it was just a trench. It would be a simple thing for him to conceal himself among the rocks so he began his descent on the slippery boulders lining the gully.
Down, down he went.
He was slightly north of the manor house now but still had a good view of it. There was a rock wall surrounding it but it was not very tall; it would be an easy thing for a man to climb over it. At closer range now, he could also see the outbuildings in detail; along with the two-storied manor house made exclusively of the stone from the vale. He also spied a long barn that backed up against the wall. There were ventilation holes in the top of it.
Stanley thought he might be able to scale the wall of the barn and insert himself into the ventilation holes in order to gain access to the complex. Perhaps the rider’s horse was even in the barn and he could wait for the man to return to see who it was. In any case, the barn seemed to be the smartest place to start in his search for answers.
Keeping a sharp eye out for the men he’d seen wandering the complex, he made his way out of the rocks in the gully and ran as fast as he could towards the wall, hiding behind groups of dormant trees now and again. The entire vale was littered with them and they provided some coverage for him.
Somehow, he managed to stay out of sight until he reached the rock wall surrounding the perimeter of the manor house. Now that he was close, he could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall.
There were men about. He knew that, but he could hear that they were very close. Maybe even on the other side of the wall. Staying very low against the rock wall, he crept along on his hands and knees until he reached the barn. By then, the voices were growing louder and as he stood up, cautiously, he began to realize that the voices were coming from inside the barn. In fact, the ventilation holes were amplifying the sounds.
Curiosity seized him.
Very carefully, Stanley mounted the wall and, in standing upon it, he was able to peer into the ventilation hole to see who was inside the barn. Immediately, he could see several men inside the barn but no one he recognized, at least from his angle. There was a man off to his right who was facing away from him and the man was speaking to someone Stanley couldn’t quite see. He had to change positions, very carefully, in order to see who was being spoken to.
And that was when he recognized the rider.
Adam de Ferrar.
“… and I still do not understand why we must speak out here,” Adam was saying. “I have escaped Canaan and do not have much time before I must return.”
The man with his back to Stanley spoke. “We must speak out here because my wife’s sister is here with her children and there is no place of peace in my entire house,” he said with annoyance. “If I want any privacy, I must conduct my business amongst the barn animals, so bear this humiliation well, young Adam. It will not last long. But do not change the subject; you said that Edward is sending a new husband to Lady du Rennic?”
“He is.”
The man’s movements were jerky with emotion. “But he has no right! It is not his place!”
Adam’s face still bore signs of the beating he’d been delivered two days before as he faced off against the de Wolfe knights. “You know that Canaan is strategic,” he said. “We have discussed this time and time again. When I was here last, I warned you about such a thing. I told you that there was a rumor that Edward was interested in Canaan. Now, a royal messenger has come to deliver a missive to de Wolfe regarding a new husband for Lady du Rennic. A Scottish husband.”
The man nearly exploded with frustration. “There will be no Scots in this vale!” he boomed. “I’ll not stand for it!”
Adam watched the man pace around. “You were supposed to solicit help from local barons to drive de Wolfe away, Lord Sadgill,” he said. “Well? Have you had any luck?”
Sadgill abruptly stopped his pacing and eyed Adam. Oddly, he seemed to calm drastically, scratching his head and eyeing the other men in the barn, men who were loyal to him. They knew as well as Sadgill did what the answer to that question would be. It wasn’t what Sadgill wanted to say nor would it be what Adam wanted to hear. There was some shame in speaking it.
“It seems that my allies fear Edward,” he finally said, far more subdued than he had been just moments earlier. “I have talked to a few. They fear that claiming Canaan will bring the king’s wrath, especially if Edward has his eye on it.”
“Then speak with other allies. Surely you have more in Cumbria.”
“I do, but the men with the most to lose do not wish to challenge Edward.”
Adam looked at the man in shock. “So you will do nothing?” he asked. “What about all of your talk about how Bretherdale is your home and de Wolfe had no right to it? You said you wanted Canaan and I am trying to help you, but I cannot do it alone.”
Sadgill leaned back against a support column, a lonely piece of wood holding up a section of the roof. “Of course I want Canaan,” he said. “You know I do. But without the support of my allies, I fear it may be impossible.”
Adam threw up his arms. “It is not impossible,” he said. “You must drive out de Wolfe and claim Canaan as you have planned. For all of the information I have given you over the months, you owe me that much. Is everything I’m doing to be in vain?”
Sadgill eyed him. “It will not be,” he said. “But will you ever tell me your motives behind this? I wonder who you are doing this for.”
Adam stiffened. “It does not matter what my motives are,” he said. “They are my own. Canaan is my due and you have promised me command.”
“Indeed I have. But without support of the allies, that may be out of the question.”
That wasn’t what Adam wanted to hear. “Look at my face!” he demanded. “De Wolfe and his men did that. They have beaten all of the du Rennic knights and have subdued the army. In fact, we do not need your allies. I know of a better way.”
“What do you mean?”
Adam was animated. “If I can convince the du Rennic army to revolt, we do not need any help at all.”
Sadgill was very interested but he was also dubious. “How can that be? They are loyal to de Wolfe and, consequently, Edward.”
Adam shook his head. “They are Nathaniel’s men,” he insisted. “They know Nathaniel died because of de Wolfe. There is no love for de Wolfe because of it, I assure you.”
Sadgill had to admit that he was more than interested to hear that. It would be a remarkable solution to a problem he had considered unavoidable; the unavoidable truth that he had no support from his allies any longer for the conquest of Canaan.
The past two weeks of trying to find cooperation for his plan to lay siege to Canaan had been met with resistance. Three of his neighbors – Bennet, Swinklebank, and Stockdale – had been with him when he’d attacked Canaan those weeks ago. But those three lords had been on the receiving end of a deadly de Wolfe offensive and they no longer wished to be party to whatever Sadgill wanted to do. As far as they were concerned, they would rather not lose more men and Sadgill had been grossly humiliated that his allies would not support him in his endeavor to gain Canaan.
But now this.
Was it really possible that Canaan’s army would turn against their liege?
“Do you truly believe the du Rennic army would resist de Wolfe?” he asked.
Adam nodded, with great confidence. “We did it two weeks ago when de Wolfe was purged from Canaan the night you attacked,” he pointed out. “It would take very little for my men to turn against him once more, especially now that he has taken Lady du Rennic to his bed. What kind of man would shame the widow of the man who gave his life for him? Nathaniel du Rennic died protecting de Wolfe and de Wolfe rewarded that selfless action by forcing the man’s wife into his bed. Of course the du Rennic army would do anything to rebel against de Wolfe. You underestimate their loyalty.”
Sadgill considered that. “It would be the only chance we have.”
“Given how much they hate him now, I believe I can convince them.”
Now, Sadgill seemed as if he were starting to feel some renewed hope. His dark eyes flashed. “Then we must act before the Scottish lord is able to reach Canaan,” he said. “Once the castle is in my hands, we will bottle up the fortress and drive all attempts to regain her away.”
Adam’s expression was one of relief, as he’d appeared to be convinced Sadgill was about to give up on the plans they’d had for so long. “I agree,” he said. “We must act swiftly. We must stockpile food and water and weapons to wait out whatever siege de Wolfe or Edward can bring upon us. Surely they will be turned away if we can hold out against them.”
Sadgill nodded, more vigor in his movements now. “Then return to Canaan and see who you can convince to join us,” he said. “Any men that you cannot convince… you will have to dispose of them.”
Adam’s brow furrowed. “Dispose of them?”
“You cannot have any resistance in your ranks, lad. If they are not with you, then they are the enemy.”
Adam pondered the depths of that suggestion. That would mean if Jeremy or Gordon did not support his rebellion, then he would have to take steps to ensure they didn’t stop him. But he was ready; he’d come this far. He could not turn back.
“I will do what is necessary,” he agreed. “I will return when I have more positive news to tell you. In the meanwhile… I have been thinking… mayhap you should tell your allies that if they do not help you gain Canaan, a Scottish lord will take over the vale and we shall be overrun by Scots. Surely that will make them want to lend their support.”
It was a clever suggestion, one that Sadgill seemed to consider. “They’ll not want Scots here,” he said, his voice low with confidence. “Leave it to me. Now that we know what Edward has planned for Canaan… mayhap I can, indeed, convince my allies to lend support.”
“It would be better than having Scots here.”’
Sadgill nodded. “I will do my best,” he said. “Now, you’d better return. You do not want your absence to be noticed. You have said that Huntley has been suspicious of you.”
Adam turned for the barn entry but his movements were slow. “He will not want to support a rebellion, you know.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he is the only one who has shown de Wolfe any loyalty.”
Sadgill eyed him. “Then if he is not with you, he is your enemy. Remember that.”
Adam didn’t like the thought of turning against Gordon, in any fashion. He’d always shared a good relationship with the man and it was Gordon who had comforted him after his own father had died last year. Nay, he couldn’t turn against Gordon but he couldn’t have the man interfering in what needed to be done, either.
Adam’s thoughts remained on Gordon and on his return to Canaan as he moved outside to gather his horse. Once he thundered out of the compound, Sadgill turned to the men that were still lingering around him.
There was a serious tone in the air.
“You heard him,” he said to his men. “Edward is going to turn Canaan over to the Scots.”
The three other men grunted their disapproval, shifting around on their leather-clad feet. “A Scotsman in control of the Fawcett Vale?” a man with short, greasy hair snorted. “That is like putting a fox in command of a henhouse. He will draw wealth from the tolls and when the Scots want to attack south of Carlisle, he will let them go wherever they wish, all the way south to Kendal.”
Sadgill understood the implications better than his own men did. He was grossly displeased with it all. “Lads, I fear that the time has come to make some decisions,” he said. “If de Ferrar can rally the du Rennic army to rebel against de Wolfe and Canaan becomes my holding, there is no way I will allow anyone or anything to wrest the castle from me. Once it becomes mine, it stays mine. I shall live there and the proud name of Sadgill will fly on the battlements.”
His men gazed at him in the weak light of the low-ceilinged, smelly barn. “You only have four hundred men to help you,” the greasy-haired man pointed out. “Can you hold Canaan with four hundred men?”
Sadgill held up a finger. “You forget that the du Rennic army will be there, too,” he said. “Aye, I can hold it. And I shall.”
His men weren’t so certain. They glanced at each other, somewhat nervously. “What about de Ferrar?” another man asked. “He is to be in command of Canaan. You told him so.”
Sadgill shrugged, thinking on the young knight who was too ambitious for his own good. “It will be my fortress,” he said. “Young Adam may wish to command it, but that will never be. I only need his help to gain Canaan. After that, he means nothing to me.”
It was an honest statement from a man who tended to look at others as disposable commodities. His men agreed with him lest they become disposable as well. Although the three men eventually left the barn to attend their duties, Sadgill remained because he didn’t want to go into the manse that was overrun by women. He lingered in the smell, dim barn, pondering the day that Castle Canaan would belong to him and Scott de Wolfe would be a distant memory. He knew that Canaan was in the Bretherdale lordship, but that didn’t matter to him. He would be answerable to no one when he finally had his hands on the castle, de Wolfe included. But that day would come sooner rather than later to prevent it from falling into Scots hands.
In silence, he began to mentally perfect those plans.
Outside the barn, still pressed against the ventilation hole, Stanley had heard everything. It was shocking information and he knew it was vital that Scott should hear it immediately. Surprise aside that Adam de Ferrar was a traitor, there was some very bad dealings going on, but now the attack on Canaan those weeks ago was coming to make some sense. Scott had speculated that it could be the Cumbrian lords at the time and it turned out his instincts were correct.
The Cumbrians wanted Canaan.
Stanley continued to cling to the wall, listening, until Sadgill’s men left the barn. Only then did he carefully climb down off the wall and make his way back the way he had come. On the ground, taking refuge behind dead trees, he slithered his way back up the hill and back to the beck where he’d left his horse.
Thankfully, the horse had been camouflaged enough that Adam hadn’t see the beast when he’d followed the path back to Canaan. And for that, Stanley was grateful. He made very certain to stay a good distance behind Adam, following the beck and staying out of sight, knowing he would reach Canaan well after Adam did, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to make sure he returned to Canaan without tipping Adam off that he’d been followed, so in that respect he kept his patience and his stealth. Above all, Scott had to know what was happening.
And Adam had to think no one knew of his plans.
A rebellion was in the air…