CHAPTER NINETEEN
For a big man, Stewart moved in utter silence when he wanted to.
Right now, he wanted to.
Making his way into the stables where Adam had so recently disappeared, it was mostly dark inside but for a couple of oil lamps. To his right, a stable groom held an oil lamp while another man wrapped the leg of a horse and off to his left, far down the stable block, he could see that someone had lit a lamp and mounted it on an iron wall sconce. Like a great iron cup, it held the lamp far and away from anything flammable in an extremely flammable stable.
It was that lamp that had Stewart’s interest because he could see that it illuminated Adam. The du Rennic knight tended to his horse. In stealth, he made his way to the end of the barn, biting off the sneeze that threatened because it smelled heavily of hay and urine, and those smells always made him sneeze. But he fought it, instead, coming up on Adam without the young knight even realizing it. If he’d had a weapon, he could have killed the knight before the man even knew what had hit him.
“Where have you been, de Ferrar?”
Adam jumped at the sound of Stewart’s voice, turning with great surprise to see the man standing behind him. His eyes widened at the sight, then narrowed. It was clear that he was steeling himself and the hostility in his expression rose.
“I did not hear you come in,” he said, deliberately foregoing “my lord”.
Stewart’s gaze had a viselike grip on Adam; he wasn’t blinking and his eyes weren’t moving. He was just staring. “Answer my question. Where have you been?”
Adam eyed him; Longbow was intimidating. There was no doubt about that. And he was almost twice Adam’s size. But he was de Wolfe’s guard dog and Adam didn’t take kindly to the man or to his question. He returned his focus to his horse.
“Are you asking for de Wolfe?” he asked.
Stewart didn’t like the sense of disrespect he was getting from the man. “I am asking because you have been confined to the barracks or the hall,” he said. “You were not given permission to leave Canaan, which you did several hours ago. Did you think no one would notice? Furthermore, did you think no one would tell? The gate sentries told us that you had left.”
Adam faltered as he tended his horse. He had hold of a hoof that slipped through his hand and plopped back to the hard-packed earth of the stable.
“If I am under arrest, then throw me in the vault,” he said, rather angrily. “The last I heard, I was not a prisoner.”
“You are not a prisoner but you do not have freedom to leave. You know that. Now; answer my question. I will not ask you again. Any more delay and I will throw you in the vault. Do you understand?”
Adam didn’t like being harassed but he also didn’t want a beating from Stewart so soon after the last one. He still had loose teeth. Therefore, he didn’t flare. He kept his temper. It was essential in this case because he had to give Stewart a plausible answer, one that would be believed.
In truth, he hadn’t considered the fact that someone would have noticed his departure. He thought he’d been very careful about that but, in hindsight, it had been foolish of him to think otherwise. He knew Gordon had been suspicious of him and it was really only Gordon he’d worried about. Now, he found himself facing one of de Wolfe’s men and he quickly thought back to what he’d told Gordon about his horse – he’d told the old man that his steed had been lame. In case Stewart had asked Gordon about his whereabouts, Adam had to keep the story straight.
For his own sake, he had to.
“My horse has been showing signs of being lame,” he said, indicating the fetlock on the right front leg. “I took the horse up the beck because further up onto the mountain is a deposit of heavy clay. I packed it around the fetlock to draw out the swelling. And that is where I went, Longbow. There is no great mystery.”
It was a neat little excuse that made perfect sense, but Stewart didn’t believe him in the least. The horse’s leg didn’t look like it had been packed in mud; the fur was not matted or dirty. It looked clean to him. But he didn’t contest Adam’s explanation; to do so would make the man suspicious that they were on to him and that wasn’t what Stewart was here to do. Scott had wanted to know Adam’s explanation for leaving and now Stewart had it. Better to let Adam think that they believed him.
“You’ll not leave Canaan again unless Lord Bretherdale gives you permission to do so,” Stewart said. “Is that clear?”
Adam nodded. “Whatever you say.”
“Is that clear?”
Adam’s head snapped to him, perturbed. “It is clear.”
Wishing he could smack Adam on the side of the head, Stewart had to turn away lest his fist fly out of its own regard. Churlish young knights annoyed the hell out of him. He was just turning away when a big body suddenly entered the stable, drawing Stewart’s attention. Even in the dim light, he thought he recognized the hairy, burly figure.
Bringing his horse in for the evening, Stanley had finally made an appearance and judging from Adam’s reaction, which was disinterested at best, Stewart knew immediately that Adam had no idea that Stanley had been shadowing him. There was relief in that realization. But the expression on Stanley’s face told Stewart that whatever he had discovered about Adam was a serious matter, indeed.
That relief was now joined by apprehension.
*
It was the first time that Scott had seen Avrielle in the hall for the evening meal.
Usually, she remained with the children in their chambers, keeping a distance from the men at Canaan, including her father and brother, but this night was different. In the cloying warmth of the hall, with the smells of smoke and men who hadn’t washed their bodies in many a month, Avrielle sat at one of the big feasting table with her father and the two older children, who were clearly thrilled to be with their grandfather.
It was a rather wonderful thing to watch, Scott thought. So much of his stay at Canaan had been wrought with turmoil and strife, of division between de Wolfe and du Rennic, so to see little Sophia and Stephen playing on their grandfather’s knee brought him a good deal of joy to watch. There was still happiness at this place, after all, and it reminded him of watching his own children play on his father’s knee.
William de Wolfe was a wonderful grandfather. Scott remembered very clearly how his father would play with Will and Tommy for hours, or at least as much time as he could spare, and his boys were the better for it. William also spent a good deal of time, when he was able, with Andrew and Beatrice when they were alive. His father always gave freely of his time to his grandchildren, all of them. Watching Gordon interact with Sophia and Stephen made Scott miss his father all the more.
More and more, he wanted to go home.
But that was something he would have to ponder at a later time, for he had more pressing issues at the moment. His time in the hall tonight was limited, as he had a patient to watch over and wasn’t quite comfortable leaving Jeremy’s side for any length of time. Gordon had offered to sit with his son but Scott could see that the old man was exhausted for having spent the days since the fight at Jeremy’s side, tending the injured man. Scott told Gordon to get some sleep and the old man had wandered off, but when Scott took a few minutes to go into the hall and procure himself some food, he saw Gordon at the feasting table with his grandchildren. Perhaps that was the best place for Gordon to be, away from the strife his son seemed to create. In fact, Scott didn’t blame the man in the least.
Grabbing the first servant he came across, Scott ordered food for himself and for Jeremy, hoping the man might eat something at some point. He had to keep his strength up. As he waited for the servant to return with food to take back to the guard room, he gravitated in the direction of the feasting table where Avrielle was sitting.
Truth was, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes from her. She was still wearing the clothes they’d traveled in that day, the two-colored blue dress that looked so beautiful on her. She was eating from her trencher, both hands free because her children were sitting with Gordon, but she caught sight of him as he walked up. Setting her knife down, a smile spread across her face.
“So you have come to eat with us,” she said. “I thought you were going to remain with my brother.”
Scott put a booted foot up on the bench next to her, leaning forward on his thigh. “He is sleeping at the moment,” he said. “I came to get some food to take back to him.”
Gordon was looking at him anxiously. “Is he sleeping peacefully, my lord?”
Scott shrugged. “As peacefully as can be expected.”
“Is he with fever?”
“His wound is still warm, but I have yet to see signs of a true fever.”
Gordon seemed relieved. Across the table, George and Kristoph were sitting and enjoying their meal, and they weren’t looking upon Scott with nearly the hostility they had in the past. Scott knew that his own knights were on watch; with the du Rennic knights basically confined to the barracks or the hall since the fight in the solar, Scott’s men were stretched thin, now with the absence of Stanley. That left Milo, Jean-Pierre, Raymond, and Stewart with a good deal of responsibility between them, and Raymond was currently out of the rotation because he was keeping the gate guards from earlier in the day isolated from the rest of Canaan until they got to the bottom of the mysterious rider.
Therefore, it was only du Rennic men at the table but Scott couldn’t feel any tension from them, which was rare. He was grateful for it, in fact, but he was still on his guard. Given what had happened with Stanley and Adam, he had to be. As he waited for his food to appear, he thought it might be appropriate and rather wise to comment on the absence of Adam and gauge the reaction of the du Rennic men. It could tell him quite a bit.
He took a chance.
“I do not see de Ferrar in the hall,” he said, looking around. “In fact, I did not see him earlier when I was lancing Jeremy’s face. I am curious to know where he is since du Rennic knights do not have freedom about the castle at the moment.”
Gordon looked up from his grandchildren. “His horse has taken lame, my lord,” he said without hesitation. “He asked me earlier today if he could go to the stable and tend the animal and I did not see any harm in it. He must still be there because I’ve not seen him this afternoon, but if you are displeased, I will send for him.”
Either Gordon was an extremely good liar or he really was ignorant of Adam’s activities, and Scott chose to believe the latter. He was fairly good at reading men and Gordon believed he was telling the truth. Scott glanced at George and Kristoph, whose manner seemed much the same way – casual about the subject and completely unconcerned. In fact, George was plowing through his meal and not paying attention to what Gordon was saying. It was then that Scott began to suspect that these men might not be complicit with Adam if, in fact, the knight was up to something. They simply didn’t have that look about them.
Because of those observations, Scott played off the importance of his question. He didn’t want his concern in Adam’s disappearance getting back to Adam. As far as he was concerned, he wanted the young du Rennic knight to believe he was unaware of anything out of the ordinary, at least until they could discover what he was up to.
“Nay,” Scott said after a moment. “A lame horse is a good enough reason as any to spend the afternoon in the stables. But see that he goes no further from the stables, Gordon. That is your responsibility.”
Gordon nodded. “I will seek him after the meal and make sure he understands that, my lord.”
With that business settled, Gordon returned his attention to his grandchildren and Scott turned his attention to Avrielle. She had been gazing up at him the entire time, looking at him with adoration in her eyes that made his knees feel like water. Do not smile at her, he told himself sternly. Do not smile at her! The men will see and it will be fodder for gossip! Do not…!
He broke down in a smile.
“My lady,” he said, trying to cover the fact that he was openly smiling at the woman and feeling like every man in the room was staring at him for it. “Am I to understand that you are without the puppy at the moment?”
Avrielle laughed softly. “It was a difficult battle, I assure you,” she said. “Stephen was convinced that the puppy wanted to eat with us in the hall, but I convinced him that it would be better to leave it in his chamber.”
Scott rubbed at his chin. “I am curious,” he said, “how you were able to convince your son of such a thing. Did you threaten him?”
“Of course not.”
“Did you bargain with him?”
She shook her head. But as she did so, she leaned towards him and lowered her voice. “I told him that hungry men might mistake the puppy for something to eat,” she said, putting her hand over her mouth to hide the grin. “Stephen does not wish to see his puppy made into a stew.”
Scott tried not to laugh at that. “Most devious of you,” he muttered. “And most brilliant.”
Avrielle sat back, collecting her wine cup. “I thought so.”
Scott fell silent but his gaze remained on her, warmly, imagining what it would be like to spend the rest of his life with the woman. More and more, he was coming to like everything about her, feeding off of it like a man needed food to survive. That moment at the plant vendor’s home had been such a pivotal moment for him and he was coming to think that he should marry the woman sooner rather than later. He didn’t want to go another day without her by his side, the woman who gave him a reason to live again.
The woman who made him breathe again.
His gaze traveled to Gordon, eating with his grandchildren, and it occurred to Scott that, perhaps, it would be the polite thing to ask Gordon’s permission to marry his daughter. Perhaps it would even be a good idea to consult Jeremy. It wasn’t Jeremy’s decision in any way, but the man was already fragile enough in the wake of Nathaniel’s death without Scott making it worse by marrying Nathaniel’s widow. If he assured the man he would take very good care of Lady du Rennic, Jeremy might see his way to giving them his blessing. If he was going to be related to Jeremy for the rest of his life, he didn’t want that relationship to be contentious. Perhaps if he even told Jeremy that he was in love with the woman, it might make a bigger impact.
In love…
The thought crept upon him rather subtly. Scott had loved before so he knew what it felt like; he’d loved Athena for as long as he could recall. When she died, that love for her didn’t die. That had been the problem – losing something that he’d loved. It had been too much for him to take. He still loved Athena, but it was the love of what she had been. What they’d had together. He was a man fully capable of love and as he looked at Avrielle, he was fairly certain that he’d fallen in love with her. Rather than be frightened by it, he found comfort in it.
Joy.
He most definitely felt joy.
As he pondered the unexpected course his life had taken, he looked up to see Stewart and Stanley entering the great hall. All thoughts of Avrielle were swiftly forgotten as a distinct sense of relief swept him. Stanley was in one piece and evidently uninjured. Scott left Avrielle’s side to push his way through the crowded hall until he came to his men.
“Stanley,” Scott said, relief in his voice. “You have returned. We wondered if you would.”
Stanley appeared quite grim. “Stu told me,” he said. “My lord, we must speak. Now.”
Scott was already on the move; he didn’t question Stanley in the least and especially not out here for everyone to hear. He quit the hall with Stanley and Stewart behind him, moving to the solar entry which was next to the hall but separated from it by a big, stone wall. As soon as they entered the solar, Stanley pulled the heavy door shut and threw the bolt. Scott turned to him, somewhat surprised at the move, but it was becoming apparent that Stanley didn’t want anything overheard. Stewart went to light the bank of tallow tapers near the hearth as Scott spoke.
“This must be damned serious,” he said. “Adam has returned, you know. Why were you delayed?”
Stanley didn’t waste any time. “I saw de Ferrar,” he said. “Stu was with him.”
Scott turned to Stewart. “Did you ask him where he’d been?”
Stewart nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but Stanley interrupted. “Whatever he has told you is a lie,” he said frankly. “I followed him through the trees, over the mountain, and down to the vale towards the west. There is a Cumbrian baron over there by the name of Sadgill. I heard them speaking, my lord; our suspicions were correct for the most part. There is a conspirator among us and his name is Adam de Ferrar. He is conspiring with the Cumbrian warlord to confiscate Canaan.”
So the truth was coming forth. Scott had to admit that he wasn’t surprised to hear this but he was very eager to know all of it. “Tell me everything.”
Stanley did. “I will tell you what I heard,” he said. “De Ferrar met with Sadgill in a barn and I was able to listen to what was said. De Ferrar told Sadgill about the missive that you received from Edward. Adam told him that Lady du Rennic is betrothed to a Scottish lord. Sadgill was outraged to hear it. He said that he would have no Scots in Cumbria and he doesn’t want de Wolfe, either. He wants Canaan for himself but he told de Ferrar that his local allies will not help him because they fear Edward. De Ferrar then told Sadgill that he would convince Canaan’s army to turn against you and purge you from Canaan so that Sadgill could take command.”
Scott was calm as he listened to the news. In fact, the information, or some form of it, was everything he’d expected. He’d been a knight too long not to expect some manner of betrayal or greed, or both, especially in a situation like this.
“So Sadgill must be the lord who attacked Canaan those weeks ago when we rode forth to engage them and Huntley locked us out of the fortress,” he said. “We suspected then that it was the Cumbrian lords. It looks as if we were correct. Is Huntley in on this, then? Did he attempt to kill us off with his Cumbrian allies and fail?”
Stanley shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “I do not believe he is party to this. I heard them speak of the fact that Gordon would have to be eliminated if he was not in support of de Ferrar and Sadgill’s plan. Specifically, Sadgill said that if the man is not with them, he is the enemy. De Ferrar seemed reluctant to hear this which leads me to believe that he would be reluctant to do anything to Huntley.”
“Just Gordon? Or Jeremy, too?”
“I received the impression it was both of them. As I said, I do not believe they are part of this conspiracy. I am sure they know nothing about it.”
“Your instinct?”
“Based on what I heard, aye.”
There was relief on Scott’s part that the Huntleys were evidently not part of any potential rebellion. He trusted Stanley’s gut. It made the situation a bit less complicated but no less dangerous, however. There was still great danger with a conspirator within their midst.
“But what of the gate sentries?” Stewart said. “They were reluctant to tell Milo anything. In fact, he has them sequestered from the rest of the castle because he was not sure if they were part of this conspiracy. What about them?”
Stanley shrugged. “I believe that only de Ferrar is involved in this,” he said. “He never named anyone else and the way he spoke with Sadgill led me to believe that this is something only he is a part of. As for the sentries, it is quite possible that they are simply being loyal to de Ferrar and not necessarily privy to what he is doing. They are du Rennic men being loyal to a du Rennic knight.”
It made a good deal of sense, all of it. Scott was mulling over the situation now, knowing they had a traitor among them, knowing that this wasn’t something they could deal with on their own. This was something that affected all of them, du Rennic men included. In order to build a defense against it, they would need help. If Cumbrian lords wanted Canaan, then those at Canaan would have to present a united front or the defense of Canaan would fail. All of them would fail.
Scott de Wolfe had failed before on that spring day four years ago. He wasn’t going to fail again.
“So let me be clear on this – de Ferrar has somehow allied himself with a Cumbrian baron for the purpose of stealing Canaan away,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “The du Rennic knights know nothing, the army knows nothing. The gate sentries are simply being loyal to a du Rennic knight and not covering for his activities, which they know nothing about.”
He was summing up the situation, thinking it through. Stewart and Stanley watched him as he began to pace.
“Do we call reinforcements from Pendragon, my lord?” Stanley asked. “If the Canaan army is asked to revolt…”
Scott cut him off. “They do not follow Adam de Ferrar,” he said, turning to look at them. “They follow Jeremy Huntley. Stanley, did they say how soon they planned to begin this rebellion? Was a timetable discussed?”
Stanley lifted his eyebrows to emphasize the time-sensitive nature of the situation. “Before the Scottish husband arrives,” he said. “They seemed most concerned about that. They know the messenger has returned to Edward. Give the man a couple of weeks to reach London and then give the Scots lord a month or so to arrive… whatever they do, they are going to do it sooner rather than later.”
Scott understood. “Then we have little time,” he said. “And we need help. But not from Pendragon or our local allies; it would take time to organize them and I fear we do not have enough of it. The help we need must come from inside Canaan. It’s my guess that Jeremy Huntley does not want to see Canaan overrun with Cumbrian barons any more than I do. I am afraid we will have to tell him and Gordon what we know and ask for their assistance in destroying this threat because I do not want to spend the rest of my life fighting off Cumbrian warlords.”
Stewart thought that sounded very much as if Scott were planning on staying at Canaan for a very long time. And given what he knew about Scott and Lady du Rennic, it only solidified to him what the future would now bring, one of Scott and a new life here at Canaan. It was a future that was much different from the one Stewart had been faced with for the past four years. Different, but not unpleasant. Still… he wasn’t sure about letting Gordon and Jeremy Huntley in on this bit of information. He was unsettled about it.
“Then you intend to go on the offensive?” he asked.
Scott nodded. “I will not wait for Adam to admit Cumbrian lords in the middle of the night to slit our throats.”
Stewart was hesitant. “Understood, my lord.”
There was something in his tone that made Scott look at him. “You disagree?”
Stewart was still hesitant to speak out, mostly because no man ever spoke out against de Wolfe. “It is simply that Jeremy Huntley and his men hate the sight of us,” he said. “Now… now we must seek an accord with them?”
“I feel it is necessary.”
“What if they refuse?”
“Then they will lose Canaan. I do not believe that will be an attractive option to them. Hate us or not, for the good of Canaan, they must cooperate or the results will be tragic.”
Stewart wouldn’t argue with him. He knew that Scott was doing what he felt was best and he’d never seen the man make a questionable decision. This was a de Wolfe, eldest son of the most powerful knight on the Scottish Marches, and that line of great warriors weren’t in the habit of making problematic choices.
“Do you have a plan in mind, then?” he asked.
Scott was chewing his lip thoughtfully. He looked at Stanley. “Given what you heard between de Ferrar and the Cumbrian lord, would you be comfortable speaking on this subject to Gordon Huntley?”
Stanley nodded without hesitation. “I would, my lord.”
“Then that is our plan,” Scott said simply. “We will speak to Gordon since there is clearly no time to waste. He is more than likely still in the hall with his grandchildren. Stu, you will summon him to the room where Jeremy is infirmed. Stanley and I will gather Milo and meet you there.”
There was a sense of urgency in the air now, as if they were racing against an unseen hourglass that was quickly draining. Rebels wanted Canaan and they wanted it badly enough to conspire with a traitor from within. As Stewart headed from the solar on his way to the great hall with its windows glowing with light against the dark spring night, Scott and Stanley headed towards the north and the guard chamber. Scott found himself looking up at the sky as they walked, at the battlements silhouetted against the moonlight. Such beautiful moonlight, which brought him to thoughts of Avrielle.
She was in danger now because of an ambitious young knight. The last time a woman he adored was in danger, he couldn’t help her. But he would fight to the death for Avrielle against the greedy Cumbrian lord who wanted Canaan so badly. Thoughts of the woman at the mercy of a man he didn’t even know brought such rage to his heart that it was difficult to control it.
And the children… they would be at the man’s mercy as well. Those sweet, helpless children would possibly be abused or even thrown over the fortress walls into the moat below. There were ancient tales of battles where children were killed by the enemy, tossed over fortress walls or heads smashed into the stone. But Scott wasn’t going to let that happen. He wasn’t going to lose those children, not while he had breath left in his body. Thoughts of ancient battles gave him an idea.
He knew how to fight this battle… and win.
God help whoever was threatening those he adored because the Black Adder, the viper of death and shadows, was about to strike and strike hard.