CHAPTER TWENTY
“I knew something was happening with Adam,” Gordon hissed. “He would simply leave the fortress and not return for hours. And now you say that he is conspiring with Lord Sadgill for control of Canaan?”
The moment had come.
Scott could see that Gordon was genuinely upset at the news of Adam’s collusion. In the cramped guard chamber of the northern gatehouse, with Jeremy still lying on the floor, Scott, Stewart, Milo, and Stanley quietly informed Jeremy and Gordon of the situation that afternoon with the mysterious rider leaving Canaan, the refusal of the gate sentries to identify the rider, and then the subsequent conversation Stanley had overheard between Adam and Sadgill.
The entire situation had been succinctly laid out for them. Gordon went from shock to disbelief and finally to rage, yet his response wasn’t good enough for Scott. He wanted answers.
“That is the exact conversation between de Ferrar and Sadgill that Stanley heard,” he said. “You say that you knew de Ferrar was up to something; how did you know, Gordon?”
Gordon was growing red in the face, so angered was he. “The lad would ride off by himself at least once or twice a week. He would always leave when there was work to be done, or after we’d spoken of plans or of issues concerning the castle. In fact…” he suddenly trailed off, a look of horror crossing his face. “He rode off right after we received Stewart’s missive those weeks ago informing us of your imminent arrival to Canaan. I remember because we were assigning the night watch shortly thereafter and he was nowhere to be found. Jeremy, do you recall?”
Now, the conversation was turning in Jeremy’s direction and Scott had to admit that he was very curious to hear from the man. Jeremy lay flat on his back, his face heavily bandaged as he stared up into the ceiling and gave no reaction to what he was thinking. He didn’t answer his father right away; he seemed to be considering everything he’d heard.
Although no one wanted to be obvious about it, everyone in the room was watching him, wondering what his reaction would be to all of this. A knight under his command had been accused of a dreadful crime. Certainly, Adam’s behavior would reflect on Jeremy as the man in charge of Canaan’s troops, so there was a good deal of honor at stake.
His own.
“Adam has always been a wanderer,” Jeremy finally said. “He has been in my service for almost five years and he has always been a man who prefers his company to the company of others. He is a solitary man.”
“A solitary man with a grudge,” Scott muttered what they were all thinking. Folding his big arms across his chest, he leaned against the wall. “I suppose his reasons are his own for what he has done; that is not at issue. What is of issue is the fact that he is conspiring with this Lord Sadgill for control of Canaan. Do you know Sadgill?”
Gordon nodded. “He is a malcontent,” he muttered. “He had a strained alliance with Nathaniel and never really gave him any trouble, but he always seemed to be one step away from a fight. I suppose he accepted Nathaniel because his family had been in Cumbria for so long, so I believe he considered Nathaniel one of his own. Another Cumbrian lord. But with Nathaniel’s death, that seems to have changed.”
“Has he ever given you cause to believe he wanted to take the castle?”
Gordon lifted his shoulders. “Not specifically, no. But as I said, he is known to make trouble in the area to those he believed had no cause to live here. There was a lord to the south in Grayrigg who married the heiress of the Lamb family. When Lord Lamb died and the man inherited the castle, Sadgill waged war on him because he did not feel he belonged here.”
Scott thought on the faceless Cumbrian lord with an eye towards chasing those he felt unworthy out of Cumbria. “So he convinces one of the du Rennic knights to help him gain Canaan because it no longer belongs to Nathaniel?” he asked. “Is de Ferrar from Cumbria that he would know of, or have an alliance with Sadgill?”
Gordon shook his head. “Adam is from Dorset,” he said. “He is not from Cumbria. The only link that makes any sense to me is that Adam must have met Sadgill on one of the many times he wandered away from Canaan. I do not know how they struck such a bargain and I surely did not realize that Adam had those thoughts. As Jeremy said, he is a bit of a solitary man. I do not believe he has any friends within Canaan, not even among the knights.”
Scott thought on those words. “Motives or not, he is conspiring to help Sadgill take Canaan,” he said. “I do not care for his reasons, only that he is trying to take a property that does not belong to him. That is why I have made the decision to tell you all of this; knowing what we know, we must counter this scheme and bring Adam’s treachery to an end. If we do not, I fear Canaan will be in great jeopardy. If he manages to convince the Canaan army to turn against me, then the ensuing fight will raze the castle. Have no doubt; I will fight back. And I will win.”
Gordon shook his head, disgusted by the entire situation. “There is no disagreement here, my lord. I am glad you have confided in us for, in a sense, this is more our problem than it is yours. Canaan is our home, Adam and Sadgill must not be allowed to continue with their plans.”
On the floor, Jeremy suddenly made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. “The army will not listen to Adam, no matter what he thinks,” he said. Because of the bandage on his face, his speech was muffled. “I suppose I find all of this shocking to say the least. Adam is a quiet man but he has never shown any disloyalty. I am having a difficult time believing he would turn against us.”
“I did not lie,” Stanley said, thinking the man was challenging his honesty. “I followed your knight and I heard exactly what I told you. But there is something I forgot to mention – once de Ferrar left, Sadgill was speaking to the men that were still left. One of his men reminded him that he told de Ferrar that command of Canaan would be his, but Sadgill said he only needed de Ferrar to gain the castle. After that, Adam meant nothing to him.”
That piece of information brought about an ominous tone to the entire situation. Over against the wall, Scott spoke. “Does that mean Sadgill will assassinate de Ferrar once he has completed his task?” he asked, incredulous. “That is a heartless man. But it is also a ruthless and determined one. It tells me that he will not give up until every last man is dead in order to gain his wants.”
On the floor, Jeremy shifted so he could at least make an attempt to look at Stanley. “I was not challenging your truthfulness,” he said in a surprisingly calm tone. “I am simply saying it is difficult to believe. When you know someone for years and work with him, provide a roof over his head, you assume he is loyal. What you are suggesting is a man of very bad character and I refuse to believe that I have been blind to it.”
“Based on what I heard and what I saw, Adam has meant that you should be blind,” Stanley replied. “As Lord Bretherdale said, there is no shame in that. Men change. Do you think de Ferrar considered you at all while he schemed with Sadgill? If he has been promised the command of Canaan, what do you suppose will happen to you? I heard Sadgill tell him that if your father did not support their efforts, then he would have to be eliminated. That goes for you as well, I am certain. They will kill you for resisting their plans and then blame you for it.”
Stanley had said it a little more forcefully than Scott would have liked, given how volatile Jeremy could be, but he made his point. Before Jeremy could respond, Scott sought to soften up Stanley’s statement.
“The situation is this,” he said to Jeremy more than to Gordon. “You have a traitor in your ranks. That is no reflection on your judgment in men; it is simply the fact that Adam has motives other than those of duty to you and to Canaan. It is his greed or ambition that has overwhelmed his common sense. I chose to divulge the information because it is no longer about de Wolfe and du Rennic. It is about having a common enemy and if we do not unite to defend Canaan, then Canaan will fall into their hands. This is your home and it is my holding. I can summon an army of tens of thousands to take back what is mine should Sadgill manage to capture it. But by that time, the damage will have been done. Possibly your father will be dead; possibly you will be dead. And what of your sister and her children? Do you think Sadgill will treat them kindly? I fear for their safety and I hope you would as well.”
Jeremy was looking at Scott at this point, absorbing his words. Nothing he’d said was untrue. But it was more than that; something in Scott’s eyes spoke of a deeper emotional tie to Canaan than what he was suggesting. Aye, it was his property. But when he spoke of Avrielle… Jeremy could see the flicker of change in the man’s eyes. An indefinable softness that hadn’t been there before.
But these were different times. Opinions were changing. Yesterday, Jeremy was still willing to spit in Scott’s eye and call it justice. But after his discussion with Scott today and after the man had overcome his own prejudice to tend the wound of an enemy, Jeremy was starting to feel his resistance fade.
It was true that he and Scott had always fought side by side in the past with no quarrels, no contention. Jeremy had always been impressed with Scott’s battle skills and his skills as a commander, for he could direct thousands of men with as little as the lift of a hand. It was true that Nathaniel took an arrow for the man and Jeremy still wasn’t over the fact. Was Scott to blame? Jeremy’s reasonable side knew he wasn’t. His reasonable side also recognized that Scott didn’t have to come to him with this situation; he could have just as easily arrested Adam and left the du Rennic knights out of the decision-making process entirely.
But he hadn’t.
It all came down to believing what Stanley had told him. Jeremy had known Stanley for as long as he knew Scott, a gruff and not-too-pleasant knight who was hell on the field of battle. He was trustworthy. Moreover, he had no reason to lie about this. There was no purpose in it that Jeremy could see. But it was still difficult for him to admit that one of his men was a traitor.
“Mayhap we should ask him,” Jeremy finally said. “It is your word against his at this point. Why not ask him what he was doing and tell him you overheard his conversation? Mayhap if confronted, he will confess.”
Gordon shook his head, one of many in the room to Jeremy’s statement. “You do not seem to understand,” he said to his son. “Adam has gone behind your back to conspire with others. Do you truly believe he will confess? He will not. I am sure he will not. Then you will throw him in the vault until he changes his mind. Meanwhile, Sadgill is still coming, with or without Adam, and if he does not come now, he will come at some point. It is inevitable.”
Jeremy looked at his father. “Then let the Scottish lord deal with him, the man that Edward has chosen for my sister,” he said. “She is to have a new husband, is she not? Canaan will be his. Why not let him deal with Sadgill if he is to assume the property?”
The last time they’d been on this subject, it had deteriorated badly and Jeremy had ended up with the wounds he had on his face. Scott found himself praying the man didn’t try bringing up Athena because he didn’t want to end up in a brawl again.
“Jeremy,” Scott said quietly, “you and I have discussed your behavior and the opportunity to remain here in command of Canaan’s troops. I told you that I did not wish to exile you but your behavior has given me little choice. I will not revisit this subject again except to say this – your sister will not marry the Scottish lord. I have made sure of it, which means Canaan’s defense is up to us. I would like for you to remain here in charge of Canaan’s troops because they respect you. Nathaniel trusted you and I would like to trust you. This is your home; the du Rennic men look up to you. They are your men. With everything you have been told, would you still not wish to defend it?”
Jeremy hadn’t meant to sound like he was still bleeding rebellion but, upon reflection, he supposed that was what he’d sounded like. Now, Scott was trying to mend the rift between them and the words encouraged him, as difficult for him as that was to admit. He also felt a great deal of relief to know that Scott had somehow broken any betrothal between his sister and the Scottish lord.
“How did you deter Edward from wedding my sister to the Scottish lord?” he asked, curious.
Scott waved him off. “A subject for another time,” he said, not wanting to veer off the situation at hand because Jeremy had asked a question with many answers. The time to speak of his intentions towards Avrielle would come at another time. “I would like to know I have your support in this, for I believe I have a plan to rid us of Sadgill once and for all.”
“You cannot get rid of the man once and for all.”
“Are you unwilling to try?”
“I did not say that.”
“If Nathaniel was standing here at this moment, would you refuse to help him protect Canaan against Sadgill?”
That brought Jeremy to a different perspective. He would fight to the death for Nathaniel and they all knew it. Therefore, there was only one answer he could give.
“I would not refuse him.”
“Will you refuse me?”
Jeremy’s gaze lingered on Scott a moment before looking around the room, seeing the faces of the de Wolfe knights, men he’d once considered allies but, as of late, they were a target for his grief and frustration. Then he looked to his father, seeing the anxiety and disappointment on the man’s face. He loved his father; he didn’t want to be a disappointment to him but he knew, deep down, that was what he’d always been.
Perhaps it was the fact that Jeremy had been a man with potential that he’d never fulfilled because of his dependency on wine. A penniless drunk, his sister had once called him. Or perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had never wanted to marry. He simply wasn’t attracted to women. His tastes ran to strong young knights who were willing to explore their attraction to men. His father knew it, and perhaps his sister knew it, but they’d never made mention of it. It wasn’t something openly discussed, not even with family.
Perhaps all of the aggression and drunkenness that comprised Jeremy’s personality was to cover for that secret, something that was kept painfully buried. He was terrified his men would find out someday and there would be vicious whispers about him. He knew his men would see him through different eyes if they knew the truth. Did his father see him through different eyes? Probably not. Gordon wasn’t a bigot, so any suspicions of the man’s disappointment towards his son were for different reasons. All truths of his sexuality aside, Gordon was disappointed in a son who had never made anything out of himself. Jeremy knew he’d always been a disappointment to his father for a variety of reasons, but never more so than he was at that moment.
Jeremy could see it in his eyes.
He didn’t want to be a disappointment to him any longer, not now when he was needed. Canaan needed him more than it ever had.
I thought you were a better man than that, Scott had once said.
Perhaps it was time for Jeremy to show him that man.
“I will not refuse you,” he finally said. “But I would still like to know Adam’s side of the story.”
“If you listen to what I have in mind, I will prove Adam’s side. You will see for yourself.”
Jeremy had to go on trust at this point. “Very well,” he said. “What is your plan?”
One could almost hear a collective sigh of relief go up among the men. Jeremy had been resistant, but that had been expected. Still, he had the intelligence to realize that he needed to work with de Wolfe this time. Their very lives depended on it. It was a big leap of faith on Jeremy’s part, to believe that one of his men had turned against them based on Stanley’s testimony. But because Scott was so confident, Jeremy forced himself to trust the man.
And Scott knew it. Therefore, he didn’t take Jeremy’s trust lightly. “My plan is a test,” he said. “A test for de Ferrar.”
Jeremy was interested. “What manner of test?”
Scott was thoughtful for a moment. “In truth, it occurred to me when I discovered the plot,” he said. “As I was coming to tell you of it, I was looking at the fortress and thinking of your sister and her children, and the brutalities they would face if an enemy were to invade the castle. There is an old story about the Greeks invading the great city of Troy and throwing babies from the walls. And that had me thinking on the story of the Greeks and their ploy to gain access to Troy. When I was a squire, I had an uncle who was very fond of Greek tragedies and he told me the story of the Trojan Horse. Have you heard it?”
Jeremy looked at him rather blankly but Gordon nodded. “I have, my lord,” he said. “The Greeks could not breach the walls of Troy so they built a horse made of wood and hid inside of it. When the Trojans brought it inside their city walls as a trophy, the Greeks burst forth and were able to take the city.”
Scott nodded. “Exactly,” he said. “It is the element of surprise that will win in a battle such as this. Sadgill does not know that we know of his plans… and we shall use that to our advantage.”
“How?”
Scott moved closer to Jeremy, crouching down so his voice wouldn’t carry so. He didn’t want anyone outside of the chamber to hear him.
“We feed Adam false information to take back to Sadgill,” he said quietly. “We will make plans to leave Canaan, but we will not really leave. We will explain that an ally has called for help – let us say that it is St. Hèver at Pendragon – and I am taking all of the army with me. We will tell Adam he will be left in command. I am willing to wager that Adam will run to Sadgill with that information. What better opportunity to invade a fortress than with her army gone? Sadgill would be a fool not to capitalize on it. He will bring his army and we will be hiding inside of Canaan, waiting for him. Canaan herself will be our Trojan Horse. We can destroy Sadgill’s threat once and for all, and it will set an example to the other Cumbrian lords that Canaan is not to be trifled with.”
It was, in truth, a brilliant plan. Stewart and Milo were even smiling. “Magnificent, my lord,” Stewart said with approval. “We will trap Sadgill and his men inside the walls of Canaan and destroy him.”
“That is the hope.”
“But how would we hide so many men?” Jeremy asked. “I agree that it is a sound plan. If Adam takes the bait and goes to Sadgill with it, then I suppose my doubts in his part in all of this are for naught. But there are almost two thousand men here at Canaan and we already have enough difficulty housing them all much less hiding them.”
“We do not hide the entire army inside of Canaan,” Gordon said; he utterly understood Scott’s scheme. “We send half outside to hide in the area surrounding Canaan, staying out of sight when Sadgill arrives. As soon as Sadgill and his men enter the fortress, they come out of hiding and prevent him from escaping. Sadgill will be boxed in with nowhere to go.”
Scott nodded firmly. “That is precisely what I was thinking,” he said. “We shall have men both inside and outside the fortress lying in wait for Sadgill.”
It was a sound plan, one they could be sure of. “If I may interject,” Milo said. “I believe it is an excellent plan, no doubt, but in order to fully execute it, we will have to tell both de Wolfe and du Rennic men about it. How do we keep de Ferrar from hearing the truth of our plan? This whole scheme depends upon him believing we are vacating Canaan and reporting back to Sadgill.”
“Leave that to me,” Jeremy said. “I shall tell him that the army is vacating Canaan to assist Pendragon and he will believe me.”
Scott lifted a blonde eyebrow. “Can you be convincing enough?”
Jeremy’s lips twisted ironically, as much as they were able given the bandage on his face. “He already knows I am displeased with your presence here. I believe I can make a very good case for being both glad you are leaving and displeased you are taking my army with you.”
Scott grinned. “Excellent,” he said. “Make sure he understands we are removing the army at sunrise.”
“Leave it to me. If he really is the traitor you say he is, he will be running for Sadgill as soon as I tell him.”
“Even at this late hour?”
“If I tell him the army is departing at sunrise, he will have to make the trek at night to Sadgill. He will not have a choice if they wish to capitalize on our absence.”
There was hope in that statement. This whole plan hinged on how well Jeremy could convince Adam that the army was pulling out. “What of your other knights,” Scott wanted to know. “Kristoph and George? Do you believe they might know of Adam’s activities? Stanley did not seem to think so, but you know them better. What say you?”
Jeremy shook his head. “George would be closer to Adam than Kristoph would be, but George is so rigidly honorable that if he knew anything of this betrayal, he would have told me. I am confident that they don’t know of Adam’s plans and I am further confident that they are trustworthy in his matter. We will need their help to organize the men, so they must be told.”
It was Scott’s turn to place a little trust in Jeremy now. He didn’t know the young knights very well and would, therefore, have to depend on Jeremy’s knowledge of them. Looking around the group, he could see that his knights had nearly the same thoughts but didn’t voice their opinions. They would have to trust Jeremy when it came to the younger du Rennic knights as well. What mattered now was that they unite in the face of this threat, and that seemed to be happening.
As Scott pondered the impending battle, Jeremy was also considering what was to come. He looked to his father, who seemed more than willing to get on with it. In fact, the more Jeremy looked at his father, the more he felt some rage at a Cumbrian lord who would put all of them in danger. Those bastards usually kept to themselves when Nathaniel was alive, but now they seemed to believe the men of Canaan would be easily overcome. Jeremy decided at that moment that he wasn’t going to make anything easy for them; this was his home even if it didn’t belong to him. It was the only place he’d ever felt that he’d belonged and he wasn’t about to lose it to a greedy baron.
Much like Scott, he was going to fight back.
It was time to forget the petty quarrels and unite.
“Then it shall be done,” Jeremy said, struggling to sit up as both Scott and Gordon reached out to help him. Jeremy may have been injured, but it didn’t dampen his determination. “Papa, find Adam and tell him that I have a need to speak with him. You and de Wolfe can make your plans with the men however you wish, but send Adam to me. And watch for him if he flees. When he flees.”
Scott could hear the determination in the man. This was the Jeremy Huntley he knew, a man with a strong command presence and loyalty to his fellow men. The man he’d seen the past two weeks had been someone he hadn’t recognized. There was such relief in that knowledge but there was also a good deal of confidence in it. Now, he had Jeremy’s support, not his hatred. It was one less thing he had to worry about.
Now, he could do what needed to be done.
“Let us commence,” Scott said quietly. “I will handle the de Wolfe knights. Gordon, you will tell Kristoph and George of the situation. Then we shall speak to the soldiers in groups, spreading the word and telling them what is to happen. Do not mention Adam, however. I would strongly advise against it. Let it only be that there is a traitor among us and they are not to speak of it. I fear if we tell them who it is, the soldiers might try to demonstrate their anger against him. Once everyone is informed, we will decide who goes out of the fortress to hide and who remains inside. Stu, you and Milo will start pulling together senior soldiers from our army and inform them of what is happening. We will need their help to organize the men. Gordon, I suggest you do the same. I will find you in an hour or two to discuss your progress.”
There was a strong sense of purpose in the air as the men had their orders. Now, it was time to move. If Lord Sadgill believed he would catch them off guard, they would prove the man wrong.
Dead wrong.