“No one is doubting that, Monty, but did you confirm his death?”
Cullen blinked as if surprised by the question. “How was I to confirm it?” he asked. “Very shortly thereafter, I was running for my life. I did not wait around for a physic to confirm the man’s death, but I have seen many a battle wound, and for Barric to have survived such a wound would have been highly unlikely. It would have been a miracle, in truth.”
“But not impossible.”
Cullen could see what he was getting at and the horror that Barric Fitz Hammond might have survived the goring was not lost on him. It made him ill simply to think that Barric had, indeed, been granted a miracle while Teodora lay dead in a stone crypt. After a moment, he shook his head in a painfully honest gesture.
“Nay,” he muttered. “Not impossible. Dear God… not impossible.”
Owen watched as the color drained from Cullen’s face. He could see how stunned he was. In truth, when Owen’s men had told him about Fitz Hammond’s return to Rockingham, there was a part of Owen that wondered if Cullen hadn’t lied to him about Fitz Hammond’s death, but he could see that the man’s reaction was genuine. A liar could not have faked such a response. Reaching out, he put a hand on the man’s shoulder.
“No one has seen Barric, so it is likely that his men could have returned with a new Lord Justice at the helm,” he said. “Mayhap he decided to keep the Fitz Hammond colors, or mayhap it is even a relative. In any case, until we have proof that Barric Fitz Hammond has returned from the dead, we must go on the assumption that you did, indeed, kill the man. But that also means our days of freely wandering the countryside are over. If a large army has returned to Rockingham, then we will have to be very careful from now on. Rockingham has been known to send his army into the woods to search for us.”
Cullen couldn’t even respond; he was still wallowing in the shock that Barric Fitz Hammond may have survived his great injury. Such a thought had never even occurred to him because, as he’d said, he’d seen many battle wounds and he knew the one he’d gave Barric had been mortal. Should have been mortal.
But what if it wasn’t?
Pondering that very possibility, Cullen wandered away from the group that was gathering around Owen, listening to him speak about Barric’s return. Cullen had such strong feelings about the situation, he realized, because if Fitz Hammond had returned, then it was his feeling that he should finish what he’d started.
If Barric really had survived, then he needed to finish the job. The man had cost him everything – his life, his career, and his love – and he was going to pay the price. All Cullen could think of, at the moment, was vengeance.
Dark, cold vengeance.
“Do not fret so,” Jerald said as he came up behind Cullen. He’d been watching Cullen wrestle with the news of Fitz Hammond’s return and, in an uncharacteristic show of understanding, sought to ease the young knight’s mind. “We are not certain it is, in fact, Fitz Hammond. As Owen said, it could be someone else, someone who has assumed his titles.”
Cullen turned to the man. “You are an old war dog,” he said, his voice low. “You know that a new Lord Justice of Rockingham would have his own colors, his own army, and he certainly would not be using a Fitz Hammond carriage. All signs point to the return of a man I thought I killed. I knew I killed. This is a man who took everything from me, Jerald. I cannot take this lightly.”
“And he took everything from Owen, too,” Jerald said quietly. “Owen’s answer was to become an outlaw, to peck away at Rockingham like a bird pecks at a tree. Annoying, aye; annoying and effective. Owen will hit Fitz Hammond where it hurts – in his coffers.”
But Cullen was shaking his head. “It is not enough,” he said pointedly. “He is not doing enough. He is annoying, I agree, but annoyances do not tear down empires. And if Barric Fitz Hammond has returned, then we must tear him down.”
Jerald could see the spark of rage in Cullen’s eyes. “Do you have an idea, then?”
Cullen nodded. “I do,” he said, determined. “Gather Owen and meet me over by my hut. I must see to Regal, anyway. I know that Lady de Mora tends her now and again, but I do not like to leave the old woman alone for too long.”
“And how is your wife feeling these days?”
It was an old joke that Cullen had long since stopped trying to correct because he figured out that they were looking for a reaction from him. So he turned their own joke against them by not rising to it.
“She is well enough, though still a little weak,” he said. “Once in a while, she coughs, but nothing like she had been. And the lemon potion with the mint in it seems to do quite a bit for her. She likes it a great deal.”
Jerald grinned. “Ah, yes, the lemon,” he said. “We stole that tree in Geddington, you know. Now it provides us with all of the lemons we could want.”
In spite of the subject, Cullen found himself grinning. “Is that where you got the tree?” he said. “I wondered. I think I know the tavernkeeper you stole it from because when Regal and I passed through Geddington those weeks ago, that same man gave us lemon sweetcakes and mentioned he had two trees, but one was stolen.”
Jerald laughed. “Then he should not have been stupid enough to keep such a valuable tree in his garden for all to see,” he said. “It was not even planted at the time; it was in a box, wrapped up. We simply took it because we thought it might be something of value, and as it turned out, it really was.”
Cullen shook his head at the man reproachfully. “You may be an old knight, but you have the heart of a thief.”
“Mayhap.” Jerald’s smile faded. “But my soul is that of a warrior, and I recognize that quality in yours, too. Now, go see to your lady and I will bring Owen to you. Methinks we are about to face a battle greater than any we have faced yet.”
Cullen sobered dramatically. “If Barric Fitz Hammond is indeed alive, then I will not rest until the man is dead and buried. For Owen’s sake as well as my own. I cannot let this rest, Jerald. I may not have had Fitz Hammond steal my lands and home, but he took something just as valuable from me. Your battle has become my battle because of it, and vengeance will have its day.”
Jerald was coming to like this cocky young knight, just a bit. He understood Cullen. That gleam in his eyes was a gleam Jerald had seen many a time, from great knights in the days of old when Jerald was a strong knight who lived and breathed battle. He missed those days when he looked at Cullen.
It made him greatly anticipate what was to come.
“And so will you, Monty,” he said quietly. “So will you.”
Cullen felt as if he and Jerald had a breakthrough at that moment, as if for an instant they were of the same mindset. It was no longer an old knight who had become an outlaw, and a young knight running for his life. There was no longer any suspicion or doubt. They were coming to understand one another in the timeless sense that all warriors do.
The respect was there.
As Cullen headed back to the hut, he, too, was anticipating what was to come.
God help them all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Rockingham Castle
Three months later
Willa and Norma were middle-aged twins with faded red hair and skin that was as pale and flimsy as a spider’s web.
They also happened to be the maids dedicated to Teodora upon her arrival to Rockingham. They had very quickly taken to their charge, and she to them. Even now as Teodora entered the keep from the dusty bailey, sweating under the sun of a warm autumn day, the pair was waiting for her, just as they always waited for her when the army returned.
Their mistress who fought with the army.
Eagerly, they watched from the windows of the keep for any sign of the army returning and as soon as they saw it coming, they would hurry and warm the water for their lady’s bath and prepare fresh clothing. For the past three months, they’d been doing this a great deal because the army had seen a good deal of action as of late.
Ra
ids from local outlaws had kept them busy.
As their lady entered the keep alongside a very big knight named de Lara, the twins shuffled after her as she headed for the stairs. Like shadows, they were there to cater to her every need but, at the moment, the lady didn’t acknowledge them. She was still focused angrily on de Lara.
“And the next time we ride to fend off these outlaws, we are going to have to take a different tactic,” Teodora was saying to him, gesturing firmly. “I have told you this before, de Lara. Owen the Black and his clever band of outlaws have figured out what we intend to do because we do it every time.”
Owen the Black. That name had become like a curse around Rockingham these days, the name of the outlaw who lived in Blackthorn Forest and created havoc in the surrounding villages on a regular basis. De Lara pulled off his helm, revealing sweaty hair and a face lined with frustration. It didn’t help matters that with the warm temperatures, they were cooking under all of that mail at times, and today had been particularly warm.
Tempers were short.
“I cannot argue that they anticipate us,” he said, raking a hand through his wet hair. “But you also cannot go running off to skirt the town when we enter. I lost sight of you and, therefore, had to hold the mounted archers back because the outlaws were heading in your direction. You will not live much longer, my lady, if you do not follow orders. One more infraction like the one today and I will tell Lord Barric. You will be forbidden from riding out with the army again. Do I make myself clear?”
Frustrated, Teodora simply turned away from him and raced up the mural stairs of the keep, taking two at a time with her long legs. Willa and Norma scampered after her as de Lara, annoyed at what he considered Lady Teodora’s foolish actions, headed into the solar to prepare his report.
In spite of temperatures outside, the keep was pleasantly cool, but Teodora wasn’t paying any attention to the temperature. She yanked her helm off, the one Barric had specially made for her at her request, and she tossed it onto her bed once she entered her chamber. Teodora had a suite of rooms on the second floor of the southeast portion of the keep, which, in fact, was a shell keep that had been built up into mostly residential chambers. Being that it was a shell keep, it was round, and the walls of her chambers were curved, with big windows that overlooked an inner courtyard.
Normally, Teodora appreciated her fine chambers, and all of the fine furnishings, but she was clearly frustrated at the moment and paying no attention to her surroundings. As Willa slammed the door of the chamber, Teodora was already stripping off her tunic and unlacing her boots faster than her maids could get to her.
“They are behaving ridiculously,” Teodora hissed. “Why won’t they listen to me?”
Norma was helping her with her coat of mail, pulling it up and over her tangled head. “What has happened, my lady?” she asked soothingly. “Surely it cannot be so bad?”
Norma pulled hard and the mail coat came off, a heavy thing that sent her stumbling backwards as Teodora went sideways. Only Willa stopped her from falling altogether. Regaining her balance, Teodora began to yank off her sweaty, padded tunic.
“Men are stubborn,” she said. “And de Lara – God knows, the man is highly skilled and an excellent commander, but he insists on going head-on into the raiders when they attack the villages, and the raiders see us coming and simply scatter. His tactics are not working and he does not see that.”
Norma took the padded tunic from her and tossed it to her sister, who was in the process of collecting everything that Teodora was throwing off of her body.
“Surely you have tried to speak with him about it, my lady,” Norma said helpfully. “But mayhap, you have not used the right tactics.”
Teodora came to a halt, looking at Norma with great concern and great curiosity. “What do you mean?”
Norma smiled, a very motherly smile, and went to Teodora, pulling out the bindings that had kept her hair bound beneath her helm. “You have to make the man feel as if it is his very own idea,” she said. “You cannot tell him what to do. He will not take it well.”
Teodora rolled her eyes as Norma tugged at her hair. “I am not telling him what to do,” she said. Then, she faltered. “Well, not very much, anyway. But he has to be told. What else am I supposed to do?”
“Not get yourself killed.”
The voice came from the door, which had opened without anyone hearing it. Chadwick stood in the archway as the three women turned to him. But the maids quickly went back to work while Teodora gave him a wry expression.
“I was not going to get myself killed,” she said flatly. “And who told you anything?”
Chadwick entered the chamber, noting that Willa was struggling with the mail as she tried to pick everything up. “Sean did,” he said. “He is afraid you are going to become injured, or worse, if you keep darting off without telling him. So far, he’s kept it from Barric, but if he gets wind of it, you’ll not be able to ride out with the army anymore. You fought very hard to be allowed to do it, Teddy. Would you now jeopardize it so?”
Teodora didn’t want to be lectured even though she knew Chadwick was correct. The past three months had seen the pair become great friends, like brother and sister, and like most brothers and sisters, honesty was sometimes brutal between them. Teodora appreciated Chadwick’s wisdom in all things, and he had a great deal of it, but he also tended to be somewhat fatherly at times. She knew it was for her own good, but she still didn’t like it.
“Did de Lara send you up here to scold me?” she asked. “If he did, you can save your breath.”
She was stripped down to her undertunic and breeches now, but Norma would go no farther as long as Chadwick was in the room. Even though he was a physic, she would keep her charge covered up while a man was about. As the maids wandered away, carrying dirty clothing and sweaty armor, Chadwick made his way over to Teodora.
“I am not going to scold you,” he said. “And Sean did not send me up here. I saw him down in the solar and he told me what happened. Those raiders are becoming more clever with each successive attack.”
Teodora nodded as she headed over to the big copper tub that was partially filled with hot water. “They are,” she said, sticking her finger in to test the water temperature. “And that is the problem; de Lara is fighting an honorable battle against them while they fight like, well, thieves. They have ambushed us twice and even though de Lara killed a few of them, we still came away with injured men when we should not have. De Lara needs to start thinking like an outlaw.”
Chadwick nodded. “He is,” he said. “Have no doubt. Did you not think that this is all part of the plan to lull the outlaws into a false sense of security?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that de Lara is trying to make Rockingham’s reaction to the raids predictable,” he said. “That way, when he turns the table on them and fights dirty, they will not expect it. And being caught off-guard, he will wipe them out.”
Teodora looked at him as if she hadn’t considered that. “I did not realize that,” she said. “Why did he not tell me so?”
Chadwick fought off a grin. “Because he is the commander of the army and you are not,” he said. “The man is brilliant, have no doubt. And he does not have to tell you everything, considering you should not even be fighting. God’s Bones, woman, you give me a fright every time you go out.”
Teodora knew what he meant, other than the obvious. He’d been in on her secret since the beginning, since she first realized she was pregnant.
His concern wasn’t merely for her safety, but for the life she carried.
Instinctively, she put her hand to her gently swollen belly, which was hardly noticeable on her long frame. Chadwick wouldn’t have even known about the baby had she not come down with some kind of stomach poisoning last month from something she’d eaten, and in the course of examining her belly, he discovered her pregnancy.
Teodora swore him to secrecy with the promise that she plan
ned to tell Barric personally but, so far, she hadn’t told him. She was terrified of what would happen when she did. She was afraid Barric might send her back to Preston, since the child was the man’s heir, and no man could hold on to a woman who carried another man’s child. But Teodora knew that Preston would only beat and degrade her, and she wasn’t willing for that to happen.
She would rather stay with Barric than return to her husband.
Surprisingly, her months at Rockingham had not been as horrific as she had imagined, mostly because Barric was physically incapable of harassing her as he continued to heal. After settling in as chatelaine and being schooled by the very old majordomo, who seemed glad to have her help, Teodora gradually integrated herself into the troop training, and then into more of their daily activities. It had all been very mild at first, so gradual that Barric hadn’t noticed, and when he did, he simply let her do as she pleased because he was a weak-willed man at heart. She smiled at him and told him how important it was to her, and he fell for it. As long as she supped with him every evening, sitting silently as he spoke on any number of subjects, she could nearly do as she pleased.
It had become an odd sort of existence.
But then came the pregnancy. Teodora had suspected it fairly early on with her lack of appetite and absence of menses, but as the weeks and months progressed and a hard little bulge began to grow in her belly, she knew for certain that she was carrying Cullen’s child and it was joy beyond belief. She may have lost him, but God had given her a gift of his son. She knew Chadwick was very concerned for her, riding out to battle when she was carrying a child. But to Teodora, it was the most natural of things. Cullen had been a knight and fighting had been his vocation.
He had died doing it.
Somehow, she felt closer to him with a weapon in her hand.
“I learned to ride a horse before I could walk,” she said quietly, breaking from her train of thought. “I have been riding my entire life, and riding with my father to battle as well. It is quite normal to me.”
Noble Line of de Nerra Complete Set: A Medieval Romance Bundle Page 29
