o0o
With Raik gone, Letia was more at peace. She did not lay in anticipation of his silent nightly visits that left her in so much mental turmoil. Nor did she have to forgo a candle or keep the shutters closed. After several days, she slept sounder, and when her dreams woke her, she listened to the familiar sounds of Freki snoring or heard his legs thrashing like he dreamt of chasing hares through the woods.
Days were easier, too. Aubrey gained weight now that he had more to feed his hunger than breast milk. He savored his gruel and pears. Though her milk was more nourishing now that she no longer grew sick at the thought of food, he did not require as much as before.
The guards admitted only those few women Raik had named to her chambers, but allowed other castle folk to talk with her from outside the open doorway. The children's visits were her favorite times. They sat on the landing eating goodies Goda brought to them and told Letia of their amazing feats of skill with the day's slinging. She praised and made over them until they beamed.
Letia kept track in her mind, counting each day. Soon, a fortnight had passed. That morning, when she watched the guards along the wall walks within sight, she noted their bodies tensed as they stared at the woods. Cormac sent one of the battlement guards to call in the warriors practicing in the fields.
Leofwan and Edmund returned. Running.
Her heart flew to her throat. Her nape pricked. Icy chills skittered down her spine.
Did Julian lurk in the woods?
The guards doubled at her doors when they enclosed Raik's mother, Sybilla and Maud with her. Letia clutched Aubrey as she watched out the solar windows where they had a broader view of the front walls.
That night, alone again, she found herself waking and spending most of the darkest hours bundled in the chair, staring out the window. The next morning, Cormac and Leofwan came to visit her and asked the use of Giles and Freki to prowl the grounds around the walls throughout the nights. Letia readily agreed. Though she missed Freki's presence at night, he spent his days napping and pressing against her legs, begging her attention.
Edmund posted extra guards around the battlements, warning whoever lurked that they were well fortified.
Nothing happened for several days. Finally, the women began to relax. Giles, when he came to fetch Freki, told Letia that Cormac planned to send a messenger to Raik at nightfall. By his schedule, Raik should have left Hunter and be traveling southwest. Though she knew messages went back and forth to her husband, she worried that they found it needful to do so under the cover of darkness.
Unable to sleep, she sat wrapped in a blanket held snugly to her chest, watching the bailey below. It was well into the night when Edmund and Cormac walked beside a black clad knight who led a dark horse to the barbican. As the men had some final words, the knight mounted his horse. The gatekeeper lowered the drawbridge and raised the portcullis. As soon as the iron bars rose high enough, the knight bent close to his horse's neck and streaked out of the castle.
CHAPTER 36
"Out with it, Raik. Yer frowning has near soured the milk in the pitchers," Ranald said as they broke their fast in his solar.
"Humph! Were you in my place, ye wouldn't be smiling either." Raik frowned at his cousin, not wanting to talk about his wife's calculated violation of his body.
"You found out before Letia had a chance to tell you, didn't you?" Caitlin tilted her head and studied his face.
"Aye, I found out. But how did ye know?"
Ranald rubbed his jaw and grinned at Raik. "I always thought ye were the expert on women. Before ye finished telling us about yer lady of the night, we knew it had to be Letia."
"How could ye possibly have known?"
"I have known 'twas Letia right from the time you returned from Seton and told us about your lily-scented woman. Do you know many women who prefer the scent of Lilies, ye dafty eejit!" Caitlin scowled at him.
Ranald tilted his head and studied Raik's face. "Ye must have been clobbered on the head harder than I thought. No other woman at Seton can compare to Letia's lithe form, her strong arms and legs. Not even my Caitlin has the strength of body to equal hers."
Caitlin nodded her head. "We were sure the first night you slept together as man and wife that you'd recognize her body."
With all the clues right in front of him, he had been blind to them. Caitlin was right. He was an eejit. The thought made him squirm in his seat. But the most important argument made him bang his fist on the table.
"She used me as a breeding stallion. I have had her locked away in her bedchamber. She is forbidden to leave until I decide what to do."
"You addlepated ninny!" Catalin took a deep breath and glared at him.
"Look at it through a woman's eyes," Ranald said. He nodded at Caitlin and smiled.
"I know Ranald told you I was already increasing when we married. I did not tell him of it afore we wed. I kept it secret. He was furious when he found out. But he did not lock me away like some enraged animal." She punched Raik's arm to keep his attention. "At least you were not presented with another man's child. Aubrey is your own, no matter how he came about."
Ranald smiled and nodded at him. Somehow, that look of understanding broke Raik's anger. Letia had been wrong to seduce him, but she had been in an impossible situation. He cringed at realizing how harsh he had been with her. He who always championed women had treated her as a man would have if she'd been unfaithful to him.
o0o
Raik, feeling easier in his mind after having spent those several days in Ranald and Catalin's company, rode at the head of his small army. He looked forward to finishing his business and returning home to Seton
Two days after leaving Hunter, they rode west of Crookham heading toward Kelso Abbey. The day was wet and miserable, making their progress slow with the muddy paths. Men at the end of the line of warriors started calling out to him. He stood in the stirrups and twisted to see a single horseman riding for all he was worth to reach him. When the man came within view, he noted the new black livery so much alike Ranald's that he'd ordered made for Seton's night patrol. Fear struck his mind that the castle was under siege and that it may even be falling by now.
"My Lord," the man called out as he skidded to a stop. "An urgent message from Sir Cormac!"
Blood splattered the man's clothing as well as his saddle and the side of the horse. Raik stared at the man's face, trying to place him at Seton. He frowned, not being able to recall ever seeing him on the training fields. But then, he had not been Baron of Seton long enough to be familiar with every soldier there.
"Well, man. Dinna keep me waiting."
"Sir Cormac had urgent word from the guard at the Convent of Mary Magdalen. Scotsmen are attempting to pry the Lady Muriele from their care. They urge all haste to protect her."
"How many days past?"
"Four, at the most." The tired horse swayed and looked ready to drop.
"Stay and rest your horse for the night. You can catch up with us afterward."
Word passed down the line from one man to the next. Raik did not need to tell them more when he spurred Storm. The huge horse leapt forward, Raik bent low over his neck. They would easily reach the convent in a day's travel.
o0o
The past two days at Seton had been especially tiresome for Letia. Aubrey refused to nap and seemed unable to settle down. At nightfall, after he slept soundly, the guards carried the cradle and followed Maud back to her room. Freki prowled around, sniffing the air coming through the open shutters, making her uneasy.
Letia was bone weary. No matter how she worded her questions, the men gave her an evasive answer. Giles, too, must be obeying Raik's orders that she not have anything to do with the castle's defense. His usual laughing face turned serious when she probed. When he came for Freki that night, he talked and quipped, one eye on the open doorway. When he prepared to tie the rope to Freki's leather collar, he brought the dog closer to her and ran his finger beneath the leather.
; "My lady, do you think the great beastie is in need of a larger restraint?" He tugged Letia's skirts, motioning for her to bend close.
She leaned down and her hand followed his to his boot to pull something out. His left hand nudged her fingers. She felt a wooden grip covered with leather and wire wrapping. 'Twas her favorite dagger.
"Aye." Letia nodded and spoke louder. "His weight gain is Cook's doing. She saves him all the scraps not fit for men to eat. Afore long, he'll be big as those Highland cows."
While she talked, she slipped the sheathed dagger under the chair, hidden from the guards.
"I'll ask the tanner on the morrow if he has the leavings of an old belt. The softer leather will be kinder to his neck when he pulls ahead." Giles straightened from tying the rope to the ring on Freki's collar.
Letia's scratched the dog's head and thumped his sides. "Thank you." She smiled at her squire, thanking him for the dagger and his care of the beast. "Now, do not pull Giles to the ground if you spot a barn cat, Freki."
After they left, she sat in her favorite chair, covered in her woolen blanket until she no longer heard anyone in the keep moving about. Her gaze probed the darkness outside one more time before she left the chair and retrieved the dagger.
If Raik were here, his confidence would have stilled everyone's worries about an enemy lurking about. She entered the solar and went over to his clothing chest. Kneeling, she opened it and let her fingertips smooth over the white shirt folded on top of the other clothing. She took it and stood to return to the bedchamber.
Beside the bed, she shrugged off her robe and pulled Raik's shirt over her head. Though she was tall for a woman, it reached a hand's width below her knees. She brought the neck opening up to cover her nose and cheeks and took a deep breath. Her eyes closed at the familiar scent. Sighing, she hugged it around herself and climbed into bed. Rolling to her right side, she pulled his pillow up against her body.
Though Goda had brought clean linens, Letia had not let her change Raik's pillow casing. Sighing, she slid the dagger beneath the pillow, placing it so her fingertips brushed against its grip. The comforts of his scent on the pillow, his shirt against her body and having her familiar weapon close by soon lulled her into an exhausted sleep.
Her night was untroubled until she began dreaming about Warin. Sadness spread its heavy cloak around her shoulders as she sat beside her dying husband. He tried to tell her something. His lips struggled to form the words, his eyes filled with fear. Light scuffling sounds drowned out his whisper. Leaning close, she felt the soft puff of his breath on her cheek.
On hearing his harsh words, an agonized cry burst from her lips.
o0o
Raik shuddered when they rode out of the forested hill into the small valley, a convent at its far side. The ground around the convent walls was vacant of any marauding force. Nothing hinted at a forced entry.
He reined in Storm at a spot short of the convent's tower. He shouted at the guard, who recognized him. The gates creaked open and Raik's patrol rode through. He vaulted off his horse and hurried over to the Mother Superior waiting in the courtyard.
"'Tis good to see you, Baron. I have heard of your good fortune. What brings you to Mary Magdalen?"
He saw the question in her eyes.
"The Lady Muriele? Is she safe? A messenger near killed his horse finding me to come to her aide." He turned, his gaze scanning down the line of horsemen. With a sinking heart, he saw no sight of the man who had warned them.
"The lady is safe. She is just now coming from the gardens. Perhaps the man was mistaken?" She turned and gestured to a woman coming toward them.
When Muriele spied Raik, she hurried to greet him.
Her words rushed out. "Has something happened? Is it Letia? Or Elyne?"
"Lucifer's rotted boils! A bloodied messenger told me Scotsmen had come for you here. 'Twas a ploy to draw me away from Seton! Julian must be attacking the castle."
'Twas his own fault! On not recognizing the messenger, he should have held him and questioned his men if anyone knew the stranger. The courtyard became a frantic flurry of activity as the men watered their horses, filled their own flasks and prepared to remount. The good sisters hurried to bring bread, cheese and apples.
At the well, Raik splashed water over his head and face then took his water flask from Edulf and tied it to his saddle. An elderly nun handed him a linen cloth wrapped around his food. He thanked her and stuffed it into his saddlebag.
"Take care, Muriele. Ever be watchful for treachery." He kissed her cheek then bowed to the Mother Superior and the nuns. "Thank you for your kindness." He swung back up into the saddle.
They trotted the horses out of the convent, and when far enough that their hooves wouldn't kick dust into the women's faces, he urged Storm into a gallop.
If they traveled hard, they would reach Seton late the next day. They rode through the night, stopping to water the horses and let them catch their wind. Once the animals rested, the men mounted and rode on.
With each league they drew closer, the more he feared hearing the steady bombardment of siege engines, the clatter of swords and the screams of wounded men and horses.
He groaned, nearly biting his tongue in two. Not only was his mother and son in danger, but all the people of Seton he had grown to like and respect.
But the thought of Letia frightened him the most. If Julian captured her, he would likely tear her limb from limb. He had promised a terrible punishment for the person who had insulted him so horribly as to douse him in piss.
A strange cry, long and deep throated, traveled on the breeze from the forest beyond. All was quiet for the space of mayhap ten breaths until a howl started low and rose to a peak before it softened and ended in a sad moan. The air echoed and throbbed with the jarring wails.
As they drew closer, his nape felt like a thousand ants had attacked his flesh. Only one animal had the wind and chest to make such fearful sounds.
Freki!
In the forest ahead, the dog tore through the thick brush out onto the open path. Embedded near that fleshy spot where his right shoulder blade started, was a broken arrow. Each time the shaft had hit a branch, the arrowhead tortured the dog. Blood matted the hair around wounds on his back and sides, whether caused from weapons or sturdy bushes, Raik didn't know. When Freki saw him, he dropped to the ground, resting his mournful face on his bloody paws. Whining, he looked up, his sad, yellow eyes pleading.
Raik jumped off Storm and ran to him.
"I know, I know, Freki. We'll save her. Dinna fear," he muttered.
Edulf helped as he gently explored around the arrow. Its battle with the bushes, though painful to the dog, had near worked it out of Freki's flesh. As gently as he could, he quickly pulled it free.
"He is used to you, Edulf. He cannot make it back to Seton without help." Raik waited until his squire mounted. Edulf leaned sideways on his horse to help as Raik struggled to lift the huge dog. Freki wouldn't let any of the other men near. Finally, they settled the dog across his squire's thighs.
He vaulted back on Storm and they were off again, forcing their horses to an even more urgent speed.
When they came close to entering the clearing facing Seton, they drew their swords and raised their shields. 'Twas quiet. Too quiet. Raik looked around in surprise. Debris littering the ground showed an enemy had been there. Where were they now? His heartbeats started to calm. It seemed Seton's greeting had convinced Julian to retreat.
Nay, 'twas a false calm. The rapid lowering of the drawbridge when the guards spotted him caught his attention. That they raised the portcullis in record time alarmed him even more.
As he galloped across the drawbridge, Edmund hurriedly waved him through. Frantic shouts and gestures from guards atop the barbican told him Julian had somehow won the day.
Ragged claws of fear ripped through his gut.
CHAPTER 37
"You are mine, now, until your last breath."
Warin's voice sou
nded cruel to Letia, not like the gentle man who had always protected her.
A heavy body covered her, forcing her deep into the bed. A vicious hand clamped over her lips.
Letia's brain snapped awake. Julian had her pinned beneath him. He gripped her left wrist and brought it behind her, pressing her face into the pillow to muffle any sounds. He straddled her. Her right hand grabbed the dagger.
Her strength was no longer a well-honed woman's strength. But terror for Aubrey and all the people within the castle's walls turned her into a fighting wolf. She bucked and struggled, twisting from the waist. She jerked her left arm and forced him to turn, exposing his left side.
'Twas what Letia wanted. She took a deep breath, grunted with exertion and heaved up. Her right hand flashed beneath his arm. Her dagger plunged. The blade grated against a rib, forcing it into the flesh at the side of his chest. It plunged to the hilt.
A hiss of pain escaped his clamped teeth then his fist rained blows to her temple until she feared her brain would explode. Lights flashed as pain streaked through her head. Finally, soothing blackness surrounded her.
She lost the power to fight.
o0o
Storm near trampled Cormac when Raik shot through Seton's barbican. He hauled on the reins and the giant horse reared. He jumped out of the saddle when the mount's front hooves had barely settled on the ground.
Edmund stayed atop the wall walk, his eyes ever watchful of the surrounding ground, though he appeared as watchful of all going on within the castle walls.
Raik looked around and did not see any damage. All the structures looked normal. Except every person within the castle looked to be searching for something. They carried whatever weapons they could. Old men had sticks, women had brooms and farmers held shovels—all looked ready to kill someone if they found whom they hunted.
"Tell me!"
Raik started running to the keep with Cormac, wanting to assure himself that Letia, his son and mother were safely within.
"Julian's army came five days ago and laid siege to the castle. He yelled curses as usual. Swore he was going to kill all within, but always kept out of range. Even our strongest slingers could not hurl that distance."
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