Lady of Steel

by Mary Gillgannon

  Gerard stepped forward. “Lady, you were so brave and fierce. I don’t know many men who could match you.” He bowed. “To Lady Nicola, who faces down her enemies like a she-wolf.”

  “To Lady Nicola,” the other knights echoed. The men all inclined their heads in acknowledgement.

  “I’m not certain I’m pleased to be compared to a she-wolf.” Nicola smiled at Gerard so he would know she did not really take offense. “But it’s gratifying that you see my actions as brave. FitzRandolph told me my boldness was unnatural and unfeminine.”

  “You could never be unfeminine, Lady Nicola,” young John put in. “You are far too comely.”

  “’Tis true,” said Robbie.

  Nicola felt a flush of embarrassment creep up her neck. She was not used to being complimented. To change the mood, she asked, “Has anyone seen Temmen and Alexander?”

  “Everything was in confusion when they arrived. I think they went to the kitchen to get something to eat.”

  Nicola started to leave, then stopped at the door and smiled at the boisterous group of knights. “Thank you all for your loyalty.”

  When she reached the kitchen, Agelwulf told her he’d sent Temmen and Oliver to the hall to eat. Nicola found them there. Temmen’s blond head was bent over a bowl as he shoveled pottage into his mouth. Alexander ate more leisurely. Seeing her, Alexander got to his feet and gave a nudge to Temmen. Temmen glanced at Nicola and rose abruptly.

  Nicola gestured to both of them. “Please sit down. I need to sit myself.” She sank down on a bench across from the boy, thinking about what a long day it had been. “So…what did you learn at Mordeaux? Did you speak to Morwenna the cook as we suggested?”

  Temmen nodded. “She tried to shoo me out of the kitchen at first. It took a while to convince her you had sent me. When I told her I had entered the castle through a secret entrance, she finally believed me.”

  “What news did she give you?”

  “She said to tell you that all was well.”

  “What else?”

  Temmen shrugged. “She said everything was back to the way it was before, and you shouldn’t worry.”

  “What about FitzSaer? What about Hilary and Simon? Has she seen them?”

  Temmen’s freckled face tightened in a look of anxiety. “She didn’t mention them.”

  There must be some reason for Morwenna’s terseness. “Did Morwenna behave as if she was frightened, as if she someone had threatened her if she spoke to anyone from outside the castle?”

  “Nay. She behaved as if she was in a hurry. As if she had to get back to her duties as soon as possible.”

  Nicola released a sigh of frustration. The trouble with using someone like Temmen as a messenger was that he didn’t know what questions to ask. He’d gone all that way and learned almost nothing. Although Morwenna’s words were reassuring. It was unlikely she would advise Nicola not to worry if Hilary and the children were being held prisoner or missing.

  “What about the army outside the castle?” she asked. “Can you tell me anything about them? How many men and horses did you see?”

  Temmen looked baffled. Alexander said, “There was no army.”

  No army? That meant FitzRandolph had brought the whole force to Valmar. His army was smaller than they had first thought. It also brought into question whether FitzRandolph was actually in control of Mordeaux.

  “How did the castle appear from the outside?” she asked. “Was the portcullis up or down? Were there men on the ramparts?”

  Alexander frowned. “I think the portcullis was down, but I can’t be certain.”

  Nicola sense of frustration built. They still didn’t know if Simon was safe. It seemed the only way they would find out was to send someone to Mordeaux who knew the right questions to ask. “Thank you for what you’ve done,” she told Temmen and Alexander. “I’ll not forget your loyalty.”

  ****

  “So, we still know nothing.” Nicola sank down on the stool by the bed.

  “Perhaps this is a sign you should leave it for today,” Fawkes said. “Have some of the pottage Old Emma brought up and come to bed.”

  Nicola looked at him questioningly. “Even though we still don’t know if FitzRandolph controls Mordeaux, or if Simon is safe?”

  “Think about what Morwenna said. She told you not to worry. I hardly think she would say that if Hilary and the children were still missing. At any rate, there’s naught you can do tonight. ’Tis time to rest.”

  Nicola ate a bit of the food Old Emma had brought up, then washed her face in the bowl of water the servant provided. She dried off and removed her gown. Clad in her shift, she sat on the stool and undid her braids. Then she fetched a brush and attempted to remove the snarls from her hair. “I should get Old Emma, but I hate to disturb her. I know she’s been up and down here all day, fetching things.”

  “Why don’t you let me brush your hair?” Fawkes suggested.

  “’Tis hardly a task for a man. And what about your injury?”

  “My right arm is uninjured.”

  “But I’ve never heard of man brushing a woman’s hair.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? I vow I would take pleasure in it.”

  Nicola moved the stool close to the bed and sat facing away from Fawkes. She’d expected him to be rough, but he brushed her hair with long, smooth strokes.

  “It’s probably good for me to do something like this. I’ve been so feeble and helpless these past few days. I need to get my strength back.”

  “I scarce think this is the means of doing so. Although I’m not complaining.”

  His touch was gentle. His movements slow and deliberate. She relaxed, the tension of the day draining away. By the time he pronounced himself finished, she was on the verge of falling asleep. She got up to close the shutters.

  “Leave them open,” he said. “If I haven’t sickened from being exposed to the night air yet, I’m not likely to do so now. Besides, the fresh air smells so good. Almost as sweet as you.”

  “I can hardly imagine I smell good,” Nicola said. “After the challenges of this day, I’m certain I must stink.”

  “You could never smell bad. At least not to me.”

  She lay down beside him. He eased closer to her and buried his face in her hair. She’d been concerned her worry for Simon would keep her awake. But in seconds her bone-deep weariness dragged her down into dreamland.

  ****

  She woke to the sound of Fawkes speaking quietly. Opening her eyes, she saw that it was morning and he was talking to Reynard. She felt a stab of irritation. Reynard might be Fawkes’s closest friend, but as soon as things settled down, she would have to make it clear he couldn’t simply walk into their bedchamber any time he wished.

  She sat up in bed and saw Glennyth was also there.

  “Reynard brings good news,” Fawkes said. “At least it’s good in that it finally answers some of the questions we’ve had.”

  “What news?” Nicola asked.

  “We now know who burned Glennyth’s cottage,” Reynard said. “Henry told us everything.”

  “Henry!”

  Reynard nodded. “I realized Alys had to have an accomplice, and I’d seen her with Henry on more than one occasion. Henry seemed relieved to tell me what had happened. I think the guilt was gnawing away at him.”

  “What did he say?” Nicola asked.

  “He said Alys’s resentment of you went back to when you first wed Mortimer. Mortimer had suggested you engage a young maidservant, rather than relying on Old Emma. Alys thought she would be the one to serve you, and she was very eager to be freed from her tasks in the weaving shed. But you insisted on keeping Old Emma.”

  “Why would I not?” Nicola asked. “She can still do everything that needs doing. Even if it does take her longer these days.”

  “But most royal women want someone young serving them. Alys discovered that when several of Mortimer’s highborn friends visited Valmar and brought their wives. She argued her ca
use with you. Told you how she could do everything much faster. Help you with the sewing, which Old Emma, with her stiff fingers and weak eyes, is no longer able to do.”

  “I remember the conversation,” Nicola said. “Although not very well. My memory of that time is poor. I had just discovered Mortimer’s true nature and I was terrified. Old Emma was all I had. The only person I could trust.”

  “And so you rejected Alys’s offer, and not in a kindly way either.”

  Nicola bit her lips. She recalled telling Alys she didn’t need a young maidservant who would be off flirting with the knights half the time. “Perhaps I should been gentler in my dismissal of her, but what I said was true. Alys has always had a terrible reputation for dallying with the knights. Indeed, I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten with child yet.”

  “Oh, but she has.” Glennyth interjected. “Twice I’ve given her something to be rid of it. But the last time, I refused.”

  “Why did you tell her nay this time?” Nicola asked.

  “’Twas for her own good. I thought she should settle down and marry. I believe she would be happier—and get into far less trouble—if she had a husband. This was a little over a month ago, after Fawkes came. Even though he was wed to you, Alys had designs on him. She thought she could get him to make her his mistress. I suspect she intended to seduce him and then tell him the babe—which was already growing in her womb—was his.”

  “But I wasn’t interested in her,” Fawkes said. “I’d been with her once when I first lived at Valmar. But now I have eyes for no other woman than you.”

  Nicola gave Fawkes a fond look. Most noblemen took mistresses. She was grateful he felt differently.

  “When you rejected her offer, Alys grew angry and vowed she would get back at you,” Glennyth said. “She was probably the one behind the rumors you poisoned Mortimer and caused his decline. When Fawkes rebuffed her, Alys’s resentment deepened. She decided to strike out at me. So she seduced Henry and convinced to him to set the fire. Although now that I know Alys was behind the fire, I’m fairly certain she didn’t intend to kill me, only destroy the cottage and my livelihood.”

  “Why do you think that?” Nicola asked.

  “Because she knew I wasn’t in the cottage at the time, but with Reynard.” Glennyth nodded to Reynard. “Remember? She saw us together at the castle when we went there to get some food to take for our walk in the woods.”

  Reynard nodded thoughtfully. “Henry says he didn’t mean to kill Glennyth. He also had nothing to do with Alys’s plot to neglect Fawkes until he succumbed from his injury.”

  “But why did Alys want to kill Fawkes?” Nicola asked. “Then there would be no hope of him ever taking care of her babe.”

  “When Fawkes showed no interest in her, Alys decided to ally herself with FitzSaer,” Reynard said. “When you sent him away to Mordeaux, FitzSaer saw this as his chance. He would get Gilbert out of the way, and then murder Fawkes. When the crossbolt failed to kill him, he decided to finish him off another way.”

  Reynard turned to Fawkes. “Once you were dead, FitzSaer meant to seize control of both Mordeaux and Valmar. He would have to wed Nicola in order to solidify his claim. But Alys would still get what she wanted. FitzSaer promised to set her up as his mistress and let her take charge of Mordeaux.”

  “And what of FitzRandolph? What part did he play in this?”

  “Strange as it might seem, it was mere coincidence that FitzRandolph arrived when he did. FitzSaer wasn’t pleased to have his own scheme disrupted. He had no choice but behave agreeably with FitzRandolph, but he knew his dream of ruling Mordeaux was over. Unless he was wed to Nicola, the people of Mordeaux would never accept him as their lord.”

  Nicola shook her head. “The arrogance of the man. As if I would willingly wed a man I despise.”

  “He believed if he controlled Simon’s fate, you would do whatever he wished.”

  A chill of dread slithered down Nicola’s spine. If Morwenna had not helped her escape the oubliette, her worst fears might have come true. She owed Morwenna a huge debt.

  “Surely you did not learn all of this from Henry,” Fawkes said.

  “Last night, when Gerard saw how upset Nicola was when Temmen couldn’t give her more information about how things were at Mordeaux, Gerard rode to Mordeaux. He spoke to Gilbert and had him tell the whole tale.”

  “Gilbert? What’s he doing back at Mordeaux? Did he find Hilary and the children?” Nicola felt almost afraid to hope.

  “Hilary and the children are safe. They got lost on the way from Rosebrook, but eventually made their way to Mordeaux and took refuge in a nearby villein’s cottage. As for Gilbert, he questioned the local folk and they took him to the house where the family was sheltering. Gilbert stayed there until FitzRandolph’s army left Mordeaux. Then he entered the castle by the secret entrance. With the help of several knights loyal to him, Gilbert overpowered FitzSaer and imprisoned him in the oubliette. Few people at the castle liked FitzSaer or thought he was fit to rule them, so it was easy for Gilbert to resume control.”

  “De Vescy is certainly an able fellow,” Fawkes said. “It reassures me to think he is in charge of Mordeaux.”

  Nicola let out a sigh of relief. “So, everything is as it should be. At last.”

  “Not everything,” Fawkes responded. “Our son is still at Mordeaux. He should be here with us.”

  Our son. Hearing Fawkes say the words made her throat go tight. “I will go today and fetch him.”

  Fawkes looked at Reynard. “What if FitzRandolph decides to return with a larger army?”

  “It’s a possibility. But gathering together more knights will take time. ’Tis not likely FitzRandolph will bother us for a few weeks at least.”

  “The summer is fast slipping away,” Fawkes said. “Already the nights grow cooler.”

  Nicola got up. “I must dress and ready myself for the journey to Mordeaux.” She glanced at Reynard hoping he would take the hint and leave.

  Fawkes looked to Glennyth. “We must also decide what is to be done about Alys and Henry. What do you think? You suffered the greatest loss at their hands.”

  Glennyth contemplated this for a moment. “Alys must be punished somehow. But she is with child, although I’m not certain who the father is. Mayhaps she doesn’t know either. Until she has the babe we can do little but keep her under tight control.”

  “One thought is to marry her off to some man who is strong enough to keep her out of trouble,” Fawkes suggested.

  Nicola nodded. It seemed like a logical solution. “Perhaps Edwin, the wheelwright in the village. He was betrothed to Maida, but she doesn’t want to wed him. And he needs a wife. He lives with his mother now, but she’s getting very frail.”

  “That’s an idea,” Glennyth said. “Edwin is stolid and hard-working and not much seems to bother him. And if Alys gives birth to a boy, he would be so delighted to have someone to pass down his craft to that he wouldn’t care if the child was his.”

  “And if she has a girl?” Reynard asked.

  “Edwin isn’t the sort to mistreat a child. And the fact that he dwells in the village would mean everyone there would all be able to keep an eye on Alys.”

  “That settles things regarding Alys. But what of FitzSaer?” Reynard asked. “Do we hang him?”

  “I don’t think we have a choice,” said Fawkes.

  Nicola nodded. “He tried to kill you. I can’t forgive that.”

  “I will take care of it,” Fawkes said.

  Nicola shot him a look of gratitude.

  “Speaking of FitzSaer, do we know who the actual assassin was?” Reynard asked. “I’m fairly certain FitzSaer doesn’t have the skill to shoot a crossbow so accurately.”

  “I think I know,” said Glennyth. “I suspect it was not a knight, but a local villein who is skilled archer. His name is Ranulf.”

  “How can we find out for certain?” Fawkes asked.

  “He shot you from the ramparts of Mordeaux,”
Reynard pointed out. “Someone must have seen the man go up there. Perhaps I should go there and question the knights.”

  “Gilbert can do that. The garrison there is loyal to him,” Glennyth said.

  “Finally, there is Henry.” Reynard nodded to Glennyth. “What do you think should be his fate?”

  “Send him away. Give him a chance to try to find a place in some other lord’s garrison. Although he cost me dear, and would have cost me even dearer if Reynard had not rescued Tom. I don’t think Henry is truly cruel. Alys told him to set the fire and so he did. But I don’t believe he meant to murder me. And I’m certain he never considered that my cat might be inside the house.”

  “I agree,” said Fawkes. “Henry deserves another chance. But not here. I don’t want someone as weak and malleable as him in my retinue.”

  “Where would you send him?” Reynard asked.

  “I’ll write to Lord Wazelin, asking him if he will take Henry on. I’ll tell him Henry is misguided and foolish, but still has potential as a knight.”

  “I can write the message,” said Nicola.

  Fawkes smiled at her. “I forgot that in addition to being beautiful, resourceful and brave, you are educated and literate.”

  Nicola smiled back. “I think we’ve discussed our plans for punishing the people who caused us so much grief. Now I’d like to get ready to leave for Mordeaux. I vow, I won’t be content until I see Simon with my own eyes.”

  Reynard and Glennyth got up to leave. Glennyth paused at the door. “Perhaps I will go with you, Nicola. While I was at Mordeaux, before FitzSaer imprisoned me, I met a young woman who has some knowledge of herbs. I would like to bring her back here, if she is willing. I’ll need help if I am to replenish my store of healing supplies before winter arrives.”

  “That’s another thing,” Fawkes said. “We must rebuild Glennyth’s cottage as soon as possible.”

  “Or she could stay here at the castle,” Reynard suggested.

  “I’ll not wed you, or live with you now that you are well enough to be on your own,” Glennyth said. “I must have my home and my freedom, or things will not work between us.”