by Linda Sole
‘My cousin was told that there was a quarrel between them. The earl walked away and Sir Harry drew his sword and attacked his back. The earl turned and put his sword through him. His men were told to leave and they did, but some of them returned and carried Sir Harry’s body away to have it buried.’
‘Was it done properly?’
‘Aye. My cousin was given a sword and belt for his services, and a priest was given silver to say a mass for Sir Harry’s soul.’
‘Since you bring important news your neglect of duty will be overlooked. Do not give me cause to punish you again, sirrah.’
‘My word on it.’
Robert was silent. He turned away, putting his foot in the stirrup and mounting his great war-horse. If Montroy’s reaction had been to kill the messenger he might guess what the answer would be to his demand for a ransom. The abduction of Montroy’s bride had been a mistake. From the first Robert had felt it was wrong; his quarrel was with the man not the girl. How could he give her the news that her father was dead and her betrothed refused to pay the price set for her freedom?
If Montroy cared nothing for the girl the debt was unpaid, yet it would deepen the quarrel between them. Robert would make the journey to Craigmoor for the girl must be told of her father’s fate – and a decision made about her future. She had no father to protect her. Perhaps there were other relations or she might go to a nunnery…
*
Marta avoided looking at her brother when he came into the kitchen that morning. She had gone to bed before he came home the previous night, though she had lain awake and listened to him moving around. She knew that he had burned something on the fire and wondered what he was doing. When she made up the fire the next morning, she saw pieces of burnt cloth. Todd had burned the clothes he had been wearing when he went out. He would have done that for only one reason; they must have had blood on them.
The realisation that he had gone through with his intention made her feel sick. She was not sure she could live with her guilt for she was as guilty as he was of a man’s murder. Todd had warned her what he meant to do and she had not tried hard enough to stop him. Marta felt as if a dark shadow had come over their lives. They had been living in a charmed world of their own since she returned with the child but now the ugliness of murder had intruded into their lives.
‘I shall be gone all morning.’
Todd’s voice broke into her thoughts. She turned to look at him, noting the unfamiliar clothes, his second best tunic and a new leather apron, also a different pair of boots.
‘You haven’t touched your porridge.’
‘I don’t feel hungry. Put up a packet of bread and cheese and I’ll eat later, when I’ve delivered that marriage chest to the Earl of Montroy. His bride should have arrived yesterday. I am surprised he hasn’t sent for the chest before now.’
‘Did you ought to go to the house?’ Marta looked at him anxiously. In her opinion it wasn’t a good thing to demand money from one of the nobility. If they intended to pay they would send a servant to collect the goods ordered, if not there was little to be done.
‘A craftsman has a right to be paid,’ Todd said, a mutinous look on his face. ‘I’ve done what was asked now I want my rights.’
Marta stared after him as he went through into the shop. Todd had changed. She had never heard such harshness from him before. It was hardly surprising. A man could not commit a deadly sin like murder and remain untouched.
Hearing Mary’s cry, she went to fetch the child down from her bed in the loft for her breakfast. Her brother’s house was warm and there was always food on the table. She would think long and hard before she left his protection, but she could not stop shivering and a feeling of impending doom hung over her.
*
Todd knew better than to approach the earl himself, but he was determined to speak with the steward who had commissioned the marriage chest. As he wheeled his handcart into the courtyard some of the earl’s men-at-arms looked at him curiously but made no attempt to stop him. However, seeing a man leaving the kichens, he went up to him.
‘Where can I find Master Stewart? He is steward to the earl.’
‘Aye, I know who he is – but what is your business with him? He has too much to do to bother with the likes of you.’
Todd bristled at the man’s tone. ‘I was commissioned to make a marriage chest for the earl’s bride. It has been ready for weeks but no one has come to fetch it.’
‘Marriage chest for his bride is it?’ The man threw back his head and laughed. ‘You can turn your cart around, Master Carpenter, and take yourself off home for you’ll find no joy here.’
Emboldened by his successful attack on Brother Malham, Todd stood his ground. ‘Why? The chest was commissioned and a craftsman is entitled to his pay. I demand to see the steward.’
‘Demand is it? Let me tell you something, dog, there is no bride nor yet no father-in-law.’ The man grinned with evil delight and pushed his bearded face close to Todd’s, his breath stinking like a sewer. ‘The earl won’t pay for something he no longer wants. If I were you I should go now. The earl is in no mood to be dunned for payment of goods he don’t want no more.’
‘I want to see the steward…’ Todd grabbed hold of the servant’s jerkin with both hands and shook him. ‘I demand to be paid.’
‘Bugger orf before I have you thrashed!’
‘Damn you!’ Todd threw a punch at him. ‘I want my pay…’
The man hit back, landing a punch on Todd’s face. In no mood to be sent packing like a mangy cur, Todd kneed his opponent in the guts and grinned as he heard his howl of rage. He was strong and a match for the rascal who had roused his anger. However, the next moment he heard shouting and the men-at-arms who had paid him no attention earlier came running. They set upon him, jostling, kicking and punching him, pushing him back and forth between them and laughing as he hit out at them in a rage but was unable to land a punch. Then one of them hit him over the head with something hard, felling him to the ground. Another one kicked him in his side several times. Then silence fell and they parted as a tall man came to join them. Todd’s right eye was swelling but he could see the steward who had commissioned the chest.
‘What is this commotion about?’
‘I want to be paid for my work.’
‘He says he has a marriage chest for the earl.’
‘The earl no longer requires the chest. Take it and leave or you will spend the next week in gaol for causing an affray.’
Todd got to his feet. His nose was bleeding. He could taste blood on his lips and his ribs felt sore but he knew he was beaten. Hobbling towards his cart, he trundled it out of the yard, smarting under the jeers that followed.
He was seething with anger. They had cheated and humiliated him, robbed him of his rightful pay. He could have killed the man who refused him the right to put his case to the steward but there had been too many of them. Todd was conscious of a burning in his guts and he stopped, spewing on the ground as the vomit poured out. He was in pain from the beating but the worst thing was the blow to his pride.
They would pay for what they had done. The steward, the men who had kicked and beaten him – and the earl. He did not know how he would make the earl pay, but somehow he would have his revenge.
TEN
‘Montroy killed him?’ Jonathan was shocked when Robert told him the news. ‘Why? Do you have any idea why they quarrelled?’
‘It must have been over the girl. Sir Harry may have taken money for her…’ Robert shrugged. ‘Whatever was said it drove him to madness. He must have known he could not hope to prevail against Montroy.’
Robert’s expression was regretful. ‘Has the girl spoken of her father? It will not be easy to tell her that he is dead. Do you know if she has other relatives?’
‘I do not believe so. Morgan had a son but he died some years back. Rhoda was his only child.’
‘Rhoda…’ Robert hesitated, guilt making him uncertain. ‘If there ar
e no male cousins she will inherit her father’s estate.’
‘Such as it is,’ Jonathan agreed. ‘I have heard that Sir Harry might be in trouble. There may be debts against the land and house.’
‘I believe you have hit upon the answer. If Montroy paid money for the girl he might have demanded it back.’
‘A man close to ruin might be driven to attempt murder.’
‘Why did the fool not tell me?’
‘I dare say his pride might have held his tongue – or he feared you would not listen.’
‘He begged for his daughter’s honour to be preserved.’
‘As it has been.’
‘And shall be.’ Robert sighed. ‘The girl has done no wrong. I took her from her father so I must provide for her future. I dare say Mother Beatrice would take her in if I gave a small dowry.’
‘I do not think the lady Rhoda will care to be disposed of in that way. She has a mind of her own.’
‘She hath a temper?’
‘She has not shown it but there is fire in her, Robert. Is there no other way of dealing with her?’
‘She has little chance of marriage unless something can be rescued from her father’s estate. I believe a nunnery might be the best for her.’
‘I do not think she will agree.’ Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. ‘You have more pressing matters. A messenger came from Prince Edward. You are requested to present yourself at court.’
‘It was my intention to travel to London as soon as my business here was finished.’
‘The prince comes to Winchester. He has requested your help on a matter of some urgency.’
Robert was silent, then, ‘A request from Edward is a command. I shall attend him, though I have little wish to return to Winchester. There was no confrontation with Montroy this time for he did not know I was in Winchester, but if I attend the court he is sure to make trouble.’
‘It might see this feud between you settled. If you were to challenge him to combat the debt would be paid.’
‘Yes, blood would settle the account between us. I was foolish to imagine there could be any other way. All we have done is cause the death of an innocent man and rob a lady of her rightful bridegroom.’
‘I think you will discover that Rhoda does not see it quite that way. She may grieve for her father as a dutiful daughter – but she begged me not to send her back to Montroy even if the ransom were paid.’
‘Indeed?’ Robert arched his brows. ‘I believe I must speak to the lady, Jonathan. I am responsible for her father’s death and I must be the one to tell her.’
*
‘That monster murdered my father?’ Tears of regret gathered in Rhoda’s eyes and then spilled down her cheeks. ‘Why? Why did he kill him?’
She looked at the Earl Devereaux. He had taken off his mail and was dressed in the rich robes that befitted his standing as a wealthy noble. His cotte was a dark blue wool and his surcoat a paler shade of the same colour brocaded with gold thread. He wore no jewellery save for a gold ring on the middle finger of his left hand. His fair hair was trimmed so that it fell about his ears and touched the neck of his tunic, his beard was neat and his blue eyes seemed sympathetic as he looked at her. He was a handsome man, more handsome than the knight who had brought her here. Rhoda felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach. This man with his fine aristocratic features and proud bearing was all she had hoped to find in a husband. If her father had betrothed her to such a man she would have gone happily to her wedding.
‘I cannot tell you why they quarrelled, lady. I have been told that it was so and that it was your father who attacked Montroy from behind. If this is true the earl was entitled to defend himself and there is no crime.’
‘You are telling me that no one will punish him?’ Rhoda was angry. She moved towards him, reaching out to take hold of his rich robes in her frustration. ‘He killed my father. Will no one avenge him? Will no one seek recompense for his wickedness?’ She gazed up at him, tears on her lashes. ‘He is your enemy. You snatched me because I was meant to wed him – will you not avenge my father and your wife? You demanded money but would his death not satisfy you more?’
Robert stared down into her lovely face. Her distress moved him. He had not looked at another woman since he left Melloria to attend Prince Edward’s wedding but now he felt his loins stir with desire.
‘I shall challenge him to mortal combat when I attend court but he may prevail.’
‘You will prevail.’ Rhoda cried, her face wild with pride and hatred. ‘You have right on your side. God will guide your hand and we shall be avenged – my father and your wife.’
‘If God wills it, it shall be so,’ Robert agreed. His eyes looked into hers and again he felt a burning need. He crushed the urge to take her to bed and kiss her until she melted beneath him. ‘There is another matter of which I must speak, lady. Your future…’
‘You will not send me away.’ Rhoda moved closer, a pleading look in her eyes that almost broke Robert. ‘Please do not send me to a nunnery. I would rather die than live with those dried up hags…’
‘Watch your tongue, lady. My wife’s sister is Abbess at the convent of St. Innocent. She is a devout and good woman.’
‘Do not be angry with me.’ Rhoda’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. ‘I am not like those women. I want to live and love…to know a man’s love and bear his children.’ She moved closer; her perfume, delicate and fragrant and reminiscent of roses, filled his nostrils. ‘Please, let me stay here…with you.’
Robert hesitated. His wife was dead. If Melloria lived she would have found her way to the Abbey before this and he would have had news of her. He must face the truth. She had died when the child was born and the woman who tended her had stolen the babe. If he wanted a son he must marry again. The answer to his problem was simple.
The woman who pleaded with him so desperately was beautiful. For him, she was not quite the equal of Melloria but she had red-gold hair and her skin was pale and soft, her eyes of an azure hue that made him think of clear mountain pools. He did not love her as he had loved Melloria with all his heart and soul, but he felt desire and he knew that she would please him in bed. She was the daughter of a knight and therefore worthy of the match – and she might give him the son he craved.
‘Would you prefer marriage to a nunnery?’
‘Marriage with you?’ Her eyes lit with excitement. ‘Yes, I would marry you, my lord. I would be proud to be your wife.’
For a moment longer Robert hesitated, then he nodded. By taking her to wife he was making recompense for her father’s death. It would not be a love match but few marriages were. Her father’s estate might be worth something but money was not important.
Reaching out, Robert took her by the shoulders. He gazed intently at her face. She was beautiful and innocent. She would make him a worthy bride.
‘I desire an heir. Will you give me a son, Rhoda Morgan?’
‘Yes, my lord. I swear it.’
‘Will you welcome me to your bed and be all that a good faithful wife should be, cleaving always to me? You will not betray me with another man?’
‘I swear to be a faithful and good wife.’ The excitement showed in her face and Robert felt some misgiving but it was too late to change his mind. He pulled her close, lowering his head to kiss her. Rhoda clung to him instantly, her body melding into his as she allowed him to explore the sweetness of her mouth. He drew back to look at her.
‘Are you innocent? Have you known a lover?’
‘I swear there has been no one,’ Rhoda said, pushing the thought of Kerrin to the far reaches of her mind. ‘I am merely showing you that I shall welcome my husband to my bed.’
Robert inclined his head. He believed her. She was innocent and biddable, the perfect wife for a man who needed an heir but had no intention of giving his heart to a woman. His heart lay with Melloria in her grave but Rhoda was here and her body was young and fresh and she would give him the son he craved.
&nbs
p; Robert would never cease to look for Melloria’s daughter but the ache of loss had begun to heal at last. Once Rhoda was his wife he could begin to move on.
*
Kerrin stood in the shadows listening to a group of the earl’s men talking. They seemed highly amused about something, laughing and jesting amongst themselves. He was aware that they had attacked Sir Henry Morgan’s train and that Rhoda had been snatched and brought to Craigmoor. The news that her father had been killed had given Kerrin new hope. He knew well that Rhoda had no rich relatives who would take her in. If there were no ransom she would not be returned to Montroy, which meant that she would probably be grateful when he turned up seemingly from nowhere and asked her to marry him.
Kerrin was not earning much more coin than he had at her father’s house, but things had been different then. Her father had money and she believed she would marry a rich noble who would give her all the jewels and pretty clothes she desired. Now that she was faced with the nunnery or having to fend for herself, she would look more favourably on him. He smiled to himself as he thought of her surprise when she first saw him.
A burst of raucous laughter prompted him to discover what was going on amongst his fellow companions. He walked towards them, a smile on his face as he asked why they were so merry.
‘The earl has decided to take himself a bride,’ John of Sawsbridge told him and grinned. ‘He hath tired of looking for his late wife and daughters and decided to make himself a son instead.’
Kerrin saw the rude gestures some of the men were making, thrusting their thumbs through the circle of the opposite thumb and forefinger and making grunting noises.
‘The countess has been missing for eighteen months or more. I suppose the earl has grieved sufficiently. Who is the lady?’
‘Why that’s the joke,’ John Sawsbridge sniggered. ‘He snatched his bride from under the nose of Montroy. He was to have ransomed her for a small fortune but now he will take the woman instead.’
‘Sir Harry’s daughter? He will marry Rhoda Morgan?’
