August tore his hair when he received Taris Brok’s letter. An attempt on her life? Lily was living in awful conditions? It took him all of five minutes to realize what must have happened. When he had sent people to check on her before, they had always traveled to Earton with the earl.
What if he was reading her letters all along?
He knew his Lily to be a shy girl, the much-loved daughter who had grown up motherless. He could well imagine that she would be too scared to complain to him.
You just wait, Jess Earton! I may not be a count, but I’ll have you crawling on all fours in front of your wife!
August had never had any illusions about his son-in-law. The young man wanted August’s money and his boatyards. Jess’ uncle had an interest in them, too. The king had acted as Jess’ father at the wedding. He was also a witness to the marriage contract. August had known that Jess was not in love with his little Lily, but he had thought they would grow together over time. Once they had children, they would be parents together. Now, he feared something awful had gone wrong.
Abandoned by her husband.
Living in terrible conditions.
An attempt on her life!
August couldn’t imagine who would want his daughter dead, but he would not act hastily. This was a serious matter. He would wait for Brok and then go see the king.
Knocked out by strong drink, Baron Donter only opened his eyes when the carriage entered his own estate. Lily had done her best. Her homebrew was powerful, but it had no odor and almost no flavor when added to the local wine. Better yet, it could knock out a horse, even in small amounts.
The servants had outdone themselves, and the baron had drunk much of the doctored wine. He had a splitting headache, but he did not attribute that to the countess. In fact, she had made a very positive impression on him.
She’s a nice little housewife, teaching her stepdaughter, embroidering flowers everywhere and staying out of men’s business. That chevalier…I suppose he’s the husband’s manager.
Slowly, a thought tried to form itself in the baron’s brain.
What happened to Etor?
Baron Donter had known Etor well. But now Etor was gone. Who had fired him?
The countess?
That was ridiculous. Another thought struggled to articulate itself in his mind.
What if the earl was suspicious of Etor and sent someone to get rid of him?
He shook his head. That was unlikely. If the earl suspected Etor of theft, he would never have let him take his wife and leave.
Unsurprisingly, the baron never considered the possibility that Lilian Earton’s body had been taken over by someone else – someone who knew nothing about this new world and did whatever came to her mind. No, he decided that the earl had dealt with Etor.
Etor must have really screwed something up, and it caught up with him.
Clive wasn’t worried at all about the countess. What concerned him was the large number of Virmans. They complicated his plans. It was a sad prospect, especially when viewed from a bad hangover.
I’ll think about what to do once my head stops hurting. Winter will be here soon.
Lily was very busy over the next few days. She was mad at herself, so she turned her anger into a whirlwind of productivity.
There was plenty for her to be upset about. All the healthy Virmans were either repairing boats, helping build the smokehouse and the salt pits, or already preparing fish for the winter, but people in and around the castle were dragging their feet. When Lily went to see how Jaimie’s infirmary was coming along, what she saw depressed her. Even in her own world, building a health clinic was no easy task. Here in her new world, without antibiotics, all they could do was wash wounds with strong homebrew and pray to whoever would listen.
But that was not the true cause of Lily’s annoyance.
She was upset about the baron. He was an evil man and could cause her all sorts of problems. Lily wasn’t used to feeling defenseless. Leis had just five of his men at the castle: the rest were either with Taris Brok or helping the peasants gather stones to repair the wall around the castle. That meant that she had a fighting force of five soldiers plus Leis.
That isn’t enough. It was such bad luck for the baron to turn up just now. Or was it?
When she mentioned the matter to Erik, he replied, “You must have trees felled to create barriers around the estate. And build guard posts with pigeon coops. Otherwise, anyone who likes can march over your lands.”
Lily nodded in agreement. “I want you to start on that as soon as the last boat is repaired.” Then she apologized for not inviting him to share her table. “The baron is a foolish man. I was afraid he might pick a fight with you. I don’t need trouble with my neighbors.”
Erik smiled and put one hand on his axe.
She turned back to the matter at hand. “Where will we get pigeons from?”
“Leif has a coop, and there are several coops in the village.”
Lily jumped as if she had been stung by nettles. “Who has them?”
“Fred Darcy and Erk Grismo.”
“Why didn’t…” She stopped herself. It was a stupid question. Why didn’t she know? Why hadn’t she been told? For a moment, she said nothing. Then she decided to tell Erik everything that had happened since she woke up that fateful morning. No, she didn’t tell him that she was from another world.
Good God no! That would be a short path to the stake, even if they aren’t currently running an Inquisition here.
She told him that her estate manager was a thief, and that he had fired all the castle guards, and that she had sent him packing. Finally, she told him that wolves had gotten Etor as he left Earton.
Erik listened intently. Suddenly, he broke in with a question. “My lady, where did they bury this Etor?”
“I don’t know…”
“Did you see his body?”
She shook her head. And then she realized what he meant. “You think he’s still alive?”
“Possibly. He could be hiding out with an accomplice. And another thing: how long has it been since your husband was here, my lady?”
Lily counted back. “About six months.”
“When is he due back?”
The answer – Only Aldonai knows – was written in large letters across the countess’ face. Erik sighed. She was a strange woman. She knew a great deal about many complex things. She could hold her own in a dispute with the healer, and she conversed with men freely. But she could also be shockingly naïve.
“My lady, how long would your manager have lived if your husband had found out that the castle was falling apart, the guards were gone, his reports were falsified and you were not being taken care of? Think about that.”
Lily thought. “Maybe half an hour.”
“If that long. That means…”
“He had a plan?”
“Of course.”
Lily pondered that. “He had money, and plenty of it. What I shook out of him was more than enough for me to buy supplies for the winter. And I got only a small part of what he had taken.”
“Yes. What can you conclude?”
“He wasn’t going to wait around for the earl’s return.”
Lily had forgotten all about ranks and titles by that point, and Erik didn’t want to remind her. She was above him in rank, to be sure, but she was also a beautiful woman. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were shining and her breasts…her breasts!
Lily felt none of this. She was too busy thinking.
They took everything they could from Earton. Shirvey was in on it. It was his job to warn Etor if the earl planned a visit. But where did he plan to go?
“We have to find his accomplice.”
“Accomplices, my lady.”
“What do you mean?”
“He had to have helpers. Otherwise, how would he get away? My lady, if what you tell me about his dealings with the slave traders is true, all of your peasants should have run off by now. But they are still
here.”
“But…”
“There are only two possibilities: either they had nowhere to go, or it was too dangerous to leave.”
“Why would it be dangerous to leave?” She called for Emma.
The housekeeper admitted that yes, some people had tried to run, but their bodies had been found outside the villages.
“Who could have killed them?”
“They say it was Baron Donter, my lady.”
“The young baron?”
“The old one.”
“I thought he was supposed to be better than his son?”
That turned out to be a complicated question. The old baron hadn’t made trouble for other nobles, but he had been known to whip peasants mercilessly. It was also said that he killed his wife when she had an affair and got pregnant.
Lily waved those stories away. “Do you think it was the baron?”
“I believe it was.”
She turned to the Virman. “Erik, when you start felling trees for blockades, I want you to keep an eye on the villages. See who has pigeons and…”
“You wish to use us as bloodhounds, my lady?”
Lily sighed. It was a fair question. “You are wolves, not bloodhounds. I know that. But you have the same sense of smell. Please use your abilities for the good of the earl’s house.” She paused. “Chevalier Avels, Lady Miranda and myself eat in the small dining room every day. Eight in the morning, one o’clock in the afternoon, and six in the evening. If you are able to join us, we will be glad to see you.”
Erik shook his head. “I’m a Virman, my lady.”
Lily knew that Virmans didn’t believe in Aldonai. They had more than enough of their own gods. For this reason, mainlanders preferred not to get too close to them socially.
“What difference does that make? I eat with Lady Miranda, Chevalier Avels, Pastor Vopler and his son, Leif, Ingrid and Captain Antrel. We aren’t the worst company, I promise you.”
Erik agreed with this sentiment. “My lady, I will join you if I am at the castle.”
“Good. Will you start on the blockades and guard posts?”
“I have to go to one of the far villages to get pitch for the boat. I’ll keep my eyes open while I make the trip.”
Even after this progress, Lily was still angry at herself.
Why was I afraid of the baron? Because everyone else is. Mass hysteria is the most communicable disease I know of. I should have kept my cool. I’m in charge here.
She reflected that a cool head wouldn’t help her much if the baron decided to cause trouble.
Of course, I can always write to the king, but it would take months for anyone to get here. I wonder if medieval bureaucrats are like the ones I’m used to?
Lily sighed and went back to her tasks. She attended Mirrie’s lessons, kept order in the castle, continued her inventory with Emma, wrote out more notes on medicine, listened to the men’s reports on their work, gave orders…
And I thought aristocratic wives sat around embroidering! I’ve never worked so hard in my life. It’s time to ask for a raise. As if.
Lady Amalia, Duchess of Ivelen, born an Earton, slipped into her husband’s study. He was looking over some papers. When he looked up and saw his wife, he put them aside and smiled. “Come in, my dear. Has something happened?”
“Nothing serious, my dear. It’s just that I’m worried about Miranda.”
Peter pulled his wife to him, kissed her hand and stroked her round belly. “I would rather have you thinking about our child.”
“Miranda is family.”
“She has a father.”
“But she has no mother. And Jess is sweet, but he doesn’t know how to be a father.”
“I remember, my dear,” Peter agreed. He rubbed the small of her back and then let his hand wander down to a place slightly lower.
“We were raised by governesses. Father was always working, and Grandmother and Grandfather didn’t like to spend time with us. You have no idea how we dreamed that someday Father would spend the day with us. A whole day!”
Peter tried not to grimace. He had heard all this before.
You’re married now, my dear, and you have your own family. You shouldn’t be wasting energy on a brat who has more bad habits than brains.
He said none of this aloud.
“My dear, if you wish, I will send a letter to Earton and inquire after Miranda.”
“Oh please do!” Amalia’s dark blue eyes lit up. “Please write, my dear!”
“You don’t have to ask, love.”
Peter pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. If Lily had been present for the scene, she would have asked if anybody needed a tissue, but no one saw the husband and wife at this quiet moment. And no one noticed the shadow of displeasure that flitted over Peter’s face when Amalia spoke of her brother.
It wouldn’t have done much good, anyway. You can’t use a shadow against a man.
A few days later, Lily decided she had been right about the baron. Strangely enough, it was Jaimie who enlightened her. They weren’t exactly friends, but Lily enjoyed talking to the healer about various subjects, including those that were of professional interest to them both.
They were sitting in the infirmary when Jaimie spoke up. “My lady, the baron is a brute and a nasty piece of work, just like his mother. And his father.”
Lily nodded, as if to say “I agree. Do you have any details?”
That was all the encouragement Jaimie needed. It turned out that Baron Donter wasn’t a baron at all. In fact, he had as much claim to the Donter estate as Lily had to the Great Wall of China. Approximately thirty years ago, the estate was held by the old Baron Donter, who had a son and a daughter. The daughter married for love – her husband was a landless chevalier, but he was handsome enough to steal her heart.
A few years after the marriage (which had yet to produce children), the story got more interesting when the chevalier’s sister moved in and the baron’s son was killed in a hunting accident. He and his friends had been chasing a wild boar that was already full of their spears – something no one with any common sense would ever do – and the boar turned suddenly and gored him.
In short order, the daughter’s husband became the new heir to the estate and title. The old baron wrote to the king and asked that his son-in-law be allowed to inherit. Some said that the old baron had already lost his mind from grief when he wrote out the petition, but that was just peasant gossip.
His daughter was locked up in the castle and didn’t dare say a word against her husband, who had threatened to kill her.
By this point in the story, Lily had put her work down and was listening intently.
The king gave his permission for the son-in-law to inherit, and the story took a tragic turn a few short years later when the baron’s daughter disappeared.
Where did she go? No one knows.
There were several explanations. Some people said that she had been unfaithful to her husband and ran off with one of his guards, taking a fair amount of her husband’s gold with her. Others said that she died of childbed fever. Yet others claimed she went insane and drowned in one of the nearby bogs.
It was a riddle wrapped in a mystery.
The new baron and his sister remained on the estate with her son. Yes, she had a son of her own. She had gotten pregnant by another chevalier who unwisely got himself killed while hunting. The brother and sister petitioned the king to name the boy the heir to the estate. The pastor refused to attest to the boy’s lineage, which was required since illegitimate children could never inherit land. However, the brother and sister found a loophole and made use of it.
Lily sighed. Two things occurred to her. First, her neighbor was obviously a dirty bastard with a shady past. Second, there were entirely too many man-eating beasts in the woods.
When August finally finished reading his daughter’s letters, his hands began to shake. He had waited for Taris Brok to return in hopes that the news would relieve his fears
, but things were worse than he had expected: his precious daughter, the little girl he had raised like a hothouse flower, was living in a falling-down castle, she had no guards, her manager was stealing from her, and the earl had found another woman.
And her letters! What suffering must she have endured in order to write that way?
He noticed immediately that she didn’t complain or cry or beg for help. She just laid out the situation, writing like a woman who was twice her age and had seen much of life. August didn’t want to think about what had happened to make his daughter grow up overnight. He did, however, want to think about catching up with Jess Earton and knocking him into the next life.
Son of a bitch!
Like everyone in his world, August believed that a woman’s place was in her husband’s home, where she belonged. He didn’t question how the world worked, but he had done his best to keep his daughter safe by writing the marriage contract himself. He remembered putting in terms about her happiness and safety. There was nothing in there about living in a falling-down castle without guards.
What other terms is Jess violating? If he’s touched the money that was supposed to belong to Lily, that’s serious. And if he has committed adultery…
In short, August’s first thought was to beat his son-in-law to death. His second thought was to tell the king. His third thought was that he should bide his time and collect evidence. The king was very fond of his nephew, so August would need incontravertible proof of any claims he made. As a father, he believed Lily without a doubt, but he feared that the king would not see it that way.
Slowly, he began to make his plans. He would make sure that Edward sent Lily an invitation to the palace. While he was at it, he would let the king know how difficult her circumstances were, and he would make sure to read the report from the king’s envoy. August knew full well that his plan would not be easy or quick, but he could not bear to leave his daughter at the mercy of a husband who didn’t love her.
Divorce never entered his mind. A divorced woman was marked for life, worse than a leper.
What about a separation?
That was possible. It would free Lily from her complete dependence on the earl, and it would force him to handle her with greater respect.
The Clearing Page 22
