by Shea,Lisa
“Done,” responded Gertrude without a pause. “Cora and I swap off tasks every few days, to keep our minds agile. She is fully aware of everything I do and can take over immediately.”
“Second,” ticked off Mother Superior, moving smoothly on, “I do not want for you to be the sole woman in a group of soldiers. That seems inappropriate for a woman in your position.” Her gaze swept to Dorrie and Sarah. “Perhaps one of you would be capable of attending to her?”
“Of course,” offered Sarah, detecting a gleam in the old woman’s eye. She smiled her thanks while keeping her voice even. “I would be quite proud to escort your nun safely to and from this task.”
Mother Superior stood, and the assembled people moved to rise with her. “Then it is settled. I see no cause to delay further, then,” she prompted with a steady smile. “Be on your way, and God’s grace light your every step.”
True to her word, Gertrude was only ten minutes in gathering items from her room before she rejoined the others down at the stables. Sarah was not surprised when the athletic woman climbed easily onto a sturdy mount, wheeling him about with a practiced hand. Gertrude hardly seemed a woman who needed a chaperone.
Sarah looked up at the main hall, and saw a woman’s figure standing in the windows. Sarah lifted a hand in farewell and saw the figure mirror her action.
At first the men set a slow pace, wanting to be gentle on the nun in their midst, but after five minutes she gave an exasperated snort and spurred her horse into action, stretching him out into an easy canter along the road. Walter gave Reynald an amused grin before moving to match her speed.
In no time at all they were pulling into the courtyard. The men were stirring in an anxious mob, and all heads turned as one when the horses came in amongst them. Reynald pulled up alongside the nun, looking toward her with solicitous concern. “Would you like to rest a while before we head out?”
Gertrude scoffed and spun her horse around. “Get this show on the road,” she called out, her face lighting up in anticipation.
Reynald exchanged a look with Walter, and Walter moved his horse alongside Dorrie’s. He took her hand in his, giving her a tender kiss which he held for a long moment. Then with a nod of his head, the force moved out through the bright summer sunshine.
Sarah found herself enjoying the ride immensely. Gertrude had a rough demeanor, but her mind was quick as a whip and she offered lively discussion. It was soon clear that she was thrilled at being a part of this adventure. Ethan and Elijah, assigned to their protection, rode close alongside the two women. The men kept them within reach at all times, their eyes sharp on the surrounding woods.
Reynald and Water took turns riding ahead of and behind the group, talking with the troops and watching the landscape they rode through. Every member of the entourage was on edge and alert, well aware of the dangers which surrounded them.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Reynald called a halt to the group, and they set up camp in a clearing to one side of the road.
Sarah took care to ensure that Gertrude was comfortable, then brought over bread and cheese for them to eat as a simple dinner.
“Are you sure this will be enough for you?” Sarah asked the older woman with concern as the pair sat back against a large oak tree.
Gertrude smiled with pleasure, looking around the woods, at the quiet hubbub moving around the campfire. “Are you kidding?” she asked jovially. “This is great! After all of this time of being cooped up in the nunnery, it is wonderful to be out.”
Sarah took a bite of her bread. “Why did you join the order, then, if you do not enjoy it?”
Gertrude patted her on the arm. “Ah, lass, I do enjoy it. I have the company of great friends, and we accomplish wondrous things when we work together. It is simply nice to get out into the world every once in a while, to explore beyond those grey walls.”
Sarah smiled, looking around her. “It is very lovely here,” she agreed. Her eyes came back to Gertrude, then to the wooden dove at her breast. “That pin is beautiful as well,” she added thoughtfully. The delicate artistry of the work brought to mind the cross she wore around her own neck. “Where did you get that?”
Gertrude’s face softened for a moment, and she lowered her hand to hold the piece. “My son carved it for me, before he left me on his fool’s errand,” she whispered, half to herself.
Her gaze moved to rest on Sarah, and her eyes took on a look of gentle pity. “You know, my dear, that once a man goes off with the Templars, he changes. His world is the open sea and far-off horizons. He can no longer be bounded by the close confines of an English town.”
Iron bands crept close around Sarah’s chest. “What do you mean?”
Gertrude pressed her lips together. “When Reynald catches these two Templars, what will he do next?”
“He said he had to …”
Sarah moved a hand to her chest, words failing her. He would have to escort them back to the Holy Land, for justice. And, as his wife, he would expect her to go with him. She could be away for years, away from the women who depended on her, away from her family who relied on her.
Gertrude nodded quietly in understanding. “Life is rarely as easy as one might hope.”
Sarah wrapped her arms around herself, coming to terms with the knowledge. She had known it was too good to be true, after all. They could share their love until this current quest was completed. And then she would have to let him go.
There were footsteps, and she drew a smile on her face. She would treasure every moment she had with him. She would count each one as valuable as the most precious of jewels.
Reynald stopped before them bearing a pair of sturdy metal cups. He handed them down with a smile to the two women. “How are you bearing up?” he asked the nun congenially.
“Could not be better,” responded Gertrude heartily. She grabbed the cup and downed half of the mead in one long pull. “We should do this more often.”
Reynald shook his head, his eyes holding hers. “We are on a serious mission,” he reminded the nun, looking carefully at her.
Gertrude took another drink of her honeyed beverage. “Life is serious,” she chuckled. “The longer you live, the more you learn to appreciate the good moments amongst it all.” She looked up to meet Reynald’s eyes. “Do not worry. We will get your sister out of this in one piece, and her child as well. Charles will see reason once he talks with me.” Her eyes looked off into the distance for a moment. “Abigail was one of the good ones; we will get her out of this.”
Reynald’s eyes snapped to attention. “You know my sister?”
Gertrude shrugged and nodded. “Yes, certainly. Cora and I exchanged jobs frequently, and Cora’s special interest was in helping local teenage girls. I imagine it is how Abigail knew about Sarah, that she was a trustworthy midwife.” Her eyes speculatively moved to Sarah, then returned to meet Reynald’s.
“Yes, Abigail came in a few times. She was a bright enough lass. She helped me with my gardening more than once.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “She told me about you, Reynald. Said you were a bit big for your britches.”
Reynald sputtered in surprise. “She said what?”
Gertrude chuckled. “Relax, there, son. Abigail loves you very much. She just felt that your big brothering was sometimes a little … overzealous.”
Reynald’s face grew serious. “I only wanted to keep her safe.”
Gertrude shook her head. “There is no safety in this life. You have to live it to the best of your ability and take responsibility and pride in your actions each day.”
Reynald nodded quietly in agreement.
There was a call from the other side of the camp, and he glanced up. “Good evening, ladies,” he offered, then moved along to check on the rest of his men. Sarah finished her meal in silence, lost in thought, and then helped Gertrude settle in for sleep.
Once the nun was asleep, Sarah rose, restless. So many things had happened today … she looked around and caught
Reynald’s eyes. Without a word he came over to her. He took her hand and led her out of the main clearing into a secluded corner of the forest.
The moment they were alone, Sarah pressed herself hard against him. His arms came up around her, holding her and pressing her in close. She raised her face to his, and he tenderly kissed her, his embrace firm and strong.
It was a long while before he pulled back from her, gazing down at her with glowing eyes. “It feels like a dream.”
Sarah’s heart tinged with sadness. “I wish it were a dream, that it could go on forever like this.”
A shade of worry crossed Reynald’s brow. “What do you mean?”
Sarah pulled away, looking away from his insightful eyes. “I am the trout, and you are the horse,” she muttered softly to herself.
Reynald’s face went white, and he gently turned her head to face his again. “Tell me what you feel, and together we will find a solution. Surely there is nothing we cannot overcome as a couple.”
Sarah was caught in his gaze. He was at once so strong and so vulnerable. She was pulled by the urge to turn away, but fought against it.
“This small region of England, as tiny as it might seem to you, is my world, my pond,” she explained. “It is only a portion of one island, and that island is but a tiny part of the larger world. I know that, and yet I love it here. I love being with my family, visiting my friends, and helping those around me. It is where I want to be.”
She took in a deep breath. “You live in a vast world, and you cross it at will. Your duties lie in the dust-filled world at the far eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.” Her eyes filled with tears. “God, I love you, Reynald, I truly do. Yet I do not know how this can work.”
Reynald gave a deep, cleansing sigh, and his eyes lit with hope. “Is this the only impediment that concerns you, that you would be ripped from your home?”
Sarah cautiously nodded. “Is that not serious enough?”
Reynald leant forward to tenderly kiss her on the forehead. “I have already talked with your father about this. The sheriff in your region is old and considering retirement. My name has been offered up as his replacement. There is a fine house to go with the position, a few miles away from your parents’ keep. Surely you know the one I speak of.”
Sarah could barely allow herself to hope. “But your Templar duties?”
Reynald ran a hand down her hair, reassuring her. “I have given the Templars over a decade of my life. That is enough. My obligation with them is long past paid. Once I have returned the prisoner or prisoners for justice, I will be done with their order.”
His face became shadowed. “I do have a duty to finish out that specific task, though. This could take several months, between the travel time and other associated tasks involving the courts. I understand your duties are important as well, and I will leave you in your father’s care until I return.”
His face stilled, and he looked down at her. His voice dropped to a mere whisper. “If you did not wish to wait for me, I of course understand.”
“Oh, Reynald,” sighed Sarah, tenderly laying a hand against his cheek. “I have waited for you for twenty-two years. A few more months will be as the flight of a swallow’s wings. Of course I will wait for you.”
She thought of how quickly the months would spin by while she tended to the women in her care. During that time, Reynald would be traveling across interesting landscapes … back in the exciting world of the Templars. He would be surrounded by exotic sights … exotic women …
Her voice became hushed. “Even so, I would understand if, once you are back at your life’s work, that you decided not to return to England after all.”
Reynald pulled her into a hard embrace, pressing his face down against hers. “What a pair we are,” he sighed. “We will have to learn to trust each other, to have faith.”
They stood together for a long while, not speaking, before heading back into the main camp to sleep.
Dawn came with gentle tendrils of light, and Sarah was struck with the quiet beauty of the woods. A soft mist lingered in the valleys, and she stood, stretching. She spotted Reynald standing by the main path, looking down the road ahead. She moved to stand alongside him.
“Today will be the day,” he stated softly, not turning. “It will tell whether we fight or negotiate a peace.”
Sarah lay her hand on his arm, gently reassuring him with her presence. “Charles will see reason,” she promised. “We will save your sister and your niece.”
Behind them, the myriad of clanks and groans grew as the camp stirred into life. As one they turned to help with preparations for the day.
It was a much more somber group that took the trail after breakfast, all eyes and ears on full alert. They had a general idea where the bandits had set up their base, but undoubtedly scouts and other outliers were scattered about the area. The hours moved by slowly, and although the sun climbed up into the highest reaches of the sky, the forest remained musty and dark.
Reynald moved to the front of the column, and at his orders the group slowed its pace. The forest seemed to widen into a clearing ahead. An owl gave a call to his left, and although many of the soldiers turned their heads, seeking to pick out the source of the sound, Reynald’s eyes focused straight ahead. A motion of his hand, and Ethan and Elijah pulled in even more closely alongside Gertrude and Sarah, drawing their weapons. Sarah’s hand strayed to her own sword, but she stayed silent. She glanced sideways at Gertrude. The nun was stoically quiet, her eyes calm and prepared.
The clearing was somber and empty as they entered. Ahead of them a large wall of rock stretched, and a small pool lay to the left. Dense woods ringed the other sides of the opening. Sarah felt as if she could hear every twig snap, every horse’s soft whinny as the group moved out into the open area.
Suddenly a tall, broad-shouldered man walked out onto the top of the cliff, twenty feet above them. A line of archers moved into view on either side of him, bows drawn. Reynald instantly put up a hand, and the group of soldiers as one pulled to a stop. Reynald then rode ten feet ahead of his troop, looking up at the figure.
“Charles, it has been a while,” he called up to the man. “It is good to see you.”
“I have left your world behind, Reynald,” warned Charles in a deep voice. “You do not belong here. Because you were once my friend, I will give you one chance. Leave now, and I will let you go in peace.”
Reynald shook his head. “You know I cannot do that, Charles.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice held a quiet poignancy. “What happened, Charles? We made a vow.”
Charles took a step forward, coming to the very edge of the cliff. “You have no right to talk to me of vows, of fairness,” he ground out, his voice hoarse. “I gave the best years of my life to the Templars. I spent months in the rain, in the mud, risking my life. What does life provide in return? My mother dies, alone, uncared for!”
He scowled and swept his hand. “I have formed a new clan with like-minded men. We will live in the woods, beholden to none, responsible solely for our own mouths.”
Reynald’s voice tinged with a harsh edge. “How about the men you killed at the wanderer’s camp? The innocent women you took captive?”
Charles shook his head in disagreement. “That was Bruce. He and I parted ways. Denis, too, is on his own. I have harmed no person – and I will not be ordered by the likes of you. I tell you again. Return to where you have come from. I am alone now.”
There was a movement to Sarah’s side, and Charles’s mouth fell open in shock. He staggered forward, his face going white.
Finally, he was able to make a sound. “Mother?”
In a second he was half scrambling, half falling down the slope, tumbling and running and crying out in joy as he sped toward Gertrude. She had dismounted, and her hard face had melted into softness as she opened her arms to her son.
They embraced in a tender sweep.
Several long minutes went by before Charles t
ook a step back from his mother, his face wet with tears. “But … I thought you were dead …”
Gertrude put a hand to her son’s face. “Not my body, dear child. Simply my soul. My faith had been reborn, and I entered a new life.”
Reynald walked toward the pair, his gaze shining. “Charles, your mother lives not far from here.”
Charles’ face glowed with a contented smile. “You live … You live …”
Without turning, he motioned his hand in the air. Behind him, twenty sets of bows slowly lowered to point toward the ground.
Gertrude’s face took on a more serious look. “Now, Charles, I hear you have some guests here.”
Charles reddened, and he glanced at Reynald for a moment before looking down again. “Those visitors were brought in by Bruce, and I did not question him on his aims. I know that I should have spoken up.”
He turned to his mother. “I lost direction when I thought I had lost you. I have done things that I am ashamed of.”
Her gaze did not waver. “The Lord is merciful. Now it is time to begin to undo that damage.” She motioned with a hand. “The guests?”
Charles nodded and turned. He called out toward the base of the cliff, “Release Bruce’s hostages!”
A few moments passed, and then individuals straggled out of an opening at the base of the cliff. The captives blinked as they emerged into the bright light.
Reynald scanned the women and children moving into the open. Suddenly he cried out with joy. He broke into a run, and in a moment he had swept up Abigail and her child into his arms, tenderly cradling them against his body.
“Oh Abby, are you all right?” He pulled back to carefully look her over, checking her from head to toe until meeting her eyes again.
Abigail’s eyes shone with relief. “Reynald, I knew you would come for me. We are fine, we are both fine,” she assured him. “They fed us well and never threatened us at all, not once we reached this base.” She glanced past Reynald to look at Charles. “Bruce was rough and loud, but Charles, that man over there, took good care of us. He checked in on us and made sure we were provided with food and water.”
