The Faithful Heart

by Merry Farmer

  “Oh, he will be killed,” Matlock seethed. “They all will. And Windale will be razed to the ground!”

  Ethan took a step back, stumbling as his wounded foot took too much weight. “You can’t destroy Windale!”

  “Oh no?” Matlock arched an eyebrow at him. “Watch me.”

  “No!” Ethan did his best to face the man but was unable to stand straight. Lydia shared some of his anger. It wasn’t Windale she wanted destroyed. “I came here to seek your help in reclaiming Windale. For months, since my return, you have said you would lend your support to my cause. To go back on that now-”

  “Who are you?” Matlock sneered.

  “I am Lord Ethan of-”

  “Of what, exactly?” He stood towering over Ethan. “You are the pauper son of a father who got himself killed by a drunk peasant.”

  “Huntington killed my father!”

  “And how does that change things? You have nothing. You are no one. You’re just a beggar looking for a handout. There’s no difference between you and a man sitting in the gutter asking for bread.”

  Ethan stood as straight as he could. “I am a knight of England! I rallied to King Richard’s call and fought for him, for my country, and for God in the Holy Land!”

  “What good does that do any of us now?”

  “I risked my life, was wounded at Jaffa, so that men like you could enjoy prosperity and the blessings of the Holy Father!”

  “Who cares? You’re nothing now. You don’t even have that silly little fag of a manservant anymore.”

  “Toby is the best-”

  “I don’t know why I’ve tolerated your blatherings as long as I have,” Matlock cut short any further argument. “Your father was a friend, but you, Ethan, have done nothing but waste my time. You promised me men and support and you show up on my doorstep with a broken foot and a sob story. I don’t have time for your delusions of grandeur anymore.”

  Ethan’s jaw dropped, his eyes wide. A part of Lydia felt sorry for him. He had potential, but in the end he was nothing more than a pretty face. She brushed him off when he glanced to her for help. She was more interested in getting Matlock back on track for her revenge.

  “I don’t think even that lot is stupid enough to keep that much money anywhere but in the castle treasury,” she pushed on with her plan. “But if you want to attack someone-”

  “They may try to send the money directly to London rather than storing it at all,” Pennington spoke over her.

  “We’ll have to work fast then,” Matlock stuck to his plan. “We attack Windale at first light. We show no mercy. They’ll regret the day they turned against me!”

  “No! No you can’t!” Ethan backed away from them, face pale, eyes wide and wild. He turned and limped through the hall towards the front door as fast as he could.

  “My men are waiting along the Derby road where it meets the river,” Lydia ignored his flight. “But first things first.”

  The front door slammed shut. Ethan was gone.

  “Um, shouldn’t someone go after him?” Pennington scratched at his goatee. “I mean, if he’s as obsessed with this Windale place as he sounds surely he’ll warn them.”

  “Let him try,” Matlock thundered. “But I’ll send someone to silence him. He won’t be able to get far in that condition.” He started away from them towards the door.

  “No wait!” Lydia hadn’t come all this way to serve someone else’s goal. “You’re missing the point.”

  Matlock rounded on her. “I have no time to listen to a whore like you either.”

  She forced herself to swallow the insult. “What do you want to do, Lord Stephen?” she gambled everything. “Do you want to spend your energy attacking the earl’s manor over a few pieces of gold? Is it money you want or is it revenge?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t you want to cut the upstart peasant Jack Tanner down?”

  He crossed his arms and glared at her. “What do you suggest?”

  “Kedleridge.” She met him glare for glare, refusing to be intimidated. She had lost too much to back down now. “Attack Kedleridge instead of Windale.”

  “How will that help me?”

  “Take Jack out and Sir Crispin won’t stand a chance against you. If you let Ethan go he will rush to warn them. They will mass all of their forces at Windale. They will expect you to attack there. Attack Kedleridge instead. They won’t be ready. You can destroy it before anyone knows you’re there.” With any luck that bitch Madeline would be there to go down in flames at her own father’s hand. “Then, when they do send their forces to defend the ruins of Kedleridge, Windale will be weak enough for you to take the money.” It was the most brilliant plan she had ever thought of.

  Matlock knew it too. She could see it in his eyes even though he was slow to answer. “And what about you? What do you want from this whole thing?”

  Her heart pounded in her ears. “Give me a sword. I want to lead the charge and slit the throats of the ones who betrayed me.”

  Windale was a hive of activity. Madeline had spent most of the day keeping Aubrey from charging off across the hill to unload the carts in Kedleridge herself. Crispin and Jack had that task well in hand, but there was no telling that to Aubrey.

  “They need to hurry.” She frowned, standing in the middle of the storage barn where the money was being kept in Windale. “I don’t like having all this under my roof.”

  The last time Madeline had seen the treasure it had been spread out over tables and stacked floor to ceiling in a tent. Now it was carefully packed in strongboxes, loaded on carts and piled in the middle of the floor covered in tarps, but it was every bit as imposing. Toby and Joanna were still busy counting the contents of one of the carts.

  “I’d rather have it in the castle too,” Madeline agreed with her friend, “though I can’t help but feel that if we look like we’re rushing things it will attract all sorts of brigands.”

  “That’s what the army is for.” Aubrey shook her head and rubbed her belly, her face tight and worn.

  “Are you sure you’re feeling well?” Madeline asked. “Maybe you should lie down for a while.”

  “I’m fine,” Aubrey brushed her off.

  The rumble of carts and clop of horses outside the barn turned Madeline’s attention away from Aubrey. The two of them hurried to the barn door. A small procession of horses, men, and carts rolled towards them from the path over the hill.

  “Oy! Somebody order some carts?” Jack kicked his horse to a jog. He dismounted as he reached the barn and hopped over to scoop Madeline into his arms, planting a kiss on her lips. “Must’ve been my beautiful wife.”

  Madeline indulged in a hug before getting down to business. “Is there any way we can load up the carts and take them back to the castle tonight? Aubrey doesn’t want to delay.”

  “We can try.” Crispin reached them and dismounted, striding to Aubrey’s side. He glanced at the late afternoon sky. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to reload the carriages before nightfall though, and it would be folly to try to transport so much gold at night.”

  “The darkness might work to our advantage,” Tom put in his opinion. Madeline smiled in relief. It seemed he had found a place of some sort after all.

  “He makes a good point,” Aubrey nodded. “Having all this here makes me nervous.”

  Crispin considered their words. It tickled Madeline that the scowl he wore would have frightened her to bits only a few months ago but it now filled her with confidence. “Let’s start by sorting the treasure and loading the carts. We’ll see where we get by nightfall.”

  The men set to work. Jack had brought a few of Kedleridge’s strongest villagers to help them. They joined with the Windale men to line up the carts and load them with the heavy strongboxes. Madeline convinced Aubrey to walk aside and have a seat on the low wall that ran in front of Windale Manor to watch them work. Joanna and Toby joined them as the focus shifted to lifting and hauling.

  They hadn’t been working for mor
e than half an hour when a lone rider galloped over the rise from the Derby road. Madeline didn’t think much of the man at first until Toby leapt up with a sudden shout of “Ethan!”

  Madeline did a double-take. She jumped to her feet as Toby ran forward to meet his master. Aubrey pushed herself to stand, Joanna helping her. Even the men working near the barn stopped to see what the commotion was all about.

  “Gather the army!” Ethan shouted as he charged nearer. “Fortify the manor! Matlock and Lydia are planning to attack in the morning!”

  A jolt of old fear shot through Madeline. She raised a hand to her heart, staring at Ethan as he yanked his horse to a stop.

  “Ethan!” Toby stretched his arms up to help his master dismount. “I was so worried about you! I was beside myself! Don’t you ever run off without me again!” Ethan winced as he lifted his injured foot over the back of his horse and slid off into Toby’s waiting arms. Toby staggered under his weight and fought to keep his own balance as he helped Ethan to find his, hugging him like a long-lost child.

  “Matlock and Lydia and an army of men are on their way here,” Ethan reported, out of breath. He leaned on Toby and limped his way to where Jack, Crispin, and Tom were marching up from the barn.

  “What’s all this about?” Crispin demanded, crossing his arms. Jack and Tom stood on either side of him, imitating the gesture. Madeline wouldn’t have been Ethan for the world.

  “They’re coming.” Ethan faced them boldly. “I went to Matlock to….” His words died. He glanced around at the faces watching him, most of them hostile. True remorse painted deep lines in his travel-worn face. “Lydia arrived at Matlock when I was there,” he began again. “She says that you tricked her,” he glanced to Jack. “She’s out for revenge. She said that she has her own army of men. Matlock was more than willing to add his forces to hers. They plan to ride into Windale first thing tomorrow morning to level it to the ground and take back the money.”

  Madeline gasped. A similar dire reaction made its way through the rest of them. “You can’t let them do this!” Joanna exclaimed, split between glaring at Ethan and appealing to Crispin.

  “I have no intention of letting them so much as bend a blade of Windale’s grass,” Crispin took a step closer to Ethan. “If it’s true.”

  “It’s true,” Ethan sighed.

  “And why should I believe you?” Crispin crossed his arms. “For the last two years you’ve done everything in your power to discredit me and take Windale for your own. Why should I believe a word you say?”

  Ethan dropped his head. He leaned on Toby and raised a shaking hand to rub his forehead. “You have no reason at all to believe me,” he admitted, so quiet it was hard to hear him. He raised his eyes to meet Crispin’s. “But you know who I am. You know there is nothing in this world I care about more than Windale. Windale is in danger. I am telling you the truth. I would rather see another man as its savior than have it destroyed. You have to prepare for battle.”

  Crispin held his gaze. The two men stared each other down, years of suspicion and anger boiling into a single decision. Neither man was willing to break. For once they wanted the same thing.

  “Load the carts,” Crispin ordered his men, still looking at Ethan. “Load them and then drive them back into the barn.” He turned to address the others. “Send to Derby for as many soldiers as can be spared. We’ll set up whatever barricades we can around the village center. Arm the peasants and make them aware of the danger.”

  Ethan let out a sigh and leaned harder against Toby. “Let me do what I can to help.”

  “My lord, you should rest. Your foot-”

  “I’m fine.” He slapped Toby on the back and tried to stand on his own to prove the point. Toby wouldn’t let him go.

  “Take inventory of the weapons available,” Crispin ordered him. “Let me know what we need.”

  “What can I do?” Aubrey waddled forward.

  Crispin frowned at her. “You can keep out of the way.” He kissed her forehead and walked past her.

  “No!” she shouted after him. “My home is in danger! I’m not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs when you need my help.”

  Crispin sighed and turned back to her. “Aubrey, you’re eight months pregnant! What are you going to do that won’t harm our child?”

  “Our child will be fine. It’s the rest of our responsibilities that concern me.”

  Madeline stepped to her friend’s side and tried to pull her away. Crispin could still be intimidating when he had half a mind to be. He noticed her gesture and glanced past her to Jack, who had his head together with Tom and some of the workers.

  “Jack,” he called.

  “Oy!” Jack answered, breaking away from the group to join them.

  “Take Aubrey and Madeline and Joanna back to Kedleridge.”

  “What?” Jack protested as vehemently as Aubrey. “You need me here, mate.”

  “I need you to keep the women safe,” he argued. “They are far more valuable than any treasure.”

  “Yeah, but Simon can do it. I’d trust him with my life. Already have, come to that. You need me-”

  “I need you to do what you’re told!”

  Jack’s expression turned so dark that Madeline was tempted to drop Aubrey’s arm to rush over and hold his. “You need me here,” he glared at Crispin.

  Crispin sighed. “You can stay and help with the preparations. We could use an extra pair of arms until more men arrive from Derby. But once we’ve made preparations I am sending you to Kedleridge with the women.”

  “You can take Toby with you,” Ethan added.

  Toby protested, “Ethan, no! Let me stay here with you. Please.”

  Ethan shook his head. “You’ll be of more help in Kedleridge. I need you to watch Joanna for me.” Joanna yelped in offense but couldn’t come up with anything else to say. “Besides,” he glanced to Crispin, “we may need to call for reinforcements.”

  They met the statement with a growing sense of how dire the situation was. Even Jack glanced off as if considering the possibility.

  “Alright, I’ll go,” Toby muttered. “But if you need me, you call, alright?”

  Ethan smiled at him, a sadness in his eyes. “I will, old friend, I will.”

  “It’s settled then,” Crispin nodded. “Secure the money and get ready for a fight.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jack lay in bed as the pre-dawn birdsong and breezes blowing through the orchard drifted in through the shuttered window. He stared at the ceiling, eyes wide open, body tense as Madeline nestled against him. His hand stroked her arm as he rolled over all of the preparations they had made. Most of the army was positioned. Crispin was ready, complete with defensive strategy. When Lydia and Matlock showed up at Windale they would find themselves outnumbered and outsmarted. But they wouldn’t find him.

  He shifted, nudging Madeline and lifting her to lay on top of him so that he could find a more comfortable position for his throbbing back.

  “Jack, your heart is pounding,” Madeline whispered in a groggy voice.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re awake?”

  “Of course I’m awake,” she sighed, planting her hands on either side of his shoulders and lifting herself so that she could look down at him. “Who could sleep with you in the bed, tense as a tiger.”

  On any other morning her comment would have made him grin and try to kiss her and more. Instead he frowned and glanced away. “I should be at Windale.”

  “Then who would be here to protect us?”

  “Simon.”

  Madeline’s sleepy face softened into a compassionate smile. “I don’t want Simon to protect me,” she spoke in a low, trembling voice.

  He blinked as he looked up at her, eyes coming to life with affection, a flush staining her pale face. The concerns he had about Windale dissolved as slow grin spread across his face. He raised his arms and slid them around her back, pulling her closer to him. “I suppose I am very good at pr
otectin’ and all.”

  “Really?” she giggled low in her throat.

  “Yeah, I have a secret charm of protection an’ everything.” He slid his fingers up to her throat and wound the beads of his rosary around them. “Wanna hear it?”

  “Oh yes, please!”

  “Hail Madeline, full of grace….”

  “Jack!” She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Haven’t I told you before that that’s blasphemy?”

  He flipped her onto her back. “And haven’t I told you that that is never blasphemy?” He kissed her long and hard. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to be left out of the fighting after all. He rubbed his body along hers, pleasuring them both.

  A loud bump from downstairs made Madeline gasp and pull back. “What was that?”

  He didn’t care. “Probably just Simon.” He kissed his way down her neck to flick his tongue across her nipple.

  The sound of shattering glass caused them both to start. Jack wrapped his arms around her and sat bolt-upright, eyes wide. “That was not Simon.”

  They listened, hardly breathing. A door flew open somewhere on the first floor. Moments later there was another loud shattering of glass followed by Simon bellowing, “Fire!”

  Jack pulled Madeline to the side of the bed and stood with her still in his arms. He set her on the floor and dashed for his sword belt which lay across the top of the chest containing their clothes. “Get dressed,” he ordered as he buckled his belt around his waist, not bothering to put on more than the old shirt and drawers he’d slept in. He lunged for the door and threw it open, stepping into the hall.

  Already grey clouds of smoke rose up the stairs. The door across from his clattered open and Aubrey jumped into the hall, nightgown lose around her swollen belly, hair and eyes wild, sword in her hand. “What’s going on?”

  Jack didn’t have time to answer before another door burst open and Toby and Joanna rushed out. “The house is surrounded,” Toby told them as Madeline joined them, dressed in a shift. “We could see them out the window. They have torches and swords.”