Even as she looked through the books, she felt guilty. Guilt that her old nurse had instilled within her, that old woman who had believed in omens and demons and insisted that fae roamed the land. Ironically, the woman’s name had been Mother Mary, the name of Christ’s mother, the most holy woman in Christendom. But Mother Mary believed in the worst far more than she had faith in the good.
Thumbing through her books, she found six recipes that had to do with correcting blemished skin, but they were all for unsightly eruptions, which Dacia never had. She was looking for something specifically to remove or ease freckles. Towards the end of a book translated from an old Arabic treatise, she began to find what she was looking for. From Adnan, apothecary to Sultan Bakir ibn Faizon, she found several recipes.
Wheat flour, dragonwort, and vinegar, boiled together, and then smeared upon the skin shall remove blemishes and spots.
Or…
Buttermilk mixed with flour, applied as a paste, shall fade freckles.
Or…
Cut a lemon in half and rub the halves upon the skin to eliminate skin spots.
Dacia read all of the recipes she could find, but those three seemed to be the least radical. She drew the line at smearing the blood of her enemies on her freckles. She knew she could find the ingredients and was willing to give them a try. To the devil with her nurse’s superstitions and the guilt she had thrown over her charge like a weighted blanket. Dacia was going to shrug off that blanket, push past the superstition, and step out into the light.
All because Cassius de Wolfe had called her beautiful.
It was amazing what just a few words could accomplish.
Dacia knew where some dragonwort grew, down by the river’s edge, so she quickly changed out of the clothing she had worn all night and into something more functional. As two of the maids helped her, she donned a simple garment made from very fine lamb’s wool. It was the color of cornflower, almost the exact color of her eyes, gathered under the breasts and flowing freely below. It even had two big pockets sewn into it that Dacia’s maids had stitched honeybees on. With her hair in a braid and no veils on her face because she would slip in and out through the postern gate, Dacia left her maids behind and headed out to find the dragonwort.
It was, literally, the beginning of a new day.
“And you are certain of this, Cassius?” Doncaster said seriously. “A Flemish mercenary?”
In Doncaster’s solar that smelled of leather and smoke from a chimney that liked to back up into the chamber, Cassius faced an old man who suddenly looked older just in the course of the short conversation. Once he’d been told that what he thought was a manageable adversary had evidently hired professional and deadly soldiers in the land dispute, the lines on his face became ten years deeper.
“Am I certain that the bloody lion is Marcil’s banner?” Cassius said. “Aye, I am certain. But I was not here during the attack last night, so I did not see the tunics that du Bois and de Shera saw. However, they would not lie and they are not fools. I would trust them both with my life a thousand times over. If they said they saw Clabecq’s bloody lion, then they did.”
Doncaster looked as if he’d just been hit in the gut. He suddenly slumped, staring off into the chamber as he pondered what he’d been told. A mood seem to settle, something uncertain and edgy, and Cassius glanced at Darian, who lifted his eyebrows as if to confirm what they all knew.
They had a problem.
“I must speak to Hagg,” Doncaster finally said. “In the past, we were never enemies, but we were never allies, either. I must speak to the man and discover if this is the truth. This entire situation has gone far enough.”
It was clear by the expression on Darian’s face that he didn’t think that was a good idea. “Your grace,” he said, frowning. “If the man is hiring mercenaries, then it is past the negotiation stage. He means to destroy us.”
Doncaster shook his head. “There is always room for talking, Darian,” he said patiently. He looked up at the four big seasoned knights standing around him. “I am a man of peace. I have always been a man of peace. I keep a big army because I have much to protect, but to go to war? That is another matter altogether. If I can make peace with my neighbor through talking, then I shall do so.”
Darian looked at the man as if he had lost his mind. “He wants the disputed land,” he said. “At least, he did. Now he seems to want everything you have, too. How do you think he will agree to make peace, your grace?”
Doncaster eyed his knight, perhaps a bit unhappily. “Mayhap I shall agree to share the disputed land with him,” he said. “He cannot have it all, but I will share it.”
“But he may want more, your grace. What more are you willing to concede?”
Doncaster cocked his head thoughtfully. “I do not know,” he said. “I know that he has a son. If the lad is not married, mayhap a marriage will seal the peace. I have Dacia to bargain with, you know.”
“Nay!”
Both Darian and Cassius shouted the word at the same time before looking at each other in surprise. In fact, everyone was looking at them in surprise. Chagrinned, Cassius held up a hand.
“Your grace, a marriage to the son of the man who has been harassing you would only be condemning your granddaughter to a life of misery,” he said evenly. “I have seen marriages like that and it is the women who suffer. I am sure you do not wish your granddaughter to suffer. Moreover, if you marry her to Hagg’s son, he shall become the Duke of Doncaster. Is that who you want to entrust your legacy to?”
Doncaster seemed to ponder that suggestion as if he hadn’t considered it at all. Then he shook his head. “I suppose not,” he said. “But I will speak with Catesby nonetheless.”
Cassius, like Darian, didn’t think that was a good idea. He sought to drive that point home where Darian hadn’t.
“Your grace, he has already made his intentions known,” he said. “The Flemish mercenaries are here and even if you try to negotiate with Hagg, those mercenaries are going to want some kind of payment. Hagg may agree to peace, but the mercenaries will not and they will more than likely go on a rampage on your lands for what they will consider just compensation. This is not a situation where you can simply will peace to happen.”
“Then what do you suggest, Cassius?”
Cassius cleared his throat softly. “I realize you will not like my suggestion, but for your own sake, you must consider it, your grace,” he said. “You must reinforce your ranks and you must hit Hagg before his mercenaries have a chance to move on Edenthorpe. Destroying them is the only option at this point. If you do not, they will destroy you.”
Doncaster sat back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling as he mulled over the advice. He was an old man and, like most old men, all he wanted was peace. He wanted to sit in front of the fire and read his books, and not have to worry about his safety or the safety of his fortress. This conflict with Hagg had been both unexpected and unwelcome, and the fact that it was escalating did not please him.
Now, Edward’s Lord Protector was suggesting more military action.
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“I do not know if I want to strike first,” he finally said. “That makes me look like the aggressor. That is not how I want to live out the remainder of my life, as an aggressor attacking neighbors.”
Darian sighed sharply, struggling to keep from rolling his eyes. “But he attacked us first, your grace,” he said. “If you do not take Cassius’ advice, then we will suffer the consequences. This situation will not simply go away. Something must be done.”
Doncaster looked up at the host of faces around him. Three men that the king trusted implicitly and one that he trusted implicitly. All seasoned knights, highly trained warriors. They wanted him to fight. He didn’t want to fight. But he also didn’t want to lose his legacy to an envious neighbor and Flemish mercenaries.
Unfortunately, Vincent had never been a warrior. His father had been one, and his father before
him, but Vincent had been the scholar. He was at home with his books, not on a battlefield.
He was going to have to trust others for better advice than he could give himself.
After a moment, he simply shook his head.
“Very well,” he said, looking to Cassius. “I know that you were only meant to deliver Edward’s message to me and I have given my pledge of money and men to him, but now I need something from Edward.”
Cassius nodded smartly. “Anything, your grace.”
“I need you.”
Cassius blinked as if he didn’t understand the statement. “I… I am not sure what you mean, your grace,” he said. “I am sworn to Edward, so if you…”
Doncaster cut him off, though not harshly. He simply waved a hand. “Not permanently,” he said. “But at the moment, I need your might and the might of the knights you brought with you. I also need reinforcement from crown troops. There are some at Pontefract Castle and some at Tickhill Castle. Send for them and then you will remain to command them. In fact, you will command my army. Darian is a good knight, but he doesn’t have your battle experience. If we are to go to war, I want a de Wolfe in command.”
Cassius didn’t dare look at Darian. “Your grace, if I…”
“Do this and Edward can have anything he wants for his wars in Scotland.”
That stopped Cassius in his tracks. He stared at Doncaster a moment before sighing heavily. Truthfully, he didn’t have a choice. He knew Edward would want him to help his old ally if the man was requesting assistance, so declining wasn’t an option. In fact, if it got back to Edward that he was resistant, Edward would not be pleased. Not in the least.
If Cassius wanted to keep his position, he was going to have to do as Doncaster asked.
Damn…
“Very well, your grace,” he said, but it was clear that he wasn’t happy about it. “I will send to Pontefract and Tickhill. They are the closest. I will ask for half their numbers to reinforce your ranks.”
“Good,” Doncaster said, visibly relieved. “Bring all of those men here and when Hagg sees how big my army has become, he will think twice about turning the mercenaries loose. Mayhap a mere show of force will be enough to scare him off.”
“Except that the show of force cannot remain forever, your grace,” Cassius said quietly. “If I summon that many men, I must have free rein to do what I feel is necessary to protect the peace of Doncaster. Will I have this freedom, your grace?”
Doncaster hesitated a moment before nodding his head. “You will.”
There wasn’t much more to say after that. They all knew the stakes, and now Cassius had committed to remaining with Doncaster for the duration of the conflict.
So much for returning home.
With a nod to Doncaster and a long look to Darian, who was looking back at him with clear disappointment, Cassius quit the solar with Rhori and Bose on his heels. He managed to get out of the keep before he exploded.
“Damnation!” he boomed. “This was not part of my plan. I did not come here only to involve myself in another man’s war. But if I do not agree to his request, Edward will hear about it and there will be hell to pay. I cannot refuse the man and he knows it.”
Rhori sighed heavily. “I am sorry, Cass,” he said. “I know how badly you want to see your grandmother. She’s just going to have to wait a little longer.”
Cassius threw his arms up in the air in frustration. “The woman is in her ninth decade,” he fumed. “She does not have all the time in the world. I swear upon my oath, if my grandmother passes away while I am wasting my time with Doncaster’s foolishness, then Doncaster need not fear Marcil Clabecq. He will have to fear me because I will burn this bloody place to the ground.”
He was stomping around angrily, expending his rage. Rhori and Bose let him. Cassius had spent the past three years without a rest of any kind and now he’d been forced into another man’s war just when rest was within his reach. He had every right to be angry.
It was Bose who finally stopped him from stomping around, putting his hands on Cassius’ shoulders to stop his pacing.
“Then let us make short work of this,” he said. “Think, Cass – send word to Pontefract and Tickhill Castles, just as you told Old Cuffy. Get those men here and then we’ll merge them with the Doncaster army and obliterate Catesby Hagg. Doncaster said he would give you full control, so the sooner you destroy Hagg, the sooner you can leave.”
Cassius was still twitching. “Stupid, ridiculous old men,” he muttered. “And what about him putting me in command right in front of Darian? How do you think that made de Lohr feel? If I were him, I’d be bloody furious.”
“Then you find Darian and apologize to him,” Bose said steadily. “Tell him you did not mean to usurp his command, that you happily defer to him in all things. And then just do what you want, anyway. But make him feel as if he had part in the decision making. I’ve seen you do this, Cass. You’re a master.”
Cassius sighed sharply, struggling to push down his temper. He focused on Bose’s words. The man was making sense. Taking a deep breath, he smiled weakly.
“That was the Scots side of me raging like a madman, you know,” he said. “I get that from my mother and grandmother.”
Bose grinned. “What about the Viking side?”
Cassius shrugged. “That side wants to raid the countryside, burn villages, and steal women,” he said. “I keep that side well restrained.”
Bose laughed softly. “I hope not too restrained,” he said. “You must let it out for the battle against Marcil if we are to win this quickly. We need your mighty sword, Cass.”
Cassius’ smile faded. “It will be unleashed, I assure you,” he said. Then he took a deep breath to steady himself and looked off towards the stables. “I suppose I should find my dog and make sure he is fed before I take a few hours’ sleep. I did not sleep all night.”
Relieved that he was calming down, Bose waved him on. “Go,” he said. “Find that stupid dog. Du Bois and I will be in the hall, finding something to eat. It was a long night for us, too. Do you want me to send word to Tickhill and Pontefract?”
Cassius nodded. “If you would, please,” he said. “Do it before the day is out. I’d like to get this over with as soon as we can.”
“I’ll make sure the messengers go out within the hour.”
Cassius merely lifted a hand before heading off towards the stables. With missives being sent, he was focused on other things. He wanted to check on his horse to make sure the animal was well-fed and bedded down, and he knew the dog would be somewhere around the horse.
But he was wrong.
A hunt for Argos went on for fifteen minutes until he finally found a stable servant and asked if the man had seen a big gray dog about. The man had, pointing to the postern gate. It seemed that Lady Dacia and the dog had gone back to the river.
With a frown, Cassius followed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
That silly dog was following her again.
Dacia had been nearly to the postern gate when the dog came out of nowhere, wagging its tail and licking her hand. At first, she was greatly annoyed, but that annoyance fled because the dog, for all of his ridiculousness, really was a sweet animal. Happy, too, especially when he was pushing young women into the river. Dacia did like dogs, but she wasn’t entirely sure what to make of Argos.
He belonged to Cassius, after all.
Still, the dog seemed to like her quite a bit.
He followed her as she passed through the postern gate, which was guarded after last night’s raid. She was in full view of the soldiers who were at the gate as she and the dog headed down to the river’s edge.
It was a bright spring morning, not too cold, and the grass was wet with dew. She was looking for the tall, slender bushes that grew wild in a land where so many other flowers and grasses grew wild. Around the River Don, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of heavy foliage of all kinds, and she began to hunt for the dragonwort, pulling
apart bushes, looking around the base of the earthworks that formed some of the defenses of Edenthorpe.
The dog wandered around behind her, sniffing around, running over to the river and peering into it. There were a great deal of water fowl in and around the river and as Dacia finally found what she thought was a small dragonwort bush, Argos managed to catch some kind of small water bird with a great deal of noise and splashing.
When she looked over at him, he had killed it and was already starting to eat it, feathers and all. But it didn’t take him long and as she pulled out a small knife to cut through the long, slender branches that contained the dragonwort, he wandered over to where she was and plopped down beside her. She glanced over at the animal in time to see him burp up some black feathers.
“God’s Bones,” she said distastefully, turning back to her task. “You are a brutal and disgusting creature. Do you know that?”
“So I have been told.”
Startled, she turned to see boots next to her, shielding her eyes from the sun and looking up enough to see that Cassius was standing next to her. Quickly, she looked back at her task, a reflex action so he couldn’t see her uncovered face.
It was purely habit.
“I did not mean you,” she said, her heart racing furiously. “I meant your dog. He just ate a bird.”
“That is because he is hungry,” he said. “I went to the stable to find him so I could feed him and was told he had gone with you.”
Dacia shook her head. “He did not go with me,” she said. “I came out here and he simply followed. I have no control over him.”
Cassius put his hands on his hips, looking down at his dog. “Clearly, you do and you do not even realize it,” he said. “He seems to like you a great deal.”
Dacia continued to cut and tug, turning her head slightly and still seeing his boots standing there. As she tried to ignore her wildly thumping heart, she reflected on the evening before and the very reason why she was out here.
WolfeSword: de Wolfe Pack Generations Page 11
