by Alexa Aston
Heading back to the keep, she decided to speak to Hobart since Campion was busy with their soldiers. Her gut told her he would not approve of her checking up on him, much less learning what he’d directed Hobart to do.
Cassiana went directly to the records room and found Hobart hunched over a parchment, scribbling away.
“Am I interrupting?”
The steward looked up. Something in his eyes made her wary. She shut the door and sat in the chair before his massive desk.
“Campion is in the training yard so you may speak freely. Tell me about the correspondence he wanted sent out so quickly.”
Hobart’s distress was evident. “My lady, you won’t like it.” He shook his head. “I’ve spent all day copying the same message he dictated to me to go out throughout Northumberland. To every noble family, great and small.”
“What message? Tell me.”
“Collin Campion seeks a husband for you. And plans to sell you to the highest bidder.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Landon cantered into Old Smotley, the nearest village to Newfield. He didn’t want to head directly to the castle. He would see what he could learn from the residents in this fishing village, remembering Cassiana’s motto that knowledge is power. The more he knew about the situation before he visited Newfield, the better.
During the long hours of riding south, he wondered who he might confront at the castle. If anyone would be willing to speak to him, much less confirm anything Sir Baldwin had told him about Lord Darwin’s time at Newfield. More than anything, he wished to hear about the mysterious Lady Juetta.
He saw several fishing boats some distance from land as he rounded a corner in the road and came upon a row of cottages, followed by a small shop, an inn, and a blacksmith’s shed. He decided to start with the blacksmith first and steered his horse in that direction. Landon regretted not learning the name of Nicholas’ horse before he’d set out on this journey. He was still grateful to his brother-in-law for providing him a mount. He knew both Nicholas and Katelyn worried about him. His sister didn’t need to suffer any anxiety in her present condition. Landon could only pray his situation would soon be resolved so that he could send word to Northmere.
“Greetings,” a burly man with a thick, blond beard called as Landon approached.
He swung from his horse. “I’m journeying to London and hoped that you might have a moment to look at my horse’s front left hoof. I want to make sure the shoe fits properly since I have such a long way to go. It seemed to be troubling him some for the last mile or so.”
“I can look at all four, my lord.” The blacksmith lay down his hammer and came forward as Landon looped his reins around a post.
The smithy lifted each hoof and inspected it thoroughly. “They’re all in good condition but I’d have someone look at them once you reach your destination. ’Tis a long way to go and can be rough on a horse’s hooves to travel so far.”
“This is a beautiful area,” noted Landon. “Did you grow up here?”
“Aye. And I’m raising two fine children here, a boy and a girl, four and two.”
“I passed what I believe is Newfield a few minutes ago. I recently met the baron at a wedding.”
“Did you now?” The blacksmith entered his shed.
“Aye. Someone accompanied him. I can’t remember if he said it was his son or not.”
“The baron’s son is away, fostering south of here. ’Twas probably his bastard you met. Collin.”
“Aye, that was the name. His bastard, you say?”
The smithy shrugged. “He claimed the boy as his but who knows? I heard from others, many years ago, that Collin was the brat of Lord Reynard’s sister. The baron’s raised him alongside his own son and two daughters.”
The conversation died and Landon decided he would gain nothing further by staying.
He passed a coin to the man. “Thank you for looking at my horse. Is there any place nearby for a quick meal?”
The blacksmith pointed across the street. “The inn. My sister wed the innkeeper and she does all of the cooking. Mary’s a better cook than our mother ever was.”
“Then I will stop and eat there before I’m on my way. Again, I thank you. Might I leave my horse here?”
“Of course, my lord.”
Landon ventured across the street and entered the inn. Only one other man sat at a table, sopping bread into the remains of a bowl.
“Good afternoon, my lord. Are you here for a meal or to stay the night?” a friendly voice called out.
He turned and saw a plump woman with the same blond hair of the blacksmith and said, “You must be Mary. Your brother told me you’re a fine cook and I’m a hungry man. I’ll eat anything you prepare as long as there’s plenty of it.”
Looking pleased, she said, “Have a seat, my lord.”
Landon sat at the table perched next to the fire. Mary brought him a large tankard of cold ale and promised to return soon. When she did, it was with a side of mutton and a fragrant stew of cod, along with pears and cheese and an entire loaf of bread. By this time the other man had left, leaving only the two of them.
“Please, Mary, join me while I eat. I’m traveling alone to London. ’Twould be nice to share some company before I’m off again.”
She sat on the bench opposite him and began chatting about the weather and people in the village. Landon allowed her to go on and as she grew more comfortable, he started asking a few questions. Finally, he steered her toward discussing the people at Newfield.
“Ah, Newfield’s a big place. My cousin works in the keep as a servant.”
“What does she say about the family? I recently meet Lord Reynard and his son, Collin, at a wedding up north.”
Her nose curled in distaste. “Lord Reynard is hard to please and that’s on a good day. The baroness is much kinder, as are her son and daughters. But Collin Payne?” Mary snorted. “He’s vicious, that one. And not Lady Druscilla’s son, if you get what I mean.”
“He’s Lord Reynard’s bastard?”
“Aye. Brought up alongside his true children. The baroness had no say in that. Rumor has it the boy’s actually Lord Reynard’s nephew.”
“Is that so?”
Mary shrugged. “My cousin tells me of a room at the top of the turret. No one’s allowed in it to clean. Only Lady Druscilla and one old servant come and go from there. From what I gather, Collin Payne spent time up there when he was young. Not so much once he grew older. He’s probably a score and five or six now. My cousin says he never goes to the turret anymore and has never spoken about it.”
“Interesting,” Landon mused.
He allowed Mary to talk more about her cousin and Newfield but learned nothing else useful.
Putting a last bite in his mouth, he sighed. “That was truly a fine meal, Mary. I’m glad your brother pointed me in your direction but I must be on my way. If I ever come north again, I will be sure to stop in Old Smotley simply to dine on your food.”
She blushed. “Thank you, my lord.”
Landon gave her a coin and a smile and left the inn. He retrieved his horse and continued through the village before doubling back and heading north again toward Newfield. He stopped in the woods and changed into his other tunic, not nearly as fine as the one he’d worn for his wedding. He wanted to appear more messenger than nobleman, though he was sure he’d be viewed as the knight he was. Once he reached the gates, he called up to the gatekeeper.
“I come from Briarwood and bring a missive for Lady Druscilla from Lord Reynard,” deliberately not providing a name but knowing by using both the baron and baroness’ names, he should be granted entrance.
As expected, the gates opened and he rode through.
The gatekeeper shouted, “Take your horse to the stables to be watered and fed. The keep is half a mile to the north of there.”
“My thanks.”
Landon found the stables and handed his horse off and then set out to the keep. Once inside, he expl
ained to a passing servant who he was and why he was there.
“Follow me, my lord,” she said after giving him a saucy smile.
They went upstairs and the servant knocked upon a door. When bidden to enter, she did so, signaling him to remain in the hallway. Moments later, she opened the door and ushered him inside as she left.
Landon saw a plain woman of two score sitting by the fire, her sewing in her lap. No one else was present, which suited his purpose.
“I’m told you have a missive for me.” She set the sewing aside and held out her hand.
“I have no written message, Lady Druscilla,” Landon began. “Actually, I’ve come for answers.”
The noblewoman didn’t look frightened. Instead, she appeared curious as she studied him.
“My best guess is that you are Lord Landon de Blays, former Earl of Briargate.”
His pulse jumped. “You are quite astute, my lady.”
She smiled. “I wasn’t expecting you, my lord. ’Tis a bold move on your part.” Her eyes, a lively blue, sparkled. “Have a seat,” she directed. “I look forward to what you have to say.”
Landon did as asked and said, “You did not accompany your husband and Collin Campion to Briarwood.”
“Nay. I wasn’t asked and wouldn’t have gone if offered the chance. Why would I wish to see you robbed of what is rightfully yours?”
“You know this to be true?”
Lady Druscilla shrugged. “I’m happy to share what I know with you. My husband and Collin are dishonest men. Bastards of the worst kind. In Collin’s case, quite literally.”
Landon leaned forward. “I have so many questions, my lady, but I’m going to sit and let you speak.”
“That calls for wine.”
She stood and went to the table, pouring them both ample amounts in intricate pewter cups and then bringing the cups back with her. Offering him one, he took it and waited eagerly to hear what she might reveal.
“You might wonder why I’d be willing to speak openly to a stranger, especially when it smacks of disloyalty to my husband. Lord Reynard is a vile man. I’ve suffered under his heavy hand for more years than I can count. If I can help you reclaim what belongs to you and see him and Collin suffer, then I am the true winner in this game.”
The noblewoman settled back into her chair, her wine in hand.
“Reynard has a twin sister. Juetta, Collin’s mother. He and Juetta have always been close. From the beginning, though, something was off about Juetta. As she grew older, the family thought it wise to isolate her from others. She had a raging temper and would laugh uncontrollably for hours. Eventually, they settled her in a room in the north turret and charged a servant with her care. Juetta never appeared in public. Naturally, rumors ran rampant. I can tell you, she’s quite mad.”
Landon wondered why the baroness spoke of her sister-in-law as if she still lived, knowing the woman had died shortly after giving birth to Collin.
“Reynard always spent time with her. Being twins, they were close. Juetta decided that she wanted a child. Of course, by the time she was of age to wed, her parents knew she was mad and decided not to betroth her to any man. Juetta and Reynard hatched some plot between them. This was a year before I came to Newfield but after living here all the years, I’ve learned the bones of their scheme.
“Juetta used to watch exercises in the training yard and chose the man she wanted to father her child.”
“Darwin Campion,” uttered Landon.
The baroness nodded. “Reynard put something in the Sir Darwin’s cup. Who knows what or how he got it. Nevertheless, he brought—more likely, dragged—Sir Darwin to his sister’s bedchamber in the hopes that a child would result from their coupling. It did. From all accounts, Sir Darwin left Newfield shortly after this illicit encounter and never returned, probably none the wiser.”
Landon frowned. “Your husband told us that Lord Darwin wed his sister, my lady. That Darwin returned to claim his wife after he gained his earldom and that he found Juetta had died in childbirth. Lord Reynard admitted lying to the earl and telling him that the babe—Collin—had died, too. The baron said he missed his sister dreadfully and wanted to keep a part of her with him.”
Lady Druscilla sniffed. “What rubbish! I had wed Reynard by the time Juetta gave birth to Collin. Darwin Campion never set foot at Newfield and he never knew about the child. My husband and Collin lied to you about that.”
She leaned forward. “That wasn’t the only falsehood that came from his lips, Lord Landon. Juetta Payne is alive. I know—because I am her jailer.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Landon’s mouth gaped as he absorbed what the noblewoman revealed.
Lady Druscilla drained her cup of wine and set it on the table. “I would offer to take you to see her but she is hostile to any visitors. Only a servant who has cared for her from childhood and I enter her turret room these days.”
“Lady Juetta never leaves there?”
“Never. I bring her meals. Try to bathe her when she lets me. She’ll go for weeks and rarely speak, making guttural sounds from howls to whimpers. Occasionally, she’ll become quite talkative but her mind has deteriorated over the years.”
“What . . . what kind of a mother was she to Collin?” Landon asked, wondering what it would be like for a child to be locked in a room with a mother gone mad.
“Childbirth was a greater ordeal to Juetta than most women. I tried to tell her what to expect but she wouldn’t listen. Once she gave birth to Collin, she wanted nothing to do with him for the first few days. Finally, I convinced her to feed him so her milk wouldn’t dry up.” She sighed. “Juetta seemed to enjoy him when he was a babe. It was as if she played with a doll. She would dress and undress him, over and over. Feed him. Comb his hair. As he got older and less manageable, she lost interest in him.”
The noblewoman stood and returned with the wine, pouring herself more. When she offered him more, Landon waved her away, wanting to concentrate on the rest of her tale.
“I gave birth to my first child three months after Collin was born. I would take my daughter to the turret room and rock her. Sing to her. I tried my best to show Juetta what a mother should do but the babe she thought she wanted was more trouble than she’d imagined. And then the day came when I finally had to take Collin away from her.”
Lady Druscilla took another sip of wine to fortify herself. “The boy was almost two and growing very stubborn. I’d had hot water brought up so Juetta could bathe him. I remember I had a fierce cough that had settled into my chest. I turned away, coughing up phlegm, and heard Collin splashing wildly. By the time the coughing spell ended and I looked back, I saw Juetta held him under the water, trying to drown him. He was flailing—not splashing.
“That was when I brought him into the nursery downstairs. Collin never returned to Juetta’s care again.”
Landon couldn’t imagine a mother trying to murder her own babe but he’d never known anyone unbalanced as Lady Juetta was.
“On occasion, Reynard and I would bring Collin to visit Juetta. The boy was terrified of her and, frankly, she didn’t seem to care if he came to see her or not. When Collin turned seven, he told Reynard and me that he no longer would see her. That his mother was dead to him.”
She rubbed her eyes. “That was about the time Juetta’s anger began to rage out of control. She no longer wanted Reynard to stop by and visit with her. She would become feral if he or anyone else came and we had to restrain her many times. She does tolerate me for some reason and her old nursemaid. Nowadays, we are the only two who ever see her. Even then, it takes much out of me.”
They sat in silence a few minutes. Landon had trouble taking in everything that had been said.
Finally, he asked, “Can you tell me about the priest that accompanied your husband and his nephew? I’m wondering why a man of the cloth would blatantly lie about performing a marriage between Lord Darwin and Lady Juetta.”
“I can tell you that Father B
ennett hasn’t left Newfield. He is the only priest we’ve had since I’ve been at Newfield. Describe this priest.”
Landon recalled Sir Baldwin mentioning the same name of Father Bennett, which confirmed the knight’s memories.
“He was on the short side. Balding. About two score, with a small scar above one eyebrow. Father Barnard was his name.”
She rolled her eyes. “That was no priest, Lord Landon. ’Twas our assistant steward playing the role of one. Barnard vanished when my husband and Collin went north to Briarwood. He returned earlier today. When I asked him where he’d gone off to, he grew nervous and said he’d been on secret business for my husband.” She thought a moment. “Did he produce any kind of proof that the wedding had taken place?”
“He did,” Landon confirmed. “I’m ashamed to say none of us asked to read the document he produced. We took him at his word, believing him to be one called to God.” Anger coursed through him. “Did your husband plan all along for Collin to try and force his way into a false inheritance?”
Lady Druscilla grew thoughtful. “I don’t think so. At first, he was merely pleased to have the boy. We raised Collin with our three children. He even carried the last name of Payne. Reynard put out that Collin was his bastard but those who’d known Sir Darwin could see how much the boy favored him. Most people guessed Juetta was Collin’s mother. It’s been an open secret at Newfield for many years.”
She stood and began pacing the room. “My husband has not been a good manager of Newfield. He also has huge gambling debts. I believe the scheme to pass Collin off as Lord Darwin’s legal heir began to formulate a few years ago, when Reynard’s gambling began to rage out of control. Somehow, Reynard must think that Collin will pay him back for the kindness he showed the boy in raising him as his own son.” Lady Druscilla shook her head in sorrow. “It will never happen.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I fear Collin is touched by his mother’s madness. Oh, he’s not totally unhinged as she is. His temper, though, is volatile. The smallest thing can set it off. He has Juetta’s arrogance and unpredictability, as well. Once he gains control of his own estate, he will quickly turn his back on my husband. Collin has always thought of himself, first and foremost.”
