Chapter Ten #2
“You know your lady well,” William said in a kind tone. He liked households where the serving staff genuinely cared for the family. It meant they had been treated well, and that said a great deal about the earl and his clan.
“I have known the lass her whole life,” he said. “Loved her even when she stole buns from the kitchen.”
“She thinks you didn’t know it was her.”
“And I intend to keep it that way if ye please, m’lord. I have spent many delightful moments remembering her giggles as she ran off, treat in hand.”
William placed his hand over his heart. “She will never hear it from my lips.”
“I thank ye, m’lord. Now, I will have all of this sent up to yer chamber immediately. Is there aught else I can offer ye, m’lord?”
William shook his head. “No, thank you, Connor. You are a gem in this household, to be sure.”
William loved the way the man’s chest puffed from the praise. He left him and the kitchen to go in search of her father whom he presumed would be up and about as well.
Finding him in the hall, he approached and spied that he too preferred an early plate. He stopped eating and wiped his mouth when William entered.
“You caught me,” he said with a small laugh.
“Not at all, Hugh, keep eating.”
“Thank you,” he said. “By the time the ladies are ready for the real morning meal, my stomach would have eaten itself. I trust my daughter is well this morn?”
“Aye, that she is and I have just come from the kitchen where water has been warmed for her bath and a platter of food readied to send up. I will leave her to some peace and check on her in a while.”
“Then you can join me and share some of this with me. No need for you to wait either.”
“How fared the entertainment after?”
“It was a wonderful time, but we saved your surprise for this evening as I am sure you would wish.”
“Does your wife know about it?”
“No, I could barely keep her from telling everyone about the whittled figures. I knew Agnes always enjoyed those stories, but I didn’t know quite how much until you mentioned it.”
“You should have seen her off in her own fantasies practically telling these tales by expression alone. I knew it was a special part of her growing up here so close to the sea.”
“Aye, ’tis fairly remote. Her mother and I had little interest in court. We are happy securing the king’s interest here in the north as there are many who would oppose him, as you now know.”
“That I do. You are sure none of the men listed in the missives are close at hand and can get to her?”
“I am as certain as I can be,” Hugh said. “I have sent scouts and I have spies in particular towns to watch the comings and goings.”
“I am pleased to hear it. I too have sent direction for the same.”
“How long do you intend to stay?”
“I will speak with my wife about that today. I appreciate the security of this castle, but I know how to defend my own.”
“I can appreciate that. This castle is impenetrable. And we are stocked here so we could sustain a siege for a year if need be.”
“All respect intended, Hugh. I do not intend to be anywhere under siege for a year. This business will be taken care of and soon. The king and those loyal to him will see to it.”
Hugh put his hands up. “Ye’ll get no argument from me. But I’m here to tell you these rebels are ferocious in their belief that the king is false and that he should be eliminated together with his English wife.”
William didn’t doubt that for a second, but a handful of men was no match for the king’s guard and the forces his allies could raise to defend him. And he would protect his family with his own life if need be.
He thought back to Agnes’s words from earlier. Did she have some sense of what was to come? He would keep her safe. It was a vow he’d made to her, to himself, and now to her father.
“You do not ever have to worry about the security of your daughter when we leave this place,” he said. “I will never let anything happen to her.”
“I am glad to hear that, William. Now eat some food and let us lighten the mood for the day. I would like to take you on a tour of these lands this afternoon. Perhaps then you will have a better understanding of the degree to which the natural landscape protects us here at Grinigoe. And what the landscape does not protect, the sea does.”
He was coming to know these people to have a deep belief in myth and legend.
In the far reaches of the north coast and relatively isolated, he supposed it was natural for stories to emerge fueled from the unknown and an environment that could be harsh.
It was believable that folks could cling to superstition; if I toss the salt to the left, I won’t be whisked away at night by some unseen force.
The story he’d made up for Agnes and her reaction to it was proof that this was an important part of her heritage, and he couldn’t wait to see her reaction when she received the biggest surprise he had devised for her.
William finished his meal and thanked Hugh for his hospitality and advice. The man was to be respected and trusted, so he would heed his words well in addition to knowing his own mind. They would weather this threat.
The biggest issue for him was how to keep Agnes from understanding the full extent of it. He would not have her living in constant fear or looking over her shoulder. Nay, he would keep her entertained and ensure she enjoyed every moment of their wedding festivities.
When he returned to their chamber, he found her bathed and brushing her long hair by the fire.
The platter was empty save for a few crumbs and she wore only her shift.
She beamed at him when he entered and his heart squeezed tight.
She was his prize. His gift for living in this world and nothing would take that from him.