Chapter Sixteen
The morning after Bric had left with the army, Eiselle had awoken with a belly ache.
Given that her belly was usually quite sensitive, she didn’t give it much thought.
She tried to eat bread and cheese to soothe it, but that didn’t seem to help too much.
The cook had made porridge, so she had a little of that with honey, and that seemed to settle her belly right down.
At least it did for a little while. When nightfall came around, she was nauseous again and ate a big bowl of porridge to ease it.
She never mentioned her upset stomach to Keeva, or Zara for that matter, because she thought it was because she was worried for Bric.
She didn’t want the women to think she was being foolish and not brave.
If she was to be the wife of the High Warrior, then she was going to have to come to grips with the man going off to war.
It was easier said than done.
Two days after the army departed for Castle Acre, Eiselle awoke to more nausea.
She wasn’t feeling well at all and began to think that she must have eaten something that made her ill.
But she rose from bed, burping and uncomfortable, and proceeded to wash with warmed water and dress in a pretty blue garment that her mother had made for her.
In the warmer weather, the fabric was light, so it was an excellent choice on this day.
Even though there was some dew in the fields, she could tell that the day was to be a warm one simply because of the morning temperatures.
She had much to do on this day, and that was intentional.
She found that as long as she was busy, she had less time to worry.
She had started a new dress for Keeva using a gorgeous silk fabric that Keeva had purchased in Cambridge, and she was hoping to get a good deal finished on the dress.
In fact, Eiselle was earning something of a reputation as a master seamstress around Narborough and in addition to the several dresses she’d made for Keeva, she’d also made two for Zara.
She’d even instructed some of the servants on the techniques she knew for sewing, so now she had an army of seamstresses to help her.
In truth, Eiselle had never been happier.
She was married to a man she loved dearly and life at Narborough was pleasant and lovely.
She had a great friend in Keeva, and in Zara, and she would have been happy to include Angela in that group if the woman ever stopped being a hermit.
Eiselle was hoping that someday the woman would realize that she wasn’t doing her son any favors by permitting him to be such a terror, and would understand that any criticism had been meant to help her.
Not that Eiselle was an expert in children, but even she knew that children needed some discipline.
As the day progressed, she began to feel better, a condition that was spurred on when the old cook gave her fresh currant bread with honey.
The bread made her belly full and very happy.
Retreating to the ladies’ solar, which still reminded her very much of Bric since it had been his former chamber, she settled down with the crimson silk and stitched careful, tiny stitches into the bodice.
It was exacting work, because silk was difficult to work with, so she was patient with it.
It was a perfect project to pass the time and pretend she wasn’t thinking about Bric every moment of the day.
“Ah!” Manducor was suddenly standing in the solar door. “Here I find you, Lady MacRohan.”
Eiselle looked up from her stitching. “And I am sure you are surprised.”
Manducor grinned, his teeth yellowed with age. “Your movements are predictable,” he said. “If you are not in the hall or with Lady de Winter, then here you shall be.”
Eiselle couldn’t talk and stitch carefully at the same time. She set the garment in her lap. “So you have found me,” she said. “What can I do for you today?”
His old eyes twinkled at her. “Nothing,” he said innocently. “But I may be able to do something for you.”
“What?”
“It is possible I have seen a de Winter rider at the main gatehouse,” he said. “It is also possible that it is advance word that the army is returning.”
Eiselle wouldn’t let herself become too excited. “And it is equally possible that it is not,” she said. “The army only left three days ago.”
Manducor stepped into the chamber, eyeing the pitcher of wine on a table against the wall. He had a talent for finding the wine pitcher in any room he entered.
“Aye, they did,” he agreed. “But Lady de Winter has been called to the gatehouse. The odds are in our favor that the army is returning and she is being told.”
So much for Eiselle not becoming too excited. A smile flickered on her lips. “I suppose the battle wasn’t too far away, was it?”
Manducor shook his head. “It was not. Castle Acre is only sixteen miles away, so whatever happened must have happened quickly.”
Eiselle was encouraged by that. “Why did you not go with the army?” she asked. “Keeva said that Daveigh invited you to go. You are a former knight, after all. Why should you not go and fight?”
Manducor shook his head. “It was a very long time ago,” he said. “I no longer possess any mail or weapons. Besides, I would probably cut someone’s head off if I tried. Nay, lass, that is a past life for me.”
“Then mayhap you should ask Bric to practice with you. I am sure he would.”
Manducor poured himself some of the wine he’d been eyeing. Lifting the cup to his lips, he drank deeply.
“I am too old, Lady MacRohan,” he told her.
“I would prefer to remain here, away from battle, and then help when I am needed. I am quite versatile, in fact – I can help Weetley with the sick or injured, and I can also perform a mass or a blessing. I think that makes me a rather indispensable figure here.”
He sounded full of himself and Eiselle grinned, turning back to her sewing. “Tell that to Daveigh, not me,” she said. “He has let you remain this long, so I do not see why he would not permit you to be a permanent resident.”
“That is my intention, madam.”
“You like Narborough that much?”
“Let’s just say that I feel useful here. I feel as if I belong.”
Eiselle chuckled, shaking her head at the priest who refused to leave a good thing when he saw it. But she didn’t mind; she liked Manducor and she’d come to appreciate his wisdom. She considered him a friend.
“Then if you feel as if you belong, sit down and tell me some stories,” she said. “You can keep me company whilst I sew on Lady de Winter’s gown.”
Manducor was more than happy to plant his fat backside onto the nearest chair, making sure to stay within arm’s length of the wine pitcher.
“It will be my pleasure, Lady MacRohan,” he said. “What kind of stories would you like to hear?”
“Something with humor. Or even adventure.”
“How about bloody adventures?”
She made a face. “Don’t you dare!”
Manducor snorted. “No blood?”
“No blood!”
He grunted. “You have no sense of fun,” he said. He took another long drink of wine. “Humor and adventure, eh? Then let me tell you about my early days when I fostered. I come from a fine family, you know. One of the best in England.”
“Who?”
He cast her a quirky expression. “I will not tell you. You will have to wonder about that the rest of your life.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Well, you brought it up.”
“So I did.
Eiselle had to laugh at the man who was being both petulant and evasive on a subject he had introduced. She turned back to her sewing again.
“Tell me,” she said. “Where did you foster?”
“Okehampton Castle,” he said. “Seat of the de Courtenay family. Have you heard of them?”
Eiselle shook her head. “I have not,” she confessed. “Are you sure you won’t tell me your family name?”
“Mayhap someday. My family controls much of the northern Welsh Marches.”
“Are you Welsh, then?”
“I am English to the bone, lass.”
Eiselle didn’t ask any more questions. It seemed that Manducor didn’t want to discuss his family, only his life experiences.
He told of a mother who was reluctant to let him foster, so he wasn’t able to leave his family until he was much older than most boys.
He felt that held him back, but he also met his wife whilst he was fostering, when he’d seen ten years and four, or so he told Eiselle, and he spoke mostly of his wife as a young girl, a ward of his liege.
She was a lovely creature and he had been very much enamored with her.
It was a pleasant conversation on a pleasant day, hardly foreshadowing what was to come. Eiselle’s first hint of the darkness she was about to face came when Keeva entered the solar. She didn’t look at Eiselle; instead, her focus went to Manducor.
“Leave us,” she said quietly. “Go to the gatehouse and seek the sergeant in command, Roget. He will instruct you.”
Manducor immediately stood up, shuffling from the room as Eiselle looked at Keeva curiously. “What is the matter?” she asked. “Has he done something wrong?”
Keeva shook her head. She seemed subdued, unable to look Eiselle in the eye as she went to her and took her hand.
“Put the sewing aside,” she said quietly. “I must speak with you.”
Eiselle didn’t like the tone in her voice and her nervous stomach began to quiver. “You seem distressed. Has something…?” Her eyes suddenly widened and all of the color drained out of her face. “Dear God… Manducor told me of the rider at the gatehouse. Something has happened to Bric!”
Keeva grabbed hold of the woman before she could bolt from her chair. “Nay,” she said firmly. “Eiselle, Bric is not injured. But the rider has been sent ahead from the army, who is on its way back to Narborough. Bric is well, but something terrible has happened.”
Eiselle was so relieved that her husband was unharmed that she was starting to feel lightheaded. “What has happened, Keeva?” she begged softly. “What did the messenger say?”