Chapter Six #2
Markus flipped up his three-point visor, of the latest style.
“There are a few taverns towards the northern end of town,” he said.
“A brief perusal told me that none of them were fit for Lady de Wilde, if you get my meaning, but there is one place, a smaller place off the main road, called The Greene and The Glory that does not seem to be overflowing with whores.”
Trenton cocked an eyebrow. “I suppose we have little choice,” he said, glancing up at the sky as dark clouds gathered. “Did you secure a room?”
“I secured three. I did not know how many you wanted.”
Trenton nodded. “Wise,” he said. “I shall take a room and the ladies can take another. Will you take the third or will you sleep with the men?”
Markus’ gaze drifted over to the group now beginning to filter into the livery yard. “That crew?” He shook his head. “Even if there was not a third room, I would not sleep with them.”
Trenton looked at them. “But they are your men.”
Slowly, Marcus shook his head. “Make no mistake, my lord,” he said, lowering his voice. “They are de Wilde’s men. They think like him and they behave like him. It is like having an army of misfits.”
Trenton had suspected much the same thing, but hearing de Aston’s opinion only confirmed his observations. “As long as they obey your commands, I suppose an army of misfits is better than no army at all,” he said. “Take Lady de Wilde and her daughters to the tavern. I will be along shortly.”
Markus nodded sharply and headed towards the wagon, which was just rolling by at this point. He spoke to the two men driving the team, pointing down the road to the northern end of the town. Just as the wagon began to pick up speed, Trenton could hear someone calling his name.
“Sir Trenton!” It was Brencis. “Can I come with you to the stables, please? Sir Trenton!”
It would have been very easy not to hear her plea, but Trenton couldn’t seem to ignore the child.
She was sweet, and eager, and her all-consuming love for horses was somehow growing on him.
He knew she probably wanted to see the other horses in the stable and he honestly couldn’t think of a reason to deny her.
She wouldn’t be much trouble, he didn’t think, as he settled Dewi into a stall.
He could handle one little girl. With a sigh, perhaps one of resignation, he reined Dewi over towards the wagon.
When Markus saw him coming, he uttered commands to the men driving the team, and the wagon lurched to a halt. Brencis was standing on the edge, waving Trenton over, and he simply reined Dewi next to the wagon bed and scooped her up with one enormous arm. His focus was on Lysabel.
“I will see you at the tavern,” he told her. “Brencis and I have a horse to settle.”
Words of denial were on Lysabel’s lips, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter them.
Brencis was giddy with delight and Trenton didn’t seem too annoyed at her request, so she simply smiled and nodded her head, knowing that any such refusals at this point would only see a hysterical daughter.
As the wagon proceeded forward once again, Lysabel’s last glimpse of Trenton and Brencis was as the man settled the little girl across his lap and held tightly to her.
But Brencis wasn’t going anywhere. She was exactly where she wanted to be and nearly delirious with delight as she was permitted to ride in front of Trenton astride his big warhorse.
She held tight to the arm that was around her, holding her steady as they entered the livery yard where the men were gathering.
A few words from Trenton had the men moving over to the north side of the yard and away from the corral with horses in it, and he proceeded to enter the livery itself, a great stone structure with a heavily-thatched roof.
The livery inside was far less busy than outside. In fact, there were only a few animals in the cool, quiet interior and as Trenton entered, a round man in well-mended clothing approached him.
“Lodgings for your horse tonight, my lord?” he asked.
Trenton nodded. “My horse and a few others,” he said, gesturing towards the gang of men outside the livery.
“Those are my men and they may need to seek a roof over their heads if the rains come, so I will pay you for the privilege. Most of the men are on foot but there are a few mounted soldiers, and we will need to feed those animals as well.”
The livery man nodded, eyeing Dewi, whose head was nearly as long as the man’s body. “He’s a big one, my lord,” he commented. “Since he’s muzzled, I’ll assume he bites?”
“Quite happily.”
“Will you unmuzzle him so I can feed him?”
Trenton lifted Brencis up and handed her over to the livery man, who quickly took the child and set her to her feet. “Aye,” Trenton replied as he dismounted. “As long as you feed him, he shouldn’t snap at you, but be advised that he has a foul temper at times. Brush him and water him, too.”
The livery man simply nodded. “I’ve been in business for thirty years,” he said. “I’ve seen plenty of foul beasts come through here.”
Trenton smiled, but it was without humor. “I can only imagine how true that is,” he said, removing a glove so he could extract coins from his coin purse. He pulled out several, placing them in the man’s palm. “Just be cautious around my horse and you should survive intact.”
The man looked at the coins in his hand; it was a good deal of money. “Thank you, my lord,” he said sincerely. “Put your horse over here.”
He was indicating a particularly warm and cozy corner with a small window for ventilation.
As Trenton led Dewi over to the corner that smelled heavily of hay, the livery man followed along, unstrapping the enormous saddle and pulling it free of the horse.
It ended up slung over the side of the stall as Trenton pulled his horse into the warm, dry area and removed his bridle, tying a rope into the halter he wore to secure him.
He glanced around, looking for Brencis, who seemed to have strangely disappeared.
So once the rope was secure and the livery man was pouring water into the horse’s bucket, he left the stall to hunt down the child.
It didn’t take him long to find her.
She was standing in a stall next to the entrance with a small white pony, hugging the animal and whispering to it.
Trenton could hear her as he came up, and she was telling the pony much of the same things she had said to Dewi, only the pony was far more docile.
As he came to the edge of the stall, a smile on his lips, she petted the pony’s face and scratched his velvety nose, kissing the animal between the eyes.
“I see you’ve found a new best friend,” Trenton said, leaning against the post of the stall. “Dewi will think he has been jilted.”
Brencis looked at him, beaming. “I saw her when we came into the stable,” she said. “She looks so tiny and alone here. Where is her mummy?”
Trenton peered at the pony, noting the whiskers and the faint white dusting of hair around the muzzle. “This is not a young horse,” he said. “She is older. See the white whiskers?”
Brencis looked at what he was pointing to. “Oh,” she said simply. “She looks young.”
“She is small.”
“I love her very much.”
“I am sure she appreciates that.”
Brencis continued to hug and pet the pony, who was really very tolerant of the little girl fawning all over her. Trenton wondered how he was going to pull her away from the little thing without causing a battle.
“We should find your mother now,” he said. “You can come with me in the morning to visit the pony again when I come to collect Dewi.”
Brencis’ face fell but she didn’t argue.
She simply looked at the pony with that terrible longing as one does when leaving something one very badly wants.
In fact, Trenton had to look away because, more and more, he was becoming sympathetic to Brencis and her undying love of horses.
It was really very sweet to witness, such innocent joy in something so simple.
But it was more than that – this child, who had grown up with such a cruel father, still found the ability to love.
As he stood there, waiting for her to separate herself from her instant best friend, the livery man came up beside him.
“I see she’s found Snowdrop,” he said.
Both Trenton and Brencis looked at the man. “Snowdrop?” Brencis said. “What’s that?”
The livery man pointed at the little white pony. “It’s her name,” he said. “Snowdrop because of the white snowdrop flower.”
Brencis looked to the little pony in delight, resuming her hugging and petting. Trenton scratched his neck in a reluctant gesture. “I am not entirely certain we are going to be able to leave,” he muttered to the livery man. “My lady seems to be quite fond of Snowdrop.”
The livery man watched as the little girl petted Snowdrop and the pony tried to nibble on her. “A man gave me the pony in payment for shoeing his palfrey,” he said. “I’ve no real use for her. She eats my food and grows fat. Why not buy her for your daughter? I will give you an excellent price.”
If Trenton could have throttled the man for saying such a thing in front of Brencis, he would have. The little girl’s eyes lit up and she hugged the pony around the neck so hard that it startled the little beast.
“I will take the best care of her!” she said, tears already streaming down her face. “I want her and she has no one to love her. She will love me and I will love her. Please… may I have her?”