Chapter Ten #3
“It is difficult to say,” he said. “I am certain William Marshal would release me from his service. I suppose I could return to France as a mercenary, or head to Scotland. King William is always looking for English knights to help him manage his borders. But I could not inherit my father’s lands.
It would go to one of my brothers. I would lose everything. ”
At that point, they began to hear voices on the other side of the stone wall, men calling Kress’ name.
The old woman was out in the garden with her dog, holding on to the beast as a knight with a big broadsword in his hand stepped through the shattered wooden gate.
Kress and Cadelyn could see through the open hut door that it was Achilles, coming through the shattered gate, and Kress lurched to his feet, reaching down to pull Cadelyn up from the ground.
“I am here,” Kress said, hand still to the back of his head as he went to the door. “I found the lady. She is unharmed.”
Achilles was followed by Bric, a few soldiers, and eventually Susanna. Cadelyn, who was behind Kress, saw his helm lying over near a corner where it had landed when the old woman had smacked it right off of his head. She handed it to him just as Achilles and Bric reached him.
“What happened to you?” Achilles wanted to know. “Did you not hear us? We have been calling your name.”
Kress glanced at Cadelyn before he spoke. “I did not hear you,” he said. “I was chasing that stupid dog and ended up hitting my head somehow. But I found the lady and that is all that matters.”
All eyes turned to Cadelyn, who gazed back at them steadily. “I am sorry to put you all through so much trouble,” she said. “I… I was trying to find my way back to the carriage and lost my way.”
Susanna had come up behind Achilles. Very concerned, she reached out to grasp Cadelyn’s arm. “You are covered in mud,” she said. “What happened? Why did you run off?”
Cadelyn leaned over and whispered something in Susanna’s ear. From the look on Susanna’s face, it seemed that Cadelyn’s running away had been more along the lines of a call of nature. That seemed to explain things, at least for the most part, so she nodded quickly.
“Of course, my lady,” she said, pulling her along. “Let us return to the carriage now. Let us not be any further trouble upon these men.”
Achilles and Bric appeared confused by the whole thing, looking between Cadelyn and Kress, who was without his helm and sporting a big bump behind his right ear.
“What happened?” Achilles asked Kress. “Where did the lady go?”
Kress watched as Susanna forcibly escorted Cadelyn from the garden.
In truth, he was coming to think that he was rather glad she’d run off because it had given them the opportunity to speak of things that were clouding the mood between them.
Kress had let his guard down, something he’d been determined not to do, but now that he’d cleared the air, he had to admit he felt better.
Lighter of spirit.
But he also realized the time they’d spent alone had done something to him.
Whatever he was feeling for her, something that was trying very hard to break free from, had deeply affected him.
As he watched Susanna lead Cadelyn from the garden, he realized that he didn’t want to let Cadelyn out of his sight.
There was an attachment there that hadn’t been there before.
As unhealthy as it was, he simply couldn’t help it.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to.
“Evidently, she had a natural urge we all have quite frequently and she got lost along the way,” he said. “Leave it at that, Achilles. Do not embarrass the woman by asking her about it.”
Achilles caught on, indicating to Bric what the issue was by making motions as one does when relieving oneself.
Bric understood instantly and they both followed Kress from the garden, but not before Kress tossed a coin to the old woman for her troubles.
The dog watched him go, wagging his tail, but once Kress and his men were out of the garden and heading back to the escort, the big, hairy dog broke free of the old woman and ran after the knights, following them all the way to the carriage.
When Kress opened the door to the carriage for Cadelyn to get in, the dog leapt in first and ran to the front of the carriage, hunkering down on one of the cushioned benches and refusing to leave no matter how much Kress or the others called to him.
They even tried to lure him out with a piece of meat from the provisions wagon, but nothing worked.
The last resort was to carry the dog out, but the dog growled and snapped at the knights when they tried to do it.
Frustrated, and weary of the drama the dog had caused, Kress simply left the animal alone, noting that Cadelyn had now picked up another escort of the four-legged variety.
He sent a soldier to tell the old woman that he’d try to bring her dog back to her at some point, but the old woman didn’t seem to care.
He picks his own people, she said. If he’s meant to come back, he will.
The purse thief had found a new home.