Chapter Nine
Gleann na Fola Castle
How could she describe it?
Mattie didn’t even know.
She could hardly comprehend what she was looking at.
The valley surrounding it was beautiful enough.
It didn’t look like a bloody valley, but rather a verdant valley with gently rolling hills.
It was quite picturesque. But right in the middle of this valley, in the point where it opened up into some smaller hills and meadowlands, sat a castle that could only be described as a big, dark box of a structure.
It looked like a cube.
The closer they drew, however, the more she could see how positively enormous it was.
The truth was that she couldn’t see much because she was riding in her parents’ fortified carriage, which was a heavy conveyance with iron-barred windows and two benches that faced one another.
It wasn’t very big. The benches, fortunately, had cushions on them, more cushions still because Gar had wanted to ensure her comfort as they traveled north.
He’d insisted on it.
Even thinking about Gar had Mattie smiling.
It had only been a few short days since their marriage, but those days had been full ones.
There had been conversations, so many conversations, as they’d come to know one another in an environment that was worry-free and peaceful.
There was no pressure of command for Gar, and Mattie was simply enamored with the man she’d married, so much so that she’d quickly become obsessed with him.
She could still see that young lad who had saved her from the de Vries brat, but there was so much more to him.
He was wise and humorous, a little shy at times, and he was positively mortified when she sang his praises in front of him.
The man looked as if he wanted to crawl into a hole and pull the hole in after him.
Speaking of holes, he looked as if he lived in one because of those patchwork linen breeches.
That pale linen had become very dirty, very quickly, but Gar refused to take them off.
Mattie had made them and he was, therefore, going to wear them.
He wore them everywhere and he even tried to sleep in them.
They never came off and they were becoming quite filthy, but she didn’t have the heart to insist he wear something clean because the truth was that she found it very sweet that he should show tribute to her by wearing the breeches she’d made for him.
Perhaps he didn’t always know the right words to say, and perhaps he was clumsy with her sometimes, but he knew how to make her feel appreciated with those damnable trousers.
As they traveled toward their destination, with Mattie in the fortified carriage was none other than Winchester himself.
He still growled at Gar, and still charged him, but he was becoming a little better about it and Mattie wouldn’t leave him behind, so Gar had had no choice but to bring along his mortal enemy.
Maksim was riding escort as well and the dog didn’t make a move against her brother, or Gar’s brother, or even Gar’s father, but he clearly had a loathing for his mistress’s new husband.
One little dark spot in what had otherwise been a smooth and agreeable experience.
“We’re almost home,” Gar said, coming alongside the carriage and breaking into her thoughts. “Can you see it?”
He was pointing to the north and she peered between the bars, seeing the dark-stoned structure in the distance. “Aye,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Nor will you again,” he said. “Gleann na Fola was not built like other strongholds, although there is one to the east that has a similar look.”
“Were they built by the same man?”
Gar nodded. “Aye,” he said. “He built these boxes to protect his lands and they are quite sturdy.”
Gar’s closeness to the carriage window brought Winchester, who barked and stuck his nose between the bars, trying to nip at Gar. Mattie was forced to pull her dog away, scolding him as she did so.
“You are a very naughty dog, Winnie,” she said, frowning. “You must learn to like Gar or we are going to have a serious problem.”
Gar shook his head. “I do not think he understands you.”
Mattie rubbed the dog’s head firmly. “Aye, he does,” she says. “I swear to you, he understands my words.”
“He understands food and sleep. That is what he understands.”
“Have you never had a dog?”
Gar snorted. “My hall is full of them and they will eat Winchester alive, so keep him out of the hall,” he said. “There is also a big orange cat that roams the upper floors and he will take delight in stalking your dog and attacking it, so it is best to keep Winchester with you at all times.”
She didn’t look too happy about that. “Is my dog in danger, then?”
Gar could see the concern on her face and he flipped up his visor, smiling at her. “Nay, lass,” he said softly. “Your dog is not in danger. But there are those who might challenge him, so it is best to keep an eye on him. At least until he gets used to the place.”
Any smile from Gar had Mattie’s heart fluttering and she smiled in return. “When we arrive, will you ask your majordomo to show me the place? I should like to look around.”
He looked at her strangely. “Have the majordomo do it?” he repeated as if it were an odd request. “Of course not. I shall show you the place myself. It… it’s our home now, Queenie. I hope you look at it as such, someday.”
Queenie. That was something he’d been calling her since the day after they were married.
Julia was the empress and Mattie was the queen.
Queenie. Mattie had been surprised by the nickname at first and, truthfully, hadn’t been fond of it, but she quickly grew accustomed to it.
Gar called her that out of respect, out of affection, and she wholeheartedly accepted any such attempts.
From that turbulent first day to a day like today, Mattie was coming to think that she might really have a chance at a good marriage with a man she’d dreamed about for the past ten years.
She was hoping so, anyway.
“I look at Gleann na Fola as our home now,” she said after a moment, her eyes glimmering warmly at him. “I do not need days or weeks or years to feel that way. I feel that way now.”
He reached out a gloved hand, brushing her fingers affectionately as he gripped one of the iron bars of the window.
It was really all he could do because he was a man of few words, Mattie had discovered.
When it came to her, he was unsure of what to say sometimes, unused to having a woman close to him, a wife, so he often just shut his mouth and smiled rather than risk saying the wrong thing.
Truthfully, she didn’t mind that he couldn’t say the words because he always gave her a look that told her everything she needed to know. She was satisfied with that.
For now.
Maybe someday, he could find the words.
The carriage lurched along the road, which wasn’t in very good condition.
It seemed that there had been a good deal of rain, so there were holes in the road and the carriage kept having to slow down to avoid them.
But little by little, the great fortress of Gleann na Fola loomed closer until, finally, they where there.
They had arrived.
Because of her position in the carriage, Mattie hadn’t seen the fortress prepare for their commander’s return.
Not only that, but there were others who had come to welcome Gar and his new wife home and that included William de Wolfe himself.
The great Earl of Warenton had ridden from his seat of Castle Questing, which was about a day’s ride for a young man, but William was no longer young and it had taken more than two days.
Everyone had traveled slowly for him. He hated that, of course, but it had been necessary to keep him in good health, so he was the first one to greet Gar as the escort from Hensingham came in through the front gates.
“Gar!” William shouted, waving a hand to him as he stood near the gatehouse. “Welcome home, lad!”
Gar was riding beside the carriage still, with Mattie practically sitting on Winchester so the dog wouldn’t bark continuously. Gar grinned at his grandfather, knowing how enthusiastic the man was about this marriage. Truthfully, he wasn’t surprised to see him.
Dismounting Taches as the horse slapped him with his big, heavy tail, Gar made his way over to his grandfather.
“Greetings, Poppy,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “Whatever is the reason for your visit, I wonder?”
He was being sarcastic, his tone clear evidence that he knew exactly why the man was there, and William cast him a long look.
“Where is your wife?” he said. “I did not come to see you.”
Gar snorted, gesturing back toward the carriage. “She has come, do not fear,” he said. “I will fetch her to you.”
With that, he turned and quickly headed toward the carriage, which had just come to a halt. The bailey was muddy, layered with dark mud and rocks, as Gar went to the carriage door, opened it—and promptly slammed it shut again as Winchester threw himself at the open door.
“Queenie?” he said politely. “Will you please secure your dog so he does not chew my face off?”
“Aye,” she said, clearly frustrated at the dog’s behavior. “Will you please send Maksim to me?”
Maksim was toward the front of the escort, in conversation with Andreas, as Gar let loose a piercing whistle that caught Maksim’s attention. Gar simply waved him over and pointed to the carriage where Mattie’s face was against the iron bars of the cab door.
“Will you please take Winchester and secure him?” she said to her brother. “I cannot have him attacking Gar at every turn.”
Maksim grunted unhappily. “He’s not my dog, Matilda.”
Mattie kicked the door open, holding the dog around the chest as she thrust it at her brother. “Please,” she begged. “Take him and feed him so that I may meet my new husband’s family in peace.”