The general cast him a long look but did as he was ordered. More men would need to be dispatched, more spies to watch de Lara’s every move and wait for an opportunity. It wasn’t going to be easy, if such a thing was even possible at all.
*
“I do notcare if you and your entire fleet of servants are up all night,” Toby said pointedly. “This keep will be clean by tomorrow morning.”
She was facing off against a huffing, puffing Wallace. It was pouring rain outside, loud thunder and bright lightning. But the thunder in the sky was nothing compared to the storm brewing in the great hall of Harbottle. Lady de Lara was now chatelaine and Wallace was having a difficult time with the transition. It was unexpected; more than that, Wallace was offended. His insult against Toby’s determination was a volatile combination.
“We have more important things to attend to, my lady,” he was trying not to show disrespect to the woman his liege had recently married. “We are still repairing damage from the siege and I hardly think that scrubbing the keep is a priority.”
“I will decide what the priorities are,” she snapped. “I am in charge here. You will do as you are told.”
Wallace’s leathered face tightened with fury. “I take my orders from Lord Tate.”
Toby lifted an eyebrow. “When you are inside this keep, you take them from me. This is now my domain and the sooner you understand that, the better we shall get along. This keep is an embarrassment and I intend to see it cleaned from top to bottom.”
“There is no embarrassment to this place, my lady.”
“Are you going to help me or not?”
“I have more important things to do.”
“Then get out.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Get out. And stay out.”
Wallace opened his mouth in outrage but Toby was already moving towards the hearth. A long iron poker stood propped against the wall and she grabbed it, wielding it like a weapon.
“Did you hear me?” she barked. “If you are not going to do as you are told, then you will get out.”
His brow furrowed and his teeth bared, preparing for a very sharp retort that would perhaps be not so polite. But Toby swung the poker at him and smacked him across the thigh, not hard enough to do damage but hard enough to sting.
“Out!” she yelled.
When Wallace didn’t move fast enough, she took another swing and the old priest jumped out of the way, making his way very quickly towards the keep entry. Toby followed on his heels, swinging the poker again and catching him across the buttocks.
“Out!”
Wallace shot out through the entry door as if the devil himself was on his heels. He was half-way down the stairs when Toby appeared on the landing, leveling the poker in front of her.
“And stay out until you can learn to obey my wishes!”
Wallace ran across the bailey and disappeared somewhere in the vicinity of the knight’s quarters. Upon the battlements near the gatehouse, Tate and Kenneth had been given a marvelous view of the last few seconds when Wallace ran from the keep with Toby chasing after him. They both watched Wallace scurry across the ward and out of sight as Toby stood on the entry landing, holding a very large fire poker and threatening him. After a few moments of stunned silence, Kenneth looked at Tate, whose storm cloud eyes were riveted to his wife. He seemed quite unconcerned about the entire incident.
“Hmmm,” he muttered casually. “I was wondering how long it would take for Elizabetha and Wallace to come to blows. I see that I did not have long to wait.”
He looked at Kenneth, whose head was lowered. Upon closer inspection, the man seemed to be shaking. Tate peered even closer and realized that Kenneth was far gone with laughter. The normally stoic and unflappable knight was red with mirth. Realizing that it was indeed a very comical scene, it was a struggle for Tate to keep a smile off his face.
“Stop laughing,” he commanded quietly. “For I must go confront my wife and if I remember your laughter, it will be impossible for me to keep a straight face. Stop it, I say.”
Kenneth took a deep breath and lifted his head, struggling to focus. “Of course,” he said, though it was in an oddly strangled tone. “It was not the least bit humorous.”
“Aye, it was, but I doubt Elizabetha will think so and I have no desire to feel a blow from that poker. You may see me running out of the keep with an angry woman on my heels.”
Kenneth couldn’t help it; he busted out into muffled guffaws and Tate slugged him weakly on the shoulder before making his way back down to the bailey. Crossing through the mud and rain, he mounted the steps to the keep and took refuge insidethe dark, stale entry. Immediately, he spied Toby in the great hall ahead of him. She was without the poker and speaking with Althel and another old servant. Young Edward was also standing with her, listening intently. Tate walked upon the group.
“Greetings,” he was focused on his wife, although Edward responded to his salutation. “I do not wish to interrupt, but may I have a word, madam?”
