“You’ve lost your trust,” Alexei said quietly. “That seems normal enough to me, but I do not believe they withheld anything else from you. Edmund did not have to tell you what he did, War. Remember that. I cannot imagine it was easy for him.”
“Nay, I’m sure it wasn’t.”
“You will regain your trust in him,” Alexei said. “You must give yourself time. And you must learn to forgive both of your parents.”
“Forgiveness? Is that what I need to do?”
“Aye,” Alexei said, almost gently. “Until you do that, you will always feel… lost.”
They were wise words. War was well aware of it. After a moment, he looked at Alexei and forced a smile, nodding his head. Alexei smiled in return before turning to the group as a whole and bellowing orders to return to the road.
They had a journey to complete.
*
Bamburgh’s contingent hadbeen sighted.
Castle Questing was abuzz with news that a small contingent from Bamburgh had been sighted within its territory. William had constant patrols all over his lands so that any invasion would be quickly seen, so the messenger that had delivered the Bamburgh news was breathless because he’d ridden so hard and so fast to convey the information. William thanked him and sent him to rest. Then he put the fortress on alert and notified his wife.
Guests are imminent.
Even now, Jordan was overseeing the preparation of the room that Herringthorpe would stay in while Jemma and Annaleigh were in the hall and kitchens, respectively. Annaleigh was seeing to the refreshments for Herringthorpe and his men upon arrival while Jemma was making sure the hall was properly cleaned. If she didn’t like the way the servants were cleaning it, then she’d snatch a broom and sweep it herself.
There was a flurry of activity going on.
Of course, Annaleigh had no idea that having her greet the travelers in William’s solar was all part of Jordan and Jemma’s plan to introduce her to Herringthorpe. They didn’t even know if the man was married or spoken for, but if not, they wanted him to get a good look at Annaleigh. William was oblivious to their plans, though he shouldn’t have been given the conversation they’d had earlier. While he was in the bailey with Kieran as the men made housing preparations for the small escort, Jordan and Jemma were putting their scheme into action.
Perhaps Annaleigh should have wondered why Jordan asked her to put on a pretty frock, but she didn’t. She put on one ofher best garments, assuming Jordan wanted her to dress nicely for their prestigious guest, who was a high-caliber knight named Herringthorpe. Annaleigh heard all about how Herringthorpe was trained at Blackchurch before swearing fealty to the king himself. He’d evidently earned a name for himself before being granted the position of garrison commander of Bamburgh Castle, a massive fortress in Northumberland. Jordan told Annaleigh everything she knew about the man and Annaleigh never dreamed it was because Jordan was trying to create a sense of awe before the man even appeared.
It worked.
By the time Bamburgh’s contingent arrived, Annaleigh was suitably nervous.
The refreshments were laid out in William’s solar with artistic precision. There were several pitchers of fine wine and the food dishes upon the table were things warmed over by the cook, but also leftover meals that had been repurposed. There were small beef and egg pies that had prunes and dates in them, along with stuffed eggs, baked apples, copious amounts of bread with fruit and butter. Annaleigh had sliced the cheese herself, creating suns and other patterns out of them as they were placed upon wooden platters. It was quite decorative and she was proud of it.
Then the guests arrived.
She could hear the commotion in the bailey as the contingent from Bamburgh came through the gates. William, Kieran, Talus, Anthony, and William’s son, Troy, were there to greet them. Troy, usually stationed at Wark Castle, had been at Castle Questing to speak with his father about a situation in the nearby village of Coldstream when news of Bamburgh’s approach had been announced so he decided to remain. Annaleigh made her way to the keep entry, straining to see what she could about thenew arrivals, when she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.
Penelope was heading for the bailey.
And she was armed.
Curious, Annaleigh came out of the keep and headed in Penelope’s direction, but she could see that Penelope was being followed by little Rose Hage, her little brother, Nathaniel, and finally her own brother, Thomas. They were all following her, telling her to come away. Nathaniel began to cry because they were all heading for the bailey and they knew that they weren’t allowed out there. The last time he’d set foot in the bailey without permission, his mother, Jemma, had smacked his bottom. He didn’t like being smacked. So he began to cry, causing Rose to stop to comfort her little brother. Then, it was up to Thomas to do what evidently needed to be done.
Stop Penelope.
He did by grabbing her arm and yanking the sword from her hand. She began to scream as only Penelope was capable of screaming, which brought Annaleigh on the run. By the time she got there, Penelope was in a furious tug-of-war with Thomas and the sword.
“Here, here,” Annaleigh said, separating the two by pulling Penelope away. “Yer father has an important guest and ye’re causing a ruckus. Go back tae the kitchen yard immediately!”
Penelope was wailing. “I want the sword!”
Annaleigh didn’t argue with her. She swooped down and picked her up, carrying her back towards the kitchen yard and away from the important visitors. But Penelope ended up kicking and screaming, so much so that Annaleigh put her hand over the child’s mouth to keep her quiet. By the time they reached the kitchen yard, Penelope chomped down and bit Annaleigh on the hand. Dropping the little girl to herfeet, Annaleigh drew back a swift hand and spanked her, open palmed, right on the buttocks.
Shocked that someone should actually punish her, Penelope looked at Annaleigh with great surprise before dropping into the dirt and sobbing.
“And ye’ll get more where that came from if ye bite me again,” Annaleigh said, shaking her finger at the child. “That was very naughty, Penelope. I’m going tae tell yer mother what ye did.”
