Since Astria had never been to Blackchurch, she wasn’t sure what to expect of this nearly mythical place. There was a large main road that led through the village and continued northward, and that was the road they found themselves on. It was lined byheavy trees and, at this time in the morning, the birds were very active. Birdsong rang throughout the air as they walked along the road on this cold but clear morning.
It occurred to Astria that this was the first morning in five months that she hadn’t woken up as a captive. So much of the past five months had been full of discomfort and uncertainty and even fear, so as she walked along the road this morning, she felt a good deal of relief.
Relief that her circumstances had become marginally better.
Only time would tell if that sentiment was her permanent one.
The cause of that freedom, of course, was the very big man walking next to her. Payne seemed rather quiet this morning, perhaps for the same reason she was, and that was the fact that they suddenly found themselves married to strangers. What did one say to someone they hardly knew, yet were going to be spending the rest of their life with? Astria remembered from her first marriage that there hadn’t been a lot of conversation. Armand liked to speak to his friends and advisors, but not to his wife. Truthfully, it wasn’t that they’d had a lot in common or could speak on a great many subjects—although Astria had been quite educated and could therefore converse on many things—but simply the fact that Armand had no real desire to speak to a woman who was young enough to be his granddaughter. That had made their wedding night uncomfortable and awkward.
She rather hoped this wedding night wasn’t going to be the same.
The difference, in this case, was the fact that she was marrying a man of the appropriate age and, in fact, found him quite handsome. She was attracted to him, which was a strange sensation because she’d never really had an attraction to anyone in her life. All the time growing up, she had been kept well away from the opposite sex, and until she married her husband, she’dhardly had any interaction with a man outside of members of her own family. That was usual in royal households, but the fact that she found herself married to a stranger who was incredibly handsome had her heart racing. That was the truth of it. Her heart had been racing all morning and she simply thought it was apprehension at the marriage itself.
Now, she realized it was for something else.
That was going to make this day… interesting.
“How long have you lived at Blackchurch?” she asked, breaking the silence between them.
He smiled at her. “Ten years,” he said. “Ever since I came here.”
“Why did you come?”
He shrugged, glancing down the road as the gatehouse of Blackchurch came into view. “I had an excellent formal education, trained by some of the best in England,” he said. “My da wanted that for me, so I was formally trained at Berwick Castle. That’s in the north of England, one of those castles that seems tae change hands frequently between the Scots and the English. In any case, that is where I received my education and earned something of a reputation for myself.”
“Whatkindof a reputation?”
“As a skilled warrior, of course,” he said, grinning at the way she’d asked that question, as if he’d meant something unsavory. “William the Lion was the King of Scotland at that time, and once my training was complete, I went tae serve the king as a gift from my father.”
Astria was listening with interest. “Your father gifted you to his king?”
Payne nodded. “Exactly,” he said. “A new, highly trained knight who was also a Highlander was happily accepted in the Scottish court, and I enjoyed my time there. I learned a greatdeal about people and politics and how the world works. But I wanted more.”
“More training?”
“Mayhap,” he said, shrugging as the gatehouse loomed closer. “More training, more responsibility. I wanted tae be part of something important.”
“And being part of the king’s entourage was not important enough?”
“Nay,” he said, shaking his head. “I was simply a knight amongst many, men who had served William for many years. I was just one of the group, nothing special. Because I’m big, and powerful, sometimes I felt as if I was just for presentation. So it looked as if the king had big men around him.”
Given that Astria grew up in a royal court, she understood the mentality. “How did you find Blackchurch, then?”
He grinned. “Every fighting man knows about Blackchurch,” he said. “I decided it was time for me tae become a better warrior. More skilled, with better techniques. So I came and I trained here. I made it through every class they had. In the end, Lord Exmoor offered me a position because they’d just lost the man who taught enemy assessment. Given the time I’d spent in William’s court, I was perfect for it.”
She looked up at him as they walked. “And that’s what you do?” she said. “Teach men how to size up their enemy?”
He nodded. “That is what I do,” he said. “I also work with some of the other classes, like hand-tae-hand combat. I also work in the swordsmanship class.”
“And you enjoy this?”
“I love it.”
They were nearing the gatehouse now. Blackchurch had an enormous perimeter wall around it, one that was nearly three miles if one walked all the way around. It was built from gray granite quarried in Cornwall, a pale gray the color of stormclouds. The wall itself was about fifteen feet high, and this height was consistent around the perimeter. There were only two ways in and out of Blackchurch, with the main gate being the first access point, and then another, smaller gatehouse on the eastern side. Both gatehouses were manned by fifty men at any given time and Blackchurch itself had an army of about a thousand men. Though they were never pulled into any conflicts because of their consistent neutral position, the fact remained that sometimes they did need the might of an army. Out in the wilds of Devon, anything could happen.
As Payne and Astria drew closer, they could see the activity in the two-storied gatehouse. It was morning now and men were going about their rounds as the main gatehouse remained open so business could be conducted with both the kitchens and the castle. Right in the center of Blackchurch was Exmoor Castle, mostly a large, cylindrical keep and a small hall. It used to have its own wall many years ago, but over the years the wall wasn’t maintained and, in fact, was dismantled by the current Lord of Exmoor’s grandfather. Those stones had gone on to build a stable off to the east, and it was a very big stable. There were actually four different buildings that comprise the stables, which in addition to horses housed cows and goats and several families of cats.
Blackchurch, as a whole, was an enormous operation.
