William sent a message with a departing merchant, telling Lucy he was leaving York in the morn to travel to London, and hoped to be home in a fortnight if all went well.
CHAPTER 9
“Eight... nine... ten!”Lucy called out. “Ready or not, here I come!”
She turned from her spot against the castle wall, scanning the empty courtyard. A handful of children, including her son, had scampered off just moments before, hiding as part of their favorite game, hide-and-seek.
Despite being the lady of the castle, Lucy enjoyed playing with the children when she needed a break.
Their laughter echoed across the grounds, easing the emptiness of William’s departure. It was morbid, but she’d wondered if her children might have the ability to travel through time? Because if heaven forbid, something ever happened to William, Lucy wasn’t sure that she’d want to stay in medieval England.
Though if the kids could travel through time and she went back, Jason wouldn’t inherit Blackford, the title, or the gold, and she’d never have this kind of money in the future. Sure, she’d had a good job in her own time, but nothing like the wealth that her husband boasted. There were times shewondered if she might be suffering from depression with all the doom and gloom thoughts of late, but she wasn’t sure and didn’t have anyone to ask. Shaking her head to push the thoughts away, she put her hands on her hips.
“You better have good hiding places,” she called out.
Lucy searched, peeking around corners and behind barrels. She purposely took her time, seeking out each child, and when she found one of the kids, Lucy made sure she was over the top, totally dramatic.
“Found you, Alice!” she exclaimed as a little girl barely stifled a giggle from behind a hay pile. Alice jumped up laughing at having evaded detection for so long.
One of the kitchen lads had hidden on a shelf in the kitchens, while another had tried to hide behind a few sacks of grain, but kept giggling and gave himself away.
The pure sound of children’s laughter lightened Lucy’s heart. They squealed and laughed when she’d call out “Found you!”, then wanted to help her search for the rest of the kids.
Knowing her son, Lucy turned and headed for the stables, where she spotted Jason peeking out from a stall. Creeping closer and closer, she kept up a running commentary for his benefit.
“Now, where could my little boy be hiding? Not inside the castle... not by the well... Hmm, perhaps the stables?”
Jason stifled a giggle and took a step backwards into the shadows. But it was too late, Lucy pounced and snatched him into her arms.
“Found you!” she yelled as Jason collapsed into helpless laughter. She planted kisses on his flushed, smiling cheeks before setting him back on his feet.
“Alright, help me find the others,” Lucy took his hand asthey found one of the boys in the garden, and two more kids hidden in a cart.
Within a short while, all the children had been found.
“Well done.” Lucy praised them. “You all picked excellent hiding spots.”
One of the little girls pointed as a merchant’s wagon rolled through the gates and stopped at the kitchens to deliver the goods.
“Let’s hide in his wagon.” Emma exclaimed with enthusiasm. The other children eagerly voiced their agreement.
Lucy shook her head. “I don’t think he would appreciate that very much. How about...” She pretended to think. “How about we go inside to the kitchens and get warm by the fire instead?”
With Lucy corralling them, the little group made their way inside. They sat on the floor out of the way as Lucy doled out cups of cider and apples for everyone.
After they were warm, Lucy led them to the hall where they sat in a circle in front of the fire.
“Now then, who wants to hear a story?”
The reaction was instantaneous and unanimous - a chorus of pleas rang out.
“Oh yes, my lady, please!”
“Tell the one about the ghost dog!”
“Tell us a scary one!”
Lucy held up her hands, laughing. “Alright, let me think...”
