William was already there, dressed in a clean black tunic and hose. She used to tease him about wearing so much black until she saw for herself that black did, in fact, hide the blood.
“Do you like your horse?” William held Jason up so he could see the brown palfrey her husband had purchased. He’d bought a black horse for himself, a gray palfrey for Lucy, and another brown horse for Peter, who had blinked in astonishment when the horse snuffled his head.
On her way outside, Lucy stopped to look in the root cellar to make sure the mallow plants were still viable. They had been put away in a cloth bag, and were still good, making her smile. Normally, the plants were harvested in the spring. They kept the extra plants in the cellar to use for sore throats and other ailments.
With Halloween only a few days away, she couldn’t wait to make the Rice Krispy treats.
Not paying attention, she’d obviously missed half of the conversation, as William said, “Let us see how you fare with a blade.”
William strode forward, sword up on his shoulder as he waited for Callan to choose a blade.
The two of them facing each other made Lucy blink. They looked so much alike.
Rolling his shoulders, Callan stepped forward. “I’ll no go easy on ye.”
Without warning, he launched himself at William. The ringof steel loud in the air as the sound brought the men to watch. Back and forth they danced across the hard-packed earth, trading strikes and insults as the men shouted encouragement.
“The wee kitchen maids swing harder than that,” William scoffed, deftly sidestepping Callan’s lunge.
Callan feinted left, then swung at William’s unguarded right side, which he barely managed to block in time.
“Ye leave your right unguarded.” Callan laughed.
In their element, Lucy sat back, enjoying watching them as they sparred. It was good for them to spend time together, to connect. Not through words, but through steel.
“Not bad, for an Englishman,” Callan grinned when they finally halted, both winded.
William snorted. “I thought you bloody Scots preferred daggers?”
Callan nodded. “Aye. Much easier to conceal.”
As Lucy watched, the men took turns sparring in the lists, still distrustful, but willing to give Callan a chance. Her husband and Callan kept their faces blank, but she could sense the hope in them, and in time she thought the bond of brotherhood would grow between them. For now, it was a start.
CHAPTER 21
The Halloween celebrationsstarted with apple pie for dessert after dinner, or as Lucy still called it, lunch.
Thanks to Father John, the entire village turned out for the festivities, even Father Michael, though he frowned at the copious amounts of ale and wine flowing.
“I don’t know how you convinced them all to come, but I am in your debt.”
Father John blushed. “I told them a witch would not allow a priest on her land.”
When she rolled her eyes, he laughed, making the village priest scowl even harder. But Lucy wasn’t letting him get to her, not today.
“Was that all?” She touched his arm, happy to see everyone having fun. “Isabelle said your back pains you?”
He shrugged. “An old childhood injury she has been unable to heal.”
“Sleeping on a pallet on the cold stone floor is not good for your back. I will see to it that you have a new bed and mattressraised from the floor. Putting a hot stone under the blanket where your back would rest before bed will also help.”
He blinked. “I thank you. A most generous gift.”
It was worth the cost if the villagers would quit crossing themselves when she went shopping during the weekly market.
Bertram called out to her, so Lucy bade the priest enjoy the festivities and went to speak with him and the servants, whom she’d tasked with hiding little trinkets around the grounds for the children to find.
Everything from ribbons to small wooden figurines to coins. The coins weren’t worth much, the equivalent of pennies, but all kids loved finding money. It wasn’t the same as trick-or-treating, but she thought they’d have fun hunting for presents. And maybe in a few years, they could decorate some of the unused rooms and scare the kids and adults alike. A creepy, haunted castle would be so much fun.
