“Then we shall have to remedy the situation at that time. Until then, enjoy the ride.”
With that, he took her hand and kissed it before securing the cab door closed. Ellowyn could hear him speaking with Dylan and the subsequent shouts of the knights as the men began to move out. The carriage lurched forward and she yelped, surprised, before settling in as the vehicle pulled out onto the road. Fortunately, the road was indeed in good repair so the ride was relatively smooth.
Chargers raced past the carriage, heading to the front of the column, and she caught sight of a big black beast as it whirled by the small carriage window. In new clothing and bundled up against the chill weather, Ellowyn had truthfully never traveled in such luxury and she wasn’t hard pressed to admit she liked it.
For a short while, she watched the mist-shrouded landscape pass through the small window, her mind wandering back to Erith and her family, wondering if her father was indeed planning to pursue her. She wondered if her grandmother had confessed her part in the escape, and if Lady Gray had talked her father out of his vengeance. She wondered if her father would even listen.
Not an hour into her journey south, Ellowyn fell asleep against the gently rocking carriage.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Guildford Castle
Thirteen days afterthe hasty departure from Erith Castle, the soaring keep of Guildford came into view.
Seated in her carriage playing a card game from a deck of lovely painted cards that Brandt had purchased for her in the larger berg of Warrington about a week prior, Ellowyn heard the shouts of the men as their home was finally within sight. Sticking her head out of the window, she caught sight of the big white keep on the horizon, a pale-looking mountain against the deep blue sky.
Cards still in hand, she looked around for the nearest knight. There was always a knight riding near her coach, usually her husband, but today he was at the head of the column. She spied Magnus and waved him over.
“Is that Guildford?” she asked, pointing to the sight in the distance.
De Reyne nodded his helmed head. “Indeed, Lady de Russe,” he said. “We will be there within the hour.”
She shielded her eyes from the sun. “It seems so far away,” she murmured. Then she removed her hand and looked at Magnus. “Do you think that Brennan and Alex have reached their homes yet?”
St. Hèver and Alex de Lara had been sent to their respective father’s holdings almost two weeks before to seek men and material for Brandt’s return to France. Their absences had been felt, mostly by Ellowyn who had become friendly with Brennan.He would talk to her as they rode along keeping her company when Brandt could not. The other knights just seemed to keep a polite distance with her. With the big, blond knight missing, she had been rather lonely.
“I am sure they arrived at their destinations several days ago,” Magnus replied. “In fact, I would not be surprised if they were already on their way to Guildford.”
“How many men do you suppose they will be bringing?”
Magnus shrugged. “That is difficult to say,” he replied. “The Duke of Carlisle has an enormous complement of men, but he is close to the Scots border and does not like to diminish his strength. The same can be said for the Earl of Wrexham on the Welsh Marches.”
She was thoughtful. “Then perhaps my husband will need to solicit men elsewhere.”
“That is a distinct possibility, my lady.”
Ellowyn thought on the fact that Brandt might need to spend more time in England before heading back to France and the thought did not displease her. As she pondered that possibility, she began looking around, taking an interest in the landscape for the first time in days.
“It seems as if I have been caged in this coach for years,” she said, shielding her eyes from the sun again. “I have not paid much attention to the lands we have passed through. It seems rather flat around here, does it not?”
Magnus looked around, too. “You come from land that has many mountains and valleys,” he said. “Compared to that, it is indeed rather flat around here. You have never been this far south?”
She shook her head. “I have been to London, of course, but never this far south. The castle rather looks like a mountain amongst all of this flat land.”
Magnus wriggled his eyebrows. “Do not let this land deceive you. It is very rich soil. The farmers make a small fortune off of their crops, which in turn makes the duke a very wealthy man.”
Ellowyn simply nodded, watching closely as the village surrounding Guildford came into view. She could see a church, built from pale stone in a squat and powerful design, and the cloister surrounding it. There were people out tending the fields, beasts of burden pulling plows as the serfs toiled in the dirt. The weather was very moderate. In fact, it was rather warm and there were few clouds in the vibrant sky. The ground didn’t seem to be saturated with too much rain as the land she came from tended to be, but the fields and hedges were very green and overgrown.
On the edge of the town, the gutters were full of muck as they drew closer to the areas of human habitation. With the warmth of the day, the smell of urine and feces wafted in the air now and again. Children ran about with their friends, playing games, while other children hauled buckets or accomplished tasks for their masters.
There were a great many people milling about and Ellowyn put her cards away to watch the comings and goings. She was so involved, in fact, that she hardly noticed when the column came to a halt. She only noticed when de Reyne slammed his faceplate shut and bolted in the direction of the castle. Suddenly, men were shouting in chorus and the carriage was turned around, nearly tipping it at the speed in which it was moving, and making haste away from the castle.
The cards scattered, and Ellowyn held on for dear life.
*
Hours later, thetown was vacant and people were in hiding as the sun began to set on a bright and glorious day. A half milefrom Guildford Castle, Brandt had set up a small encampment but it wasn’t meant for rest. It was in preparation for a battle.
