The keep was still fairly quiet although servants were dashing about. He took the wide spiral stairs to the second floor, making a great deal of noise as he traversed the dead-quiet corridor. As he neared the bedchamber door, it suddenly flew open and Ellowyn was standing there.
“What is happening?” she demanded. Then, she noticed his state of dress and her eyes widened. “Why are you dressed to kill?”
He reached out and put his enormous hands on her arms, turning her around and forcibly escorting her back into the room.
“Our patrol has spotted a large army heading our way,” he said calmly and quietly as he closed the door. “They will be here at dawn. I suspect we may see a bit of a battle come sunrise.”
Ellowyn remained calm because he was. But she seemed confused. “Who on earth would be moving in the dead of night to attack us?”
“Our patrol thinks it might be the king,” he said softly.
She cocked her head. “The king? Of England?”
“Of France,” he said, chuckling. “France happens to have a king as well.”
She made a face, that face her father used to call the pickle snuff, which made him laugh harder. He hadn’t seen it in months and it always made him laugh, but if he called it what her father had called it, she would become angry. So, he simply laughed. It was a lovely bit of relief in the midst of fearful emotions.
“Well,” she said after she was finished twisting up her face. “It would seem that I should be making some kind of preparations for the wounded we will receive.”
His humor faded. “Nay,” he told her. “I want you to remain here and bolt that door. You will not open it for anyone but me or my knights. Is that clear?”
Her humor faded as well. “Men will need help, Brandt,” she said seriously. “I cannot remain bottled in this room, safe and protected, while men are injured or dying.”
He sighed. He didn’t want to fight with her, not now. “When your father thought to lay siege to Guildford, I told you to stay to the keep and bolt the door. Do you recall?”
“Aye.”
“Do you recall what I said would happen if you did not?”
She gave him a droll expression. “You cannot spank me.”
“I most certainly can.”
She shook her head and patted her big stomach. “You cannot put me over your knee with this belly.”
He rolled his eyes. “I do not need to put you over my knee in order to spank that lovely white bottom,” he said. Then, he pointed a massive finger at her. “I do not want to have to worry over you, do you understand? I must know that you are safe and locked up. Any other thought will cause me to lose concentration and quite possibly cost me my life. Can I make this any clearer to you?”
She sobered dramatically. “But I only wish to help.”
“I know. But you will be the most help to me if you and our son remain safe.” He moved towards her, putting his big hands on her shoulders. “I am not relishing the thought of you in a castle under siege. The mere idea eats at me. Will you please help me and stay to your rooms?”
When he put it that way, she could only agree. “Very well,” she said, pressing up against him and trying not to get jabbed by sharp objects on his body. “Please take great care, my love. I would have you return to me safe and whole.”
He bent over, kissing her with great emotion. “I plan to.”
“Thank you.”
He kissed her one last time before releasing her. “I will have provisions brought up to you so you will not want for anything. I will also send Annabeth and Bridget to you.”
“What about your daughters?”
“I will make sure they are comfortable and safe, but they will remain in their chamber.”
She simply nodded, feeling sadder and more despondent by the moment at the thought of him heading into battle. Certainly, he went to battle all of the time, but she was never witness to it. There was something different about being with him as he risked his life. As he winked at her and left the chamber, she tried not to let her fear overwhelm her. She went to sit on the bed, thinking of the coming battle, struggling not to weep.
When Brandt returned a couple of hours later to see her one last time before the keep was sealed up tight, he found her fast asleep. Kissing her gently, he let her sleep.
*
