Dragonblade Trilogy - 03 - The Savage Curtain (35 page)

Joselyn let Lady de Lara take her
by the hand and lead her towards the massive four story keep, a big
block-shaped structure that stretched skyward.  Tate stayed in the bailey,
playing with the children he hadn’t seen in weeks.  Toby, infant in her arms, took
Joselyn into the dark, cool keep. 

The long flight of retractable
wooden steps deposited them into the second floor entry.  Toby took Joselyn
into a small room directly ahead, one that had the luxury of furs on the floor
and three very well made chairs of oak and fabric. It was a small but lavish
room.  Toby indicated for Joselyn to sit in one of the chairs as she took another.  
Joselyn, on her best and most formal behavior, couldn’t help but smile at the
green-eyed, downy-haired infant in Lady de Lara’s arms.

“How old is the baby, my lady?”
she asked politely.

Toby looked down at the child.
“Dane is four months old.  My husband has not seen him since he was newly
born.”

Joselyn smiled as the baby stared
at her, wide-eyed. “He is beautiful.”

Toby smiled her thanks. “As your
son will be when he is born,” she said confidently. “Stephen is such a brutally
handsome man that surely all of your children will be comely. You cannot be too
advanced in the pregnancy; how are you feeling?”

Joselyn shrugged faintly. “Weak
and ill at times, but not too terrible.”

“That is good.” Toby’s gaze
lingering over the beautiful dark-haired lass that had married Stephen of
Pembury; not knowing the woman, she was careful how she started the
conversation. “I am so happy that Stephen has found a wife. Please tell me how
you met.”

Joselyn had a quirky expression
on her face. “He captured Berwick and we met,” she said simply, then offered
more of an explanation. “My father led Berwick’s defenses against the English. 
When King Edward captured the city, he ordered Stephen to marry me as the
daughter of the defeated enemy.”

Toby’s smile faded. “I see,” she
said, unsure how to respond.   She cleared her throat softly. “I have known
Stephen for many years and you would not find a better man if you searched the
entire world for him. He is….”

Joselyn held up a hand to stop
her; she could see that Toby was concerned about the situation, not knowing
what had transpired since the event of the forced marriage.  “Do not be
troubled, my lady,” she said, a twinkle in the pale blue eyes. “I quickly grew
to love him and he grew to love me as well.  We deeply adore one another and I
am thankful that things happened the way they did. Stephen is a remarkable
man.”

Toby sighed with relief and her
smile returned. “He is indeed,” she said. Then, her hazel eyes glimmered
impishly. “Shall I tell you of the Stephen I know? The prankster, the one so
willing to play a joke on….”

“You will not tell her any of
that,” Tate entered the room with children either in his arms or trailing after
him.  “I shall not be blamed if the woman runs off in horror. If that happens,
I shall tell Stephen it was all your doing.”

Toby laughed, as did Joselyn. 
“He is a prankster?” Joselyn repeated. “I have not yet seen that side of him.”

Tate just shook his head as Toby
jumped in. “The man is vicious with his tricks,” she said. “Why, I recall being
told that when King Edward was younger, he had a habit of falling asleep by the
fire. Stephen would move the lad’s boots to the edge of the fire so they would
start smoking. Once, the boots caught fire and Edward was forced to jump into a
lake to quench the flames.”

Joselyn was laughing at the
mental picture.  Tate shook his head reprovingly at their basis for humor.

“Edward burned a toe,” he told
them, although he was fighting off his own smile; it
had
been rather
humorous at the time. "He never forgave Stephen for that.”

“Did he pay him back for it, my
lord?” Joselyn asked.

Tate was grinning, trying not to,
as he shrugged. “He thought he was when he forced Stephen to marry you,” he
winked at her. “But the joke continues to be on Edward.”

Joselyn could only smile in
return, her gaze moving bashfully between Tate and his wife. But the baby began
to fuss and Toby eventually rose to her feet.

“Dane needs to be fed,” she said,
looking to Joselyn. “I shall show you to your chamber, my lady, and then you
and I will continue this conversation later if that is agreeable.”

Joselyn rose. “Most agreeable, my
lady,” she replied. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Toby eyes glimmered warmly.  “You
are part of our family now,” she said. “And it is my wish for you to call me Toby.”

Joselyn felt very humbled, very
welcomed. “You will please call me Joselyn as well.”

“Jo-Jo,” Tate said, watching his
wife lift an eyebrow at him. “That is what Stephen calls her,’” he told her.

Joselyn laughed softly. “It is a
pet name I was given long ago.  I will answer to that as well.”

Toby shifted the baby to the
other arm as Tate put his arm around her to escort her from the room. “Come
along, Jo-Jo,” she said. “I am sure you wish to rest. You have had a long
journey.”

Joselyn followed the pair from
the room.  Just as she hit the landing, Cade entered the keep, his young face
flushed with wonder and some confusion.  He’d had much traveling and upheaval
in the past few days and was still trying to process it.  Here he was in
another unfamiliar keep with people he barely knew, his satchel clutched
against his chest as he looked to his mother. She smiled reassuringly at him.

“I shall put your son in your
room with you,” Toby said, looking to the boy before Joselyn could reply to
that somewhat shocking statement. “What is your name, lad?”

“Cade, my lady.”

Toby smiled at him. “Cade, I am
glad you have come,” she said frankly. “My son, Roman, is in desperate need of
companionship from a boy such as yourself. He spends his days being set upon by
his younger brothers. Perhaps you and Roman can become friends and entertain
one another.”

Cade’s blue eyes were wide but he
nodded, looking to the boy that Lady de Lara was indicating. Roman de Lara was
a few years younger than Cade, a handsome boy with his father’s good looks. The
two lads sized each other up but Toby did not give them a chance to form any
opinions.  She grasped her son by the arm and pulled him in Cade’s direction.

“Roman, take Cade outside and
acquaint him with Forestburn,” she instructed. “Then you may take him to the
kitchens and find something to eat.”

Roman nodded his head, knowing it
would be futile to resist or negotiate orders from his headstrong mother. He
motioned for Cade to follow him.

“Come on,” he said rather
gruffly.

Cade eyed him. “Where are we
going?”

“You heard my mother; I have to
show you Forestburn.”

He sounded displeased. Cade
studied him, trying to determine early on if he was friend or foe. He decided
he had nothing to lose by trying to make a friend. “I have a fawn,” he said.
“Would you like to see it?”

Roman’s unhappy expression change
in an instant and he nodded his head. Together, the boys quit the keep and took
the stairs to the bailey below. Toby, Tate and Joselyn watched them as they
moved back towards the wagons before Toby finally turned to Joselyn.

“Your room is up the stairs,
first door on the left,” she said. “I will have your trunks brought up and will
join you when I am finished feeding the baby.”

Joselyn smiled her thanks, moving
to the stairs and gathering her skirts when she suddenly found herself flanked
by the twins. Dylan and Alex de Lara looked up at her with the wide-eyed, open
stare that children often have when studying someone new.She gazed back at the
boys, unsure what to say, when Dylan reached out and took her by the hand.

“Come ‘long, lady,” he said in
his surprisingly deep baby-voice. “I will show you.”

“You will?” Joselyn allowed the
child to take her hand. “Why, thank you very much, good sir. I am honored.”

Her other hand was suddenly
grabbed by Alex, who began tugging her towards the steps. “Come,” he demanded.
“I will show you too.”

“Ah, I have two escorts?” she said.
“I am indeed humbled, gentlemen.”

“Don’t fall,” Dylan told her as
they took the first step.

Joselyn passed a somewhat humored
glance at their parents as she allowed the bold twins to pull her up the
stairs. They were very gentlemanly about it but it seemed to be something of a
competition between them.  Tate and Toby watched them escort Lady Pembury up
the stairs before turning to each other.  

“Do you think we can trust those
two with her?” Tate quipped. “We might never see her again.”

Toby cast him a disapproving
glance. “They are learning to be gentlemen. They will take good care of her.”

 “If they do not tie her up and
try to burn her at the stake first.”

Toby hissed at him. “They do not
do that any longer. Well, for the most part.  They usually only do it to the
men at arms who are foolish enough to agree to play with them.”

Tate laughed softly, thinking of
the aggressive, domineering twins that the king loved so well. “Speaking of men
at arms, I must go and settle the men,” he said, taking the two remaining
children, Arabella and Cate, by the hand. “But there is something I must tell
you about Lady Pembury first.”

Toby cocked her head. “What about
her? She seems delightful.”

“She is,” he agreed. “And Stephen
is madly in love with the woman.  Her departure from Berwick was not a pleasant
thing for either of them.”

“Then why is she here?”

He sighed faintly, picking up
little Arabella when she tugged on him. “Because it is felt that Berwick is
under threat of an imminent attack and Stephen did not want his wife there
should this occur,” he replied, his voice low. “She is very worried for
Stephen. She wept almost the entire trip here.”

Toby pursed her lips sadly. “Poor
thing,” she murmured. “I know how she feels.”

Tate kissed her gently once,
twice, relishing the taste of the love of his life.  He had missed her
desperately. “One more thing,” he whispered, his lips against her soft mouth.
“Her son, Cade, was the result of a rape when she was eleven years old. 
Stephen is adopting the boy as his own, but it could be a rather sore subject
if you ask Lady Pembury who Cade’s father is.  I would not bring it up if I
were you.”

Toby stopped kissing him, her
eyes flying open wide with horror. “My God,” she breathed. “What a horrible
happening.  The poor woman.”

“Indeed,” Tate kissed her once
more and moved for the door with his daughters in each hand. “Just be aware in
case the conversation, however innocently, takes a turn in that direction.”

Toby nodded firmly. “I will make
sure it does not.”

He winked at her as he quit the
keep.  “Good girl,” he said. “I will see you later.”

Toby stood there, holding on to
the fussy baby, thinking of Stephen’s lovely wife being raped as a child. It
was enough to make her feel ill.  But the woman seemed delightful, balanced,
and she liked her already.  Still, there were apparently mysteries with the
woman and if anyone could handle the mysteries, it was Stephen of Pembury.  The
man was a greater man than most. With a sigh of sorrow, she retreated to her
chamber to feed her very fussy son.

***

Kynan had been released the same
day Joselyn had left for Forestburn, only they allowed Kynan to believe it was
an escape. A foolish guard with his attention diverted and Kynan was a free
man. But Stephen and Kenneth had been prepared, hiding out as they watched the
man steal a horse and tear off into the city.  With a sharp whistle, Stephen
had flicked his wrist at the four soldiers who were waiting in the shadows and
the men rode off after the escaped prisoner.  And with that, they would wait
for word of Kynan’s activities.

But word didn’t come soon enough.
At dawn, exactly two weeks after releasing Kynan, the first wave of Scots hit
Berwick like water crashing upon rocks.  Whatever had been rebuilt in the brief
peace had been quickly shattered, and the citizens of Berwick began to run for
their lives.  Waves upon waves of Scots infiltrated the city in a calculated
bunch, looting and killing as they went. Fires were started and huts began to
burn as the smoke drifted over the city on a strong southern breeze. 

Stephen was already on the
battlements with Kenneth when the invasion began.  Calm and collected, the
knights went about donning their heavy battle armor, knowing they would be in
for something ugly and long. This is what they trained for, what they had
participated in, for the majority of their adult lives.   Stephen was glad to
have Kenneth with him; it gave him both comfort and confidence.  They had
fought many wars together. And he was very glad that Joselyn was well away from
what was sure to be traumatic and bloody. 

It was bad from the start. An
overwhelming tide of Scots made their way straight to the castle, but this
time, it was in a much more organized fashion. It was clear that this attack
was much better planned. Stephen watched, flanked by Kenneth, Alan and Lane, as
enormous siege towers began to roll through the city streets, heading for the
castle.   He could see them from his post high on the gatehouse and counted a
total of four.  It made sense to him now what the Scots had been doing during
the lull that followed the last skirmish; they had been building siege towers
and preparing. This time, they intended to take back the castle and,
consequently, the city.