Rhuddlan (76 page)

One of the knights disappeared into the men
before them, presumably to inform the earl of their arrival. She
was impatient; she wanted to be up in front, to see what was going
on.

“—no traitor, Chester!”

It helped that the wind was blowing the
conversation towards her because the earl’s voice was lower and
calmer and only by holding her breath and straining her ears could
she hear him.

“No, you’re not, are you?” he said. “You’re
still loyal. The king’s most loyal son—although the most badly
used. Was it your royal father’s idea or were you hoping to impress
him enough to get you out of Wales?”

“What the hell do you mean?”

“Well…he took Chester Castle, my home…and the
next thing I discover is that you’ve taken my family…”

A derisive snort. “Is that what this fight is
about, Chester? You kidnapped Olwen as retribution because your
wife ran away from you and ended up with me?”

Teleri nearly gagged. Olwen again!

“Not at all, Lord William!” the earl snapped.
Teleri was surprised to hear him lose his temper. “You’ll recall
that I offered to let you keep Eleanor.”

“Perhaps now that she’s been back with you
these last two months, she’ll be more agreeable to the
proposition!” Longsword retorted.

As quickly as his anger had flared, it died.
The earl’s voice dropped into easy insouciance. “It’s a pity we
can’t ask her.”

“What are you talking about?” Longsword
demanded, his voice rising harshly. “What have you done to
her?”

“I’ve sent her away, Lord William, to
Avranches. There are too many bad memories for her in Wales. A
woman in her condition must concentrate on pleasant ones.”

The knight returned and beckoned to them.
Teleri followed after him eagerly while Olwen’s step lagged. Teleri
was so bemused by her companion’s apprehension that she missed
Longsword’s reply. They rounded the edge of the front line of the
earl’s men and stopped again.

Her eyes went immediately to her husband and
she drew in her breath sharply. He sat on his favorite horse,
bareheaded but otherwise garbed for battle in hauberk, gauntlets
and thick boots, his shield slung across his back and his sword in
his belt. His appearance showed the effect of living rough and
while she normally detested untidiness, she found it now strangely
appealing. The dust of the road, blood and sweat stains were
apparent, and bristles covered his chin. He looked very much like
that hero from the song she’d just imagined; powerful, hard and
intent on his mission. Richard Delamere stood next to him and he
was staring in her direction, obviously at Olwen, who was just
behind her shoulder. The two Welsh chiefs were on his other side:
Rhirid, who was also staring at Olwen and Gruffudd, whom she’d
never before seen. And there were others, perhaps twenty or so,
knights and Welshmen, all of them looking grim and prepared to
expect anything.

Longsword did not look at her; he didn’t
notice she’d arrived. His eyes were fixed on the earl with as much
intensity as those fixed on Olwen. She glanced at the earl who
appeared clean and refreshed in newly laundered clothing and a
gleaming hauberk. But there were traces of strain in his expression
as well. She had heard rumors that he was so upset over losing most
of his men that he had hardly eaten or slept since the ambush.

But his voice betrayed none
of that. “You must congratulate me, Lord William,” he said
unhurriedly. “Eleanor is with child. Another heir. Hopefully she’ll
do a little better this time and give me a son. I, of course, like
the king, must have a
legitimate
son…”

Teleri’s eyes swiveled back to Longsword,
whose face had gone pale. Despite the grubby start of the beard and
the windblown hair, he looked unnaturally vulnerable and young. It
was a complete contrast to his expression of only a moment earlier.
She was surprised; surely he must have heard that particular insult
many times.

His horse suddenly began to step nervously
and he did nothing to control the beast, seemingly mesmerized by
the earl. Chester noticed his two hostages at last and extended an
arm in their direction.

“Here they are, Lord William. An even
exchange. All my men, their weapons and horses, my oxen and supply
carts and a guarantee of peace for three years for these two
women,” he said.

The absurdity of this proposal shook
Longsword out of his daze. With an unconscious flick of his wrist,
he brought the horse under control. At the same time, his face
turned towards Teleri and Olwen. Teleri lifted her chin a little
higher but there was no recognition in his expression.

“You’re not the one in the position to
dictate terms, Chester!” he said.

The earl smiled humorlessly. “No? I think I
am.”

“I’ve got Roger of Haworth—”

“I care about all my men equally, Lord
William,” the earl interrupted. “There’s no point in reciting a
list. Perhaps you need some time to think it over…”

Longsword was silent. Then he answered, “No,”
in a tight voice. “I need no time. I consent.”

Chester’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t
expected such an easy capitulation but he quickly recovered his
aplomb. “Very well. Perhaps you and three or four of your advisers
would like to come up to the keep to set down the terms.”

“Not I,” the other man said. “Richard will do
it.” He nodded to Delamere and tightened his grip on the reins,
preparing to leave.

“As a mark of my good faith, Lord William,
you may take your wife with you now.”

It seemed to Teleri that time stopped for a
few heartbeats. Even the driving wind died away. No one made a
sound. Longsword’s head turned slowly towards her. She felt
suddenly as nervous as Olwen had been all day. She hadn’t fooled
herself into believing that during their interval apart he had
grown fond of her, but neither was she prepared for utter hatred in
his eyes. She was taken aback; she had to stiffen her spine not to
gasp or step backwards from the force of his hatred. He stared at
her in that vacuum of silence for what must have been an
interminable time and then he looked again at the earl and said, “I
don’t want her, Chester. Keep her and good luck to you.”

She couldn’t breathe. She thought everyone
had heard him and was a witness to her humiliation. She dared not
move for fear of collapsing. She was dimly aware of the earl’s
startled response to this insane proposal, but his words were lost
in the rush of blood in her ears.

“Then send her to her uncle, the prince,”
Longsword was saying in return, loudly and sharply. “I don’t care
what you do with her. Just make certain Olwen walks out of here
when your men walk in.”

“No!” A woman protested before the earl could
answer. Olwen came up to stand by Teleri’s side. “I’m not going
anywhere without Lady Teleri,” she said in a quavering voice. “I
will stay with her!”

Delamere appealed to Longsword. “My lord,
consider your words…”

For a moment, Teleri thought he would remain
obdurate; he turned cold eyes on her once more. Then he looked
away. “Do what you want, Richard; you’re in charge,” he said in a
grim mutter; kicked his heels into his horse, pulled its head
around and left Hawarden at an increasing pace.

The dilemma Olwen had hoped to postpone a
while longer presented itself almost immediately upon the
negotiating party’s return to the haphazard camp in the earl’s
southwestern fields. She stuck close by Teleri, ostensibly to give
support to the unnaturally subdued and quiet young woman, but in
reality to avoid having to speak with Richard Delamere and Rhirid,
both of whom seemed anxious to the point of desperation to be with
her.

The mood of the camp was a barely hidden
displeasure. The men had begun the day with thoughts of ransom and
when it became clear that the only prize won was the return of the
two women, the result was disappointment and anger. Gruffudd ap
Madog, in particular, was unhappy with the outcome; he had agreed
to the venture not merely to prove to the earl that he, too, was
capable of attracting allies but to hopefully seize a portion of
the earl’s property as his reward.

It was all too quickly passed around that the
only winner in the contest had been its apparent loser, the earl of
Chester. Olwen felt the sting of criticism and dared not meet
anyone’s eyes. Only Teleri was oblivious to the tension and upset
in the camp but she was dwelling on something more dire. Her face
hadn’t yet regained any of the color it had lost at Longsword’s
humiliating pronouncement and instead of the proud posture with
which she always carried herself, she sat slightly slumped over, as
if she’d been punched in the stomach.

They waited in silence, alone inside one of
the earl’s tents, for the men to finish the business of effecting
the prisoner exchange. The tent, being part of the baggage train,
was similarly slated for return to Hawarden but for the moment it
provided a shelter from the accusing glances, as well as the midday
sun. Its material, however, was not substantial enough to block out
the sounds coming from a companion tent several yards away, where
Gruffudd was proclaiming his right to some financial reimbursement
for his part in the ambush, Delamere translating with an edge to
his voice and Longsword angrily defending his decision to
immediately accede to the earl’s terms.

The argument showed little sign of abating
and, frustrated with the shouting, Olwen jumped up from her stool.
“I would rather be trapped at Hawarden again than forced to listen
to any more of this senseless bickering!” she muttered.

She’d been speaking for her own benefit but
to her surprise, Teleri answered. “I would, as well,” she said in a
quiet voice.

Olwen didn’t know how to respond. Teleri had
never invited confidences before and Olwen wasn’t even certain she
was doing it now. “Well…it will soon be over,” she said
awkwardly.

Teleri shuddered. “I hope not. I hope it goes
on forever.”

“Why, Lady Teleri?”

“Because when it’s over, I’ll have to see
Lord William again. I’ll have to go back to Rhuddlan.”

“He didn’t mean what he said, Lady Teleri. He
was just angry because of the earl’s demands.”

“He meant it,” Teleri said, staring at a
point on the ground just past her feet. “Didn’t you see his face?
His eyes? I saw them. He hates me, Olwen. He never liked me much
but now he hates me.” She was silent for a moment and then a
thought seemed to strike her and she glanced up at the other woman.
“Do you suppose Rhirid told him something about me?”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know. Something false…”

It was on the tip of Olwen’s tongue to deny
the chief was capable of slandering a woman’s reputation but she
realized Teleri would assume she was merely coming to the defense
of her admirer so she said nothing.

“I wish I could leave here,” Teleri
continued. “I wish I could just walk out of this camp and keep
walking until I reached the Perfeddwlad.”

“If we had horses, we wouldn’t need to walk,”
Olwen said wistfully.

Despite her mood, a small smile appeared on
Teleri’s face. “Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“No,” Olwen admitted. “All right, then. I
wish I knew how to ride a horse.”

“I wish we could open the tent flap and see
nothing but grass. No soldiers, no swords, not even Hawarden in the
distance.”

“Just the horses.”

“Of course the horses,” Teleri agreed. “And
there are the practical considerations: we’d need food and drink
enough to sustain us on the journey and perfect weather.”

“And I wish I had another gown. I’ve been so
nervous the last few days, this one’s past knowing.”

Teleri looked shocked and then started to
laugh. “Olwen!”

“Well, it’s true!” Olwen said, grinning.

“I know it is!”

They both broke up at that and for Olwen the
laughter seemed to improve her spirits dramatically. She thought
Teleri appeared a little brighter, as well.

Teleri wiped her eyes. “There’s only one
problem, Olwen…”

“What is it, Lady Teleri?” she asked with
another giggle.

“I have no idea how to get to the Perfeddwlad
from here!”

They laughed so hard that Olwen had to sit
down. Her stomach hurt. Every time they happened to meet each
other’s eyes, they burst into fresh peals.

“Well,” Olwen gasped. “At least we can’t hear
that senseless argument anymore.”

“The senseless argument is over,” a third
voice—a man’s voice—said.

The two women were startled into silence. In
the entrance stood Rhirid ap Maelgwn with Dylan just visible beyond
his shoulder. He took a step forward. “May I come in?”

Olwen rose quickly to her feet. “Yes, lord,
of course.” Teleri said nothing and didn’t move. The Welshman
politely inclined his head towards her but when his eyes came up,
they went straight for Olwen.

“Gruffudd has been mollified with a score of
cattle and some Norman weapons,” he said, and paused. His voice was
warm. “There was no opportunity earlier to speak with you, Olwen,
although I’ve been anxious to make sure the earl treated you
kindly. But you—and you also, Lady Teleri—appear to be fine.”

“We are, lord,” Olwen answered. “But it seems
the same cannot be said of you. What on earth happened to your
face?”

“Oh—a small accident. Every day it improves.”
He moved several steps closer to her. “It’s so good to see you,
Olwen…”

She felt her color rise and she looked down
at the ground. “How did you leave my children, lord? Are they
well?”

“Very well,” he said. “I’m sure you’re eager
to see them again.”

“Yes, I am,” she said fervently. “It’s been
ten days of agony.”

He grinned. “Does that mean you’ll be coming
back to Llanlleyn with me?”

“Yes, lord.” She looked up into his eyes and
smiled.