Sapphire - Book 2 (10 page)

She’d been very generous to give an entire
gold piece to her handmaid, but she knew that would be enough for
her and her lover to live on until the baby was born. And when
Corina returned – if Sapphire was still at Castle Rye, she would
see to it that the girl was given back her position as handmaid, as
well as have a position for her husband too. And Sapphire would
lend a hand personally in taking care of their baby.

She pulled open the door, taken aback as she’d
forgotten Roe had placed a guard at her door.

“Good morning,” she said with a nod and
hurried down the hall and out to the courtyard. The breeze blew
past her face and the sun shone brightly, and she felt that
emptiness inside her chipping away just by the mere thought that
Corina would be returning with her baby soon.

She felt like riding today, and headed for the
stable to talk to Dugald. Just before she entered, Dugald ran out
and pulled her to the side. Right behind him, a horse shot out like
an arrow from a bow and atop it was the baron. He pulled back the
reins and stopped momentarily as he looked down at her with eyes of
fire. She expected him to reprimand her and her body already tensed
as the thought crossed her mind that he might hit her.

“Go to him, you little bitch,” he said. “But
don’t think this is the last of it. And remember, you are still
married to me!” With that, he turned and sped across the courtyard
and over the bridge, leaving the castle – thankfully without
her.

“What was that all about?” she asked
Dugald.

“Lord Sexton told him to leave, and he also
told him he wasn’t going to be taking you along. He said he wanted
you, my lady. I heard it from his own mouth.”

“Roe did?” She asked, just to be sure he
wasn’t somehow speaking of Lord Henry.

“Aye, he did.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she wondered if
mayhap things could be different in her life after all. “Where is
Roe?” she asked him.

“Lord Sexton is preparing to leave for town as
we speak. I’ve just saddled his horse and his squire is preparing
to go with him.”

“To town?” she asked. “What for?” Castle Rye
was efficient in having everything one needed.

Within the castle walls as well as on his
demesne, Roe had an alehouse, a church, a stable, his personal
blacksmith, and even a mill. And merchants came to sell their wares
inside the castle walls nearly every day. He had jugglers and
minstrels and mummers for entertainment, and the ladies of the
castle sewed and spun and weaved. The lord and his men hunted the
meat and the villeins and serfs in the village sowed and harvested
the crops.

There were cooks to prepare the meals and a
steward to handle the lord’s estate and ledgers. The woodward
watched his forests for poachers and the kennelgrooms and falconers
took care of many of the animals. There was even a wetnurse to feed
the babies and an ewerer to help one wash their hands. There was no
reason, as far as she could see, to even need to leave the castle
and go to town.

“I heard something about smuggling and I think
he is going to town to see what he can find out,” Dugald relayed
the information.

“Smuggling? That’s something I hadn’t even
considered.” She wasn’t even concerned about that this morning, as
she was feeling lighthearted and carefree now that the baron had
left the premises.

“I was hoping to see you down here this
morning,” the boy told her. “I’ve saddled a horse for you as well,
my lady.”

“Oh, wonderful. I do think I’ll go for a ride
in the field after I break the fast.”

Dugald looked back into the stable and
Sapphire glanced past him to see Roe as well as his freshly shaven
squire, Waylon mounting their horses and preparing to
leave.

“Go with them, my lady.”

She looked up and considered the thought but
realized if Roe was concerned with smugglers, he would not want her
tagging along, nor was is appropriate.

“I think I’d rather ride in the fields rather
than to go down to the docks. I like the peacefulness and want to
find that patch of red poppies that Lady Katherine loves. Perhaps
I’ll ask her to go along for a ride as well.”

She saw Roe and his squire heading out of the
stable. Dugald turned back to her and she noticed the frantic look
in his eyes.

“I heard them say they’re stopping at the
Bucket of Blood while they’re there.”

“The Bucket of Blood?” she asked. “Well, then
I surely don’t want to go. I think I’ve had my fill of that place
the last time I was there with you.”

“Erin will be there, my lady. And she’ll be
wondering why I haven’t come back to see her since . . . since . .
.”

“Oh,” she said with a big nod of her head.
“Say no more, Dugald. I’ll go along with them and tell her why you
haven’t come to see her.”

“Tell her - I love her,” he blurted out, and
Sapphire just looked at him and shook her head.

“I think that is something you need to tell
her yourself. Now how would it look coming from a second party?
Really, Dugald, it would mean more if she heard it from your lips,
not mine.”

“But I’m not allowed to see her again, so how
can I tell her? If I go to the pub Lord Sexton will not trust me
and probably think I hit her, which I never would.”

“I understand,” she said. “I’ll take care of
things, don’t you worry. Now go fetch my horse so I can follow Lord
Sexton and his squire.”

“I’ll tell them you are going with them, my
lady,” Dugald suggested.

“Nay,” she said, stepping back into a shadow
as they exited the stable without seeing her. “I will follow
instead, because I have a feeling that the Bucket of Blood is the
last place Lord Sexton would want me to go.”

Chapter 8

Sapphire rode through the gates of Castle Rye
and over the bridge, able to see Roe and his squire up ahead of her
but in the distance. She was mounted in a lady’s saddle, and though
she was an experienced rider, she could not hold a candle to the
speed her sister Ruby had while riding a horse, no matter what type
of saddle. Ruby could outride any man, and day. But Sapphire would
be happy with just being able to keep up with the men.

They slowed down when they neared the docks
and Sapphire was finally able to catch them. They were off their
horses and speaking with the dockmaster when she rode up to them
and stopped right behind them.

“Lady Sapphire?” asked Waylon being the first
to notice her.

Roe turned so quickly at hearing her name that
she thought he was going to kink his neck. “Sapphire?” he growled.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He looked around, noticing she
had come alone. “And without an escort I might add? I thought you
learned your lesson last time you indulged in that little
escapade.”

“You’ve been here before without an escort?”
asked Waylon in surprise.

Roe didn’t give him a chance to answer. He
tossed the reins to his squire and hurried over to her.

“What’s going on?” he asked in a low voice.
“Why aren’t you back at the castle?”

“I heard you were coming to town and I wanted
to go for a ride, so I followed you.”

“You followed?” he said loudly, then looked
back toward Waylon who just nodded and smiled. Once more he
addressed her. “Why would you do such a thing? And why didn’t you
make your presence known earlier?”

“I couldn’t keep up, my lord, or I would have
shouted out.”

“Somehow I have trouble believing that,” he
answered. “Now are you going to tell me why you’re really here or
am I going to have to drag it out of you?”

She really didn’t want to get Dugald in
trouble by telling him the true reason she’d followed, but she
figured if she remained silent he might do something just to shock
her like reach up and kiss her to catch her by surprise and get the
answers he needed. She really couldn’t have that. After all, she
was not covered by her mantle this time and all eyes on the dock
were already upon them. It wasn’t every day a lady in one of her
best gowns decided to grace the dock rats with her
presence.

“Oh, all right, I’ll tell you. Dugald heard
you were stopping by the Bucket of Blood and asked me to come
along.”

“This has something to do with Erin, doesn’t
it?”

“He wants me to give her a message since
you’ve forbidden him to see her.”

“I can imagine,” he said. “Probably the
coordinates of a secret meeting place.”

“Nay,” she answered. “He is not that romantic.
But he does want me to tell her that he loves her.”

“What?” asked Roe. “That boy has a lot to
learn. You are not really going to tell her that, and in front of
her father, are you? Auley O’Connor hates Dugald. He thinks the boy
hit his daughter.”

“That’s nonsense,” said Sapphire. “Someone who
gives a message that he loves a girl would never be the same one
who would hit her.”

“I know that,” said Roe, “but there is naught
you can do to convince the girl’s father. Now, promise me that you
will not give Erin that message.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she
said.

“Good. Then there is no need for you to even
go inside. After the last time, I don’t fancy you anywhere near
this pub.” He surveyed her from head to foot, causing the heat to
settle in her cheeks. His eyes were piercing as he surveyed her
attire. “At least you’re not wearing a scarlet gown this
time.”

She laughed. “That’s a mistake I’ll never make
again, my lord.”

“Come on,” Roe told Waylon, mounting his
horse. “You stay outside the pub with Lady Sapphire while I go in
and see what I can find out.”

Sapphire followed them to the Bucket of Blood
without saying a word. She noticed the squire happened to be
yawning and realized she could use it to her advantage, as she’d be
able to move faster than him. And there was no way in hell she
planned on following Roe’s orders. There was a lovesick boy back at
the stable who was counting on her, and she had an idea how she
could bring the two together once again, without Dugald having to
disobey Roe.

Roe hadn’t been inside long questioning the
patrons, trying to find out anything he could about the missing
tuns of wool when the door opened and he heard shouts and whistles
from the men who were drinking and gambling inside the pub. He knew
without turning around that his little lark hadn’t obeyed
him.

He turned to see Sapphire gliding across the
room with her bright blue gown sweeping across the dirty rushes of
the floor and Waylon running in right behind her.

“I’m sorry, my lord,” he shouted out, “but she
rushed in when I was looking the other way.” Roe might have
believed that, if Waylon hadn’t ended his sentence with a
yawn.

“Don’t you mean while you were sleeping?” he
asked. “Egads, Waylon, it was but a simple task.”

“Not really, my lord, as she has a mind of her
own.”

“Aye,” he agreed, “that is true, and I have to
admit that nothing about Sapphire is simple.”

Sapphire crossed the floor and stopped right
next to him. One man called out to her, but it all ended quickly
when Roe looked up sharply and rested his hand atop his
sword.

“Well, my little lark,” he said so only she
could hear him. “It seems to me you can’t stay away from this
place. Did you want me to see if our room is free?”

“Stop it,” she said in a low voice. “You know
I want naught of the sort. I am here only for Dugald.”

“Did I hear you say Dugald?” Erin stood at
Roe’s elbow, and though the bruise on her face was lightening, he
thought he noticed a new scratch on her arm.

“Erin, I’d like you to meet my . . . Lady
Sapphire,” he said, almost calling her his wife for some odd
reason. Mayhap, because to him, they seemed more like a couple than
she and the baron. “Sapphire, this is Erin,” he said, reaching out
and ruffling her hair the way he always used to when she was
young.

The girl scowled and him and straightened her
hair with her hand.

“Where’s Dugald?” she asked excitedly. Then
realizing her father was walking up behind her, she hurriedly
scooted off to clean a table.

“Lord Sexton, this is a surprise,” said the
innkeeper, Auley, stopping to look at Sapphire.

“Auley, I’d like you to meet Lady Sapphire,”
Roe introduced them.

“Oh, so ye’re the baron’s wife,” he said with
a smile and a nod of approval.

“You know the baron?” asked Roe, which seemed
to trigger a surprised reaction from Auley.

“I met him . . . once. When he stopped in with
your uncle for a drink. So where are they today?” he asked, looking
around.

“Not here,” said Roe.

“The baron left his wife with you?” he asked
curiously.

Roe noticed Sapphire opening her mouth to say
something and he knew he had to stop her. After all, he didn’t want
her telling Auley anything, as the man was a busybody. Roe knew all
about everyone who was a patron at the pub as well as the whores
who worked the place. Not that he wanted or needed to know, but
because through the years the man just couldn’t keep his mouth
shut. The alewives went to him for their gossip.