Sapphire - Book 2 (15 page)

Mass was finished and Sapphire walked out
the front doors, stopping to admire the piece of parchment hanging
there. It was her banns of marriage. The banns being posted made
her wedding to Roe seem even more real. Her heart raced, thinking
of having children with Roe and someday walking out of mass with
her family at her side. This made her happy. She knew Roe would be
a wonderful father and she couldn’t wait for her own father and
sisters to meet him. Her father had chosen a man for her, and she
couldn’t be happier with his decision.

“Lady Sapphire, what is that?” asked Erin
staring at the parchment on the door.

“That is the wedding banns announcing my
upcoming marriage to Roe,” she explained. Sapphire knew Erin did
not know how to read or write. It was rare for anyone who wasn’t a
noble to have this talent, except for the clergy and some of the
knights and an occasional merchant. She smiled inwardly thinking
how silly it was to post the banns that no one in the village could
even read. Mayhap this wasn’t such an important custom and
procedure after all. Still, she liked it.

“Some day that’ll be you and Dugald,” said
Sapphire with a smile.

“Oh, I don’t know,” said the girl. “I don’t
think my father would ever allow it.”

“What won’t your father allow?” asked Roe
coming to join them.

“It doesn’t matter,” Erin said quickly.

“Of course it does,” said Sapphire. “Erin is
concerned that she may never be able to marry Dugald,” she relayed
the information to Roe.

“Well, well,” said Roe crossing his arms and
looking at the young girl. “Don’t tell me my little Erin has been
bitten by the love bug just like my wife?”

“Roe? I am not your wife yet,” Sapphire
reminded him.

“To me you are. Soon . . . I mean,” he
added, and Sapphire knew it was for Erin’s sake so she wouldn’t
think they’d already been together.

“Your father will never let Dugald marry you
if he thinks he’s been beating you,” said Roe.

“He hasn’t,” Erin was quick to defend her
lover.

“Then who has?” asked Roe curiously.

Erin looked to Sapphire with frightened eyes
as if calling out for help, and she knew she had to intervene.

“Erin, can you find Lady Katherine for me
and ask her if she’d like to go riding with me later?

“Of course, my lady,” said Erin with a
slight curtsy and running off quickly.

“There is something going on here,” said Roe
suspiciously. “Are you going to tell me what it is or am I going to
have to find out for myself?”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but there are some
things that are just between girls, and I cannot break Erin’s trust
in me.”

“Sapphire?” He looked at her and raised a
brow. “I am not only lord of Rye but also your betrothed. And that
girl has always been like a little sister to me. If there is
something you know, you need to tell me. I will not have either of
you keeping secrets.”

“’Tis just girl talk,” she told him with a
peck to the cheek. “I am sure none of it would be of any interest
to you. But if I should think something would be to your interest,
then I’d be sure to tell you.”

She hurried down the stairs and toward her
horse feeling terrible for just lying to the man who was soon to
become her husband.

* * *

Later that day, Sapphire walked into the
stable to see Erin kissing Dugald. She stopped suddenly and cleared
her throat and the couple quickly darted apart.

“My lady,” said Erin, “I am sorry.”

“Aye,” said Dugald busying himself with
brushing the horse. “Your horse is ready, my lady, as well as Lady
Katherine’s.”

“Thank you, Dugald,” she said. “And I
believe Lady Katherine will be here soon.”

“I am here now,” said the woman entering the
stable with her handmaid right behind. “Where would you like to
ride today, Sapphire? Perhaps to town or just through the
village?”

“I was thinking of riding through the field
of poppies,” she said. “Roe told me that was always one of your
favorite spots to go. ’Tis mine now, as well.”

They mounted their horses and prepared to
leave.

“Shall we come with my lady?” asked Erin,
motioning to the other handmaid.

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” said
Sapphire.

“Me neither,” agreed Lady Katherine.

“Would you require an escort my ladies?”
asked Dugald, “as I would be happy to accompany you.”

“Nay, not at all. We’re not going far,” said
Sapphire directing her horse out of the stable.

They rode through the gates and into the
field of flowers and Sapphire stopped and dismounted. “I’d like to
pick some flowers to bring back to the castle,” she said.

“What a wonderful idea,” agreed Lady
Katherine, dismounting and bending down to help her. “Do you know
why I like this field of flowers so much?” she asked.

“Nay,” Sapphire answered.

“Because when my husband was alive, this was
one of our favorite places to have a secret rendezvous.”

“Roe and I rather enjoy it as well.”

“Don’t tell Roe I told you this, but he was
conceived in this field on a day just like today.”

“Really?” Sapphire wondered if she and Roe
would conceive in that field as well.

“I am so happy for you and Roe, Sapphire.
And I only wish Roe’s father could see what a wonderful union this
betrothal has brought about.”

“Do you miss him?” asked Sapphire.

“Greatly.”

“But you love his brother, Henry now don’t
you?”

“We are fond of each other and I have grown
to accept the fact I am his wife, but he will never take the place
of my husband, Richard.”

Sapphire stood up with her hands full of
flowers. She was sniffing them when her eyes fell upon two horses
and two men half-hidden in the shadows of the forest, along the
edge of the field.

“I wonder who that is,” Sapphire said
aloud.

“That looks like my husband’s horse.” Lady
Katherine squinted, looking across the field. “But I cannot see
them clearly enough to know who is with him.”

Sapphire knew exactly whom he was meeting in
secret. But she didn’t have the heart to tell Lady Katherine that
her husband was probably part of a deceitful plan that involved the
smuggling and also the baron.

Everyone was up at sunrise the next morning
and gathered in front of the stable, preparing to go on the
hunt.

Roe readied his men and looked forward to
hunting in the woods and bringing back the well needed meat that
would line the castle’s larder and see them through the winter.

“My lord, how will we be hunting today?”
asked the chief huntsman, coming forward to greet Roe.

“Bow and stable, I believe,” he told him.
“It should be much more productive this time of year.” Bow and
stable was a way of hunting where the archers hid amongst the trees
remaining stable. Men on horseback with bows and arrows with the
hounds leading the hunt, would encircle the prey and force it back
toward the secluded area where the huntsmen were waiting to make
the kill. ’Twas hunting as a team rather than on an individual
basis.

“And which hounds would you require, my
lord?” asked the kennelgroom, walking up to him with a half dozen
dogs leashed with ropes from their ringed collars up to his arm.
Would you require the mastiffs and alaunts?” he asked.

“Nay. We are not hunting boar or bear this
time but rather we will be focusing on the Red Deer. Particularly
the stag. Just bring the running-hounds to flush the deer out of
the thicket and the greyhounds to take the game down should the
huntsmen not make a clean kill.”

“My lord, the lymer has found the trail of
the deer this morning. It looks to be of a good size.” The huntsman
displayed deer droppings he’d collected in his hollowed horn for
Roe to inspect.

“It looks to be a stag,” Roe surveyed by the
large droppings. “Hopefully we’ll find more stags than hinds, as
that’ll be a worthy quarry. “Make certain to remind the huntsmen we
are targeting the Red Deer, but I’ll accept the Roebuck as well.
However, no hunting of the Roe til after Michaelmas. The same goes
for hares, though coneys are fine.” Rabbits were fair game any time
of year, but there were rules to be followed of hunting certain
animals in certain seasons. “And I don’t want anyone wasting time
with the damned young brockets, as we’re after the Hart of
Ten.”

“Aye, we’ll look for a Hart of Ten milord,”
answered the huntsman.

“Good,” he told him. “I want the fifth or
sixth year size and let the younger ones grow for next year. So
look for their tines to be ten, or near to it, or it won’t be worth
my time.” The age of the male hart or stag of the Red Deer could be
told by the amount of tines, or points on their antlers.

“Aye, milord,” the huntsman answered.

“And tell the falconer I’d require half a
dozen hawks and falcons as well for the smaller prey.”

“Of course, milord.” The man bowed and left
just as Sapphire walked up with her handmaid, Erin right behind
her.

“So, I hear there is no hunting of Roe
today,” she said with a smile. “I certainly am glad because I
reserve that pleasure all for myself.”

Roe didn’t find her reference to his name
being a female deer particularly amusing, but still he had to smile
at her jest. He kissed her quickly, and then looked to Erin.

“Erin, please have Dugald saddle a horse for
Lady Sapphire as well as yourself. And tell him to pack the net and
clubs so I can give my betrothed a fair chance of making a kill.”
Often times ladies came along on the hunt, and to make the kill
easier for them, the deer was usually forced into a net where she
would then either shoot it with an arrow or club it to death after
the first shot had already been made.

“Oh no,” she said with a shake of her head.
“I don’t like killing animals, Roe and I would rather not go on the
hunt at all.”

“But I’ll be gone several days,” he told
her.

“I understand, but still, I’d like to stay
at the castle as your mother has suggested we plan the meal for our
wedding feast.”

“Well, if you’re certain,” he said, not
really wanting to leave her behind. Still, his hunt would take him
to the outskirts of Lydd and he’d planned on stopping there to
confront the baron as well as make his way down the marshes of
Dungeness to investigate and ask the sheepherders questions about
their stolen delivery of wool. So mayhap ’twould be better if she
was not along after all.

“Sapphire’s not going?” asked Henry, riding
up to him atop his horse. The man was dressed similar to the
hunters in a forest green tunic that fell past his thighs and had a
hood to conceal his head. He wore brown hose as well, as those were
the colors that would blend well into the forest. “Well, I’m not
sure I’ll be much of a help as I’ve been feeling ill lately, so
mayhap I’ll stay at the castle as well.”

“Uncle, ’tis essential you come along as I
was hoping you’d help me question the fishermen and sheepherders of
the Romney Marshes about the smuggling that has taken place
lately.”

“Oh,” he said, seeming a bit nervous. “I
suppose I’ll go then.”

“Lord Sexton, the huntsmen and animals are
ready to depart,” said his squire, Waylon, coming to join them
already atop his horse.

“Fine then.” Roe fastened his belt with his
sword, dagger and extra arrows. He threw his bow over his shoulder
and climbed atop his steed. He then took from his waistband the
ivory horn encircled with a gold ring and raised it to his lips,
blasting three short notes and held his hand high. “Let the hunt
begin!”

Leading the hunting party, he made his way
over the drawbridge with the entourage right behind him. Lord
Henry, and both his squire as well as Waylon, were at his side. And
at the front was a herald holding Roe’s banner high. The banner of
crimson with a white deer with its hoof atop a bear let others know
this was the lord’s hunting party and not a band of poachers.

The kennelgrooms held back the dogs while
the fewterer ran ahead of them with his hound’s nose already to the
ground to sniff out the trail of the prey. The falconers followed,
as well as the archers on foot. And a barrage of servants and pages
hurried to keep up from behind them, carrying bags with food and
supplies and leading the packhorses that would also be used to
carry back the dead prey.

Sapphire watched them leave and then turned
toward Erin who was still standing at her side.

“Tell Dugald to saddle horses for us as well
as one for himself,” she instructed.

“Where are we going?” the girl asked. “I
thought you said you were staying here to go over the menu for the
wedding with Lady Katherine.”

“I will do that, but not til later. I think
we need to go pay your father a visit first.”

“My father? With Dugald along? Oh no, my
lady as I don’t think that would be a good idea. Besides, my father
is a late riser, and he may not yet be out of bed.”

“Then we’ll wake him,” she said. “And I want
to arrive when no one is really yet at the pub. I think if we talk
to him together he may see that Dugald is not a bad person as he
assumes after all.”

“It won’t be safe, my lady. ’Tis close to
the docks and we should not be there unescorted.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I’ll take one
guard to ride along with us, but I’ll have to swear him to secrecy
as I don’t want to anger Roe if he finds out what I’ve been
doing.”

Sapphire watched the hunting party disappear
down the road and knew that she would miss her betrothed for the
next few days. She’d wanted desperately to tell him that Erin’s
father might be involved in a dealing with the baron regarding the
smuggling of the wool, but she’d promised to keep it a secret.
Perhaps she could find out more about this on her own, and if it
was true or not. That is, before she would eventually have to break
her promise to Erin after all.