Shadowmoor (de Lohr Dynasty #6) (30 page)

Maddoc grinned. “Nay, my lord,” he shook his head. “Daniel can fight as well as I can. I have no intention of poking the bear.”

Christopher grunted. “Then I may have to poke him,” he said. “He would not dare strike me back.”

Maddoc laughed softly. “He would hug you, kiss you, and tell you how much he loves you,” he said. “You cannot hit a man who is showing such affection.”

Christopher simply shook his head and waved Maddoc off. As the knight headed out to muster an army, Christopher turned back to his grandsons. But his thoughts lingered on his nephew, his brother’s only son, a man who was what all men wanted to be – strong, proud, true, honest to a fault, loving, but with a hint of the devil in him. The entire family loved Daniel dearly. Of course, Christopher was going to rush to the man’s aid; there had never been any doubt.

After a long game of War with his grandsons and their toy soldiers, Christopher retired to his solar after the boys had gone to sleep to write a missive to his brother, very tactfully trying to tell the man that Daniel might be in a spot of trouble with a local lord named Bramley.

He prayed the missive didn’t send his still-ill brother over the edge and onto the road north to save his only son.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Shadowmoor

I
t was the
best time of his life.

That’s what Daniel was thinking as he quit the keep, heading for the great hall under the early morning sky. The day was bright, with the rains from a few days ago having passed away, and the epic mud in the bailey that seemed to coat everything was drying up for the most part. More than that, it was evident throughout Shadowmoor that the situation, for them, had drastically changed.

That was what some food and hope could do for people – completely change their outlook and give them faith that better days were on the horizon. Those who lived at Shadowmoor, people whose families had lived there for generations, were still wearing rags, but at least their bellies were full. That gave them the strength to mend a broken roof on their one-room home, or sweep floors, or try to make their living conditions better. It gave them the will to go on.

Shadowmoor was a place where many people lived inside the fortress, with little homes built into the fortress walls, but it was also a place where some people lived outside of the fortress. Even though the gates were closed, and were always closed, people were slipping in and out, helping those outside of the fortress, everyone seemingly quite busy on this bright day.

It was good to see.

The grain that Daniel had purchased in town nearly two weeks ago now had been rationed and put to good use. Bread was baking again. And with the cow he’d bought, people had butter for that bread. There wasn’t a lot of it, but it was enough. Daniel was coming to think they needed more than one cow and he was thinking on heading in to Siglesdene on this day to speak to the livery owner again, to see if he could purchase one or two more.

Shadowmoor didn’t operate like most castles, that usually only functioned for the lord’s family and whatever army he had inside. A castle was like a city unto itself most of the time, only providing for those who lived within, sometimes providing for a village, but more often than not only providing for itself. But Shadowmoor functioned like an entire city, and there were a couple of hundred people to feed. Therefore, more needed to be done, including more cows in the stable.

It was the idea of a purpose in life that Daniel had first considered before he had decided to aid Shadowmoor in its struggles. To help those less fortunate, to fortify those who were downtrodden. He had been a wanderer for so long, only thinking of himself, but now he was thinking of others.

Of Liselotte
.

His first week at Shadowmoor had been difficult due to Etzel’s unexpected death and Liselotte had grieved heavily the first day. She and Gunnar had wept together. But after that day, it was as if she realized she needed to set an example to the others, to be strong about what had happened, and he saw a change come over the woman. She was now essentially in charge of Shadowmoor and she would not let her people down. Her grief was still there; Daniel had caught her with tears in her eyes on more than one occasion, but she had quickly recovered her composure. Daniel admired her strength a great deal.

Now, almost two weeks later, she was setting a remarkable example for her people to follow and Daniel was certain that was the majority of the reason why everyone at Shadowmoor seemed to be feeling so hopeful for the future. But, of course, Daniel had given her that confidence. Through him, she could see change for the better in spite of Etzel’s passing.

But it wasn’t just Daniel who had inspired such confidence – things long dormant at Shadowmoor were now beginning to thrive again as the result of help from Netherghyll. Easton had sent about three hundred men to Shadowmoor when Daniel had sent him a missive about Etzel’s death and Brynner’s alliance with Bramley. But Easton had done even more than that; he’d gone out of his way to send supplies, including wood and peat, and food for his men so they wouldn’t be a burden on Shadowmoor’s meager supplies.

Caston had come along with those three hundred men and after he got over the shock of the fortress’ derelict condition, he and Daniel had decided on a course of action to repair and restore the fortress. It was carefully laid out, in stages, and with the Netherghyll soldiers helping the inhabitants of Shadowmoor, the badly damaged legacy of the l’Audacieux family began to take shape again.

The phoenix began to rise from the ashes.

Walls were being repaired and more supplies were brought in. As half of the Netherghyll men stood guard in and around the fortress, the other half, along with most of Shadowmoor’s residents, began fixing huts, organizing work gangs, and restoring what used to be the trade stalls. The smithy was up again, as was the tanner, and supplies from Netherghyll made it possible for these men, who had been without the tools of their trade for so long, to begin restoring tools and weapons, and repairing things like shoes and clothing. Finally, the people of Shadowmoor began to live again with help from a very generous neighbor.

A neighbor, in fact, that Daniel was coming to appreciate a great deal. Easton was vastly generous and Caston was as well, both of them rushing to help Shadowmoor as if helping a family member. The more time Daniel spent with these men, the more he appreciated them. Daniel and Caston had become surprisingly close very quickly, mostly because they had the same sense of humor and seemed to think alike. But the more he came to know Caston, the more Daniel’s guilt over Brighton’s death was starting to eat at him.

He cursed the man daily for what he’d done and how he’d behaved. He’d behaved horribly and had perished as a result. Someday, Easton and Caston would learn of the man’s death and it would tear them apart, for they both spoke quite fondly of Brighton, their son and brother. It was clear they loved the man and missed him. That, more than anything, was like a dagger to Daniel’s heart and his resolve never to tell them what he knew began to slip. It simply wasn’t fair for them not to know what Brighton had done and the result of that behavior. But, then again, perhaps it was better for them not to know and remember the man as they knew them.

It was a dilemma, indeed.

On this bright morning as Daniel crossed the bailey towards the hall, he could see men upon the steeply pitched roof of the hall repairing a section that leaked badly. Most of the men on the roof were Shadowmoor residents although a few Netherghyll soldiers were on the ground, passing up materials. The thatching supplies had come from Netherghyll as well, and Daniel made a note of just how much he was to owe Easton for the man’s generosity. He was coming to think that the purse won at Skipton’s tournament should simply be turned over to Easton as payment. As he pondered the monetary compensation for his generous neighbors, a shout broke his train of thought.

“You, there!”

He heard a cry over to his right, near the front gate, and turned to see Caston standing there with a grin on his face. The man had gone back to Netherghyll a couple of days ago but had evidently returned this morning. Daniel grinned as he faced him.

“Are you back again?” he said, sounding disgusted. “I thought I was well rid of you!”

Caston laughed. “In your dreams, foolish man,” he said. “You cannot be rid of me. I will haunt you until the end of your days.”

There was a double-meaning in that for Daniel.
If you knew what I know about your brother, that would be true.
But he kept his manner light, in the manner Caston had intended.

“Then I am a cursed man,” he said drolly. “How goes it at Netherghyll?”

Caston came towards him, grinning. “Glennie wants to know if she can come to Shadowmoor and visit, but my father has denied her,” he said. “She is very unhappy, so do not be surprised if she shows up one of these days in defiance of his orders. If she does, you are to spank her and send her back to Netherghyll under escort. My father told me to tell you that.”

Daniel snorted. “Let Easton spank her,” he said. “She is his daughter, after all.”

Caston nodded. “That is true,” he said. “But she is willing to risk it. She is quite fond of you, you know.”

It was the first time since Netherghyll’s arrival at Shadowmoor that the subject of Glennie, and her obvious interest in Daniel, had been broached. Daniel had been hoping it would never come up but it seemed as if Caston had been lulling him into a false sense of security. Now, in a sly move, it was out in the open but Daniel was prepared. He smiled faintly.

“I am sure we are all in agreement that she should not come,” he said. “Based on the situation with Brynner and Bramley, and the fact that they could be planning for an attack at this very moment, she must remain at Netherghyll.”

Caston nodded. “I am aware,” he said. Then, he noticed a vision in yellow wool over near the end of the hall where it connected to the kitchen yard. Liselotte made an appearance with two servants trailing her; it was clear that they were in discussion. “Speaking of ladies at Shadowmoor, since Glennie is not allowed to come, mayhap it would be wise to send Liselotte to Netherghyll as well. The ladies could keep each other company. As it is, Glennie is offended that Liselotte is allowed at Shadowmoor but she is not.”

Daniel caught sight of the woman, too, and his gaze tracked her. “This is Liselotte’s home,” he said quietly. “She has a right to be here more than any of us do. I have tried to convince her to leave but she refuses, especially in light of Etzel’s passing. She feels the need to be here for the comfort of the inhabitants of Shadowmoor.”

Caston shrugged his shoulders as both of them watched Liselotte’s lithe figure move through the kitchen yard and out of sight. “You do not want her to leave, anyway,” he said. “You want her close to you.”

It was a statement, not a question, as if Caston were confident in the subject. As if he knew. Daniel pretended to have no idea what he was talking about.

“Why on earth would you say that?” he asked. “It is for her own safety that I have asked her to leave.”

Caston gave him a half-grin. “Daniel, we are friends,” he said. “I am offended that you see the need to lie to me about her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I see how you look at her. I have seen the touches between you two when you think no one is looking.”

Daniel stared at him for a long moment before breaking down into a smile. “Is it that obvious?”

Caston laughed softly. “It is to me.”

“Have you told Glennie?”

Caston shook his head. “Not until I had confirmation,” he said. “It will break her heart, you know.”

Daniel was still smiling because Caston was, trying not to look too embarrassed. “When you do tell her, tell her that Liselotte and I are… together. That way, she will not think this is something trite or temporary.”

“Betrothed?”

“Her father offered her to me in marriage before his death.”

Caston nodded. “Now, everything makes so much more sense,” he said. “I have been wracking my brain, trying to figure out why you should work so hard to save this old fortress when you have no real connection to it. Now, I know.”

“Indeed you do.”

“I think I have known since the beginning.”

Daniel slapped Caston on the arm and turned him towards the hall. “Then you are cleverer than I gave you credit for,” he said, watching Caston snort. “But let us put thoughts of women aside for now. What brings you back to Shadowmoor? Or did you miss me so much that you could not stay away?”

They were nearing the open hall entry, smelling something very rare in the air. It had been a long time since the scent of freshly baked bread had filled the hall.

“I came back with fifty more men bearing tools and more nails for repairs,” Caston said. “But I also came to speak with you about a few things. One subject I wish to speak with you about is the plan we had for confronting Bramley. Do you recall when we discussed that? I think we should do it sooner rather than later. Although he has been quiet since Lord Etzel’s death, I am uneasy with the silence. I feel as if the man is up to something. It would be better if we take the two hundred men I suggested and ride to Bramley to tell him to stay away from Shadowmoor or he risks bringing the entire de Lohr army down upon him.”