Shadowmoor (de Lohr Dynasty #6) (7 page)

In fact, the entire populace of Shadowmoor had pulled together over the past four years, all three hundred and sixty-eight of them, to help each other through this difficult time. No one ever blamed Liselotte for Lord Bramley’s harassment. In fact, those who lived at Shadowmoor were quite protective of their young lady. But Liselotte felt guilty for their suffering nonetheless, just one more thing to feel remorse over in a long line of such things. It was difficult at times not to give in to the weight of self-pity.

As Etzel and Daniel weighed their options for sending missives, Liselotte collected the first clay plate and spooned a goodly portion of the thick pea stew onto it. Onto the stew she put the best piece of boiled mutton she could find. On a separate plate, she spooned a large portion of the boiled cabbage and, with a small loaf of freshly baked bread, brought the feast to Daniel and placed it in front of him. When he looked up at her with gratitude, she smiled timidly.

“We do not have much to share but you are welcome to what we have, my lord,” she said. “I hope it satisfies your hunger.”

Daniel looked down at the food before him. “It looks delicious,” he said. Then, he focused on her face again. “I have never seen such a fine feast.”

Liselotte’s smile turned modest and grateful, and she moved back to the fire to prepare her father’s meal as Daniel dug in to his with gusto. The pea stew was tasty and salty, and the bread was surprisingly good, as was the cabbage. The mutton tasted old but he simply shoved it into his mouth as if it were the most marvelous thing in the world. He would never let his hostess think otherwise.

Soon, Etzel had his meal and the two men were devouring everything before them. Young Gunnar entered the hall just as they were beginning to eat and, sitting on his father’s lap, ate from his father’s meal until Liselotte brought him his own food. But it was clear that Etzel didn’t mind his boy stealing his food. He hugged the child and encouraged him to eat from his plate even when they boy had his own food in front of him. When Liselotte finally sat down next to her father with her own plate of food, she too fed Gunnar off of her plate.

Daniel watched the interaction between the three and he could see how much family love and devotion there was. It was quite clear how glad Etzel and Liselotte were to have Gunnar returned to them, and that knowledge touched Daniel. Being quite close to his own family, he understood those bonds. That love that only a family can have for each other. It also underscored to him the tragedy of the trouble the family had faced against Lord Bramley.

“Tell me, young Gunnar,” Daniel said as he slurped up the pea stew with his bread. “Have you seen an education, lad?”

Gunnar, mouth full of bread, nodded his head. “Papa would take me to Ilkley to the priests,” he said. “They taught me something of reading from the Bible but I have not been back to see them in a long time.”

Daniel was curious. “Why not?”

Etzel spoke. “Because of Lord Bramley,” he said. “He watched the roads, as I told you, and has chased us off when we try to reach the town. We simply stopped trying.”

Daniel swallowed the food in his mouth, eyeing Gunnar. “We shall remedy that,” he said, “because you will have to learn to read and do arithmetic when you become the Lord of Shadowmoor. A good lord must be educated.”

Gunnar had an odd look on his face. “I will not be the Lord of Shadowmoor.”

Daniel’s brow furrowed as he took another bite. “Why not?”

Gunnar collected his cup of watered ale and drank. “Because my brother will be the lord.”

Now, Daniel looked surprised at the introduction of another family member. “You have a brother?”

Etzel simply nodded, lowering his head and shoveling food in his mouth. When he didn’t seem inclined to answer, Daniel looked at Liselotte, who seemed hesitant to speak on the subject.

“Aye, my lord,” she said, eyeing her father. “Gunnar and I have an older brother.”

Daniel wasn’t quite sure why the three of them seemed so subdued with the mention of another brother. “Where does he live?” he asked.

“Here, at Shadowmoor,” Liselotte said. “He is… ill. Sickly.”

Daniel nodded in understanding. “I see,” he said. “A pity. A strong older brother with a good sword might have helped you fend of Lord Bramley.”

Etzel set his cup down on the tabletop, rather heavily. It was a mask for a gesture of frustration. “He used to be a fine sword,” he said. “He used to be the finest in the land. But his sword hand, and his honor, was consumed by drink and that is the way he wants it. When we salvage Shadowmoor, it will be to turn it over to a drunkard who cares little for anything other than himself.”

It was a statement wrought with anger and sorrow. Daniel quickly surmised that the subject of the older brother was not a pleasant one.

“Forgive me for bringing up a painful subject,” he said. “I was not aware.”

Etzel seemed to calm, realizing how harsh he must have sounded. “I know,” he said. “I apologize if I was abrupt. Brynner does not associate with the family and we do not associate with him. He wishes it that way. You can expect no help from him because, as you can see, he has left us to fend for ourselves as if he wants no part of us. It is shameful but true.”

Daniel suspected this was not the time for any further questions about the son Etzel identified as Brynner. It was a puzzling and seemingly sad situation, but he knew it really wasn’t any of his affair. He had already imposed himself on the family enough so he respected the information he was given as all he needed to know. It was evident they didn’t wish to speak of the brother so he changed the subject.

“My lady, your father and I were discussing all of the roads that lead south from Shadowmoor, roads or paths that Lord Bramley might not be watching,” he said, looking to Liselotte as he pulled apart the last of his bread. “He tells me that there are two roads, a main road and a smaller one, and then two smaller paths that lead over the hill towards Hawksworth and Guiseley. Can you think of any other roads that might be worth attempting when I try to send a message south?”

Successfully diverted off the painful subject of Brynner, Liselotte’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. “I do not,” she said. “Do you intend to take the message yourself?”

Daniel shook his head. “I intend to hire a messenger.”

Liselotte seemed hesitant when she spoke. “I see,” she said. “If that is the case, then I have been thinking… mind you, we’ve not had the money to hire a messenger but if we did, what if we were to go north to the villages of Cross Hills or Eastburn and find someone to take the message south? Lord Bramley doesn’t necessarily watch the roads leading north too much, only the ones that converge south towards Bradford. He more than likely would not think much of a lone messenger providing the man had money to pay Bramley’s road tariff. We have never tried to slip a message past him that way.”

Etzel looked at his daughter with some curiosity, as if he wasn’t certain her idea was a sound one, but Daniel smiled broadly at her. He didn’t seem to have the same reservation. “A brilliant idea, my lady,” he said. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Liselotte grinned, blushing to the roots of her hair. “We have never had a reason to try something such as that,” she admitted. “We do not have the means.”

Daniel cocked his head. “But you have men here at Shadowmoor who could take a message and mayhap not be recognized or harassed,” he said. “Men who could take it straight to Henry.”

Etzel answered. “It takes money to travel,” he said. “We have none.”

“None to spare?”

“None at all.”

Daniel didn’t doubt that in the least. Shadowmoor was clearly poor but he thought they might have some small stash of coinage tucked away because certain items did need to be purchased. Therefore, he was surprised to hear there was absolutely nothing.

“Then where do you get money for flour and ale?” he asked. “You must purchase such things from a mill or a brewer wife.”

Liselotte drank the last of her ale. “We spent all summer and into the fall collecting wild grains,” she said. “It is what we use for the ale and flour, but even that store grows low. We will conserve until the early summer when the grains began to reach a state where they can be harvested early.”

Daniel looked at his clay plate, the meal he had just finished off. “Is everything you collect wild? You purchase nothing?”

Liselotte shook her head. “Nothing, my lord.”

Which meant they shared their precious stores with him when he could have just as easily purchased a meal in town. He’d never seen such a level of poverty with people who had been forced into such circumstances.

“Well,” he said thoughtfully. “If I am to remain here to help you with Lord Bramley, I will pay for my lodgings and I will start tomorrow when we go north into the town to seek a messenger. I will purchase whatever supplies I can find there and bring them back. Is there anything specific that you need?”

Liselotte was dumbfounded. She looked at her father, fearfully, before replying. “Need?” she repeated. “I do not understand.”

Daniel could see he’d confused her with his question. Perhaps it was a question she had never heard in her life. “If I am going to eat and sleep here, then I must pay for that privilege,” he explained again. “I intend to pay for it by purchasing supplies. Do you have a cow for milk and cheese?”

Liselotte stared at him, her features pale with surprise. “We… nay, we do not,” she said. “We ate the cow.”

Daniel nodded decisively. “Then I shall purchase a cow or two,” he said. “If I am going to stay here, I must have cheese. I cannot do without it.”

His statement left no room for debate. Liselotte had no idea what to say, looking to her father to see what his reaction was, but Etzel seemed just as speechless as his daughter. He understood that their guest, their savior, had the right and expectation to eat what he wanted to eat, but Etzel also knew that Daniel was preparing to supply them with things they could not possibly pay him for.

“My lord,” he said. “Forgive us our inability to provide sufficiently for you, but we cannot reimburse you for that which you intend to purchase.”

Daniel looked at the man. “I do not expect you to,” he said. “Do you understand that I am paying for my keep by purchasing supplies? It is not usual for the host to reimburse a guest the cost of his upkeep. I will purchase the items I need for myself, but I will purchase enough to repay you for housing me. I am not sure how much plainer I can be to this regard.”

Etzel and Liselotte looked at each other, unwilling to protest for two reasons – they didn’t want to offend their guest and, truly, it had been a very long time since they had been supplied with enough to eat. Perhaps it was their hungry bellies willing to overlook their pride. In any case, they didn’t protest or argue purely out of surprise for what Daniel intended to do. He seemed quite determined to do it and he was quite clear that there would be no need for monetary compensation.

It was a wonderful thought, and one that brought about great relief, but there was still the matter of pride. Etzel wasn’t used to taking charity and it was difficult to accept that this knight wished to provide them with sustenance. As he wrestled with that pride, Gunnar climbed off his father’s lap and went to Daniel.

“Are you so rich, then?” he asked. “You can buy a cow?”

Daniel grinned at the wide-eyed boy, who was really an adorable lad. “I can,” he said. “I can buy most anything I want. I am fortunate that I have the means.”

“But if you travel all of the time, as you say, how do you make your money?” Liselotte asked. “Shouldn’t you serve a lord or, at the very least, have a trade?”

Daniel’s gaze turned to her, that angelic face. “I am actually not a true vagabond,” he admitted. “I am titled and I hold lands within the Canterbury earldom. Lord Thorndon is my title, in fact. I have property that generates income for me and men to staff my holdings.”

Gunnar was interested. “What holdings?” he asked. “Do you have a big castle and lots of men with swords?”

Daniel grinned. “I have two small castles, in fact,” he said. “And my father’s men staff them as outposts.”

“But you said you had no home,” Liselotte pointed out. She couldn’t help it. “Yet you have two castles?”

Daniel nodded. “I do,” he said. “But I have never lived at them. Mayhap someday I will, but for now, the floor of my home is the land and the roof of my home is the sky. All of England is my home and I like it that way.”

Liselotte simply nodded, perhaps not entirely happy to hear that answer, as Gunnar continued with his questions. “Have you seen lots of battles, then?” he asked. “Have you killed a lot of men?”

“Gunnar,” Etzel admonished softly. He smiled weakly at Daniel. “He is young, my lord. Blood and battles excite him.”

Daniel put a big hand on Gunnar’s blond head. “When I was young, they excited me as well,” he said. “But that is a story for another time. It would seem to me that you and I have had an extraordinary day and I, for one, am looking forward to sleep. What say you, young Gunnar?”

Gunnar shrugged. He wasn’t quite ready to go to bed. “You are sleeping in my chamber,” he said. “Shall I show you where it is?”

Daniel nodded, rising wearily to his feet. His saddlebags were over near the hearth along with his tunic and cloak, which were now virtually dry from the intense heat of the fire. Gunnar ran alongside him and then darted in front of him, trying to help him with his things. Daniel nearly tripped over the skinny agile boy.

“I will show you where to sleep,” Gunnar said. “Come follow me!”

Daniel slung his saddlebags over his shoulder and collected his broadsword, still packed carefully in its sheath and propped against the saddlebags. By this time, Liselotte and Etzel were up because their guest was about to retire for the night.

“Are you sure you have had enough to eat, my lord?” Liselotte asked. “My brother seems to be rushing you away. Surely you would stay and enjoy the remainder of the ale?”

Daniel shook his head. “Nay, my lady, although your offer is gracious,” he said. “I will retire for the night for tomorrow, we will take a trip into the nearest northern town to find both a messenger and some supplies. It will be a big day for us all. In fact, my lady, I would consider it an honor if you would accompany me. I may have need of your guidance and expertise. I am a stranger to his area and you are not. Your knowledge will be invaluable.”