“Richmond?” Arissa positioned herself between Richmond and Gavan, her focus on the suspicious children. “What is going on?”
Richmond shook his head. “I am not quite sure,” he admitted casually. “But I believe we are being threatened.”
Arissa’s brow furrowed as she looked between Richmond and the children. “What happened?”
He shrugged. “A child ran in to me,” he said. “You can hear her crying. When Gavan tried to remove her, she fell and hit her knee on a rock. Now these children think we have brutalized her.”
Arissa looked at Gavan. “What did you do to her?”
Gavan put up his hands as if he truly had no idea. “I did not do anything to her,” he insisted. “She was on the ground so I pulled her up and directed her away from Richmond. And then she fell.”
Arissa looked displeased. “Gavan, I have seen you when you go in defense of Richmond,” she said. “Did you truly just direct her away? Or did you push her?”
Gavan looked at Arissa as if insulted by the question. Then he rolled his eyes and stepped away, unwilling to get into a verbal battle with her. “I did not shove her,” he said, walking away.
Arissa scowled at the man before returning her attention to the children. In truth, Richmond did not seem to know how to react to a gang of youths accusing him of injuring one of their own so he thought it best to say nothing. He did not want to start anything that might bring out the adults, or worse, other knights. He was not looking for a fight in any case and did not want to waste his time. Therefore, he focused on Arissa.
“If you are thinking of making a purchase, go and make your selection,” he told her. “We have a few more miles to travel before setting up camp and I do not want to be setting up in the dark.”
Arissa nodded, though she was still eyeing the children. The boy who had defended the little girl so stringently was still standing in front of the group, his fists balled, as if preparing to do battle. She focused on the young lad.
“Is the little girl your sister?” she asked kindly.
The boy looked at the lovely young woman who was not a whole lot bigger than he was. He appeared confused by the question at first but eventually shook his head. “No,” he said. “She dunna have a brother.”
Arissa smiled at the lad. “You make a very good brother. You are very brave to protect her.”
The child scratched his head, looking at the group behind him as if his courage was suddenly waning and he was looking to them for support. Then he looked back at Arissa.
“He did push her,” he insisted, though it was without force.
Arissa nodded patiently. “If he did, I am sure he did not mean to,” she said. “I am sorry if your friend was hurt.”
“Is he yer husband, lady?”
Arissa shook her head, pointing to Richmond instead. “He is.”
The boy, and the children behind him, looked at the enormous man. “Does he beat ye, then?” the boy asked, incredulous.
Arissa laughed. “Of course not,” she said. “Why would he?”
“Because he’s a big ’un.”
Arissa was still smiling, shaking her head. “He’s very sweet and very kind,” she told him. “Now, tell me; where are your parents?”
The boy shrugged. “We dunna have ’un,” he said, kicking at the dirt and glancing to the group behind him. “We…. well, we take care o’ each other.”
Arissa understood somewhat. “Which is why you defended the little girl.”
“Aye.”
At this point, the little girl’s weeping could no longer be heard and the gaggle of children began to disband. It would seem that the crisis was over and they were losing interest in what was going on. As they started to wander away, Arissa called out to them.
“Wait,” she said. “Please…. wait.”
The boy, and most of the group, came to a halt. Then she turned to Richmond. “Give them a few coins,” she whispered.
He was surprised by her request. “What?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard her correctly. “A few coins….?”
Arissa held out her hand to him. “Please,” she hissed. “Look at them, Richmond; they are filthy and starving. Show them the same generosity you show me and give them a few coins so they can at least buy something to eat.”
He eyed her, displeased, but did as she asked. Reaching in to his tunic, he pulled forth his purse and plopped five coins into her palm. Arissa went to the boy with the matted blond hair and extended her hand.
“For you,” she said. “Please buy something to eat for your friends.”
The child took the coins from her, awed. He stared at the pences in his palm as if he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Then, he grinned brightly, displaying green and crooked teeth.
“Thanks, lady!”
He dashed off, calling to the children, and they all swarmed around him. As he excitedly showed off the coins he had been given and pointed back to Arissa and Richmond, Arissa stood there and grinned. Richmond came up behind her.
“Very generous, my lady,” he said, winking at her when she turned to look at him. “Now, if you do not mind, it is time to make your purchases so we can get out of this town before I go broke.”
With a giggle, Arissa turned back to the merchant stall and the amazing pre-made surcoats. Emma was standing just inside the stall, still holding on to the blue Perse coat, having just watched the happenstance with the children. Arissa and Emma were just beginning to engage in conversation when Richmond heard a shout.
He turned to see Gavan heading towards him with something in his hand. “Our messenger has caught up to us,” Gavan told him as he approached. “We have a reply from Henry.”
Richmond’s attention was diverted from Arissa spending all of his money as he went to Gavan and accepted a worn leather pouch that was sealed with an iron pin.
“That was fast work,” Richmond replied as he opened the pouch. “From Lambourn to London, and then to Whitby in less than two weeks.”
“Indeed.”
Richmond dug into the pouch and pulled out the first of two missives stuck inside. “I wonder what Henry has to say to all of this,” he muttered, eyeing the first missive that had his name on it. Then he pulled out the second and noted that it was for his eyes only. He put that one back in the pouch as he focused on the first. “I can only hope he does not order us to turn around and head back for London.”
“Why?”
“Because it would not be very safe for Arissa there, not with all of the turmoil surrounding the king right now, and I am not entirely sure how I could deny the king’s orders without revealing our little secret,” he replied as he popped the wax seal and unrolled the fine vellum. His gaze digested the words for a few moments before he started to read.
“Sir Richmond le Bec
Dated this tenth day of December, Year of Our Lord Fourteen Hundred and Two
Richmond,
We have received your missive regarding the removal of your ward from Lambourn Castle and We approve. Continue to Whitby Abbey with all due haste, whereupon your ward shall begin her sentence with the sisterhood. When you have accomplished this task, you will return to London with all due haste. We have need of you.
Tasked the Day of Days,
Your Lord and Sovereign, Henry…..”
Richmond looked up from the missive. “So we return to London once Arissa is charged to Whitby,” he muttered, lowering the missive as he began to roll it up again. His movements were slow and pensive. “It is as I had hoped.”
“You do not seem pleased.”
Richmond shrugged. “I do not suppose we could take another few weeks before I have to leave her.”
Gavan sighed faintly, glancing up at Arissa and Emma in the distance as they bartered for the garments. “Nay,” he said quietly. “Richmond, I realize this is difficult for you, but the sooner you leave her and attend Henry, the sooner you can return for her. That is what you want most of all, is it not?”
; Richmond tucked the missive back in the pouch, noting the second one and remembering that he was instructed to read it alone.
“It is,” he nodded, though he was still feeling depressed. “I still do not like the idea of leaving her with strangers. More than that, I do not want her to be away from me.”
“It is necessary for now. You know that. You and Henry have a great deal of business to discuss and it is better to get it over with.”
Richmond could only nod again. Then he pulled out the second smaller missive and gestured to Gavan with it.
“Hurry the women along,” he instructed. “Whatever they want, buy it for them. Let us depart this berg sooner rather than later. I am eager to get the men settled in for the night.”
Gavan broke away from him and headed for Arissa and Emma, who saw him coming and hastened to wind up their bartering. Richmond watched for a moment as Gavan came upon them and evidently told them to hurry, because he could hear Arissa scolding him.
With a grin, Richmond broke the seal on the second missive and read the short note, also from Henry. This news was regarding Gavan’s wife and was far more devastating, like a blow to his gut, and Richmond struggled quickly to recover.
He made sure there were no tears in his eyes when Gavan returned with the women a short time later.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Richmond’s encampment had been set up about three miles north of Pickering in a vale of trees with a large brook running through it, enough so that his men were able to wash and cook with plenty of water.
In spite of the fact that it was December in the north, the skies were remarkably clear and the land fairly dry. It was, however, very cold. Richmond had his men spread out and set up a perimeter, setting watch shifts and security, as several of his men set up his tent and stoked two viziers into a nice, warm blaze.
Arissa and Emma had huddled around one of them while the tents went up, until Emma grew bored and began to speak of the winter blooms she had seen. She began to speak of pomades and oils, pulling Arissa into her excitement, and soon the two of them were out of the tent in search of the elusive winter blooms. That was fairly normal behavior for Arissa. Unbeknownst to Richmond, they wandered away from camp.
But his clues came soon enough. Richmond heard a chorus of screams, faint and muffled against the damp trees, and he knew without a doubt the screams came from Arissa; he would know her voice anywhere. He had just located Gavan amongst the soldiers and was preparing to deliver the contents of the second missive when the air had been pierced by the unmistakable sounds of terror. Deterred from his dreaded task, both he and Gavan had been jolted into action.
Within seconds, the entire camp was a boiling cauldron of men and armor, determined to seek out and protect the two women from the impending threat. The five soldiers that had been left in charge of the young ladies’ safety suddenly found themselves stripped of their arms and corralled into a tight group. Guarded by ten soldiers of Richmond’s personal choosing, hope for a relatively painless future was not guaranteed as Henry’s most powerful knight discovered their failings.
Richmond and Gavan were already mounted, tearing into the thicket of trees to the south of the wagon, the very last place the two ladies had been seen and assuming it was a logical location to begin. But several feet into the undergrowth, it was obvious the destriers could go no further in the heavy foliage. Dismounting, swords were unsheathed as both knights and several dozen soldiers charged headlong into the dense, wet leafage.
Heart pounding, Richmond was not given ample time to work himself up into a good panic; within moments, he found himself gazing upon a black and blond head from where the ladies sat, perched on a large moldering rock. Beside them, a vaguely familiar figure clad in rags sat happily and several feet away, a cluster of children were hovered intently over a small fire.
Richmond could see that the women weren’t in any danger and his anxiety transformed into simmering anger. Pushing through a bank of heavy brush that he practically tore to shreds with his force and size, he jabbed an armor-clad finger at the two figures on the rock.
“What goes on here?” he boomed.
Arissa started violently, leaping up from the rock in surprise. Emma, her eyes wide with shock, stared at Richmond and Gavan as if the Devil had suddenly made an appearance; covered with exposed swords and weapons, the picture was terrifying.
“We…. we came into the trees looking for flowers,” Arissa stammered. “The children found us and are preparing a special treat in our honor.”
Richmond stared at the overall picture a moment; seventeen very frightened, very cold children gazed back at him as if he were pure evil. On a small fire built into the mucky earth, five small fish were cooking on spits and Richmond sheathed his sword, moving to grasp Arissa by the arm.
“’Twas foolish to venture into the trees without an escort,” he growled. “I would expect more of a show of intelligence from you, my lady. You are fully aware of the dangers that lurk about.”
Arissa winced at the brutal grip on her arm. “Release me, Richmond, you are hurting me,” she said with as much force as she could muster. His grip immediately lessened, but he did not let go of her and she attempted to pull free. He did not budge. “Let go of me, Richmond. I demand it.”
“You do not make demands,” he flipped up his visor, his eyes like ice as his gaze moved from the frightened children to Emma. He gestured at her with his free hand. “Take her, Hage. Tie her to the wagon if she cannot show more wisdom than to venture out into the forest without the proper attendants.”
As Gavan moved for Emma, Arissa could see that the situation was rapidly deteriorating. Since she could not match Richmond’s anger, and his fury was quite correct for wandering away from the campsite, she decided to play to his sympathies instead. As she had proven abundantly in the past, a little honey against the hard facade of Richmond le Bec could work wonders.
“Richmond, may I speak with you a moment before you haul Emma and I away like a pair of criminals?” she asked politely.
He eyed her. “When we return to camp, I will expect a full explanation. You may speak to your heart’s content at that time.”
She shook her head, her soft hands moving to grasp his massive glove. Smiling faintly, she pressed against him. “Now, Richmond. I shall take but a moment of your precious time. If you do not agree with my words, you may spank me all night.”
There was a decidedly erotic invitation in that statement but he ignored it, still focused on his anger. “After I remove you from this rabble, I shall be happy to speak with you.”
He made the attempt to pull her with him but she balked, digging her heels in. His jaw ticked at the show of insolence but she tried not to let the gesture intimidate her.
“Please, my love,” her voice was suddenly very soft, very seductive. “Allow me a moment to speak with you. Just a small, insignificant moment? Please?”
God’s Teeth, he could never refuse her. Somehow, he was always caving into her imperious commands disguised as prettily uttered requests. Releasing her from his grasp, he put his hands on his hips in a display of irritation. “What, then?”
She smiled, pressing herself against him and winding her arms about his waist. Next to her, Emma was fighting off a grin as Gavan pretended to look the other way; they both knew Arissa would have her way in the end, regardless of Richmond’s harsh stance.
“They are preparing a feast to thank me for my kindness in defending them against you earlier today,” she whispered, watching the blue eyes soften as she spoke. “Those five fish are all they have to sustain the seventeen of them, and still they are willing to share with me. I shall not refuse their kind tribute, Richmond. Even though they are dirt-poor, scraping the very dregs of society in their attempt to maintain a meager existence, they still know the true meaning of selflessness. That, my love, is worth all of the kings and knights and wealth this world has to offer and I am honored to be a part of it.”
He stared at her
a moment before emitting a weary, heart-felt sigh. She continued to smile at him, watching his uncertain expression as he glanced to the wary cluster of children. It took him a moment to realize that during the course of their conversation, he had distracted the orphans from their fire and the fish were burning brightly with flames as he watched.
With another sigh, this one of pure resignation, he realized he was about to give in to her request yet again. Watching the fish burn, however, he was suddenly aware of how to please Arissa without appearing weak in front of his men. God’s Teeth, he was a fool for the woman.
“Their tribute appears to have become a torch,” he grumbled, touching her cheek; he simply couldn’t help himself as she gazed up at him. His gaze lingered on the children a moment before turning away from Arissa. “You will tell them to sup with us since I have ruined their dinner. I shall wait for you on the other side of the thicket, so do not delay.”
Arissa smiled broadly, a beautiful smile that rendered him weak with love and adoration. “Of course, my love. I shall do it right away.” Before he could move away completely, she reached out to gently grasp his massive hand. “Thank you, Richmond. You are an extremely generous man.”
He barely acknowledged her thanks as he moved into the foliage he had so recently crushed. “I am not generous; I am a fool,” he muttered, listening to Gavan’s snort of agreement.
Hearing Gavan’s laughter reminded him of the second missive from Henry, the one whose contents he had been directed to deliver to Gavan in private. The man had to be made aware, the sooner the better, and Richmond’s heart sank as he once again braced himself for the devastating duty.
His gut churned as they reached the destriers, preparing to mount. God’s Teeth, how he hated what he was about to do. Eyeing Gavan as the man moved to mount his horse, he wondered if his best friend would ever be able to forgive him.
*
Seventeen children around a campfire filled with hardened soldiers proved to be a surprising, wonderful source of entertainment. The children sang, danced, told stories and involved the men-at-arms in betting games. Two boys would wrestle as the men eagerly placed wages, adding to the festive atmosphere, while two of the girls would take bets on who could spit the farthest.