From what she’d heard, he had brought law and order to the Marches. And in giving half of the tolls to the church, he proved that he wasn’t greedy. It sounded as if he were benevolent as far as Saesneg knights went, so based on that knowledge, she supposed that remaining at Wybren wouldn’t be a danger. If he wanted answers, she could tell him as much – or as little – as she wanted to. The only matter of concern to her was the release of her father.
De Lara wanted something.
She wanted something.
Perhaps this was the way to achieve it.
“There is my father’s business and his house to tend to while he is away,” she answered belatedly. “While he is away, they are my complete responsibility.”
Kevin sat back in his chair, eyeing her. “Don’t you have servants that can attend to both?”
“Of course, but…”
“Then it is settled. You will remain at Wybren as my guest until such time as your father’s sentence is satisfied.”
Juliandra was coming to see that she had no choice. In truth, the prospect of remaining at Wybren with de Lara was somewhat… intriguing. The Welsh in her was wholly resistant, but the woman in her… and the English side of things… didn’t seem to be all that opposed.
It was quite perplexing.
“I would prefer if you set a limit to my time spent,” she said. “I cannot remain here for years and I do not want my father to remain in the vault for years simply for failing to pay a silly toll.”
He lifted his big shoulders. “Very well,” he said. “Six months.”
Her eyes widened. “Just for failing to pay a toll? My father must suffer in the vault for six months?”
“He certainly will not refuse to pay again, will he?”
He had a point. After a moment, Juliandra nodded reluctantly. “Agreed,” she said without enthusiasm. “I will return home to gather my things.”
Kevin shook his head. “You are not leaving,” he said. “I will supply whatever you need during your stay. But your maid can return home. She is not needed.”
She looked disappointed. “Megsy? But she has been with me since I was a small child.”
“Then it is time for you to grow up and learn to live without the crutch of your childhood nurse. I will send her home.”
Juliandra opened her mouth to argue but thought better of it. She reminded herself that this was for her father, and if that meant sending her maid home, then she would do so. She suspected that anything less than complete cooperation would not be well met.
Without anything more to say, she simply nodded her head and lowered her gaze. It was a signal of surrender, of submission. All she wanted was her father’s release and, evidently, the new Lord of Wybren was going to force her into service for it.
He wanted something.
She wanted something.
Six months.
She wondered if she could last that long.
CHAPTER SIX
The Neath
“And then she sent me home!” Megsy sobbed. “I just know he’s ravishing her, the big Saesneg brute. They’re all brutes!”
It was a wet morning, cold and damp. A storm had blown in from the west and the land was sopping and wind-whipped. Megsy had limped home that morning in such weather to the manse known as The Neath, the home of Gethin ap Garreg and his daughter.
Gethin’s father had built the home about sixty years earlier. He had been a very wealthy man, a fortune he had passed on to his son. He had also passed on the family business, which was importing fine goods from France and places beyond. He had one of the only import stalls in the mid-Marches, so people from far and wide would travel to the village of Pool to visit his store of exotic and coveted goods.
The manse was a large and well-appointed place, showing off the wealth of the family with rare and exceptional items. There were two full stories and a third partial story, and a virtual maze of chambers to get lost in. The structure was built of pale local stone that had turned dark with age and the elements, and there were three entrances only, and those were protected by heavily reinforced iron and oak doors that were very elaborate.
In all, The Neath was an impressive piece of architecture and it had vast grounds that included gardens, stables, and large storage barns where livestock and feed were kept. Gethin employed about fifty men who were always well armed and well supplied to protect his little empire, and they had their own complex of cottages to the rear of the kitchen yard.
The house was always well protected but, unfortunately, Gethin had become lax about his personal security, which is how he had gotten into trouble with the new Lord of Wybren. Even now, more than half of his men were still in Pool, waiting at his shop for a lord that would never come. The rest of them were stationed at the manse, going about their usual rounds, but two of the sergeants were listening to Megsy and her terrible tale. They’d been on edge since Gethin’s manservant had returned with his harrowing tale. But now, the situation had gone from bad to worse.
The Saesneg had Juliandra, too.
“This is why I did not want Lady Juliandra rushing off to Wybren,” the first sergeant said angrily. “She has only made it worse. Now, she is a prisoner also. I told you not to go.”
Megsy was wiping her eyes and nose with her apron. “She insisted,” she said weakly. “There was no stopping her. You know that.”
The old soldier rolled his eyes, frustrated and at a loss. He looked at his companion as the two of them decided what needed to be done now that both their lord and his daughter were caged by the new Lord of Wybren.
It was one big mess.
Unfortunately, both soldiers knew the situation for what it was – they knew that they had no chance of wresting their lord and his daughter from the English. Everyone in the area knew that a sizable English army had been moved into Wybren, so there was no chance of a rescue attempt by just a few men.
The first sergeant sighed heavily.
“Even if we had all of our men here, there’s nothing we can do,” he said. “The English army is too big. They’ll kill us before we get through the gate.”
The second sergeant, an old man who had been with the family since the days of Gethin’s father, was more pensive. He appeared to be seriously mulling over the situation.
“It would make no sense to try and negotiate their release,” he said. “If the English would not surrender the lord to his daughter, then we have no chance of negotiating their release. We are too few alone, but we have… allies.”
The first sergeant looked at him curiously. “Of course we have allies,” he said. “But to summon our allies for this could mean the start of something bigger. We are all well aware that the local warlords are not happy with the English at Wybren, but I don’t think this situation would warrant the raising of an army.”
The old sergeant nodded. “Mayhap not,” he said. “But if we are to help Gethin and Juliandra, then we should bring this to a higher court. This is not our decision to make.”
The first sergeant wasn’t quite following him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that we should plead the situation to Lord Aeron,” the old sergeant said quietly. “You know that he wishes to marry Lady Juliandra. He will want to know that the English now hold her captive.”