A Stormy Knight (3 page)

A few hours slid past before the sounds of chains rubbing together and the hefty thud of the drawbridge announced the return of Gemma
'
s father. He rode into the outer bailey with Oliver and a few of his most trusted knights. His tired horse limped along
toward
the stables. Gemma watched the group file past and guessed he had returned from Renoir Castle, home to the Bigod family. It was the only property nearby.

Gemma made her move and advanced
toward
the stables. Father Darius stopped her. He emerged from the chapel waving his arms above his head.
"
Gemma! Gemma! Have you seen your father?
'
Tis urgent I speak with him. He must come quickly to my quarters.
"
The priest
dropped his arms, his pale face in a grimace as he
went
to reenter the chapel as swiftly as he had emerged.

She raced to fetch her father. She was slightly out of breath when she reached him.
"
Father Darius needs you.
'
Tis urgent.
"

Something akin to fear flashed in Blaise
'
s eyes briefly before he fell into a run and headed for the chapel. Gemma followed. Her mind raced with the possibilities. Surely this could not be about something as simple as Isabel giving Father Dariu
s a hard time with her lessons.

With her brown hair flying behind her, she entered the chapel after her father and almost fell as she made a sharp left. She
went
toward
the steps that led to the living quarters and study on the second floor
and
came to a halt at the top of the steps
.
As she watched,
her father enter
ed
the sleeping quarters to her right. The small room was crowded, but filled with soothing, natural light. Memories from time spent studying there washed over her. It always felt homey there, even as she struggled with her lessons as a child.

She held her breath
,
and she let it out slowly as she waited to confront her father. Before long, he emerged with his shoulders slumped. His eyes were trained to the floor for a moment. They were red-rimmed and troubled.
"
Daughter,
'
twould seem I am too late. He is gone.
"

Startled, Gemma took a step
backward
.
"
Who? Who has gone?
"

"'
Tis Smithy. He
'
s not made it through the night. He was shoeing horses last eve, choosing to sup after he was done. While we were eating, he slipped and cracked his head on the anvil. I thought
…
"
he paused,
"
I thought he would be right this morning, but it seems the blow was fatal. He has gone
,
and now in just two days we have lost two souls.
"

Gemma faltered. She sank back onto the wood stool behind her. It scraped the floor as her slight weight settled upon it, jarring it
backward
.

Her father gently took her hand.
"
Let us leave so Father Darius can pray for his soul and move him to the chapel.
"
He squeezed her hand and urged her down the steps
and back out into the sunshine.

"
We must find Isabel,
"
she said.

"
I told Hesse to busy Isabel with anything but lessons today. Education is practical and builds good character, but it is cruel to make a grieving child pretend all is right in the world. She does not yet know of Smithy, of course, but she shall find out soon enough,
"
her father said with a softness he rarely showed.

As they quickly made their way
toward
the keep, a single thought sprouted and grew in Gemma
'
s
mind. She stopped suddenly. Her gaze went
down at the fine, deep blue material of her kirtle
,
and
she
smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle.
Blaise
met her eyes
,
and she knew the answer before she asked, but she asked anyway.
"
These are not accidents
,
are they?
"

He gazed over her head for a moment. She watched as his eyes traveled up and down the length of the thick wall surrounding their home and then to a foot soldier
who
walked along the top of that wall, there to protect them. The man
'
s only job was to keep them safe.

Blaise
moved
toward
his daughter and slowly shook his head, his eyes the color of a thunder cloud as he met her gaze.
"
I fear these are not accidents. I cannot explain why I feel this way, but
'
twould seem someone
might
have been behind these deaths. I have learned death among the young is common, but is most often from disease or battle. I pondered John
'
s guilt or innocence in his wife
'
s untimely demise, but my gut tells me
'
twas not him. His grief is too real. He had no reason. Minna was unable to bear him children, but he loved her still.
"

Gemma nodded in agreement, putting her head down as a new unnamed emotion surged through her slender frame. Someone was harming her people
and
causing them this pain. Would another die? She had always felt safe within the walls of the castle
,
and now an unnamed person had taken that from her.

"
Are you sure? Could it be
'
twas just bad luck?
"
she asked.
"
Who would want to hurt us? Why?
"
She trembled as she tho
ught of her younger,
trusting sister. How could she protect her from harm? It was all but impossible to keep her under control on any given day.

"
I am
not sure.
'
Tis just a feeling,
"
he said as lightly as he could.
"
Just promise me something.
"

She nodded
.
"
Anything you wish.
"

"
If something were to happen to me
…
"

"
Do not say such nonsense,
"
Gemma said, her voice cracking.

"
Just listen, girl,
"
he whispered and stepped closer,
"
if something happens to me, send Sir Oliver out to find King Henry immediately. I believe he is near London now, though one never knows with Henry. Do what you can to find him and ask for assistance. He will help you.
"

"
You are frightening me.
"

"
I do not mean to, sweet daughter, and I am sure all will be well, but I want you to know what to do. Your brother will be here soon for his wedding. Until then, you have to know what you should do in my stead. You can trust Oliver with your life, and you can also trust those
who
serve under him. Do you understand me, Gemma?
"

With tears, she nodded. She gave her father
'
s arm a squeeze, and went to look for Isabel.

Gemma
'
s brother, Gavin de Vere, was due to arrive. On that morning, his younger sisters were in the garden selecting flowers from the limited blooms available in early summer. The bouquet was a gift of greeting for a brother neither knew well nor had seen in a long time. The wedding of Gavin and Helena was of great significance to Blackstone, as they would one day be lord and lady. Each sister was eager to see him again and to greet their future sister-in-law.

Gavin stood to inherit Blackstone upon his father
'
s death, but things were changing in England. King Henry removed heirs as he saw fit and replaced them with stronger families. He was a fair and forgiving king, but he was ruthless when it
came to protecting his kingdom.

"
When will Gavin and Helena arrive?
"
Isabel asked as she drew her finger back from a rose bush, having come too close to a thorn.
"
I am so excited to meet her.
Just think; she will be another sister!
"

"
I
'
m sure she
'
ll be lovely,
"
Gemma said,
"
and I am also sure Gavin would not pick a women cold of heart to marry. The king rewarded him with a lady for marriage, and as it turned out, they have found love between them. That is a good thing, dear sister, and the only way it should be done.
"

"
But our parents were not a love match at first. They learned to love each other. At least that is what Hesse told me,
"
Isabel said. She mimicked her sister
'
s close inspection of the flowers before her.

Sensing her sister had more on her mind then just flowers and love matches, Gemma tried to lighten her voice. She too hoped Gavin and Helena would help lift the mood of the castle, yet she could not help but wonder if danger was lurking. All had been still since Smithy died. The quiet led her to question her assumptions and left her feeling she
might
have overreacted.

"
Do you want to hear a story? Something about our castle
which
is not found in many others, even ones that are grander than our home?
"
She got Isabel
'
s attention almost immediately.

"
Oh
,
aye,
"
Isabel
'
s eyes lit up,
"
tell me!
"

"
Well, as an added defense, there are two passageways that lead from the corner towers to the main gate. These tunnels were added after the outer curtain was built, so you can see where they bulge at the bottom. They were built on the inner side of the wall. If you go to the other side of the orchard and walk
toward
the main gate, you will find it. The same type of tunnel was built into the wall on the other side also leading to the main gatehouse. This allows the lord or lady of the castle to get to the main gate without being seen and
to stay
out of range of any enemy,
"
Gemma explained, leaving out at least two other tunnels more deftly concealed. She did not want Isabel repeating her mistakes.

Isabel
'
s eyes widened
.
"
Secret passageways, really?
"

Gemma
'
s heart pounded as she
remembered
the other
passageways
.
The first of
those tunnels, the one she had used, did not run parallel to the wall but under it. It allowed someone to slip out of the castle entirely unseen and undetected, just as she had. The passageway she had used to go meet Nicholas was actually a part of the tunnel buil
t
to run along the bottom of the outer curtain wall nearest the gatehouse and the drawbridge. One would never know it was there without careful inspection of the wall inside.
A person
could walk to the outer gate through the curtain wall tunnel without noticing it because of the d
im light, but she had found it.

Not only had she used it, she had used it often and without hesitation or thought to her own well-being. She still remembered how many steps it took to get through it
,
so she could traverse the length without the aid of a light. It always scared her, and even now the memory of being within the tunnel caused her heart to beat faster. There was a steep set of stone steps upon entering, but after she went down
,
she
was
home free.

Isabel
'
s voice
snapped her out of her thoughts.
"
Can we go explore it
,
Gemma? Can we walk through the tunnels?
"

With a sigh, Gemma stood
.
"
Not today, love. It is sure to be dirty in there
,
and your brother will be home soon. You don
'
t want Hesse to have to scrub you in the middle of the day because you dirtied yourself
,
now
do
you?
"