Seduced (30 page)

A yellow halo formed over the eastern
mountains for dawn was already breaking. When Raik turned to reach
for a drying cloth, she caught sight of his back. She bit her lip
to stifle the gasp that near escaped. About to wrap the cloth about
his waist, he stilled. She deepened her breathing.

On his left buttocks was the image of a plump
bird. The same as the smaller one on Aubrey's flesh. Except his
father's bird appeared to be sitting on a small branch. She
remembered feeling a small scar there. She needed no more proof
that he would recognize his son.

Once he secured the cloth, Raik padded over
to the adjoining door with Freki following him. A warm glow
lightened the room when he stepped aside for the dog to precede him
through the doorway. Not until after the click, click, clicking of
Freki's nails did Raik blot out the light as he entered the solar
and quietly eased the door closed.

Letia slipped out of bed, her toes curling on
touching the cold floor. She was as quiet as she could be, for her
clothing chest was to the right of the door.

The soft sounds in the next room of men
talking, an occasional muffled laugh, made her cautious. Drawing
her lips between her teeth, she inched up the lid of the chest and
began hunting through the garments folded at the bottom. A beige
smock so old the cloth was as soft as a kitten's fur was what she
sought. She rummaged further to find an equally old brown kirtle.
Both were adequate for her needs, though if Raik saw her, he would
think she dressed as a scullery maid.

Dressing in the dim light was not the easiest
of tasks, especially when she did not dare bump into anything and
cause a noise. She feared Freki had heard her when he gave a soft
bark. She caught Raik's "ssst" and the dog hushed. 'Twas not her
that Freki had huffed at, for she heard Giles enter the solar. He
must have come to take the big beast outside the keep. Thankfully,
Freki was not as some hounds would be, for he preferred the
outdoors to do his business. Mayhap, too, it was because Giles
always took him to see Cook for a treat afterward.

By the time man and beast clamored down the
stairwell, Letia was ready to leave. She slipped out of the room
and hurried to intercept Maud before she brought Aubrey to her
bedchamber.

She found her old nursemaid bending over the
bed changing the babe when Letia scratched on her door and opened
it without waiting.

"Why, what are you doing up so early, lovey?"
Maud raised her brows when she noted what Letia wore. "Do you plan
on scouring the walls or chasing the dust from the keep? We have
ample servants for both."

"Nay. But I think this far better suits what
I have in mind than to chance ruining a better kirtle." Letia
stretched out beside Aubrey so she could nuzzle his plump belly.
"The men should be gone from the keep by the time I have filled
this little man."

Feeling a bubble of anticipation, she told
Maud her plans for surprising Raik each day of the coming
fortnight.

o0o

Raik wanted to familiarize his new men with
land to the north and east of Seton. Land he himself was used to
traveling...when it had not been his. Now he took particular pride
in knowing that as far as he could see belonged to him. 'Twas
enough to make a man giddy.

His heart swelled when they rode out and to
the right. There upon the crest of the hill, he stopped and grinned
at Ranald, an easy understanding passing between them. This was
where they halted that early morn when their flaming arrows lit up
the sky and the army behind them, scaring that prideful Julian into
scurrying away like a rat from a feral barn cat.

They continued on, following the trail
northward then east. Raik muffled a chuckle when travelers on the
road ahead spied the Black Raptor and hastened off the path to wait
patiently for their patrol to pass by. Ranald sucked his teeth and
sighed.

"Do ye think they'll ever stop actin' like
I'll turn into a giant raptor and carry them off if they displease
me?"

"Not when ye wear black from head to foot and
a cape billowing like wings when ye ride. Aye, and it does not help
that yer horse is named Satan's Spawn. On top of that, ye seldom
smile."

Raik chuckled when his cousin's answering
scowl was so fierce it caused a man who patiently waited in the
ditch to turn ashen gray and cross himself.

"Ye near caused that poor fellow to bolt into
the woods screaming for help." Raik winked at his cousin. Ranald's
expression softened.

"'Tis the truth," Cormac said when the road
widened enough for him to pull his horse alongside. "If you did not
have a man dressed as colorfully as a butterfly riding beside you
leading an army in red and yellow livery, no one would be on the
road today. No doubt, they feel if the butterfly is safe, then they
need not hide."

Ranald grunted and looked at Raik. "Ye had
best see to it that yer men have new livery a little less colorful
and more practical for patrol duty. Any archer in a tree would find
them easy to spot."

"Aye. Goda is having seamstresses sew black
shirts and breeches. A knee-length sleeveless gray tunic with a
yellow gryphon front and back will mark the men as mine."

"Could work." Ranald nodded. "Ye will have
browns and tans for castle duty?"

"Aye. I dinna want guards and warriors upon
the walls to stand out."

They stopped at the next clearing where cold
water rushing over gleaming stones provided a drink for the men and
their horses. Each warrior carried a hunk of bread or a hard
bannock in their saddle to nibble on if they became hungry.
Fortunately, yesterday's banquet kept their hunger at bay.

It was well past the noon hour when they
returned to the castle to find the grounds in front of the great
hall was not as it was when they left that morn.

Two long tables stood end-to-end. In front
and at ether side of them, two long rows of tables waited, their
benches ready for the men. Pewter cups sat beside pitchers of ale
and cider. When Cook's helpers saw the men approaching the
barbican, they started bringing steaming bowls and platters of
food. From the grins of the guards on the walls and warriors
heading for the practice fields, they had already eaten their share
and were on their way back to work.

Raik dismounted and handed Storm's reins to a
groom. He spied Elyne and Maud, his mother between them, sitting on
blankets beneath an apple tree. A servant wearing faded clothing,
her hair secured beneath a brown cap, held Aubrey. After she leaned
down to put him in Lady Joneta's arms, she waved a small gourd
filled with cherry seeds at Aubrey. The babe waved his hands until
Joneta guided it close enough he could clutch it in his hand.

The servant glanced over her shoulder, and
seeing Raik approach, she hurried off through the orchard. Where
was Letia? He scowled and walked over to the smiling women beneath
the tree. A faint scent caught his attention. He stiffened and
stared at the orchard, ready to spring after the servant.

"The woman who was just here. Did she smell
of lilies?"

When his mother hesitated, Elyne answered.
"The gardens are a short distance away. The flowers' scent drifts
on the air."

His tension eased. "Where is my lady wife? Is
she doing something she should not?"

"Nay, Raik, you need not get your temper
ruffled. Letia has done nothing improper. She thought your men
would enjoy having their meal out in the open on such a lovely
day."

He looked around at the sunny bailey then
down suspiciously at the babe, who took that moment to give a sweet
smile then burp.

"He looks to have just been fed."

"Aubrey is quite sated," Joneta nodded. "Go
and enjoy your meal."

Raik smiled at the motherly way Joneta
waggled her fingers toward the tables. When she did, he realized
Ranald stood beside him. His cousin's eyes followed where the woman
had disappeared. Strange. He was smiling. 'Twas not like Ranald to
notice any woman other than his wife. He would have to keep an eye
on him.

"Come, man. My stomach growls for a hearty
piece of mutton," Ranald said. He turned and headed to the well to
wash his hands.

Raik followed him halfway there, but the
thought of his wife's absence plagued him. At the well, he veered
off and headed for the area where Letia's slingers would practice
under her watchful eye.

Before he could see them, he heard the shouts
of the young men when they made good contact with their targets.
The closer he came, the firmer his lips pressed together, his eyes
narrowed. When he rounded the corner, he caught sight of two long
lines of slingers.

One long line was of young men twelve years
or more, the second was of girls the same ages. The slingers arms
swung back and forth, prepared to release their missile, each eager
for their chance to best the last person. The lines moved swiftly,
for as they approached the firing point, they hurled their missile
with all their might. The steady bombard was as rhythmic as
carpenters pounding stubborn nails into heavy beams.

Between the lines, Piers bright hair peeped
below his helm. He called out the command to release the missiles
as each person stepped up. He had no doubt the squire capering and
coaxing the youngsters from behind the targets was Letia.

Raik stalked over to snatch his stubborn wife
by the shoulders and lead her back to the keep. He grasped flesh
that had far more muscle than his wife's when he'd held her
shoulders to keep her from sliding upward on the bed with his
frenzied thrusts. Too, Letia would not wrench from him and turn,
fists ready to pummel his face.

Giles face turned near as bright as Pier's
hair when he realized he had almost struck his baron. "Forgive me,
milord. I believed 'twas someone ready to do me harm."

"I was in haste myself." Raik cleared his
throat, wondering how to explain his rash action without appearing
a fool. He struck on an idea. "I thought to start a contest and
offer a prize to the lad and lass who earn the most points over the
next sennight."

Excited whisperings started among the young
people lined up behind him. Having no idea what to suggest for a
prize, he hesitated but a heartbeat then knew who did.

"My lady wife will announce the intended
reward afore practice on the morrow."

Raik straightened his shoulders, pleased that
he had thought of an explanation that brought cheers from the young
ones.

Their happy faces and Giles exuberance when
he told them about the contest made him wish it had been the true
reason behind his interruption. He lingered awhile to watch the
young ones attack the target with renewed vigor. As he returned to
the front bailey, he decided to broach the subject of the prize the
first chance he and Letia were alone.

o0o

"Saints, Goda, do not fall out," Letia warned
as she soaked in a hot bath.

"Humpf. I am no slip of a woman, milady, have
no fear."

The cheerful woman flapped Letia's worn
clothing against the outside wall, causing small dust clouds to
puff away in the light breeze that picked up as the day waned.

Letia looked around the room and grinned.
Goda was not the only one on a precarious position. Elyne sat in
the far window seat watching the fields beyond for any signs of
Raik coming from the practice field aforetime.

Joneta sat, patting Aubrey's back to relieve
him of his last bit of wind from his greedy sucking. He sleepily
waved his fist in the air until it bumped against his lips. He
mouthed along it until he found his thumb, then gave a contented
sigh and drifted off to sleep.

"Sybilla, did your Agnes say what Lord Raik's
prize would be when this contest is won?"

"Nay. Only that you would tell them of it on
the morrow." Sybilla grinned at her. "I was as surprised as you
when she told me."

"He has not mentioned it, though I am pleased
he has taken an interest in the children."

"I think it is a good beginning," Elyne said.
"Perchance now he will see the value of everyone in the castle
having a particular skill."

"Aye. We have teams to do many jobs. Mirabel
sees that the elderly gather and protect the young when trouble
starts. Goda's women supply linen strips for the wounded and help
me with stitching wounds. The squeamish gather spent arrows to keep
a steady supply for the archers." Letia leaned back so Maud could
rinse her hair, then twisted and wrapped it in a drying cloth.

"The stronger of us who are not fighting keep
mounds of missiles for the slingers," Sybilla added. "'Tis my own
job, for my sight is not good enough for an accurate slinger. I
also see to sustenance for those who cannot leave their stations.
Another group keeps buckets filled in case fires are set from
without."

"Saints, Letia! I had no idea women did all
these things. The men at Raptor do not allow us to take part in
protecting the castle," Elyne blurted out.

Letia's mouth tightened as Sybilla slipped
from the room. After the door to the landing closed, she talked
quietly.

"You are indeed fortunate. Sybilla and I
learned the hard way that men cannot always be at hand to protect
us."

"Oh. I wondered how she came by her scars,"
Elyne said, her voice hardly above a whisper.

"'Twas when she was just ten and six,
betrothed to a young man in a castle nearby our own."

"Surely her intended did not do this!"
Elyne's face blanched.

"Nay. During one dark night, a near half-dead
messenger arrived to tell us one of our villages was afire and
being plundered. Father rushed to their aid, but while he was gone,
an army approached from the opposite direction. The men left at our
castle had no time to mount an adequate defense. When the raiders
broke through into the bailey, it was not long before they stormed
the keep.