Knight Triumphant. Heather Graham
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Название: Knight Triumphant
Автор: Heather Graham
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Исторические любовные романы
isbn: 9781420137903
isbn:
Since death had taken so many, there were no more than a hundred and fifty people in the courtyard, but all of them, those who were his own, and those who had been loyal to a different lord, watched him worriedly.
“You have come to know me in the past few days, and know that I am a man of my word. It is a time to rebuild here, and I have no desire for any further bloodshed or death. We have all lost far too many people as it is. Peter MacDonald, who led you through sickness and brought you through, will continue to lead you while I am away. His every command will be like the voice of God. Those who heed him will do well, and find a way from the pain and death that have robbed us all of those we loved. You have all found mercy at our hands during a time when hatreds run so deep, even little children have met the sword of the conquerors. A castle such as Langley cannot fall, unless it falls from within. And I will tell you a story that gives you fair warning. At Kildrummy, Nigel, brother of the king, Robert Bruce of Scotland, defended his fortification from constant and repeated attacks by the English. He and his men defended the castle so well that the English were nearly ready to give up. But there was a traitor within the castle walls. A blacksmith, a man named Osborne. He was bribed by a promise of great riches if he set a fire, and allowed the castle walls to fall. And so, he started a fire in the storehouse, and the fire spread, and indeed, the people within were sent to the walls, and the castle gates fell to the blaze as well, and the English were able to seize the fortification. For any thinking that they might do such a thing and reap the rewards of English gold, the story did not end there. The castle was taken. Nigel Bruce was executed. But Osborne did not prosper. The English kept their promise and gave him riches in gold. They melted it—and poured it down his throat. There is no way that any English lord, knight or warrior will believe that you have not fallen to the enemy. There is no real reward for betrayal—except death. We have kept every promise to you. This is Scotland, and you are the people of Scotland. We will have a long hard fight, but Robert Bruce is king, and will rule in the end, and what he will rule is a sovereign country. Your loyalty is not required. It is demanded. In return, we vow to protect you, at the cost of our own lives.”
Silence greeted his words. He nodded toward Peter, who lifted a hand, and his horse was brought forward. The four men who would ride with him were mounted already, and awaited him at the gate and drawbridge.
As his horse came forward, he walked through the crowd that parted for him. As he mounted, he was surprised to hear a cheer arise from the crowd.
“Godspeed your journey!”
“Bless you for your mercy, Sir Eric!”
The cries arose, blended, and continued.
He wondered if he was being mocked.
He looked at the faces in the sea of people surrounding him as he moved his horse through them. And there was hope in their eyes, not mockery.
The inner gate opened.
The drawbridge fell.
And he rode out, followed by his men.
As it happened, the four young men decided that, at the least, they would start out riding with the others.
At first, Igrainia was glad. They were a strong foursome.
Then she feared that they might offer the danger that Gregory had foretold.
But each of them seemed so earnest and decent.
Igrainia found herself riding in the lead with one of them, Thayer Miller. And as they spoke, her fears abated.
He told her that his mother was English, his father was dead. They’d worked a small piece of land through Lord Denning, who had chosen to follow Robert Bruce. Not long ago, when the Bruce had gathered men to go against Edward’s forces, there had been a slaughter that had become known as Methven, and Lord Denning had been killed. Soon after, English troops had come to the late lord’s holdings. Most of the people had escaped to the woods, but the English had slaughtered the pigs and livestock, trampled the fields, and set fire to all the buildings. There had been nothing left to eat, and the promises Lord Denning had made, to teach his promising young tenants the ways of the warrior, were as dead as he and the land that had once been the livelihood for so many. Thayer’s mother, surviving with his younger siblings in the poor homestead of an aunt, had given him letters of introduction.
“But, the English destroyed your home and everything you knew,” Igrainia said. “One would think you’d rise against them.”
He looked at her with a rueful smile. “You must understand this. I don’t know if Robert Bruce has a right to be king; he followed Edward long enough himself, when it suited his purpose. There were many in the lowlands who supported John Comyn, and though Bruce may have done penance, it seems, if the news that covers the countryside is true, that he murdered Comyn. He struck a blow in the sanctity of a church. Perhaps God is against Bruce for such an act. But what I have heard, thought, and believed, is not really what guides my desire now to reach England. I believe that this country, especially the lowlands, will be torn by war for years to come. If I were to try to remain, I could spend my every waking moment working another’s man land, growing crops, raising livestock, and waking again one morning to find that one army or another is coming, and will again slaughter every living thing, raze the buildings, and burn the houses. When I get to England, I will find the right noble to serve, and I will prove myself, as will my friends. Aye, there’s much more I need in the way of training, but I have the will to learn. When I’ve made my place, I will be loyal until the last breath has left my body, and then I will send for my mother, my sisters and brothers, and see that they have a life in which they do not spend their days hiding in the forest, desperately searching for anything that resembles food, just to survive.”
“Perhaps, when we reach London, I can help you,” Igrainia said, touched by his determination to help his family. “We have some letters of introductions, and some friends there,” she added quickly. But he was already watching her with a skeptical smile, and when she furrowed her brow in a frown at the look he gave her, he apologized quickly.
“I’m sorry. I don’t believe that you’re a poor farm lass, a refugee from the wars,” he said.
“Believe me, I am a refugee,” she said. “And I am as desperate as any man or woman in the lowlands of Scotland to reach London.”
She saw in his face that he had decided not to pry.
“If it’s only marriage you’re seeking, you need go no further than this party,” he told her.
She frowned again.
“Haven’t you seen?”
“I’m sorry, seen what?”
“The younger man with the old folks. Gannet, the brother. He has watched you constantly. Like a great roast, ready to be devoured.”
His words startled Igrainia. She looked back. Far back. Gannet was riding with one of Thayer’s friends, the one he had called Reed, she thought, at the far rear of the company. John and Merry rode together, right behind her—just like proper guardians. Behind them, Thayer’s two other companions rode with the rest of Anne and Joseph’s party. They all seemed to be in conversation.
“I have to get to London,” she told Thayer. “Our new friends certainly seem to be fine enough people, but СКАЧАТЬ