Chapter 11

It was a nervous group that greeted them. Isabella screamed when she set eyes on Donald. She ran over to him, and threw her arms around him.

“Oh, god, your not hurt bad are you?” she wailed, tears running down her face.

“No, my mail saved me. There were only four of them. One of them was quite good, actually. I have his sword and dagger here,” he said. He turned to the priest. “I’d like the man to have a proper burial. He was a true warrior.”

“What was his name?”

“Don’t know, don’t want to know. Killing people is difficult enough. If you know their name, if they have wives and children, it just makes it harder. Better not to know. I asked a man at the inn to find an undertaker. He’ll know where he is. Just tell me how much, and I’ll settle up with you. We have their things here.”

The two boys brought the baggage in. Donald paid them.

“I also promised these two a feed. Have we got something for them?”

“I’ll see to it right away. If you want some food, follow me,” Miriam told them. They didn’t need a second bidding.

“I need a bath and some clean clothes. I’m sorry Patrick, I seem to be making a mess on your floor.”

“I’ll get a bath drawn,” Patrick told him.

“We found some papers. David or Henry have them. I didn’t want to touch them for obvious reasons.”

He started to remove his armour, he looked around and realised they were all watching him. “I’ll go and get ready in my room. Call me as soon as the bath is ready.” He looked at Isabella. “You need to get changed and have a bath, too. You’re messy as well.”

She looked down. Her front was covered in blood.

“Oh god!”

They all stared at David and Henry.

“Okay, what really happened, there? He makes it sound like he went for a stroll in the park.”

“Oh, god! I’ve never seen anything like it!” exclaimed David “He walks in and tells these men, one of which was almost as big as him, that you are his wife, and if they wish to live then they should leave right now. If not, he would geld them, gut them, then hang them by their own entrails!”

“Oh no! He didn’t did he, hang them by their own entrails did he?” asked Isabella.

“No, he tells them this, then three of them come after him. He stands there, not even drawing his sword. He waits for the biggest to get right up close. The man swings at him, he ducks under the swing, then gelds him and guts him in what looked like to me, one move! Next he throws a dagger into the next one and that only leaves two. The third one attacks him, he just moves a little, the man goes sailing passed trying to stuff his guts back where they belong. I didn’t even see it. The last man says that was quicker than expected, and Donald asks if he would rather go outside. They sort of saluted each other then squared off in the street. They were both so fast! I’ve never seen the like. Then it was all over. The man was skewered on Sir Donald’s sword, and then was lying dead in the street.”

“Four dead!” exclaimed the Bishop.

“Well, he did give them a chance to leave,” Henry told them.

“That’s as may be, now let me get changed and cleaned up. I want to see those papers.”

Another bath was drawn, and she got cleaned and changed. Donald and Isabella sat with the others as they examined the papers they had found. The Bishop and Isabella read the papers

“Well, you seemed to have struck gold, here. The last man you killed was one of the Baron’s couriers. He was carrying these to the Earl. I don’t even know why he was at the inn. He should have been at Castleton, where the Earl has his capitol. These papers show how the Baron and a man called Ebenezeer intend to carve up your father’s lands between them. It appears that you are not the only one in your family the Baron has his eye on. It appears it’s not only young guardsmen your mother has a penchant for. She and the Baron have been lovers for years. When you rejected him, your mother took it upon herself to console him, a task she has continued ever since. Once your father has been killed, the Baron and your mother will be married. You, it appears, were to be given to this Ebenezeer character,” the Bishop told her

“I don’t even know an Ebenezeer! As far as I know I’ve never met him.”

“He’s Earl Tathlone’s chancellor. He is the power behind the throne these days. He’s the one in league with the Baron.”

“Ebenezeer? Ebenezeer? Yes! I do remember him. Greasy bald little man. Gave me the creeps. Odious little shit.”

“Yes, that’s him to tee. Dangerous, though; clever, too.”

“Right, that settles it. We’ve been telling people we’re husband and wife. By this time tomorrow it must be the truth. First thing in the morning Bishop, you must marry us. Once it is legal it will remove a lot of the reasons for them to come after us. Once we are away from here we can decide what we want to do, but right now we need to get away so we are not constantly looking over our shoulders.”

“Not exactly as I had planned my wedding, but I suppose you’re right.”

“I know, I would much rather have you surrounded by your family and friends, but at the moment it’s the only way I can think of to keep us safe.”

“Well apart from my mother who is a total bitch, and would do everything in her power to ruin it, and my father who again would take every opportunity to try and seduce every female within reach, all my friends are right here.”

“But what about the other Ladies. Wouldn’t you want them to see you on your special day?” Brianna asked

“What? Those bitches? Between those trying to determine if I were pregnant, and those trying to get pregnant by every man there, all they would be doing is criticizing everything from the cut of my dress, my choice of a husband, to the size of my bust! They are all just bitches. God! To think that just a few weeks ago I was just like them. How could you possibly have stood it? I was impossible!”

“You weren’t the easiest, I must admit, but it’s come right in the end.”

They all laughed.

“I’ll collect the rings first thing in the morning, then we’ll go to the church,” Donald told him

“No, you won’t. I will,” the Bishop told him.

“But the rings aren’t paid for yet. There’s the rings for all the women.”

“Young man, you are not the only one who is not without funds. Consider it my wedding present to you both.”

“Thank you. That is very generous of you.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

“Very well, that’s all settled. We’ll be wed in the morning. Now then, it must be nearly dinner time. I’m starving!”

Isabella climbed up into his lap. She put her arms around him. “For me, it can’t come soon enough!” she purred

By the time they had finished dinner, it was getting late.

“How were the men getting on with their training?” Donald asked

“Very good. They really are coming on,” Michael informed him. “Some of them are as good as me.”

“Good, for tomorrow, we start with the shields and spears. From now on we work. I will need a competent company. I do not think we will be given the luxury of time.”

It was time for bed. Donald and Isabella were the last to go to their rooms.

“This is the last night we’ll ever be apart. I will enjoy just holding you each and every night,” Donald told her.

“Just holding me? I was hoping for a little more than that.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get much much more than that! Just you wait.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t want to.”

“I know, neither do I. It’s just one more night. Then we’ll be together.”

They both went into their rooms. Neither could sleep. Soon they found themselves back on the porch curled up beneath the blanket.

The following morning They all prepared for the wedding. A message was sent to Nathaniel that he would be late this morning, but to expect him after lunch. The Bishop arrived back, not only with the rings but also with the jeweller.

“I wanted to make sure they all fitted correctly,” the man told them.

They all smiled “Would you like to come to the wedding? We would be honoured to have you there.”

The man beamed. That was the real reason he had come, to see this wonderful couple married.

They all trooped off down to the church. The wedding was a very quiet affair, just the happy couple and their friends. The women, however, looked radiant. All the men were speechless when they saw them. Donald asked Simon to be his best man. The young lad beamed with pride as he handed over the ring. It was nothing like Isabella had imagined, but she was ecstatic just the same. When the Bishop spoke the words ‘you may now kiss the bride,’ Donald thought most of their problems would be over. Bishop Rathbone knew they had only begun!

They all returned home, had lunch and changed, ready for the afternoon’s training. As they were leaving four men approached them. Their leader approached nervously.

“Are you the one who calls himself Sir Donald?”

“Who wants to know?”

“I am Rupert, Corporal of the Guard. You are instructed to release the Lady Isabella to our custody at once, and accompany us to the guard house. You are under arrest for kidnap and murder.”

“Who am I supposed to have kidnapped and murdered?”

“The Lady Isabella Blackmore. Also you are charged with murdering four men at the White Swan inn, yesterday.”