Chapter 64: Historical References

Life in the Hulett manor had been testy since Roderick had returned after killing his brother. The king and spymaster had concocted a plausible story for the heir’s demise and Roderick had been forced to admit that the truth served little purpose.

One of the king’s retinue had been tasked with delivering the body to the manor. He had strapped Frederick’s corpse on the rear of his horse. Almost everyone along the road had seen the lord’s son and many had followed along to the manor, certain they were about to see the death of their lord, too.

Gerhardt Hulett had paled when the soldier had unceremoniously dumped the lifeless form on the manor steps.

“Did you know of this?” he had demanded, his sword already unsheathed.

Lord Hulett had been too stunned to speak, much less lie.

“I thought he was still in his chamber,” the lord had stammered. “What has happened?”

“He led a group of men to ambush King Joseph,” the soldier had answered angrily. “Most of the rest surrendered. They are being transported to Symonds where they will be hanged after a trial. Your son decided it best to fight. As you can see, it wasn’t one of his smartest decisions. The king ordered the rest of the bodies left along the road as a warning. We will investigate. If we believe you to have orchestrated this, your family will die at my hands.”

“I knew nothing of an attack on the king!” Gerhardt had said loudly as he looked up from his son’s body for the first time.

“Time will tell, Hulett,” the sergeant had declared. “I wish to speak to the rest of your family. Where are they?”

“Inside,” Gerhardt had said, gesturing to the manor. “Or, I believe them to be inside. I have seen none except my wife this morning.”

Indeed, it had been afternoon meal before Roderick had made his way home but the soldiers hadn’t appeared concerned about the absence of the younger son. He had spun the story Rucar had created and refused to speak of it again. His parents had been content with the silence – particularly since the manor was overrun with the king’s agents – but quelling Annette’s questions had proved more difficult.

Three weeks had passed before the soldiers had given the Huletts a moment of peace. But finally the sergeant had determined that Frederick and his cohorts had acted without guidance from his father.

Now, Gerhardt wanted answers from his youngest son. He summoned him into a room and closed the door.

“How did you escape?” he asked.

“I did not escape,” Roderick answered.

“I know you were wounded,” Gerhardt stated, gesturing to his son’s shoulder.

“Fools,” Roderick spat.

“So you were with your brother?” Gerhardt asked. He was certain that his son had been cut down by the king.

“Of course I wasn’t,” Roderick answered. “If I were, I’d be as dead as he is. I heard him trying to sneak around the manor. He is unaccustomed to stealth so I followed him. He and that band of idiots around him were lying in wait for the king’s party. He was directing them to the proper spots and giving the orders. I was about to confront him. He was putting all of us into danger and I could not have that. Instead, the king’s soldiers emerged from the trees. They had watched the entire discussion. Many of the men threw down their arms but Frederick was too arrogant for that. He and a few others decided to attack. They were killed instantly. I stayed hidden because I didn’t want the stain on this family to land on me or Annette.”

“Your wound?” Gerhardt asked.

“Fools,” Roderick said again. “Once the soldiers had dispersed, I went to the men to see if I could render aid. I could see one or two were alive still. One of them stabbed me with a dagger he had hidden in his belt. He almost killed the only person willing to help him. I decided my life was worth more than theirs so I let the remainder bleed out. I cared not if they lived or died.”

Gerhardt sighed heavily.

“We must begin training you to assume the manor,” he said.

“I think not,” Roderick replied.

Gerhardt stared at his son. It struck him that the young man was taller than his father.

“I will consent to stay here only until Annette reaches an age where she can do as she wishes,” Roderick continued. “I will refuse to inherit this place.”

“You would permit the land to pass from our hands?” Gerhardt asked incredulously.

“It is far past time this land was overseen by someone with ethics and morals,” Roderick shot back. “If it wouldn’t land Annette out on the roads, I would have let the king draw whatever conclusion he wished.”

“And if I insist?” Gerhardt asked, his arms crossed in agitation.

Roderick merely shrugged.

“I will wait until I can take Annette as my ward and then arrange for you and Mother to die,” he said casually. “She and I will set off for Tyrell before your bodies are even cold and the king can select who he will to live in this awful place.”

Gerhardt’s eyes widened at his son’s unemotional reply.

“We will not grow into the type of people you are,” Roderick stated. “I will not let you corrupt us like you did Frederick. I will emulate the people I’ve grown to respect and I will expect Annette to do the same. Be advised that you and Mother are not included on that list.”

Joseph walked through the corridors and found no one he was seeking. Jonathan and Elena had retired to bed early and Choran was nowhere to be found. That usually meant he was in the vaults but that wasn’t the case.

“He is visiting friends in the city,” Celestine informed Joseph. The king spun with his dagger in his hand. His sword was in his chamber with the rest of his belongings from the tip. The maid smiled but was far enough away to ensure her safety.

“You startled me,” Joseph said as he tucked his dagger away again.

“I apologize, Your Highness,” Celestine replied with true contriteness. “I saw you coming down and suspected you sought Choran. It was not my intention to sneak up behind you.”

“Then you are alone in that,” Joseph answered with a smile. “Everyone else seems to revel in catching me with my back turned.”

“They seek to impress you with their stealth,” Celestine said. “All know of your skill and they wish to show you that they are learning.”

Joseph nodded. He had always understood the reason and often played along. Many times, though, he had been caught unaware, particularly by Julia or Liala. Now he had to include Bianca in the group of silent trackers.

“Did you have a nice, boring few weeks?” Joseph asked.

“Sadly, no,” Celestine admitted. The response caused Joseph to tilt his head in question. “I believe the ministers will wish to speak with you about themselves. I know but portions so I will leave the tale to them.”

“Oh?” Joseph asked. He doubted there were many things in the castle that did not get Celestine’s attention. She found herself blushing under his scrutiny.

“I just lied to you, Your Highness, and I apologize,” the maid said, shaking her head. “I should have simply told you that it is their story to tell and not mine. I know the details but I believe it best if you hear it directly from them.”

Joseph found himself laughing. He had never seen Celestine flustered.

“Do not fret,” he said. “It appears the castle still stands and we have not been invaded so I will wait until morning. I believe I will wash the dust away and head to bed. I hate to admit it but I have missed being here. It was nice to be away but I ... I worried. Elena, Jonathan and Choran did not sign on to govern because I wish to do something else. And you didn’t sign on to watch over them.”

“I signed on to watch over you,” Celestine answered, returning the king’s laughter. “As for the bath, I believe you speak truly. I could have found you by smell if I hadn’t seen you.”

“I was amazed at how badly horses smell,” Joseph admitted. “We stopped to bath frequently and to wash them down but it mattered little. I always assumed the smell from the stables came from the manure. Now I believe it is a mixture of both.”

“I will confess that I am not the least bit unhappy that the stables have moved outside the gate,” the maid admitted.

“You will be moving in next to them soon enough,” Joseph pointed out as they headed up the stairs. Celestine walked in front of him to lessen the effect of his stench on her nostrils.

“True,” she said, turning back to look over her shoulder. She smiled. The king was looking at her face and not at her backside – which was at his eye level on the steep steps. “But there is a breeze outside the gate. The dwellings are coming along nicely.”

“I noticed,” Joseph agreed. He continued to chat with Celestine as they reached the main level.

“We’ll take him off your hands,” Catherine said as she led her group down the hall. “I hope he wasn’t causing trouble already.”

“No more than usual,” Celestine replied with a smile. “May I assume you are headed to your secret spot?”

The group stopped almost in unison and looked at Celestine.

“I have no idea where it is or how you get there but I know it is muddy and wet,” she said. “I have seen you coming down an abandoned hallway too many times not to suspect something. There are still many things I have yet to discover about this castle.”

“We’ll show you soon,” Elizabeth promised. “I fear that right now is not the proper time. Did you miss us while we were gone?”

“There was a bit of excitement to keep her occupied,” Joseph said.

“Oh?” Julia asked with mannerisms that mirrored the king’s a few moments earlier.

“I will find out in the morning,” Joseph said. “And I’m positive you will learn of it soon after I do.”

“I’m certain we will know of it before you do,” Bianca said with a wink. “Come, let us disappear.”

She pointed at Celestine and grinned.

“Don’t follow us!” she said.

“I have not followed you thus far,” the maid told them.

“There is always a first time,” Lucretia said. “I am not ashamed to tell you where we go. There is a pool in the land behind the castle. We go there to bathe.”

“Then I will not detain you a moment longer,” Celestine answered as she pinched her nose to demonstrate how they smelled. The young women laughed and watched as the maid made her way in the opposite direction from where she knew they were headed.

“It’s a bit dark,” Joseph said, as Octavia grasped his hand and pulled him down the hall.

“There is a place in the rocks for torches,” Liala said. “We will be fine.”

Joseph nodded. He had been in proximity to his friends for several weeks and somehow had not managed to spend a single moment alone with any of them.

The women had already peeled off their buckskins and replaced them with thin dresses. It took them no time to disrobe and enter the water. The king watched seven pale backsides descend into the warm pool while he pulled off his boots.

Octavia was the first one in and she stopped suddenly. She spun and used her arm to send a wall of water into Liala’s face. Soon, all seven were splashing the others – which permitted Joseph to get undressed without an audience, for which he was thankful.

He was less thankful when all seven turned on him as soon they noticed his presence. He was struck with water from several directions. Lucretia was the closest so he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in front of him as a shield while he tried to return the attack.

He hoped having one of their own in the line of attack might slow the others down but he was mistaken. Lucretia was too short to provide much protection and the others simply drenched her, too.

Joseph shifted slightly and pushed Lucretia into his most ardent tormentor – Elizabeth. Elizabeth had to move to avoid a collision and Joseph pulled a taller target in front him – Bianca. It worked slightly better because her head helped to cover his face.

Bianca surprised him by pushing backward and slipping her leg behind his – a move Liala had shown her as a way to escape a potential hostage situation. Both of them fell into the water. Bianca had obviously expected the move and rolled free just before her six comrades made their advance.

“I yield!” Joseph sputtered after the third time someone pushed his head beneath the water. The water lessened his strength advantage and, even if it hadn’t, the sheer number of attackers made it impossible to defend himself – particularly since all were undressed and there were few places to put his hands that weren’t in an intimate location.

The ladies relented and Joseph scrambled backward to the edge of the pool.

“That was fun,” Catherine said, still laughing along with the others.

“For you, perhaps,” Joseph grumbled good-naturedly.

“If you would have pulled Bianca tightly against you when she was in front of you, she would not have been able to take your balance,” Liala said.

“If he would have pulled me tighter, something might have broken!” Bianca laughed, gesturing to Joseph’s waist, which was hidden in the dark water.

“Of his or of yours?” Octavia wondered with a wry grin.

“If he would have lowered his hips a bit, it might have been mine but as it was, I fear it would have been exclusively his,” Bianca replied.

Joseph covered his eyes with his hands and shook his head. He doubted this was what Lord Halversham had in mind when he asked for his granddaughter to be housed at the castle.

He pulled his hands away when he heard the water displace with movement. He found the group all sitting around him – Lucretia, Bianca and Liala on his left; Julia, Catherine, Elizabeth and Octavia on his right.

“I do not understand how we still embarrass you,” Octavia noted. “It is this way anytime we say anything slightly bawdy. I swear, you are as bad as Julia’s mother sometimes.”

“I heard her and Alexander planning to meet later,” Julia confessed. “So you’ll have to select another prude as your example.”

“I will let you claim Alexander as a father if you allow me to claim Amelia as a mother,” Elizabeth offered.

“That is too good a deal to walk away from,” Julia said. “Believe me, I am getting the better end of the bargain.”

“I like your mother,” Bianca said. “She is ... a bit like us, I think. She longs to have the freedom to speak and act as she wishes. That is why I like the pool so much. Here, we hide nothing. We can say what we wish without fear of offense. We have to adhere to no one’s standards but our own.”

“And those standards are admittedly pretty low,” Catherine said. Despite the torches, the area behind the castle was still dark. Joseph could only hear the humor in her voice. He could not see her smile.

“I’m serious,” Bianca insisted. “Our entire lives, we’ve been saddled with the expectations of others. We were told to act and to think a certain way. We were instructed that certain things were improper.”

She stood, revealing the entirety of her nude body to mid-thigh.

“I do not feel improper,” she stated. “I feel as though I am exactly where I should be; surrounded by those that should surround me. If I choose to kiss our king – and he is willing – who is to say it is wrong? If I choose to kiss Octavia – and she is willing – why should others look down upon it? I believe I have the right to behave as I will!”

“It isn’t that simple and we all know it,” Julia cut in, even before she glanced at Joseph. “If we are to be viewed as leaders, then we must adhere to some of society’s standards – even while we fight to change them. We must be cognizant of social values even if do not agree with them. We cannot advocate nudity in the streets. We cannot even condone it. We must accept that there is a time and a place for every action.”

“I wasn’t speaking about public activities,” Bianca said. “I was speaking about how I behave in private. Many would find the fact that I am willing to share my unclothed body with your eyes to be unconscionable. They would find that I am would be willing to couple with Joseph without a marriage bed beneath us to be outrageous. The fact that I would likely couple with any of you would be considered sacrilege to some. I contend that what I do – and who I might do it with – in private is no one’s concern.”