Chapter 8

Luke wasn’t worried that anyone would mess with his ladies; he had scared everyone shitless yesterday, but it was always better to be ready. Luke first went to the training yard to work out with some housecarls and other soldiers; at least, that’s what he told everyone. In reality, he was looking for weaknesses, learning about these men’s fighting styles and how many men Richard had here. Many of the “elites” seemed to be second-rate, and the ordinary soldiers only went about their training half-heartily at best. Luke could guess why, but the last thing he wanted to do was ask them. The problem with asking questions is that you tell the person you’re asking that the information you seek is important to you, so Luke spoke as little as possible. Also, he didn’t want the troops to get any better. After a few hours of training, Luke had some free time and wandered the town. Everywhere he went, he could feel the people’s eyes following him. He could feel the hatred in their looks, which put him on high alert, but thankfully, no one attacked. He made sure to pay extra for all the food that he bought. Most of it he would take back for his ladies to help them regain their strength. He dropped the food off in his quarters and went to find Richard because he had an important meeting scheduled. Luke had a contract to sign with the devil. He would have preferred to sign with the actual devil instead of Richard, but this was important to his plans.

To Luke’s surprise, the contract was in order and ready for signature. After signing, Luke got his first assignment. He was to go toward London and look for Richard’s son William. William should have reported in by now, yet nothing had been heard of him. While out, Luke was to watch for the previous owner, Charles. If Luke met him, he would kill or capture him, whichever was most convenient. Luke couldn’t believe his ears; this would play right into his hands. As a bonus, he could take his women and a small escort. The escort part bothered Luke, but he figured he could get rid of them easily.

On the other hand, Luke requested that he choose his men. He figured three should be enough, and Richard agreed but only allowed Luke two. Luke picked two men who had shown the most hatred toward Richard’s housecarls during the training session.

Luke told them that they would be setting out first thing in the morning, so they had better get some rest. Upon returning to his chamber for the evening, he was surprised that all his ladies were in the room. When Luke entered, they all stopped talking and looked at him. Luke had to admit that they cleaned up nicely. Then Stella stepped forward:

“Hildyard, rumor has it that you are leaving in the morning?”

“That is correct. Are you speaking for the group, Stella?”

“I am.”

“Well, then get on with it, or let them speak for themselves.”

“We thank you kindly for the extra food. That was the best that we have eaten since Richard took over.”

“Well, no thanks are necessary,” Luke said to the group with a warm smile that always seemed to melt hearts. “Now, ladies, listen up. I will be leaving very early in the morning on a special mission and have been permitted to have you all accompany me on my journey. We will also have a two-man escort. I suggest all of you get to bed now because I want to be going through the gate just as it is getting light. Now move and no arguments.”

Tonight, Luke took the youngest of the ladies to bed with him. Her name was Gabriella, and she reminded Luke of Marion’s demeanor.

“Hildyard, I have no idea how to please...”

That was as far as she got before Luke cut her off with a gentle kiss.

“Do not worry about that for now. Just come sleep next to me since we have to be up early in the morning.”

Gabriella was starting to feel things she had never felt before, and Hildyard was causing those feelings.

“But...”

Luke just gave her his unique shut the fuck up look. It worked every time he used it, and it did here as well. Gabriella curled up next to Luke, felt utterly safe like Stella the night before, and quickly fell asleep. Luke had picked Gabriella because one of the other ladies looked just like someone he had lost many years before, and he knew that if he took her to bed, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

As promised, Luke was up very early the following day. He figured that it was about 0300. He went around to all the ladies, gently woke them up with a kiss on the cheek, and told them to get ready to leave. Then he made his way to the barracks, where he wasn’t gentle at all. He expected his men to follow orders; sure enough, neither was awake. Luke woke them up by putting his boot up their asses.

“GET UP, YOU MISERABLE EXCUSES FOR SOLDIERS! GET UP NOW! WHEN I TELL YOU TO BE READY TO GO AT A CERTAIN TIME, YOU HAD BETTER BE READY TO GO.”

Luke’s voice boomed through the barracks and shook the walls. He was far meaner than usual on purpose, figuring these men would probably continue to be soldiers once he helped Marion take over. Luke wanted to start instilling discipline in the men but had to wait almost an hour for the men to get squared away and ready to go. He had already anticipated this; that’s why he woke everyone up so early. Finally, everything was ready, and the small group set off. The two soldiers weren’t happy, to put it mildly. They had been dragged out of their billet before dawn because they were assigned to escort a monster and his whores. The worst part was that Hildyard had the complete support of Earl Richard. They were supporters of the previous landowner and were convinced that Richard had something to do with Charles’s disappearance.

“When that bastard is busy with his women, it will be the perfect chance to get rid of him, and then we can rescue those women and get them back home.” One escort said quietly to the other as they headed out of the castle. The other nodded in agreement.

The trip out of the town gates went quickly as the sun was just starting to lighten up the eastern sky. Luke ensured they headed out the right gate so that Marion would see them. He knew that Marion would be watching, just like he had taught her, and sure enough, as they approached the forest, he saw shrubs move unnaturally, causing him to smile. As the group was ready to head into the forest, the escort was out in front of the group; they came across a man standing in the road, wearing a long cape with a hood covering his face.

“Get out of our way!” Michael, one of the escorts, yelled.

He was agitated, and this man was pissing him off.

“I have just as much right to be on this road as you do,” answered the man calmly.

This pissed Michael off even more, and he drew his sword. His companion, Tom, drew his sword too. Luke calmly watched but didn’t draw his sword; he knew who the “man” was.

“Hildyard, why are you not drawing your weapon?” asked Stella

“Why bother? The odds are already two-to-one, plus I know who that is, and I have no desire to cross swords with her.”