Chapter 7

Rays of sunlight streamed from the loft illuminated the particles of dust floating about. William inhaled, relishing the clean smell of hay and oats. He was home here, away from the messy reality of his life. The stable boy led him to the stall, and Shane poked his head out to greet his master.

"Hey boy," William said softly, giving his friend a good rub on the nose. When Shane nudged his hand away, William laughed and gave up the apple that he took from the breakfast table. "Here you go, you greedy bastard."

He insisted on saddling Shane himself, settling into the familiar routine with ease. After the blanket and saddle were in place, he eased the girth against the horse's belly, then walked him out of the barn. After checking the leather in better light, he snugged the girth with gentle hands while waiting patiently for Lucia. She stepped into the sunshine a moment later in her blue riding habit, the light glinting off her dark hair. Her little brown mare followed her out.

"What a magnificent stallion you have there," she said, smiling. "May I touch him?"

Taking her hand, he guided it across the animal's smooth coat. Shane eyed Lucia with distrust, but didn't try to bite his master's guest. His muscles quivered but soon relaxed to her touch.

"What's her name?" William asked, pointed to the mare.

"That's Chocolate," she said, wincing a little. "I'm afraid I named her when I was very young."

William laughed. "No, it suits her. I just hope that she's as sweet as her name implies." He led Shane toward the mare. Gesturing, he said solemnly, "Shane, allow me to introduce Mistress Chocolate."

Lucia giggled, and William flashed her a grin that made him look much younger than he really was. The skin around his eyes crinkled in amusement. Gods, he is handsome, she thought, her heart suddenly thumping audibly against her chest. She flushed, lowering her face in embarrassment while William looked on, puzzled.

"Shall we go?" she asked quickly.

"Yes," William said, still confused. He helped her onto her horse, then swung across his own saddle.

They settle into an easy canter, side by side, toward which direction William knew naught. But Lucia pointed out the worthwhile sights along the way. Though Lyonsyle was by the sea, most of the shore was made of jagged cliffs instead of the sandy beaches that William was so accustomed to, but he appreciated the austere beauty of the place, nonetheless. The Aubren manor was situated in such a way as to allow him a view of the rolling hills of Lyonsyl, the landscape inevitably dotted with herds of sheep.

Lucia led him inland. "We need to make a detour, I'm afraid," she said. "Many things demand my attention due to my absence. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," William replied, still drawn to the white dots moving down the hill at a distance. "It would please me to see your estate."

They urged their horses on. As they reached the peak of another hill, William began to see streams of smoke rising from the little town nestling in the peaceful valley. A river ran by the town, opening out to the ocean. The blades of grass bent against the wind, turning into all shades of green.

Lucia stopped for a moment, seemingly content to just look at the view while William was content to just look at her. She seemed happy for the first time. As if sensing his stare, she turned toward him, grinning.

"Pray observe the creature in her natural habitat," she announced grandly.

William smiled. "What will you do when you move to Ravenshire?" he asked softly. "You love this land so much."

She was silent for a while. She glanced back at the green expanse while she inhaled the scent of early autumn. "I suppose I'll adjust," she said quietly. "People do, you know." She shrugged. "At least Ravenshire is by the sea," she said, her face brightened. "I can't live without the ocean."

Tapping her mare lightly, she surged ahead. "Come on, I'll race you," she threw back saucily before dashing off.

Looking at her figure, William murmured, "What a remarkable woman you are, Lucia of Lyonsyle."

Their destination was indeed the village they had seen on the top of the hill. On entering the main street, William could not help but stare at the brilliant explosion of colors that met his eyes. Sacks of bright yellow, red, blue, purple, and green powder pigments stood in window front of stores as merchants shouted out their prices at the passerby.

"What are those dyes made of?" William shouted across the noise of the marketplace.

She leaned toward him as much as she could without falling off her horse. "Most of the dyes we use are derived from plants, although we occasionally do have mineral dyes. Some of the dyers specialize in chymical dyes, but they usually don't make it except when they receive orders. It is difficult to make chymical dyes in large quantities, and thus they are not readily available to be purchased."

Colors assaulted Williams eyes. There did not seem to be a shade of color lacking in those sacks. "Surely all these plants from which you produce dyes are not produced locally. Why, there must be three hundred different kinds of plants needed to make all these colors."

"No, of course not," Lucia scoffed. "To produce quality wool for export, we must have dyes even though these plants do not particularly thrive in our vicinity. This is why the harbors of Ravenshire are so important to our commerce. Our shores do no provide us with the best harbors, especially for large trading ships. Your harbors are the points of entry for all our dyes and the points of exit for our wool. Do you begin to see why we need this alliance as much as you need the money?"

She gestured at the merchant eagerly weighing out some red dye for a sour-looking woman. "Without your ports, all this would vanish," she said. "There are many towns in Lyonsyle just like this, just as dependent on the wool trade. If anything interferes with our collaboration, the people of Lyonsyle would all suffer."

"Still, there's no need for you to sacrifice your happiness," William argued. "I'm sure we can come up with a compromise that is satisfactory to both without marriage."

Lucia shook her head. "Don't you see? I belong to these people as they belong to me. As a member of the Aubren family and as a member of the aristocrats, my responsibility is to serve them. Their well-being is my happiness."

"Ah, but there are so much more than that," he said softly, though she didn't hear.

As they turned into an alley, William saw the women out in the back of the buildings stirring the heavy wool yarn in ceramic barrels with their dyer's paddles. They chatted away, trading the latest gossip. Skeins of the dyed wool were drying on the ropes strung across the yard for the purpose. The ground was stained with the colors of the dye. As Lucia went by, the women stopped their talking.

"Lady Lucia, won't you come in for tea today?" one of them asked.

She waved, smiling. "I apologize, but I can't, Agnes. I came back two days ago and have yet to see Mabel. Is she better?"

The other woman straightened her back from her dye. "Not much, I'm afraid," she said.

"I see." Lucia's face was solemn. "Well, I suppose I'd best be on my way."

She maneuvered her horse around the twisting alleys, careful to avoid the colorful puddles in the middle of the street. William followed her closely, silently noting the condition of the buildings. They were well-taken care of, more closely maintained than those in the cities of Ravenshire. Women leaned out the windows from the upper floors as Lucia passed, shouting their greetings. A group of children ran past, giggling. One of the little boys waved to Lucia hurriedly as he sought to catch up to the other kids.

So deep was he in his thoughts that he almost bumped into her as she stopped. It was a small house, eerily quiet inside. Lucia slid off her mount, then proceeded to unstrap the saddlebags. William dismounted and took the heavy bags from her.

"You shouldn't lift such heavy things in your condition," he said.

Lucia sighed with exasperation, her fists on her hips. She scowled up at him. "I can do it just fine."

"I'm sure, Love," William said without much conviction as he shifted the weight of the bags on his shoulder. "but while I'm around, I will not allow you to do so."

"Who are you to allow or disallow me?" she hissed, her index finger jabbing into his chest.

William scowled down at her, rubbing the area with his free hand. He was about to open his mouth for a witty comeback, but a little voice interrupted him.

"Lady Lucia!" The little bundle launched itself into Lucia's open arms. Lucia laughed, and gathered the girl close.

"It's been ages since you last visited," the girl said as she beamed up at Lucia.

"And what have you been doing while I've been gone?" Lucia asked, tweaking the girl's nose playfully. "Up to no good, I suppose?"

"I've been behaving real good," the girl protested. "I'm paying attention to my lessons and learning my numbers. Miss Swanson gave me permission to read to the class today. Only the best students get to read out loud to the class, you know."

"There's a good girl," Lucia said, patting the child's head. "If you work hard enough, maybe you'll become a scholar some day."

The girl wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue. "Girl scholars are ugly. They all have oily hair and bad eyesight."

"Hush, you silly girl," a voice said. "I thought I brought you up better than to back talk Lady Aubren."

An older woman came to the door, her frail hand clutching tightly to a shawl. She sniffled a little as she squinted against the bright sunlight.

"How are you feeling, Mabel," Lucia asked warmly, touching the woman's shoulder briefly.

"Not much better, I'm afraid," the woman sighed. "With this little one running around, I've not had a chance to rest, you see."

She ushered the two of them into the house while throwing occasional curious looks toward William. But she asked no questions, only excused herself to the kitchen to prepare some tea for her visitors. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, William nudged Lucia, tipping his head toward the weight on one of his shoulders. She patted the dining table, indicating he should place the saddlebags on the wooden surface. He tried to lower the bags slowly without upsetting the already dubious balance of the table.

Mabel returned with a kettle of tea and three mismatched mugs. The girl helped her mother set out a small plate of biscuits, then proceeded to plop herself onto her mother's lap. Lucia smiled and thanked them for the hospitality.

"Ah, excuse my rudeness," Lucia said. "Mabel, allow me to introduce Lord William of Ravenshire."

"Please to meet you, Ma'am," William said, bowing his head.

Mabel flushed and stuttered an incoherent response. The girl's eyes were as wide as the mug she was drinking from. She swallowed hastily and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, much to the admonishment of her mother.

"Are you really a Lord?" she asked. "With a fancy castle and hundreds of waistcoats and pocket watches and everything?"

"Hush, child," Mabel scolded. Turning toward Lucia and William, she laughed nervously. "Really, I don't understand where she gets these ideas. She never once question Lady Lucia." Then to her daughter, she said, "Apologize to Lord Ravenshire at once for your rudeness."

"That's because Lady Lucia always wears the same thing. She's got no hundred of dresses or nothing. Lords are different."

Mabel turned a bright shade of pink while the girl sipped on the tea happily.

"It's alright, Mabel," Lucia said, laughing. "She's a girl, and bound to have questions."

"So, are you?" the girl asked, directing her question to William.

William smiled. "Oh yes, I'm a Lord, though I haven't always been one. I live in a manor, not a castle. As for the waistcoats and pocket watches, I'm afraid it will take me a while to get my wardrobe up to standard."

The girl nodded, satisfied with his answer. Mabel slid her off her lap and sent her off to play.

"What a lively child you've got," William remarked. "I daresay, curious as a cat."

Mabel sighed, looking after her girl with a worried frown. "It's just that her father is away so often, you see. She tries so hard to understand other men to make up for not knowing her father well."

"You needn't worry about that," Lucia said softly, grasping the other woman's hand briefly. "You just need to focus on getting well so that you can take care of your wonderful daughter."

"How could I not, with your generous help?" Mabel laughed, then broke into a heavy fit of coughing. Lucia went to stand by her side, rubbing her back soothingly, making soft noises of comfort.

"We've brought you some medicine," Lucia said. William opened the saddle bags at her request, laying the parchment paper packets out on the table. The other bag contained a good piece of bread and cheese, along with a ham.

"The half-healer said to boil the content of each packet into a cup of water for a couple of minutes, until the color of the water turned a deep brown. He said you should drink the tea twice a day, when you rise in the morning and before you go to sleep at night." Lucia closed the now empty bags. "There are enough packets to last you a week. I will come by to see you after that time."

She shrugged apologetically. "This week is a busy one, I'm afraid. I will send someone to check on you in a few days. Take care of yourself, Mabel."

She squeezed the woman's hand again before picking up the bags from the table. Thanking their host, William bowed curtly before following Lucia out of the little kitchen.