Part 15 (1/2)

'Ulrich, my lord.'

'Fear not, Ulrich. Go back to the village and bury your wife. If your son lives, we shall bring him back to you.'

The man stepped back and Stefan urged his horse forward. His face was grim as he rode through the village and witnessed the devastation caused. Those responsible must be made to pay for this night's work. Their fate must leave none in doubt of what happened to those that dared to attack his people.

'It will not be easy to follow them in the dark,' one of his men said to him. 'Should we return to the house and give chase in the morning?'

'We go after them now,' Stefan said and his mouth was a hard, thin line. 'We follow them until we catch them and punish them, whether it takes us a day or a year. Send one of the villagers to the house to tell them that we may be gone for some days...'

The soldier nodded, knowing that look of old. His lord was known for his mercy, but after what had been done here there would be none for the raiders!

'But where is Sir Stefan?' Elona asked the next morning of his steward. 'Why has he not returned? He is not injured- or dead?' Her heart pounded with sudden fear.

'My lord sent word that they were determined to pursue the raiders,' Piers told her. 'I fear that much damage was done last night and Sir Stefan will not rest until the perpetrators of this outrage are caught and punished.'

'Yes, I see.' Elona felt upset. She had believed that there was peace between Stefan and his neighbours, just as there was at Banewulf. 'Do they know for sure who the raiders were?'

'We are not certain, but we believe it may have been some of Baron Danewold's men.'

'Surely he would not dare to attack my husband's village?'

Yet even as she spoke, Elona was recalling the fury in the Baron's face when she had vomited over him. He would have been even more furious at being forced to pay a fine, and this might be his way of taking revenge on Stefan. He had not dared to attack the house, for he knew it was well guarded and the portcullis lowered every night, but the villagers were vulnerable. They must have been sleeping in their beds when the attack began.

Elona s.h.i.+vered as she thought about the horror of being woken by screaming and shouting, the sight of houses being burned to the ground and people slaughtered.

'I must go to the village,' she told Piers. 'They will need help and I must do what I can to ease their suffering.'

Piers looked at her doubtfully. 'Sir Stefan would wish you to be safe inside the walls, lady. Supposing some of the raiders were left behind?'

'I do not think it,' Elona said, a stubborn look in her eyes. 'They must know that Stefan will seek revenge. I believe they will be long gone, for my lord will show little mercy to such rogues.'

'Then you must take several men with you to guard you, my lady. I should not be easy in my mind if you went unprotected.'

'I shall take d.i.c.kon, Bethany, Roberta and Mary the Wise, and one soldier to accompany us,' Elona said. 'I have no fear that we shall be attacked and a show of force might frighten our people.'

'As you wish, my lady.' Piers could do nothing to prevent her, though he feared for his life if anything should happen to her. 'I shall have a basket of salves prepared for you-and anything else you may need.'

'We may need all kinds of things from our stores,' Elona told him. 'But for this first time, we shall take only salves and cures that may help with burns and wounds. When I return, I shall tell you what else is needed.'

She left him to stare after her and wonder what his lord would say if he returned in her absence.

Stefan did not return while Elona was at the village, nor yet the following day, but she did not have time to worry for his sake, because she and her women were too busy helping those that had been injured and bereaved by the raiding party.

Some of the men had b.u.ms to their hands and arms where they had fought the fires that were destroying their homes. Some of the women had been ravished and beaten; those who fought hardest had scars to show for their pains and one woman was dead.

'What beasts they were,' Elona told her women when she was moved to tears by the sight of a young child with a wound to his head where one of the raiders had ridden him down. 'I truly hope that my lord will catch and punish them.'

Her anger was such that she shed no tears for herself. Her happiness could wait for Stefan's return; some of these people would never know happiness again.

She did what she could for the sick, ordered that meat and grain from the store at Sans...o...b.. be brought to them, asked Piers to set the work of rebuilding the houses in train, and at the end of the third day went home weary and heartsore that she could do so little.

Elona had never felt so weary as when she allowed Julia to disrobe her. Her women had taken turns to help her in the village, but Julia had not been with her that day, and she was smiling as she poured warm water into the tub for her mistress to bathe.

Elona wondered what the girl could find to smile about at such a time, but said nothing as she climbed into the water and closed her eyes. It felt good to let the scented water enfold her and she sighed with content as someone began to rub soap into her shoulders.

'That feels good,' she said. 'I think I shall sleep for a month.'

'And so you should, my lamb,' a voice she knew well said and she sent the water flying as she turned to look at the face of the old woman she loved so well. 'There's no need to soak me, girl!' Melise scolded, giving her a toothless smile.

'Melise! When did you arrive?' Elona was overjoyed by the sight of her. 'Oh, it is so good to see you. I need you so much...' There was a faint sob in her voice. 'I've missed you so...'

'And so I should think,' Melise said, though her old eyes were bright with tears. 'After I have travelled so far to be with you, it would go hard if you were to send me back.'

'Send you back?' Elona laughed and shook her head. 'You must know that I should never do that, Melise. I love you and need you to soothe me when I am tired or ill.'

'As you always did,' her nurse crooned, well satisfied by her welcome. 'I thought we should never get here. We arrived at Banewulf some weeks ago to be told you were not there and I had to rest before I could come to you. It's just as well I got here when I did, for you have been doing too much, you foolish child. Why could you not leave the nursing to others?'

'Because the people were in such need, Melise,' Elona said. 'Besides, you would have told me I was failing in my duty if I had neglected them.'

'I should have told you to share your labours,' Melise replied with a shake of her head. 'But I shall not scold you, my love. I am here now and I shall look after you.'

Elona smiled as she sank back into the tub, letting the water ease her. It was so good to have her nurse with her again, but for the moment she was too weary to do anything but sleep.

Stefan's eyes felt gritty with tiredness, but there was a smile of grim satisfaction about his mouth. They had pursued the raiders for two days, but on the morning of the third they had caught them just as they were breaking camp.

What had followed was something that even battle-hardened soldiers might wish to forget, for many of his men had had friends, lovers or family in the village and he had not restrained them. Those raiders that were left alive had been sent in chains to the King for justice, which would mean their deaths. It would also mean punishment for the evil master who had sent them. Danewold would be called to account, his lands confiscated and the least he could expect was banishment.

It had had to be done if the villagers were to live in safety, and Stefan had not s.h.i.+rked his duty, but he was weary of conflict and bloodshed and wanted peace. Peace so that he could be with Elona and raise a family.

The plight of the villager whose wife had died had touched something in Stefan. One reason for his satisfaction was that the boy had been recovered, frightened and bruised, but otherwise unharmed; he would be restored to his father on their return to the village.

Stefan had thought constantly of how he would have felt if the raiders had killed Elona while trying to ravish her, and he knew that his grief would have been beyond bearing. It was senseless to carry a grudge for something that had happened in the past, and he would do so no longer. On his return, he would tell her that he cared for her and that he wanted her to be his wife in truth.

Yes, he would make an end to the conflict between them, Stefan thought. It was, after all, of his making, for she had done everything she could to make amends and he would be a fool to let his jealousy over a past lover sour his relations.h.i.+p with her.

Some of the weariness sloughed off him as he told his men to prepare for the journey home. He could not wait to be with her again, to hold her in his arms and kiss her. But this time there would be no barriers between them, nothing to stop him taking her to his bed and making love to her as he had longed to do for so many months.

She would be his at last, his wife, his love, and, if she did not yet love him, he would teach her to know him and hope that it was enough.

'I have to thank you for bringing Melise to me,' Elona said to Will de Grenville when she saw him the following day. She had been busy and this was her first chance to speak with him. 'It was kind of you to go to so much trouble, for I know you have had many months on the road when you might have been at the Duke's court.'

Will looked at her, his eyes searching her face. She looked tired-but was she happy? Had she been forced to marry a man she had sworn she hated?

'I was happy to serve you,' he said. 'I knew that it had made you unhappy to leave your nurse behind and I wanted to make you happy.'

'And you have,' Elona told him, smiling at his eagerness. She was fond of him, for he had been her friend and she had needed him in the months after her brother's death. 'I shall always be grateful to you, Will. And I hope we shall continue to be friends?'

'You know I am ever at your command.' Will hesitated, knowing that he must be careful. To suggest that she run away with him would be a dangerous business, for Sir Stefan was a man of fearsome reputation and his revenge would be terrible. Yet Will would risk it if she were to ask it of him. 'I have thought of asking your husband if he would accept my service, Elona. I would be near at hand if you should need me and...'

Elona was silent for a moment. It would be churlish to refuse when he had done so much for her, and yet she would have preferred that he leave before Stefan returned. The problems between her and Stefan were not fully resolved and she knew that he might believe Will to have been her lover.