Book 1: Chapter 31

by Barbara Boyer

[Wherein Sir Gareth learns how to use his new position.]

Stooping down in the mare’s stall, Culann carefully brushed Lake’s forelegs.  When he heard voices, he almost jumped up, but something about the tone of those voices warned him to stay still.

“Because,” Gavin explained impatiently, “There is more privacy here than in the kitchen and I want to speak with you.  Sir Gareth is leaving tomorrow.”

Even though Gavin had asked no question, Maudie replied curtly, “He is.”

“And that means that Sir Culann will be down in the kitchen again and sleeping with Daren at night.”

“Yes.”  Maudie studied her husband’s anxious face.

“I want you to ask Sir Gareth to make a different arrangement for the boy.”

“I will not.  The arrangement was my own, not Sir Gareth’s.”

“I always suspected that.”  Exasperated, Gavin took one look at Maudie’s face and decided to sound as conciliatory as possible.  “When he was a baby, it seemed safe enough, but Sir Culann’s growing.  I’m worried about my children, especially Daren.  He’s too young to understand that Sir Culann isn’t simply another boy.  He’s the Lord’s son.  I don’t need to remind you what kind of man Lord Shoban is.  This time, the Lord stays in Tairne and Sir Gareth leaves.  There’s no telling what might happen.  Sir Culann is a danger to our family, Maudie.”

“He is not!”  When her voice grew fierce, Gavin shook his head.  “He’s a warm, loving boy and little better than an orphan.  I patched up his broken body every time his mother decided she needed something small and weak to vent her rage on.  When he was a baby, I fed him with milk from my own body.  I love him.”

“There are laws here, Maudie, hierarchies.  People are born into a certain place in life.”

“And how love finds a way to destroy all that.”

Gavin placed his hands firmly on Maudie’s shoulders.  “I think it’s time, Maudie, for you to decide whom it is you really love.”

“I don’t have to decide, husband, I know.  I love you.  I love Roarlin, Pegeen, Daren, and Culann.  Love makes the decision, we don’t.  I can’t stop loving any of you, even if you command it.  This argument is over, Gavin, I have work to do.”

“Damn that woman!”  Gavin slammed the doors to Gareth’s stables and blocked out the light.

In the shadows, Culann dropped the curry brush and opened Lake’s stall.  After he lowered the latch to lock the gate, he ran as fast as he could out of the stables and back to his room.

Since he couldn’t stay with Maudie and was too afraid to stay alone, Culann decided there was only one thing he could do.  He opened the chest at the end of his bed and started to remove his neatly folded pairs of hose and tunics.  He didn’t know how long he was going to be gone so he decided to take everything.  He carried the stacks of clothing into Gareth’s bedroom and placed them as neatly as he could into Gareth’s traveling chest.

The chest was almost full, but he decided to take his ships and the wooden box with his toads.  Then, just in case Gareth might not like the idea of taking him to Roarke and Penvale, Culann decided to hide until it was time to leave.  I’ll ride a little behind Gareth until we’re far from Tairne.  Gareth won’t send me back alone.

He scooted under his bed and curled himself into a ball in one corner.  Fortunately, he wasn’t alone.  There were several spiders, all spinning their webs.  Culann settled down to watch them.

Barely glancing at the open chest, Gareth walked to his side table.

“I’ll start packing now, Sir Gareth.”

“I thought you had.  The chest looks filled.”

Shaking his head and frowning, Arnald walked to the chest.  He smiled.  “Decided to bring your toads with you, Sir Gareth?”

“What?”  Gareth raised his head and the water poured down from his face in streams.  He grabbed the drying cloth and walked to his bed.

“It looks like Sir Culann is planning to go with us,” Arnald said in a low voice.

“It certainly does.”  Gareth’s eyebrows moved together in a deep frown.  “Get those things out of here,” he ordered.

“Culann!” he yelled and stalked into Culann’s bedroom.

Because the tone in Gareth’s voice didn’t sound very good, Culann scrunched himself more tightly into the corner.

“If you’re hiding in here, Culann, I want you out right now.  That’s an order.”

“I can tell it’s an order,” Culann complained to the spiders.  He straightened out and crawled from under the bed.  “I was watching the spiders spin their webs, Gareth, honest.”

Shaking his head, Gareth stared down at his grimy brother.  The determined look on Culann’s face warned Gareth that it was going to be difficult to extract the truth from the boy.  Gareth sat down on Culann’s bed.  “Come here, little brother.”  He patted the bed.

The determined look on Gareth’s face warned Culann that he was going to have to think quickly to protect Maudie and her family.  Culann crawled up on the bed.

“I can’t take you to Roarke with me, Culann, you’re still too young to make the trip.”

“I’m almost eight,” Culann protested.  “I’ll be very good.  I won’t ask questions.  I won’t talk at all, Gareth.” Afraid he’d be unable to keep that promise, he amended it, “Only a little.”

“I’m not leaving you in Tairne because you ask too many questions, Culann.  The trip’s too long for you.  And I have business to attend to in Roarke.”

“You can leave me in Penvale.  With the Lady Rose, Gareth.  I bet she’d like to meet me.”

“The Lady Rose would like to meet you,” Gareth agreed.  “But even the trip to Penvale’s too long for you.”

“I have to go with you this time, Gareth.  Honest.”

“Why?”

“You’ll be gone and the Lord will be in Tairne.”

“But you’ll be in the kitchen with Maudie.”  A look of genuine fear distorted Culann’s features and he shook his head stubbornly.  “What are you afraid of, Culann?”

Culann clamped his mouth shut, but tears filled his eyes.

“Culann?”

“You’ll be gone a long time, Gareth.  I can’t stay in my room that long.  I have to eat.”

“Of course, you do, but there’s plenty of food in the kitchen.”

Culann shook his head again.  “I can ride hard, Gareth.  Please, don’t ask me any more questions.  Please, say you’ll take me.  I’ll be very quiet.  I won’t cause any trouble.  I’ll sit still in one chair.  I know I don’t,” Culann admitted.  “But I could if I tried, Gareth.  Honest.”

Thinking he’d solved the puzzle, Gareth asked, “Did you do something to make Maudie angry?”

“No,” Culann replied in a small voice.  “Maudie loves me.  But she can’t choose, Gareth.  Don’t make her choose.  Take me with you, please.”

“Choose what?  Culann, I can’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.  Why don’t you just tell me the truth?  Why are you afraid to stay in the kitchen?”

“I have to go with you, Gareth.  That’s the truth.”

“If you won’t tell me, Culann, I’ll have to speak to Maudie.”

Knowing what Maudie was going to say, Culann grew desperate.  “Don’t,”  he sobbed.  “Please, Gareth, don’t.  She doesn’t know I heard.”

Ah! Gareth thought.  “What did you hear?  And let those tears wait for a little while until we see if there’s something to cry about.”

Culann drew in a ragged breath.  “I’m dangerous to Maudie’s family.  There are laws in Tairne, Gareth.  And harchies.  What’s a harchy?”

“Hierarchy?”

“Yes.”  Culann nodded.

Finally, Gareth knew who’d been speaking to Maudie and he guessed what Maudie had replied.

“A hierarchy is the way people are positioned in a land.  Like a ladder has a bottom rung and a top rung.  Lord Shoban’s on top so he makes the rules for everyone else.  We can’t blame Gavin for being worried, Culann.”

“And everyone’s afraid of the Lord.”

“Almost everyone.  But I’m the rung right below the top, Culann.”  As he said the words, Gareth realized that’s exactly who he was.  No longer the second son, but the next Lord.

“I need a permanent arrangement for you when I’m gone, Culann, at least until I’m married, but it has to be one that everybody finds acceptable.  I’ll see what I can do.”  Knowing Gareth could do anything, Culann smiled with relief.  “Now, clean up so we can eat.”

Nodding, Culann slid off the bed.

“Culann.”  The boy turned around.  “It would be far easier if you’d simply tell me the truth right from the beginning.”

Culann’s eyes widened at the thought.  “For you, Gareth,” he insisted.  “But not always for me.”

********

“Gavin!” Gareth called out and his voice echoed through the empty stalls.

“Good day, Sir Gareth.”

“I’m here to discuss the horses for the trip to Roarke.”

Gavin nodded at the future lord and led him to one corner of the stables where four stools rested against the wall.

Gareth placed the two pewter mugs he carried onto one of the stools, let the wineskin fall from his shoulder, sat down, and filled both mugs.  After he handed one to Gavin, he motioned to a stool and Gavin sat opposite the future lord.  Gareth raised his mug to the stable master and then drank.  Only then, did Gavin lift his own.  He took a long, appreciative draught of the smooth honeyed-mead.  He let it roll across his tongue.  A fine brew, Penvale’s mead, finer than any brew Gavin had tasted.  Gavin settled in.

After he drained the mug, Gavin wiped his hand across his mouth and placed the mug on the stool.  Sir Gareth refilled the mug and leaned back against the stable wall.

Leaving his mug next to Sir Gareth’s, close but not touching, on the stool, Gavin asked, “Four horses or six, Sir Gareth?”

“Four, I think.  Two pack horses, two to ride.  All four swift and strong.  I’ll want to ride hard.”

It isn’t like Sir Gareth to be so careless with his horses.  Gavin’s eyebrows moved closer together in stern disapproval.

“I’ll be stopping in Lysle and Randor for a few days.  The horses will have their rest.”

Gavin nodded.  “Four horses then.  Not Duir.”

“No,” Gareth agreed.  “He’s earned a rest.  I know you’ll see he’s well cared for.”

“I will, Sir Gareth.”  Gavin nodded and drained his mug.

As Gareth reached for the wineskin, he said, “You have my thanks, Gavin, in advance for caring for my brother in my absence.”  He poured the mead.  “I view it as a great personal kindness.”

His face darkening, Gavin reached for the mug.  “That’s Maudie’s doing, not my own.”

“And it disturbs you?”

Trying to gauge the man’s reaction, Gavin studied Sir Gareth’s face.  It was difficult to read the man, but he should understand about his brother.

“Well now, Sir Gareth.”  Gavin tried to choose his words as carefully as he’d choose his footing when walking through a dangerous bog.  “You brought this topic up, not I.  You’re a truthful man, Sir Gareth, so I’ll speak the truth to you.  Maudie loves Sir Culann like a son, but he’s not her son.  He’s the Lord’s son.  Sir Culann doesn’t understand that.  I know he’s young and he’s a fine boy.  I say that not to ingratiate myself, but because I think he is a fine boy.” Gareth acknowledged the compliment with a nod.

“It won’t harm the Lord’s son to forget his place and hang about the kitchen.  But my children, especially Daren, forget their own place when they’re with him.  That endangers their lives.”

The stables, empty of horses, was now empty of all sound while Gavin, guessing he’d angered the future lord even though the man’s face showed no sign of anger, waited for Sir Gareth to reply.

“Neither my brother, nor I, would ever endanger your family.  Culann owes his life to Maudie and he honors that debt with his love.

“Though Tairne is Lord Shoban’s now, it won’t always be.  I give you my word, Gavin, as the future Lord that whatever positions in Tairne your children want they can have.  Even the army will be open to your sons.  If their choices demand apprenticeship fees, I’ll pay them.  For as long as I live, your family will be under my protection.

“In return, I ask only one thing – you leave my brother be the way he’s always been with your family.”

Astonished, Gavin watched Sir Gareth’s right hand bearing the heavy silver ring cross to his heart.  “You have my word.  Think it over, Gavin, and then let me know what you decide.”

Overwhelmed by the offer, Gaven offered his hand to the future lord and Gareth took it. “You have my word, Sir Gareth, and my thanks.”

“None are necessary.”  Gareth stood up and pointed to the wineskin.  “When that’s drained, tell me.”  Gareth clapped his hand on Gavin’s shoulder and walked out of the stables.

Gavin placed his elbows on his knees and stared at his dangling hands.  He carefully reviewed every word Sir Gareth, the next Lord of Tairne, had said to him and the import of those words for his family.  No amount of hard work could buy what they’d just been given.

********

After Gavin closed the back door to the kitchen, he stood hesitantly in front of it.  Aware of his presence, Maudie turned around, but shook her head firmly.  Even more firmly, Gavin nodded in the direction of the apothecary.

As Maudie moved away from the bubbling soup toward the doorway, she shook her head again, this time at the reckless stupidity of the gods who, after having fashioned a nearly perfect being, ruined the world by creating men.  Perhaps, that’s not fair, Maudie, she reasoned.  They might have created men first, and when they realized their horrible mistake, they tried to right it by creating women.  By then, of course, it was too late.

“What is it, Gavin?  I have supper to prepare.”

“I know.  I wanted to tell you that Sir Gareth paid me a visit.  He offered our family his personal protection.  For our children, any position in Tairne they fancy when they come of age.”

“Humph!” Maudie snorted to keep from smiling.  “I don’t always agree with Sir Gareth and the way he handles Culann, but anyone can see how much he loves that boy.  So much that he’d protect anyone who treats Culann kindly and do his best to help them.  Even if that means securing a position for her children.” Maudie did smile then.  “Are you at peace now, Gavin?”

“You knew all the time he’d protect us?”

“No.”  Maudie’s smile faded.  “I only wanted Culann with me, safe from the Lady of Tairne.”  Maudie squeezed his hand gently and returned to her kitchen.

********

“I’m pleased to find you alone, my lord.”

At the confidence in Gareth’s tone, Shoban raised his head.  His eyes were alert and wary as he watched Gareth move with the same confidence to the head of the table.

“What is it, sir?”

“I’ve chosen our battleground, my lord,” Gareth said as he pulled out the chair next to his father.

When Shoban stared at his son’s steady, hard eyes, he understood that whatever Gareth was going to say, he would mean every word.  The muscles in his shoulders tensed.

“I’ve given my word to Gavin and Maudie that I’ll be their protector and their children’s until I die.”

“Why?” the Lord blurted out, but immediately regretted that expression of his discomposure.

“I have my reasons, my lord.  They don’t concern you.  See no harm comes to them in my absence.”

The Lord frowned.  “Gavin’s the finest stable master I’ve ever met.  Maudie the best cook and healer.  It wouldn’t be in my best interests to harm them.”

“No, Lord Shoban,” Gareth agreed.  “It wouldn’t.”