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Five months to the day after she left, Lauren returned to Keneburg. It was May Day, and people were out in the streets, drinking and singing. Streamers and flowers adorned gates and doors. A band had set up in Wayne Meadow, along with a troupe of Morris dancers. Everyone seemed to be having a marvelous time, in spite of the war.
Lauren would have stopped for a drink herself, but she was on a mission, and besides, her escorts would have objected.
The Gramiren soldiers had taken her from Wealdan Castle and handed her over to her mother’s cousin, the Earl of Montgomery. The earl was not amused at discovering Lauren on his front doorstep, and he was even less amused when the Gramiren herald explained what Lauren had done.
“The Byrne family always manages to surprise me,” he told her. “When your brother Pedr slept with Queen Muriel, I thought that was the stupidest thing any of you had ever done. But then your mother topped it by becoming King Broderick’s mistress. And now you have taken the prize, my dear girl. At least your mother and brother managed to get some fleeting pleasure out of their idiocy. I have no idea what you think you’ve accomplished by running off to see Muriel. I could have you put on trial as a traitor, you know.”
He appointed six of his knights to see her back to Keneburg, with orders not to let her make any sort of detour along the way, and not to leave her side until she passed the front gate of Dunharvin Castle. And sure enough, they took the earl at his word and marched her straight up the High Street and over the drawbridge.
She tried to bid them farewell in the Court of Honor, near the forge. “I know the way from here,” she told them. “You can get a meal in the buttery, if you like, though.”
Their sergeant reddened a bit. “Sorry, my lady, but the earl gave me a letter explaining your conduct. I’m to give it straight into the hands of her grace, your mother.”
“I don’t suppose we could drop the letter in the furnace over there, could we?” she said.
The sergeant looked genuinely pained. “Forgive me, my lady, but no. I gave the earl my word.”
While they went to find the duchess, Lauren ran to find the Earl of Hyrne. She knew she was going to get in trouble, but if she could give the captain general a warning about the Gramirens’ vast new army around Formacaster, then at least something good might come out of this whole debacle. It also might make her mother a little less angry about what Lauren had done.
She half expected to find her mother in the earl’s room, but things seemed to have changed in the months she’d been away. Her mother’s dressing gown was no longer hanging inside the earl’s chamber door. There was a woman’s lacy shift lying crumpled on the floor near the bed, but Lauren knew it was nothing her mother would ever have worn—it was too pink and flowery and childish for Flora Byrne.
So things were over between her mother and the earl. And the earl had taken a new lover. Lauren wasn’t entirely sorry about that, but that wasn’t really any of her business. It had no bearing on what she had come up here to do.
The earl sat at a little table with his feet on a map of Keneshire, and he appeared to be reading a book of Immani poetry. He had lost weight, and she was obliged to admit that he was starting to look rather handsome again. Perhaps he was getting into condition for battle. Or maybe he was trying to make her mother jealous. Her mother had done the exact same thing after the king had set her aside, so it was only fair.
Looking up, he noticed her. “Well, if it isn’t the long-lost Lady Lauren. Apparently, you had quite the adventure.” He set his book down. “It’s a little strange to think I will no longer be your mother’s least favorite person in the castle.”
“Yes,” said Lauren. “That’s probably true, but I need to tell you what I saw when I was in Formacaster.”
She told him about the huge new army out of Oaseshire crossing the Trahern, and about the Gramiren soldiers’ hints that there would be an attack soon. The earl didn’t seem to be quite so impressed by the news as she had hoped he might be.
“There really were a lot of men,” she repeated, to emphasize the point.
He shifted in his chair. “Really? How many regiments were there, do you think?”
“Um...I’m not sure. How many men are in a regiment?”
“Lady Lauren, I’m sure you saw an army encampment, but that’s hardly surprising.” His tone was patronizing, like she was a frightened child. “Neither is it any great news that the Gramirens are preparing for a summer campaign. I would be astonished if they weren’t.”
“But you don’t understand!” She stamped her foot. “There were thousands and thousands of men. Maybe tens of thousands.”
“Yes, armies always appear very large to people who aren’t used to seeing them. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, if I were you.” He smiled, then picked up his book and went back to reading.
Seething with frustration, she left his room and went to find her mother. Lauren wasn’t especially eager for this conversation; she knew she would have to suffer some yelling and possibly some swearing. But if the earl wasn’t going to listen to reason, then maybe her mother would.
The duchess was in the cellars with Pedr, according to the steward. Lauren went down there to find them debating how much salt pork they could spare for a march on Keelweard.
“We should be going to Formacaster, anyway,” grumbled Pedr.
“Yes, darling, but our brave captain general thinks otherwise.” Lauren’s mother looked up and saw her watching from the stairs. “So, you’ve come to apologize, I hope.”
“Yes, mother. I’m sorry I sneaked away and went to Erstenwell. I’m sorry I went to Formacaster. But you need to know what I—”
“Let’s see what you were doing there,” the duchess continued, pulling a letter out of the pocket of her dress and holding it up into the light of Pedr’s lantern. “You wanted to negotiate the end of this war with Muriel and her daughter.” She lowered the letter and shook her head slowly, eyes narrowed. “Really, Lauren, that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“But mother, Donella and I are friends, and—”
“Yes! I can hardly have forgotten that fact, you silly girl!” Flora turned to Pedr. “Dear, could you give me a moment alone with your sister?”
Pedr gave Lauren a look of sympathy and a pat on the shoulder as he went by. With him gone, it suddenly felt a lot colder in the old vaults than it had. Lauren shivered.
“Mother, it’s important that you know what—”
“Hold your tongue. Of course I know you’re friends with Donella. Just as I know that Donella and Andras are having an affair. Those might be valuable connections to have someday. And that day might be sooner than we think if the Earl of Hyrne doesn’t get his head out of his ass. If that time comes—when it comes—I may need to use your relationship with Donella as a secret means of communication with her father. Unfortunately, you may have spoiled everything.” She looked at the letter. “A ‘Women’s Gemot,’ Lauren? Honestly, how idiotic. I doubt Muriel would ever take anything you or Donella said seriously after this.”
“Fine, it was a stupid idea,” said Lauren. “But it’s more than anyone else here has ever done. You wouldn’t believe the army the Gramirens have now, Mother. They’re going to destroy us, and it won’t matter whether you go to Keelweard first or Formacaster. It’s just a matter of being destroyed earlier or later.”
“That’s not a very helpful attitude, young lady.”
“Fuck helpful attitudes, Mother! Wallace almost died, and I can’t stand for that to happen again. I don’t want him to die, and I don’t want Andras and Pedr to die, and I don’t want you and Father to die, either.”
Her mother’s expression softened somewhat. “That’s very sweet, dear, but if you want to help, you need to grow up and stop thinking the world is one of your silly romance stories.”
Someone thundered down the stairs, and both Lauren and her mother turned to see Wallace. He rushed to Lauren, like he was about to embrace her. But at the last second, he stopped.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
Lauren’s mother handed him the letter from the Earl of Montgomery. “Here. Read what your wife has been up to.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “And I’m holding you responsible for this, Wallace. I expect Lauren to be a brainless dreamer, but I expect you to keep an eye on her and keep her from doing foolish things like this.”
“That’s not fair,” said Lauren. “Wallace had nothing to do with this. He was off serving with the army when I went to Formacaster. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
“Oh, I do,” said her mother, as she started up the stairs. “But there’s enough blame to go around.”
When she was gone, Lauren threw her arms around her husband. For a second, he stood still. Then he patted her awkwardly on the back and said, “Let’s go up to our room.”
She followed him up the stairs. His head was hunched over, and she could see his hands clenching and unclenching. She knew he must be furious with her, and seeing him like that made her feel remorse and regret in a way that the Earl of Montgomery and her mother had failed to do. He deserved far better than this. He deserved a wife who wouldn’t embarrass him and make him look weak.
Up in their room, he shut the door and slumped against the doorframe, his forehead against the wall. “Why did you do that?” he asked quietly.
Her eyes started watering, and she kneaded her hands together. “I’m sorry, Wallace. I thought it was a good idea at the time. I didn’t want you to get hurt again, and I thought maybe I could do something.”
He turned slightly. “Do you know how worried I was for you when I got your sister’s letter saying you had run away from the abbey?”
“I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry.” She put her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
A floorboard creaked, and then she felt his arms wrapping her up. “I’m sorry, too. I know it must be awful to sit and wait for me. But please don’t ever do anything like that again.”
“I won’t.”
He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. Then he raised her chin and kissed her. “If you ever feel like going off and doing something dangerous again—”
“I’ll stop myself. I really will. I promise.”
He smiled. “I was going to say that if you feel like doing something dangerous, let me know, so I can come, too.”