Chapter 5

The time for stalling was over. The deal had been struck. Now I must follow through with our agreement and let the enemy beyond our gates.

The thought of inviting Rolph inside Bailliot sent a wave of panic through my body. But, if I was being totally honest, there was also another emotion there. Excitement. 

Loathe as I was to admit it, the man was electric. He radiated power and heat in the most seductive way. I was going to have to watch myself around him. Make sure we were never alone. Because if we were, I knew what the Norman conqueror would demand from me. And I’m sure, if he got his hands upon my body as he’d done in the woods, I wouldn’t be able to say no.

The household was gathered in the main hall. Looking at those assembled, I began to second guess myself. Had I made the right choice? Had I considered all the options? Did I know what I was doing? 

Though I couldn’t be sure about the first two questions, I knew the answer to the last. I was doing the best I could for my people. No matter what indignities may come, I’d fight until my dying breath. 

The room was eerily silent. It was so quiet, you could hear one of the hounds scratching an itch from across the room. Taking a steady breath, I addressed the women, and the handful of remaining castle guards, with a serene smile plastered across my face.

“I’ve called you here tonight to discuss the army camped outside our gates,” I began, my voice clear despite my doubts. “I want to assure you that the siege is over and that no one has anything to fear.”

“They are going away then, milady?” Anne, a widow in her fifties who fashioned the castle’s most exquisite tapestries, asked.

Folding my hands together, I bit my lip. It was a nervous habit I’d tried to quash in my youth but was never able to successfully stifle. “No. They aren’t going away, Anne. I’m letting them inside Bailliot.”

The room erupted into chaos. The sound of shouting and babies crying seemed to instantly fill the cavernous space. I held up my hands for silence and a chance to clarify the confusion. I’d only just begun my journey as the leader of this keep, and I was already making a right pig’s ear of the job.

“They aren’t going away because we’ve come to an amicable agreement,” I added, hoping to sound as optimistic as possible. “Their leader, Rolph de Dronis, and I have an arrangement. If we let them in, no women or children shall be harmed.”

“But how do you know the Norman speaks the truth?” Maybelle, a pretty, young maidservant, asked. 

I could understand the girl’s concern. Women did not fare well in times of war. Especially when they were as comely and well-formed as she. 

“He has given me his word.”

Adelaide, another castle maid, scoffed. “Men are very good at telling women what they want to hear, milady. What assurances do you have that the invader tells the truth?”

Like flies to a stinking corpse, dozens of eyes landed on me then. “Unlike the men you speak of, Adelaide, I won’t tell you half-truths and pretty words to get what I want.” The women chuckled at the parallel and I took that to mean that I’d said the right thing. “The truth is, this castle is less than a day away from falling to the Normans. Given that there was nobody to come to our aid, I decided that we must be our own rescuers. Take our defense into our own hands. For better or for worse, I went to parlay with the Normans. I ensured our safety and well-being as well as negotiated an audience with William, England’s new king.”

My revelation caused a buzz of conversation to cut through the room. I let the women have a chance to absorb what I’d said before continuing on.

“In just a few short minutes, I intend to let William’s army through Bailliot’s gates. What I need from you is what I know women have always been best at delivering. Courage. Strength. Determination. And, best of all, grit. If we do this right and stick to our agreement, all should be well. All shall be safe.” 

As I finished my speech, I prayed that I could deliver on what I’d so grandly promised. The looks on the faces of the assembled women told me they did too.

“It’s time to open the gates,” I instructed Moore, one of the last remaining castle guards.

The man threw a concerned look at his five daughters who were huddled in the corner. Walking outside, he shouted to the watchtower above, “Open up.”

Blinking, I tried to remain calm. Tell myself that all was as it should be. But no matter how I tried to convince myself of that verity, my nerves were rattled and I was on edge. 

I watched as the Norman hordes crossed over our drawbridge and into our bailey. There was no going back now. The enemy was in our camp. I had let them stroll right through the front door. Let’s hope I’d played this chess match well or else we’d all live to regret it.

Straight away, I located his handsome face. He led his intimidating destrier in front of his equally intimidating army. His blue eyes gleamed merrily as he trod into the courtyard like a Roman general after a grueling campaign. My body tensed and began to throb from his nearness. His gaze, shrewd and unyielding, found mine.

Dismounting from his stead with the grace of an acrobat, Rolph handed the beast off to one of his men. “Bet,” he called, greeting me as though an old friend. “It’s good to see you again.”

Was it? I didn’t share his unflagging enthusiasm. “Milord de Dronis,” I returned, dipping my head and curtseying to show my respect.

As was his custom, Rolph took my hand and kissed it. Fire bolted down my arm and into my chest. “As much as I enjoyed our time in the woods, I am even more pleased to meet you on the inside of Bailliot’s walls,” he teased, playing the part of the ardent suitor once more. 

I guess it could be worse. The Norman could be playing at what he actually was. My conqueror. My new lord and master. And that game would be a far less enjoyable one.

“I am,” I allowed, eyes scanning the bailey where his men had begun to fan out.

Rolph stepped closer. “You look worried, Bet. Do you not believe I will keep my word? That my men will go wild and ravage your keep and plunder its riches?”

“Would it be so surprising if I were? Borrowing from Adelaide, I added, “Men make promises they don’t always keep, milord.”

A wolfish grin spread across his square jaw. “Indeed, they do. But I am a man of my word, Bet. As long as you live up to your agreement, I shall live up to mine.”

Swallowing hard, I asked, “What comes next?” I tried to keep the vulnerability out of my voice, but I wasn’t wholly successful.

Rolph’s tone grew hard. “Gather all of your men in the bailey. Per our agreement, they’re now my prisoners.”

Raising my hand, I signaled Moore to come forward with the remaining men. Rolph gave me a disbelieving stare as their pitiful number approached.

“Five men, milady? That is the extent of your garrison?”

I shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Like I told you, Lord de Dronis. My fiancé deserted this keep and took many of our soldiers with him. Five men are all that remains of our original castle guard.” If I didn’t know any better, I would have said the Norman’s face held the ghost of admiration on it.

“You mean to say, your ex-fiancé,” Rolph corrected, then shouted for his second in command. The man vaulted forward, his large frame smooth and graceful despite his size. “Uber, take these men into custody.”

The soldier scanned the small lot. “Would you like me to collect the rest later, milord?”

“This is the extent of Bailliot’s defense,” Rolph tightly explained.

Uber did a double-take and I had to hide my smile. “I’ll put them in the castle dungeon for now.”

“Wait,” I ejected, upset that even five of my men should suffer such a fate. “What if they pledged their services to you, milord? Could they avoid the dungeon and be absorbed into your ranks? After all, I plan on pledging myself to William as soon as I can secure an audience with him. I’ll order my guard to do the same here and now if that would expedite matters.”

“As gracious as that may be, Bet,” Rolph spoke, amused at my display of womanly pity, “that’s not how things work. These men haven’t proven themselves to me yet. I can’t have them walking freely about my keep to do as they wish.”

Ignoring his point about Bailliot being “his”, I tried again. “What if I vouched for them, milord?”

“Bet,” Rolph purred, his touch easing down my arm, “you haven’t proven yourself to me yet, either. However, this loyalty of yours is most promising.” His voice was deep and gravelly. I had to fight to remember where I was, and what we were talking about, to still the excitement throbbing between my legs. 

Blushing furiously, I nodded my head and accepted the loss. For now. I’d try to free my men again tomorrow. And the day after that. I wouldn’t stop until they saw the light of day.

“My men and I are famished,” Rolph revealed, his hand coming to rest possessively on the small of my back. “We’ve had nothing but field rations and male companionship for months. Feed us, Bet. Treat us to a woman’s company. We have too long been without both.”

Fear seized my throat and invaded my eyes. “You do remember your promise to me, milord. Yes?” I pressed, desperate for an answer.

“I do,” Rolph returned. “But unless I strip you naked and seat you on my lap during this evening’s meal, I believe I’m well within the limits of our agreement.”

Not able to eradicate the blasted blush from my face, I lowered my gaze and swallowed hard. “I’ll see to the food right away.”

The great hall was packed to the rafters with men. Their boisterous voices rang out with good cheer as they drank and ate their fill. Instead of a fight to the death tonight, they were supping in comfort and style. Something my people and Rolph’s could both be grateful for. Though, looking at his men, carefree and being served by the women of Bailliot, I couldn’t help but feel the Normans had come out on top of this deal.

The main course of ham and potatoes came hot and fresh from the kitchen. The soldiers dug in with gusto. Staring at my plate, I could hardly take a bite knowing that the last of our pigs had been slaughtered to provide this meal. At this rate, the Normans would consume our remaining stores in under a month. And then what? Would they go without? Or would we? The answer was a simple and frightening one.

Seated beside me at the head table, Rolph noticed my lack of appetite. “Is something wrong?”

That question was a bigger topic than either one of us had time for. “No, milord,” I denied, trying to force down a bite of the succulent ham.

Studying me for a hard moment, Rolph set down his goblet. Taking my chin into his hand, he forced me to look up at him. “Don’t ever tell me what you think I want to hear, Bet. Always speak the truth.”

Nodding, I confessed, “Tis the food stores, milord-,”

“Rolph,” he corrected. “I like the sound of my name on your lips.” 

His deep voice sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine. “Tis the food stores, Rolph,” I amended, doing as I was told, which pleased him. And to my embarrassment, pleased me.

His obvious pleasure with me sent another thrill of excitement between my legs. I squeezed my thighs together to try and quiet the need growing there, but it only made matters worse. 

“How low are they?”

I cleared my throat trying to buy some time and refocus my thoughts. “Our cupboards are far too depleted for this time of year. My father unexpectedly died this winter, and he was responsible for the trading and purchasing of the necessary goods for the keep. Carrion was supposed to take over that task come the spring, but he never followed through with his duties.”

Like before, Rolph gently ran his thumb over my mouth as I spoke. The motion made me weak and hungry for something that wasn’t on my plate but was at this table.

“What is left?” He inquired.

Mentally counting the men in the hall, I tried to configure what would be needed to feed such an impressive lot. “We have two, maybe three weeks left of meat. Enough grain for a month. The wine,” men all around me drained their cups with abandon, hailing the servants to refill them countless times, “two weeks,” I conservatively predicted. 

Rolph nodded as though it were no concern at all. “I’ll have my steward do a full accounting of the stores tomorrow. If need be, we will start rationing our goods. Our camp supplies will help bolster whatever is left until I can purchase what is required to keep us afloat until the fall harvest is reaped. No need to worry, Bet. No one will starve as long as I am lord of Bailliot.”

Though it stung to hear Rolph call himself lord of my family home, there was something so reassuring about him telling me that I “didn’t have to worry”. That he, so unlike Carrion, would help me solve my people’s problems instead of add to them. It was what my father would have done. What a real man does for those he is responsible for. 

Taking a sip of my wine, I tried to swallow down the sudden grateful lump in my throat. “Thank you, Rolph,” I spoke, the sincerity of my emotions bleeding into my words.

He didn’t speak, just watched my face intently. To my surprise, he placed his hand comfortingly on my back before resuming his conversation with his men.

As the meal and hour progressed, the jovial mood in the hall changed. It grew more intense, no doubt fueled by the wine in the soldiers’ overflowing cups.

The men’s chatter became increasingly rowdier as the servants bustled to keep up with their constant demands. They began to reach out to the women pouring their drinks, pulling them into their laps, and planting sloppy kisses on their flushed faces. 

At the far end of the hall, I saw Maybelle, the buxom young maid. She was sitting in one of the men’s laps, laughing and slapping his roaming hands as they tried to reach beneath her skirts. 

Rolph caught the direction of my gaze and smiled. “Tis just play, Bet. There’s no need to worry. As I said, my men have not been in the company of women for a long time. They are enjoying themselves. And,” he noted, “it seems as though some of the women are too.”

Biting my lip, I tapped my knife upon the edge of my plate nervously. “I just don’t want it to escalate into something more.”

A devilish grin split his lips. “Is that so? Your actions earlier today belie that statement.” 

His large hand rested on my leg and stroked the length of my thigh. That special place between my legs instantly awoke. As though it had only gone dormant, it was now, once again, begging for attention. 

“As I recall, you seemed to like it when I petted you here,” Rolph breathed into my ear, his fingertips grazing my throbbing mound. 

“Milord, there are people about,” I chastised demurely, trying to cross my legs and put an end to his exploration.

“Let them watch,” he softly returned, shifting his weight onto my leg and effectively stopping my attempt to shut him out. “Do you think we would be the only ones engaging in such fun? Do you not see the couple near the fireplace?”

Scanning the room, I observed the couple Rolph was referring to. A young soldier had a maid, I couldn’t tell which, pressed up against the hearth. Though they were in the shadows, I could see her hand between his legs, motioning up and down in the flickering light of the fire. His body rocked in rhythm to her strokes, and I became transfixed by the fluidity of her movement.

“Does that excite you?” Rolph asked me, his hand circling intimately around my waist and squeezing.

Cheeks flaming, I tried to scoot away from him but he laughed and tugged me closer to his body, his blue eyes as hot as the flames inside that hearth. 

“I like the way your skin heats whenever I talk to you about us, Bet. And I think you like it too.”

Rolph was right, but I couldn’t let him know that. Not if I didn’t want him to ravish me right here in the hall. “I am not excited by their actions,” I denied with a firm shake of my head.

“Come now. Didn’t you and your fiancé ever indulge in a little love play of your own during your engagement? If you had been mine, I wouldn’t have been able to wait. I would have touched you everywhere. Made you come every way imaginable.” His fingers began stroking my sex again, imitating what he’d done in the dark of the woods. “And, if I’d ever gotten you alone-,”

“Milord,” Efron interrupted before he could finish his bold statement, “We’re going to need to check the stables to see how many horses there are. We have to replace those we lost on our journey and....”

Upending my goblet of wine into my parched mouth, I didn’t hear the end of Efron’s comment. As one of the servants paused at our table to refill it, I realized I was becoming tipsier than I should allow. It must have been from the lack of food and the stress of my long day. Either way, I needed to slow down and eat more to help counteract the drink’s effect. Especially with this intoxicating man seated to my left. The more he touched me, whispered to me, the more I felt my strength to fight his advances ebbing away.

Rolph was chatting with Uber and Efron when I reached for a roll and clumsily knocked the basket onto the ground. The men stopped their conversation and looked quizzically at me. The confused looks on their collective faces sent me into a fit of unexpected giggles. Yes, I’d definitely had too much to drink tonight.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, lowering myself to the floor to clean up the mess. 

Anne rushed over and began scooping the bread into her apron. “I’ve got it, milady. I’ll bring you some fresh ones in a minute.”

Mortified, I sat back down onto the bench. Rolph was staring at me, amusement written across his handsome features. Embarrassed, I tried to calm my nerves by taking another hearty sip of my wine.

When I set the vessel down, I nearly tipped that over too. With the reflexes born of a warrior, Rolph caught the cup and quickly righted it. 

Smiling, he said, “You must be tired, Bet. You’ve had a trying day. Tis probably best that you retire for the evening.”

Feeling dismissed, I looked down at my lap with shame. “And if I don’t want to go?” I challenged.

Rolph shrugged, his hand back on my thigh. “I wouldn’t argue the matter if you chose to stay.” His strong fingers began massaging me intimately.

I jumped out of my seat like a scalded cat. “On second thought, I’ll retire for the evening.”

Rolph inclined his head. “I will see you in the morning, milady.”