Page 7 of Insurrection (Guard of Six #2)

CHAPTER SIX

“I s that what we are relegated to now?” Orion said. “Seeing to food ? Our domain is now the kitchen?”

He was in the stable brushing down his horse, an expensive piece of horseflesh that had cost him plenty. Dust and hair were billowing into the air, illuminated by the streams of light coming in through a roof that needed repair. His movements were jerky and angry, but his companion, sitting on a stool and repairing part of a stirrup, remained calm and composed.

That was Bennet’s usual demeanor.

“Think about it,” he said, focused on a broken strap. “If you wanted to render an army inert without bloodshed, poisoning their meal would be the smart way to go about it. Therefore, the kitchens are very important. Torran is not wrong in sending us to ensure the safety of our meals.”

He had a point, but Orion didn’t want to admit it. He was still offended that he’d been asked to oversee the kitchens of The Narth, a vast and imposing place from what he’d seen. He saw himself on top of the battlements as an immovable force, not down in the kitchens with an apron over his chest. Frustrated, he continued to brush the rump of his steed.

“There is going to be a power struggle,” he said, avoiding comment on Bennet’s statement about the kitchen. “Mark my words. De Serreaux against de Russe. You can tell that Treyton does not wish to relinquish control, not even to Henry.”

Bennet didn’t look up from the stirrup. “Would you?”

“Absolutely not,” Orion said. He paused in his brushing, his focus moving to the stable entry and the cluttered bailey beyond. “But I am not certain I like this land. The black mountains, the constant mud, the smell… It reeks of darkness. It feels like doom.”

Bennet glanced up from his stirrup. “It is the season you are sensing,” he said. “This time of year always feels dark. In the summer, Wales is quite lovely.”

“You know this for certain?”

“I do.”

Orion looked at the man. “You and I have only just met,” he said. “Two weeks ago, I did not know you existed. Now, we are managing kitchens together. Where are you from, de Bermingham?”

Bennet smiled weakly as he turned back to his work. “Can you not guess simply from the way I speak?”

“Nay,” Orion said. “Where?”

“Louth.”

Orion’s eyebrows lifted. “Ireland?”

Bennet nodded. “My family is Norman, of course, but we have Irish lands,” he said. “We have since the days of the Duke of Normandy, who gave over Irish property to my ancestor. The bargain that was struck with the duke is that every male in my family line would serve the English king or in English armies, and we have. For over two hundred years, we have.”

Orion thought that was rather interesting as he went back to brushing his horse. “Have you always served Henry, then?”

Bennet shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “I served the Marshal family as garrison commander of Chepstow Castle for many years.”

That brought Orion pause. “ You were garrison commander of a major border castle?”

“I was.”

“Chepstow.”

“Aye.”

“That giant fortress on the Wye?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

Orion leaned on his horse, looking at the man in disbelief. “Truthfully, it is,” he said. “Because you now serve Henry as a secondary knight. You are not even in command of this contingent, and you should be. Why did you ever leave Chepstow?”

Bennet didn’t look up from the stirrup. “Because Bigod took command of it and wanted his own men in control,” he said evenly. “There is no great mystery. I came to serve Henry and am honored to do so.”

Orion stared at him a moment, wondering if the man had lost his mind. Going from a position of great responsibility to being subservient to Henry’s personal guard didn’t make any sense to him. Bennet had the look of a commander, too—he was older, with gray hair peppering his temples, and a face that was lined with stress. He was a handsome man, but it was clear that the years had taken their toll on him. He seemed… weary. But he also had a presence about him that was evident when he handled the army or the kitchen servants. He was quiet, firm, and efficient. He was a man who was used to command.

But he wasn’t in command.

He was part of the rank and file.

That understanding piqued Orion’s curiosity.

“What about your family, de Bermingham?” he said, resuming the brushing. “Do you have a wife? Sons?”

Bennet shook his head. “No wife,” he said. “No sons.”

Orion simply nodded his head as he continued to brush, unsure where the conversation should go from here. He’d already asked many questions. Contrary to his usual behavior, he didn’t want to become too annoying to de Bermingham. He had a good deal of respect for garrison commanders and men in positions of power.

Even former positions of power.

“I am not married either,” he finally said, setting the horse brush aside. “I am not certain if there is a woman out there who can stand me. I can be a lot to handle.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Bennet muttered, glancing at Orion with a shadow of a smile on his lips. “Were you an incorrigible child?”

Orion could sense the humor in the question. “What do you think?”

“I think you needed to be beaten often and weren’t.”

That brought laughter from Orion. “You’ve been talking to my mother.”

“If I did, I did not realize it,” Bennet said, fighting off a grin. “But I know your type.”

“What type is that?”

“Talented, educated, and arrogant.”

It was a statement that could have easily offended, but surprisingly, Orion didn’t take it that way. It was truth. Even he knew it was truth.

But it didn’t bother him.

“You’re an honest man,” he said. “I can appreciate that. I think we shall be friends, Cheppy.”

Bennet stopped what he was doing and looked at Orion in confusion. “ Cheppy ?”

Orion nodded confidently as he moved to the front of his horse. “That is my name for you because you commanded Chepstow,” he said. “Cheppy.”

“Please do not call me that.”

“Why not, Cheppy?”

“Because I’m not fond of it.”

“That makes me sad, Cheppy.”

Bennet could see that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with his protests. In fact, he’d probably made it worse. He wasn’t a man to let things irritate him, but Orion irritated him. He didn’t particularly want to remember his days at Chepstow, and Orion’s irreverent nickname didn’t sit right with him when he’d asked him not to use it.

“Very well,” he said. “Call me Cheppy. I suppose I can call you Monty, since you served de Montfort when the rest of us did not.”

It was a cutting comment, one that speared Orion where it hurt, and it brought the mood between them down to an unexpectedly icy level. Orion’s playful manner was gone as he faced him.

“You may,” he said slowly, “providing you do not speak the name with the contempt I just heard in your tone.”

“It was not contempt you heard. Simply fact.”

Orion lifted a blond eyebrow. “I would get to know a man before I insulted him like that.”

“And I would get to know a man before giving him a moniker that may not invoke good memories.”

Once again, Bennet was right. Orion had started the whole thing. He was a conceited whelp at the best of times and usually didn’t care what anyone else thought. When that attitude was turned against him, however, he didn’t like it. Especially as his service to de Montfort, through no choice of his own, was a sensitive subject.

Before further words could be spoken, however, Stefan entered the stable. The blond knight blew in, seemingly rushed. He pulled off the dirty cloak he’d been wearing, hanging it up on the nearest peg.

“Has Kent returned yet?” he asked the pair.

Settling back down to his stirrup, Bennet shook his head. “I’ve not seen him,” he said calmly, as if moments before there hadn’t been a conflict. “Where did he go?”

“What did you say?”

That question reminded Bennet that Stefan was nearly deaf. They’d all spent the journey coming to Wales practically shouting when Stefan was involved in a conversation, so he spoke louder.

“I’ve not seen him lately,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

Stefan threw a thumb in the direction of the village. “Because we went to scout the town for any signs of rebels,” he said, removing his gloves. “It is possible that even if ap Yestin fled, his men are still in town, so we were poking around.”

“Did you discover anything?”

Stefan nodded. “Possibly,” he said vaguely. “Are Torran and Jareth inside the keep?”

“The last I saw, they were.”

“Then you two had better come with me,” Stefan said. “You’ll want to hear this also.”

Bennet and Orion dropped what they were doing and, alongside Stefan, headed for the keep.

The evening was about to get interesting.