Page 22 of The Forsaken (Echoes from the Past #4)

SIXTEEN

Belford, Northumberland

Kate breathed a sigh of relief when the twin roof peaks of the Grange finally came into view.

She ached from being in the saddle all day, but Hugh didn’t seem similarly affected and talked easily as they made their way toward the house.

His demeanor had changed, possibly because he was no longer worried about Guy.

He seemed lighter somehow, and more gallant.

Kate was grateful to him for bringing her home, but she worried about her father’s reaction to her Lancastrian escort.

She didn’t think her father would turn Hugh away, but she wasn’t at all sure of the type of welcome he would receive, given recent events.

Her stomach twisted with anxiety when Hugh dismounted and helped her down from her horse.

Isaiah came running out of the stables to take their horses and bowed to Kate from the waist. “Welcome back, Lady Catherine,” he said solemnly. “Your father will be much relieved to see ye home safe.”

“Thank you,” Kate said and turned to Hugh. “We’d best go inside.”

She gazed at the imposing facade of the Grange.

It was built of gray stone and shaped like the letter E.

The house had been commissioned by her grandfather, a man who had valued not only appearances but comfort and wasn’t satisfied with the wattle and daub structure his own father had built.

The rooms were spacious and light, and were adorned with tapestries, handsome furniture, and silver candleholders.

When Kate had reminisced about her home during her time at the priory, she had always imagined it bustling with activity, but at the moment the place looked almost deserted.

Most of the shutters were closed against the light and the yard was unusually quiet.

The entrance hall was cool and dark. No one had bothered to light the sconces or lay the fires despite the nip in the air.

Kate looked around in dismay. Where was everyone?

She opened the door to the front parlor, but it was empty, as were the dining hall and all the other rooms on the ground floor.

Even the servants didn’t seem to be about.

“Mother! Father!” Kate called out.

“Lady Catherine!” Mildred came rushing from the kitchen at the back of the house. She looked flushed and nervous as she curtsied to Kate and Hugh.

“Mildred, where are my parents?” Kate asked. She looked around anxiously. “Where’s everyone?”

“Yer lady mother hasn’t left her bed since news of the battle reached us,” Mildred explained.

“Lord Dancy is with her, and the servants are in the kitchen, having their supper. Yer father sent out all the men to search for ye, after ye failed to turn up, me lady, except Isaiah, on account of him being too old.”

“Osbert died,” Kate explained.

“Aye, we know. Matthew found him by the side of the road and brought him back to be buried. Yer father thought ye might have been taken hostage.” Mildred gazed warily at Hugh, unsure of his role in Kate’s disappearance.

“Mildred, this is Hugh de Rosel. He was kind enough to escort me home and will, of course, be spending the night. Please have a bedchamber prepared, and we’d like some supper. I need to see my parents, Hugh,” Kate said apologetically.

“Of course, my lady. I’ll wait in the parlor, if I may. ”

“I’ll light the candles and get the fire going,” Mildred fussed, flustered at being caught unprepared. “If ye come this way, sir.”

Mildred led Hugh into the parlor and threw open the shutters.

The purpling shadows of twilight filled the empty room but did little to chase away the melancholy mood that seemed to permeate the house.

Hugh lowered himself onto a wooden settle by the empty hearth and crossed his legs, the very picture of patience and calm.

Kate hitched up her skirts and sprinted up the stairs. Her heart squeezed with anxiety, but she was grateful to be home at last. She stopped in front of the closed door to her mother’s solar and took a deep breath before knocking.

“Come,” Gerard Dancy called out.

“Father, it’s me,” Kate said as she stepped into the room.

“Oh, Kate, praise the Lord,” Gerard breathed as he came forward to wrap her in a fierce embrace. “We thought we’d lost you. Didn’t we, Anne?”

He addressed his wife, but Anne didn’t respond. She lay quiet and still among the blankets, her face pale and twisted in the meager candlelight.

“Where have you been, Kate? I sent Matthew, Glen, and Cecil to look for you. They found Osbert’s body, but no trace of you,” her father added gruffly. “He looked to have died of natural causes.”

“After Osbert took ill and died, I set off for home on my own. I came across several knights returning from Towton,” Kate explained.

“You met knights on the road?” her father demanded, his eyes narrowing with suspicion .

“Yes. One of them was gravely wounded, so I stayed to tend to him. His brother, Hugh de Rosel, escorted me home. He’s downstairs in the parlor.”

“Is he King Edward’s man?” her father asked.

“No. They fought for King Henry.”

Gerard glowered. “You dare to bring a Lancastrian knight into my household?”

“Father, Hugh de Rosel has been nothing but gallant and kind. I could hardly ask him to leave without inviting him in.”

Gerard Dancy shook his head in dismay. “I suppose we’ll have to put him up for the night. But in the morning, he leaves.”

“I understand,” Kate replied. She had no wish to talk about Hugh.

There was so much in her heart. Her father didn’t hold with sentiment or tears, but Kate needed to express her sorrow and offer him whatever comfort she could.

“Father, I heard about…” Her voice trailed off.

She couldn’t bear to say the words aloud.

Gerard Dancy bowed his head in grief. “I never imagined… Your poor mother… I don’t know how we’ll get through this, Kate. It’s too much to bear.”

“What’s wrong with Mother?”

“Your mother suffered some sort of apoplexy when she found out about the boys,” her father replied, not bothering to lower his voice.

“Her entire right side is immobile, and she can barely speak or eat. She sleeps most of the time, and even when she wakes, she’s confused and lost in her own waking nightmare. ”

“Oh, Father,” Kate said, taking his hands in hers. “I will tend to her. She will get better in time. I know she will.”

“We must look to the future,” Gerard said, pulling his hands out of Kate’s grasp. “We must survive. ”

“Father, will you not come down and meet Hugh?” Kate asked. It seemed rude to leave Hugh all alone in the parlor, but her father shook his head.

“Maybe later.”

Kate nodded. It was pointless to argue with her father when he was in such depressed spirits.

She walked over to the bed and kissed her mother’s cold cheek.

“I’m home, Mama. Can you hear me?” But her mother didn’t respond.

Her face was as still and white as a stone effigy, and her hands, which had always been white and elegant, looked like gnarled claws atop the counterpane.

Kate smoothed back her mother’s hair. It had been a rich auburn, like her own, but now thick streaks of silver framed her face.

Kate hardly recognized the woman in the bed.

“See to your guest,” Gerard ordered. “And tell Mildred to send up some food. I’m famished.”

“Won’t you join us for supper, Father?” Kate tried again, but her father glared at her and turned away, not bothering to respond.

Kate returned downstairs to find Hugh gazing out the window, his hands clasped behind his back. He turned and smiled at her, clearly surprised to find her alone.

“I’m sorry, Hugh, but my mother is ill, and my father doesn’t want to leave her side. Looks like it will be just you and me for supper,” she said, hoping that didn’t sound improper.

“I actually prefer it that way,” Hugh replied. “I was a bit nervous about meeting your father,” he confessed. “I thought he might be angry with me for detaining you instead of sending you home straight away.”

“He was worried for my safety.” Given her father’s mood, he’d likely never meet Hugh de Rosel, so there was little point in mentioning Lord Dancy’s displeasure.

Hugh would be gone soon enough, his part in Kate’s disappearance forgotten.

“I’ll tell Mildred to serve supper now, since my father won’t be joining us. You must be hungry.”

“I am,” Hugh admitted.

Kate led Hugh into the dining room and took a seat opposite him as Mildred brought out a platter of sliced pork, fresh bread, and buttered parsnips.

“I’m sorry, me lady, but Cook didn’t have time to prepare anything more fitting. We wasn’t expecting guests.”

“I’m perfectly happy with pork and parsnips,” Hugh assured her, smiling pleasantly. “And the company more than makes up for the lack of delicacies.”

Kate blushed, unaccustomed to this side of Hugh. Perhaps now that he was done with soldiering for a while, he was behaving more like his normal self.

They shared a pleasant meal, and then Kate excused herself and went upstairs, leaving Hugh to enjoy a cup of wine in the parlor. She was tired from the long journey, and worried for her mother. Once Hugh left, she would dedicate all her time to nursing her mother back to health.

Kate decided to stop by her mother’s chamber before going to sleep. Her father wasn’t there. Perhaps he had retired. Kate sat on the side of the bed and took her mother’s hand. It felt brittle and cold.

“Mama,” Kate called. “Mama, it’s me.”

“Katie,” her mother breathed. “My Katie.”

“I’m home, Mama. I’ll look after you.”

Anne Dancy shook her head as silent tears slid down her cheeks. “Don’t want to…”

“Don’t want to what? ”

“Don’t want to go on,” Anne muttered. Her speech was slurred, but Kate could still make out her words.

“Mama, don’t say such things. I’ll be here with you.”

Anne shook her head again. “No, you won’t, Katie.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Kate, obey your father. Don’t antagonize him. He’s heartbroken.”

“I know. I’ll be a dutiful daughter to him. I always have been.”

“I’ll go to my boys,” Anne mumbled as her eyelids fluttered. “They need me.”

Anne was asleep within moments, leaving Kate more depressed than before. She adjusted the counterpane and bent down to kiss her mother’s forehead. “Don’t leave me, Mama,” Kate whispered. “Please, don’t leave me.”

Kate turned when Mildred entered the room, carrying a candle. “I’ll sit with her now, me lady. Ye must be worn out from yer journey.”

“Where’s Master de Rosel?”

“He’s still in the parlor, me lady. His chamber is all made up for him. I told him so. Ye go on now.”

There was nothing for Kate to do but go to bed.

She snuggled beneath the blankets, but despite the feathery embrace of the mattress and the softness of the pillows, she couldn’t get comfortable, not after sleeping on a narrow wooden cot for more than two years with only a threadbare blanket for warmth.

The bed was too soft, the room too warm, and the atmosphere in the house heartbreakingly melancholy.

Kate hadn’t expected a happy homecoming, but the reality was even bleaker than she’d prepared for.

She felt weepy and hollow, and strangely out of place in her own home .

She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come.

She tried to recall happy times with her brothers, to honor their memory, but Guy de Rosel was the last person she thought of before falling asleep.

His face appeared to her, clear as day, and the anguish she felt at the thought of never seeing him again took her by surprise, possibly because he was as lost to her as if he were dead.