Choose the Sky: A Medieval Romance (Swordcross Knights Book 2) (9 page)

“My apologies,” she said, hoping to dissuade him from joining her. “I am only hawking today. It will not be a spectacle.”

“I need no spectacle,” he said easily. “It’s always a pleasure to watch a clever and well-trained creature at work.”

She bit her lip. There’d be no turning him away. So much for solitude! “Today I ride to the river,” she said. “There’s always game there.”

“Excellent,” Luc said. “Then I can see more of the countryside.”

“Is that your aim, to see the countryside?” she asked.

“Among other things,” he replied.

A quarter hour’s ride brought them to the banks of the river. Ice rimed the edges, but the water ran swiftly. Domina looked about, and listened for the sounds of wildlife. The shuffling and low talk of the grooms got in the way. Luc asked a question of one of them, earning a laugh and a quick response.

“There are too many people about,” she told Luc pointedly. “My bird performs much better when there are fewer numbers.”

He willfully misinterpreted her meaning. He turned to the grooms, saying, “My lady suggests that fewer people about will improve the hunt. You may return to the castle. I’ll remain to attend your mistress.”

Before she could object, the grooms accepted Luc’s words and wheeled around to ride back to the castle gates, leaving only the boys to flush out game ahead. She’d be virtually alone with Luc.

“That was not my meaning!” she said. “Nor is it your place to give orders to my men!”

“They understood the order to be yours, my lady,” Luc said, with no trace of contrition. “I’ll serve as well as any groom when it comes to fetching and carrying. Believe me, you’ll be well protected. No one will be allowed to even say a word to you as long as I’m here.”

Domina looked heavenward, seeking strength. “If I must endure your company, then at least heed my instructions when it comes to my Brilliant, and don’t get too close. She doesn’t care for strangers.”

“Where did she learned that trait?” Luc commented.

“She had a wonderful trainer,” Domina said as she dismounted. “Me.”

Domina sent Brilliant on flight after flight. The sparrowhawk was eager for the kill on this day, and succeeded at least half the time. On failed flights, Domina called her back in by casting the meat-baited lure in a circle. When Brilliant fell on the lure, Domina quickly caught her by the jesses tied to her legs.

“Better luck next time, my beauty,” she murmured, feeding the hawk a bit of cold liver.

Luc remained fairly quiet at first, but he eventually asked a question, and then another and another. It started out innocuously enough, with questions about her birds. Domina was rather surprised at his interest, but she was pleased to talk about them.

“You don’t have falcons in your mews,” he noted.

“I used to,” she replied. “But since my last merlin died, I have not had time to select a new falcon.” Nor did she have the wealth to purchase the more expensive specimens. Hawks were far cheaper. “I shall remedy that someday, of course. My parents taught me how to hunt with falcons. There is nothing like it.”

“You have a gift for hawking as well,” Luc said. “I’ve heard only one flight in ten may bring back a prize.” He nudged the basket at his feet, already half full of partridges and ducks.

“Brilliant is a clever hunter,” Mina said proudly.

“And well-behaved for a sparrowhawk. What could you do with a peregrine, I wonder?”

“I shall likely never know,” Domina said. “That’s a bird far beyond my purse.”

“Even with the fabled wealth of the de Warewics?” he asked. “I’ve heard your father has a cache of gold ingots, stamped with the sign of the swan.”

Domina cursed herself for forgetting to maintain her facade. “Do I look as if I am the child of a man who encourages frivolous spending? That I would ask for a peregrine?”

“I don’t know you, Domina,” he said. “So how would I know what you’d ask for?”

“I ask for nothing,” she muttered.

“You’re his only daughter, though. Surely he dotes on you.”

“No one dotes on me. Not my father, nor Joscelin.”

“Who’s Joscelin?” Luc asked, his eyes suddenly narrow.

“My cousin. Though he may as well be a brother to me, for he lived here many years, before he traveled to London to continue his career in the church.”

“Ah,” Luc said, relaxing. “I see.”

Was he jealous? Was that possible? The idea of Luc being jealous of another man in her life gave her a little jolt of pleasure. Not that she necessarily wanted Luc’s attention—certainly not now! If only she’d met him a few years ago, when all was well. Then she could enjoy being with him, enjoy his quips and his conversation, even enjoy the way he looked at her sometimes, with admiration in his eyes.

No. She must not get distracted by Luc’s admittedly charming ways. The sooner he was gone, the better.

“Is your hawk loyal to you alone?” Luc asked.

Mina had seen how interested he was in the hunting, so she said, “So far, she’s flown only for me, but if you’d like to try a flight, you may.”

“I’d hate to lose her,” Luc admitted.

“If you risk nothing, you’ll see no reward.”

“Is that so?” Luc’s answering look was serious.

“A sparrowhawk is not nearly as expensive to replace as a falcon, and besides, I think you won’t lose her. You seem a good hunter.”

“How do you know that, when you’ve never seen me hunt?”

“It’s mostly about paying attention, and knowing when to act. The worst hunters are the men who blunder around in the woods shouting about what fine hunters they are. I’ve seen enough of those sorts when I was growing up. My father often led hunting parties for guests. I know for a fact that it takes a very skilled gamekeeper to ensure a kill, even when the so-called hunters do nothing to deserve it.”

Luc noted, “You’re obviously a hunter yourself.”

“Only with birds,” she said. “I never wanted to go after hare or deer—the experience is entirely different.”

By that point, Luc had pulled on a spare glove from Mina’s supplies. She leaned forward to put her arm next to his, encouraging Brilliant to step over.

The position put her very close to him, enough that she could feel the strength in his sword arm and the natural tension in his body. She kept her eyes on Brilliant, but she suspected that Luc was enjoying their proximity. Certainly, his smile seemed to be more than simple appreciation of the sparrowhawk stepping onto his arm.

“She’s warming right up to me,” he said in a low voice. “Just as I hoped she would.”

Mina countered, “She’s merely tolerating you, for she’ll do anything to have another flight. She lives for the kill.”

“Then I’ll indulge her,” Luc promised.

Luc sent the hawk up, watching as the bird’s wings carried it up into the clear sky. Then it hovered above the tree tops for a moment, before diving down among the branches.

“Not as spectacular to watch as a falcon,” Mina admitted.

“The goal isn’t to be spectacular,” Luc said, his voice remote. “It’s to bring back what’s sought.”

“Yes, precisely,” said Mina. “Though it would be a delight to fly a falcon again. I do like a little spectacle.”

Luc was about to answer, but then the hawk appeared again, and he had to shift all his focus to swinging the lure to get the bird back within catching distance.

Mina watched as he worked. He moved well, not wasting motion or creating more fuss than necessary. As soon as Brilliant pounced on the lure’s bait—a morsel of liver—Luc secured the bird’s jesses and drew her in until she was perched on his arm.

“Well,” he said, speaking to Brilliant, “You brought me no prize, but at least you didn’t escape me entirely. That’s probably the greatest outcome I can hope for today.” With his bare hand, he ran a finger down the bird’s back, smoothing down the slightly ruffled feathers.

For no reason she could name, Mina imagined him doing exactly the same thing to her, running a finger down her back, from her shoulder all the way down…Mina fought off a little shiver of anticipation.

Luc had noticed her staring. “Shall I give her back?”

“No.” Mina shook her head, hoping to shake the odd thoughts. “That is, you don’t need to. I can see you know how to treat animals well. Not everyone does,” she added, her mood darkening.

“I’ve seen that sometimes,” he agreed, with a frown. “I’ve no use for anyone who mistreats a creature, no matter what it is.”

“Would you like to send Brilliant on another flight?” she asked.

“Perhaps next time, when she’s more familiar with me.”

Luc lifted his arm to give the bird back to Mina. When their forearms touched, he gave her a wink. “I hope there will be a next time.”

Mina should have rolled her eyes at the comment, but the truth was, she actually enjoyed his company that day. “Perhaps,” she said, “if the king’s business allows you.”

He gave her a half-smile. “Yes, that,” he said noncommittally. “We’ll see.”

Domina called the boys back from their posts, and soon the little party was traveling back to the castle. Luc and Mina rode their horses, Mina bearing her hawk on her arm. The pages ran along behind, one pulling a small cart.

“Has Haldan settled the matter of the trees?” Luc asked suddenly.

Mina blinked. “What?”

“I happened to overhear you say something to the effect of he had business in the trees this morning.”

Luc’s tone was far too casual, and he couldn’t hide some spark of intense interest. But the remembrance of her order to Haldan made Mina so angry that she ignored Luc’s expression for the moment.

“Mercy, he better have listened,” she muttered. “I must ride round to the other side of the castle. Excuse me.”

“I’ll join you,” he said, expertly matching his steed’s pace to hers. Domina didn’t bother to protest. She rode at as quick a pace as she could with Brilliant on her arm.

The view of the woods brought her up short. “I should have known! He didn’t do it after all.”

Luc pulled up next to her. “What was he supposed to have done?”

She pointed to a particular part of the woods, with visibly encroaching trees. “See there? The forest edge is much too close to the castle walls. I’ve been telling Haldan to take men to chop it back at least two hundred paces, though three would be better. He always finds excuses.”

Luc surveyed the woods for a moment. “It could be a liability,” he agreed.

“One easily solved,
if
I could find someone reliable to carry out the simplest order.” She forgot to pretend she wasn’t the person giving orders to Haldan. “I’m sick to death of his laziness.”

“On that matter, I spoke with Haldan yesterday,” Luc said.

Domina wrinkled her nose at the very thought of Haldan speaking to a better. “He wasn’t churlish, I hope.”

“Not to me, but tell me more about him.”

She shrugged. “He’s been here for just over two years, I think. Before that he served another lord in the shire. I can’t remember the name, but surely he’d tell you. Why?”

“I wondered about his qualifications. He calls himself Sir Haldan.”

“Another thing I’ve warned him against. He’s no knight, for all that he pretends to be something more than a soldier.”

“Yet he’s in charge of the castle,” Luc said.

“He is
not
in charge of the castle,” she said. “I am. That is, until my father returns, when he shall resume the duty,” she added hastily. “Haldan is in charge of the garrison.”

“Yes, about that. I saw a demonstration yesterday. The garrison is…soft,” Luc said.

“How so?” Anger flared up in Domina. “You tell me they are inadequate?”

“Not lazy. But poor to respond to commands, as if they’ve forgotten what they once knew.”

Her cheeks burned. “Truly?”

“I got the impression that it was not always so.”

“Indeed it was not!”

“It also seems like something your father would have noticed,” Luc added.

She closed her eyes, trying to think her way through all these inconvenient observations. “He’s been…distracted…of late.”

“By what?”

Mina bit her lip. “I can’t say.”

“Because you don’t know, or you won’t tell?” he pressed.

“Will you interrogate me now?” she snapped. “I am not on trial!”

“Who said anything about a trial?” he asked, one eyebrow rising.

“I’ll send him on his way,” she muttered. But even as she said it, Mina knew sacking Haldan would not be easily accomplished. He’d have to be bought off, at a price Mina couldn’t afford. Or else he would loosen his tongue about Godfrey’s true condition, and Mina would be in a worse position than before. “God help me,” she muttered.

“What is the matter?” Luc asked, his voice conciliatory now. “Domina?”

“Never mind,” she said. “It doesn’t concern you.”

She announced it was high time to return her bird to the mews. Luc rode beside her, without speaking, perhaps in an effort to assuage her anger.

In the courtyard, he leapt down and helped her dismount without a word. The bird ascended in a short flight, but since she was leashed, Mina easily recalled her. “Back to your home, my lady,” she told the bird.

Luc trailed her to the mews, where the few hawks roosted, watched over by a young groom.

She allowed the hawk to settle on her arm for a moment, then slipped the hood over the bird’s head. “Very well done today, my beauty,” she murmured. “You make me proud.”

She guided the bird to its perch and shut the door. The bird squawked very quietly, in acknowledgment that its job was done. Domina watched to see that the bird was calm, then turned away, intending to take the basket of kills to the kitchen.

Luc already had the large basket in his grip. “Show me the way,” he said.

“It should not fall to a guest to carry the meat to the kitchens.”

“The weight is too much for you on your own,” he retorted.

She walked him across the courtyard, carefully avoiding looking at the building where her father resided.

“Supper will be a rich one,” Luc commented cheerfully.

“If you like duckling.”

“Or partridge,” he added.

“If you prefer venison, my lord, you can hunt in the forest yourself. The deer have been plentiful in recent years.”