Conflict and Courage (52 page)

“Where?”

Cara was all
inquisitiveness.

“Best you don’t
know, a mission of mercy of my own, call it what you like, but it
is something I must do, a promise I made years ago to someone very
dear to me.”

“When will you
get back?”

“Soon,” he
answered. Arthur did not believe in premonitions, but he was
experiencing one now. He would not see Cara again, of that he was
sure, as sure as he was that the sun would rise again come morning.
He looked at the little white figure with affection as he rose from
his chair.

“I must get
back now, I only wanted to tell you the good news.” He left,
leaving the young Mother Abbess wondering what he wasn’t telling
her. She was a busy woman though and forgot about it in the
excitement of preparing for the four new arrivals. Afterwards, she
remembered, with tears and a pride mingled with sadness.

* * * * *

There was a rap
at the door.

Ruth started
and relaxed as she realised it was only the commander of the
bodyguard come to escort her to the royal barge where her brother
was waiting to say his farewells.

“Come in,” she
called out as she bundled together her most precious possessions
into the travel bag. She didn’t have much, a few bits of jewellery
she had been given by her mother before she had died, a crumpled
drawing of some faces her mother had given to her for safekeeping
and her embroidery. She placed some kerchiefs and her toilet
articles on top. Her clothes and other possessions had already
gone.

Lieutenant
Xavier Kushner of His Majesty’s Royal Regiment opened the door and
marched in. He came to attention and saluted. Ruth was acquainted
with the Lieutenant, she knew he was a friend of her brother and
she was glad it was he who was to command her escort and not one of
the older officers.

Xavier had a
merry twinkle in his eyes as he informed her it was time.

“Is Lord Regent
Baker, my stepfather at the pier as well?” she asked as she
followed him down the corridor and into the castle yard. There was
a sedan chair awaiting her, two strong slaves, dressed in an
indeterminable brown, at front and back.

“No,” answered
Xavier.

“Good,” said
Ruth, rather louder than she had intended or was safe.

One of Xavier’s
elegant eyebrows rose. Most people didn’t express their dislike of
the Lord Regent in so obvious a manner.

“He sends his
apologies but has been detained by a matter of state,” explained
Xavier and added, “I will tell him of your disappointment.”

Thus recalled
to her position and status, Ruth answered flushing, “thank you
Lieutenant, yes, please relay to my stepfather my good wishes and
hopes for his continuing good health.”

“I will
Princess,” Xavier’s eyes twinkled again as he helped her into the
chair.

Xavier knew how
much the King hated the Lord Regent. It looked as if his twin
entertained similar sentiments.

Elliot was
waiting. With him were a small group of courtiers. This was the
formal leave-taking; she and Elliot had said their real goodbyes
the day before.

She curtsied
and waited.

“This is not a
farewell,” began Elliot, very much on his dignity, “I’m sure you
and your husband will be invited back to court soon.”

Ruth smiled and
expressed her pleasure as prettily as she knew how.

“I have a
present for you,” Elliot continued and handed her a long narrow
box, “I got it made specially for you, hope you like it.”

“Do I open it
now?”

It was an
elaborate pendant. It glinted in the sunlight.

“It’s a copy of
the one mother used to wear,” explained Elliot, “our stepfather
thought it best that the original remain here.”

“It’s
lovely.”

Court manners
demanded that Ruth not show any outward demonstration of affection,
Sam Baker was very strict about such things so Ruth curtsied
instead.

“I must go
now,” Elliot said, aware that he must not show his true feelings in
front of courtiers and other interested bystanders.

“Look after
her,” he commanded Xavier.

“I will
Sire.”

Ruth was asked
to go below to her cabin so she was not able to see the adolescent
figure standing at the end of the pier, watching until the barge
was out of sight.

Elliot did not
take much stock of Sam Baker’s promise that Ruth would return to
court. He knew that it would be many years before he could see his
sister again.

Ruth’s journey
upriver to the coast would take ten days. She had been permitted an
attendant, a young slave carefully selected by Sam Baker from his
own household. The girl was pleased at this transfer of ownership
although the gift was, in actuality, to Ruth’s future husband.
Women were not permitted to own property in Murdoch and slaves were
the property of their owner.

During the
journey young Bet opened out to her new mistress and Ruth learned
about life in her brother’s Kingdom. She was shocked and
disgusted.

The royal barge
was a large ungainly vessel, longer by half again than those who
plied their trade carrying trade-goods. It was also much wider, Sam
Baker being fond of his comforts.

On the second
day the princess, her young slave maidservant by her side, emerged
on to the deck to get some air. She sat down in the chair the
bargeman brought and watched the countryside pass by. The land was
lush here, so near to the life-giving water of the river and quite
unlike further inland.

Ruth began to
talk to Xavier, enquiring about what she saw. Confined to Fort and
its environs for all of her fourteen years she knew little about
the country of her birth and less still about the planet as a
whole.

Her questions
were intelligent if naïve and Xavier answered them as truthfully as
he dared. Noble daughters and wives were expected to say little and
ask few, if any, questions, their lives were to be spent in the
home, first under their father’s care and protection and then under
their husband’s.

During these
conversations Xavier found himself liking Ruth more and more. As
they drew towards the coast, he began to realise that his feelings
were tending in quite another direction than what was right and
proper for a guard commander and his charge and one who was, to
boot, the intended of another man.

Xavier did his
best not to show his regard for Ruth in public, neither his
soldiers nor the bargemen saw anything untoward in his attendance
on the Princess but he couldn’t stop himself thinking about her.
She haunted his dreams.

What if
nothing can be done and Ruth
does
end up as David Gardiner’s
wife?

The thought was
unbearable.

Both Arthur
Kurtheim and Xavier’s friend Ensign Steve Rongman told him to be
careful.

“If old
Gardiner finds out,” warned Steve, “he’ll get you sent to the most
miserable duty station he can think of and see that you remain
there the rest of your life. Don’t be a fool, there’s no future in
it.”

Arthur was more
direct, “curb your passions boy, keep your mind on the job.”

Ruth knew
nothing of Xavier’s burgeoning regard for her. Her cloister-like
upbringing had not brought with it much contact with the opposite
sex. She liked Xavier, thought he was good fun but little more.

The pleasant
interlude was over too soon for her liking.

Lord Gardiner
himself met her at the riverside where they disembarked and pointed
with pride to the fortified tower that would be her home until she
wed. His son, he told her, was busy with affairs of state but he
was sure he would come and visit soon. He was at pains to point out
that the younger David Gardiner was looking forward to both the
wedding and Ruth’s transfer south to Castle Gardiner.

Xavier Kushner
did not like what he saw in the old Lord’s eyes. He had met the
younger David Gardiner and, like the King, was not impressed either
with his intellect or his looks. He also had suspicions about the
younger David Gardiner’s sexual promiscuities. He wondered if the
stories about the lad were true. He watched the old man and it
seemed to him that he was being rather over-solicitous about Ruth’s
comfort, more like a bridegroom than a father-in-law to be.

Ruth spoke some
pleasantries to the old Lord that delighted him. He beamed at
her.

“But I am tired
and would like to rest,” she concluded. “I have been unwell
recently.”

“You’ll soon
feel better,” he breezed, “the air is good here. We’ll soon get
some colour back to these pale cheeks.” He tweaked Ruth’s nose with
his finger and licked his lips. Ruth coloured at the unexpected and
unwanted familiarity.

Xavier and
Arthur listened to the conversation with a great deal of interest;
so the young Lordling was absent was he? This boded well for their
plans. There might be a chance.

“I myself,”
continued Lord Gardiner, “must return to my castle. I will come and
visit, never fear, you won’t be lonely,” and he smiled, a smile
that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His breathing was deep and
noisy.

Even better,
old Gardiner was leaving him in charge of the Princess’s guard,
there would only be a few servants and the small coastal detachment
of men to deal with. The detachment had quarters apart from the
tower as the building boasted only three living spaces.

“This is
Sergeant Walker,” continued Gardiner, “he’ll assist you with the
guarding of our Princess.”

Xavier accepted
the introduction with a thrill of excitement and a careful nod of
his head. It would not do for Lord Gardiner to realise that he
already knew of the man. Indeed, unknown to everybody else here
except Arthur Kurtheim, George Walker was a member of the
resistance, committed to both friendship with the north and to
undermining the Lords. Xavier suspected he was a spy planted by the
north, perhaps even en ex-crewmember of the WCCS Argyll itself.

George Walker
was taciturn by nature and did not invite questions as to his
antecedents. He ran his post efficiently and Lord Gardiner had no
reason to suspect him of being anything other than what he claimed.
Xavier suspected the name was false, but that was not unusual in
Murdoch, many ex-convicts had changed their names when they landed.
It made infiltration by the north that bit easier when there were
no reliable records for Baker’s government to check.

“Quarters have
been prepared for your men,” announced George Walker to Xavier. “My
guards can take over guarding the Princess whilst they rest from
their journey and perhaps we could discuss the guard rota over
dinner in my personal quarters? Doctor Kurtheim, he too will be
welcome once he has settled our royal guest.”

Xavier
agreed.

Lord Gardiner
saw no need to stay around. He proposed taking the comfortable
royal barge down river and he saw no need to ride in his own small
one when he could ride in luxurious comfort.

Ruth, Arthur
Kurtheim and Bet were escorted to the tower, two local guards
following some paces behind.

Xavier followed
another to his and his men’s quarters. He would learn more at
dinner.

After he had
satisfied himself that Ruth was comfortable in the two rooms at the
top of the tower – Gardiner was taking no chances – Xavier made his
way to George Walker’s rooms. As he entered, the aroma of an
enticing meal struck at his nostrils, “that smells good.”

“I have a good
cook and it tastes even better believe me. Lord Gardiner has tried
to bribe him to his castle many a time but he does not wish to
leave here.”

One of Xavier’s
eyebrows rose in enquiry.

“He is of the
same mind as I am,” answered George.

“Is it safe to
talk?”

“As safe as
anywhere in this benighted land, but yes it is safe.”

“Your men?”

“I would trust
all of them with my life. Wine?”

“Not at this
moment thank you. I think I’ll need a clear head for the next bit.
We have a problem.”

“Like that is
it? I take it that this problem relates to our ailing young
Princess?”

Xavier upended
his palms.

“Or,” continued
George sharply, “perhaps she is not so sick as she first appears
eh?”

“Doctor
Kurtheim may be encouraging this illness, yes. Don’t get me wrong,
the girl has been ill right enough but her slow recovery is
certainly down to him.”

“I presume she
would make an instantaneous recovery if the need arose?”

“You presume
correctly.”

“What do you
want me to do for you Xavier, brother of Marcus?

Xavier
started.

“Oh, don’t look
so surprised, you have the look of him. I knew who you were as soon
as we were introduced. I think also I know why you’re here, you
plan to take Ruth north?”

“Yes.”

“Then we get
her out tomorrow night. No point waiting until your men get into a
routine. Safer for my men and me as well. If you go tomorrow Baker
is less likely to suspect any collusion between us. Let them think
you planned it; you’ll be going with her of course, no point
staying here. There’s room in the boat for six.”

“Arthur
Kurtheim insists on staying,” said Xavier, “I’ve tried to persuade
him but no luck.”

“He’ll be
questioned, might let something slip. Let me talk to him and I’ll
see what I can do.”

“You have a
boat here?”

“Xavier, I
always have a boat here for emergencies. Hope you can row. You
won’t be able to raise the sail until you are out of sight of
land.”

“How are we
going to get to it unseen?”

George
laughed.

“On my life
Xavier, haven’t you realised yet what we do here?”

Xavier looked
blank.

“Marcus has
told you of the escape route set up for runaway slaves?”