Hellion by Bertrice Small Read Free Book Online Page A

man. “I have been restored as Langston’s lord by our good king, Henry, God save him and grant him long life! But, Ancient Albert, I am not known by my father’s name. I am called Hugh Fauconier, Hugh the Falconer, after the prize birds I raise. Soon they shall fly over Langston.”
    “ And the lady ?” Ancient Albert asked, looking up at Isabelle. “She is to be sent away?”
    “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, you old reprobate?” Belle snapped.
    “The lady is, by order of the king, to become my wife,” Hugh told the assembled villagers. “As you respect me, I will demand that you respect my lady Isabelle as well. She has stewarded these lands honestly the past three years, caring for you all and seeing you came to no harm.”
    “And squeezing every groat of rent from us,” a voice in the crowd called out.
    “It was her duty to collect the rent, and yours to pay it. You have not suffered that I can see,” Hugh replied. “I see no signs of starvation or illness among you. As serfs and freedmen, you owe that rent to Langston. You have been too long without a master, I fear. Now you have one again. The knight who rides with me is Rolf de Briard. He is to be Langston’s new steward. He is a fair man and will not mistreat you, but neither will he allow you to fall into slothful ways. There is also a priest, Father Bernard, with me. We will build a church together. Until then mass will be held in the Great Hall each daybreak. For those who need marriages and baptisms celebrated, he will tend to your needs if you will but go to him.”
    “God save your lordship!” Ancient Albert said approvingly.
    “And God bless all here,” Hugh Fauconier replied.
    Then the three riders moved on, passing through the village,out into the countryside beyond. There the fields lay fallow in the weak winter sunlight. Beyond them the river ran into the sea.
    “I saw boats on the riverbank,” Hugh noted.
    “Three or four families earn their keep by fishing,” Belle said. “What we do not use they are allowed to sell.”
    “And what crops are grown in the fields?”
    “Wheat and rye. Oats, barley, some hops for the beer. Beans, peas, and vetches. The kitchen gardens also grow lettuces, carrots, onions, and leeks. My mother has an herb garden for both cooking and medicinal purposes as well. The kitchen is on the lower level of the keep. Our gardens lie behind it. There is a good-sized apple orchard, and trees growing peaches, plums, and pears. We have wild and bird cherry, too,” Belle told him.
    He could see both cattle and sheep grazing in the winter meadows. There would certainly be domestic fowl. The marshes were full of water fowl. The woodlands bordering the estate would be home to deer, rabbit, and other forms of wildlife. It was a good estate, with everything needed for survival.
    They visited the other villages, making themselves known to the serfs and freedmen living there. Their welcome was warm, but no one appeared surprised by their arrival, the gossip having traveled well ahead of them. Belle spoke little except to answer Hugh’s questions. They returned to the keep in mid-afternoon to find that Alette had a fine, hot dinner waiting for them. And when they had eaten, she surprised them yet again.
    “You have not bathed in several days, I am certain,” she said. “If you will come to the bathing room, I will see to your needs.”
    “You have a bathing room?” Hugh was pleased.
    “The keep is small as castles go,” Alette replied, “but we do not lack amenities. The two latrines are directed into a singlesluice that flows underground into the river,” she told him proudly.
    The bathing chamber was another marvel. It had a large stone tub that was oblong in shape, into which cold water could be pumped. There was a small fireplace where water could be heated just beyond the tub. The large kettle that hung over the coals had only to be tipped down the slanted incline of the tub to bring the temperature of