Belinda: A Maiden of the Early 1300's

Restoration

A full ten days after Sir Hugh de Croix set out for aid, a company of knights under the Shelburne colors was seen from the battlements of Carleigh Castle. Lord Edward hushed his men, not wanting to alert the brigands, lest the cowards flee.

Belinda alternated between standing on the south wall, straining to see if Sir de Croix was in the company, and singing doggerel on the north wall to tease the brigands. As soon as the knights reached the castle grounds, Lord Edward ordered Belinda back to the kitchens, since it wasn't seemly for a lady to be on the walls. Belinda thanked him prettily, telling him that with the gate open a crack, she would have a better view than trying to peek through the crenellation!

"Stop worrying so," he teased back. "I shall send de Croix in as soon as I see him, though I doubt I shall need to!"

She spluttered over that and flounced back to the kitchens, where Lady Margaret was finding it a difficult task indeed to keep the wounded knights on their bedrolls. After that, Belinda had no time to watch the Shelburne knights come in, since keeping the more wounded knights laying down became a full-time job. Three of them burst wounds and had to be bandaged. After that, the others did their best to rest easy though they clearly wanted to be in the middle of the fighting.

As it turned out, Lord Merrick had sent a scout ahead to see what his friend was up against. When the scout had explained the situation, Shelburne's lord divided his company, sending half his men under Sir Hugh de Croix's leadership around the wall in the other direction. The knights formed back up behind the village.

Overwhelmed and boxed in, the brigands stood no chance. Less than an hour after the knights of Shelburne rode around Carleigh's walls, her portcullis was raised, the dogs were given goats' milk to drink and the gates opened. Lords Merrick and Fitzgerald repaired to a corner of the courtyard to confer with their trusted knights, leaving the others to find beds in the barracks, care for the horses and a host of other tasks, including the digging of graves for the dead.

Since Lord Merrick had thoughtfully brought a wagon filled with provisions, Belinda set about cooking dinner for everyone, aided by several squires and overseen by Lady Margaret, who sat in a chair appropriated from the hall. It wasn't long before Belinda was summoned by her uncle. She followed a young squire out to an open pavilion in the courtyard, wherein a small detachment of knights stood with Lord Merrick and her uncle. Lord Edward wore a thunderous scowl as a mask to hide the ache in his head.

"You sent for me, Uncle?" Belinda asked as she curtseyed properly to the two lords. The summons couldn't have come at a worse time, in her thinking. Dinner was just being started, the hall had yet to be cleared of the dead, none of the rooms had been cleared of debris- the list of chores seemed endless.

Lord Edward made an attempt to smile but with his teeth clenched, it more resembled a grimace. "I did, My Dear. As you are well aware, I have had much time to think lately," he paused to join the chuckles at his self-depreciating jest, "and I have made several decisions. First, of course, is that you need a dowry."

"Oh, but I have one already, Uncle. Father left me thirty-seven gold coins and I have his sword to give my firstborn son."

Lord Merrick interrupted with a dry tone of voice. "Certainly, that knowledge will vex your lady mother to no end, My Dear, but you should hear your protector out before you refuse him." Knowing Lady Anne, most of the knights assembled laughed at his assessment of Belinda's mother.

Belinda nodded to Lord Merrick, accepting his rebuke before she returned her attention to her uncle. "My apologies, Uncle. Pray continue?"

"Thirty-seven gold coins is a fine dowry for the daughter of a landless knight, I agree," Lord Edward told her, maintaining his good humor, "but for the maid who single-handedly held an entire castle against a band of brigands for ten days, I think more of a reward is in order." He paused for effect. Belinda thought his compliment was a bit exaggerated, but she didn't dare contradict him.