A Daughter's Love - Book 2 The Frencolian Chronicles (complete)

Chapter Two

Jobyna awoke in the earliest hour of the morning to the sound of quiet sobbing. Feeling snug, warm and secure, sleepiness almost overcame her again, but the resonant sound of her father's voice, gentle and comforting, caused the child to become lucid.

Elissa moaned softly, speaking Jobyna's name. The small girl sat up and flipped back the bed-covers. A single candle struggled to flicker its light in the dark bed chamber. The parents stood locked in a tender embrace. At the rustling sound on the bed, both turned to stare at the image—at first appearances—a ghost—smiling at them.

Elissa screamed hysterically, and cried, "Jobyna, Jobyna!"

"I'm here, Mother. I fell asleep. But I safely returned myself to my father. Cousin Leopold will have to give me the gold piece!" Jobyna slid out of the large bed to be caught up in her mother's arms.

But it was not to receive the welcome hug she expected. Elissa, overwrought from the pain of believing she had lost her youngest child, shouted, "You wicked child! I can take no more ... of ... these ... these ... feral children!" Her frustrations with her brood came to the fore and she shook the small shoulders with rage. "You little fiends send me insane! I've been worried out of my mind over you ... Jobyna!" She slapped Jobyna's face, one cheek, and raised her hand to slap the other but Louis stepped over to grasp his wife's arms. His eyes were upon their young daughter. Her wide green eyes filled with amazement and terror. Her hand flew to press, unbelieving, against her flaming cheek.

Backing away, Jobyna screamed, "I thought you was looking for me! I thought you wanted me! But you don't! I hate yous ... I hate both yous." She fled into the hall, running down the stairs. Sabin was still up as were most other adults of the household and they all stared, motionless, at the small bare-footed apparition as it fled through the kitchen and disappeared out the back door. Soldiers still searched for the young girl whom everyone believed had come to grave harm. Sabin, shaking his head, followed the girl's tracks. Within moments, Sir Louis joined him.

"She ran out over the garden towards the back gate, Sir. Something upset her. Knowing the wee lass, I suppose she's been sleeping —I should have thought of that!" Sabin followed his master as he unfastened a cresset from the wall and fixed it firmly to a stave.

"Fetch the hounds, Sabin. I'll not let her get away this time!" Louis turned to his wife as she joined him. Her white face was streaked with tears.

The baron chastened, "You shouldn't have struck her, Elissa! You didn't hear the bargain our Cousin Leopold made. The child thought she was included. It was a harmless game. Jobyna wasn't deliberately trying to worry us. She has no concept of our anxiety for her..." As his wife crumpled back against the porch wall, he grasped her hands and gently kissed her lips. Lingering near her ear, he murmured, "It's due time for me to make changes, my love."

Leaving Elissa wondering at his words, Louis joined Sabin who had the two hounds on leashes and was commanding them, "Find Miss Jobyna; find Jobyna!" To the baron's relief, the dogs followed her footprints across the freshly dug earth of the garden, around the gooseberry bushes and along the wall to the small open gate.

A guard responded to their master's questioning, "Yes Sir. Miss Jobyna ran through here. We would have prevented her, but she screamed at us to leave her alone. She were in such a state, Sir Louis but I thought you'd be along, Sir."

Two soldiers had been on watch, keeping the back entrance open in case the baron's daughter returned home this way. It had taken them unaware, to see her running frantically the opposite way.

Jobyna's feet flew along the cobblestones. She heard a shout from the wall-top and knew she had been seen. Determined not to be caught, her cheeks burning, her emotions dashed and indignant towards her mother, Jobyna heard the bark of the two hounds in the cool night air. She knew their barks were friendly towards her and she did not feel afraid to know someone was using them to follow her tracks. The children used the hounds all the time in their games —it had been Marcus who had prevented their use in the Dagan game —he had agreed with Jobyna that it wasn't fair. There was however, one place the dogs could not follow her trail. The destination in mind was a secret, Jobyna's secret—and Luke's.