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

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Everyone in the district sensed great relief when Chatelain and company arrived back in Chanoine, barely preceding an early winter's storm. The wind whipped wildly with wintry weight as they rode through the crossroads and headed across the boundaries of their district and on towards their village.

Upon arrival in the courtyard, Luke raced out to greet them, declaring, "I'm recovered. Jobyna's still got to stay in bed, upstairs, but she is much better!" He did not say she had sneaked out several times and while no one was looking, they had slid down the banisters together, returning to repeat the forbidden joyride dozens of times.

Jobyna had proclaimed, "I'll have to tell Papa, but I hope he won't take me to the woodshed cos I've been so sick. But, even if he does, I better get as many slides as I can and make it worth it!"

She declared, "I hate been cooped up so long; it feels like forever!"

Doctor Boone, his wife Narda and assistant, Ivan, were in the village, taking care of an increasing number of sick people, both children and adults, with whooping cough.

Two happy days passed before Chatelain discovered that his partly completed 'gizmo' had been removed!

Felix showed him a note, forged in the baroness' handwriting, requesting, "Load my husband's contraption, in the room off the woodshed, on the cart accompanying these men. It will be consigned to Kings Castle, with the competent guards of the bearers of this note."

Chatelain knew his wife would never have written such a note and it was then they realized why her letter had gone missing. Someone had studied it and had copied her handwriting with careful accuracy.

The baron questioned Felix, "Why did you unlock my room and allow them to load a cart with all the pieces? —They've taken it all!"

Felix explained, "I conferred with the knight, Tristan, first, and we decided the baroness had, as the note stated, written at your command, Baron, that you wished us to obey her request to send the contraption with the bearers of the note. It did cross my mind that it was rather strange but I checked the Baroness's handwriting and it matched even in it's slight inconsistencies. Two knights in Frencolian uniform accompanied twenty soldiers; there seemed to be no reason to disbelieve the Baroness's request with her signature. I truly am sorry, Sir."

On recounting all details of the heist, no one who had seen the company had recognized any of the soldiers.

Knights never had to identify themselves, except to another knight privately if requested.

The Baron sent Sir Tristan to speak with King Leopold about the missing gizmo, requesting that the king allow him to complete at least the prototype so that he may print up a number of Gospel Books; and stating that his plans could be improved and other presses built once he had a working model.

He also wrote that he felt it beneath a cousin of such standing as Leopold to stoop to stealing his invention while he was absent from the manor house; obeying both the King's and the Dowager Queen's command that they visit; using Elissa's forged writing to trick his men.

'I hope, Your Majesty,' Chatelain wrote, 'that there will not be a third time my uncompleted prototype is stolen. If you would return this one to me then I will be so much further to completing a printing press and having one working for the benefit of all in Frencolia.'

The baron concluded with; 'Now that all the letters I had carved and all the fine screws and springs I have had made, have disappeared, how do you expect me ever to achieve my goal? I shall have to begin again from naught! I suppose this theft amuses Your Majesty?'

Chatelain's communication caused a fearful stir at Kings Castle. The king knew nothing about the missing printing press. Besides being furious with his cousin for having blamed him for the crime, Leopold was indignant that no gold had exchanged hands, that some brazen men, presumably foreigners, having stolen the Frencolian uniforms, had entered the manor house in broad daylight and had taken away his cousin's invention! The lack of payment perturbed the king more than the loss of hours of work.