Goodbye to the Knight✔️

57. The world has turned to cabbage

Jess and Gertrude, also known as 'Gurty' or 'T' as she insisted I did not call her by her full name, both work at Balcott manor and share a small cottage on the grounds of Balcott manor. Gurty is the older sister and head seamstress at the manor with dark red hair pinned always to her head, Jess on the other hand tends to the gardens and has slightly lighter red hair that I come to know is usually tangled with a familiar sight of dirt or grass in.

We ride throughout the entire night and well into the next day as well, passing little cottages and villages on the way. Around midday the snow finally stops falling and I know that now for sure, my head start is up.

It is after lunch time that we finally pull into Balcott manor's grounds. Land stretches out for miles, some of it forest, some of it long pastures, all covered in a layer of snow.

"So lass, what is your name?" Gurty comes round to the cart after parking it by a small cottage, which I assume is theirs, a little way from the large manor house.

"My name is er, Rose," I say, spotting a climbing rose plant on the side of the cottage.

"Jess and I have been talking and well we would like to offer you a room in our home,"

My eyes widen in disbelief, "I'm sorry?"

"That is, if you don't have a home. Very sorry if we assumed wrong."

"No, you are right," I dip my head, feeling rather ashamed all of a sudden. "How can I repay you?"

"Don't feel embarrassed dearie, we have all been there, Jess and I were thrown out onto the streets because our parents had too many mouths to feed and the boys were of more use," she catches my expression, "our lives are better here anyway but we now will be happy for you to live with us if you wish and there is no need to repay us, we only wish to help others in similar shoes."

"Thank you,"

"Of course, we will have to ask the steward but he is a kind man,"

"Kind to you, emphasis on you," Jess laughs, "they have the hots for one another,"

"We certainly do not!" Gurty replies with tinted cheeks.

I laugh but feel a slight twinge in my heart at the mention of love.

"Do you have any skills?"

A real smile appears on my face for the first time today, "I can cook."

~~~

Autumn turns to winter and winter turns to spring, the snow melting away leaving behind blossoming trees and new life. The first daffodils are beginning to sprout and baby lambs can be seen frolicking in the pastures; life is looking up.

Every day that passes I become more settled in at Balcott, spending my days baking in the manor kitchen alongside another two cooks, one of which is growing old, and a few maids. Gurty was right, the Steward is a kind man, though has a sharp tongue if people misbehave or get slack on their jobs.

At first I was constantly on edge, looking down the manor track any chance I could for fear of seeing a knight on horseback.

But no one ever came.

Eventually I relaxed and started opening up again, I began smiling more and making friends, started venturing out into the surrounding land and exploring, no longer frightened.

Of course there are still moments when Killian crosses my mind and my heart aches. The pain of my last memory of him etching into me like a knife creating a deep scar that I question whether it will ever completely heal.

But at least I am safe and scarcely interacting with nobility meaning that as time goes on, it is more likely that Lord Golding will get tired of looking for me and instead will wish to find another wife for his precious son so that they can start creating heirs immediately, if I remember correctly.

Although the sound of his name still leaves a vile taste in my mouth, I am now happy and free.

I am home.

~~~

"I have an announcement," Aldred stride into the kitchen causing everyone to pause what they are doing, "Balcott shall be hosting the hunt this weekend and that means many more mouths to feed, more beds to prepare and more tidiness in general amongst other things." Whispers go around the room. "I have faith in every one of us that we will all do a fine job, just like every year."

"How intense does it get?" I whisper to Leticia, another cook.

"Very, the maids especially can behave rather frivolously in the excitement," she shakes her head and I laugh, some things never change, "especially when the knights are around." She adds.

A shiver goes through me.

"Knights?"

"Of course, many noble families flock to our hunts for our deer are some of the finest."

"Well you needn't worry about me getting side tracked,"

"I should hope not, you won't have time anyway, we probably won't be leaving the kitchen the entire weekend unless we are sleeping and even then the benches sometimes do."

"That is fine by me." I say, already mentally preparing to move into the kitchen for the entire weekend and lay low.

"If I haven't said it already, I am grateful that Gurty found you," Leticia grins, "I finally have someone young and able to share this weekends pain with."

What Leticia left out however, is the days leading up to the weekend are also a true nightmare. Constant chaos or as Jess put it, the world has turned to cabbage, people running to and fro right up until the moment when the first riders arrive up the track.

"Now coming up right now is Lord Hugh, always causes a large fuss if he doesn't get to sleep with a fur blanket," Gurty tells me and I laugh. For every new noble that arrives, Gurty gives me a quick run down of them, from what they like to eat to how they walk, she knows it.

"What about these two?" I ask, squinting at a new pair coming up.

"Hold on a mo, my eyesight isn't that of a hawk,"

The woman and man slowly draw ever closer and finally their features become visible causing my blood to run cold.

It is them, Lord and Lady Golding are here. 

A/N:

Novella's past has finally caught up to her - dun dun duuuun! 

The final show down has begun. 

The last few updates (wow that is very, very weird to say) should hopefully come out tomorrow if all goes to plan!

Vote and comment if you enjoyed! 

SouthernAlps over and out...