Brant leaned back against a tree, and banged his head back lightly, several times. Isabel had kept him a prisoner, while she passively spread her thighs for him, until she was sure she carried his child. Then, she had let him go. She had him all wrapped up. She was his wife, she was carrying his child, so she could set him free, he was trapped. He stayed there, leaning against the tree, letting the facts sink in, for a good long while. Then, he decided that, as he now knew that Nathaniel was definitely his child, he was going to go get his son. If getting Isabel, and the babe, out of that Castle, meant tearing it down stone by stone, so be it.
Within two hours of getting Esme away from Ann, to get her out of harms way, Brant was ready to ride back, to get his wife and son. With his men at arms, and those that had arrived with Robert, they had several hundred men. From his assessment of the village, and Castle, the largest force they could raise, would be much less than that, if they wanted to fight. He decided to leave about a third of his men behind, to guard the camp. The rest would ride with him to surround the Castle, so that Isabel could not slip out. Brant gave the order to move out and nudged his destry into motion, with Robert riding beside him. Robert could not quite keep from grinning, though he said nothing. Brant really did not appear to be in the mood to talk.
As they closed in on their destination, several small groups of three or four riders, were seen riding hard for the Castle gate. Brant issued orders for his men to spread out around the moat, at just great enough distance, to be out of reach, of archers arrows. When his men were in position, Brant moved his mount forward, in front of the now closed gate.
"I have come to get my wife, Isabel, and son, Nathaniel,” Brant called out to the sentry. “You have one hour to send them out. Then, I am going to knock this Castle down, to come in and get them."
When the message was carried to those inside the Hall, Ann began to cry. Isabel rose, to take Nathaniel upstairs, so she could collect some of their things. When Isabel returned to the hall a short time later, with the babe and Rosamund, Ann was arguing with her head knight, insisting Isabel must stay. The Castle Knights, were equally insistent Isabel was his wife, to refuse to send her out was an act of war, that Ann could not win. Isabel stopped this heated discussion, by announcing they were ready to go, as soon as their horses could be saddled.
Forty minutes after the men outside issued their demands, they watched as the gate began to open. When the gate was completely open, several knights rode out, followed by two women. One woman was dressed as a serf, the other wore the much finer attire of the gentry. Both had a mantle wrapped about their heads, just as Isabel and her maid, apparently, always wore. Brant rode forward to meet them, with Robert at his side. Behind them, a small group of Brant's men, led the two knights captured with Esme.
"The Lady, and the babe, Your Lordship," one of the Knights said.
"I return your compatriots. Esme will be returning home with me," Brant said.
He maneuvered up beside Isabel's mount. Then, Brant reached out to take a basket that the babe lay in from Isabel. After brief resistance, she released her hold, and Brant handed the child to Robert, who was still grinning.
“Isabel,” Brant greeted, as he pulled the mantel off her head.
“My Lord,” Isabel said, coolly returning his greeting.
He lifted her off her mount and on to his, seating her with her back against his chest.
"Mon Dieu,” Robert said, as he got his first good look at his friend's wife.
The delicate features, and deep auburn hair, wiped the grin from his face. Isabel was almost as beautiful as his Kate, Robert decided. Brant turned his horse, to ride back to the rest of the men. Robert followed with the babe, listening, as his friend questioned his wife.
“Why are you here, My Lady?” Brant asked. “I am certain, that I ordered my men to take you to my Castle near Kings Worthy, and to keep you safe, there.”
Robert noticed the Lady raised a delicate eyebrow, before replying, “Actually, I believe you ordered them to see I was safe, and see that you, did not hear any mention of me. So, when I found myself missing my mother, after the babe was born, I saw no good point in not visiting. After all, your men could not tell you I was gone, without mentioning me to you. Therefore, I did not see, where you would miss me.”
Robert found himself grinning, again, as he met Brant’s annoyed look over Isabel’s head. Robert was not sure which one, but he was sure that one, of the two people in front of him, was in trouble.
They rode in silence, the rest of the way back to the army camp, in the clearing. There, Brant dismounted, then helped Isabel down, before reaching up to take the basket with the babe, from Robert. Carrying the basket in one hand, and grasping Isabel’s arm with the other, Brant directed her into his tent. There, he silently handed her the basket, before turning to exit.
“Why is he so angry, with you?” Esme asked. “I am sure, I have never seen him act like that, before.”
“No, you probably have not,” was all that Isabel had to say.
Nathaniel started to cry, so Isabel picked him up, to quiet him. When he continued to be fussy, she raised him to her breast to nurse, drawing her mantel around the child, to cover them. Esme decided to go out to talk to Robert, again, when Isabel would not tell her anything. A few minutes later, Brant returned. Seeing Isabel sitting on his bedroll, he walked over, and stooped down to pull the mantel back. The babe’s hand rested on her breast, above where his mouth suckled. Brant reached out to place a finger under the tiny hand, and felt Isabel flinch, slightly. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and noted her fearful look, before she lowered her eyes. Brant pulled his hand back, and stood up, laughing. He was certain that Isabel deserved some punishment, for what she had done. Yet, he was finding himself quite pleased, about both Nathaniel, and finally having found Alisa.
Chapter 11
It was the 5th of June, both Isabel's birthday, and the anniversary of her wedding. She was now, one and eight. Most of the past year had been a nightmare. Isabel had began the year, in fear of what her cousin might do, and finished it out, fearing what her husband would do.
The day he had arrived to demand she be sent out of her mother's, Isabel had expected to find out immediately, what form his anger would take. However, so far he had done nothing. After the babe had nursed at the army camp, she had been assisted to mount Matilda. Brant had taken the basket with Nathaniel, on his mount. Then, they rode out in silence, taking half of the army with them. The other half was left behind, to cover their retreat. Late that day, they arrived at one of her properties, or her former properties. As her husband, Brant owned her, and everything that was hers. He had escorted her, with a firm grip on her arm, to the Lord's chambers, and left her with the babe to care for, silently. They spent the next day there, before traveling on to another property.
So they had made their way from Ann’s, to Brant’s Castle. At each stop, four in all, he had spent a day or so “checking on the spring planting.” At night, he slept soundly, but silently, beside her in the Lord’s Solar. Isabel, on the other hand, was sleeping fitfully, waking frequently from bad dreams. So far, the only insight she had into her husband's mindset, was when he had mentioned her disappearance from his Castle. Isabel had presented her opinion of her shadow Hester. Brant had replied, it was nice to know that she did not like his jail, anymore than he liked hers. Perhaps, he felt that she had been punished, for keeping him prisoner, though that really had not been up to her. Richard had the final say on that, and had insisted that Brant be held.