He stepped forward and poked the man in the chest. "I sent a woman and her children here several moons ago, with a letter, and they were turned away. Is this how you serve your master? Would you try to turn me away as well? Because I assure you, I will not leave so easily, and I have a company of the Queen's men to back me up. Ask them who I am, if you wish, but if you do, you will find yourself out of a job."
The retainer purpled, then paled, his eyes darting about the courtyard like a trapped rat. Finally he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "I am sorry, My Lord Conash, I had no way of knowing you."
"Nor, apparently, my signature. A little less suspicion would have served you well, and if you had done as I ordered in the letter, I would not be here now, to make your life unpleasant."
"I apologise, My Lord."
"Bring me the woman and her children at once."
"Yes, My Lord." The man jumped up and trotted away in the manner of an agitated tortoise.
Blade turned to smile at Lirek, reverting to the commoner's form of speech with the ease of many years' experience. "I could get used to this."
"You seem to have the knack of it, My Lord."
"Hmm. Well, let's go and find something to eat and drink. A tankard or two of ale would go down well right now, I must say."
Lirek grinned. "I won't argue with that."
Within the keep, they found willing serving girls and a well-stocked larder waiting to be washed down by an equally well-stocked cellar. Blade had found Lirek to be a compliant and pleasant drinking companion, if inclined to get bawdy. The over-eager squad leader and his junior officers joined them, but before long vanished in the company of giggling maids. Lirek kept eyeing a buxom wench who winked at him often, until Blade could stand it no longer and ordered his bodyguard to give in to her blandishments.
When Lirek had been dragged away, looking apologetic, Blade found himself drinking alone, as he often did. He surveyed his domain with tired eyes, finding the decor depressing. Dusty trophies stared down at him with accusing eyes and tattered battle flags dangled like dirty washing on the walls. A pile of ash resided in the massive fireplace, and the rushes on the floor gave off a dank smell.
A scream from the doorway made him jump up and whip around in time to collect a ragged, dirty bundle of sobbing broken-nosed joy against his chest with such force that she almost bowled him over. A strong smell of cows accompanied her, mixed with the redolence of straw and dung. He fended her off, glancing around at the smirking retainer and five snotty-nosed children who stood in the doorway.
"Lilu, get a hold of yourself," he growled, pushing her away. "You've spent too much time with the cows."
She stopped trying to hug him and stepped back. "Of course I have, all because that buffoon couldn't read your signature." She shot the retainer a venomous glance.
"I'm sure you'll make him pay."
Tears shimmered in her eyes. "You came! I can't believe it. You came all this way to save me."
"I did no such thing!" he denied hotly. "I came to inspect my estate."
She smiled. "Of course you did."
Blade shot a glare at the lurking retainer. "Fetch the lady some wine."
After the man had left, Lilu muttered, "Be careful of him, they say that he poisoned the last lord of this keep."
"Poison." Blade grimaced.
"Not something assassins use, hmm?"
"Some do. There was one who used to give his victims poisoned sweetmeats, and he was successful."
"What happened to him?"
Blade shrugged. "Poison doesn't always work quickly enough."
"His victim killed him?"
"His victim's brother."
"Well, be careful of Vurk, I don't trust him. He's had this place to himself since he killed the last lord, some three years ago, I believe. Made himself rich from the mines."
"Unusual for a man of tortoises to be a killer," Blade mused.
"He doesn't have a familiar."
"Ah. That explains it." He picked up his mug of ale and moved away from her redolence, casting a glance at the silent knot of children, relieved that they were quiet and unobtrusive. Lilu noted his distaste and watched him with sad eyes, biting her lip. Blade leant against the mantelpiece and contemplated the ashes in the fireplace, brushing at them with the toe of his boot. He sipped the nutty ale and raised his head to look at Lilu again.
"I won't be staying here long, this place is depressing."
She nodded, unsurprised. "It's much better in the summer, I've heard. The autumn rains have turned everything to mud, but soon the snows will come."
"I'll be gone before then." He glanced around the room. "But even summer won't cheer this place up, it's like a tomb."
"All it needs is a good cleaning, some new hangings and furniture. It could be quite nice."
Blade looked around as a serving maid entered with wine for Lilu, spying Vurk lurking in the shadows beside the door. Raising a hand, he beckoned to the retainer, and Vurk shuffled over to bow to him.
"My Lord."
"Your services here are terminated, you will pack your belongings and be off my estate within the next two days."
Vurk gaped, then gulped and spluttered, "But – My Lord! I am in charge of this estate, I have been for -"
"I do not care. You will pack and leave. I never want to see you again, is that understood?"
Vurk's sullen eyes spat dull anger, but he bowed. "Yes, My Lord."
"Good."
The retainer marched out, his back stiff with indignation. The serving maid stood frozen, her mouth hanging open in amazement. Blade glanced at her.
"You, go and order baths for myself and the lady. See that her children are fed and scrubbed with your strongest soap, then put to bed, in that order. Is a room ready for me?"
She bobbed. "Yes, My Lord."
Lilu smiled at him as the maid hurried out. "You're getting quite good at this, aren't you?"
He shrugged, sipping his ale. "One problem solved, at least. Do you think you can manage the rest?"
"You… you mean run the estate?"
Blade smiled and shook his head. "No, I'll hire someone better qualified than you for that job. Someone without sticky fingers, I hope. You can have charge of the keep, see to its running and make it a place worth living in. Can you do that?"
"Yes! Of course I can!" Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and she started towards him. "Thank you, Blade."
He quit the fireplace and moved away, avoiding another smelly hug. "Good, that's settled then. I'll see you tomorrow. It's been a long journey, and I'm tired."
Lilu nodded, watching him with a mixture of gratitude and hurt as he banged down his ale tankard and strode from the room without the backward glance.
Blade stayed at the estate for three tendays, during which time Lilu rallied a small army of servants to wash, mop, brush and polish. They tore down the old curtains and musty banners and swept out the ancient rushes. The stuffed trophies fed the kitchen fires, and Lilu supervised the creation of delicious dishes in the massive ovens. After a few days of riding over his estate, inspecting its mines and surveying the woods, Blade grew bored and helped with the work, enjoying the activity. By the end of the first tenday, the soldiers had also joined in, and between them they stripped the castle of mildewed hangings and dirty rushes. Lilu found a trader who sold bright cloths and expensive tapestries, persuading Blade to part with a sizeable fortune to refurnish the keep.
By the end of the three tendays, Blade judged the place to be quite habitable, and was a little sorry to leave it and return to the intrigues of the Queen's palace. Before he did, he found and appointed a solid, honest-seeming retainer to replace Vurk. The man almost wept with gratitude for his elevation and swore to serve Blade faithfully for the rest of his life. The assassin set Lilu to watch over the new retainer and ordered him in turn to watch over Lilu, content that they would find each other out if either became dishonest, unless they got together and compared notes. Lilu wept on the day he left, much to his disgust and embarrassment, and he scowled at those soldiers amongst the company who dared to smile at her obvious affection for their taciturn lord.