CHAPTER SEVEN – MIDDLEHAM CASTLE, APRIL 1473
How strange it was to be back at Middleham, after all this time! How completely baffling for young Marion, especially after she had thought that her transgressions from the last time she had been there had barred her entry to the grand castle for the rest of her life. But no, she was not barred, Dickon said she was never barred. In fact, it was he who had invited her, along with little Katheryn, to come to Middleham, so that they might meet his new wife, Lady Anne. Of course, Lady Anne wasn't exactly new she had been Dickon's wife since the previous summer, in 1472, and Marion had been sent constant letters talking about the Lady's health, how she was settling in to her role as Lady of Middleham, as well as her role as a wife. Why Dickon would choose the girl who had once thrown pales of water over his head to take to wife, Marion had no idea. Yes, how strange it all was.
"Just over the crest of this hill," smiled Francis Lovell, who was escorting the girls from Donington le Heath to Middleham.
"Wow!" Katheryn gasped when she clapped eyes on the castle.
Marion too, was impressed, but frowned when she noticed that the castle now looked a bit smaller than she remembered it. Was it possible for a building to shrink, or was this change of perceived size simply because she, Marion, had grown bigger? Marion shook her head, she did not know, and she did not feel that this matter was important enough to even try seeking an answer.
"Are you excited to be back here, Marion?" Francis called back to her, as she and Katheryn rode in a wagon hitched to the blonde man's horse.
"Aye, a little bit. I am nervous though, about meeting Dickon's wife. What if she does not like me? More importantly, what if she does not like Katheryn?"
The man shook his head, throwing a smile over his shoulder at the two girls. "Fret not, Marion, for Lady Anne is a kind and gentle woman. She already knows of Katheryn, and you, and feels no contempt towards either of you. Her own father had a bastard that he acknowledged, so she is no stranger to the natural-born."
Marion nodded, falling into silence. Although Francis's words calmed her somewhat, her worries still remained. It would take meeting the Lady, and seeing how she would react to herself and especially her niece, that would either ease, or give credence to, Marion's fears.
All around the little riding party signs of spring were in the air. Robins and bluejays sang their songs from the nimble branches of trees, and the sun peeped out from behind the pale gray clouds. The air smelled sweet from early morning dew, and Marion was sure that soon, newborn animals would start to make an appearance in every castle yard and farm in the land: chicks, puppies, fowls... the list could go on and on.
Soon, it became clear that animals were not the only newborns that would be seen that spring in the parts of Wensleydale. For when Marion and Katheryn were formally introduced to Lady Anne, it was obvious that she was heavy with child, and that her babe was a few short months away. She was a short, dainty woman, with a swollen belly that strained through the cotton fabric of her gown. Her hair that appeared to be a shade of brown in the dim light of the Great Hall was wound into braids, a little coif sitting tight and snug around the head, tied under her chin. When they entered the room, the Lady looked up. As her dark eyes scanned the room, Marion dropped onto her knees, to await the Lady's blessing. Katheryn mimicked her aunt, kneeling and bowing her curly head for a blessing. Marion heard Dickon approach from behind, the heels of his boots ringing off the stone walls.
After a tense silence, a small voice croaked out: "G-girls, you may rise."
Aunt and niece rose to their feet, stumbling on the slippery rushes that coated the floor, clinging on to each other's arms for support. Marion eyed Lady Anne warily, while Katheryn stood with her mouth opening and closing, her eyes wide, probably with fear.
"My Lord Husband... who is who?"
Marion fought to keep her eyebrows from shooting up her forehead. Was it not obvious which girl was which? Marion was far too old to be Dickon's daughter – he'd been a boy of eleven the year she was born!
Dickon walked forwards, and gently laid a hand on Katheryn's head. "This be my daughter, Katheryn."
Lady Anne nodded. "I see. She looks much like you."
"Only in colour," Dickon said with a tight smile.
"Her mother must be beautiful,"
"Not as beautiful as you, wife." the words were tight, almost rehearsed. How often had Dickon said this to his Lady, to assure her that he would be faithful to her? He had snubbed Kate's attempts to seduce him (which Marion was ashamed and horrified to have borne witness to), claiming that he would always remain faithful to his wife. Was this woman so insecure then, that she needed his repeated words, delivered in a flat, monotone voice? It was painful to see, and something told Marion that she could put a stop to it, put the whole situation to rights.
"My sister is beautiful, my Lady, and has tried to let Dickon know. She has tried a few times to make him break his vows, but he refuses every time: not for his honour, not for her's, mayhap even not for Katheryn's sake... he does it for you. He turns her down, and leaves me to deal with her grumbling and glares for you. He really loves you." the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
The Lady's eyes flicked to Marion, filled with pain. The girl gasped, falling to her knees. "I'm so sorry, I am so, so sorry! I did not mean to offend you, Lady, truly I did not! I only wanted to say what might make this better but – but -"
"You must be Marion,"
"Y-yes, m'Lady..."
"You may rise, for I give you my blessing."
Marion again stumbled to her feet, gaping at the woman, who had also stood from the bench she had previously been sitting on. She was very surprised to see the thin lips of Dickon's wife curve up into a smile.
"Thank you, Marion, for your words. Although it pains me that your sister would – would try to..." she sucked in a breath, and let out a sad sigh. "I do appreciate what you said, that my husband will do whatever he can to remain faithful to me now that we are wed. Thank you."
Marion returned the smile, and even Katheryn smiled shyly, copying the adults.
"Pwetty, Lady Annie." the little girl said, earning a softer smile from the Lady.
"Come, girls, you must be hungry after your journey, yes?"
"Kafwyn have supper now?" asked the dark-haired girl.
"Supper?" Lady Anne laughed, leading them out of the Great Hall and down into the basement kitchens. "Why, we have not even had our noontime dinner yet!"
Dickon trailed behind the three females, smiling at his wife. Marion could see the relief in his eyes that this meeting had gone well. To be honest, she felt exactly the same way, so much so, she could have sagged onto one of the walls and gone to sleep peacefully; unlike the night before.
"They had bread and cheese to break their fasts before they left Donington, according to Francis. Katheryn must think, that since they have arrived at a new place, it will soon be time to sleep."
"Well, that would have been a few hours ago, would it not? And they are growing girls. They need their food. All right girls, we shall have a before-dinner-supper-meal then!" Anne said with a note of cheerfulness in her voice.
And so, it came to pass that Marion's fears were laid to rest. She and her niece spent the afternoon at Middleham exploring, getting to know the staff (who smiled at both of them, judging Katheryn's mother off Marion, seeing as she and Kate were sisters), and talking to Lady Anne. The Lady generously gave them sweetmeats, something completely new to Katheryn, and told them stories about her noble father. Marion had been intimidated by the Earl of Warwick when she first met him, but now she was awe-struck by his memory. Anne painted a picture of a brave man, an ambitious man, who wanted the best for his daughters.
"He did it all for us, he said, he did it all for Isabel and I." she said, speaking of the Lord's rebellion in 1469.
"Dickon said he did it because he wanted the throne for himself,"
"Yes, he would have thought that. Keep in mind, child, that at the time my husband said such things, he and my father were on opposite sides of the battlefield."
"Were you really married to Edward of Lancaster?"
At this question, Lady Anne bowed her head and sighed. "Yes, yes I was."
"Was he not nice? When Lord Lovell told us that the war had been won, he made it sound like Edward was not a nice man. Is that true?"
"Yes, that is true. He was a tyrant, even though he was barely out of boyhood. He clung to his mother, and looked at me with spite and malice in his eyes."
"Are you happy that you're married to Dickon, then? Because he is kind and loyal?"
The Lady smiled at Marion, as Katheryn's head fell against the girl's shoulder in sleep. "Yes, I am happy. And even happier from what you have told me about how my husband will be faithful to me always."
Marion glanced down at Katheryn, then back at the Duchess of Gloucester. "Were you angry when Dickon told you about my niece?"
"Well, at first, I was more surprised than angry. This is Dickon we are talking about. I knew him as a boy. He was quiet and bookish. While his oldest brother would go off and find the nearest brothel after a battle, I knew that Dickon would be the type to go and find a quiet place to read, and contemplate things."
Marion nodded. "Well, my sister is no whore. She was young, and fell in love with Dickon when he brought me home from here. I tried to stop it… really, I did. But no one listened to me. No one ever listened to the bastard."
Anne's eyebrows flew up her forehead, disappearing under the cloth of the coif. "You too?"
"Aye. My mother was a whore."
"Oh... right..." for once, it sounded like the Lady knew not what to say.
Marion, feeling the mounting tension between them, decided to change the subject. "How many people live here?"
The Lady tilted her head back, a slender finger resting upon her pale chin in thought. "Hmm, well, that is hard to say. Of course, there are Dickon and myself, then there are the staff – some of which, you met today. My mother will be joining us shortly, in a few months, after she returns from sanctuary."
"Sanctuary? What is that?"
"Sanctuary is when you go to a Church or Abbey or nunnery and seek to stay there. If you are in trouble, you can stay there on the grounds that it is a holy place."
"Oh," Marion nodded. "Was your mother in sanctuary because of the war? Was she hiding from the bad side?"
"Yes, she was hiding. And she has been in there for years now... since my father died at the Battle of Barnet. I was almost dragged into sanctuary by Margaret of Anjou after we heard of the outcome of Tewksbury. But thankfully, the York brothers go to me before she could take me away. She had made me witness a battle... I would not have done well to be mewed up in a dark Church for ages afterward."
"She made you fight in the battle?" Marion shrieked, waking Katheryn.
"Mayon!" the child yelped.
"Hush Katheryn, all is well. I swear. I did not mean to wake you."
Lady Anne smiled at the girl. "Would you like to go to bed and rest in your chamber, Katheryn?"
The little girl nodded, her eyes wide as she gazed at her father's wife.
"Very well," the Lady turned to one of her ladies-in-waiting "Please take this little one to her chambers, and make sure she is washed and readied for bed. She may rest for a few hours until the midday meal is served. If she is too deeply asleep when dinnertime comes, she will have to skip the meal, but a portion of the food will be left for her to have for supper. Is that understood?"
"Yes, m'Lady." the maids nodded, leading Katheryn out of the room, after Marion assured the terrified child that she would be joining her shortly.
Lady Anne turned back to Marion. "My mother had to make those types of orders for my sister, Isabel. She was a right pig when it came to food, we always had to leave a trencher filled with meat and a goblet of watered wine for her." she smiled wistfully. "As to your question, no, I did not fight in the battle, but I did witness it. I saw my husband die... I still see it in my dreams sometimes."
"I'm sorry," Marion murmured, looking down. "I did not mean to bring back bad memories."
"I blame you not, child. You were merely curious, as children often are." she smiled.
Marion smiled back at her. "Thank you, Lady Anne."
"Whatever for, child?"
"For treating Katheryn and me better than I was treated by my step-mother."
The Lady's eyes softened, and Marion could now see that their true colour was a lovely shade of hazel. "You are very welcome, Marion. You, and your niece will find no mistreatment in this house, that I can promise you. I will not be the little girl's mother, but I will be her friend."
Marion smiled. This was more than she could ever have hoped for. It was strange, how things could work out so well when no one expected them to.