Lady's Ransom (The First Argentines, #3)

Neither of them had any idea what to expect when they got there.

What they found was a castle in ruins.





The crossing went calmly, which brought a false sense that all was well. I stood on the deck with the sailors, too eager to wait down below. My heart brimmed as the coast of Legault came into view, the hills lush and green, full of ancient trees and their ancient memories. Connaught stands on a bluff with a dominating view. It was built by the Gaultic kings of ages past, back in the days of Wizrs and their battles with the Aos Sí.

But my childhood memories were dashed the closer we came. The building that once stood so tall and proud is falling apart. One of the towers is nothing but a heap of stone. My heart cannot bear the grief of knowing my long absence has caused this neglect. It could take years to rebuild. Years lost that cannot be reclaimed.

I didn’t weep when I realized the work that lay before me. My blood is made of fire now. We will do this. Ransom tried to comfort me, but I do not want comfort. I want my castle back.

—Claire de Murrow, a Queen without a Palace

Landfall in Legault





CHAPTER TWO


Connaught Castle


Even damaged, the castle was a wonder to behold, perched on a rocky green bluff with a cove behind it. It made Ransom think of Claire’s tales of growing up in Legault surrounded by hundreds of shades of green. The building was a contiguous structure with a few rounded towers, some of which had fallen, adjoining a larger structure with arrow slits and pyramid-shaped roofs, sloping gables, and chimneys popping up throughout. The front facade of the castle was a triple-arched structure with a circular window made of stained glass at its apex. Because of its position, Ransom imagined that when the sun rose, it shone off that circle of glass like a beacon, making the castle visible for leagues distant.

It had clearly been built for defense, with a lower outer wall circumscribing the top of the hill. That wall was damaged in several spots, which fed his suspicion that the damage had not only come from neglect. Parts of the building and its defenses had deliberately been broken down to make the keep less defensible.

After examining the ruins briefly, Ransom and Claire rode their horses down to a little meadow at the base of the hill, encircled by enormous trees that were centuries old and fared much better than the castle walls. All the knights in Ransom’s mesnie had come on the journey, save Dearley, his close friend and the first member of his mesnie. Dearley had just married Ransom’s ward, Elodie, and the two would be joining them soon. The rest of the knights had been ordered to explore the grounds and set up watch to prevent any surprise intruders. Sitting on Dappled’s back, Ransom looked up from the meadow at Connaught and the teeth of stone protruding from the grassy knoll leading up the rise.

Claire rode up next to him on a chestnut stallion she’d taken from the stables of Glosstyr. It had a long white stripe down its nose. Her countenance had fallen, and he felt her disappointment keenly.

“I’m so sorry, Ransom,” she said, gazing up at the castle. “I don’t know why I thought it would still look the way it did. That was foolish of me.”

He cocked his head slightly. “It’s a beautiful thing, Claire. It’s on good ground, and at least part of it is still standing.”

“Don’t joke,” she said with a mournful sigh. “It’s going to cost a fortune to repair. And years. Many years.”

“Whatever it takes, whatever it costs . . . we’ll get it done.”

“You say that now, but after a fortnight you’ll be wanting to go back to Glosstyr.”

“Why? Do you have plans to travel so soon?”

She shook her head, a little smile curving her lips. “You saw what it looks like in there. We don’t even have a bed to sleep on, Ransom. Everything is ruined.”

He shrugged. “All the barrels have been dragged away, all the chests broken open. But I think I saw a curtain rod still hanging. It’s something, at least.”

She grinned. “Does nothing dampen your spirits?”

“I once had only a broken suit of armor and a second-rate horse. My fortunes have improved drastically. Besides, we won’t bleed Glosstyr dry to repair Connaught. Those who allowed this neglect to happen have a duty to fix it. The council of lords meets in Atha Kleah every new moon until winter. We will go there and seek recompense.”

“What if they won’t pay?” Claire said with a dark look. “They know our position is weak. They’ll take advantage of it and say they’ve got naught to spare from having to fortify their own castles over the years.”

Ransom stroked Dappled’s mane. “Those who ally themselves with us early will receive the greater benefits. I think our first appointment should be a sheriff—one who collects the taxes. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Someone who doesn’t mind being hated?” Claire laughed. “Da always trusted Lord Toole. He’s the first one who comes to mind. But it’s no good having a sheriff if you cannot enforce the taxes.”

“I agree. But that won’t be Lord Toole’s duty. It is mine.” He gave her a dangerous smile. “We need to find out the biggest dog in Legault and humble him. The others will heel. Who might that be?”

Claire’s brow furrowed. “It’s not like the tournament circuit, Ransom. They are more devious here.”

He thought of the poisoner, Lady Alix, who could influence a person’s thoughts, and King Estian the Black. Although he couldn’t say he’d defeated them, neither had they defeated him. “All it will take is one example, Claire,” he insisted. “The rest will fall in line.”

“I’ll think on it. You’re my husband. Not just my champion.”

“While you are thinking of whom you’d like to have pay taxes first, I’ve another suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“My brother, Marcus, has spent much of his life working on the Heath. He’s learned quite a bit, and he knows all the best castle builders. I expect he can recommend people to help us restore Connaught. I could send Dawson to deliver the message.” Dawson was another member of his mesnie, one of the knights who’d been with him almost since the beginning.

“Yes, indeed,” Claire said, smiling brightly. “That would be lovely. It will take time, but I want to see this castle like I did as a child. I want our children to see it that way.”

“We’d best get started, then,” he said, smiling.

“Rebuilding?”

He felt a throb of love in his heart. It was good to see her smiling again. “No. I meant the other thing.”



It was back-breaking work, clearing stone and hoisting timbers. Ransom worked from dawn until dusk, leading by example, and Claire toiled every bit as hard, although she and her ladies focused on fixing the interior of the castle. Stone masons from Atha Kleah arrived on the second day and quickly constructed the scaffolds needed to repair the broken walls. Although they all bedded down at night on a straw pallet like servants, Ransom found it rewarding to build rather than break, and going to bed exhausted helped chase away nightmares.

One morning after their arrival, Claire announced she was going hunting and asked Ransom to join her. Workers continued to arrive, responding to the incentive of easy and abundant coin, and there were enough of them that the knights were needed for guarding and patrolling rather than laboring.