Page 18 of Cadell the Dragon

Oh Lord.

Everything within Cadell surged. He wanted to do much more than help her dress. He was aching to bury his nose in the crook of her neck, which she had so daringly exposed, his fingers were itching to rake through the luscious strands of her hair, and he was desperate to undo the linen laces rather than tighten them. Nevertheless, he did as he was told, acting like a lady in waiting for the first time in his life. He had to be careful, he told himself again, or risk ruining everything.

“Come,” he said once he was happy with the result. “There is food waiting in the main hall. And I have asked the people to gather in the bailey. It is high time they were reminded how they should behave. Which do you want to do first?”

She swallowed, looking nervous at the idea of the confrontation. “I-I am not hungry.”

“Let’s go speak to the people then.”

Everyone, as far as he could judge, was already waiting for them. Good, they had not ignored Cadwgan’s orders. That was a start. Cadell nodded his satisfaction and guided Johanna over the area in front of the barbican.

A girl, who’d been standing to the side, tried to melt into the crowd as soon as she saw them appear. This must be Efa, the one Johanna had mentioned yesterday, the one who always fled at her approach. No doubt the girl intended to disappear again now, even before he started talking.

“You, there, Efa, stay where you are,” Cadell ordered. “This concerns you as well.”

The girl turned to him with wide eyes, shocked that he had singled her out and appeared to know her name. Looking scared, she placed herself next to a stout matron, who rested a comforting hand over her thin shoulders. This did little to reassure him. Did they really think their mistress was that cruel? Had they even bothered to look at her? She was the most patient and generous person he knew.

Nodding to her, he started to talk.

“I have brought you here today to explain what is going to happen in the next few weeks.”

He had told Johanna in advance what he was going to say, and made sure to talk slowly, so that she could follow the gist of it.

“Lady Johanna, your mistress, is really the one in charge, as you all know. I am only here to make sure that her instructions are obeyed. With me to relay her words to you in Welsh, there will be no more pretending you do not understand her wishes. With me keeping an eye on you, there will be no shirking of duty. And there will most especially not be any disrespecting her,” he added, anger rising in his chest. That was the most important. “I will punish anyone caught not showing her the respect she deserves.”

“She’s English,” someone muttered.

“Yes, she’s English,” he snapped back, not bothering to hide his irritation. “She’s also a brave woman, a fair and competent ruler, determined to restore Bryn Glas to what it should be and make sure your lives are more comfortable. Why do you think she came back here when she could have stayed in England, washing her hands of her husband’s estate and its tenants? I’m not asking you to give her a chance, I’m telling you you will heed her command, or else you will have me to answer to.”

“Who are you to order us about anyway?” someone else called out. This time, Cadell saw who it was. The speaker was none other than the man who had been asked to look after the horses the evening before.

Cadell strode over to him, the crowd parting to let him through.

“I’m not ordering you about. I’m only ensuring you treat your lady and mistress with respect and obey her instructions, as you should have from the moment she arrived,” he said through gritted teeth. Couldn’t these people see that it was in their best interest to allow the place to flourish? Who wanted to live in such poor conditions? “At the moment, I’m no one, but I can quickly become your worst nightmare. Is that understood?”

A murmur of assent spread through the crowd.

“Good. I’ll start by going round the castle with her ladyship and making a list of all that needs to be repaired, cleaned, replaced or moved. ’Tis not only the roof of the tower that will demand our attention, though that is the most pressing matter. The castle has been left in a shameful state of abandon.”

“Lord Rhun was not here, he was fighting for Welsh freedom, with Llywelyn Bren and the men⁠—”

“Lord Rhun did what he had to do. And you should have done what you were supposed to do in the meantime, not leave the place to fall apart. In any case, he’s not here anymore. His wife is, and she wants to improve your situation and ensure your safety. So you will allow her to do that.”

Rhun had a lot to answer to, that was true. By doing what he thought was his duty as a Welshman, he had woefully neglected his responsibilities to the people depending on him—especially his wife. Cadell’s anger flared anew. The man had taken Johanna from him, only to make her miserable. All these years, he had tried his best to tell himself that she was happy with the husband she had chosen, and who was a good man. But he had been wrong and things had not been that simple. Rhun had been a good man and a brave warrior, but apparently not a good husband or an efficient master of his castle. It was a fact that he had neglected his wife and left his domain to ruin. His fight for freedom was commendable on principle, but Cadell could not help but feel he should have paid more attention to the people who actually needed him instead of chasing after an elusive dream.

Say what everyone might, the country had been under English rule since ’83. That was forty years, far longer than Cadell or even Rhun had been alive. Wasn’t it time people accepted the new reality?

The Scottish victory at Bannockburn less than a decade ago had weakened Edward II’s power and stirred ideas of revenge in some Welshmen’s hearts. Cadell understood why that might be, but what had happened in Scotland still didn’t mean a new conquest was feasible. Rhun should have centered his responsibilities on the people depending in him, like Johanna was trying to do. Honorable ideas and loyalty to one’s country did not protect anyone from the cold or put food in people’s bellies.

“We will meet tonight in the great hall, where you will hear Lady Johanna’s wishes and instructions,” he concluded. “And tomorrow, we start.”

Having had their orders, everyone dispersed. With luck, they would now start working in earnest.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Johanna murmured, as he offered his arm to lead her back to the main hall. “I didn’t mean to put you out.”

“You’re not. I’m only doing what I was raised to do. And would be doing on my own estate if it had not been taken away ten years ago.”

“Of course.”