Chapter 659: An Escort
Early morning sunlight filtered through breaks in the clouds, casting bright, golden rays of light through the rain clouds that hung over Lothian City like a sodden blanket. In the outer courtyard of Lothian Manor, footsteps splashed through puddles on the cobblestone floor while servants bustled about, preparing horses and a carriage for a journey that looked like it might last several days.
Isabell watched over everything with a practiced eye as supplies and tools were loaded into the back of the carriage. She had no idea whether she would use any of these tools or not, after all, she had only informed Owain Lothian that she intended to survey the lands near the mouth of the Vale of Mists as a pretense for her departure. Whether or not she actually spent any time there would depend on what happened once she met up with Marcel in the village outside the city.
But since she had said that she was planning on surveying the lands that she and Guild Master Tiernan wanted to settle, she packed everything she would need including expensive parchment scrolls that were large enough to draw the landscape along with plane-tables, plumb chains, and even a heavy pace chain that measured exactly five hundred paces in length.
In fact, there was so much equipment that she briefly wondered if she should have added a small cart to their trip, but she firmly reminded herself, for what felt like the eleventh time, that all of this was just a show to distract Owain Lothian from the fact that she and Master Tiernan were about to vanish from Lothian Manor for several days.
"Master Isabell," A youthful, feminine voice called from across the courtyard. "Master Isabell, I’m so glad I was able to see you before you left," Jocelynn said with a practiced, polished politeness.
The smile that started to form on the silver-haired engineer’s face died the instant she turned to face the young Lady Blackwell. At her side, Owain accompanied her wearing an expression that said he would rather be anywhere else this morning though he banished the expression as soon as Isabell’s eyes fell on him. But Owain’s unpleasantness was something she could deal with. The sight that snatched the smile from her lips was the pair of men walking behind him.
Sir Hugo Hanrahan looked distinctly uncomfortable as he moved in his lightweight armor and he kept a hand on the pommel of his sword as if to ensure that he didn’t stumble over the weapon as he walked. Next to him, Sir Rain Aleese radiated a quiet menace in his well worn armor and the heavy sword at his side felt like it was a part of him rather than a mere accessory.
"Lady Jocelynn," Isabell said politely, offering a brief curtsey as they made their way across the courtyard to Isabell’s carriage. "Lord Owain. To what do I owe the pleasure of your attention this morning? I can’t imagine that my departure was something so important that you had to haul yourself away from your morning training."
"Or did you run out of soldiers to beat about the training yard after sending half your partners to the healers yesterday with cracked or broken bones?" Isabell asked, raising an eyebrow behind her silver rimmed spectacles as she calmly observed the fake smile plastered on the young lord’s face quiver and nearly crumble at her greeting.
"Master Isabell," he said, reigning in the explosive retort that fought to escape his lips and trying to maintain his air of superiority over the engineer that even his father was beginning to value highly. "My father heard of your plans to visit the lands near the Vale of Mists. I’ve warned you that it’s dangerous there, but since you insist, my father has ordered me to provide you with a powerful escort."