Feeling too tired to run up the steps she led the horse right up the steps to the house and pounded on the door before sliding off the horse and patting him on the shoulder. "Good boy, getting us here so fast. Now go to the stables and get yourself a nice rubdown and some food and water ok?"
She pointed and he whinnied his understanding and walked off at a slow pace to the stables; his sides heaving. Caiden and the other horses followed. He'd make sure they got taken care of right away and then be free to eat, bathe, and nap.
The door opened and the butler Hendry greeted her with a look of both confusion and stern disapproval, both of which she ignored. "Go fetch the captain and tell him to send his lightest swiftest men packing to be ready to go within the hour, and when he's given that order, have him meet me in the kitchen. Then go fetch the doctor and Uncle and have him meet me there too."
"The kitchen?"
"Yes I need food and water," she said trudging inside and heading toward the kitchens.
Jayleen, their cook looked up when she opened the door, dropped her pan into the sink, and rushed over while she whipped her hands clean of all the suds, before giving her a big hug and checking her over. "Dear god, what happened?"
"Aunt Cathy was poisoned, I need to inform Uncle and send some more guards for her trip back." Jayleen brought her a glass of water and she downed it gratefully. When she was done she handed her an apple and refilled her water glass.
She'd finished all that and was on her third glass of water when the doctor arrived and started fussing over her as she tried to explain that she hadn't called him for her. Then the captain of the guard came in and welcomed her with a big hug and worriedly asked what she needed of him. "Hold on just a minute we're still waiting on one more so I only have to explain everything once."
She finished off her third glass of water as a sandwich was placed in her other hand. Caiden entered and was given the same treatment as her by Jayleen and Carl the family doctor. Finally, her uncle appeared the Buttler standing discreetly behind him.
"What is the meaning of this?" her uncle asked.
"Your wife was poisoned, at the Marques' estate three and a half days ago."
"What!" he said shocked and she held up a hand.
"She was alive and doing better when I left for help, but it could be weeks before she is fully recovered, the doctor there is caring for her now so she should be continuing to recover. Due to the fact someone targeted our family, and with her in a weakened state I thought it best to show strength and send a larger guard to bring her back. I requested an investigation by the Marquies' family so they will likely have more details for you when you get there but I highly suggest you and the doctor go too.
"Your wife and son will want you there and long-distance travel isn't the easiest for someone still recovering so I think it best to send the doctor as the longer they stay away, the more chance someone has of trying again. They may not try again now that everyone will be alert to the potential danger but it's best to be safe, just in case as most attacks against nobility and the hardest ones to catch are carriage robberies."
Her uncle nodded and she continued looking to the captain. "Sir Thatch, ready 20 horses, and the first 8 of your guards ready." he saluted and ran off to follow her orders. Then she turned to the doctor. "Pack your bags lightly only what will fit in saddle bags and bring what you think best for treating poison, and general recovery."
"Uncle, pack light and bring lots of water, only what will fit in your saddle bags. You can have your clothes washed and a bath once you arrive. Hendry, please help him with that." both men nodded and left and she took a big bite of her sandwich.
"Jayleen, thank you for the food, you're a lifesaver. Could you do me another huge favor and ask the maids to start the water for two baths too please?"
"Of course, I already started some pots to boiling."
"Thanks, I'd like to bathe, then see everyone off before I go to bed."
Thirty minutes later she was bathed and had changed into her pajamas and a bathrobe with boots and was on her way to the stables to oversee the departure. First, she checked to make sure all the chosen horses' shoes had been properly inspected and were all healthy and well rested, then she started checking that everyone had arrived and was loading their horses with necessary supplies.
From around the corner, she heard Caiden speaking to some of the soldiers. "I know you don't particularly like the new lady of the house, but seeing as it is a mission given by Lady Kassidy you should treat it as the most serious of training exercises, especially since what she didn't say was that she had been the intended target of the assassination attempt. We need to make sure we are fully prepared to protect her if need be."
"Aww… you guys are so sweet, thanks Caiden," she said rounding the corner. He gave her a dirty look for mocking such a serious discussion, he always took his job very seriously; they all did. They might not have the largest army but they had a highly trained and dedicated group that could outperform units twice their size on the battlefields.
Her father had been a great commander, and although only a fourth of their troops returned, they returned with pride having contributed more to the war than the majority of the other houses combined. The exceptions were the royal army and the Duke's army as they both had outnumbered them by more than tenfold.
They never shied from the front lines, volunteered for all the hardest jobs had a higher kill rate per person than any other unit with a near-perfect mission success rate, and still had a quarter come home when most other units hadn't been so lucky.
The most surprising thing was that despite all they had seen, and done and been through, almost no one took the offered early retirement for having participated in the war. They're comradery was great and they knew they would heal better together than by going their separate ways.
She offered other nearby jobs for those few who had. Her father would never have abandoned them so neither would she. Their reputation had grown due to the war and their training program was full of recruits from all over, many from other units who'd felt neglected by their leadership or wanted to better their own skill set. They also had a bunch of young greenhorns who joined solely for the glory of working under their honored flag.
She recognized two such greenhorns and three transplants amongst the eight who were chosen. "It is a long ride at a fast pace, it will be strenuous and above all boring. Yes, I said it, boring. There is every chance absolutely nothing exciting will happen, but you need to be ready for it if there is; so stay vigilant.
"Your biggest risks to mitigate will be taking proper care of yourselves and the horses, don't jeopardize safety for speed, if one of you is hurt it will slow everyone down all the more. Your comrade's well-being is always imperative to every mission, and remember two of your crew will be untrained civilians and our doctor is past his prime (but don't tell him that I said that) if the doctor is hurt the mission is a fail."
They all nodded their heads most of them seemed to be over their shock of seeing her dressed in a robe and boots with wet hair. She grabbed one of their house flags from its post on the table wall and handed it to the leader. "You will ride flag down until you reach the Marques' estate, then you will ride in strong under our family's flag, for we may be small, but we are strong. So let our enemies see that and think twice before crossing us."
They saluted and shouted "Yes my lady" though one of the greenhorns mistakenly said "Yes my lord" and his comrades snickered and his face turned red.
"I'm sorry my lady"
She patted him on the shoulder to get him to look up as he'd stared at his feet. "Keep your head high with pride, I'll take your mistake as a compliment."
"Thank you, my Lady"
Minutes later they were off and she headed back inside under the disapproving look of the Buttler. But the ability to simply kick off her boots and flop on her bed made her wardrobe choice worth it. She wanted an early rise tomorrow as there was a lot she wanted to get done while the acting Earl was away.