I invited Lady Yolana to join me and Nonna for a visit to the sheep farm.
With the well completed, we no longer had to worry about a source of water for the animals and our farmhands in the living quarters.
Five women from the abbey—all of whom had volunteered to come—were tending to the sheep. One of the women’s parents had been shepherds, which was reassuring.
We had already purchased fifty sheep, which were now grazing freely in the meadows. We would shear them for wool late next spring.
Lady Yolana wore a wide-brimmed hat and gazed at the farm with interest.
“Victoria, this is such a lovely place,” she said.
“Isn’t it, though, Lady Yolana? It’s one of my favorite spots.”
“Lady Yolana, the water from this well is so cold and delicious!” Nonna exclaimed.
“Oh, I’ll have to taste it, then, Nonna,” Lady Yolana replied.
“Okay! You can try some when we have tea in the house. Mom, I’m going to play with the sheep for a bit!” Nonna had been behaving with perfect manners up until this point, but she could no longer hold back. “Yahoooo!” She let out an excited squeal and charged into the flock of sheep.
The sheep moved in a group to keep their distance from her. Since she acted like this every time we visited, they were used to it now and neither panicked nor grew angry. Still, they clearly found her a nuisance, which was amusing to see.
“It’s so fulfilling to see you build such a happy life for yourself, my dear. Your happiness brings me joy, Victoria.”
“Lady Yolana…”
“The day you left that note and disappeared, I went over to your cottage and cried. You’d been living as if you were always ready to run away at any moment,” she said.
“I’m so sorry I caused you so much worry.”
“It wasn’t quite worry, Victoria. I don’t have a daughter, but I selfishly thought of you as my own. And it was frustrating I could do nothing to help you. But now I can rest easy. You have a baron for a husband, you’ve joined the nobility, and you have this farm and your workshop. You can spend your days in peace,” she said.
“That’s right,” I said.
“However, it does seem Nonna’s lessons in etiquette are a bit behind…”
“Yes…”
I couldn’t say with certainty that my situation was secure yet, but there was no need to tell Lady Yolana that and make her anxious.
The sheep had moved a great distance from Nonna to avoid her, but she still hadn’t given up on playing with them. I watched with exasperation as the creatures finally grew angry and began head-butting her.
I probably ought to stop her; there were so many sheep, things could get dangerous.
“Lady Yolana, Nonna and I are going to our favorite bookstore next. Would you like to join us? They have some gorgeous antique parchment books there.”
“Oh, I love looking at beautiful books! I’d be delighted to go with you.”
“Wonderful. Nonna! Come back here!”
Nonna came racing back, the wind whipping past her. She now smelled of sheep from touching them so much. After I made her clean up with soap, the three of us set off for Sandor’s Used Books. Tea would have to wait until next time.
Sandor’s Used Books had returned to its original name after its temporary stint as Zachary’s Used Bookstore.
The owner welcomed us with a smile, and the three of us perused the shelves.
All of a sudden, two women sprinted past the shop window at an alarming speed, glancing nervously behind them. It was clear something was going on.
“Mom!”
“Let’s go. Lady Yolana, please wait inside.”
“But whatever are you planning to do?”
“I’ll explain later.”
And with that, Nonna and I rushed out of the bookshop. The two women ahead of us ran hand in hand, but one was stumbling as if she might collapse at any moment.
Nonna sprinted at incredible speed and caught up with them in no time, glancing back at me. I turned just as three men closed in on us from behind.
There was no one else in sight. It was possible someone could be watching through a window, but at this point, my hands were tied.
“Get out of the way!” one of the men yelled roughly, glaring at me as they ran. I put on a frightened expression and stood in their way, pretending to be bewildered.
Come on, then.
I shifted as if to let them pass, still feigning fear, but just as they ran by, I jabbed my elbows out sharply. Stumbling, I pretended to lose my balance while hitting all three of them with shoulder and elbow jabs.
“Argh!”
“Ouch!”
“Gah!”
If I had collided with them head-on, the impact would’ve sent me flying, as I was much lighter than them. But this way, I could deal damage while slowing them down at the same time.
“Keep chasing them, you two! Hey, lady! Just what do you think you’re doing?!” The man at the front of the pack barked orders to his companions, then turned to face me. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Of course not! I was just so scared that I didn’t know what to do! How dare you accuse me of such a thing!”
“Don’t lie. You must be with those women!”
“I am not!” I shouted, then ran toward a narrow alleyway. The path was cramped with small shops and dim even though it was daytime. Fewer eyes would be on us here. I headed into the tight space, drawing the man after me. A brick wall blocked the way at the end of the alley.
I kept my back to the wall as I faced the man, and he grinned like a wolf that had cornered its prey.
“So? Who are you?” the man asked.
“Who are you? Why were you chasing after those women, and what are you planning on doing with them?”
“That’s none of your business. Or maybe it is, if you’re with them.”
The man inched his way closer, and I backed up step-by-step. I refrained from taking out my dagger because…
…Nonna dropped from a nearby rooftop and kicked the man right in the head with a thwack! She made a graceful landing, immediately falling into a basic Shenese martial arts stance. The man crumpled to the ground before he even glimpsed Nonna’s brave figure.
“Lay one hand on my mother, and you’ll pay! Oh, wait. It looks like I knocked him out,” she said with a shrug.
“What about the women, Nonna?”
“I told them to wait inside the bookstore before I came back here.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll hand this guy over to the guards and return to the shop. You go stay with the women. What about the other two men?”
“I asked someone who was passing by to call the guards and left them there. They’re out cold, but I can go check.”
I cut off two pieces of the unconscious man’s shirt with my dagger, then used the fabric to tie his hands behind his back and secure his ankles tightly before following Nonna. The other two men were unconscious just ahead, and I tied them up in the same fashion.
“I thought I heard a commotion. You sure do things in style.” I turned at the familiar voice—it was Zaharo.
“Perfect timing. Can you keep an eye on these men so they don’t escape? There’s another in that alley. We need to watch him, too.”
“Sure thing. I’ll go get him and add him to the pile.”
“He might put up a fight, though.”
“Ha!” Zaharo chuckled softly and gestured with his chin for me to head into the alley. He seemed confident, even though carrying a grown man wasn’t easy. He gave me a questioning look as he gestured toward the alley as if to say, “Here?” and I nodded. The man was awake, struggling to free his bound hands and feet.
“Hey, now. Wait just a minute. Don’t try to wriggle your way free. You don’t want to get knocked out again, do you?” Zaharo’s voice was low and menacing, completely the opposite of his usual demeanor. I almost turned to look at his face in surprise, but I kept myself in check.
Zaharo quickly pulled a stylish black handkerchief from his chest pocket and blindfolded the man, before digging his knuckles into his back.