Sarah Woodbury - The Faithless Fool

A Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mystery

The Faithless Fool

by

Sarah Woodbury

Copyright 2021 by Sarah Woodbury

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

May 1149 . Unexplained death follows Gareth and Gwen wherever they go, as does their reputation for solving murders. So when a man turns up dead at Carlisle Castle, where the pair have traveled as representatives of Gwynedd, King David of Scotland naturally turns to them for answers.

But as the investigation unravels, fractures begin to appear within Gwynedd's proposed alliance, and once again, Gareth and Gwen find themselves at the center of a conspiracy with the throne of England on the line. The Faithless Fool is the fourteenth Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mystery.

Complete Series reading order : The Good Knight, The Uninvited Guest, The Fourth Horseman, The Fallen Princess, The Unlikely Spy, The Lost Brother, The Renegade Merchant, The Unexpected Ally, The Worthy Soldier, The Favored Son, The Viking Prince, The Irish Bride, The Princes Man, The Faithless Fool. Also The Bards Daughter (prequel novella).

www.sarahwoodbury.com

To Deborah

Cast of Characters

GwenPrince Hywels investigator, Gareths wife

GarethPrince Hywels steward, Gwens husband

LleloGareth and Gwens son

DaiGareth and Gwens son

ConallAmbassador from Leinster

GodfridPrince of Dublin

Caitriona (Cait)Godfrids wife, Conalls sister

DavidKing of Scotland

StephenKing of England

MaudHoly Roman Empress, rival to the English throne

HenryMauds son

HamelinHenrys half-brother

RanulfEarl of Chester

James CarrScottish nobleman

Margaret CarrJamess wife

Douglas MacGregorKing Davids commander

thelwoldBishop of Carlisle

Father DunstanPriest at Carlisle Castle

Chapter One

Carlisle Castle

22 May 1149

Day One

Gareth

K ing David of Scotland placed a naked blade on the shoulder of his great-nephew, Prince Henry, who was kneeling at his feet, and recited the words of chivalry in a commanding voice that carried throughout the hall.

Au nom de Dieu, je te fais chevalier. Be thou a knight in the name of God. Then he stepped back and made a motion with his hand. Avance, chevalier. Arise, knight.

As Prince Henry rose to his feet, stamping, shouts, and applause filled the hall. Henry was sixteen years old, exactly halfway in age between Gareths boys, Dai and Llelo, who were fifteen and seventeen respectively. Both sons had stopped cold at the sight of the prince receiving his knighthood from the King of Scots.

Envy was plain in their faces, prompting Gareth to put a hand on a shoulder of each. Your time will come. Never fear. The prince is young to be knighted, but he is also a prince and may one day be King of England. Do not begrudge him his day of glory. He paused a beat before adding in a low voice, still in Welsh and for their ears alone: The next one may be a long time coming.

The arrival of the Welsh party had been delayed, thankfully not by a storm in the Irish Sea, but by the slowness of the journey through the estuary at the mouth of the River Eden and then up the Eden to Carlisle Castle. With all the rain theyd been getting, a continuance of the rains of the winter, the river was running high and fast, so theyd been rowing upstream against a heavy current. At times, walking would have been faster, except they hadnt wanted to stop along the way. Although this area of Scotland had once been Norseand British before thatnow it was populated by people who cursed the sight of a Viking longship. And not without reason, given the centuries of Danish conquest and warfare.

That the ship flew the white flag of peace and was helmed by none other than the mighty Godfrid, Prince of Dublin, was beside the point. The people on shore didnt know who he was, nor that he had Conall of Leinster and Gareth of Gwynedd beside him. They saw only the round shields of Vikings hung on the sides of the ship and armed men at the oars.

Still, none of the locals had attempted to stop them, not only because a second look had reminded them of the folly of taking on Danish warriors, but also because the ship carried women and childrenGareths wife, Gwen, and their children, of course; and also Caitriona, Godfrids wife (and Conalls sister). Thus, they had reached Carlisle in one piece, found their lodgings at the cathedral guesthouse in the town, and then hastened to the castle. As it turned out, their timing had been perfect, and theyd entered King Davids majestic hall just in time to witness his bestowal of knighthood on Henry.

Having received a hug from his uncle and general congratulations from the other noblemen in his vicinity, Henry descended from the dais and made a beeline towards the Welsh party. Then, to Gareths utter surprise, Henry didnt stop a respectful distance away but walked right up to him to embrace him. Im so glad you are here! Pulling back, he seemed to realize that the hug had perhaps been slightly beneath his dignity. Clearing his throat, he added, Welcome to Carlisle.

Thank you. Gareth bowed gravely back.

Were you in time? Henry accepted everyone elses obeisance and then raised them up with an impatient gesture. Did you see?

We did, my lord, Gareth said. Congratulations. The honor is most deserved.

Henry made a face, again revealing himself to be sixteen and, in truth, no more (or less) mature than Gareths own sons. I am not a child begging for a sweet. I would not besmirch my uncles action by suggesting that I am undeserving of the honor, but we all know that I have led few men in battle up until nowand those with little success.