Château de Vries in Normandy—August 27, 1375
Château de Vries in Normandy—August 27, 1375The keep was finer than Murdoch anticipated, but then, it was said to have been the prize Jean le Beau esteemed above all others. It only made sense that the old villain had seen it lavishly maintained after seizing it, even if he seldom crossed its moat himself. Murdoch would never have guessed that the holding was funded by the spoils of war, for all was gracious and elegant, even the châtelain who betrayed neither surprise nor relief that his lord and master arrived in a rough sack, tossed on a cart driven by a lone Scotsman.
As Murdoch had intended, his burden gained him access not only to the keep but a welcome befitting an honored guest. He stood in the chapel, a mere day after his arrival, mar
