"M'lady," Rowena's voice held a worried note to it.<br/><br/>Looking up from the ledger she was going over, Duchess Maria Bennett tried to focus on her maid. Her mind was still spinning with numbers and it took her a moment to focus on the elder woman's concern. Maria's late husband, the duke, had insisted she learn arithmetic and reading, to help run his estate. He had held a distrust for scribes and preferred to keep his accounts himself. The act had been timely. No sooner had she completed her learning and begun to help him in running affairs, he had gone to the arms of the Goddess, leaving the full of it to Maria.<br/><br/>"M'lady?" Rowena's voice had become more insistent.<br/><br/>Shaking her head to clear it of her reverie, Maria set down her quill. "I'm sorry, Rowena. What is it?"<br/><br/>"M'lady. The Rolfe children found a strange man down by the shore. The men flushed him out of the small wood between there and the huts. They are saying the man is wild. With long hair and a beard. He had a spear with him, which he threw down, but no one can understand him. He speaks a strange language.”<br/><br/>“A wild man?” Maria frowned. “You say he threw down his spear?”<br/><br/>Rowena nodded. “Yes, M’lady.”<br/><br/>Maria stood, gathering her skirts. “Order my horse saddled and tell Garth the blacksmith to accompany me. I’ll use the side saddle. No time to change into riding leathers.”<br/><br/>“You don’t mean to go down there yourself, surely?” Rowena’s tone was disapproving.<br/><br/>“Indeed, I do, Rowena. Now please go and order my horse saddled so that it will be ready by the time I get to the courtyard.” Maria sprinkled some sand over the ledger to make certain the ink would be dry as Rowena curtsied and left the room.<br/><br/>Maria looked up at the books lining the walls of what had been her husband’s private study and sighed. The deep mahogany wood of the furniture within and the thick rugs on the floor made her think more than ever of her late husband. She liked being in the room because it often made her feel near him. Since his death, she had often been found asleep on the heavily padded chair in the corner of the study in only her shift. Rowena had learned to take it in stride, though the first time it had happened, the matronly woman had been sick with worry until Maria had been found.<br/><br/>Taking a deep breath, the Duchess steeled herself and left the study, going through the halls of the castle until she came out to the courtyard. Her horse, Daisy, was saddled and ready. Garth was astride another horse to the left, as was Rowena. Maria mounted with the help of a groomsman and quirked an eyebrow at Rowena. The older woman looked back at her calmly. It was obvious the maid was coming along to make certain Maria would be safe and handle herself properly. Smiling to herself, Maria flicked her reins and headed out the gate to see this wild man for herself and figure out what needed to be done about him.