by Anne Herries
‘Are you ready to leave, my lord?’
‘We but await my lady,’ Zander said and then something warned him and he turned to look at the stone steps that led to the solar. Elaine had taken him at his word and she was dressed, seemingly ready to continue.
‘You feel able to continue?’ Zander asked as she came towards him.
‘Yes, my lord. I am fully rested. I think we have not so far to go now.’
‘It is but a few hours’ ride from here,’ he said and offered her his hand. Even as she took it, Anne came up with them.
‘If you wished, Lady Elaine could stay until you are sure that rogue has not taken her lands. I should be glad of her company.’ Anne said, smiling at them, no trace now of the resentment he’d glimpsed earlier. ‘You know that you may trust my brother to guard her for you.’
‘I must go with Zander,’ Elaine said, an odd little shiver at her nape. Something told her not to stay here, though these people were clearly Zander’s friends. ‘My people will not be certain they can trust him unless I am there. If they have barred the gates against Newark, they will only open to me.’
‘The offer remains if you need it,’ Anne said. She smiled, but Zander noticed that her eyes were cold.
‘We thank you for the offer,’ Zander said and kissed the hand she offered. ‘Should my lady need sanctuary, I shall bring her to you until I can find somewhere for her to live.’
‘So you will marry her,’ Anne said, taking his vow for proof of his intention. ‘She will need a strong man to protect her, sir. She is the rightful heir not only to her mother’s dower lands, but also those of Howarth Manor. My brother will petition the king as soon as he returns to England and then Newark must make reparation or suffer the consequences of treason.’
‘Does his Majesty return?’ Zander asked. ‘I had not heard he was released from his imprisonment.’
‘Though most do not know it the ransom has been paid,’ Anne replied. ‘You will keep this to yourself, sir, for there are those who might seek to prevent Richard from returning to take back what is his by right.’
‘No word of this shall pass my lips,’ he said and bowed his head. ‘We thank you for your hospitality, lady.’
‘Return and you will be welcome. If you are settled at Sweetbriars, I shall hope to visit with you and you will visit with me sometimes.’
‘I shall be glad to have a friend,’ Elaine said. ‘Mayhap once Newark’s wings have been clipped I shall be able to ride out without fear of abduction.’
‘You need a husband to protect you,’ Anne said, smiled strangely and then turned away to her steward.
As they went out into the courtyard, Zander saw Philip standing with the escort he had offered. They carried his standard and a warrant demanding that the manor be handed over to Elaine, should the earl have sent men to occupy it. Lord Philip smiled and came up to them, bowing over the hand Elaine offered as she thanked him for his kindness.
‘It was an honour and a pleasure, Lady Elaine. If ever you are in need of my services, you need only send word. I shall make it known in the area that your manor is under my protection. The greedy barons may still try to make war on you, but draw up your bridge and send a servant to me and we shall relieve you within hours.’
‘You are very kind,’ she said and her cheeks flushed, perhaps because his look was so obviously admiring.
For a moment Zander frowned, then he offered his mailed fist to his friend. ‘You have my gratitude. You know I am committed to avenge my father, but if I live and you have need of my service in the future…’
‘I need only ask.’
The two men clasped hands. Zander brought forwards a beautiful white palfrey, which Elaine would ride side-saddle. The saddle itself was wrought of leather chased with silver and padded with red velvet, and the reins had fine silver tassles. The horse and tackle were expensive, much more so than those Elaine had left behind at Howarth. She imagined they belonged to the Lord of Stornway and thanked him.
‘Would that they were mine to give,’ Philip told her. ‘Zander had these things sent here some days ago, I presume as a gift for you. It is he you should thank.’
‘A gift…’ Elaine’s throat caught and her eyes opened in wonder. Her startled gaze went to Zander. Surely such a gift was meant as a wedding present? ‘I do not know how to thank you, for such a lovely gift. By what name is this beautiful creature called?’
‘Moonstone Lady,’ he said and laughed. ‘I see she pleases you, Elaine, and so is worth the king’s ransom I paid to a greedy Caliph who knew how much I wanted her. She came to England with us from the land of the Turks and is pure Arab.’
‘She must be worth a great deal.’ Her voice was breathy and something in his look at that moment made her heart race.
‘Some would say she is beyond price.’ Zander’s eyes made her wonder whether he spoke of the mare or her.
Elaine had thought he no longer loved her, that love had been burned away by bitterness and sorrow, but the look he gave her made her heart race. No man would give a gift like this if he were truly indifferent—would he?
‘It is the most precious thing anyone has ever given me,’ she said huskily. Gazing into his eyes, which looked dark and bottomless this morning, she felt a spasm of desire. Her mouth felt dry, her tongue moving over her lips as she tried to control the sudden leap of excitement. For one precious moment she had seen something in his eyes—something that reminded her of the youth that had left her to fight for his ideals.
She felt light-headed and almost swayed towards him. It seemed to her that his mouth softened and she longed to kiss him, to be held in those strong arms, as she’d been held so many years ago—but she had been a child then and now the woman she had become longed for more. His courtship had been gentle, never sullying her innocence, but she was a woman and ready for marriage now.
‘We must go,’ he said and gave her his hand. A feeling of intense pleasure shot through her at his touch, but she managed to control her emotions and not give herself away as he helped her up to the saddle, though her knees felt weak and her stomach clenched. He turned to his friend. ‘Farewell, Philip. You will hear from me—and if the lady needs you, I shall return her to you with your escort.’
They rode together over the drawbridge, the horses’ hooves clattering on the wood-and-iron bridge. Stornway was a stout fortress, one unlikely to be breached by anything less than a large army. It was a symbol of power held by the King’s Marshal, Lord Stornway, enforcer of the King’s justice in this area.
Elaine glanced at Zander as she accustomed herself to the palfrey’s ways. Although spirited and perhaps a little skittish in her excitement at being ridden for the first time in days, she was well trained to a lady’s touch.
‘You are pleased with her?’ he asked. ‘She was meant for an Eastern princess, but I thought she would be perfect for you, Elaine.’
‘Nothing could have pleased me better.’
‘I have other gifts. They are stored in chests and left with Lord Stornway until the time is right. Once you are settled at your home I shall have them sent to you.’
Elaine smiled, but made no answer. How could she accept such gifts unless he meant to wed her? She could not ask. The time for questions was not now, but so many buzzed in her head that she hardly knew how to shut them out.
‘I pray that we shall find all well with my people,’ she said. ‘I do not think they would easily yield to the earl and may have suffered for it.’
‘Your mother’s house is not as stout as Stornway, yet it would withstand a short siege. We must pray that we are in time.’
So saying, he increased his speed. Elaine touched her heels lightly to the palfrey’s flanks and felt her leap forwards. Excitement raced through her and as, for a while, they raced side by side over the flat terrain, her heart lightened. It was almost as if she were a girl again and Zander had never gone away.
When they approached the Manor of Sweetbriars, the gates stood open an
d Elaine’s mother’s standard still flew over the stone walls that guarded the house. They were hewn of mellow yellow stone and seemed to dream peacefully in the evening sun. Even so, Zander held up his hand to bring his men to a halt.
‘It may be a trap,’ he warned. ‘Newark imagined you alone, Elaine. He may have left the gates open so that you walk into his web like the cunning devil he is.’
‘What shall we do?’ she asked. ‘If I go forward alone—’
‘No! I shall not risk your safety. You remain here under guard while I send an advance party to see how the land lies.’
As they deliberated, a woman suddenly darted forwards from the side of the road and flung herself at Elaine’s horse. She had appeared to be picking herbs and no one had looked at her, but Elaine saw at once that she was her serving woman Marion.
‘Marion,’ she cried gladly. ‘I am so glad to see you. I feared that something might have happened to you. Where is Bertrand?’
Marion looked distressed. ‘The earl’s men took Bertrand. He told me to run and hide while he rode off. They gave chase and I was unnoticed in the bushes as they followed. Later, I saw them return and he was their prisoner. He had been bound, his hands behind his back, and lay over the back of a horse.’ A little sob came from her lips. ‘They brought him here and I followed. I dared not go into the courtyard, though the bridge is always left up. I do not know if he lives…or even if he is still here, for they say some prisoners were taken away to the earl’s stronghold.’
‘I am so sorry,’ Elaine said. ‘Forgive me. I should never have let you sacrifice yourselves for me.’
‘Bertrand would die for you, as should I, lady.’
‘How many men?’ Zander barked suddenly. ‘Is the earl there himself? How many men does he have here?’
‘How can Marion know these things?’
‘I have not wasted my time, sir,’ Marion told him proudly. ‘The opinion of those who go in and out regularly with provisions is that there is no more than twenty men-at-arms at the most.’
‘Thank you, lady.’ Zander nodded to her. He looked thoughtfully at one of his men. ‘Sir Robert. Will you ride ahead with the King’s Marshal’s flag, please? Demand the surrender of the manor in the king’s name. If they throw down their weapons and surrender, we shall follow with the women.’
‘Yes, my lord. You will wait here with the others?’
Zander shook his head. He looked at a man driving a cart loaded with fruit and vegetables. ‘Have the driver come here to me. He looks much my size. I shall buy his cloak, hood and boots. It will be as well to have someone on the inside in case they try some kind of treachery.’
‘What if they refuse and bring down the gate?’
‘Exactly.’ Zander smiled. ‘It is for that reason that we need someone on the inside.’
‘Let me go in your place, lord,’ Janvier said. ‘You are not strong enough to fight your way out.’
Zander hesitated, then, ‘You may come with me, hidden in the cart.’
‘I pray you, do not leave me,’ Elaine cried. ‘If you were caught or killed…’
‘Then my men will escort you to Stornway.’ The flicker of a smile was on his lips. ‘I am not that easy to kill, Elaine. Wait here if you care for me. I should be more at risk if the earl took you.’
‘We’ll go into the village and hide,’ Elaine said. ‘Even if Newark’s men are in the house, my people will not betray me.’
‘Go with her and guard her well,’ Zander instructed his men.
The driver of the cart had proved only too willing to exchange his clothes for the lord’s gold, but when he saw Elaine he would have given them for nothing.
‘Let me come with you for my lady’s sake,’ he cried. ‘Alone we could do nothing for the earl came under guise of friendship and tricked us into thinking our lady was his wife.’
‘At Howarth, he also played a trick to take the castle,’ Marion said. ‘He is an evil coward.’
‘Yes, come with us,’ Zander said to the villager, ‘but your money will be paid—to your family if need be.’
The man nodded, remounting his cart and telling Janvier to hide beneath the sacks of food, which were piled high. Zander rode beside him in borrowed clothes, a villager’s hood over his head.
‘Come to the village, my lady,’ a woman urged. ‘Come quickly and we shall hide you should the earl’s men come looking. We have a place to hide food that Prince John’s taxmen would otherwise take from us. Always, they take everything we have, though they are entitled to no more than three-tenths.’
‘Such iniquitous taxes shall cease when I am your lady here,’ Elaine promised. She gave her precious palfrey to one of the soldiers, choosing to walk with Marion and the others into the village. ‘Wait here for your lord—but go to him if he needs you. I shall be safe enough in the village.’
Zander’s second-in-command looked at her uneasily. ‘My lord bid us guard you, lady.’
‘I am with my people now,’ Elaine said. ‘My lord may need your services and I shall be safe in the village.’
‘None shall find her until her lord comes,’ the woman said, clutching Elaine’s arm. ‘Come now before the earl returns. He took a hunting party out early this morning and has not yet returned, but may do so at any time.’
Elaine hurried away with the woman. Zander’s men looked uneasily at each other, knowing that he would be displeased if his orders were disobeyed, but even as they debated whether to go after her they heard shouts from the manor and the sound of steel against steel.
‘We should join them…’
‘My lord said to wait here and protect the lady…’
‘She hath gone to the village. We protect Zander…’
As they argued, one of them turned and saw a party of some eight or nine men approaching. They wore Newark’s colours of black and yellow, and the runners and dogs clustered about the horses told them it was the earl’s hunting party returned.
‘We stay here and prevent them reaching the manor,’ Sir Robert said. ‘If they come up on his back, Zander will be vulnerable. They do not pass us.’
A murmur of agreement issued from every throat. Their duty was now clear and as one they turned to face the earl’s men. It was obvious that the oncoming party had sensed something was wrong; they were few in number, for there were only six mounted knights. The others were servants and armed for hunting rather than fighting. They had the carcasses of a deer and also a wild boar strapped to a packhorse at the rear.
It was easy to pick out the earl. His men were looking to him for judgement. He deliberated for a while, then sent a man forwards.
‘The Earl of Newark demands to know who you are and why you dare to block his way?’
‘We are here in the name of the King’s Marshal, Lord Stornway,’ Sir Robert said. ‘We bear his standard and a warrant for the surrender of the lands you have unlawfully taken from the Lady Elaine.’
His voice had carried the short distance to the earl’s men. Some shouted their defiance and would have drawn their swords, but their master gave the order to wait. He looked towards the manor house and saw that a new pennant had been raised—it was the King’s Marshal’s standard, placing Sweetbriars under his protection. Now any man that lifted a hand against the manor would be guilty of treason and outlawed on the king’s return to his kingdom.
Some of the earl’s men were still arguing for attack, but the earl ordered them to stop. Then he turned his own horse and raced off, his mounted men following after, though one or two looked back in anguish as though they retreated against their will.
The packhorse, most of the dogs and the huntsmen had been left behind. They debated for a moment, then walked towards Stornway’s mounted men-at-arms, and one of the huntsmen looked up at Sir Robert.
‘We served the earl because he forced us, lord—but we are the Lady Elaine’s men and would serve her if she will have us.’
‘Take the meat into the manor,’ Sir Robert said. ‘If The earl r
eturns and lays siege, we shall need all the food we can store.’
‘Yes, lord.’ The huntsman signalled to the others and they began to run or walk towards the manor house, the dogs barking wildly as they followed.
Sir Robert decided to lead his men into the manor, but as he approached Zander came riding towards him. He rode up to them, looking pleased, for there had been but token resistance and the Earl of Newark’s men had soon surrendered once they saw the King’s Marshal’s standard. Ten of them, led by a man called Stronmar, had asked for permission to leave and been given it under a white flag, but fifteen had fallen to their knees, begged pardon and asked to be given service by Zander. It seemed they hated the earl, but had been forced to serve him. Now they were free they had chosen to remain at Sweetbriars to serve a new master. The outcome had pleased Zander very much, but now, when he saw that Elaine was not with his men, his smile vanished.
‘Where is my lady?’
‘The villagers took her and her woman into the village to hide her.’
‘And you allowed it?’ Zander’s face darkened. ‘If she is harmed or has fallen into Newark’s hands…by God, you’ll wish you’d followed my orders.’
Sir Robert did not answer. He had allowed the lady to have her way. Had they not held true, the earl might have attacked from the rear. The men in the castle would not then have surrendered so tamely and more blood would have been shed. Yet he made no attempt to defend himself, for the order to protect the lady had been given.
Unaware of the injustice of his harsh words, Zander galloped on towards the village, his horse bursting upon the startled villagers in a cloud of dust as he skidded to a halt. He leaped down from its back, sword in hand, bristling with rage as he demanded to know where Elaine was. His anger succeeded in convincing the men of the village, who thought him a stranger bent on evil and formed ranks, their stout cudgels at the ready to defend their lady. Sir Robert and some of the men came upon a scene fraught with tension. Had Elaine not rushed into the small circle of men, murder might have been done at any moment.
