Margo Maguire

by The Virtuous Knight

  She watched him ride away, then returned to the inn, to the main room where the older children worked at their chores while they minded the younger ones. Somehow, Lucy got through the day, going to the window to look for Alex mayhap once in every hour.

  “It may be a greater distance than Edmund told him,” Anna said. She stirred the pot over the fire and handed her eldest daughter some bowls to take to the table. ’Twas past dark and nearing supper time. “He’s never been to Eryngton himself—only heard the tales of the road from travelers who’ve stayed with us.”

  That did not ease Lucy’s mind at all, for as it grew darker, she worried that Alex would not return to the inn until the morn.

  “Ah! Is that him I hear?”

  If ’twas, then he was on the wrong side of the road. This rider was approaching from the south.

  “Nay, ’tis more than one rider,” Edmund said, entering the kitchen. “’Tis those knights who stayed a few days ago. They’re back.”

  Lucy jumped up from her stool by the fire. “The black knights?”

  “Aye, I suppose you could call ’em that.”

  “They cannot discover us here!” Lucy cried. “They’ll track down my husband and…” She did not know what they would do. She could only assume they would fight to the death for possession of the Mandylion.

  Edmund and his wife exchanged a glance while Lucy stood in one corner of the kitchen wringing her hands. Clearly, she had to do something.

  “Get ye to yer chamber then, lass,” he said. “And don’t come out ’til one of us comes to tell ye it’s safe.”

  “Children, come!” Anna said, gathering them together in the kitchen. Lucy headed toward the main staircase while Anna admonished the children to stay in the back and eat their supper.

  Lucy’s room was not the only one on the second floor. There were other guest chambers, and if the knights were planning to let rooms—which, of course they were at this time of night—then the men would be situated right next to her. Worse, they would hear Alex’s approach and attack before Alex even knew they were there.

  Lucy had to do something to prevent that.

  The sound of the knights’ voices spurred her to action. She unlaced her kirtle and pulled it off, then changed into an old gown. A moment later and she had her belongings, as well as those that Alex had left behind, tied together in her blanket.

  The men were still outside, so Lucy hurried out of her chamber and down the stairs while she had the chance. She crossed the main room and went into the kitchen where the children had gathered for their supper. “What are ye…?”

  Lucy took Anna’s arm and stepped away from the children. “I must go,” she said, “and find my husband.”

  “Aye, I understand,” Anna said. “D’ye have all yer things?”

  Lucy nodded and drew out several coins from the pouch Alex had left her. She placed the coins in Anna’s hand and started when she heard the front door of the inn open and the men enter.

  “I can hear their voices.”

  “Aye,” Anna replied. “The sound carries in here.”

  “Mayhap ’twould be best if I stayed here for a bit to listen and see if I can learn their plans.”

  “I doubt yer husband would approve, Mistress Lucy,” Anna cautioned. “And what if he arrives just as these knights sit down to their meal?”

  “I’ll listen with both ears,” Lucy said. “One on the road, and one on the knights.”

  Anna shook her head, but protested no more. She went out to join her husband in welcoming the three men, and seeing them settled in rooms. Lucy talked quietly with the children while she waited for the knights to return to the main floor. All she wanted was to hear a few minutes of their conversation, to know what they’d learned about Alex, if anything.

  ’Twas strange that they’d returned here. Lucy guessed they must have surmised that Alex would arrive eventually—or they’d heard something of him in York. She glanced at the door and listened for him. Surely Alex would be cautious in his approach.

  It was ages before Lucy heard footsteps on the stairs again. While the men shifted chairs, Edmund came into the kitchen for ale and mugs. He shook his head at Lucy, but said naught before returning to the knights.

  Lucy knew that staying was risky. But going on without knowing these men’s plans might be worse.

  “…and Eryngton will hold him as long as it takes…” The man’s voice rose and faded, depending upon which way he faced when he spoke, Lucy supposed.

  Garbled speech followed, words that Lucy could not understand, no matter how hard she strained to hear.

  “…a wife…”

  “…cloth back to London…”

  “…wait another day for him to…”

  Anna bustled into the kitchen and took Lucy’s hands. “I’m a wreck from worry,” she said in a low voice. “Ye’ve got to go now. What if yer man returns and the knights…”

  Lucy nodded. “I’ll go,” she whispered. “It sounds like they plan to stay here for one day, anyway.”

  “Aye. That’s what they said.”

  Lucy picked up her bundle.

  “Go on past the stable and keep walking ’til ye find the path,” Anna said. “Be careful when ye first get on to the path. There’s a steep drop on the left side that ye don’t want to fall into.”

  She disappeared from the kitchen, only to return half a second later. “And find yerself a big stick. There’ll be wolves hunting out there sometimes, but they’re more likely to be wary of ye than y’are of them.”

  Lucy did not take time to be frightened. She said a quick goodbye to the children, then slipped out the back door.

  Taking Anna’s advice, she found a stout stick and picked it up, her memory of the wolf at Holywake too fresh in her mind to neglect her own protection. She pulled her cloak ’round her against the chill of the night, and hoped it would not rain—and that Alex had not decided to stay the night at Eryngton.

  In truth, she hoped that any number of mishaps would not occur, but that she would meet up with her husband sooner, rather than later.

  The clouds cleared away occasionally, and the half moon was bright, so Lucy managed to walk quite a long way without incident. No wolves, no encounters with people upon the road.

  Until she heard the approach of a horse and rider. There was no certainty that ’twould be Alex, so she left the path and concealed herself to await him.

  Nothing could induce Alex to leave the Mandylion with Hugh Kyghley. The earl was a man without principles, without conscience. Roger would never have wanted Alex to entrust the Mandylion to Hugh’s care.

  The trip to Eryngton had not been a waste of Alex’s time, however, for now he had a better understanding of the situation from which Lucy had escaped as a child. She had no idea how fortunate she was, to have been sent away from Eryngton.

  Though he knew her life had been harsh and lonely at Craghaven, Alex was certain she had fared better than the earl’s daughters. He did not believe he’d ever met two more slovenly, cruel or irreverent wenches in his life. He did not like to think of Lucy at Eryngton, at the mercy of those two.

  At Craghaven, Lucy had become a kind and compassionate woman. She was full of joy in spite of the hardships she’d suffered over the years, in spite of the misshapen leg that marred her perfect beauty.

  Except that if Alex noticed it at all, he thought it added to her perfection. She required no pity.

  He spurred his mare to a faster trot, anxious to return to her. She’d had a difficult night, learning that Roger had only recently died. He’d been the rightful earl of Eryngton for years, and never known it.

  He’d left his sister unprotected, and had not realized that, either.

  Alex rode on, glad of the moonlight, and decided they would remain at the Mortons’ little inn for another day or two—long enough for Lucy to recover from the news of Roger. It would give him time to decide what to do about the Mandylion, too. ’Twas obvious he could not ride the countryside inde
finitely, carrying it from place to place.

  Eryngton had spoken of Rievaulx Abbey, mentioning that he was on close, personal terms with the abbot. Which made the abbey a very unlikely place for Alex to leave the Mandylion. Still, he did not know that the abbot was a dishonest man. It might behoove him to see if he could find out if…

  “Alex!”

  He pulled up and listened.

  A moment later, Lucy came toward him from the shadows beside the narrow road. Alex dismounted quickly and went to her.

  “What’s amiss?” he asked, taking her arms in his hands. She dropped the bundle she carried. “Is aught—”

  “’Tis the black knights,” she replied. “They arrived at the inn a couple of hours ago, and I was worried you’d ride into the yard and they’d see you.”

  “Gloria Patri… Where are they now?”

  “At the inn,” she said.

  “Deus meus.”

  “Waiting for you, or…”

  “Lucy, it is dangerous for you to be—”

  She kissed him. Rising onto her toes, she’d reached up to pull him close and give him a searing welcome.

  But Alex was angry. She’d risked too much, coming out into the dark…walking this road alone…. He shuddered to think what might have happened.

  He set her away from him and picked up her bundle. “You should have waited at the inn.”

  “But Alex—”

  “Do you think I’ve lived more than thirty years without learning to be cautious?” he growled, even as he lifted her off her feet and set her upon Rusa’s back. “You risked too much, coming for me.”

  “But I—”

  “And your leg…” He mounted behind her. “You’ve already walked so far, you would never have been able to outrun a predator.”

  The thought of another wolf threatening her was almost more than he could bear. And his reaction alarmed him. He had begun to care too much.

  He had to put some distance between himself and Lucy, for he would not suffer the same pain when—

  “I do not understand why you are so angry,” Lucy said, turning to face him in the dim light. “When the knights came, I knew I had to warn you somehow. I am not some helpless—”

  “Aye. You are!”

  He heard her sharp intake of breath and knew that his words were too harsh.

  “’Tis true, you’ve had to save me from more than one disaster,” she said in a firm voice. “But this time, ’twas I who saved you!”

  “Ha!” The day had not yet come when one small, lame woman needed to rescue him from a catastrophe. He would certainly have noticed something different about the inn when he rode into the yard.

  “Alex?”

  Skelton’s men would never have been aware of his presence—

  “Alex!” She grabbed his tunic. “Someone’s coming!”

  Lucy did not have time to think about Alex’s cold reception. He moved so quickly, she could barely catch her breath, much less put together any coherent thoughts.

  He spurred Rusa into a gallop. They rode for only a few minutes, until they reached a bend in the road and Alex used one arm to ease Lucy down. He tossed her pack to her. “Hide!”

  Staying on horseback, he drew his sword, then turned to face whoever ’twas that had followed him from Eryngton.

  Lucy did naught to conceal herself, but remained at the roadside, standing amid some low brush. Two men rode toward Alex, wearing dark clothes. Their swords gleamed in the moonlight, but Lucy could not see their faces. She flinched when she heard the first clang of weapons, and dropped her bundle.

  Sword met sword as the two men tried to unseat—to kill—Alex, but he did not waver. With Rusa moving as though she were part of his body, and Alex using his sword so powerfully, the two attackers were at a disadvantage. Alex moved aggressively, forcefully challenging every thrust, every parry.

  When one attacker’s horse reared, nearly unseating its rider, Alex took advantage of the mishap. He thrust his sword, and with a sickening sound, the rider slumped and fell to the ground.

  Lucy kept her eyes on Alex and bit down on her fist to keep from crying out. The blows came faster and harder, his attacker fighting even more desperately now. Rusa moved forward as Alex fought the other man, and in the moonlight, it seemed that Alex was in control. Yet Lucy could not trust her impression of the battle in the dark. As long as the swords clashed, she remained terrified.

  She heard words exchanged between the two men, but could not make out what was being said.

  Alex’s remaining assailant suddenly fell from his horse. Without delay, he took up his sword and went after Alex, who also dismounted.

  The fierce battle continued with both men on foot. Alex was the more powerful of the two, and it seemed to Lucy that he dominated the battle, although she was still frightened that Alex’s assailant might somehow deliver a lethal—mayhap fatal—blow. Unable to tear her eyes from the sight of her husband fighting for his life, she wondered if there was something she could do to help him.

  He’d told her to hide, and she supposed that was what she should be doing—staying out of sight in the event that he was—

  Alex fell to the ground and the attacker lunged.

  But instead of impaling Alex with his sword, he missed his target when her husband rolled away and swung his own sword upward. Alex managed to jump quickly to his feet but the two men turned so that the attacker’s back was toward Lucy and she could not see. Her breath caught in her throat as the fighting resumed, and it seemed that she held her breath for an age.

  She was tempted to move closer to the fray, but Alex had clearly wanted her to remain out of sight.

  Muted sounds mixed with clanging swords and suddenly all was silent. One man fell to the ground and Lucy cried out.

  “Alex!” Her voice was unsteady. She stood at the roadside, her mind numb, her body immobilized by the shock of the sudden attack. She felt light-headed and faint, but did not waver when Alex gathered up Rusa’s reins and walked toward her, sheathing his sword.

  She could not keep from launching herself into his arms. “I was so afraid!” she whispered, her mouth against his hard hauberk.

  She felt his hand cup her head, then he staggered against her. “You’re injured!”

  “’Tis just…a small…”

  “Let me help you,” she said, moving to support him. She could not tell where he’d been hurt, but the injury was severe enough to keep him from moving easily.

  “Nay,” he replied and she saw his grimace. “I must deal with these bodies and then get us away from here.”

  “But the black knights will not be coming—”

  “Wolves, Lucy… We need pull these blackguards off the road, and then get ourselves far from this place.”

  Taking the horse’s reins in hand, Lucy retrieved her pack from the ground while Alex performed his grim task. She looped her blanket-pack over the saddle and led the horse back to Alex.

  “Where are you hurt?” she asked. He had already moved the first man off the road and was grabbing the other one’s arms to complete his task.

  “My wound is of little consequence.” Grunted mutterings of Latin prayers accompanied his efforts, which were quickly completed.

  “Help me round up the two horses,” he said. “They’re too valuable to let run free and they’ll be likely to have food in their saddle.”

  They had not wandered far, and before long, she and Alex had the three horses together and were ready to leave.

  “No!” Lucy cried as Alex lifted her into the saddle of one of the spare horses. “I cannot ride alone.”

  “You’ll manage, Lucy,” he said, not unkindly. But in his voice, she heard his eagerness to be away.

  The panic she felt was nearly as bad as when she’d watched Alex confront his two attackers. She had spent many an hour upon Rusa’s back, but Alex had been there to guide the horse. How would she do it on her own?

  “Tell me what to do,” she said, settling herself in the saddl
e.

  With a grunt of pain, he mounted Rusa and gave instructions to Lucy. “Just hold on to your saddle, and I’ll do the rest.”

  “Alex, I would see to your wound.”

  “Not now,” he said, keeping Lucy abreast of him while he led the spare horse behind them. They rode slowly, but did not stop for many miles as the moon arched and set.

  “There’s a path somewhere near here,” he finally said, “where someone pulls carts into the field,” he said.

  The light hue of a grassy field was easily visible. And Lucy could see Alex studying the roadside as they went past.

  He eventually found the tracks he sought, and turned Rusa and the other horses into the field. “The wolves will be occupied far from here,” he said.

  Lucy shuddered at the gruesome thought, but was grateful the fearsome animals would be unlikely to bother them now. She rode silently beside Alex, until they reached some bracken growing near a hedgerow. Finally, he stopped and dismounted.

  “This will have to do,” he said. In the dark, Lucy could see that he was moving slowly, painstakingly. He came ’round and helped her to dismount, then unhooked her pack from the saddle. “You brought everything in this one pack?”

  “Aye,” she replied. “’Tis not so much, and at least we’ll have blankets.”

  He did not respond, but lay the woolen spread out on the bracken and dropped on to it. Lucy hobbled the horses as she’d seen him do many times, and took his packs from Rusa’s back.

  “Where were you hurt?” she asked, kneeling next to him on the blanket.

  “Leg.”

  “Let me see it.”

  “’Tis too dark,” he said curtly.

  She ignored him and put one hand upon his leg, skimming upward from his shin to his thigh until she found the area wet with blood. “Alex, this needs to be washed out.”

  “Leave it.”

  Undeterred, she searched through his saddle packs until she found his water bag. She gently pushed up his hauberk and untied his hose, which she assumed had been sliced open as well. “How did he slash through your hauberk?”

  “He caught it on his upswing and sliced my leg,” Alex said, then muttered, “Nearly unmanned me.”