by Ana Seymour
“Aye.”
“What could they be talking about?”
Ranulf shrugged. “Something too important for women or knights who’ve not yet earned their spurs,” he said.
She sensed that he was feeling the same resentment as she for being left out.
“Something important enough to postpone a wedding that your brother professed to want more than anything,” she added.
Ranulf gave her a sympathetic glance. “He did want it, milady. He does want it. He’s crazy in love with you.”
She shrugged. “Everyone seems to tell me that but your brother himself.” Once again she rose to her feet to pace the length of the chamber.
By the time the meeting ended, Alyce had gone from hurt to angry.
Thomas went to her immediately. “Forgive me, sweetheart,” he said, his voice distracted. “The timing on this was unfortunate.”
“Aye,” she agreed.
He didn’t appear to notice the flare of fire in her eyes. “We’ve been discussing tactics. I shouldn’t reveal much to you, since it’s safer for you not to know, but I do need to tell you one thing.”
She could almost feel the steam rising from her hot cheeks. “And what might that be?” she asked.
“Philip of Dunstan has taken over Sherborne Castle.”
She gasped and took a step backward. She’d thought her problems with Dunstan were over now that she’d been betrothed to Thomas, but it seemed as if the man was going to bedevil her the rest of her life.
Thomas took hold of her elbow to support her. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault for not posting men there immediately after our betrothal. I didn’t expect him to make such a move.”
“Nor did I,” she agreed. “But what about my people? There has been no violence? Is everyone all right?”
He nodded. “We had no reports of anyone putting up resistance. I assume that with you not there…” His voice trailed off.
“It was easy for the baron’s men to walk in and take over,” she finished.
“Aye.” He looked away, his face glum.
“I’m going home,” she said. “I’ll start immediately.”
He snapped his head back to look at her. “You most assuredly will not,” he said. “The last thing we need is for Dunstan to seize you as a hostage.”
“When he came before, he let me go as soon as he heard about King Richard’s return. I don’t think he’d dare hurt me.”
“I’m not willing to take the risk. Last time, he hadn’t had time to consult with Prince John. This time he has, and evidently it’s part of the prince’s strategy to consolidate his hold over England.”
“Which makes a little place like Sherborne important?” she asked, already knowing the answer to her question.
“Aye. As soon as Richard leaves the country this time, we believe John will have everything in place to seize the crown for himself.”
Alyce’s head was pounding. She put her hands to her temples. “I don’t care about John or Richard. I just want Sherborne to be left in peace.”
Thomas bent to give her a quick kiss. “And so it shall, sweetheart. I’m going to see to it. In the meantime, don’t you worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it?” She shook her head in disbelief.
He paused. “Well, try not to. I’ll send word back as soon as I can.”
“You won’t have to send word anywhere, because if you’re riding to Sherborne, I’m riding with you.”
Ranulf had politely remained in his window seat to allow them to talk privately, but when he saw the expression on his brother’s face, he stood and walked over to them. “What’s going on, Thomas?” he asked.
“It’s Dunstan again. He’s seized Sherborne Castle, and my stubborn bride is determined that she’s going to charge right up there.”
“It’s her castle,” Ranulf said mildly.
Alyce shot him a smile.
“Aye, it’s her castle, but it could be her life if Dunstan gets hold of her. She’s staying safely here at Nottingham until we take care of this.”
“Nay, I’m not,” Alyce said firmly.
Ranulf looked from one implacable face to the other, then asked brightly, “So…are we still planning a wedding for this afternoon?”
There had been no wedding. Alyce had ridden with Thomas and his men to Sherborne.
King Richard himself had decided it. “She’s the lady of Sherborne, Thomas,” he’d said. “She has an interest in seeing it safely back in her keeping.”
Her victory came at the cost of Thomas’s anger. He’d scarcely spoken to her on the road, and she knew that if she gave him the least cause, he’d send her straight back to Nottingham, bound hand and foot, if necessary. For the most part, she stayed away from him, riding with Ranulf, who Thomas had grudgingly let join the party at the last minute.
“My brother just wants to keep you safe, Alyce,” the young knight told her as they moved along toward the back of the procession, which included all the “Havilland” knights, plus a number of King Richard’s soldiers.
“I know, but I have the right to make the decision for myself. He should understand that.”
Ranulf nodded sympathetically. “He’s used to telling people what to do, I’m afraid. And he’s always been stubborn.”
“Pigheaded, I’d call it,” she grumbled.
“Thomas may have finally met his match, however,” he said with a grin.
She answered his smile briefly with one of her own, but it was short-lived. She was too worried about what she would find when they reached Sherborne to stay lighthearted for long.
After a day and a half of hard riding, they reached the outskirts of Sherborne. Thomas had sent men ahead to find them a secluded campsite where they could rest and reconnoiter until they found out the status inside the castle.
He had little to say to Alyce after their arrival, other than to tell her that a tent had been set up for her at one edge of the camp if she was tired. But she was far too worried to sleep, and when Thomas called a meeting on a small hill above the campsite that afternoon, she insisted on attending.
“How can you be certain what’s going on inside?” she demanded. She was sitting with Kenton and some of Richard’s knights at the far end of the circle from Thomas. He had ignored her until her question made that no longer possible.
“Fantierre has sent word of conditions inside the castle,” he said tersely.
Alyce was surprised. “He is still with Dunstan? I thought he would rejoin Richard as soon as the King came back to England.”
Thomas shook his head. “It was decided that Dunstan would continue to bear watching, especially since Richard is to leave again so soon.”
“Did he say who the hostages are?” she asked, willing herself to keep her voice steady, though her insides were trembling. The word from inside Sherborne was that the Dunstan forces were in peaceful control of the castle, a peace that was guaranteed by the holding of prisoners. Dunstan had threatened that any incidence of resistance against his men would mean that one of the prisoners would be executed.
Thomas shook his head. “He has several. Two of them are children. One is your chamberlain.”
Alyce closed her eyes. Poor old Alfred. He was too frail to stand up to any rough treatment.
“Dunstan’s men are good fighters,” Kenton said.
Martin the Reaper sat on the other side of him. He looked up with a grim smile. “Not as good as we are,” he said. “I say we go in and take them.”
Thomas shook his head. “A pitched battle would cost Sherborne lives as well as some of our own.”
Kenton looked angry. “That’s what Prince John and Dunstan are counting on. England’s at peace. They don’t think we want to start another bloody civil war, to go back to the days when Saxons and Normans vied for how many villages they could pillage.”
“Still, the king sent us to scope out the problem, not to fight a battle,” Thomas said calmly. “In the meantime, three other castles have
been taken over by John’s supporters.”
“They’re waiting for Richard to cross the Channel again, and then they’ll make their move,” Martin said, and several of the other men around the circle nodded in agreement.
Alyce was feeling increasingly frustrated by the conversation. She didn’t care about John or Richard. All she knew was that her people were in jeopardy. And no one seemed to know what to do about it.
“I’ll go speak to Dunstan myself,” she said loudly.
Every male head in the circle turned to look at her. Some wore smiles, but most looked simply annoyed.
Thomas didn’t bother to comment on her offer. “The king has sent men to the other castles in question. What we need is an overall strategy. My advice would be for him to meet with Prince John directly. They are brothers, after all.”
“But they’ve been enemies since childhood,” Kenton pointed out.
Thomas stood. “I need to report what we’ve found to the king. If we’re to make some kind of agreement with John, Richard is the only one who can do it.” He looked around the circle, his gaze skirting over Alyce. “Kenton, I’m going to leave you in charge here. You’re not to make a move. Just sit tight and wait for me to work things out with Richard.”
Kenton nodded, while Alyce looked on in amazement.
“You’re leaving?” she asked in disbelief.
“I’ll speak with you in private, Alyce,” he told her, obviously not wanting their discussion to be shared by the circle of men.
The knights took their cue. Quickly they got up and started down the hill toward the makeshift camp. In moments, Thomas and Alyce were left alone.
“How can you speak of leaving when this very minute Dunstan may be torturing or killing my people?” she asked him.
His face was hard. He looked nothing at all like the tender, teasing man she had spent so many hours making love to over the past few days. “We have no choice. To go in with a mounted force would surely cause Dunstan to react against your people. This is a time for diplomacy, and for that I need to go back to Nottingham.”
“Why can’t we try your diplomacy directly with Dunstan? You and I could go speak with him.”
“All we would be doing is giving him two more hostages to hold against Richard, valuable hostages this time.”
“My people are valuable,” she said, raising her voice.
He looked down at the campsite and motioned for her to be quiet. “Of course they are, sweetheart. But walking into Dunstan’s trap is not going to help them any.”
His endearment made her tone softer, but she was still indignant. “We can’t just sit here.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t,” he said. “I’d like to take you back with me to Nottingham.”
She gave a stubborn shake of her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His nod was resigned. “I suspected as much. But you’re not to do anything foolish. I’m going to tell Kenton to watch out for your welfare.”
“And you’re really leaving?” she asked. Suddenly, she realized that, in spite of her anger, his presence gave her a feeling of hope. It made her feel braver and stronger.
He took hold of her shoulders. “The only way this is going to be resolved is by Richard and John working things out between themselves. Someone has to tell that to the king.”
“You could send Kenton,” she said, her voice grown small.
“Nay. I’m in charge. It’s up to me to see this thing through. Besides—” he gave her a wan smile “—Sherborne is my responsibility now. We were interrupted, but if you remember, the lady of Sherborne is about to become my wife.”
Was all of this concern because he wanted to protect his property? she wondered. Her chin went up. “Go then, if you must,” she said stiffly.
“You’ll not come back with me?” he asked again.
“Nay.”
He stood a long moment looking into her eyes. His own were inscrutable. Finally, he said, “Do not be tempted to try any of your harebrained adventures, Alyce Rose, or I swear I’ll give you the well-deserved spanking that you never got from your softhearted nurse all those years.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I think little of bullies who threaten those weaker than themselves,” she said. “But I learned my lesson at Dunstan Castle. I promise not to endanger any of your men again.”
He nodded, satisfied. Then he gave her a quick, hard kiss and strode away toward the horses.
They’d been waiting for an agonizingly long five days and were running low on food. Kenton had taken Harry the Stout and Martin to a nearby town for supplies. Ranulf stayed behind to serve as Alyce’s unofficial bodyguard, though there was no need for protection among the men in the camp.
In spite of her worry over what was going on at Sherborne, she never failed to smile and offer a kind word to the men who brought her food or built up the fires or performed any of the other little services to make her more comfortable. Passing among them, gracious and beautiful with her long blond hair, she had come to be looked at by the soldiers of the camp as something like a guardian angel.
Though she had no need of a guard, she was glad that Ranulf had stayed. She enjoyed the young knight’s company. In some ways it was like having Thomas around. The resemblance was strong, and he had much of his big brother’s charm. But with Ranulf there was none of the tension she felt with Thomas. She didn’t have to worry about considerations of marriage and motives.
“Admit it, Alyce,” Ranulf was saying as the two sat together under a tree, some distance from the rest of the camp. “You are as much in love with my brother as he is with you.”
She smiled sadly. “If Thomas is so much in love with me, why isn’t he here?”
“Because he’s busy working to find a way to get Dunstan out of Sherborne without bloodshed.”
“Aye,” she said without much conviction.
Ranulf spoke more vehemently. “He is, Alyce. He’s doing this for you—for love of you.”
“And love of Richard and, no doubt, love of himself,” she added.
Ranulf leaned back against the tree with a little cluck of disgust. “I don’t believe you’re as cynical as you try to pretend. I think you’re in love with him, and you know that he loves you.”
She didn’t want to argue the issue. The worry and the discomfort of sleeping on the hard ground had left her tired and irritable. The happy days she and Thomas had spent together in Nottingham Castle seemed a lifetime away.
“You’re a loyal brother,” she told Ranulf, closing the discussion.
Ranulf’s gaze was directed to the far side of the campsite, where a horseman had appeared. “We have a visitor,” he said, standing.
Alyce recognized the man at once. “’Tis the Frenchman, Fantierre,” she said, jumping up. “He’s come from Sherborne.”
They both took off at a run and had crossed the camp by the time Fantierre dismounted from his horse.
“Lady Sherborne,” he greeted her, obviously surprised at her presence.
Ranulf stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Thomas’s brother,” he told the man.
Fantierre shook his hand and nodded. “I can see the resemblance,” he said, but obviously was not interested in spending more time on socializing. “Thomas has gone back to Nottingham?”
Ranulf nodded.
“Where’s Kenton?” Fantierre asked tersely.
“On a supply foray with a couple of our men,” Ranulf told him.
Fantierre shook his head. “I can’t wait. I need to be back at the castle before I’m missed.”
“What’s happening there?” Alyce asked. “Can you tell us? Is Alfred all right—the old chamberlain?”
Fantierre gave her a quick smile of reassurance. “No one has been hurt, at least not yet.”
“Not yet?” she asked, her hands clasped nervously.
“There’s been a little problem with the young man. I believe he’s the chamberlain’s grandson.”
“Fredrick?”<
br />
“Oui, Fred-e-rick. He tried to get them to release his grandfather, and now they’re holding him. Dunstan says he intends to hang him as an example to the others.”
“Hang him?” Ranulf asked.
Alyce clutched at her throat.
“Aye,” Fantierre confirmed grimly. “I was hoping to find Thomas here.”
“We haven’t heard from him,” Ranulf said. “He went back to Nottingham to try to convince King Richard to meet with Prince John. If the two brothers can reach some kind of a settlement, there will be no reason for Dunstan to hold Sherborne. He thinks it would be the best solution for everyone.”
Fantierre shrugged. “He’s probably right. I just hope the agreement comes in time for your Fred-e-rick,” he said to Alyce. “He’s a brave young man.”
Alyce looked at Ranulf. “We have to do something.”
Ranulf’s usually sunny face was worried. “Milady…Alyce, I’m sorry, but we can’t do anything but wait. Thomas left strict orders.”
“We can’t just sit here while Fredrick’s life is in danger.” She turned to Fantierre, but the Frenchman supported Ranulf.
“Any movement by these troops would no doubt put a lot of other people’s lives in danger, milady. You’d do best to listen to young Brand here.”
Alyce looked from one man to the other, unable to believe that they would offer no solution when Fredrick’s life was hanging in the balance. “You intend to do nothing?” she asked again.
Ranulf looked down at the ground, and Fantierre gave another of his Gallic shrugs.
“Then excuse me, gentleman,” she said, brushing past them and heading toward the nearby grove where the horses had been hobbled. “I need to be going.”
Fantierre and Ranulf watched in disbelief as she marched over to the horses and began telling the guard who was caring for them to saddle her mount.
“Where does she think she’s going?” Fantierre asked.
Ranulf gave a deep sigh. “I don’t know, but my hunch would be Sherborne Castle.”
“By herself?”
Ranulf shook his head and started after Alyce. “Nay,” he said over his shoulder. “With me.”
Fantierre followed him, leading his mount. “You both are crazy,” he said to Ranulf’s back.
