by Lisa Shea
Kay’s heart began to beat again. This was simply a business transaction for him. Everything could work out. “Keren needs quiet – we cannot risk the child,” she pressed.
Galeron put a hand to his heart. “I concur exactly, my darling Kay. We must protect Keren from all excitement and noise. That is why I request that all troops leave the keep immediately, so that we can resume normal operations under my watchful eye. Solely until Lord Weston arrives for the truce talks, of course.”
Leland snorted in anger. “Never, Galeron. I would never leave them in your hands, not even for one minute.”
“Ahem,” came a voice from the left. Kay looked to follow the sound - and found her mouth hanging open. It was Jack, his blond hair almost white in the morning light, a smirk spreading across his face.
“You,” she gasped, almost mute in shock.
He took a step forward and drew Molly up in his arms. The girl’s red curls bobbed at the motion. With one arm wrapped around her tiny waist, he used his other hand to hold out her thumb, examining it carefully.
“This little piggy went to market …”
Kay’s throat constricted, and she staggered back against Em’s couch. “You would not hurt a child,” she choked.
Jack raised an eyebrow, and the vision of Jack’s whip smashing down on the young boy’s arm enveloped her mind. With a slow motion, he drew out Molly’s index finger, twisting it slightly.
“This little piggy went home …”
Kay heard her sister moan behind her. “Oh, Kay …”
Molly wriggled, and Jack snugged her up even more tightly. “This little piggy had roast beef …”
“Enough!” cried Kay, her heart thundering against her chest. She turned her face away from Molly’s innocent eyes, staring hard at Galeron. “If we agree to your terms, I want you to swear that your men will withdraw from the solar and leave us completely alone in here until the conference begins.”
Galeron tapped a finger against his chin. “We do have to set up a table in here for the meeting itself. As long as you allow for a half hour of preparation for the truce talks, then your terms are perfect.”
Kay sighed in relief. There would be calm, and then her father would find a solution. She turned to Leland and Reese. “Then we are agreed. Move the men to the ring outside the keep; Lord Weston will be here soon enough to treat for our safe release.”
Reese shook his head, taking a step forward. “Kay, we cannot leave you in here like this!”
Jack calmly pulled on Molly’s ring finger, giving it an extra twist as he recited, “This little piggy had none …”
Kay met Reese’s eyes and held them with her own. “Reese, do not send them down this path. I could not live with the consequences, and Em …”
She turned to look at her sister, seeing the pain glowing in her eyes.
Galeron’s eyes twinkled. “Em, is it?” he asked with a chuckle. His brought his gaze around to meet Reese’s. “Well, then, gentlemen, the choice is yours. What shall it be?”
Reese hesitated, looked over at Leland, and then as one the two men lowered their swords. Reese’s voice was low and guttural. “If you harm one hair on these hostages’ heads, I swear to you, I will find you and kill you.”
“Ah, threats, threats,” sighed Galeron with a smile. “Believe me, my plan does not call for any unnecessary harm to come to these most valuable possessions of mine. For now, see that you get the castle cleared out in record time. The presence of strife is upsetting the pregnant one. The sooner you get the courtyard cleared, the sooner we can remove these soldiers from her solar.”
Reese brought his gaze back to meet Kay’s. She was warmed; strength flowed from him, filling her soul.
Then he and Leland turned, heading down the stairs at a fast pace. She moved to the window. In only a few moments they were drawing in the men in the courtyard, talking in a huddle with them. In short order the group made their way across the drawbridge to the outer tree ring.
Kay found herself astounded at how quickly the exchange took place. It seemed a mere swallow’s swoop before the keep’s troops were hunkered down by the now-empty tents, before Galeron’s forces were circling their wagons and supplies in the courtyard area, setting up workshop locations to the right side.
Kay’s heart dropped as the keep became even more under the control of the black-curled enemy, but she kept her voice tight as she addressed him. “You have your wish, Galeron. The keep is yours for now. Hold up your side of the bargain and clear out this solar.”
Galeron smiled with bright acceptance. “Of course, my dear! All of you now have full run of the keep. You may go anywhere you wish, do anything besides, of course, interfere with our activities. Make yourselves at home!”
With a wink, he turned, and Jack followed him down the stairs. In a moment the soldiers had followed suit. To Kay’s surprise and pleasure the women and children were left completely alone in the solar.
Kay and Em stared at each other in exhausted relief. A hesitant smile grew on Em’s face. “See,” she offered, “it will all work out. This is a money making scheme for him. Father will pay up, and Galeron is not the type to risk his own skin. Father’s troops will vastly outnumber him. So we just need to settle in until evening.”
Kay looked around the nervous crowd in the room and nodded. “Everyone – I know this was nerve-racking, but the worst should now be over. Lord Weston will arrive soon and sort this out. He is only a few hours away. In the meantime, we apparently have the run of the castle.”
She glanced at her sister for a moment, then continued. “Feel free to stay here if you want, but I trust in Galeron’s logical side. I do believe that you should be safe to venture out into the keep proper. Let me know if anything seems dangerous to you, and we will address it.”
She smiled slightly. “Of course, if you learn anything which seems like it might help our cause, I would be eager to hear that as well.”
Anne and Jessica glanced at each other, then both headed for the stairs in a flash, their eyes bright with nervous curiosity. Slowly the rest of the group followed suit, and soon only a trio of young children, including the now-sleepy Molly, were left behind, tucked into Kay’s room for safety.
Em’s voice took on a nervous edge. “What do we do now?”
Kay took in a deep breath. She had to keep her sister’s mind off the coming discussion - to help her relax and avoid stress. “Why, my dear, your husband is coming to see you, and you have not freshened up!” she replied, forcing a smile onto her face. “Let us head into your room and see how more beautiful we can make you in the time we have available.”
A hint of a twinkle shimmered in Em’s gaze. Together they moved their way into Em’s bedroom.
From below, in the courtyard, came the sounds of carpenters carefully doing their craft.
Chapter 16
Kay and Em kept attentive watch at the central window in the late afternoon sunlight, sitting on a low bench which had been dragged up against it. They strained for the slightest movement, the merest hint of approaching riders coming from the east road. They had not moved from their location for the past hour.
Kay glanced at her sister for what must have been the fiftieth time. “Em, really, please lie down on the couch. There is no need for both of us to be on lookout. I will let you know the moment I see anything.”
Em resolutely shook her head, her eyes pinned to the narrow ribbon of dusty brown. “Eric is coming for me,” she repeated quietly, a mantra almost, a fervent hope and wish. “He will be crazed with worry when he reaches those gates and hears what has happened. I will be here, in the window, to at least reassure him with my presence that things will be all right.”
Kay patted her hand and looked back out toward the rolling hills, toward the swells of moss green, doe brown, and twisting scrub. The sunlight’s strength created sharp shadows for every tree and hillock. Their shadows slowly migrated across the earth, drifting like clouds, reminding her that time did inde
ed progress outside their room. For some reason she almost felt as if the world were holding its breath …
“There -” she whispered, almost afraid to shatter the moment. She had seen a kick of dust, a drifting of something at the far edge of her vision. Em leant forward, and Kay could almost feel her sister’s heart thundering as the two strained, searched …
Yes, it was a lone horseman. The steed was black, large, and it was only a few seconds before Em relaxed against her sister, breathing out the name in shaky relief.
“Eric.”
A cheer went up from the soldiers gathered along the tree ring as he thundered toward the keep. Over the rise the rest of the force slowly came into view. Kay estimated that her father had brought perhaps fifty men – a healthy contingent to witness his daughter’s marriage and to restock the keep under its new master.
Kay’s heart skipped a beat. It was all upside down now. The new master could very well be a traitor, a man who had deceived them all.
The horse faltered for a moment, as if reined in, and then it reset to gallop at top speed toward the group of men waiting in the clearing. Kay watched as Eric pulled to a hard stop, looking around in confusion at the collection of men camped out there. Leland ran over to him at once, talking with him urgently, while Reese paced the sidelines.
Kay shook her head in frustration, her eyes scanning the scene. “They haven’t told Reese yet,” she muttered under her breath. “Leland is keeping him in the dark. Surely by now he can be trusted?”
Em squeezed Kay’s hand gently in sympathy, her eyes not leaving her husband’s form. “Trust in what they are doing,” she whispered. “They are going to get us out of this. We have to trust them.”
Suddenly Eric was standing in his stirrups, turning in shock and staring up at them. Em stood at once, leaning her head out the window, and even though clearly her voice would not carry at this distance, she called out with all her might, “Eric!”
Her husband’s anguish was clear. He spun his mount in a frustrated circle, his eyes going to the main keep gates and then back up to his captured wife. Then, with one more glance at Leland, he turned his steed again and rode back down the road, at a hard gallop, moving to rejoin the main party.
Kay gave her sister a gentle hug. “He has gone to tell father,” she reassured Em. “Soon they will all be gathered, and then the negotiations will begin. You and I must prepare.”
“Prepare?” asked Em distractedly. Her eyes followed her husband with single minded focus, her hands still pressed against the windowsill.
Kay leant her head against her sister for a moment. “Em, we must be strong. The men will have a plan of some sort. They will do everything they can to get us out safely. We must be fully ready to react to whatever they say, to follow their lead, and to assist them in their quest.” She took her sister’s hands in her own. “Also, we must reassure them that we are fine. That way they can concentrate on rescuing us and not be distracted by our current situation.”
“Yes, yes, you are right,” murmured Em, slowly shaking herself into awareness. “If Eric feels I have been mistreated, it might cloud everything else he is doing.”
Kay smiled fondly at her sister. “Of course it would,” she agreed. “Come, let us go into your room and sit quietly until we are called.”
Kay did her best for the next hour to keep her sister relaxed and distracted. She could hear noises in the outer room while Galeron’s men set up the pair of tables which would serve as their negotiation area, and she peered out occasionally to keep an eye on their progress. Most of her time, though, was spent in brushing out Em’s long, blonde hair, then plaiting it in an intricate braid. It was almost as if they were back to the days before Em had gotten married, to the afternoons of relaxation, courting, and fun. Kay kept the conversation light, doing her best to draw Em’s mind away from the situation that was swirling around them.
Finally a knock came on the door. Kay went to the door and cracked it open. Galeron was standing there, a smile on his lips.
“Women, we are ready for the main event,” he offered, sweeping his hand out in invitation.
Kay moved back into the bedroom, twined her fingers into her sister’s, and gave her a smile of support. Then together they walked out into the solar. The two tables had been set up across the waist of the room, splitting it into two parts. Four chairs were on either side of the length, and a guard stood at each end, preventing anyone from easily moving to the other side. There was already a man sitting on their side of the table in one of the end chairs. He turned as they approached …
“Jack,” snapped Kay, visions of him holding Molly still fresh in her head.
The blond man gave a twisted version of the smile Galeron had offered a few minutes earlier. “Surprised to see me out of custody, I might imagine?” he queried with a wolfish grin.
“I am surprised to see you included at a negotiation table,” growled Kay.
“Galeron and my aims align for the moment,” mused Jack, his eyes sharp. “He needs an extra sword arm and I found myself available for employ. We will see what the future holds.”
Galeron came around her other side, gently guiding her. “You sit here, next to me,” he instructed with a calm smile. “Your Lady will be right at your side. We will keep the two of you at the center of the table, since you are indeed the focus of this little meeting.”
“You mean to keep us further from any chance of moving around the edge of the table,” corrected Kay, her mouth tight.
“Oh, Kay, do not be like that,” soothed Galeron, his eyes twinkling. “This is simply a business transaction. In a short while it will all be over and we can each go on with our lives.”
Kay helped her sister settle into her seat, and then took her own. Her eyes scanned the four seats facing them.
“Why four?” she asked, looking down the row. “Why not just a chair for Lord Weston and perhaps one guard?”
“A man of his stature?” responded Galeron with a raised eyebrow. “I thought it more fitting to allow him some dignity and to reassure him that this negotiation was safe to attend. He can bring up three men – unarmed, of course.”
Kay pursed her lips. Galeron did everything with a purpose. Perhaps her father’s comfort was part of it – Lord Weston might be more willing to negotiate at length, and meet concessions, if he felt secure.
“You plan everything,” she bit out. “You know exactly who he will bring with him. You want to watch them and see their reactions to what you say.”
Galeron’s smile grew, his eyes meeting hers with sharp admiration. “I knew you and I were well matched,” he praised with a chuckle. He turned to her sister. “Ah, Keren-happuch, if only you had chosen me on your own before Reese’s little discovery and not made me resort to my back-up plan. How much smoother things would have gone.”
Kay turned to her sister, meeting her eyes with steady seriousness. “We must be strong,” she emphasized again, her voice low.
Galeron was setting a scene and would look for every advantage. They could not give away their true natures with a word or a glance.
Em nodded her head.
Kay prayed that they could get through this without incident.
There was a noise from the stairs, and all eyes turned toward the door.
Galeron smiled. “And the party begins.” He settled himself into the seat at the far right. He leant back slightly in it, his eyes focused on the doorway, attentive and calculating.
Footsteps worked their way up the spiral, and then a man stepped into view.
Reese.
His eyes locked with hers.
Kay staggered beneath a crazed desire to leap from her chair, to vault the table, to run into his arms, to be held by him, comforted … she held herself still with an effort. She saw the same tightness in his muscles, the tension in his neck as he remained where he stood and took in a long breath.
Then, without turning, he called back over his shoulder. “Come on up.”
&n
bsp; He moved forward into the room and stepped to one side. His eyes held steadily on Kay’s for a long moment before he scanned the rest of the room. His hand dropped to his hip and swept the open air where his sword hilt usually lay ready. Tension rippled through his shoulders and was forcibly relaxed.
A blond man moved into view – graceful, sturdy, his face handsome and weathered. Em squeezed her sister’s hand hard, drawing in a long breath, but she was true to her word and her face stayed steady. Eric’s stride hitched as his eyes came to those of his wife. He moved to the other side of the door across from Reese, his gaze carefully neutral.
A slower shuffling came from the stairs and in a moment Lord Weston entered the room, accompanied by Leland. The two moved to the center chairs and Leland carefully helped Lord Weston sit.
Galeron stretched out a hand, waving to Reese and Eric. “Please, gentlemen, come sit with us,” he offered. “I swear no harm will come to anyone during these talks.”
Reese glanced at Eric, and then the two men moved forward and took their seats opposite Jack and Galeron. They were so close, they were almost within the reach of a hand.
Temptation flooded through Kay. It would be so easy to reach across to Reese, to wrap herself in the reassurance of his steady grip. She felt Em twine her fingers even more tightly into her own, and wondered if her sister was under the same strong spell.
Lord Weston began without preamble. “I would like to protest the unchivalrous and uncalled for action of kidnapping a pregnant woman,” he ground out in a hoarse voice. “If she were to lose the child, I will make it my mission to grind you into dust. She is a complete innocent in all of this!”
Galeron leant back, his face carefree and relaxed as he chuckled at the lecture. “As I seem to recall,” he pointed out, “you offered this woman as a potential wife and stated she was indeed innocent.” He moved his eyes to look pointedly at her round stomach, protruding slightly over the edge of the table. “Instead, we have proof here that she is a harlot who cannot keep her legs together and who carries a bastard child. Just what coward of a man abandoned her in this state, that you had to foist her off with this deception?”
