As they struggled down the stairs, Rose’s thoughts were in a jumble. She had no idea what had happened in that little room. She had no idea how Jago had managed to get in, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Lyssa had to be removed from The Wix. Her niece’s last night here had been one night too many, and Rose’s only thought was to send Lyssa to Westminster where Garret was. She had to get the woman off the grounds because Jago smelled blood now and he wouldn’t stop until he killed her. No woman refused Jago de Nantes, Duke of Colchester, and lived to tell the tale.
By the time they hit the ground floor and carried Lyssa outside, Rickard as well as a few other soldiers were running in their direction. Half-dressed, Rickard took one look at Lyssa and his features went pale; Rose could see it in, even in the moonlight. He looked at Rose, an expression of utter distress on his face, and Rose fell to her knees, taking Lyssa with her. Everyone went down beside her, trying to keep the injured woman off the ground, wondering what in the hell had happened. But Rose didn’t give them any opportunity to ask.
“Get her out of here, Rickard,” Rose gasped. Now, the tears started to come, her fear overwhelming her. “Take her to Garret. Get her out of here before he kills her!”
No one had to tell Rickard who “he” was. He already knew. Fighting off the urge to vomit, Rickard carefully collected Lyssa into his arms and turned for the stables, barking at the soldiers around him to get his horse readied. He sent someone off to find a blanket while still others rushed ahead of him to the stable to prepare his horse. The men were moving swiftly, all of them making haste to remove the injured woman from The Wix.
As Rickard and Lyssa disappeared from view, Rose sat on the ground and wept.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Westminster
Westminster was lit up with a thousand torches, burning brightly into the dark and humid night, as Garret came loping in through the South Gate.
Slowing his horse as grooms from the stable ran out to collect the steed, he slid off the animal and took Lyssa’s trunk from the back of the saddle. He’d strapped it onto the rear of the horse, that hadn’t been very happy carrying something so stiff and foreign, but at least the horse hadn’t tried to buck it off. His animal was high-strung, and skilled, but he could be excitable with unfamiliarity. They could have all ended up in the mud, trunk included.
He snorted at the thought. It seemed that he’d been doing a long of smiling today, something that he wasn’t used to doing, but it felt good. He felt good. Slinging the trunk onto his shoulder, his focus turned towards his plans for the rest of the night. He would leave the trunk off in his apartment, seek out Zayin and Gart, who had been in command during his absence, and have them report to him on the happenings of the day. Once he was fully briefed, he intended to go to Westminster Abbey and speak to the priests about a sunrise wedding mass.
It was an evening well-planned. Heading towards a row of two-storied apartments that was on the far side of the hall to the south, his thoughts never seemed to move far from Lyssa. He could hardly believe that, tomorrow morning, he would be a married man, but he’d never been more excited. Lost to that excitement and those thoughts, he’d hardly gone ten feet when he heard his name being called. Coming to a pause, he turned to see Gart and Gavin approaching him from the gatehouse. They’d evidently been in the gatehouse when he’d passed through.
“Are you both on the night watch, too?” he asked. “How are the soldiers who were ill this morning? Are they still sick?”
Gart, his shaved head gleaming beneath the moon, nodded. “Still down,” he said. “In fact, there are more men down. While you were gone today, we’ve had about two dozen men come down with an illness. The physic believes it is not related to the food; he believes it is a poison of some sort, moving from man to man.”
Garret didn’t like the sound of that and his good mood faded. “I have seen those epidemics before,” he said. “It will take down every man here if we are not careful. What are we doing to prevent such a thing?”
“The men are sequestered in the barracks,” Gavin answered. “We have moved all of the sick men in there.”
Garret lifted his eyebrows dubiously. “Then let us hope the rest of us do not contract whatever they have.”
It was then he noticed Zayin, Rhys, and Knox coming towards him from the direction of the barracks. Garret could see that all five of his senior men were still awake at this late hour, still attending duties and, he suspected, waiting for him to return. It was rare when he left Westminster at all, so they were undoubtedly waiting for him.
“What is this?” he demanded lightly, looking at the group converging on him. “Don’t any of you sleep?”
Rhys rubbed wearily at his eyes. “When you are away, we must be twice as vigilant,” he said. “Moreover, with men down with an illness, we must all put in extra time to cover the holes left by them.”
That seemed to be the predominant theme for the night – sick men and those who weren’t sick doing extra duty. The weariness was catching, however, because Garret suddenly stifled the urge to yawn.
“I take it de Lohr departed without incident?” he asked. “When did his army finally pull out?”
It was Gart who answered. “Not too long after you left,” he said. “He said to tell you that he and his men are staying near the Tower for the night in case you should need him.”
Garret lifted his eyebrows knowingly. “He means with Colchester.”
Gart nodded, hesitating briefly before continuing. “Is… is everything all right, Garret? I mean at The Wix? Rickard is not in danger because of what he told us, is he?”
It was a question they’d all been wondering but had been afraid to ask, mostly because Garret hadn’t exactly been forthcoming about where he’d been going when he’d left that day. They all assumed it had been to The Wix, something to do with Colchester and his brother’s tales of the duke being an ally of the prince, but no one wanted to ask. If Garret had wanted them to know, he would have told them.
Still… Garret had been acting strangely since the prince’s party, his mind seemingly not on his work, and there was speculation among the knights that a woman was involved. Truthfully, that speculation came from Gavin and was based on the fact that Garret had left John’s party with one of the Duchess of Colchester’s women. Garret was never seen with any woman, so that event had been an odd one. Still, no man in his right mind would ask for clarification and if Zayin knew, he wasn’t talking. Garret’s closest friend was remaining silent on the subject. Therefore, Gart was taking a chance by asking him questions about his activities.
But Garret didn’t seem distressed by the question. In fact, he shook his head, quite seriously.
“Rickard is not in any danger,” he said. “I just left the man and everything was as it should be, praise God. But that could change, so it is imperative to keep communication open with my brother. He is taking a chance by telling us what he knows. There is no knowing what Colchester will do to him if he discovers what my brother has done.”
The knights simply nodded. No one wanted to press him beyond what Garret was willing to tell them. They were obedient to a fault, men dedicated to Richard and his kingdom, and to Garret most of all.
Garret knew this, of course. He could see that they wanted to ask more of him because they were men of curiosity. More than that, things had been rather strange with him the past few days. He knew they wanted to know why. These were men that were his friends and brothers-in-arms and, as an awkward silence settled, he came to a decision. He’d kept his secret from them long enough. Zayin knew, and Rickard and Christopher knew, but because Garret was planning on taking a bride in few hours, he thought it only fair that his men should know of his plans. There would soon be a woman among them. Softly, he cleared his throat.
“There is something else, however,” he said, watching his men inexplicably perk up. “Something that has not affected any of you until now. But as of tomorrow morning, it will, so it is
only right that you should know.”
“Of course, Garret,” Gart said, trying to pretend that he wasn’t deeply anxious to hear. He couldn’t quite pull it off. “What is it?”
Garret glanced at Zayin as he spoke. “I am honestly not sure where to start, so I suppose it is best if I start from the beginning,” he said. “On the night of John’s party, I prevented a young woman from being molested by men outside of the gates. It turned out she was a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Colchester. Since Rickard also serves Colchester, it was quite a coincidence and I escorted the woman to Colchester’s table. However, shortly after I brought her, Hawisa evidently saw her and asked for her. As we all know, a request from John or his wife can never come to any good.”
The knights nodded in understanding. “Deviants, both of them,” Knox muttered, watching the other men agree with him. “How many women have we heard of them deflowering, or worse?”
Garret held up a hand to quiet them down before the conversation turned to the failings of John and Hawisa. “Exactly,” he said. “Gavin already knows this portion of the story because I told him the morning after, but I escorted the woman out of the hall and to safety, away from John and Hawisa. I was asked by one of Colchester’s women to do this and I did. I told Gavin that was the end of the story, but it was not. There is more to it.”
The knights were clearly interested. “What more is there?” Gavin asked.
Garret didn’t keep them waiting. “Instead of returning the woman to The Wix, I took her into London and bought her a meal,” he said, watching a variety of surprised expressions cross the faces of his men. “Do not ask me why I did it, for I cannot truly tell you. All I know is that I wanted to do it. Ask Zayin; he came with me. We spent a few hours with Lady Lyssa and, if you must know, they were some of the most wonderful hours of my life. I knew at the conclusion of the evening that I wanted to see more of her. And I have. I am marrying the woman at sunrise tomorrow and she will live with me here at Westminster.”
The last sentence brought the biggest reaction; eyebrows flew up, eyes widened, and expressions of curiosity turned to expressions of delight. All except Zayin; he simply grinned and shook his head as if the entire thing were foolishly sweet. Congratulations and well-wishes began to tumble over Garret like an avalanche, more pats and handshakes than he could keep up with. All the while, Zayin stood there and chuckled.
“I could have predicted this, Salibi,” he said. “I could tell by the way you looked at the woman that there was something more in your heart than you cared to admit. She is a lovely woman and I wish you many blessings.”
Garret was smiling, perhaps sheepishly. “I have been with her since leaving Westminster earlier today,” he said. “In case you were all wondering, which I am sure you were, I was with her. It was the most wonderful of days, I assure you.”
“It always is when we spend it with those we love,” Zayin said.
Garret chuckled, embarrassed that he’d confessed his feelings for Lyssa but, in the same breath, he was glad. So glad he could have shouted it to the world. So much about the woman made his heart sing and he was relieved that his men now knew his secret. He was happy to have them share in his joy. But soon enough, he sobered.
“There is something more you should know, another part to this story,” he said, holding up a hand to quiet his buzzing men. “Jago de Nantes has set his sights on Lyssa. He attacked her yesterday at The Wix, which is why I removed her from the premises today. Originally, I was going to send her to Lioncross Abbey to serve Lady de Lohr, but I decided this afternoon that there was no reason to do that. I want to marry the woman so marrying her tomorrow or a year from now would not matter to me; my feelings for her would not change. Therefore, I made the decision to simply marry her and bring her to live with me here at Westminster where Colchester can never get his hands on her. He’d be a fool to try.”
The mood of the conversation went from congratulatory to concerned in the blink of an eye. “Colchester attacked her?” Gavin repeated, aghast. “My God, Garret… what did he do?”
Garret knew he was asking because his sister served the House of de Nantes, as well. He was worried for her and rightfully so.
“From what I was told, he tried to force her to share a meal with him and when she refused, he threatened her. He also touched her, inappropriately, and when she resisted, he slapped her.” Garret grunted, hating the sound of even repeating that event. It was sickening to the ear. “We all know Colchester’s reputation and, clearly, I cannot permit Lyssa to be subjected to the man’s advances, which has also contributed to the swiftness of my decision to marry her. Ideally, I would not pursue marriage for at least a year for the sake of propriety, but this situation is different. I cannot, and will not, wait.”
Every man there understood, but along with understanding a suitor’s perspective, they understood the perspective of a man of honor. Colchester attacked what belonged to Garret and, this time, it was Zayin who asked the question.
“Does Colchester know the lady belongs to you?” he asked. “Please tell me you did not confront him, Salibi.”
Garret shook his head. “Although it went against every instinct, I did not confront him and he does not know of me and Lyssa,” he said. He signed heavily. “I am not foolish. I know what could happen should I challenge Colchester for what he has done. The man is a duke, a royal cousin, and untouchable by men such as me. Although my pride screams for revenge, the wiser part of me knows that is not possible. I do not intend to ruin my life before it truly begins. The best solution is to remove Lyssa and that is what I intend to do.
There wasn’t one man listening that didn’t breathe a sigh of relief at what they were hearing. To challenge Colchester would have been suicidal at best. Garret understood the way of the world and he understood that an open challenge to Colchester would only result in harming himself. It went against everything Garret stood for, because he was a man of honor and honor sometimes meant fighting for what he believed in, and what was right, but in this case he’d chosen wisely.
No one was more aware of that than Zayin. He simply nodded his head to Garret’s statement. “You are as wise as you are brave,” he said. “Marry the woman and keep her with you. Colchester will soon move on to other quarry when he knows he cannot have her.”
Garret averted his gaze, kicking at the ground as he did so. “I am not in the habit of feeling helpless against any man, so this has been… difficult.”
“Difficult but necessary,” Gavin put in. “You have no choice, Garret. You are doing what any of us would have done. There is no shame in that. The shame is on Colchester. In fact, I shall write my father and tell him to remove my sister from that house. He will want to know of Colchester’s behavior.”
Garret was appreciative of the support. “No one in their right mind would contest a directive from Valor de Nerra,” he said, smiling weakly. “Your father needs to know what his daughter is being subjected to. With all of the people he knows in England, he can send her to another fine house.”
Gavin was looking rather strained. “Mayhap I should go to my sister and see for myself.”
Garret put a hand on his shoulder. “For your sister’s sake, you should. She may need your protection.”
“Against a man who will never be punished for anything he does.”
Garret simply looked at him, a knowing expression that said what they both knew – Gavin was correct. As Gavin pondered a trip to The Wix, perhaps tomorrow morning, a shout came from the gatehouse.
The knights weren’t paying too much attention, still caught up in Garret’s confession and the revelations about Colchester, but they turned to see why many men had taken up the call. Usually it was only a sentry on the wall, but now even men who were at the portcullis were shouting. As Garret and his men turned to see what had them so excited, a man on horseback came bolting through the half-open portcullis.
But he wasn’t alone. He had a body lying across his thighs and it took
Garret a few seconds to realize that he was looking at Rickard, charging right for him. As the horse moved closer, he could see the body across his brother’s legs – a woman.
A woman with bronze-colored hair.
It was Lyssa.
Garret dropped the trunk he’d been holding and bolted for his brother as the man came near. Because he was running, his men were running, and suddenly they were swarming Rickard and his foaming horse. Garret actually whimpered when he realized that, indeed, it was Lyssa spread over his brother’s thighs and he reached out to remove her, assisted by Zayin and Gavin.
“Careful!” Rickard roared. The man was half-dressed and harried. “She is badly injured, Garret. Find your physic now!”
Knox didn’t even wait for the command from Garret. He went running for the barracks where he knew the physic had been tending the ill men. Meanwhile, Garret very carefully pulled Lyssa from his brother’s lap. She had been on her stomach and, with incredible care, he turned her onto her back with Zayin’s help.
What he saw shook him to the bone; blood was seeping from her mouth and one ear, and her clothing was torn and dirty. It was the same dress she’d been wearing the last time he saw her. The one he’d pulled off her in the heat of passion. For the first time in his life, he felt the sting of tears and the bitter taste of panic in his mouth. Unfamiliar emotions swamped him and his hands began to shake.
“God in Heaven,” he breathed. “What happened?”
Rickard spit out the most terrible words he’d ever spoken. “Colchester beat her.”
The panic in Garret’s heart turned to a wildfire of anger. “He did this?”
No man had ever heard such rage from Garret’s tone, Rickard included. Once Lyssa was off his horse, he swung the excitable animal around, back in the direction of the gatehouse.
Shield of Kronos Page 25
