“I was trying to prevent you from poking holes in yourself,” he told her in that low, hoarse tone. “There are sharp things on that bush beside you.”
Alessandria rubbed her left arm, trying not to appear too foolish. “You… you startled me,” she said. It was the truth. “Did those men who were following us go away?”
He turned his head in the darkness, looking in the direction of the road. “They continued on after my men,” he said, “but not without two of them becoming stuck in the mud. They are still out there, trying to pull one of the horses free.”
That had Alessandria’s interest somewhat. She craned her neck, trying to see what he was looking at. “So we must stay here?”
He nodded. Then, he turned to look at her. “For a short time, at least until I can figure out what those two fools are doing,” he said. He studied her for a moment in the darkness. “Forgive me for my bad manners, but we were not formally introduced because there was not time. I am Sir Chadwick de Lohr. I am the eldest son of the Earl of Canterbury.”
For some reason, the formal introduction made her feel a bit better, as if she hadn’t been abducted by some nameless, terrible ruffian. At least the man had the trappings of nobility.
“De Lohr,” she repeated. “I have heard the name.”
He shrugged, turning his attention to the road once more. He was quite interested in what Henry’s men were doing in the distance. “Most people in England have,” he said without arrogance. It was simply the truth. “And you are Lady Alessandria de Shera, sister of Aurelius de Shera.”
“I am.”
“You and I are distantly related. Did you know that?”
She shook her head, intrigued. “How?”
He turned to look at her again. “It is only by marriage, but we are related nonetheless,” he said. “Your cousins are Gallus, Maximus, and Tiberius de Shera.”
“Aye.”
He continued. “Their mother, Honey de Shera, was the youngest daughter of my grand-uncle, Christopher de Lohr,” he explained. “I realize family trees can be quite confusing, but Honey married Antoninus de Shera, who….”
She cut him off. “Uncle Antoninus,” she said. “He was my father’s brother.”
“Exactly.”
Indeed, she felt more than a little better about their association now. But she also wanted answers to the situation. “I heard what you told the Mother Prioress,” she said. “Henry would really hold me hostage against my cousins and my brother’s surrender? But I do not understand. I am nothing of importance to anyone, not even my brother. He will not care if Henry holds me hostage or not.”
He pulled his helm off, revealing shoulder-length hair, wet and dirty. He ran his fingers through it, scratching his scalp. “Why would you say that?” he asked. “He is your brother. He should care very much if Henry gets his hands on you.”
Alessandria shrugged. “You would think so, but you would be wrong,” she said. “I have not seen my brother in years and the last we saw each other, he hardly gave me a glance. Aurelius is only concerned with himself and no one else. Or did you not realize that about him?”
Chad knew that about Aurelius. Indeed, most everyone did. He was a petty man without the de Shera command ability that seemed to be a trait within all of them. All of them but Aurelius. Chad wasn’t sure what to say to that and uncertainty caused him to change the subject somewhat. “He was at Evesham along with your father,” he said. “Please accept my condolences on the passing of your father. Although I did not know him well, he fought bravely.”
Alessandria snorted, a rude sound. “If there is anyone I care less for than my brother, it is my father,” she said. “I do not mean to sound cruel, but my father was my sire in name only. He never cared much for his only girl-child. My mother died when I was five years of age and when she passed, I was immediately sent away to foster. I do not much know Julius de Shera and I do not much wish to, so his death to me means nothing.”
Chad listened with some interest. It seemed as if Lady Alessandria wasn’t much attached to her family or them to her from what she was saying. “Am I to assume that your entire family doesn’t much care for each other?”
She nodded. “That is a fair statement,” she said. “They have no use for me, or I for them, which is why Newington has been my home these last six years. I intend to take my vows. I like it there. They are my family.”
Chad scratched his head, thoughtfully. “Then if Henry were to hold you hostage….”
“It would not mean a thing to my brother, I assure you. He would bid the king welcome to me.”
Chad had to think on that situation. Henry wanted the girl to force the House of de Shera into submission, but clearly, that would not work with the brother, or at least it wouldn’t from what Alessandria said. It would be something interesting to tell his father. He was eager to get to Canterbury and dump the girl off so she would no longer be his problem, but in speaking with her, the situation had him the least bit intrigued.
“But your cousins would not let the king take you with glee,” he said. “I know Gallus and Maximus and Tiberius personally. They are good friends. If Henry held you hostage, they would take it most seriously.”
She sighed, hugging her knees again because she was so cold. “I have never met my cousins,” she said truthfully. “They do not know me and I do not know them. I only know they are great warlords. Why would they bother with me?”
“Because you are their family.”
“I am insignificant.”
Chad scratched his head. “You do understand that if Henry is able to capture you, your future is uncertain,” he pointed out. “He will take you back to London, more than likely to the Tower of London where political prisoners are held, and keep you there. If your family refuses to surrender to his will, he would not be beyond sending you back to them in pieces. He did worse to Simon de Montfort and I would not put it past Henry to do the same thing to you. Does this not concern you?”
She looked at him, her delicate features haunting in the darkness. “I could not stop him if he decided that was to be done,” she said. “I know where my soul is going, Sir Knight. I am not afraid of death.”
She was a stoic little thing. Rather surprised by her attitude, Chad was determined more than ever to sweep her into the safety of Canterbury where his father could take charge of the situation. Still, there was a small part of him that wanted to stay, too, just to see how everything turned out. This small, wet, and brave young woman was rather intriguing.
“Mayhap you are not afraid of death, but I do not intend to meet mine anytime soon,” he said, once again turning his attention to the road off to the northeast. “It looks as if those soldiers have managed to remove the horse from the mud and they are heading back in the direction they have come. That being the case, I think we can slip through these trees and join up with the road further to the south. Are you up to it, my lady?”
Alessandria nodded even though her legs were frozen solid. It was difficult for her to move and try to stand up.
“I am,” she assured him. Then, she paused in her quest to stand on her feet. “I… I did not have the chance to thank you for saving my life, Sir Knight. I did not mean to be rude and not convey my gratitude, but you must understand that I am in a rather strange predicament.”
Chad smiled faintly, taking her by the elbow to help her to her feet. This time, she didn’t try to pull away. “And I am not?”
She grinned, her white teeth flashing in the dim light. “I suppose we both are,” she said. “But you… you extracted me from Newington with all of the grace of a surgeon yanking a rotten tooth. You broke down the door, told the Mother Prioress that men were coming to kill me, and then you forced me to go with you. In an odd chain of events, you saved my life when I fell into the water. As you can see, I am not sure I should thank you for saving my life or slap you for abducting me. How do I know you are telling me the truth about any of this?”
Chad snorted quie
tly. “Quite a dilemma, I should say.”
“Indeed, it is. But will you answer my question?”
“What question?”
“How do I know you are telling me the truth?”
He had her by the elbow, looking down at her in the darkness. He could just see the outline of her heart-shaped face. “You do not,” he said quietly. “You are going to have to go on something called faith. I believe you have heard of it.”
It was a clever statement. She was studying him, too, in the darkness. She didn’t know why she should trust him, or have faith in him, but, at the moment, she had little choice. “I could run away, you know.”
He nodded. “You could,” he agreed. “But we are surrounded by swamps and if by some miracle you made it through them, where are you going to go? Back to Newington? It would be a simple thing to go back and get you.”
He was right. She really had nowhere else to go. That realization gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach, already quivering with the cold. She felt rather sick about the entire situation and she supposed there really wasn’t anything she could do about it. Feeling cornered, and somewhat resigned, she sighed heavily.
“So I must have faith that you are telling me the truth?” she asked.
He nodded. “I swear upon my oath as a knight that I am,” he said. “I will protect you with my life until such time as it is no longer necessary. Do you believe me?”
She didn’t want to insult him. “I suppose I must.”
He simply nodded his head and pulled her along, out of the bramble and back into the cold, damp trees. “You will not regret it,” he said quietly, still watching the road even as he pulled her along. “I shall take you safely to Canterbury and once I deliver you to my mother, all will be well again. My mother will make you warm again and feed you until you are bursting.”
It sounded rather wonderful, to be honest. She was so cold and miserable that, at this point, she was willing to go with him without a fight, the lure of warmth and food too much to resist. Moreover, it was as she had said – she had little choice in the matter. It was time to put that faith he spoke about to the test.
“Very well,” she said reluctantly. “I will go peacefully.”
Chad didn’t say another word. Soon, they were both rushing through the trees, heading off to the south and away from the swollen creek and Henry’s two men. But the rest of Henry’s men had made it through and Chad stuck to the trees, paralleling the road, until the sun began to peer over the eastern horizon.
By that time, the mist was laying low and heavy in the fields, and everything was covered with dew. More than that, Alessandria was seriously dragging, exhausted and cold in her damp clothing, lack of sleep and lack of food. Chad offered to carry her but she staunchly refused, struggling to keep pace with him as he left the shield of the forest and raced across a field, heading for the outskirts of the village that surrounded Canterbury.
Once inside the town, he had to stay to the alleyways and side streets, crossing through gardens that were heavy with growth and, at one point, through a blacksmith’s stall. He wasn’t sure where Henry’s men were, for he hadn’t seen them leave Canterbury once they’d followed his men down the road leading into the town, so he suspected they were somewhere about. He didn’t want to run into them.
Finally, the great castle of Canterbury loomed ahead and Chad suspected, if Henry’s men were anywhere in this town, that they’d be camped out watching the gatehouse, keeping an eye on people coming and going. It also occurred to him that they wouldn’t know Alessandria on sight but they would know him. Most of Henry’s men did, especially with a battle so recent. With that in mind, he came to a halt.
Alessandria, dead on her feet, crashed into the back of him. He turned to tell her that he was going to have her remain behind in the alleyway while he approached the castle but one look at her ashen face and he changed his mind. She was so pale that her lips were nearly blue and in the light of the new morning, he got his first real look at her.
Even with the white face and blue lips, he could see that she was absolutely stunning in beauty. Her hair was a rich, dark red, more brown than red, and dark brows arched intelligently over eyes the color of the sea. She had a long column of neck, graceful even with the unflattering, damp, and smelly clothing she was wearing, and he looked down at her arms, realizing he had such a grip on her wrist that her small, calloused hand was turning an odd shade of purple.
The woman looked absolutely miserable but she’d never said a word about it. To Chad, that said something about her character as well as her strength. He was coming to feel very badly for her and he knew he had to deliver her into his mother’s hands as quickly as possible. She looked as if she were ready to collapse. Therefore, without a word, he scooped her into his big arms and made haste towards the castle.
“Keep your head down,” he whispered loudly to her. “Lay it down and keep it down. Hold on to my neck. That’s right; hold tight. We shall be to safety in no time.”
Alessandria was beyond arguing with him at that point. She was so exhausted that she was close to swooning and when he picked her up, she didn’t even have the strength to refuse him. She was so cold that she honestly couldn’t remember what it felt like to be warm and she simply wanted to sleep. She didn’t even care where; they could shove her into a corner by the hearth and she would be happy. At Newington, they slept on the floor, anyway, so she wasn’t used to a bed. But she didn’t tell him that; she didn’t say a word. She simply kept her head down as she’d been directed, cradled in his rather big and strong arms. That part, she rather liked.
Chad rather liked holding her as well but he pushed those thoughts aside, more concerned that Henry’s men were on to him as he came around the corner of the castle, heading for the gatehouse. There was a wide berth around the castle made up of dirt, keeping the village several dozen yards away even though the village surrounded the castle. No one was allowed to build any closer to the castle for fear that structures could be used by the enemy in times of siege, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t many small houses and businesses crowded as close as they could get.
It was from one of these structures that Chad feared he was being watched. In fact, there was a popular inn nearby, in clear view of the castle, where Henry’s men could have been easily watching him. Moving as swiftly as he could, he made his way to the gatehouse without incident, bellowing to the soldiers standing guard to open the gates. Recognizing the earl’s son, they did without hesitation and the cry that Chad had returned was taken up. Chad could hear it echoing all along the wall and into the bailey beyond.
The big, iron portcullis lifted and he slipped under it, quickly, and was immediately surrounded by soldiers who offered to help him with the lady but he shrugged them off. He was struggling at this point, exhausted from travel, exhausted from the run across the swamps. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was carrying the lady, who was a featherweight in his arms. He was, simply, weary.
But he was also relieved. Finally, he felt as if they had made it to safety but he still didn’t feel as if he could relax. He had to get the lady to the keep where his mother would tend her. Slogging through the mud of the bailey, water still puddled from the recent rains, he made his way to the big, squat keep. As he approached, men were coming at him from the direction of the newly-built knight quarters. He could see Jorden de Russe and Rhun du Bois heading in his direction and as he neared the keep, they broke into a run and intercepted him.
“Nay,” de Russe said, blocking his path to the keep and reaching out his big arms to take the lady. “Henry’s men are in there. Your father opened the gates to them and they are all in there. I will take the lady, Chad. You go inside and see what is transpiring.”
Chad let Jorden take Alessandria without a fight. In truth, the news that Henry’s men were actually inside the castle came as something of a shock.
“He let them in?” he said in disbelief. “Did you tell him that they had
chased us all the way from Newington?”
Jorden nodded. “I did,” he said, glancing at the pale, frozen lady. “Let Rhun tell you. Let me get the lady to a fire.”
Chad watched Jorden whisk Alessandria away but his view of the man’s retreat back to the knight quarters was blocked by Rhun’ face.
“Your father is loyal to Henry,” Rhun said simply. “That is why he let the men in. He did not want them to return to London to tell the king that Canterbury denied them entrance. Moreover, he wants to know why they have come. He wants to hear Henry’s directive from their own lips.”
Chad sighed heavily. “Did he?”
Rhun shook his head. “I do not know,” he said. “Your brothers and cousins are all inside, gathered in your father’s solar. They have been there since dawn. I do not know what has been said so you must go to your father immediately.”
Chad had every intention of doing that. In fact, he found that his temper was rather piqued at this point. He didn’t like that his father had opened the gates to men they had been running from. Men who wanted Alessandria. He took the first step into the keep, pointing in the direction of the knight quarters as he went.
“You and Jorden stay with the lady,” he said. “She is cold and hungry and wet. Make sure she is dried and fed, and protect her with your life. Keep her out of sight until we can settle this. Is that clear?”
Rhun nodded. “It is, Chad.”
He turned and made haste to the knight quarters as Chad continued up the wide stone steps, having recently replaced the retractable wooden stairs. More and more modern conveniences and comforts were coming to Canterbury Castle these days, but Chad wasn’t thinking about any of that. He was thinking of Henry’s men, now possibly filling his father full of the king’s venom, and he wasn’t pleased in the least. They weren’t going to get their hands on the lady and if they did, it wouldn’t be without a fight.
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