Rapunzel and her friend made their way to the castle door. The guard followed and opened the door, then shut it behind them.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the solar, Rapunzel saw one of Claybrook’s guards farther down the corridor. He started moving toward them.
“What do you have there?” he called.
Rapunzel slipped another pasty off the tray and handed it to the guard.
He took it and sniffed it. “Where are you going?”
“To the solar, to take Lady Rose her morning repast.”
He lifted the cloth on the tray.
“Is Lord Claybrook in charge of Hagenheim Castle now? Is that why you are questioning the maidservants? Or do you suspect the maidservants of wrongdoing?”
The guard glared down at Rapunzel. “You may go.”
Rapunzel led the way up the stairs. When she reached the top, four guards were standing outside. Heat rose inside her at the invasion of this room, which was Lady Rose’s favorite place to spend time with her children.
Rapunzel walked straight up to them. “We have Lady Rose’s morning repast. If you will step aside.”
One guard lifted the cloth over the pasties and took one of them as Rapunzel brushed past them with her full pitcher of water.
Lady Rose watched them as they brought in the tray of food and the pitcher of water and set them down on a table by the window. The guards stayed just outside the door, so when Lady Rose walked over to them, Rapunzel whispered, “Sir Gerek has gone to find Duke Wilhelm and tell him what is happening here.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back. “Stay safe, my dear.”
In a normal voice, meant for the guards to hear, she said, “Is there anything else we can do for you, my lady?”
“No, thank you. You may go.”
As they made their way down the stairs, Rapunzel urged Cristobel to move slowly. Once in the corridor, they stood still, listening. No one was around. But someone was coming. Footsteps were shuffling toward them.
“Let’s get out of here,” Cristobel whispered, nudging Rapunzel in the back.
“Wait a moment.” Finally, three men came into view from the direction of the castle courtyard. Two were Claybrook’s guards and the other one, walking between them, was one of Duke Wilhelm’s guards. His face was bloody, he shuffled his feet, and his head lolled on his shoulders.
Rapunzel’s stomach felt queasy. The man could have been Gerek, except for the red-blond hair. O Father God, please keep Sir Gerek safe.
Rapunzel moved forward as the guards noticed them. She guessed they were taking the badly beaten soldier to the dungeon, and she kept her eyes focused straight ahead as she and Cristobel headed back to the kitchen.
Silently she prayed for God to deliver her and her true mother and sisters from Lord Claybrook, Sir Reginald, and Gothel.
Gerek managed to escape from Hagenheim with his horse, only having to knock one of Claybrook’s guards unconscious. He would not have minded killing him, if it had come to that, but the man did not appear to be terribly skilled at battle.
Gerek rode hard. But every time he thought about leaving Rapunzel and the other men and women at Hagenheim, including Lady Rose and all of the duke’s family, his chest tightened with guilt. Had he done the right thing?
If he had stayed, he could have helped his fellow knights and guards to fight Claybrook’s men. But if they were defeated, Duke Wilhelm would come home to an ambush.
What would happen to poor Lady Margaretha? Claybrook would undoubtedly force the duke’s oldest daughter to marry him in an attempt to make a stronger claim for Hagenheim. The poor girl.
And what about Rapunzel and the rest of the maidservants? Would Claybrook allow his guards to take advantage of them, as usually happened in these situations?
He urged his horse to go faster.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rapunzel.” Cristobel caught Rapunzel’s wrist as they prepared to serve the midday meal to Claybrook and his men. “I just heard that Claybrook’s guards released all Duke Wilhelm’s prisoners from the dungeon.”
For a moment, Rapunzel just stared at Cristobel. “What? Why?” If all the prisoners were released from the dungeon . . .
“Claybrook said he would release them if they would fight with him against Duke Wilhelm’s men.”
“That means . . .” The man who had attacked her, Balthasar, was free and possibly roaming Hagenheim Castle as a guard.
“Don’t worry, Rapunzel. We won’t let that man hurt you.”
“Thank you.” Her knees were trembling as she helped carry the food into the Great Hall.
Claybrook’s men filled the tables. They were loud and unruly until Lord Claybrook stood and yelled, “My men will behave as noble knights, not as ruffians and cutthroats. I cannot hear myself think.” Lord Claybrook looked almost pouty as he plucked at his sleeves and plopped back down—in Duke Wilhelm’s chair.
The men did grow quieter, she was thankful to see. As she set the platter of pork and stewed fruit on the table, she glanced at the next table and saw Balthasar grinning at her.
Her heart stuttered as she gave him stare for stare, then turned with a lift of her head and strode back to the kitchen.
“Was he there?” Cristobel asked her.
“Yes. He saw me too.” She wanted to pretend she was not frightened, but when she pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her fingers were shaking.
“Oh, my dear. Sit down on the stool. You can put the last touches on the sweet cakes while we serve the rest of the food.”
Rapunzel started to sit down, but then straightened. “No. I will not let that”—what had Sir Gerek called him?—“that piece of rancid dog meat make me afraid.” She took the platter out of Cristobel’s hands, turned on her heel, and marched back to the Great Hall.
She glared until she caught Balthasar’s eye, then did her best to snarl, actually curling her lip, while mentally calling him cur, swine, lout, and evil knavish imp, and vowing silently, I’ve got a new knife, and this time I won’t be aiming for your arm.
Balthasar’s evil smile faltered. He stopped chewing and his mouth went slack.
Rapunzel laid the platter on the table and stalked out.
Thanks be to God, Lady Margaretha had managed to escape the castle the first day of Lord Claybrook’s treachery. That night Rapunzel slept in the tiny room between Lady Rose’s chamber and her older daughters’ room. Lady Rose and Lady Kirstyn, who was only two years younger than Margaretha, were anxious for Margaretha’s safety, even though they were grateful she was not there, at Claybrook’s mercy.
After Gothel’s shocking revelations, Rapunzel managed to speak to Frau Adelheit and tell her everything Gothel had said about how she had taken Rapunzel—Elsebeth—when she was three. With all the turmoil, Rapunzel decided it was not the right time to tell Lady Rose, and she and Frau Adelheit agreed that she was safer if she went on with her servant duties for now.
Lord Claybrook allowed everything to go on as usual—except that he didn’t always allow Lady Rose and the family to leave the solar to eat their meals in the Great Hall. Rapunzel was still allowed to attend Lady Rose and her daughters two evenings per week.
She had cared for Lady Rose and her daughters that evening. She cherished every moment, holding the knowledge of her identity close to her heart as she brushed their hair and helped them undress.
As she lay in bed, purposely pushing away all thoughts of Gothel, her mind went to Sir Gerek and whether he could truly be content to marry the widow, Lady Lankouwen. Instead of thinking about that, she should be praying for his safety and his success in finding Duke Wilhelm.
She felt for the books Sir Gerek had loaned her. Perhaps tomorrow night she would ask Lady Rose if she could have a candle. She held them to her heart and closed her eyes, conjuring the image of Sir Gerek when he gave them to her. But she had to stop thinking about him since he would soon be married.
How strange it was that Hagenheim had seemed like the
safest, kindest place on earth only a week ago, and now, with Claybrook having taken over, it seemed the most precarious.
She did her best to close her mind to all thoughts of fear and danger and concentrate instead on her prayers. After her more formal prayers, she asked God to take care of everyone she cared about—her precious mother, Lady Rose, Sir Gerek, Cristobel, the rest of the maidservants, and all of Duke Wilhelm’s—her—family. She even prayed for Gothel, asking God to change her heart. And thank you for keeping me safe from Balthasar. You have kept me safe before, and I believe you will keep me safe again. As she finished her prayer, she closed her eyes, feeling more peaceful than she had in a week, and fell asleep.
A week had passed since Lord Claybrook took over the castle. The maidservants never saw any of Duke Wilhelm’s knights or guards. They must all have been killed or locked in the dungeon—besides Sir Gerek and the ones who had gone with Duke Wilhelm.
Rapunzel rarely went anywhere, even the privy, without another maidservant with her. But as Rapunzel was leaving the Great Hall, heading back to the kitchen after serving some food, Gothel came around the corner and grabbed her arm. “So, where is your Sir Gerek?” she asked. “He has deserted you, hasn’t he?”
Rapunzel bit back the retort that bubbled to her lips. “I have to get to the kitchen.” She tried to dodge Gothel, but at that same moment, Sir Reginald came out of the Great Hall and came to stand beside Gothel. He put his arm around her shoulders and looked down at Rapunzel.
“Is this her? Is this Rapunzel?” he asked. He stared at her, even turning her slightly so she faced the torch on the wall, as if to get a better look at her. He pierced her with bold brown eyes. His face was dark and his hair streaked with gray. This was the man to whom Gothel had given her heart and her loyalty.
“This is my Rapunzel, the daughter I told you about.”
Sir Reginald may have been a handsome man in his youth, but the sun and age had turned his skin to brown leather. There was also a hardness in his eyes. What had Gothel told him? Had she admitted that Rapunzel was a Gerstenberg? Or had she told him the same lie she had told Rapunzel, that Rapunzel had been abandoned on her doorstep, or the other story, that she’d found her in her garden in the rapunzel patch?
He studied her face, and Rapunzel suddenly wondered if he suspected Rapunzel might be his own daughter.
He finally spoke. “Gothel has brought us the weapons we needed from the wagon Balthasar was bringing to us. She is as valuable as any soldier in the fight against the Gerstenbergs.”
Sir Reginald smiled down at Gothel, and Rapunzel’s stomach felt sick.
“She has also been helping us by going into Hagenheim and finding out what the townspeople know and if they would help Duke Wilhelm if he were to be attacked.”
“May I go now?” Rapunzel clenched her teeth to keep from saying anything.
“If your mother has nothing more to say, then you may.” Sir Reginald bowed, sweeping his hand behind him.
“This woman is not my mother,” Rapunzel said and strode past them, praying for God to intervene and save Hagenheim from the evil likes of Gothel and Sir Reginald.
After three and a half days of hard riding, Gerek found Duke Wilhelm, who was on a quest to capture the brigands who had been terrorizing the north road to Hagenheim. Valten and a few of his knights and trained soldiers were with him.
When Gerek told the duke and Valten what was happening in Hagenheim, they did not delay, but turned their horses toward home.
At night, they stopped to get a few hours of sleep and to let the horses rest. Duke Wilhelm said, “We’ll likely be outnumbered. No doubt Claybrook will have enlisted his uncle’s help, the Earl of Keiterhafen, who will have sent all his knights and soldiers to join with Claybrook’s men. We will have to raise an army from the people of Hagenheim.” Duke Wilhelm made the statement as if it were as easy as building a fire or saddling a horse.
The people of the Hagenheim region were loyal to Duke Wilhelm, but they were not fighting men. If Claybrook had been able to close the town gates and keep people from leaving, Duke Wilhelm would have only farmers, woodcutters, and the few knights and soldiers he had brought with him when he attacked Lord Claybrook’s highly trained soldiers. Still, they’d be fighting for Duke Wilhelm and for their own lives, and that should be enough to embolden and motivate them.
Gerek only had a few hours to sleep before they would be off again at sunrise. He stretched out by the fire, turning his back to the flickering flames, but kept his eyes open while he prayed. There seemed to be so much to pray for, so much danger ahead of him, and yet he found himself praying first and last for Rapunzel’s safety.
Word went through the kitchen late the next evening that Lady Margaretha had been caught. She’d been brought back to Hagenheim by Lord Claybrook’s men.
Rapunzel’s heart sank. “When did she return?”
“Just an hour ago, the stable boy said.”
What would happen to her now? Would Claybrook force Margaretha to say vows and then force himself on her? If he wanted to hurt Duke Wilhelm, that would be a good way to do it.
“Keep your eyes and ears open,” Rapunzel said to her fellow maidservants, “for ways we might be able to help Lady Margaretha escape again.”
They nodded, but doubt clouded their faces.
It was not Rapunzel’s day to help Lady Rose, but since Britta had never returned after Claybrook took over, she asked Cook if she could be excused from her kitchen duties to see if she would be allowed to wait on her.
She slipped an extra knife in the leather sheath at her belt, hoping for an opportunity to sneak it to Lady Margaretha. She seemed a feisty enough person to be able to put a knife to good use.
Walking quickly through the corridor, her hand rested on her thigh where her two knives were concealed. She looked from left to right and back again, but did not see Balthasar. Hurrying up the stairs, she encountered a guard at the top.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m Lady Rose’s maid. She needs me to help her—”
“Not tonight.”
“But the maidservants are supposed to go about their regular duties.”
“Not tonight. Captain Reginald’s orders. No one is supposed to visit the family.”
“I’m not visiting. I’m serving.”
“What’s the difficulty here?” Sir Reginald appeared on the stairs behind Rapunzel.
“Sir Reginald, I simply want to do my usual service for Lady Rose.” She purposely didn’t add, “and her daughters,” knowing Margaretha’s presence must be what was causing their extra caution.
“No one, not even servants, are allowed with them tonight. And you can tell the cook they’ll be taking their evening meal in the solar.”
Not seeing any point in arguing with the man, Rapunzel turned to go. Perhaps she could find a way to slip the knife to Lady Rose when they brought them their food.
She was almost to the bottom of the steps when she noticed someone blocking the corridor. In the flickering light of the wall torch, at the bottom of the steps, stood the man with the strange smile, Balthasar.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rapunzel froze, only four steps away from him. His eyes shone black. His smile bespoke evil pleasure at finding her alone.
She took a step backward, up to the next step, two steps. Then she turned around and ran back up. “Sir Reginald!”
When she turned to look over her shoulder, she ran into something solid.
Sir Reginald grabbed her by the arms. His dark brows were low, and there was a deep crease between his eyes. He shook her, making her head fall back and then sling forward. “I don’t have time for—”
“That man at the bottom of the stairs. He’s waiting to do me harm.”
Sir Reginald suddenly took hold of her wrist and, without a word, started down the stairs, pulling her behind. Balthasar was still standing at the bottom.
“Get away from there,” Sir Reginald barked.
&
nbsp; Balthasar’s smile turned angry. He hesitated a few moments, then skulked down the corridor.
Sir Reginald pulled Rapunzel the rest of the way down the stairs and glared down at her. “Get back to the kitchen and don’t be roaming around the castle, or something bad will happen to you. And it will be your own fault.”
Rapunzel’s breath came fast and she clenched her fists. She wanted to tell him she was not responsible for that man’s evil, and she was not to blame for Claybrook’s despicable choice to release wicked men from the dungeon to terrorize good people. Instead, she glared up at him and said, “You disgust me.” Then she spun on her heel and walked back to the kitchen.
When she reached the kitchen door, she flung it open.
“Did you see Lady Rose? Were you able to give her the knife?” Cristobel asked softly. All the maidservants were looking at her.
Rapunzel was still breathing hard, her knees trembling. “I was not even allowed to see Lady Rose.”
Their shoulders slumped as they went back to their work.
The next day Lady Rose and even Lady Margaretha and Lady Kirstyn were seated on the dais in the Great Hall for the midday meal. Claybrook sat at the head of the table in Duke Wilhelm’s place like a puffed up bullfrog. Claybrook had let the squires and pages out of the knights’ quarters where he had been keeping them. They were serving now, so Rapunzel and the other maidservants stayed in the kitchen, supplying the boys with platters of food.
The gossip was that Claybrook would force Margaretha to marry him tonight at vespers. The duke’s oldest daughter—Rapunzel’s own sister—would be married to that evil man by nightfall, and he was demanding a big feast for after the wedding.
As Rapunzel added the cherry sauce to the roast pheasant, she suddenly had an idea.
Rapunzel whispered her idea to Cristobel, who nodded with an excited glint in her eye. “Let us do it.”
Rapunzel dribbled the dark red cherry sauce across her fingers and onto a cloth, soaking it through. Then she whispered her plan to Cook, who gave them permission to abandon their work.
A Melanie Dickerson Collection Page 70