Starless

by Kathryn Le Veque

  “I told you. It is merely an accusation that you cannot prove.”

  Witton was becoming impatient. “Then I will bring Samuel down here and ask him what he knows,” he said. “Mayhap you would be more willing to tell me the truth if Samuel was here.”

  Susanna really didn’t want Samuel in the cell with her, especially if they were going to use the man to make her talk. She wasn’t going to let her brother take the brunt of abuse for her actions, but that was clearly the implication. Therefore, the only thing she could do was negotiate her way out of this.

  She had to try.

  “Do not bother,” she said. “If you want to talk, then let us talk. Let us come to an understanding, shall we? You want answers to questions, answers I cannot provide to you. Therefore, let us move past the questions to the crux of the situation – let us theorize that if I were to tell you what you wanted to know, I must have to have certain assurances in order to do so.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  Susanna was walking the careful line between admitting she knew something and plausibly denying everything, as she’d been doing. But she could see where this conversation was going and she was trying to be preemptive about the situation – striking while she could, negotiating before she was desperate.

  Trying to take control of something she had no control over.

  “My brother would be held harmless,” she said. “And I would simply leave and never return. You would never see me again and I would never again cause you trouble. This, I vow.”

  Witton eyed her, mulling over what she was offering. After several long moments, his eyes narrowed.

  “That would not do,” he said. “You see, my lady, I have all of the evidence against you that I need. You truly need not tell me anything because I already know. I simply wanted to see if you would be smart enough to confess everything to me, but I see that you would rather blame others to save yourself. Hardly honorable behavior.”

  Susanna didn’t appreciate being called a liar, even if she had used that tactic to deflect suspicion away from herself. Unwilling to respond because she wasn’t sure what Witton’s intentions were, she simply looked away. Witton kept his gaze fixed on her.

  “No witty reply?” he said. “No more offers? Let me tell you how I know this, my lady. You see, Bellerby saw you and two Pembroke knights at The Horse’s Arse, the very same knights who robbed me of three of my best men. You injured the other four to varying degrees, but they will heal. You tried to deflect your activities and loyalties by blaming Bellerby, as we just saw. But in the end, I trust my men over you. Given the fact that you served de Winter, which is established, and traveled with Pembroke knights, I would say that your loyalties are to the king or to William Marshal, or both. That is why you were sending the missive to Richmond – to warn them. The garrison belongs to William Marshal and you were simply doing your duty.”

  That was the situation, exactly, but Susanna didn’t show any emotion one way or the other. She didn’t respond, either, which perhaps made her look more guilty than anything thus far. Witton, knowing he had the upper hand, went in for the kill.

  “This is what is going to happen, Lady Susanna,” he said. “If you do not comply with my command in any way, I will take your brother apart before your very eyes, piece by piece. Do you understand so far?”

  Susanna was starting to feel a great deal of apprehension and struggling not to show it. She refused to admit that she’d lost control of the situation when the truth was that she never really had control to begin with.

  It was a bitter realization.

  “Speak your mind and be done with it, de Meynell.”

  Witton lifted a hand because he was going to grab her by the chin and force her to look at him, but he thought better of it. She might lash out at him and, as he’d seen, she had a powerful strike.

  “You are going to accompany me back to Whorlton Castle,” he said, “but not as a knight. You will return as a lady, and a beautiful lady, and when my wife’s father finishes sending me the rest of the troops he has promised me, I shall send you to Wartburg Castle as a gift to him. Any resistance and I will kill your brother. If he is dead and you continue to resist, then I shall make you wish you had never been born. You will become a concubine for my soldiers and I will allow every dirty, filthy knave to touch you in ways that will make you wish you were dead. They will bed you and bed you again, as many men a day as want to bed you, and any bastards you bear will be sold into servitude. From this day forward, you belong to me and I will do with you as I please or your brother, and you, will pay the price. Is this in any way unclear?”

  Susanna knew he meant every word of it and given that she was at his mercy, she had no choice but to comply. As she tried not to think about his very real threat, visions of Achilles filled her mind.

  Terror surged.

  Since the moment she’d been captured, the most predominant thing on her mind was the fact that Achilles would be returning for her any day, returning to ask Samuel for her hand. As soon as he entered Aysgarth’s gates, he would be a target for de Meynell and the very thought made her ill. He had no idea what he would be walking in to and she was frantic to get word to him, but such a thing was surely impossible.

  She had to warn Achilles off somehow.

  … but how?

  As she fought down her panic for Achilles, she realized that Witton was waiting for an answer.

  “It is clear,” she said hoarsely. “But I want to see my brother. Will you take him to me?”

  “Will you swear to me that you will not resist any longer? No more fighting my men?”

  “I will no longer resist your men, but if they strike me, I will strike back. Make sure they know that.”

  “I will ensure they treat you fairly. If you behave yourself, I will move you back to the apartments, into an unburned chamber, and you will remain there for the time being under guard. A woman of your beauty should not be kept in this moldering vault.”

  There was a lascivious hint to his tone and Susanna could see that she was going to have to deal with his advances now. That was obvious. He saw her as a caged bird, one he intended to toy with. The very thought made her want to vomit.

  At this point, however, she had little choice but to comply.

  “Aye, my lord.”

  His gaze lingered on her, on her bruised mouth and swollen nose. He leaned forward, lowering his voice.

  “If you swear to me that you will comply with my wishes, I will believe you,” he muttered. “But know that I will only believe you one time. If you break your vow, just once, everything terrible I have described to you will come to pass. There will be no second chance. Do you understand?”

  “I do, my lord.”

  “Then I will bring your brother to you.”

  Reaching up, he dared to stoke her cheek with a dirty finger and Susanna closed her eyes against the disgust it provoked, but to her credit, she didn’t fight back. But all the while, she was slowly dying inside.

  Is this what is waiting for me?

  God, she couldn’t even stomach it.

  When Witton finally left the cell and locked it behind him, Susanna allowed herself the luxury of a few hot tears.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  They were riding to battle.

  At least, that was what it felt like.

  Caius had summoned nearly eight hundred men from the fifteen hundred he had stationed at Richmond and, by mid-afternoon, the entire army was mobilized. Caius had quartermasters who were geniuses at their tasks, and senior knights who were at the top of their career. One of the men was a nephew to the Earl of Wolverhampton, a young and dynamic knight named Morgan de Wolfe. He was big and dark, with hazel eyes, and he had a strong sense of command about him. He had the army mobilized and ready in very little time.

  Caius had planned this all out very carefully. He’d made it clear that they were not going to Aysgarth to simply retrieve Susanna, but also to see for himself what was going on
there. He’d known of the mercenaries at Aysgarth, and his network of spies throughout Yorkshire was keeping an eye on them, but with the information from Alexander and Achilles, he decided that it was time to pay a visit to de Tiegh.

  If Aysgarth was going to be that big of a threat, then he needed to scope it out for his own information because he would, ultimately, be the one making the decision to break down Aysgarth and scatter the mercenaries or leave it alone as a mild risk.

  But he had to see it for himself first.

  A few hours before sunset, the army from Richmond set out, much to the delight of the village surrounding it. People turned out in droves, watching the army depart, handing them fresh loaves of bread to take with them or even a flower. They had no idea where the army was going, but the villagers of Richmond loved their troops and their castle. They were well protected and well treated, and when Caius passed through, they did everything but throw money and women at him.

  And that’s how Caius liked it.

  As they passed through town and Caius waved to the townsfolk like a conquering Caesar, Alexander eyed the man with disbelief. When Caius caught a glimpse of Alexander’s expression, he broke down laughing, as did Alexander. Caius was arrogant and full of himself, and had every reason to be because he was a truly great knight, but as Alexander had told him, the last time he saw the man was when he was trying to negotiate for a houseful of women. Caius liked his hero-worship, wherever he could get it – from villagers or a houseful of daughters desperate for the touch of a handsome man.

  Caius was a complicated and proud man.

  It definitely felt like old times to Achilles, riding behind Caius and Alexander, watching the two of them smirk and laugh at one another. Under normal circumstances, he would have been part of that group, but his overwhelming concern for Susanna prevented him from enjoying his time with his comrades.

  All he cared about was getting to Aysgarth and locating her.

  It was true that he agreed with Caius and even The Marshal on not being reckless, but the greater truth was that he was going to do as he pleased, anyway. He was coming to understand Kress de Rhydian’s mentality when he was determined to take Lady Cadelyn and flee with her, no matter what the consequences. At the time, Achilles really didn’t understand that kind of passion and longing, becoming so strong that it turned into reckless determination.

  But now, he did.

  He understood it completely.

  Therefore, he was working on a plan. As the army headed out of the village and to the road leading south, the very road that Achilles and Alexander and Kevin had taken into town, Achilles was planning his future with Susanna. He’d told The Marshal that they would continue to serve him even after they were married, and they would, when the turmoil of the situation died down. Stealing Susanna away without her brother’s permission was going to cause some turmoil, so it was best that they go far away and stay out of sight until the uproar died down.

  Or perhaps he simply wanted to go away with her for a while.

  No William Marshal, no spy rings.

  Nothing but just the two of them.

  Aye, that was his true goal, if he was honest with himself. He wanted to get her alone and have her all to himself, if only for a short while, because when they returned to the service of The Marshal, the course of their lives and their time together would be uncertain.

  Achilles thought back to the last carefree days he could remember, those of his youth, and one of his fondest memories was when his parents would take him and his siblings to the shore at Maryport when the weather was fine in the summer. He had recollection of wandering the rocky shore with his mother and older brother, Tobias, finding shells that they would collect by the dozens. The gulls would scream overhead and the waves would crash onto shore as a damp breeze blew in from the sea. That was the last time he remembered ever being carefree and happy, the innocence of youth.

  That shore had a special meaning for him.

  Perhaps he would take Susanna there and they would hide out from the storm surrounding their departure. He wanted to walk on the shore with her and collect shells, far away from the politics of England and mercenaries from across the sea. Just for a few stolen moments, he wanted to be with Susanna and come to know her better than he’d ever known anyone in his life. That strong, courageous, and beautiful woman would become his world.

  In truth, she already was.

  His desperation to reach her grew.

  Spurring his horse forward, he pulled up beside Caius as the man was speaking to Alexander about some kind of cheese made in Wensleydale that caused his guts to explode in all directions. He liked it so much that he ate it nonetheless, suffering the consequences afterwards, wondering aloud if he was eating himself into an early grave by punishing his insides with that rich, white cheese. As Achilles rode up, Caius turned to him.

  “So you intend to join us, do you?” he said. “I thought we had offended you somehow. We were speaking of the white cheese that is made in these parts with sheep’s milk. I like the cheese but it does not like me.”

  Achilles smiled weakly. “Mayhap it is poisoned,” he said. “It is the Duke of Brittany out to kill you with cheese so they may have their castle returned to them without a battle.”

  Caius looked at him as if awed by the very suggestion. “That would be very clever of them,” he said. “But, alas, cheese has never been kind to me, not in my entire life. I did much better on the food in The Levant, the lamb and rice and vegetables that constituted the diet. I yearn for those days.”

  “Only the food?” Achilles said. “Not for the adventure?”

  Caius shook his head. “Those were days of living like an animal at times,” he said. “I do not miss those days. But I came straight home to England when it was over and you did not. I heard that you and Maxton and Kress ended up at the Lateran Palace for a time.”

  Achilles nodded. “For quite some time,” he concurred. “We were treated like kings as the pope tried to convince us to assassinate our own king. When we refused, he imprisoned us and then sold us to the Lords of Baux. Had it not been for William Marshal believing that we were the only hope to stop the assassins that the pope eventually sent to England to eliminate John, we would probably still be in that vault in France, slowly wasting away.”

  Caius was listening to him seriously. “I had not heard that,” he said. “I’d heard of the attempt against John, of course, at St. Blitha’s Church, no less, but I’d not heard your roles in it. Astonishing, Achilles.”

  Achilles nodded as he remembered a rather turbulent time only a few short months ago. “More than you know,” he said. “The assassins were the nuns at St. Blitha. We only came to realize that when a postulate told us of the pervasive wickedness within the convent. In fact, Maxton married that postulate.”

  Caius shook his head, astounded by the entire situation. “And the nuns?”

  “Killed by the postulate herself, with poison meant for the king.”

  “That took great bravery.”

  “That was why Maxton married her.”

  Caius grinned as he looked off to the green Yorkshire landscape. “I still cannot believe he and Kress fell victim to feminine wiles,” he said. “And now you. It looks as if Sherry and I are the only ones with our manhoods intact.”

  Achilles laughed softly. “You have no idea what you are missing,” he said. “A good woman will change your stars.”

  “I do not want to change my stars.”

  “Should you ever marry, I shall make sure to tell your wife that.”

  “There will be no wife. A harem, aye, but never a wife. In fact, I have been thinking of having my own harem here in England.”

  “I think they call it a brothel.”

  That brought a guffaw from Alexander and Achilles joined him in his laughter at Caius’ expense. But Caius stood his ground, shaking his head at the two of them.

  “And what does that make you, Achilles?” he asked. “You are to steal a woma
n away from her home so you do not risk her brother denying you. Why are you so set on having her?”

  “Because she belongs to me.”

  A gleam came to Caius’ eyes. “Do I detect a man who has bedded a woman before marriage?”

  Alexander looked at Achilles, quite interested in the answer. In fact, he started shaking his head. “If that has occurred, I would be astonished,” he said. “Cai, you cannot know how those two have battled each other since the beginning of their association, and I do mean battle. Susanna is not afraid of him and she made that very clear. At one point, we had to let them fight it out because the tension was unbearable. It was a damn good fight, too.”

  Caius looked at Achilles, amused. “Who won?”

  Alexander answered. “We had to pull them apart, but I would say that the lady was getting the upper hand,” he said. “It was a battle with those two from the very first day and it was exhausting. The fact that he thinks himself in love with her is bewildering, but mayhap not so bewildering considering she stood up to him at every turn. He must like a woman who fights back.”

  “I like a woman who is strong and brave,” Achilles said, oddly subdued. “Do not speak of her as if she is something reckless and wild. She is not, you know. She is courageous beyond measure, wise beyond reason, and brilliant beyond imagining. I do not simply think myself in love with her – I know I am. And, yes, I bedded her, if you must know. Make no mistake – the woman is marked upon my heart as surely as the stars are marked upon the sky. In fact, I told her that my skies were starless without her. I know I can be aggressive and emotional at times, but do not diminish my feelings for Susanna. In a way, she has helped me to realize the man I want to be. I understand what it means to feel something for a woman you cannot live without.”

  By the time he was finished, Caius and Alexander were looking at him quite seriously. It was Alexander who finally spoke.

  “I am sorry if you thought I was diminishing you,” he said. “That was not my intention. Incredulity was. If you say you love her, then I do not dispute you. I find it as surprising as I do marvelous. It is a rare thing, Achilles, to love a woman you were so intent on beating.”