by Julia Latham
She would miss him, she realized suddenly. She had been separated from him for mere hours, and it had taught her the ache of the absence of him.
He was still waiting for an order, and the mischievous look in his eyes teased her.
“Put your hand…on my cheek,” she said, lifting her chin in a challenge.
He grabbed her backside and squeezed.
She gasped, and in trying to get away from his hand, only pushed herself even closer to the rest of his body.
His very aroused body.
He leaned over her as if to bestow a kiss.
She quickly said, “Nay, I have not permitted such a thing. You may kiss me”—she thought about a safe spot, then pointed to her forehead—“here.”
He pressed his lips very gently between her brows. He was warm all around her, and she felt very safe.
A male voice said, “You can kiss me if you’d like.”
Elizabeth tried to break away, but John continued to hold her as he said, “And why would I kiss you, Philip?”
“Because I’ve solved today’s problem.”
John allowed her to turn about in his embrace, but kept an arm about her waist from behind. Philip seemed to think nothing of this, so gradually she relaxed.
“You found the soldier?” she asked.
“Nay, but I discovered that he’s simply gone.”
“What?” John said.
“It seems our captor has not been seen since last night. When he didn’t appear for guard duty this morning, the others went searching for him. His possessions are gone, as is a horse.”
“He just…left?” she asked in surprise.
“That makes no sense,” John said.
“Unless he was forcibly removed,” Philip offered, smiling. “I told you that the League has decided to help you now.”
“If that’s true, then they could help more.”
“Maybe they are,” Philip said.
Elizabeth said, “But how do we know this soldier didn’t tell someone about who he had in the dungeon?”
“He didn’t want to share the glory,” Philip answered. “And also, I walked about in plain sight through the great hall, where Milburn was, and no one said a word.”
In a low voice, John said, “That could have been dangerous.”
“But don’t we live for the thrill of it?”
The two men grinned at each other, and Elizabeth felt…left out, even uneasy.
“Well I’m hungry,” she said, and they both looked at her. “I’m certain Adalia saved us some food. And I have yet to go to Anne this morn.”
John sighed, and his arm fell away from her waist. “By all means, you must have food. Allow us to escort you.”
She handed him his crutch, and he sighed as he put it under his arm. “I’m sore from this thing.”
In the kitchens, instead of smiling, Adalia greeted them with a worried frown. She opened her mouth to speak, then glanced at the two men.
“We’ll wait near the great hall,” John said.
When he and Philip were far enough away, Adalia said, “Bannaster just received a messenger, and immediately he doubled the guards on the tower.”
“And you don’t know why?” Elizabeth asked, as all the worry that had eased with John’s playing came rushing back.
“Nay. He said not to prepare a tray for her ladyship. And worst of all, he wants to see ye.”
“Where is he?”
“In the great hall. His scowl is terrible to behold. He was out on the tiltyard training with his men when he received the mysterious news. So he’s still in there in training armor, his sword in its scabbard.”
“At least he’s not waving it around.”
“Promise me ye’ll be careful,” Adalia said, touching her arm.
“I’ll be in front of the whole hall. I’ll be fine.”
“Ye weren’t last time. I had to set fire to me own kitchen to stop the brute.”
“You were the heroine that day.”
“And don’t ye forget it.” Adalia glanced at the two men. “What about them?”
“I’m going to ask them to remain here,” she said. “Will you mind?”
“I might put them to work.”
“I wouldn’t blame you.” Elizabeth walked over to John and Philip and relayed the news. “I need you both to remain here.”
“I’m not leaving you unguarded,” John said predictably.
“But what if this has something to do with your captor? What if he was too frightened to go through with the plan, and sent word to Bannaster instead?”
“You didn’t hear his gloating,” Philip said. “He’s gone—and he had help disappearing.”
“Still, I need you to wait here. You can watch, hidden, but please, trust me. Something feels very wrong.”
Once again, she stared at John, waiting for him to overrule her. But he only nodded, and she felt profound relief.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “I won’t worry so much.”
“But I will,” he said softly. “You are a woman who takes on too much.”
She gave him a fleeting smile, then walked into the great hall. Bannaster stood near the hearth, speaking to Milburn.
They both turned to look at her, and then Bannaster gestured for her to come forward. Wearing a chest and back plate, he looked more impressive than in his fine court garments. The scabbard belted to his waist looked as if it housed an intimidating weapon.
To her surprise, Bannaster sat in one of the cushioned chairs before the fire, and motioned her to the other one. She had a flash of memory, her parents sitting there, smiling at each other, smiling at her.
She sat down and waited.
“I just received a missive,” he said, wasting no time.
She nodded politely, trying to look baffled.
“Someone at Rodmarton Castle overheard news that interested me.”
A cold sweat suddenly broke out over Elizabeth’s body, and she prayed it was not visible. Rodmarton Castle was where her sisters were being fostered.
Bannaster smiled grimly. “He wants me to pay him well for it, and I shall.”
“My lord, I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”
“I am told that somewhere in Alderley, Lord Russell is in disguise, trying to aid his betrothed.”
She whispered a silent prayer to God. Let John remain hidden. Had her foolish sisters discussed her plight where someone could overhear? Though it was the hardest thing she ever did, she gave him a puzzled frown. “Surely this courier misheard, my lord.”
He ignored her protest. “Milburn and I have been discussing who Russell could be. Milburn believes he could not be a regular servant—after all, the man is a knight, hard to disguise.”
She was dying to glance at the kitchens, wishing she could somehow signal John and Philip to flee.
“There is only one knight who is not a member of the household,” Bannaster continued.
She could not pretend ignorance without looking like she deliberately lied. “Who—you mean Sir John Gravesend?”
He was watching her carefully as he nodded.
“But my lord, I have been working with him every day. Never once did he portray anything but a bailiff. Aye, he was once a knight, but he could not afford to remain one.”
“He’s been waiting for the right moment, using you to get to Lady Elizabeth.”
And that’s what he’d first been doing when he arrived at Castle Alderley, Elizabeth thought, feeling the threat of hysterical laughter.
“That cannot be true,” she said firmly.
“We’ve simply found him out before he had the chance. Now why don’t you tell us where he is. I understand you have spent the last several nights in his company.” Bannaster’s eyelids were half closed in sensual mockery.
“My lord, I do not—”
“We have found him, my lord!” a man cried.
Chapter 21
Elizabeth spun in her chair in time to see John and Philip drag
ged forward by two soldiers. Before she had more than a moment’s feeling of terror, John sent one to the floor and came up with his sword. The other soldier pulled Philip away and forced him to his knees.
There were shouts and screams as people backed away from the armed man. With a flick of his wrist, John cut the bindings of his splint, and it fell in pieces.
Bannaster had already surged to his feet. But instead of looking dismayed at John’s freedom, he wore a grin of triumph as he drew his own sword.
“Get back!” he shouted at his soldiers.
Why had she not noticed how many soldiers there were in the great hall at midmorning? she thought desperately. Bannaster must have been lying in wait to surprise John.
“Russell,” Bannaster called, striding into the center of the great hall, “How good to finally meet you.”
There were gasps all around, and several people looked at Elizabeth, wide-eyed, betraying their knowledge of her identity. Luckily, Bannaster and Milburn were focused on John.
John circled slowly, his sword raised, keeping an eye all around him, even as he watched Bannaster warily.
“Nay, no one shall challenge you except myself,” Bannaster said. “It is only fitting, as we fight over a woman.”
“We fight not over a woman,” John shouted. “We fight over your unchivalrous treatment of my betrothed.”
Bannaster closed the gap between them, but still circled. “I am only righting your wrong. You left Lady Elizabeth alone for months.”
“I came the moment I heard,” John said, feinting forward with his sword.
Bannaster hopped nimbly to the side. “Ah, yes, how did it feel to discover that you were third choice?”
John smiled. “I am the youngest son. Being third comes naturally to me.”
“You will lose, you know,” Bannaster said, then slashed suddenly at John’s legs. “Why not just take the maidservant you already seem fond of?”
“I simply used the girl.”
Elizabeth gasped and tried to look outraged. Adalia walked to her side and put a comforting arm around her.
The two men finally crossed swords in a great blow that echoed through the hall. Both sprang away unharmed.
During the shouts and cheers, Adalia whispered, “Did ye know who he was?”
Elizabeth gave the slightest nod of her head.
“And he you?”
Another brief nod.
“Ah, what a man,” Adalia said in appreciation.
Elizabeth glanced at her in surprise. But at another clash of swords, she gave her full attention to the sword fight—and watched in awe at the demonstration John gave. He moved with a speed difficult to see, thrusting, cutting, parrying away his opponent’s sword before it came anywhere near him. Bannaster’s glee gradually faded as a look of concentration came over him.
Wringing her hands together, Elizabeth glanced at Philip, who was still on his knees, held at each elbow by a soldier. All three of them seemed engrossed in the combat.
John stepped away again. Bannaster was breathing heavily, but John looked barely winded. He only smiled with confidence as Bannaster tried to hide his anger.
“You have been at Alderley for many days now,” Bannaster said. “You have yet to even see Lady Elizabeth.”
“I don’t need to see her to know she needs my help,” John parried Bannaster’s sword away as if a child swung it. “Can you not find a woman without having to imprison her?”
“She’s being kept safe, not imprisoned.”
John laughed without humor. “I don’t think she’d agree with you.”
Once more Elizabeth looked at Philip—but he was gone, the two soldiers who’d been holding him left groaning in a heap. No one else seemed to notice, so she quickly looked back at the sword fight.
But…how could this possibly end? John couldn’t very well kill Bannaster—he was a viscount, and the king’s cousin, who’d just appealed quite legally to the king in a matter both men were involved in. They could not fight to the death, as if hundreds of years of civilization had not passed.
If Bannaster put John back in the dungeon, this time there would be guards. The League could not so easily provide aid.
Yet John was obviously the stronger, more skilled swordsman. She found herself wishing she could have seen him win those tournaments in Europe.
Perhaps Alderley could host a tournament. John could—
What was she thinking? John could die right now—or he could marry her and go off on his adventures like before. And she’d convinced herself that that’s what she’d always wanted.
But she found she couldn’t imagine being separated from him, even if it meant she had to share the management of Alderley with him.
But would he want to remain with her? Once they’d slept together, perhaps he’d tire of her. She couldn’t imagine tiring of his kisses and caresses, but he was a man of the world—he had had lovers before her.
She had to stop distracting herself. Two men might be battling to the death over possession of her. Each wanted the biggest share for himself. She knew she was just the newest toy for Bannaster, but what was she to John?
A great cry went up from the spectators, and all fell back as Bannaster began to chase John. John jumped up on a table and went running down it, vaulting to the floor at the far end, closest to the doors. Suddenly, she saw Philip there, and he looked dramatically shocked to find himself in the midst of soldiers. He dove back into the center of the great hall, and a great mass of men followed him as he led them on a chase to the far end, and through the corridor.
Leaving the entrance to the great hall free of men.
John suddenly swept into a bow, though a table separated Bannaster and him. Then he turned and left the castle.
He’d made a fool of Bannaster with his skill, but no one had gotten hurt, not even a scratch.
“Seize him!” shouted Bannaster, as he went running to the doors.
But many of the soldiers had followed Philip, who was probably leading them on a merry chase through the castle. The others had been caught off guard by John’s unexpected retreat. By the time they followed their lord to the inner ward, Elizabeth had no doubt that John would be gone. She went to the doors and leaned against the frame, watching the commotion in the ward below, as soldiers picked their way between carts and horses, dogs, and chickens.
She stared at the gatehouse, feeling almost lost.
John was gone.
How could he possibly return? Bannaster knew who he was—everyone would recognize his face. The danger to John would be too great.
Elizabeth hugged herself, feeling the strangest urge to cry.
And Adalia was there again, standing beside her. “Will ye be all right?”
Elizabeth nodded. “Of course. John won’t give up. I only hope he’s not killed.”
“He seems rather good at takin’ care of himself. But he hasn’t been too good at takin’ care of you.”
Elizabeth looked about, and then said in a low voice, “He wanted to take me away, but I wouldn’t let him.”
“Why ever not?”
“I could not leave you all here to suffer for what I’d done. I said I would find a way to fix things, and I will.”
But things were looking more and more bleak. She had never even asked John where to find him should he have to leave the castle.
Adalia tsked and shook her head. “Ye’re tryin’ so hard to be brave. I wish ye’d see that ye’re not in this alone.”
“I feel very alone,” she whispered.
Bannaster charged back up the stairs to the great hall, and Elizabeth fell back. But he came right at her.
“You tell your mistress that I’ve driven Russell away. Like a coward, he obviously does not want her enough to fight to the end for her.”
She bowed her head.
“Tell her that she will soon understand that I am doing what is in her best interest. I have sisters—I know how silly women can be.” He swept by her, calling, “Mi
lburn! We need to strengthen our defenses. More soldiers up on the battlements and in the gatehouse. That man is not getting back in here.”
Elizabeth heaved a sigh when the men were far enough away. “Adalia, I need a tray for her ladyship.”
“You go on up to her, Anne. She’ll be able to comfort ye.”
Adalia was right. Up in the tower, Anne put her arms around Elizabeth after hearing the news.
“You betrothed is a man who can take care of himself,” Anne insisted.
“And you know this even though you haven’t met him?” Elizabeth asked, trying to keep her words light.
“Everything you have said about him convinces me of it. Be confident, he will return for you.”
“I keep trying to tell myself that I don’t need him,” Elizabeth whispered. “But ’tis a lie. I think I might be in love with him.”
Anne drew her to a bench and sat beside her. “Then that is a good thing.”
“How can it be good?” she cried. “I had my whole life planned out, and loving someone so desperately was never a part of it. I never meant to give my husband such power over me. I wanted my heart free, so that I could have my own life while he had his. Now I might not even be permitted to marry him, when I want so much to—” She broke off, finding herself dangerously close to tears.
“He will return for you,” Anne said firmly. “We both know it.”
“And possibly be killed,” she whispered, hugging herself.
“Nay, Bannaster seems to be a man who takes his king’s word seriously. He will not jeopardize his future by harming a fellow nobleman. He thinks the king will rule in his favor, so he won’t have to. But the king will honor your betrothal. Surely he will not risk alienating two such impressive houses as Alderley and Russell. And then you and Lord Russell will discuss your marriage, and make it work to the satisfaction of you both.”
“John is a man of adventure, Anne. He’ll leave me much of the year as I’ve always wanted a husband to do.”
“Stop this foolish worrying and trust yourself.”
Elizabeth had always done that—and now she didn’t know if it was enough.
John and Philip met up at a clearing in the woods, a place decided on from the moment they’d gone into Alderley in disguise. Philip was leading two horses.