The Fourth Horseman

by Sarah Woodbury

  “What is the hour?” Gwen said.

  “It is not yet noon,” Gareth said.

  Gwen’s brow furrowed as she thought. “I spent some time examining David before the man came. It felt like Prior Rhys was gone a long time. Perhaps I wasn’t unconscious for more than a quarter of an hour.”

  “It was too long for you to lie on the floor,” Mari said.

  “Prior Rhys may have lain unattended at least that long,” Gwen said.

  Mari’s brow furrowed. “You would think that in a castle this crowded, someone would have noticed him sooner.”

  “Our culprit had hauled his body behind a stack of wood.” Gareth focused on Mari. “How is it that you found Gwen?” he said, and then added before she could answer, “Why are you even at Newcastle?”

  “I came with Uncle Goronwy,” Mari said, answering Gareth’s second question first. “I found Gwen because I asked—” Mari stopped, and her face suffused with color. Gwen had never seen her look so embarrassed before.

  Mari tried again. “While my uncle saw to our accommodations, I spoke with Prince Hywel. He was in the hall, having recently completed an audience with Earl Robert. He didn’t know where any of you were, but the guard at the door had seen Gwen enter the chapel with Evan.” Mari smiled and touched Gwen’s cheek. “You can’t go anywhere unremarked, you know.”

  Gwen didn’t know what to make of that, but Gareth’s jaw clenched, and he hugged her closer. “Do you think you can walk, Gwen?”

  “I’m fine, really.” Gwen allowed Gareth to help her to stand and then took a step. In so doing, she realized that she really was fine. She didn’t even weave on her feet. “You survived worse last winter and walked home to Aber after.”

  Gareth’s eyes narrowed. “I swore to your father that this trip would not be dangerous.”

  Suddenly, Gwen found herself smiling. “Did you forget whom we serve, husband?”

  Gareth gave a snort of laughter but then immediately sobered. “You would have told me if you’d seen anything that might help us, right? Even if you didn’t see the face of the man who took David’s body.”

  “I can’t think of anything that would help.” Gwen gave a short laugh too. “I assumed Prior Rhys had returned to the room, and I was trying to figure out how to tell him—”

  Gwen broke off as the rest of her memory came flooding back.

  “What? What is it?” Gareth said.

  At that moment, Mari bent to the floor. “What’s this?” She held out her hand. The emerald lay nestled in her palm.

  Gwen fumbled for the purse at her waist. The strings hung loose, and she remembered that she’d never closed them around the stone.

  “How came this here?” Mari said, awe in her voice.

  “I dropped it,” Gwen said. “I had just put it in my purse when the man grabbed me. David had sewn it into the hem of his cloak. It must have fallen out of my purse when the man sent me to the floor.”

  The three friends stood together, looking down at the stone.

  “Do you think the person who took the body knew about the gem and wanted it—or wanted it back because he had given it to David in the first place?” Mari said.

  “If that is true, when he examines David’s body and doesn’t find it, he may come looking for you, Gwen,” Gareth said.

  Gwen didn’t like the sound of that. “No. No, he won’t. Prior Rhys was shocked to learn that I planned to examine David’s body. He left the room because the very idea of it made him uncomfortable.”

  “Really?” Gareth said.

  Gwen shrugged. “Or so it seemed at the time. Regardless, if the man who took David’s body was worried that I’d found the emerald, don’t you think he would have harmed me more?”

  Gareth made a growling sound deep in his throat. “I like Newcastle less and less with every hour that passes.”

  “You’d better take this.” Mari dumped the emerald into Gareth’s hand.

  Gareth clenched his fist around the stone. “I must speak to Prince Hywel. We have two bodies now and a gem so valuable I’m afraid to keep it with me.”

  “How would David have come by an emerald?” Gwen said. “He didn’t appear to me to be a rich man.”

  “This would make him rich, but—” Mari tapped Gareth’s fist so he would open it, and she peered at the gem again, “—not that rich. It’s very small.”

  “You mean it isn’t worth as much as I thought?” Gwen said.

  “I don’t know what you thought it was worth,” Mari said. “Certainly, it could buy David some land. It has a value of more than most villages.”

  “So does my sword,” Gareth said.

  “Was David a thief, do you think?” Gwen said. “Or could the gem have been meant as payment for a task?”

  “If the latter is the case, it would be nice to know if he still had to complete it,” Mari said, “or if it was for services already rendered.”

  “I can’t answer that, but I know more about David than I did when I saw you last.” Gareth stowed the gem in his scrip. “According to Amaury, David was a spy, and not just for Earl Ranulf.” He pointed at Mari, a sternness in his demeanor that he usually reserved for the men under his command. “And that knowledge does not leave this room, do you understand?”

  Mari’s eyes widened, but she nodded.

  Gareth turned to Gwen. “That goes for you, too. I don’t want you involved in this anymore.”

  Gwen thought about getting angry, but then she decided to take Gareth’s attitude for what it was: concern for the welfare of his wife. She put a hand on his arm. “I’m already involved, as you well know, and short of sending me home—which isn’t necessarily the safest proposition either—your only choice is to leave me at our camp. It’s full of men, but a lone intruder could reach me easily if you’re not there with me.” She gestured to the room around her. “Certainly, I wasn’t safe today in a chapel in a guarded castle. Whoever removed David’s body did so without calling attention to himself. How easy would he find it to enter our encampment if he chose?”

  Gareth looked as if he was going to argue with her as a matter of principle but swallowed down any response beyond, “I don’t like it.” And at Gwen’s shrug, he added, “We’ll see.”

  Chapter Eight

  Gareth

  Gwen’s logic was sound, but the fact that a man had touched her—even if his intent had been only to subdue her—burned in Gareth. He had sworn that he would keep her safe, and here she was, in danger on their first day at Newcastle. He was having a hard time controlling his anger, and he clenched and unclenched his fists, breathing deeply to rein in his temper.

  That Gwen had involved herself in the investigation, and that he’d allowed her to do so made him even angrier. What kind of husband put his wife in harm’s way? And yet, she was her own person. He’d known that when he married her, and it was one of the many things he loved about her. She would still love him if he sent her back to the camp—she might even forgive him. At the same time, he was afraid that she was correct in thinking that their encampment would prove no safer for her than the castle. If the man who took David’s body guessed that she had the emerald, she wouldn’t be safe anywhere.

  Gareth had almost ripped off Evan’s head a moment ago as they’d left the chapel. His friend had been waiting anxiously for them near the entrance to the great hall. But Evan’s expression had made Gareth swallow down his ire. It wasn’t Evan’s fault that Gwen was hurt, any more than it was Prior Rhys’s, who had already paid for his mistake in leaving her alone. Together they would find the man who harmed her. Gareth resolved to be more diligent about keeping Gwen with him at all times, or to ensure that another could protect her during those times when they had to be apart.

  In truth, he blamed himself more than anyone for what had happened. Gwen was his wife, and her welfare was his responsibility.

  The emerald, tiny as it was, lay heavy in Gareth’s scrip as he escorted Mari and Gwen into the great hall, Evan and Gruffydd trailing
behind them. Their hands rested on their sword hilts somewhat more conspicuously than usual. Gareth looked right and left, feeling as if everyone was watching him and could see through his scrip to the gem. Even King Owain had few gems in his treasury. How had David come by his?

  They passed through the anteroom and into the great hall. Prince Hywel stood near the dais, and at their approach, his expression filled with concern. He gave a quick nod and said, “I can see you have more news than just the harm to Prior Rhys. We shouldn’t speak here.”

  Then the prince’s eyes drifted to Mari. It was only a brief glance, but it sent a tingling sensation down Gareth’s spine. The look spoke of interest and was one Gareth hadn’t seen in his lord’s eyes in a long while.

  “Come this way.” Hywel held out his arm to Mari, who took it. The pair stepped off the dais, heading for a side door that led to a stairway and other parts of the castle.

  Watching them go, Gwen tightened her grip on Gareth’s arm. “Gareth—”

  “I see it,” he said.

  Gareth counted Gwen among the few women Hywel had not been able to charm into his bed. Mari should have known better than to look for companionship there, but sometimes a woman’s heart overrode her common sense. And sometimes a girl might need reminding when faced with the reality of this handsome Prince of Gwynedd. Even Gwen had admitted to Gareth once—when pressed and given assurance that nothing she could say would make him take offense—that God had given Hywel more gifts than any man had a right to.

  “How is Prior Rhys?” Gwen said to Hywel’s back.

  “Ill.” Hywel turned his head to look at Gwen and Gareth. “He has a rising lump on his head from a hard blow. It might have killed him, and the wound continues to bleed. I’m worried that he might never regain his right mind. We won’t know until he wakes. If he wakes.”

  “I’m glad he’s alive,” Gwen said.

  “But he’s not conscious?” Gareth said.

  Hywel shook his head. “He hasn’t spoken, or at least he hasn’t said anything that makes sense. Why someone would attack a prior—”

  “I’m afraid I can help with that,” Gareth said. They halted in a corridor before a half open door, one floor above where Gareth had seen the two maids talking when he’d gone looking for Alard that morning. “David’s body is gone, my lord.”

  Hywel’s teeth snapped together. “Explain.”

  “Mari found Gwen collapsed on the floor of the room which had housed David’s body,” Gareth said.

  “Sweet Mari!” Hywel said. And then his eyes went to Mari beside him. He flashed a grin and reached for her hand to clasp it. “Thank you for looking out for Gwen.” Still holding Mari’s hand, Hywel pushed at the door and made to enter the room with her.

  Gareth put out a hand to stop him. “There’s more I must relate to you, my lord, before we speak to any Norman.”

  “I guessed that,” Hywel said from the doorway. “Rhun and I have been assigned to this room. We can speak privately in here.”

  Rhun sat on a bench at the end of the bed, polishing his sword with a fine cloth. He stood up as they entered. The room was larger than Hywel’s room back at Aber Castle—twice as large, truth be told—with a wide bed large enough for the brothers to share, even if Hywel would have preferred female company. The room was well-appointed with a trunk, a rack upon which to store weapons, a tapestry on the wall depicting a boar hunt, and a fireplace (unlit, as it was May).

  “Earl Robert has honored you with this room, my lord,” Mari said.

  Hywel snorted a laugh. “Has he? I’m not so sure.”

  “What do you mean?” Mari said.

  “What Prince Hywel is saying is that the honor might not be as great as it first appears,” Gareth said. “It’s too easy for these Normans to decide that a Welsh prince might make a useful prisoner.”

  Mari’s eyes widened. “Earl Robert wouldn’t do that!”

  “There is very little my father wouldn’t agree to if it meant freeing Rhun and me from captivity,” Hywel said, with a nod towards his brother. “Earl Robert may not wish to alienate his Welsh allies to that extent, but not all Normans have been so restrained.”

  Then Prince Hywel canted his head towards Evan and Gruffydd, who’d remained in the doorway. “Keep a watch.”

  They nodded and stepped back into the corridor. Gareth made to ease the door closed, but Evan stopped him before he could. “Wait—”

  Gareth hesitated, looking at his friend.

  “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” Evan said, “but I wanted to say that I am so very sorry for what happened to Gwen. She was in my charge and I—”

  Gareth cut him off. “I know you care for her and would never want to see her hurt. Blame lies at the feet of the man who harmed her, not at yours.”

  “But if I—”

  “Or if I had taken proper precautions, or not underestimated what we faced here, she would not have been hurt,” Gareth said. “As I said, blame lies on the man who stole David’s body and on me. She is my wife.”

  The two men regarded each other for a heartbeat, and then Evan nodded. “Gruffydd and I will be here. Call if you need us.”

  Gareth closed the door and turned to face the room. “Did Earl Robert speak to you about David’s murder, my lords? About any of this?”

  “No,” Hywel said.

  “He talked only of alliances and good will,” Rhun said. “You are most welcome, and so on. It wasn’t anything we didn’t expect to hear, though his choice to house us inside the castle surprised me.”

  “As it concerns me,” Gareth said.

  Hywel chewed on his lower lip. “I think an excursion back to camp is in order at the first possible opportunity, just to see if Earl Robert will allow us to leave.”

  Rhun glanced at Hywel. “You have worse news than this, brother. I can see it in your face.” Then he gestured to Mari that she should rest on the bench where he’d been sitting.

  Gareth escorted Gwen to sit beside her. Gareth still wasn’t sure that Gwen should be here at all, but other than sending her home to Wales—a logistically challenging proposition—he didn’t see what choice he had just now. “Tell them what happened, Gwen,” he said.

  Gwen gave Hywel and Rhun a detailed account of the events in which she’d played a part, and then Gareth brought out the emerald for inspection.

  Rhun couldn’t see it from his position by the window and approached with three quick steps. “St. Simeon protect us.” He fingered the gem and then glanced around at the circle of companions. “I take it as a given that we think he acquired this through nefarious means?”

  “It was hidden in the seam of David’s cloak,” Gwen said. “More than that, I cannot say.”

  “With the appearance of the gem and the removal of the body, already this is not a simple tale of murder,” Rhun said.

  Hywel pursed his lips and turned to Gareth. “I have not heard from you yet. You left the castle with Sir Amaury, which is why you weren’t with Gwen when she examined David’s body.”

  Gareth nodded. “At the time, following a lead with Sir Amaury made the most sense to me. In that regard, I’m happy to report that he seems to have some confidence in me and my discretion.”

  “As he should,” Hywel said. “What did you discover?”

  Gareth related what had transpired beside the river: the finding of John’s body, the footprints, Amaury’s tale of Empress Maud’s four horsemen, and all that they didn’t know, including the identity of the man helping Alard.

  “Who do we think took David’s body?” Rhun said.

  “I have no idea,” Gareth said, “not even a good guess.”

  “Alard?” Hywel said, and then shook his head, answering his own question in the same way Gareth had. “He wouldn’t have dropped David’s body at our feet if he knew about the gem.”

  “More likely, our culprit is the one for whom the gem was intended,” Rhun said. “It might have made sense for Alard to have killed David for the emerald
, but since he didn’t take it, clearly that’s not the case. His motive is something else entirely.” Just because Rhun had never been much involved in the less savory aspects of ruling Gwynedd didn’t mean he didn’t understand them.

  “I agree with you, as far as it goes,” Hywel said, “and provided the intended owner wasn’t David himself—” He glanced around the room and smiled at the skeptical looks on his companions’ faces, “—but what we know so far is obviously a very small part of a much larger conspiracy.”

  “Or could it be more than one conspiracy?” Gwen said. “That’s happened before.”

  “Whatever is going on, it isn’t good,” Gareth said.

  “At least, I find it unlikely it has anything to do with us,” Rhun said.

  “Perhaps, my lord,” Gareth said. “Alard did put the body at our feet, and David did work for your father, or so we thought.”

  “What about John’s body?” Mari said, speaking for the first time.

  “What about it?” Gareth said.

  “Do we think he might have an emerald hidden on him too?” Mari said.

  Hywel drew in a breath. “What did Amaury do with John’s body, Gareth?”

  “He told me he’d have it taken to the friary, since it’s closer than Newcastle,” Gareth said.

  “If he finds an emerald on John, he might wonder if we found one on David,” Gwen said. “What if he asks about it? Are you going to tell him I found it?”

  Hywel’s fingers closed around the emerald. “My instinct is to tell no one, to keep it to give to my father.”

  “We probably don’t have that luxury,” Rhun said, prying open his brother’s fingers and taking the gem. “At the very least, we should show it to Earl Robert.”

  Hywel made a grunting sound that might have meant agreement.

  “Worse, what if Amaury doesn’t ask about it?” Gareth said. “I can’t inquire of him without giving away the existence of the one we have, but to know that John had a gem too would mean that John and David were paid to do a task.”