by Jody Hedlund
He was quiet.
Had I spoken too forthrightly? As soon as the question entered my mind, I discarded it. If he had opened up to share about his past, then I’d take that as permission to speak candidly in return.
“I’d like to learn from my past mistakes so I don’t repeat them,” he finally said. “But I fear I am a slow learner.”
He expelled a breath that ended in a half-moan that he attempted unsuccessfully to smother. Eldridge had probably broken Aldric’s ribs.
The merest remembrance of Aldric’s torture sent a shudder through my body again along with burning hatred. With every lash across Aldric’s back, my loathing for my father had swelled until it threatened to choke me. “Perhaps I am a slow learner as well in regard to my father.”
Aldric didn’t contradict me. I hadn’t expected him to. He was an honest man and had never attempted to win me with false flattery.
Even so, my words were bitter against my tongue. I hadn’t wanted to admit that Aldric had been right about my father’s selfishness. I wanted to go on believing that even if I was a daughter and not a son, Father still cared about my well-being, loved our family, and wanted what was best for us. But how could I deny his selfishness any longer? “I have not wanted to think ill of my father, but now I cannot think anything but ill.”
Sorrow pushed into my throat, forming a tight lump. I’d hoped my loyalty would cause Father to be proud of me, show him I was worthwhile, make him love me. But he hadn’t reciprocated my loyalty or love. I saw the reality now more clearly than ever before. If he loved me, truly loved me, he would have come after me much sooner and would have paid the ransom for my life no matter how much it cost him. Instead, he’d put me in a dangerous situation and hadn’t cared about what I was experiencing.
As long as I was available to marry Lionel Lacy and seal an alliance with the marquess, then that’s all that mattered. In fact, he’d seen me as dispensable enough to consider forcing Isabelle in my place if I didn’t survive.
No, my father didn’t love me. And he didn’t show any loyalty to me, except for what might benefit himself.
“I’m sorry, Olivia,” Aldric replied as though sensing my grief.
“I just wanted him to love me,” I said.
“I know.”
Our conversation was shortened by the slap of footsteps on stone and the advancing glow of light. Someone was coming, and I prayed it wasn’t Eldridge again. Aldric wouldn’t survive any more torture. I’d have to figure out a way to turn Eldridge upon me. Perhaps if I got him to open my cell door, I could try to overpower him again.
I tensed and used the bars to rise to my feet. As the light brightened, I was able to see Aldric and then wished I hadn’t. The flesh on his torso was red and raw and bleeding in countless places, including the cuts on his legs where my father had sliced him.
A guard approached with the torch. At the sight of Cecil limping behind him, I sagged with relief that we would have a longer reprieve from Eldridge’s torture.
Ignoring Aldric, Cecil approached my cell. He carried a tray which contained a mug along with a piece of coarse bread and a slice of cheese.
“It’s all your father would allow,” he said as he handed the mug through the bars.
“Give it to Aldric.” I pushed the drink back at him. “He needs it more than I do.”
Cecil slipped the bread and cheese through my bars too. His diminutive stature and misshapen limbs belied his strength. If he’d wanted to overpower the guards and free me and Aldric, he could have. Something in his eyes warned me against the possibility.
“Your father only permitted me to give you this small meal because I reminded him you must stay strong and healthy for the marquess’s son.”
I wanted to throw the meal against the wall and send a message back to my father—the message that I no longer planned to marry Lionel Lacy, that I no longer cared about being loyal to our family. How could I be loyal to a man who put his own needs above anyone or anything? Above family. Above the king. Above the country. And perhaps even above God himself.
Loyalty wasn’t a birthright. It was earned. And as much as it pained me to think of cutting myself off from Father, I had to stop living my life to please him and earn his favor. Instead, I had to live in allegiance to God and His ways first.
I’d justified my stealing and sneaking and cheating for my family, for Father. But surely true loyalty wouldn’t require someone to betray their own integrity. Surely true loyalty showed steadfastness, nobility, and goodness.
I took the meal from Cecil. “I shall eat this meal and shall marry Lionel. But not for Father’s sake. I owe him nothing. Rather I shall do it for Izzy so that she will not be required to take my place.”
Cecil glanced sideways at the guard who was watching our every move. Another guard stood a dozen paces down the passageway and another a dozen paces beyond him.
Father was taking great precaution with my imprisonment and guarding Aldric and me well. Apparently he hadn’t trusted Cecil to come to the dungeons by himself. After Cecil’s failure to kill Aldric in the forestland, did he doubt Cecil’s faithfulness to him?
I wasn’t exactly sure where Cecil stood. He’d been loyal to my father for years. Perhaps my father had sent him down to the dungeons to weasel information from me. On the other hand, I’d always sensed a deep affection from Cecil. As my instructor and trainer, he’d pushed me hard because he’d cared about me, not because he’d been cruel.
“What news have you for me?” I asked cautiously, taking a bite of bread. “Are we surrounded by our enemies?”
Who were my enemies? Had I been wrong in thinking Lord Pitt was the one I needed to fight against?
“Lord Pitt’s army arrived a short while ago,” Cecil responded, “and now camps outside Wigmore. He sent a message that he wants to have an exchange of prisoners—Sir Aldric for the Lady Isabelle.”
My heart sped at the news. Such an exchange would solve all my problems. Aldric would be safe from my father, and Isabelle would be back with me where I could make sure she was unharmed.
“When will the exchange take place?” I asked.
“At mid-morning.”
“And will it prevent war?”
Cecil nodded. Something in his expression informed me that he’d given me the information my father wanted me to hear, but that the truth was much different. Father had already disclosed his intention to torture the information regarding the Holy Chalice from Aldric. He also didn’t want my betrothal to Aldric to stand in the way of a union with Lionel.
There was absolutely no way Father would hand Aldric over. He might make a pretense of it, but he’d never go through with it.
Cecil’s gaze bore into mine as if to confirm my thoughts.
“Very well,” I said, knowing the guards would report our conversation to my father. I had to convince them I believed the exchange of prisoners would happen. “You should have the servants find garments for Sir Aldric. We would not want Lord Pitt to witness his torture. He may decide to attack Wigmore after all.”
“You’re right,” Cecil said as though contemplating my advice. “I’ll have the servants locate clothing presentable for him. The master groomsman is the right size. We may find something in his room in the stable.”
I nodded, my mind spinning to make any sense of Cecil’s strange comment. Why would he use the groomsman’s clothing? Why not one of my father’s knights?
Cecil bowed, and when he straightened, he held out the silk cloak I’d been wearing during the boar hunt. I’d taken it off when we’d arrived at Wigmore, too distressed to think about much more than Aldric’s well-being.
“You’ll need this,” he said handing it to me.
The closest guard blocked Cecil. “The earl said she wasn’t to have anything except the food, and we were to watch her eat it and then leave.”
Cecil shrugged off the guard’s hand. “The dungeons are cold. Surely you’re not so cruel that you would deny her ladyship a measu
re of comfort?”
The guard glanced at my gown.
I didn’t have to pretend to shudder—although not from the cold, but from my memories of when I’d languished in Lord Pitt’s dungeons. “If you would not allow me the cloak, then perhaps a blanket?”
“Go get her ladyship a blanket,” Cecil ordered the guard.
“We’ve been instructed not to leave.”
“Then once we go up, you’ll need to return as soon as possible with a blanket.”
The guard hesitated, clearly not wishing to go to the extra work. “Very well,” he said after a moment. “Let her have the cloak, but I must make sure nothing is concealed in it first.”
Cecil gave an irritated sigh, withdrew the cloak, and then shook it hard like the servants did when airing out bedcovers. The silky material flapped, stirring up straw and dust, but otherwise was empty. “Satisfied?”
The guard nodded.
Cecil handed it through to me, and I took it gratefully.
Then without another word, he turned and hobbled away. I watched him retreat, the guards following on his heels and taking the torchlight with them.
When they were gone, the darkness returned to swarm around me like maggots in a coffin. Aldric had remained silent through the entire exchange. Had he fallen unconscious as he’d done off and on since the beating?
For long moments, I waited, wanting to make sure that indeed we were alone, that my father hadn’t sent someone to spy on us. When no sounds were forthcoming, I leaned against the cell bars. “Aldric? Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think there will be a peaceful exchange of prisoners, do you?”
“No. Your father will likely lure Lord Pitt and his men into the open field under the guise of negotiating. Then he will strike them down.”
“Lord Pitt will surely not be so naïve that he will go out unprepared for treachery.”
“He knows nothing of your father’s desire for the chalice and will have no reason to think the earl will want to keep me.”
I trembled and wrapped my cloak over my shoulders. My fingers grazed my mother’s emerald brooch still in the same place I’d secured it before the hunt. “Do you think Father will take you out to the battlefield?”
“Likely a short distance to fool Lord Pitt into believing he’s sincere.”
“And Lord Pitt will ride out with Isabelle?”
“Of course.”
My chest panged with alarm. “Then she will be in the midst of the battle when Father’s men attack.”
Aldric’s silence was enough to confirm my speculations and cause my inner alarm bell to ring frantically. “I have to warn Lord Pitt. Perhaps I can find someone who will deliver a message to him.”
“Even if any of your father’s knights could sneak away, would any be willing to betray him?”
I tried to remember the many soldiers who worked for my father. Would any of them do something so risky? Likely not. Even Cecil would be able to lend little help. Father would be watching him with extra care. His trip to the dungeons with the guards had made that clear enough. And Father was likely keeping me locked up until after the skirmish so that I wouldn’t interfere.
“At least now we know Eldridge will not be back down to torture you again tonight. Father cannot risk showing you to Lord Pitt if you are half dead.”
“I would prefer to lose my life here in this dungeon than have Lord Pitt and my men attacked.”
Although I admired Aldric’s willingness to sacrifice himself, I wasn’t willing to forfeit him. I had to find a way to save him every bit as much as I needed to find a way to warn Lord Pitt about the possible trap.
“I must stop my father.” I fingered my mother’s brooch absently. But then my hand stilled on the jewel. Eldridge had taken away all my hairpins to prevent me from picking the lock to my cell. But Cecil had just given me a way out—with my brooch pin.
I loosened the back clasp and slid the brooch out of the cloak. The pin wasn’t long, but it would work. And Cecil had known it. Had planned it. What else had he planned for me?
As I reached my hands through the bars and probed the cold iron for the keyhole, I attempted to piece together the things Cecil said. He’d spoken of the master groomsman and finding something in the stable. Had he meant for us to take the tunnel that led from the dungeons to the stable? The passageway was rarely used and would be locked along the way. But with the brooch pin, I would be able to work my way through the locks.
However, if we reached the stables and the master groomsman’s room, we risked waking him and any stable boys asleep in the vicinity. On the other hand, sneaking through the keep would pose many more risks. The stable was the best option.
I wiggled the pin into the hole, carefully using the sharp tip to find the latch. At a click, I exhaled my relief. “I am free,” I whispered.
“How?”
“My brooch on my cloak.”
“Then Cecil is aiding your escape.”
“And yours.” I wasted no time in exiting my cell and crossing the passageway. In the darkness, I skimmed the bars until I located his keyhole.
“This is too dangerous for you, Olivia,” he whispered, his voice threaded with anxiety. “I’d rather you stay here where you’ll be safe.”
I understood his fears now, better than I had before. Even so, I wouldn’t let his fears hold me back. “I am going. And you cannot stop me.”
He was silent for a long moment before finally speaking in a resigned voice. “If you must go, then you must leave me here.”
“No, I shall not leave without you. We must make our escape together.”
“I can hardly move, Olivia. I’ll only slow you down.”
I stuck the pin inside his lock and began to wiggle it. “I shall help you. And you will be fine.”
“If we get caught, your father will find a way to punish you.”
“Perhaps he will, but I am willing to take the risk.”
“I’m not.” His voice contained a finality that set me on edge. “Besides, if we’re caught escaping, then we leave Lord Pitt, my men, and everyone else with him vulnerable on the morrow.”
My wiggling ceased. His emphasis on everyone wasn’t lost on me. He was referring to Isabelle. “We shall make it out of here just fine.” I had no idea how we’d accomplish sneaking out undetected as injured as he was, but I was determined to bring him along.
“You need to warn Lord Pitt. And save Isabelle. You’re the only one who can.”
Sudden doubts assailed me. How could I do this? It was dangerous and nearly impossible. But I had to try, didn’t I? “When Father discovers I have escaped, he will know I have gone to warn Lord Pitt. What then?”
“Shape the hay into the form of a person and cover it with your cloak. When Eldridge and the other guards come in the morning to get me, they’ll think you’re asleep. I’ll let them know you cried most of the night and fell into an exhausted slumber. They’ll be none the wiser.”
His urging brought my hand to stillness.
Aldric was right. I had to leave him behind. If I wanted to save Isabelle and Lord Pitt’s men, I had no other choice. Even though I loathed the prospect of Aldric languishing here, I had to do the honorable task set before me.
I did as he’d instructed, forming my cloak and then relocking my cell so that hopefully the guards would assume I was still inside. Then I returned to the bars of his cell, wishing I could reach through and hold him again, perhaps for the last time. I wanted to tell him how much I cared for him, that I’d never expected my feelings to develop so quickly, that I would have willingly wed him if given the opportunity.
His labored breathing reminded me of how much he was suffering. I was perhaps the only one who could help him. This might be the last chance to save him. I had to escape and make my way to Lord Pitt, not only for Isabelle, but also for Aldric.
“Aldric,” I whispered, unable to keep the longing from my voice.
“Go now,” he re
plied weakly.
“Stay strong,” I urged. “I shall find a way to save you.”
With that, I started forward, but I felt as though I was leaving my heart behind.
Chapter
21
I brushed aside the tangle of spiderwebs from the hatch and mentally prepared myself for entering the groomsman’s room in the stable.
So far, my trek had been mostly easy. I’d had to operate in the dark all along the long passageway leading away from the dungeons, and the lack of light had slowed me down as I’d attempted to work my way through a maze of various locks. My only encounter had been with the rats and spiders.
Now, my quest to escape from Wigmore Castle would grow increasingly more difficult. And I wasn’t sure how I would manage. I couldn’t very well open the gatehouse and walk through it, not without overpowering the guards on duty or without drawing a great deal of attention from the clanking of the rising gate.
The truth was, escape would have been difficult under normal circumstances. But with Lord Pitt’s army encamped around Wigmore, my father would have even more knights walking the walls, keeping watch for any surprise attacks or unusual movement.
I couldn’t let fear stop me now that I’d come this far. Holding my breath, I pushed against the hatch and moved it slowly, attempting to be as silent as I could. When the hatch lifted out of my hands, a tiny yelp escaped before I could stop it.
Hands reached for me and began to pull me up. I thrashed, intending to retreat. But Cecil’s whisper stopped me. “Quiet, Olivia.”
I ceased my struggle and allowed him to assist me up into the groomsman’s room. Although Cecil had no candle or torch, the natural light from the night sky came in through the unshuttered window and allowed me to see the outline of his short but lithe frame.
I didn’t know how he’d managed to get the groomsman from his room. From the bawdy laughter outside the stable, I suspected he’d given the man and his stable hands extra ale to distract them.