Heart of Stone

by Quinn, Paula

  “But Lord Rothbury,” said Phillip, riding up behind her, “used to be a servant, so she refused to be with him. She married me instead and has been nothing but a disloyal trollop ever since. When last I saw her before this, she was tossing dirt onto me, burying me alive.”

  Julianna said nothing. She bit her tongue and closed her eyes. If she’d known he was alive, she would have dug him back up and killed him before continuing.

  “She has nothing to say,” Phillip spat.

  “You are mad and if I go too far you will strike me,” she accused.

  Phillip tossed back his head and laughed. “I have never put an angry hand to her, though ’tis my right if she is my wife and she is a trollop.”

  Without another word, Julianna slipped from her horse and removed her cloak. She looked up at the leader. He dismounted and went to her but she turned her back on him and pulled up the back of her léine and her chemise underneath. She bared her back to him and then felt his fingers pushing aside her hair so he could see the scars lashed across her flesh from Phillip’s whip.

  When she thought the leader had seen enough, she yanked down her clothes, bent to snatch up her cloak, and swiped a tear off her cheek as she turned to him. “You can believe who you like.”

  He lowered his gaze from hers. “I believe you. But Miss, you are married, whether you wish it to be so or not. What will you do when Rothbury is found?”

  She looked toward Phillip and shrugged her shoulders. “Perhaps, he will not escape the next grave he finds himself in.”

  The leader crooked his mouth at her and nodded as she walked away then motioned for his men to keep moving toward Edlingham.

  The leader’s name was David Lawson. He was forty-four years old—about the same age as Berengaria. He had once been considered Edward Longshanks’ most fearsome warrior. When Edward II took the throne, he dismissed his father’s generals and officers and put his personal friends in charge. Some of the original men had remained, some had not.

  Lawson had given the second Edward his loyalty, but he soon discovered that when they went to war with the Scots, the new king always positioned Lawson and the others on the front line. He wanted to be rid of his father’s memory, including his father’s men. So finally, Lawson left. But he was still loyal to the throne. His mother was a relative of Louis Pratt’s grandmother.

  The road back to Edlingham wasn’t long, so that was all Julianna could learn about the older warrior.

  They entered the manor house but, astoundingly, the viscount was not where they left him. Julianna couldn’t be happier! But, if they didn’t find him soon and the men began to doubt her, there would be trouble.

  She called out and led everyone to the keep, but he was found moments later in the tower, armed and close to death in the rushes.

  She remained at his bedside for the next two days while Lawson and his men cleared the dead from the castle and buried them in the woods.

  They locked Phillip away in the dungeon until Lawson decided what to do with him.

  In the evening, she made certain the men, twelve in all, had something warm in their bellies. But she served no ale, wine, or whisky. Nothing to make the men more reckless, daring, defiant…no. No spirits.

  She had one thing on her mind. Nicholas was alive. He’d been spotted in several inns, traveling with a woman.

  Where was he now? Was he thinking of her? She saw him in her mind, so handsome, so rugged and resilient against the wind. Did he miss her? Did he know Phillip was alive? What would she do now that he was? The church would tell her she was still married. She didn’t care. She would be with Nicholas. She would never leave him or Elias.

  “I’ve sent some of my men to Lismoor and Alnwick,” Mr. Lawson said, entering the viscount’s room.

  Julianna turned to him with a grateful smile. “You have my gratitude.”

  He dipped his head then smiled at her when he straightened. “We will find him.”

  “Aye,” she agreed with a sigh. She was so grateful to him and to Louis for doing so much to help her, a woman they didn’t know, find a man they didn’t know. She would never forget. She brightened suddenly, remembering her news. “His fever broke about an hour ago!”

  “Ah!” he said with a dimpled smile. “That is good news. My mother would never forgive me if he died in my care.”

  “We will stop that from happening,” Julianna replied with a muffled laugh. “He should be waking up any moment now. He will be happy to see you.”

  “Happier to see you, I’m sure.”

  “Perhaps,” she agreed. “At first.”

  When she looked away and yawned, he continued to talk, filling her ears with the droning, comforting sound of his voice—putting her to sleep in her chair.

  She woke up twice, not completely, but somewhere close to the veil of awareness. She heard men laughing, saw the blurred image of someone golden-haired sitting up, propped on many pillows. He had a cup in one hand.

  She smiled and breathed his name, “Louis?”

  Nicholas was getting tired of waiting for DeAvoy. If Phillip had Julianna, they should be back here by now. Where else would Phillip take her? He was a madman. Who knew what his mad thoughts told him to do? How long into his friendship with Julianna had Phillip known that the woman she loved so much was in his father’s pit, suffering unspeakable torment? It didn’t matter; what did matter was that he didn’t change it.

  They had to leave. He’d talked it over with Simon and Margaret and they let him know that they trusted him. He hoped it would go as well with his mother.

  She hadn’t shown any further signs of knowing him over the past pair of days. Despite sleeping beside her open door, she gave him no proof that she knew him. He didn’t care. Her not knowing strangely gave him a small bit of peace. She hadn’t left him because of anything he had done or hadn’t done.

  The rest was horror, shame, and fury.

  She’d been taken, absconded by Phillip’s family and tortured alone and in the dark because of what she knew. Their mother had been taken and kept in a pit. Who had comforted her when she cried? Not him. He’d pushed her from his thoughts because he hadn’t believed in her better, the way Julianna had after they discovered she was gone. He’d never searched for her the way Julianna had.

  He wanted to be the one who reunited them.

  But first, he had to get Berengaria out of her unlocked prison. He found opportunities to speak to her often while he helped her and Margaret cook and clean up. He’d asked her for more information about what had happened to her. She didn’t speak, but he was able to pull a few smiles from her. He was glad he could still make her smile, even if she didn’t remember him.

  One night while he rested in a chair after the evening meal, he heard the sound of footsteps and men’s voices coming downstairs to the prison. He stood up and looked at his two friends and winked at them, easing the alarm in their eyes. Was it DeAvoy?

  “My lord!” Harry called out and then appeared at the archway, “There are mercenaries at the gate. They insist you come out or they will kill everyone at Alnwick.”

  Him? Was this a trap by Phillip to get him outside? Why would it matter where they were? “I will speak to them,” Nicholas said despite the fear on Margaret’s face, spreading to his mother. Simon remained quiet. Nicholas was sure he was praying. “Do not be afraid.”

  He followed the guards outside and was surprised to see mercenaries and not Phillip. He gave the men a measured look. They appeared older, more experienced, and far more dangerous than any man on Alnwick’s side. They wore no uniform, but most wore a thick cloak and a long sword.

  “Are you Lord Nicholas MacPherson, also known as William Stone, Earl of Rothbury?” one of the men called out.

  Nicholas drew in a long breath. “I am.” Who were they and for which side did they fight? “Who wishes to know?”

  “Lord Louis Pratt, Earl of Bamburgh, wishes to know,” called the man. “He also wants you to return with us to Edlingham.”r />
  Return to Edlingham for what? “I am waiting here for Phillip DeAvoy, the governor.”

  “My lord,” said the mercenary, “the governor is in Edlingham.”

  DeAvoy was in Edlingham. So was Bamburgh. That meant Julianna was there, as well. But why did Bamburgh summon him?

  “Whatever Bamburgh is paying you, I will double if you agree to fight for me and to keep the two women and a young brother with me safe.”

  The man laughed. “That sounds fine with me.”

  “Tell me,” Nicholas asked him. “Do you happen to know if there is a woman with Bamburgh or the governor?”

  “How many do you want?” The mercenary eyed him. Then, when he saw that Nicholas was quite serious, he grew serious as well. “Aye, there is a woman. Long red hair flying behind her like a flag. A somber woman. Now, will you stand here all day asking questions, or are we leaving?”

  She was there! She was with them!

  “And a child?” he pushed. “Is there a child also?”

  “No, no child. Now, let us go.”

  No child. Where was Elias? Nicholas’ heart thrashed in his chest.

  “I cannot go yet,” he explained. “I must get my mother and my sister.”

  “Look, we want to get back. The sooner we get back to Lawson, the quicker we go home.”

  Nicholas didn’t know who Lawson was and he didn’t care about anyone going home. “I will travel to Edlingham when we are ready. You can go on ahead of us and let your lord know I am coming, or you can wait. ’Tis your choice.”

  He left them and went back to Margaret and Simon and told them what was going on.

  “It could be a trap,” Margaret told him, unsure if they should go.

  “You and Simon stay here with Berengaria—”

  “My lord, no,” she pleaded. “After everything, do not leave me here in Alnwick. And will you leave your mother?”

  No. No, he wouldn’t leave any of them. But how could he lead them into a trap?

  “For now,” he said. “We must figure out a way to get Berengaria out of here.”

  They tried everything, but when Nicholas promised to let her meet his son, Elias, she seemed to want to.

  “I must hurry, Leigh. Elias has not had me for two years. He has trouble sleeping. Julianna has done much for him, but I want to be there.”

  She moved toward him, closer each time he moved away. “He has been crying often. I have lost some good maids because of it. The men seem to like him though. He seems to only like Julianna.”

  Berengaria smiled and stepped out of the cell.

  “Come, Mother, we must hurry.” He handed her off to Margaret and he started putting her things into a riding bag.

  She stopped him and shook her head. Then pushed him forward and out into the cold air. He tossed the heavy wool cloak he’d snatched up just before leaving around her shoulders and pulled her under his arm.

  They met the mercenaries and prepared their horses to leave. Nicholas felt hopeful, joyful, for the first time in years. There were so many things that could happen on this trip. If it was a trap, he, Simon, Margaret, and Berengaria would likely not make it out alive. He would be responsible. If he lived. But if it wasn’t a trap, if Julianna was at Edlingham…

  Chapter Twenty

  Julianna went to the window in her chamber and looked out, ignoring the cold.

  The viscount was awake and doing quite well. Mr. Lawson spent much time with him or guarding the castle. She was glad for her chamber, and to be alone. She needed time to think clearly. Time to think about her beloved returning to her and her husband in the dungeon below.

  If Phillip lived through this, he would likely try to have her hanged. Or, knowing him, he would rather let her live apart from Nicholas, under the watchful eye of the church.

  She knew one thing. She would never live with Phillip again. She’d rather be hanged. She could always bring him back to the abbess.

  What about Berengaria? Would she return with Nicholas? Had it all been a grand tale to make Julianna do what she was told? No. She believed Phillip.

  Oh, her dearest Berengaria. How Julianna had missed her. How many nights had she cried in Nicholas’ arms for her? She prayed to have her back soon.

  What about Elias and Agnes? She wished she had news of them. Would Nicholas forgive her for sending Elias off with Agnes?

  And Rauf. Was he alive or lying dead and unburied in Lismoor’s yard?

  Oh, she missed them all. If she didn’t hear something soon, she would go mad!

  Finally, she heard the sound of horses in the distance. It had to be Nicholas!

  She bolted from the chambers and ran in her men’s clothes to the doors leading outside. She didn’t see anything at first, so she waited. Soon, Mr. Lawson appeared at her side. His men stood ready to fight behind him.

  She heard the horses again. Closer.

  “I see my standard bearer,” Mr. Lawson said. “They are my men.”

  Julianna was sure he could hear her heart thudding in her chest. She saw about ten men riding toward her, and then she saw Simon and Margaret. Margaret! Her heart rejoiced. The woman he had been with was her seamstress. She smiled, not really knowing why. She brought her fingers to her lips and searched for his face until she found him. She thanked God for bringing him back to her yet again and took off running. She wouldn’t let him go again.

  His eyes were fastened on her as he slowed his horse and leaped out of the saddle.

  She almost dove into his arms but skidded to a halt when her gaze fell upon another woman. An older woman.

  Berengaria.

  Her Berengaria…and seeing her again was like waking from a dream into a wonderful truth. Berengaria was alive, and she was here, and it didn’t matter why she had gone away.

  Julianna turned her direction and ran to her instead. When she reached the woman she loved even more than her mother, she flung her arms around her and wept.

  “Julianna,” Nicholas’ wonderful voice sounded near her ear. “My love, she does not know us.”

  What? What was he saying? Julianna turned to him and almost forgot what she was going to say. “I’m so happy to see you well,” she told him. She had to. She wanted to kiss him, but she would wait until they were alone. She had to tell him about Elias and Agnes, and Berengaria and Phillip. But…she turned to Berengaria and was stunned to find her looking rather terrified, especially when Julianna set her eyes on her.

  What…?

  “Berengaria?” she asked in a soft voice.

  No reaction.

  “Leigh,” Nicholas said, “this is Julianna.”

  “Who is Leigh?” Julianna asked, confused and growing frightened that the truth was turning out to be a terrible nightmare. “Berengaria, you know me, do you not? ’Tis me, Julianna.”

  “Juli—” Nicholas began but his voice was cut off by Berengaria’s.

  “Julianna.”

  “Aye,” Nicholas said, sounding hopeful and taking a step forward. “Aye, Mother, ’tis Julianna.”

  “You see?” Julianna took Berengaria’s hands when she saw tears filling the woman’s eyes. “She knows me.”

  But as quickly as Berengaria had returned, her drying, blank gaze proved that she was gone again.

  “Berengaria?” Julianna prompted. “My dearest?”

  Julianna heard someone weeping behind her and turned to see Margaret wiping her eyes.

  Julianna reached for her hand and brought it to her cheek. “Thank you for caring for him. I am in your debt for life, my dear friend.”

  Margaret pulled herself together and glanced at Nicholas, and then smiled at Julianna. “’Twas no trouble. Allow me to do one more thing. Berengaria is tired from her journey. I would take her to a room and see her rested and refreshed. She has a long tale I’m sure my lord is eager to tell you.”

  Julianna smiled and was struck by how thoughtful Margaret was toward her.

  She watched Margaret take Berengaria’s hand and lead her away. She wanted
to know Berengaria’s tale, but it would wait. Her muscles ached for—

  “Lord Rothbury, I presume?”

  She blinked at Mr. Lawson and smiled.

  “Aye, and you are?”

  “David Lawson, former general in the king’s army, presently a hired hand and relative of the Viscount of Bamburgh.”

  “He sent his men to Alnwick and to Lismoor to find you,” Julianna was quick to tell him.

  “They have direct orders to not only search for you at Lismoor,” Mr. Lawson told him, “but for your son and Agnes, his maid, as well.”

  Nicholas flicked his worried gaze to hers. “Elias is not with you.”

  She shook her head, hating to tell him, not knowing how. “When the viscount came for me I was with them at the entrance to the tunnel. I did not know what this new enemy meant to do with me and the two extra people, one who cried constantly, he hadn’t come for. I begged him to release them and he did. I told Agnes to go to the village. Someone there would—what? Nicholas, what is it?”

  “The village was also attacked by Phillip’s men. I do not know how many are dead.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Not them. I brought the matter before God. They are safe.”

  “Rauf went to Lismoor,” he remembered. “He will find them.”

  “We will hear from my men soon,” Mr. Lawson said reassuringly, herding them toward the castle. “Do not fret over it until we know more. Come inside and share the fire, along with some ale and black bread until supper. First though, we will meet Louis.”

  Nicholas nodded and followed Mr. Lawson inside. Julianna stayed close by, speaking softly to Simon.

  They were taken to the viscount’s chamber and found him propped up in front of numerous pillows. He didn’t need them all. Julianna was certain he liked the way he looked with them.

  Nicholas didn’t know what to expect so she tried to help by telling him what had happened, but he waved his hand to stop her after she told him about him bringing her here instead of Alnwick.

  “You have my gratitude for protecting her.”

  “I have heard much about you, Rothbury,” the viscount told him with a furtive grin. “Miss Feathers thinks quite highly of you.”