Elia nibbled at the food and allowed Merryn to bathe her face in cool water as a precaution. As they talked, Merryn thought how no one—not even Geoffrey’s mother—could ever learn the truth behind the years of his disappearance. She did not know how her husband had withstood such an ordeal, much less how he had kept the secret to himself upon his return home. She’d always admired his physical strength and good character, but to realize what her husband had survived and the desperate loneliness he endured during his time locked away from the world was almost more than she could bear.
Merryn still believed that the king should be told of such treachery. She might have to fight Geoffrey on this issue, though it occurred to her that with Berold dead, sharing that kind of news with Edward would serve no purpose. ’Twould be better to let the matter die. She had her husband back and would hold fast to him till eternity and beyond.
“I feel a little better, child,” Elia said. “I wish to close my eyes and rest now. Will you see our company off?”
“Of course.”
Merryn waited till Elia’s breathing slowed and soft snores began. She slipped from the room and hurried downstairs, hoping to catch their guests before they departed.
A wagon sat in the inner bailey and Hardie was already stretched out in it.
The earl’s eyes met hers. He’d begged her to keep the secret, much as he had Geoffrey, though Merryn had no knight’s oath to swear. She stepped closer and glanced around.
Lowering her voice, she said, “I know you do not want Johamma judging you for your father’s actions, but you must tell her one day. And soon.” She paused. “Some secrets can eat you alive. You do not want anything to come between the two of you in your marriage. Geoffrey’s oath to you caused a rift in ours. That is no way for you to start your union. I beg you, my lord. Tell her.”
Hardie clasped her hand. “I’ll find the strength of heart to do so. Thank you for everything, my lady.” He looked over her shoulder and smiled.
Merryn turned and saw Johamma making her way toward them, accompanied by Symond Benedict.
“Please, Lady Merryn. Come visit us soon. I have so many things to ask you about running a household.” The young bride blushed. “I do not know where to start.”
“I would be happy to assist you in any way, Johamma. I hope that we will become good friends as the years progress.”
Johamma smiled. “I would like that.”
Merryn turned to Hardie. “I wish you a speedy recovery, my lord. I look forward to seeing you soon.” She gave him a genuine smile from her heart.
Hardie received her message, a look of relief on his face.
Symond assisted Johamma into the wagon and she nestled against Hardie, pulling his hand into her lap and holding it tightly. The couple waved as the wagon moved off, a driver and guard of ten knights from Winterbourne escorting it from the yard.
Merryn looked at Symond, hoping to smooth over any awkwardness between them. She noticed a bruise along his jaw and wondered what might have happened to him. She wouldn’t ask him, though. She wanted nothing personal between them.
“’Tis the first opportunity I’ve had to speak with you,” she said. “I hope that your visit to Kinwick was a pleasant one.”
Symond gave her a shy smile. “It would have been nicer if I could have spent time with you, Merryn.”
She frowned at not only his words, but the soft, loving tone he used.
“That would not have been appropriate, Sir Symond.” She emphasized his title and the fact that she did not call him by his Christian name as he had her. “My husband has returned and taken his rightful place as Earl of Kinwick. You were here in service to the king, not as before when you were our special guest. While I know we share an acquaintance, I would not expect us to spend time alone together,” she admonished.
He gazed at her longingly. “Mayhap the time shall come when we will be able to be together, my lady. You never know what the future holds.” He bowed. “Until then, I bid you adieu.”
Merryn found the knight’s attitude odd and wanted matters clear between them before he departed. “I do know what my future holds, sir. A lifetime with Geoffrey. I hope my husband and I fill Kinwick with many children and that we live a long, happy life together.”
The royal guardsman nodded and retreated without further conversation. He mounted the horse that had been brought around. Merryn noticed that Hobard and Sir Alard were also ready to ride.
“Godspeed on your journey,” she told the physician and knight. “Please give my regards to the king and queen. I hope you enjoy the remainder of the court’s summer progress.”
Merryn waved as they galloped away. Someone came and stood next to her. Expecting it to be her husband come to bid their guests farewell, it surprised her to find Raynor at her elbow.
“Where’s Geoffrey?” he asked. “It’s strange that he would not come to see his visitors off.”
Chapter 33
“I also leave today,” Raynor continued. “I would like to give my cousin a hearty hug and a handshake before I get on the road.”
A moment of doubt filled Merryn. She had learned the worst last night. Between Hardie’s confession and Geoffrey’s confirmation, she knew all that her husband had suffered.
What if in retelling her of the horrific events, it had unhinged his mind?
No. She resolved not to think that. They loved one another. Sharing the truth, no matter how painful it was, should bring them even closer together. They were two made one, by their marriage vows and the passion they shared. Geoffrey would not leave again of his own accord.
Then it occurred to her that Sir Alard had been on duty this morning when she’d gone to check on Hardie.
That meant Symond Benedict had been standing watch last night.
Merryn did not remember the knight present while Hardie poured out his heart to her, but Symond had made a habit of lingering in the shadows of the room the last few days. She realized the knight had borne witness to everything Hardie revealed about Geoffrey’s hardship and might also have heard her conversation with Geoffrey afterward.
It infuriated her that the king’s man did not make his presence known. It also frightened her with how obsessed he seemed with her. What if Symond had confronted Geoffrey about what he overheard? Mocked him for being a helpless prisoner for all those years?
Would that have been enough to drive Geoffrey over the edge? Would Symond have tried to convince her husband that she was better off without him?
Again, Merryn rejected that. In truth, the man who returned to her after his long incarceration might have believed Symond. Geoffrey had come back far different from the husband that she’d married, insecure and unsure. But through her love and encouragement, Merryn had seen him grow in spirit and confidence. She believed if Symond Benedict had confronted Geoffrey last night in such a manner, the knight would have sported a black eye and split lip today. Her husband would not have tolerated such taunts.
Wait. Could that be how Symond wound up with a bruised jaw? If so, where was Geoffrey?
Trying to contain her concern, she said to Raynor, “We need to find him. Ask a few of the servants if they have seen him. Meet me in the great hall in half an hour. You check the stables and both baileys. I will search inside the keep.”
They met at the specified time. Neither had found anyone who’d laid eyes upon Geoffrey since he left the great hall last night bearing a tray of food.
“We must search the entire grounds,” she proclaimed. “Something is very wrong, Raynor. I feel it in my bones. I cannot share the whole of it, but know that when Geoffrey left me last night, he had much on his mind.”
Alys tugged on her cotehardie. “Mother, where is Father? He promised to help me ride my pony and pick flowers for you.”
Merryn hugged her daughter. “Your father had some business to take care of, love. I’ll be sure and remind him of your plans when I see him. Now run along.”
If she did not think so before, Merr
yn knew with certainty that something had happened to Geoffrey. He would never promise to spend time with Alys and not show up.
Deciding to search room by room, she went to the second floor. The solar was empty except for Tilda and another servant cleaning it. Elia still napped in her room. Raynor’s chamber held his packed bag sitting atop the bed.
Then she reached the twins’ room. Ancel was stretched out on the floor, playing with the small, carved figures that Geoffrey had once enjoyed as a child. She had given them to her son in hopes he would feel close to the man he’d never known.
“Ancel, have you seen your father this morning? I have need of him.”
Her son gave her a sour look. “Not since he stumbled around last night.” His nose wrinkled in disgust. “He drank too much wine.”
Merryn hurried to him. She grabbed his shoulders. “What? That’s impossible. Where did you see him?”
Ancel’s bottom lip stuck out stubbornly. “I can’t say. I gave my word.” He shrugged from her grip. “I plan to be a knight, Mother. I will serve and protect the king. I must be honest and never lie. My word is my bond. It’s important that I keep it.”
“Christ’s wounds!” she proclaimed. She was so tired of hearing about how important keeping an oath was to a man.
Merryn glared at her son. “You are not a knight, Ancel de Montfort and you shall never be a knight unless you first learn obedience to your elders. Especially your parents. Father Dannet has told you to honor your mother.”
She stared straight into his eyes. “So tell me now. I command you.”
Her forceful tone caused her son’s eyes to fill with tears. He buried his face in her skirts, his small arms wrapping tightly around her. She had pushed hard enough. Ancel would tell her what she needed to know.
Merryn drew him to sit upon the bed. Ancel snuggled next to her.
Quietly, she asked, “Where did you see your father? And why do you think he had taken too much wine?”
Ancel sniffed. “Tilda put us to bed, but I forget my sword in the great hall.” He dropped his eyes. “I forgot it before and Raynor threatened to take it away. He told me I was careless and that knights could not afford to be careless.”
Shifting, Ancel raised his eyes to her. “I did not want Raynor angry with me. So I slipped out of bed and went to fetch it.” He paused. “When I left the hall, I saw Father. He could not stand up by himself.”
“Was he sitting on the ground?” Merryn asked, gently prodding him.
“Nay. Sir Symond had both arms about him, holding him up. He dragged him along. Sir Symond asked me to give my word and tell no one that I saw them. He said ’twould embarrass you, Father being in his cups. Sir Symond said the lord of Kinwick should be held to a higher standard. And that you deserved better.”
Cold fear wrapped around Merryn. There had been no time for Geoffrey to become that inebriated. In fact, she had never seen him behave in such a manner. And for him to be in Symond Benedict’s company, knowing he was the man Edward had chosen for her to wed?
Never.
Besides, Symond had said nothing to her when they spoke this morning. Her suspicions grew.
“Did you see where Sir Symond took your father? To bed down in the great hall?”
Ancel frowned. “No. They passed it by. They went toward your herb room.”
Merryn dug her fingernails into her palms. She contained the angry shriek that longed to escape from inside her because she didn’t want to frighten her son.
Instead, she smiled at him reassuringly. “You’re a good boy, Ancel. You will make a great knight someday. Thank you for honoring the vow of honesty. ’Tis a quality each great knight possesses. Your father is one such knight. He will teach you all you need to know about being a true knight and a fine man of character.”
She took Ancel’s face in her hands. “I know you still have doubts about your father, my boy, but he is the best of men. The best I have ever known. Even our king and the Black Prince have the utmost faith in your father and trust him with their lives. The Plantagenets know Geoffrey de Montfort to be a man of honor, and his word is truth. You will do well to learn from him.”
She kissed her son’s forehead. “Trust in him, Ancel. I promise, you will not regret it.”
With that, Merryn picked up her skirts and flew from the room.
Geoffrey thought back years ago to the siege of a castle in France. After weeks of attack, the commander stood firm and would not surrender. The Black Prince had said the castle would yield when enough of its inhabitants starved.
It had taken three months.
But those people had been able to seek out resources within the castle itself. They could find scraps to gnaw upon. Even resorting to eating dogs.
How long could he stay alive in this empty, pitch-black cell? With access to neither food nor water, death awaited him in mere days.
His chief regret? Merryn would never know what happened to him. She might believe he slipped into madness and fled, revealing and reliving his worst nightmares to her. Or she might think him ashamed that she knew what had occurred. That Berold had brought him to his knees and Geoffrey thought he was not good enough for her anymore.
Would she live her life alone, as she had before his return? Could she possibly be with child again? They had coupled numerous times since his return. The sweet bonds of love had helped restore his faith in himself and their relationship. Would Merryn once more carry his child without her husband at her side, birthing the babe without his support?
Bitter tears spilled from his eyes as he stood in the dark. Geoffrey gripped the iron bars in his hands and shook them with all his might. Already, he could tell his body weakened. He had not eaten since the noon meal yesterday.
To be so close to his beloved and never be discovered pained him physically. No one at Kinwick came to the dungeons. No marauding invaders lurked nearby. No rebels captured in a civil war. Their workers rarely needed punishment, unlike at other great estates. It might be decades before anyone ventured down here and found his bones, wondering who the man locked within the cell might have been.
Or Symond Benedict would return and bury Geoffrey before his body could be discovered.
His voice, almost gone from hours of shouting, broke in a whisper as he raged against a God who would allow this to happen. Not once. But twice. The whole thing had come full circle.
And this time he had no one to free him.
Geoffrey slumped to his knees. Hope slipped from his fingers. He pictured a worried Merryn searching Kinwick for him. Her growing despair when he could not be located. Lying in misery in their bed, her pillow soaked with futile tears.
Word would be sent to the king. This time, Edward would act swiftly. He had already decided which knight to reward, so making the decision would not be difficult.
He imagined Symond Benedict riding triumphantly through the gates of Kinwick, elated to claim his reward. Marrying Merryn and banishing Ancel and Alys to a household far away.
Then making love to his new wife.
Geoffrey could not rid himself of the agonizing images. Benedict’s rough hands gliding along Merryn’s smooth skin. Running through her silken hair. Grasping her buttocks and yanking her toward him. Coupling with her.
He longed for death to come swiftly and end this torment.
Not once in all his years in the dank cell at Winterbourne had Geoffrey wished for death. Every fiber in his being wished to return to Merryn. That longing had caused him to fight to live. But this time was different.
Geoffrey curled into a ball.
Wait . . .
After years in isolation, his hearing still remained sharp. Eagerly, he sat up.
He heard something.
Once again, despair melted away as he sensed the change in the air. He saw a faint light glowing in the distance, moving toward him.
Geoffrey cried out, but his weakened voice was barely above a whisper. It sounded as a babe who might whimper fussily, wanting more of his
mother’s milk, but too sleepy to protest.
Using the bars again to pull himself to his feet, he beat his hands against them. Any noise to bring someone close.
Suddenly, Merryn stood before his cell, a lantern in her hand. The anguish on her face melted away, replaced by a look of surprise and then utter joy.
Steadying himself as he held the bars tightly, Geoffrey leaned his forehead against them, overcome with emotion. Merryn’s arms came through the bars, grasping his face, pulling him toward her. She kissed him. He tasted her salty tears. More importantly, he tasted her love. He would not die alone. His wife had rescued him again, in more ways than one.
Breaking their kiss, she demanded, “How the Devil do I get you out of here?”
Chapter 34
“Look for the keys to the cell. They often hang on the wall.” Geoffrey paused. “That’s where Berold kept them, across from my prison. Always within sight. Never within reach.”
Merryn’s stomach roiled at the thought. She still found it hard to believe the earl had locked her husband away from the world for so many years. To hear the way out of the cell faced him was almost more than she could bear.
She lifted the lantern to the stone wall across from the cells and searched for the key.
“Here!” she cried, spying a hook. But no keys hung from it. She believed Symond had taken them for spite.
Merryn returned to Geoffrey. Her hand caressed his cheek. “They are not here. I’ll go and find help to free you.” She paused, wanting to make light of the horrible situation. “This time you better still be here when I return.”
Her husband’s jaw dropped in disbelief before he roared with laughter. “Christ in Heaven, Merryn. Only you would dare to say such a thing to me.” He caught her hands and pressed a kiss upon her knuckles. “I will always be here for you, my love. Always.”
She nodded and hurried from the dungeons, not wanting him to see the tears threatening to spill. Merryn hated leaving him in darkness, but she needed the light she had brought to return above stairs. Hustling up the long flight, anger at Symond Benedict built until it washed over her, ready to spill out. If the royal guardsman had been waiting upstairs, Merryn knew in her heart that she would have killed him on the spot without hesitation.
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