Cast Love Aside (10 page)

“I shall never return to that dreary
convent,” Alice declared. “Nor am I likely to see France again.
With the sea to keep us apart, my brother has no more power over
me.”

“How will you live in England?” Lilianne
asked. “Where will you go?”

“I'll think of something. I will stay with
you so long as you have need of my company for propriety's sake,
and I would like to meet this Lord Royce whom the men speak of so
respectfully.”

“Neither of us will have any choice about
that,” Lilianne said. “You heard Magnus. He considers us his
prisoners.”

“Nonsense.” Alice spoke briskly. “His speech
was for Count Erland's benefit, so he'd think we came along
unwillingly and stop blaming us for his capture. But neither of us
was unwilling, and you know it.”

“How could I ever have imagined that you were
a quiet, unadventurous mouse of a person?” Lilianne asked,
regarding her companion with wonder.

“You’ve only known me for a short time,”
Alice reminded her. “Tell me, what do you think of Sir
William?”

“I've hardly thought of him at all. He seems
nice enough, and very polite.”

“You mean, he doesn't order us about the way
Sir Magnus does,” Alice said with dry amusement. “William is
something more than merely nice. He’s quite wonderful.”

“Alice, do be careful. You still know little
of men. Don't forget the way your brother treated you. And don't
forget how Sir William tied you up.”

“Only because I bit him. No, I won't forget
what he did to me, or what Richard did, either.” Alice spoke with
great assurance. “I know what I want, and I intend to have it. Did
you know that William is captain of Lord Royce's men-at-arms at
Wortham Castle? He tells me he has hope of a fine promotion in the
near future.”

“I can guess what you’re thinking. But these
men are involved in a dangerous enterprise.” Lilianne didn't know
exactly what the enterprise was, but she had overheard enough of
Magnus's conversations with his companions to fear it wouldn't end
when they turned her uncle over to Lord Royce. Lilianne was afraid
all three of them would be killed before they were finished. She
sighed, thinking of Magnus's warm mouth on hers and his hands
gently caressing her breasts.

* * * * *

The sailors hadn't even finished tying up the
Daisy
at Hythe before Braedon came on deck to usher the
women off the ship. Their departure was accomplished so quickly and
quietly that Lilianne was sure no one on shore had noticed them. At
that early hour few people were at the waterfront to see passengers
hastening down the gangplank.

Close behind Braedon and the two women came
Magnus and William, supporting their prisoner, who was covered by a
voluminous cloak with the hood drawn well down over his face. When
he jerked his head, trying to shake back the hood, Magnus quickly
pulled it forward again. But he wasn't fast enough to prevent
Lilianne from seeing the gag that kept her uncle from calling out
for help. Erland's angry gaze met hers for an instant, and she
shuddered at the hatred she saw in his eyes.

The troop of armed men who waited for them
weren't prepared to accommodate women.

“We have extra horses in case any go lame,”
the leader told Magnus, “but we brought them because we cannot
allow any delay.”

“We won't delay you.” Lilianne promised. “I
can ride astride. As for Lady Alice,” she paused and looked a
question at her friend.

“Lady Alice will ride pillion behind me,”
William announced before Alice could say a word.

The thongs binding Erland's feet were removed
so he could walk and ride, but his wrists were still tied behind
his back. With a great show of awkwardness he mounted the horse
intended for him. No one indicated any sympathy toward him. With
Magnus holding the reins of Erland's horse and the men-at-arms
riding close on either side as well as before and behind him, he
was escorted out of Hythe.

Lilianne, Braedon and William followed. Alice
seemed perfectly content to ride with her arms around William’s
waist, and William frequently turned his head to speak with her.
Lilianne decided to leave them alone and not interfere.

“Where are we going?” she asked Braedon.

“To Richton Castle. It's well inland, so
Erland can have no hope of rescue from France and Royce will see to
it that he doesn't escape on his own. Nor will Erland be able to
send a message out of Richton. The castle has kept political
prisoners and prisoners of war secure in the past; it will do so
again now, until we exchange him for Sir Desmond,” Braedon told
her.

“Will King Louis agree to an exchange?”

“Royce must think so, or he wouldn't have
sent us to Manoir Sainte Inge to issue our invitation to Erland.”
Braedon's blue eyes sparkled and his grin flashed as if he was
enjoying the memory of his recent adventure.

“So,” Lilianne persisted, her thoughts on how
to learn where Gilbert was being held, “you expect Uncle Erland to
be returned to France and set free there?”

“Eventually.” Braedon’s smile deepened. “It
won’t happen for several months, though. Possibly, not for years.
Negotiations between kings always take time.”

“Meanwhile,” Lilianne exclaimed, “my poor
brother languishes in some unknown spot.”

“That’s not our doing,” Braedon said.

“No, it isn't,” she admitted. “But Lord Royce
holds the power to force Erland to reveal where Gilbert is
confined.” She fell silent then, and spent the rest of the journey
formulating the appeal she intended to make to Lord Royce.

* * * * *

They came upon Richton Castle without
warning. The road dipped low between rolling, heavily forested
hills. Then, abruptly, the trees were gone, cut down to clear the
area immediately surrounding the castle for farming and to prevent
an enemy from approaching too closely without being seen. Richton
was built of grey stone, with a wide moat of dirty water and a full
force of sentries posted along the battlements. More armor-clad men
guarded the gatehouse.

Lilianne heard the portcullis falling shut
behind them and the slam of the gatehouse doors closing. She could
not help thinking about a captive’s feelings upon being shut into
Richton, to be imprisoned there for an indefinite time. Yet no
sympathy for her uncle intruded on her thoughts.

As soon as they reached the inner bailey,
Erland was pulled off his horse and hustled up the steps to the
keep. Lilianne made haste to follow.

Once inside the keep, Magnus did not tarry.
The men-at-arms who were gathering for the midday meal made way for
the tall knight who led his prisoner down the length of the great
hall and up a short flight of stairs at the rear. Braedon and
William stayed close beside the ladies, guiding them in Magnus's
tracks.

Lord Royce awaited them in the solar at the
top of the stairs. Lilianne was certain he had been apprised of
their arrival, for he stood with his back to the three narrow
windows that provided light to the solar. It was impossible to see
his face clearly, and she would have wagered any sum that he
deliberately stood where he did. Erland would have done the same,
were he receiving a prisoner.

She had an impression of a tall, broad
shouldered man with red-gold hair on which the sunlight glinted.
She noticed the quick turning of his head when she reached the
final step to the solar, and she concluded that he was surprised to
see a woman.

The baron of Wortham wasn't as tall as
Magnus. Still, his physical strength was readily apparent and
Lilianne sensed something more in him, a power of his mind that
compelled others to do his bidding. It was the kind of power Erland
liked to pretend he possessed. Lilianne understood at once, even
before she saw him clearly that, unlike her uncle, Lord Royce did
not require men-at-arms to back up his orders. His strength of will
was enough.

“Here he is, my lord,” Magnus said, pulling
Erland forward with a firm hand on his arm.

“Well done, Magnus. Welcome to Richton, Count
Erland. I trust you will enjoy your stay here.” Royce's voice was
as pleasant as if he was a host greeting an honored guest. He
turned his head again as Alice and William entered the solar. In
that moment Lilianne saw the cold glitter in his grey-green eyes
and knew, as Erland must also have known, that Royce was more
jailor than host. Braedon was right to say Royce would never allow
her uncle an opportunity to escape, or even to send a message to
France.

“Your henchmen have used me badly,” Erland
complained, scowling at Royce. “One of them struck me. My head
still aches from the blow.”

“I assume he resisted you?” Royce said to
Magnus.

“Though Erland plainly meant to fight, we
didn't give him the chance,” Magnus replied. “We were pressed for
time and we wanted him quiet.”

“Understandable,” Royce said, nodding.

“Furthermore,” Erland continued as if the
interruption to his complaints had not occurred, “your hirelings
seduced my foolish niece into helping them.”

“Indeed?” Royce raised an eyebrow and looked
at Lilianne.

“I was not seduced,” she stated firmly, “nor
was my companion. Sir Magnus and his friends have been far more
kind to us than Uncle Erland ever was.”

“Lilianne, you nitwit, be silent!” Erland
shouted. “You are a disgrace to the name of Sainte Inge. I intend
to see you severely punished for what you've done.”

“Your family disputes will have to wait,
Count Erland,” Royce said, all trace of politeness gone from his
voice. “Sir Magnus and Sir Braedon will conduct you to the rooms
prepared for you. I will speak with you again, later.”

At a gesture from Royce the two men escorted
Erland down the stairs. Once they were gone, Royce moved away from
the window to lay a hand on William's shoulder and Lilianne was
able to see him clearly at last. She marveled at his good looks and
ready smile – and she realized with considerable surprise that she
greatly preferred Magnus's dour darkness to this older man's bright
charm.

“I will hear your report now, William,” Royce
said in a friendly way. “Kindly include a suitable explanation for
the presence of two ladies in your party.”

“I can explain that,” Lilianne offered.

“So you will, after William has spoken,”
Royce told her, fixing her with a cool glance that invoked silence
until he was ready to hear her.

William recounted the tale in quick, simple
sentences, leaving nothing out while not embroidering the facts
with conjecture or supposition. Listening to him, Lilianne realized
why Royce favored him as captain of the men-at-arms at Wortham
Castle. William was honest and straightforward enough to meet any
lord’s requirements for important service.

“It’s your turn now, Lady Lilianne,” Royce
said. He listened without interruption to her more emotional
version of events, which included Alice's story, as well as her own
and her brother's.

“My lord,” Lilianne said at the end, “I do
implore you to use your influence to convince my uncle to order
Gilbert's release. Failing persuasion, I beg you to force him to
tell me where he’s holding Gilbert, so I can rescue my poor brother
before it's too late.”

“I will do what I can, but I make no
promises,” Royce said.

“From the little Count Erland has revealed,”
Alice told Royce, “I fear Lilianne is correct. Gilbert's life is in
grave danger unless someone acts quickly.”

“I will hear what Magnus and Braedon have to
say on the subject when they make their reports to me,” Royce
responded. “Now, I must ask you to excuse me while I prepare a
letter to King Louis. William, will you see the ladies to the guest
chamber on the floor above this?”

Lilianne could tell it was useless to try to
argue with Royce. He had his own duties and loyalties, and Gilbert
was not one of them. She would have to find a way to help Gilbert
on her own.

Richton Castle was intended to confine
prisoners securely, not to provide luxurious quarters for noble
guests. The room to which William conducted Lilianne and Alice was
so small that the curtained bed took up most of the space. A table
with a basin on it sat beneath a narrow slit of a window that
looked out over green farmlands beyond the castle walls. There was
no other furniture, not even a clothing chest. That didn’t matter,
for neither woman had any clothing except what they were
wearing.

Shortly after William left them a maidservant
appeared bearing a pitcher of hot water and two linen towels. These
she placed on the table and then departed without offering answers
to Lilianne's questions about mealtimes or what she and Alice were
expected to do next.

“Someone will come for you,” the woman said
as she closed the chamber door.

“Well,” Alice said cheerfully, stretching out
atop the bed, “this room is larger and much nicer than my cell at
the convent, and the bed is more comfortable than the one Count
Erland provided at Manoir Sainte Inge.”

“I cannot stay here,” Lilianne muttered. “I
have to find Gilbert.”

“Do, please, be sensible. Lord Royce won't
allow you to leave. Even if he would, you cannot go wandering about
a strange countryside, all alone.”

“I think Captain Piers liked me. If I could
just reach the
Daisy,
I could sail back to France with
him.”

“Not without money.”

“I have some coins.” Lilianne touched the
purse secured to her belt.

“You don't know where Gilbert is, so how can
you expect to find him?” Propping herself on her elbows, Alice sent
a shrewd look at Lilianne, then smiled as if she'd had a clever
thought. “Why don't you ask Sir Magnus to help you?” “Magnus?”
Lilianne could feel her cheeks turning red. She wished Alice would
stop smiling at her. “Why should I ask anything of Magnus? He will
only command me to obey Lord Royce.”