Forbidden Magic (42 page)

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Mertice had not expected to find the great hall of Burchard castle nearly empty when she and Norward entered. It was the custom to celebrate on the eve of Christ's birth, and the moment she stepped into the hall and saw the serving maids clearing the tables and her brother and his wife nowhere in sight, she sensed a problem had arisen, or worse still, that perhaps the rumors she had heard about her brother's return here were false. Her blue eyes narrowed as she glared about the room looking for evidence that Gunther was somewhere in the castle and vowing that the one who had sent her flying home would feel her revenge if the tale he had spun about her brother and Sir Amery proved untrue.

"Twould seem, m'lady," Norward said, "that we have missed the celebration."

"Yea, the celebration, but what of my brother?" she hissed, flipping off her fox-lined mantle and tossing it at him before she started across the room toward the huge hearth. "Go to the kitchen and have food brought that we might fill our bellies while I warm myself by the fire."

"Yea, m'lady." Norward nodded, then turned to do as he had been bidden.

"You there!" she called to one of the maids nearest her as the girl loaded a tray full of empty dishes and platters of untouched meats and cheeses. "Find me a clean chalice and fill it with wine."

The maid paused in her duties, curtsied politely, and reached for the desired items, filling a cup full before turning with it toward the one who had requested the drink.

"I was told my brother had left London for Burchard. Has he returned?" she asked, taking the chalice from the young girl.

"Yea, m'lady."

"And did Sir Amery accompany him here?"

The maid bobbed her head a second time.

Hiding her delight over this knowledge behind the cup she had raised to her lips, Mertice turned to gaze into the fire while she waited for the wine to chase away the chill in her bones. "And where might my brother and Sir Amery be? Tis not late. I expected to find the great hall full of merrymakers."

"Tragedy befell Burchard, m'lady, and—"

Mertice's head jerked around to stare at the girl. "Tragedy?" she echoed in alarm, thinking that something had happened to Amery. "Has someone been hurt?"

"Yea, m'lady," the maid sadly reported with a nod of her head. "Sir Hadwin has been killed, and Lady Jewel is missing."

"Lady Jewel?" The name was frighteningly familiar, and knowing of no other, Mertice asked, "Lady Jewel of Harcourt? Sir Amery's betrothed?"

"Yea, Lady Mertice, Sir Amery's betrothed."

"But you speak as though she had been here ... at Burchard."

"Yea, m'lady. Sir Amery brought her with him."

The chalice trembled in her hand as jealousy flared up to consume the woman. Mertice sucked in a deep breath and cast her gaze upon the flames in the hearth again. "Tell me what happened," she ordered.

"Tis rumored that Sir Amery took his betrothed from her home against her will to protect her from his half brother, Sir Radolf. Lady Jewel's family was massacred, and Sir Amery lays the blame on Sir Radolf. Lady Jewel would not believe it, and your brother feels that she asked Sir Hadwin's help to escape her betrothed. When their disappearance was discovered, Lord Gunther and Sir Amery went after them. But they were too late. Sir Hadwin had been slain, and Lady Jewel was gone."

"Slain? By whom?" Mertice quietly asked.

"Lord Gunther said that Sir Amery believes it was done by a knight of his half brother's, not Burchard's enemy, Orton of Terrell."

"And where is my brother now?" Although her question appeared to show concern for Gunther, Mertice was certain that the maid would unknowingly reveal Amery's presence as well.

"He returned to the castle for only a short while—enough time to gather food and fur pelts and anything else that would ease their task in searching for Lady Jewel. He took an army with him to follow Sir Amery's trail, and they lit their way with burning torches. He told Lady Anne that he would not return until they had found Lady Jewel."

Mertice quickly raised her chalice to her lips and took a drink to mask the anger that curled her mouth. "Then they think Lady Jewel is still alive? That this knight of Amery's half brother has not killed her as well?"

"They pray, m'lady."

"And if he has not, where doth Gunther think he will find her?"

"On the road that will take her away from Burchard, m'lady. Lord Gunther believes that if Lady Jewel escaped the executioner, she will try to leave the Isle of Wight and return to Harcourt."

Mertice could feel the blood draining from her face, and she quickly turned her back on the serving maid. "That will be all," she said with a dismissing flip of her hand and waited until the sounds of the girl's footsteps had faded behind her before she collapsed in a chair. Was it possible that the woman her knights had stopped to help along the way was Lady Jewel, Amery's betrothed? If she had been a witness to a man's death, it would certainly explain why she had been wandering aimlessly through the woods half out of her wits as Hube had said she had been. But what she could not understand was why Amery had brought her with him, why he wanted to protect her. It was common gossip at the royal palace that Amery would very likely never marry his betrothed, or any woman, for that matter. He did not like women. He desired them, but he did not like them. An evil, calculating smile spread slowly over Mertice's face. But there was always a way to trick such a man, and Mertice had already thought of it. She would be the one with whom Amery would stand before the altar. With a venomous look in her eyes, she glanced at the huge door to the great hall. But first she would have to dispose of Jewel.

"
E
xcuse me, m'lady," the young maid standing at the side of Mertice's bed apologized, "but Sir Norward says he must speak with you and that it is most urgent. He begs thy forgiveness for the hour, but says thou wilt understand once you have heard the news he brings."

Blinking in the muted light of her bedchambers, Mertice rose up on one elbow and glanced at the closed shutters of the window and the gray light struggling in through the cracks. "Tis morning?"

"Nearly, m'lady."

Yawning, she sat up and stretched. "Has anyone other than Norward come to the great hall?"

"Only the serving maids."

"Then tell Norward to come here," she said, flipping off the covers. "But give me time to dress."

"Here, m'lady?" The maid frowned.

"Yea, Alia," Mertice snapped. "I wish privacy and I know of no other place. Now go and tell him."

Without further comment, Alia nodded her head respectfully, gave Mertice a short curtsy, and quickly did as she had been bidden, closing the door behind her with a gentle click. The sound brought Mertice's attention to it, and she smiled as she quickly pulled on her kirtle and gunna, slid on her hose, and stepped into her shoes, thinking that the news Norward had for her would be exactly what she wanted to hear—that Jewel was dead.

After talking with the serving maid in the great hall and coming to her decision about Amery's betrothed, Mertice had stayed by the hearth waiting for Norward to bring them food from the kitchen. Once he had done so and the others in the hall had moved far enough away from them that their conversation could not be overheard, Mertice had explained what she wanted Norward to do for her and why. At first, he had seemed very surprised that she could sit there and calmly order him to bring the end to a young woman's life, especially when that lady was betrothed to someone like Amery of Wellington. Although he had heard the rumors about Sir Amery and his feelings toward women, Norward also knew that the favored knight to King Richard was very possessive of all he owned—and Lady Jewel belonged to him. He was proving it that very night by searching the woods surrounding Burchard Castle. He wanted her back and nothing would stop him from accomplishing it. Norward had thought Mertice slightly mad for even suggesting he murder Lady Jewel, since it was quite obvious what would happen to the two of them should Sir Amery ever find out who was responsible. Then Mertice had explained why and what the rewards could be in executing such a plan, and Norward had changed his mind. With Lady Jewel out of the way, Mertice could then work her wiles on the unsuspecting knight. She would trap him into marriage, and Norward would then, become a valued knight to Sir Amery. Their future would be secured.

Mertice had just finished brushing her long, blond hair and hiding it beneath the hood of her gown when a knock sounded on her door. With a bright, satisfied smile on her lips, she crossed her bedchamber and excitedly opened the way for Norward to enter.

"Is it done?" she asked in a low voice once she had sealed in their privacy.

"Nay, m'lady," Norward said with a shake of his head. "Problems have arisen."

"What kinds of problems, Norward? Surely a knight of your strength would find no barrier too difficult to cross. What has delayed you?" she demanded, blue eyes flashing and her impatience evident in the short, crisp tone of her words. "Where has Stanmore taken her that you cannot easily - enter?"

"To the old woman, Ordella." Norward supplied the information with a heavy sigh.

Mertice's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "The sorceress?"

"Yea, m'lady. They have given Lady Jewel refuge in the witch's hut."

In an angry whirl of rich cloth, Mertice stalked away from him and went to the window, there to push open the shutters and stare outside at the pastel pinks and yellows of early dawn. There were few in all of England who Mertice feared, but Ordella was high on her list. The old woman could work magic, and those who lived at Burchard Castle trod lightly where the old woman was concerned, afraid their lives would end in a most gruesome manner should they anger her. Taking Jewel from the hag would certainly enrage her, and Mertice knew that even though she herself might not be the one responsible for the actual doing of the deed, Ordella would use her witchcraft to learn who had ordered it done. Mertice shivered, imagining the kinds of horrors the old woman would bestow upon her in revenge. Reaching out to grab the latches of the shutters, she slammed them shut again and crossed to the fireplace where she stared angrily into the blaze of the hearth. Yet her purpose was too important to allow one old, haggard madwoman to stand in the way. Mertice would have to think of something.

"M'lady?"

Mertice blinked once she realized that Norward had called to her several times before his voice had penetrated her thoughts. "What?" she asked, continuing to study the bright orange flames.

"All is not lost, m'lady. Though I carry distressing news, there is hope as well."

Her interest piqued, Mertice faced him. "Hope? What kind of hope unless you tell me that Ordella's magic has worked against her and she no longer has the power?"

"Not that, m'lady, but methinks her magic will be useless against the curse that afflicts Lady Jewel." He smiled encouragingly.

Mertice cocked her head to one side, suspicious. "What curse?"

"I spoke with Hube in the stables this morn shortly before I ventured here. He tells me that Lady Jewel has no memory. They call her Adar because none know her true name. No one, m'lady. Not Lady Jewel or the old woman or Hube or Stanmore—"

"Or Celeste," Mertice finished with an evil smile.

"Yea, m'lady. Not even Celeste. Thus, for now, Lady Jewel is no threat. With the exception of those few, everyone else, including Sir Amery, believes she is wandering in the woods somewhere, alone and defenseless."

Raising a thin, arched brow in contemplation, Mertice settled herself into one of the chairs by the hearth to sort out a solution to her dilemma. "Have those four heard of Lady Jewel's escape and Sir Hadwin's subsequent demise?" she asked after awhile.

"Nay, they have not."

"But if they should, they will piece together the mystery concerning the woman they rescued, just as I have done, and tell Sir Amery upon his return."

"The chances are good," Norward agreed. "But they also favor me. The old woman will leave Jewel alone for awhile, and when she does, I will kill her."

Mertice shook her head. "Nay, the risk is too great. Even if you succeeded, Ordella would know who raised the sword against Lady Jewel without having seen you, and we both would then pay the price." Smiling wickedly, she left her chair to stroll about the room. "Nay, the maiden's death will only result in our own. I know of another way."

"And what is that, m'lady?"

"No one gossips with Ordella, so she will never learn what went on outside the walls of Burchard, and Jewel cannot recall. The only threats to my plan, therefore, are Stanmore, Hube, and Celeste."

Norward cocked a suspicious brow at her." 'Tis your wish to see them dead," he stated and vented a long sigh when Mertice nodded. "Wishes are easily thought, m'lady, while fulfilling them can prove most difficult. You chose Sir Hube and Stanmore as your knights because of their skills in battle. Though I say mine are equal, one standing against two lessens the odds."

"Then take them one at a time, fool," she snapped. "And put aside your sword for a quicker, surer method to bring about their deaths. We haven't a moment to waste on honor."

Norward's brow wrinkled disapprovingly, but he said nothing in defense. Lowering his gaze, he moved toward the door. "I will see to it, m'lady."

Mertice's blue eyes narrowed as she glared at the closed door to her chambers. "Yea, see to it," she whispered. "And when those three are out of the way, I shall see that death comes knocking on your door as well."