Heart's Magic (30 page)

“We just got here,” the squire objected.
“Mauger has issued a challenge and I, for one, will not cry off. We
will wait where we are until Hidern can inform Lord Gavin of our
presence. Then I would like to meet that scoundrel, Mauger, in
man-to-man combat for the way he has insulted us.”

“For heaven’s sake, Bevis,” Mirielle said in
exasperation. “Have you learned nothing from your years with Gavin?
Stop behaving like a typical, thick-headed squire and think what
Gavin would do in this situation. Mauger has told us to go, and we
are going to let him believe that we have given up. We are going to
turn our horses and ride back down the castle road until he cannot
see us any longer. Then we are going to circle around through the
forest to the side of the wall nearest to the keep.”

“Why?” asked Bevis. “We can’t get in that
way, either.”

“If I understood Hidern’s signals correctly,”
Mirielle said as patiently as she could, “he is planning to let us
in by the small postern door.”

“Of course he is!” Forgetting his annoyance
against his fellow squire, Bevis grinned and spurred his horse. “I
knew we could depend on Hidern.”

Shaking her head at Bevis’s sudden change in
mood, Mirielle followed him. They rode until they were well out of
sight of the castle walls before they turned into the forest, where
they and their mounts were immediately concealed by the trees and
the undergrowth of Wroxley Forest. They watered the horses at a
stream and fed them before tying them to a tree so they could not
wander away until they were retrieved. Then it was time to begin
the walk toward the postern gate. By now it was completely dark and
raining so hard that it was unlikely that they would be noticed as
long as they were careful not to make a lot of noise or otherwise
draw attention to themselves.

Their way led them across the fallow field to
the west of the castle where Hugh and the children had flown kites
on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The field was muddy, which made
walking difficult.

“This is too unpleasant and dangerous for a
lady,” Bevis grumbled. “You ought to let me go in alone. I will
find Gavin and talk to him. Then he will order the main gate opened
for you and greet you himself so Mauger cannot stop you from
entering.”

“I am going in through the postern door with
you,” Mirielle said.

“But we will have to cross the moat,” Bevis
warned. “The water is deep and not clean. Some of the garderobes
empty into it.”

“You may stay on this side if you wish,”
Mirielle informed him, “but I intend to swim the moat.”

“You will drown,” Bevis protested. “Your
skirts will drag you down.”

“That is a problem.” Mirielle considered for
a moment. “The gown will be rendered useless in any case, so I will
sacrifice it.” She was wearing a belt with a small purse attached
to it. This she unfastened while she removed her dress and her
shoes and stockings. Then she refastened the belt at her waist. She
would not discard it, for the purse contained the crystal
sphere.

“My lady.” Bevis could not see her clearly in
the dark, but all the same she knew by his voice that he was
shocked at her actions. “You cannot carry your clothes across the
moat. They will still weigh you down when they get wet.”

“They are already wet,” Mirielle said. “When
we reach the middle of the moat, I will let them go. Bevis, find a
few rocks that I can tie into the bundle. There ought to be some
along the edge of the moat.” While Bevis searched, Mirielle wound
her long braids up onto the top of her head, where she secured them
by tying them as if they were pieces of rope.

Bevis found the stones she wanted and
Mirielle used her stockings and the sleeves of her gown to tie
rocks, shoes and dress together into a damp, untidy package. She
did not care about neatness. She only wanted the clothes to sink to
the bottom of the moat so no one would notice them. Meanwhile,
Bevis decided he would be able to swim more easily without his
boots, and these he reluctantly removed.

“We could just leave our clothes in the field
and get them later,” Bevis said.

“We don’t know what we will find once we are
inside the castle,” Mirielle pointed out. “It would be best not to
leave any sign that we have been here. Do not think for a moment
that Mauger has not noted what we were wearing. I have a feeling
that we would be wise not to alert him that we have found a way
into the castle.”

“I suppose you are right. Well, I’m ready.”
Bevis stepped toward the moat.

“Remember, we must be very quiet,” Mirielle
cautioned. “No splashing, and no crying out if the water is
cold.”

“I know, my lady. If I start to drown, I will
not scream for help.”

“I know you don’t like this.”

“I hate it,” he told her. “That water is
foul. We’ll die of drinking it, if we don’t drown first.”

“Bevis, I promise you, if you swallow a
single drop, as soon as we get inside I will take you to my
workroom and give you medicine to prevent any illness.”

“Your medicine didn’t help Mistress Donada,”
Bevis objected in a fierce whisper.

“Mistress Donada was poisoned,” Mirielle
pointed out.

“So will we be, if we drink any of that
water. I have seen sieges where the castle defenders flung all
manner of ordure into a moat to prevent attackers from swimming it,
and anyone who ventured into the befouled water died soon after of
a horrible sickness.”

“Your liege lord is inside,” Mirielle
reminded him. “He needs our help.”

“I am not afraid for myself,” Bevis muttered.
“It’s you I am trying to discourage, my lady, because if anything
were to happen to you while you are in my care, Gavin would have me
drawn and quartered.”

“Then, let us get inside the castle before
anything can happen,” Mirielle urged. “Or before Hidern is
discovered and we are prevented from using that postern door.”

Hoping to forestall any further discussion
with the overly pessimistic squire, Mirielle stepped into the inky
water of the moat. She knew, for Brice had told her once, that the
ground appeared to slope off gradually into the moat, but about a
yard out from the edge the bottom dropped precipitously to a full
twelve feet. She whispered a warning to Bevis and when she felt the
ground sliding from beneath her feet, Mirielle dropped the weighted
bundle of clothing and began to swim. She was careful to keep her
head out of the water and she hoped Bevis was doing the same.

They came to the castle side of the moat and
Mirielle hauled herself out onto the narrow band of wet grass that
grew at the base of the wall. Bevis scrambled out next to her,
breathing hard. By the faint starlight Mirielle was relieved to see
that they had left the water almost exactly in front of the postern
door. The door swung open with a swishing sound and a figure issued
forth.

“Hidern?” Bevis hissed. “Is that you?”

“Lucky for you that it is. I have been
waiting for you. Lady Mirielle, you should not be here.”

“That is what Mauger told us,” Mirielle said.
“I cannot abide that man.”

“Neither can I,” Hidern told her. “My lady, I
knew you would both be drenched, so I brought two cloaks along to
cover you and Bevis. We really ought to get inside before someone
sees us and reports to Mauger that you have circumvented his
orders. I hear that he does not like to be crossed.”

They went into the passage that led through
the thickness of the castle wall. Hidern relocked the postern door.
Before he could lead them out the other side, Mirielle stopped the
two squires.

“Bevis, did you swallow any moat water?” she
asked.

“No, my lady. I do not think I will need the
medicine you offered.”

“Then go to the bathhouse and be sure to
scrub yourself well. Discard the clothing you are wearing now. Stay
out of sight of Mauger or his men. Let Hidern hide you, and wait
until he brings you a message from Gavin.”

“My lady, what do you plan to do?” asked
Hidern. “I was greatly surprised to see you and Bevis at the gate.
I trust you have a good reason for returning after Gavin ordered
you to leave.”

“I expect that there will be trouble before
long, and Gavin will need my assistance,” Mirielle said. “I cannot
tell you the whole of it, but I do think you ought to pass the word
quietly to Gavin’s men who came here with you. They will be loyal
to him. Tell those men to be prepared to do battle at any time, and
to know, if they have not already discovered it, that there are two
factions among the men-at-arms. One is led by Captain Oliver. I
believe for the most part they are honest men who will prove
themselves loyal to my cousin, Brice, which means they will fight
for Gavin. The others are Alda’s people, who came with her from her
childhood home and who regard Mauger as their leader.”

“Master Hugh warned us of that division
before we came here.” By the light of the oil lamp he carried,
Hidern looked hard at her. “My lady, you have not said what you
will do. Shall I send a maidservant to attend you?”

“I want no servants involved in this. First,
I will have a bath and fresh clothing,” she said. “Then, as quickly
as I can I’ll find Gavin. I won’t require your escort any longer,
Bevis. Tend to your own needs and get some rest. I thank you for
what you have done for me this day.”

“My lady.” Bevis went down on one knee and
took Mirielle’s muddy hand in his own. “Never have I met a braver
lady. I am always happy to provide any service for you. Only ask,
and I will obey.”

Mirielle waited inside the inner bailey until
Hidern had secured the postern door. Since the key he used belonged
to Gavin, Mirielle took it from the squire, saying she would return
it.

“He does not know I have it,” Hidern
said.

“Don’t worry. You won’t be upbraided for what
you have done for me and Bevis.”

After the two squires moved off in the
direction of the bathhouse, which was frequented mostly by the
men-at-arms and the women they kept and which was thus unappealing
Mirielle, she hastened to the kitchen, where she knew she could
find hot water and soap. It was so late that few people were about.
Using the method Hugh had taught her to disguise herself from
sight, Mirielle was able to snatch a bucket of water, a dish of
soap, and a towel, and carry them to a small, deserted pantry
without being challenged. There, with the door shut, she made a
quick job of scrubbing off the muck from the moat. It felt
wonderful to be clean, even if the soap was harsh and the towel
inadequate. After dumping the bucket of dirty water into the
kitchen drain, which emptied into the moat, she returned the bucket
and towel to their places. Satisfied that no one would guess she
had been in the kitchen, Mirielle wrapped herself again in the
cloak Hidern had provided and hurried to her room to dress.

Gavin and Brice were sitting together in the
lord’s chamber, talking in low voices when she walked in without
knocking.

“What the devil?” Gavin leapt to his feet,
one hand on the pommel of his sword. He relaxed when he saw who had
intruded into his private quarters.

“Cousin, you ought to be miles away from
here.” Brice rose more slowly, levering himself upward with his
hands on the chair arms.

“I believe this is yours, my lord.” Walking
across the room to Gavin, Mirielle laid the postern door key into
his hand.

“How did you get here?” Brice demanded.

“I took off my gown and swam the moat.” While
Brice sputtered his outrage at this statement, Mirielle transferred
her attention to Gavin. “Bevis came with me, but you ought not to
scold him. Hugh ordered him to accompany me, and Bevis knew if he
did not, I would ride from Bardney alone. I believe he felt it was
his duty to protect me on the way.”

“What of Hugh?” Gavin asked. “I have told
your cousin of my true purpose in coming to Wroxley and my original
disguise. You may speak freely in front of him.”

“Hugh made no effort to stop me,” Mirielle
said. “He spoke of destiny.”

“Destiny,” Gavin repeated softly. “I wanted
you safely away from here, but by heaven, Mirielle, I am glad to
see you!”

She thought that, if Brice were not in the
room, Gavin would have taken her into his arms. Instead, he looked
at her as if he would devour her with his eyes. She saw how pale he
was. He had aged in just two days. There were new lines around his
eyes and threads of gray in his hair. The changes would have been
attractive to her if they had been caused by the passage of time,
but Mirielle knew they were unnatural and so they frightened
her.

“Well,” Brice said into the long silence,
“now that you are here, Mirielle, you are to go to your room and
stay there. Gavin and I have serious work to do this night and you
are to stay out of it.”

“If you mean to face down Alda,” Mirielle
replied, still looking into Gavin’s eyes, “then it is essential
that I be with you. You will need my aid. Hugh agrees.”

“Go to your room,” Brice repeated in a severe
tone.

“She stays.” Gavin’s voice was soft. “We
cannot defeat Alda without her.”

“My lord, she is my ward,” Brice
objected.

“She is my very heart.” Gavin’s voice did not
change.

Brice stared at him and then nodded abruptly.
In that moment Mirielle realized how weakened her cousin was. There
had been a time, and not so long ago, either, when Brice would not
have backed down so easily.

“It is difficult to accept,” Brice said as if
he were continuing the conversation he and Gavin were having before
Mirielle had appeared, “that Alda, who seldom leaves her chamber
except to parade into the great hall to show off her beauty and her
fashionable clothes for the midday meal, this woman who has always
been indifferent to Wroxley and its people, should cause so much
distress. To watch her or listen to her, one would think castle and
people alike were beneath her notice. You will not know this,
Mirielle, but since you left, four of Gavin’s knights have fallen
ill with the same sickness that killed Donada and that now afflicts
Gavin, young Robin, and me. Alda is to blame for it, though heaven
alone knows why.”