The Lion and the Crow (11 page)

“For Lady Elaine from her brother, Sir William,” he whispered into Somerfield’s face. And he was almost positive the man heard him, just before his gaze went glassy. Christian felt nothing but an icy rage at the man for having abused those in his charge so completely, rage and a tremendous relief that it was accomplished.

It was done. Somerfield’s lifeless body was limp and terribly heavy in Christian’s arms. Christian became aware of the blood that still pulsed and oozed, soaking into his gown. He released the dagger and moved to catch the body. Struggling, he dragged it to the bed. He laid it on the floor whilst he turned down the bed linens. He wiped his bloody hands on the sheets where it would not show and then squatted. Panting with exertion, Christian managed to lift the body into the bed and cover it up. He laid the head on a pillow, turned from the door. With any luck, Somerfield would not be discovered till morning.

Christian removed his blood-stained gown. He found a basin of water in the room and washed. He used his gown to wipe the blood off the floor, hoping to delay discovery as long as possible, and then stuffed the gore-covered fabric into a wooden chest. When he was done, he found a fresh shirt of Somerfield’s and put it on over his hose. He put back on the borrowed cloak, closing it up to his neck, hiding some specks of crimson that dotted the bottom of the wimple.

He steeled himself for the trip back down the stairs, willing the cold rage to leave his face, trying to replace it with a saucy, sated confidence. He closed his eyes and thought of William, of smiling flirtatiously at William in the firelight. His hands calmed and his face relaxed. He tugged the cloak more tightly about himself and descended.

****

William had packed up camp as soon as he’d read Christian’s letter. He waited for full dark and then rode towards the castle. The path was only dimly illuminated by the quarter moon. He found the mill easily enough by following the stream. It was close to the castle walls but surrounded by woods. He waited, his thoughts bouncing around like a wild bird in a cage.

Christian was leaving the castle early. Perhaps he’d learned something which made it imperative that they move quickly. Perhaps tomorrow. Perhaps Elaine would be travelling and they could waylay her retinue in the mountains. Perhaps Christian had been discovered and had to flee.

Perhaps, perhaps.

It didn’t matter. All William prayed for now was that Christian would get out of the castle safe and be here soon, in his arms. That would do for the moment. Only that. Only let Christian be safe. William didn’t know why he felt so anxious, but he did. He prayed that Christian had not done, would not do, anything too foolhardy. But right now the hope felt false.

The night seemed to pass at a leaden pace; it felt like a lifetime before William heard a soft noise from the forest. A dark shadow came down the path to the mill. Christian.

He was dressed in a linen shirt William didn’t recognize, his own hose, and his shoes. And he appeared unharmed. William strode to him in three steps and pulled Christian into his arms. William clasped his body tightly, feeling the thudding heart against his own. He buried his face into Christian’s neck and smelled sweat— and blood.

“Are you all right?” William asked harshly, pulling back to give Christian’s arms and torso a quick inspection.

“Yes, but let’s move quickly. I want to get farther from the castle.”

“What’s wrong?”

“When we’re further away, I beg you.”

William heard the urgency in Christian’s voice and he heeded it. He mounted Tristan and pulled Christian up behind him. They made their way through the woods and then back on the path to the foothills.

William looked behind them, but he saw no riders coming from the castle and no signs of alarm.

“Do you think you were followed?” he asked.

Christian glanced back. “I pray not. Ride on.”

They rode as quickly as William could push Tristan with two riders. When the castle had vanished from sight, he spoke again.

“What happened? Tell me.”

Christian had his hands on William’s waist and now he grasped him tighter. “Let’s wait until we’re back at the camp. Better yet, let’s ride on and make camp further up the mountain. You have Livermore?”

“Aye, he’s at the camp with Sir Swiftfoot. But—”

“Please.”

“Are Elaine and the children safe?”

“Yes. They’re safe. I swear it.”

With this, William dropped his questioning, though he was afire to know. Clearly Christian had been found out and had to flee. But there was something more. They rode on for another hour before reaching the camp. Christian jumped down and untied the two horses. They moved on.

“This is far enough,” Christian finally said in a weary voice, another hour up the mountain. They left the path and headed into the woods a ways before stopping. As they tied their horses, William turned to the younger knight.

“By my sword, tell me what happened, Christian. I smell blood on you. Whose is it? Did someone find you out?”

Christian shook his head. “’Tis Lord Somerfield’s blood. He’s dead.”

“What?” William whispered. He felt suddenly weak with fear.

Christian ran a nervous hand through his hair. “I had the opportunity. I was sent to serve him alone in his rooms, so I used my dagger and I killed him. I pray it will be dawn before he is found, but it’s best we get as far from the castle as possible. Perhaps we should ride back to Kendal, or, better yet, south to St. Bees.”

“You….” William could not believe it, neither the fact nor the arrogant disregard of danger implicit in such an action. “You
murdered
Lord Somerfield in his rooms? And they know it was you?”

Christian winced. “They know my face. They do not know my identity. But no, I can never show my face there again. You cannot be seen to travel with me. When you return.”

“What?” William said, still confused. He felt a confused rage at Christian for doing this, for taking William’s revenge into his own hands, for risking his own neck so baldly. And he felt an overwhelming fear for what might have happened. It was the worst, most sickening feeling he’d ever known.

“You could have been killed,” he said in a dead voice. “You should by all rights have been killed, Christian. I can’t—”

Christian grabbed William’s arms and shook him hard. “William,
breathe
. Listen to me. I was not caught and I was not killed. Think on it! You know the only way to free Elaine from Somerfield was his death, and you were unlikely to be able to achieve that, being known, being her brother. There is nothing holding her now. In a few weeks’ time you can go to the castle and tell them you want to take Elaine and the children home to visit your father, and there will be none to oppose it. Elaine’s children are both girls, not Somerfield’s heirs. His family will not try overly hard to keep her. It is
done.
”

William pulled away from Christian stiffly. “You had this planned when you went in. You swore false to me.”

Christian shook his head helplessly. “I thought that if I got the chance I would take it, but I did not truly expect to get the chance. And once I was inside I could see that any other option was hopeless. Elaine was well-guarded. We would never have been able to steal her away. And Somerfield— he would never have fought you in single combat, William. He was too old and too debauched. He
would
have had you killed if you’d challenged him.”

William looked up at the moon, frowning. He didn’t know what to believe. But he couldn’t shake his anger or that blood-curdling, belated terror.

“Let’s keep moving,” he said gruffly, untying Tristan and Sir Swiftfoot.

“Tristan needs rest.”

“The horses and I have done naught but rest for nearly a week,” William said bitterly. “We should travel at night and hole up during the day to avoid being seen. We’ll ride till morning.”

He mounted his horse and turned back towards the mountain path, not waiting to see if Christian would follow. After all, Christian could take care of himself, could he not? Christian, the Crow, who had gone into the castle and killed Somerfield in his rooms with a lethal sting— all by himself.

“William….” Christian began as William rode away.

William didn’t stop. Behind him, he heard Christian mount and follow.

****

CHAPTER 16

They travelled to St. Bees, which lay south of Somerfield’s castle on the coastline. They travelled at night and hid during the day, camping in the woods.

When they neared the town, they circled around to the south and rode in boldly, looking every inch the noble knights. Christian brought out a blue velvet tunic he’d packed in his saddle bags, his gold spurs, and his half armor. He helped William put on his full tournament dress. They were differentiating themselves from the travelers who had gone through Kendal a few weeks before. They were laying down the approach of Lady Elaine’s brother-knight Sir William. They said they’d come from Lancaster, to the south, and were headed to Somerfield’s castle.

In St. Bees, the rumors about Lord Somerfield’s murder had just arrived and were spreading rampantly. It was said the lord’s perversions had claimed him in the end. Apparently, he’d gone too far with a serving wench, and she’d snapped and killed him with a kitchen knife. The rumors varied greatly as to what lascivious acts Somerfield had been trying to commit at the time, and as to where he’d been stuck with the blade. One story said his most personal bits had been carved off and fed to his horse.

The wench had never been caught.

If William wondered at the rumors, why it was said to have been a woman servant and not a man, he didn’t mention it. Perhaps he assumed that since so much of the rumors either contradicted each other or were fantastical that part of it was too. Christian was only grateful not to have to lie further.

That night they stayed in an alehouse for the first time since their journey began. William thought it wise to cast a record of their passage through the town, should anyone look for it. Christian bathed in front of the fire while William went out. When he came in later, he was more than a few pints of ale looser than he’d been for days. Christian sat up in bed and made no secret of watching William as he used the tub of water in front of the fireplace.

William had not said more than a dozen words to Christian since they’d left the foothills near the castle, much less touched him.

“I did what I thought I needed to do to protect you,” Christian said quietly, as William stood up from his bath. The water rolled down his muscled body, and he looked so fine in the firelight that Christian would have given his soul for one more kiss, one more night of tenderness.

“I know,” William said.

“You think I lied to you. But I
did
intend to do the things I said, get information about Elaine’s routine. Only when I had the chance at Somerfield, I—”

“I understand it perfectly, Christian.”

Christian wasn’t sure William did. Because the thing that made sense of it, words like
I love you more than anything I’ve ever had in my life
, and
I would give anything to keep you safe, to keep you with me
were not things he could say to William while he was being cold and distant.

“Will you ever forgive me?” Christian asked.

William dried off with a cloth and came to bed. He slipped in naked, which was more than fine, because Christian was naked too. Christian rolled onto his side to get closer to him, but William grasped Christian’s hands, keeping them off his body.

“I don’t need your protecting. If I cannot be your master, I
will
be your equal, Christian,” William said in a voice that still tasted of anger.

Christian stared at him blankly. “William, you are far superior to me, as a knight and as a man.”

“And yet you kept things from me to ‘protect me.’”

“Only because I knew you wouldn’t allow me to go into the castle if I admitted to even
thinking
about killing Somerfield!”

William stared into Christian’s eyes, his face grim.

Christian frowned and swallowed. “You’re right. ’Tis an ill excuse.” He took a deep breath. “I did withhold things from you. And I swear I’ll never do it again. Only don’t be cold with me. I cannot bear it.”

Christian meant it with all his heart. William’s distance had hurt him as nothing had ever done. He knew he’d damaged William’s pride, stolen his revenge, and had not taken seriously enough his need to be protective of those he cared for. And that had nearly been unforgivable to a man like William.

He waited for William’s verdict, allowing everything to show on his face.

William’s eyes were still grim, but his hold on Christian shifted. He grasped Christian’s wrists hard and pinned them over his head, rolling Christian onto his back and covering him. Christian found himself out of breath as he stared up into William’s relentless eyes. William only stared down, unmoving, even as Christian felt his lover’s cock hardening impressively against his stomach. Christian himself had been hard since he’d watched William in the bath.