Honor & Roses (27 page)

After Cecily rushed off, Alric
remained where he was. It would not do to be seen too close to her, not now.

Was she right about Pierce? Did she hear what she thought she heard? Treason was a serious accusation, so Cecily would never say that unless she believed it to be true.

Alric turned his gaze to the countryside beyond the tower, as if the answers lay there. His eyes were drawn to the distant pass in the west. It lay tantalizingly close. No English lord was better placed to make a deal with the Welsh. And Pierce certainly wouldn’t be the first gatekeeper to open the gates to the enemy because it benefited him.

Alric was still lost in thought when a young man dressed as a guard climbed the last of the tower stairs.

“Sir Alric?” he asked. “There’s a man who’s come, but he says he knows you. Lord Pierce will not permit us to allow an armed stranger inside—and this one is certainly armed.”

“He gave no name?”

“He calls himself Sir Octavian de Levant, and says he serves King Stephen. But I’ve never seen a knight with his appearance! His skin is dark as tanned leather, and he speaks oddly.”

“He speaks truth,” Alric said. “He is one of our company from Cleobury. I’ll go down with you to meet him.”

At the gate, Octavian stood by his mount, armed, but polite and peaceable. Several guards were standing in a half circle around him, gawking openly at his dark skin, which none of them had ever seen before.

Alric strode up, embracing the younger knight. “Glad I am to see you, Octavian.”

Octavian smiled. “I too, if it means I can enter this place as friend.”

“Of course.” Alric turned to the guards. “This is Sir Octavian, a knight who owes fealty to the king.”

“Then he may enter,” the head guard said, though with a note of trepidation. “You vouch for him?”

“I do,” Alric said. “Take his horse to the stable, will you? I’ll show him to the hall myself.”

Alric led his friend into the castle courtyard. “Praise God you’re here, Tav,” he muttered.

“You missed my company so much?” Octavian asked with a wry look.

“I’ve missed having trustworthy men close at hand. Since we entered the gates, I’ve felt an itch between my shoulder blades, as if someone can’t wait to knife me in the back.”

“Not an auspicious sign for the lady Cecily. How does she see her new surroundings?”

“That’s another difficulty,” Alric said in understatement. “But first, let’s hear your news. Tell me what you learned at Aldgate.”

“As we agreed, I rode with you for an hour, long enough to reassure anyone watching behind us that we did not intend to stop or return. Then I cut to the east and rode through the woods, coming back to the ruins from the south,” Octavian said.

“I secured my horse some distance away,” he went on, “and found a place to wait and watch. For the rest of that day, I saw nothing. I told myself I had been wrong about the recent digging. Perhaps it was not so recent after all.

“I resolved to camp that night and ride after you, so that I could aid you if there was trouble on the way. But when the next morning came, I walked back to my vantage point, just in case. I saw a party of men coming with tools and shovels.”

“All men?”

“Aside from a few women who must cook and wash. I’ve seen such groups many times. No matter where they’re from, soldiers learn certain habits. These were soldiers, not farmers.”

“So you were right. Someone hopes to rebuild at Aldgate, and fortify it. Perhaps as a bulwark against the Welsh?”

“Unlikely,” Octavian said. “For one thing I am certain of. They
were
Welsh.”

“Welsh?” Alric asked. “How do you know?”

“I don’t speak Welsh, but I know it from English. The cadence is distinct. These were Welshmen. And bold. They posted guards, but otherwise worked openly. I think they took you for random travelers and chose to take themselves away to avoid detection. They would not have wanted to announce their presence to anyone who might mention it to a local lord or sheriff. If they’d realized the very lady who owned the land was there, I suspect they would have attacked.”

“This is ill news, Tav,” Alric muttered.

“Not so ill,” said Octavian. “We can tell Theobald and he’ll send a contingent to deal with it. The Welsh will not be prepared to defend the area against our numbers. Not if we act quickly after we return from the wedding.”

“No, it’s worse than that, I fear.”

“How so?”

Alric glanced around to make sure no one was in earshot. Then he confided, “It seems Pierce may be in league with the Welsh, as part of a plan to seize more land in England.”

“Are you joking?”

“Cecily overheard something she should not have.” Alric explained briefly what he’d been told. “We need a way to get out of this castle.”

“The front gate seems available.”

Alric shook his head. “Not for long. I suspect Pierce will prevent us from going out as a group. At least until after the wedding, by which point he’ll officially get control of all the land and manors she will inherit, and it will be too late to extract Cecily from his treason.”

“Let us find her then,” Octavian urged. “She ought to be the one to take the case to the king, so we must get her safely out of here.”

Alric agreed. Unfortunately, they were too late. Cecily’s door was bolted shut, and guards stood at either side.

“She is resting, by our lord’s orders, sir,” one said. His tone was polite, but he was armed, and had no intention of letting anyone pass. “Pierce will escort her to supper tonight. You’ll see her then.”

Alric accepted the guard’s words, saying the matter was not important. He didn’t wish to show any untoward interest in Cecily’s whereabouts.

When he and Octavian were far enough away to speak, Alric said, “Pierce never put guards at her door until today. He’s going to keep her locked up or watched closely until the wedding.”

“The nurse Agnes can carry a message, perhaps?” said Octavian.

“Assuming she is permitted any freedom, either,” Alric said. “Why did I not simply take Cecily away as soon as she told me the news?”

“I may as well berate myself for not arriving a few hours earlier,” said Octavian. “Fate does not always fall out how we would prefer. But God is good. He will not permit Lady Cecily to be married to a traitor. We’ll find a way.”

“Only if we have more strength. I’ll seek out Rafe,” Alric said. “Acquaint yourself with the castle. I’ll find you soon.”

Rafe was in a chamber that served as a solar for guests of the castle. But he wasn’t alone. Pierce was with him, and the two men were seated over a chessboard, their heads close together as they conversed. Neither man even glanced at the board. Instead, they were speaking rapidly, as if the matter was urgent.

Alric watched from his vantage point in the hall, and he saw when Pierce reached out a hand to Rafe’s shoulder. Rafe laughed then, and the two men leaned back, the discussion evidently come to a successful end.

Alric slipped away before anyone could call attention to his presence. What could they be discussing but the very plans Cecily overheard? Rafe could not be trusted, despite Alric’s hopes that his old friend could be part of their endeavor.

Instead, they would have to work on a plan for escape without Rafe, and they must keep him from even hearing about it. Alric told the men-at-arms from Cleobury the bare minimum of the story, emphasizing the need for secrecy. Each agreed to help without hesitation.

However, he didn’t have anything resembling a plan yet. He could only tell the men to gather later that night so he could offer more details. He had until then to decide what to do.

After walking through the castle grounds once more, Alric found Octavian in the great hall, in the company of Myfanwy. The leman must have recovered from her earlier confrontation with Cecily, for whenever she looked at Octavian, she smiled like a cat spying a mouse.

“Excuse me,” Alric told her, “but I must speak with my friend. I’ll return him to you soon.”

“I hope so,” Myfanwy said with a little laugh.

“Thank you,” Octavian muttered as they walked away, “but some warning would have been appreciated.”

“Apologies. I have much on my mind,” said Alric. “I didn’t think Myfanwy would be a danger.”

“I beg to differ. I had to pretend I spoke less English than I do, or the conversation would have turned rather awkward.” Octavian looked uncomfortable. He’d never chased women, and he disliked being sought after solely because he seemed exotic.

“Well, God willing, in a few days, you’ll never encounter her again.”

“You have a plan?” Octavian asked.

“No, but we’ll make one. We’re going to meet at midnight, near the north tower. Once we climb to the top, we can be sure that we won’t be overheard.”

“And what will the guards say when we all appear?”

“They’ll say nothing, because there are no guards posted there. It’s the oldest and shortest tower. One can see nothing from there that can’t be seen better from another point.”

“Excellent. We’d best devise something clever,” said Octavian. “Lammas Night will come whether we’re ready or no.”

Cecily cursed the stone walls
of her chamber. She was in a prison, and no amount of silk bedding, carefully prepared meals, or solicitous visits from her jailer would make her think otherwise.

Not long after she’d been locked in, she heard voices on the other side of the door. One sounded like Alric, but her hope was short-lived. The visitors left, and no message was delivered.

That afternoon, Pierce came in. He smiled at Cecily as if there was no animosity between them.

“How is my bride?” he asked. “Do you need anything?”

“I need to leave my room,” she said.

“Ah, but that is the one thing I can’t allow, for you seem overwrought and need to rest. Tell me if I can ease your distress in any other way.”

“You can tell me where Agnes is. She has been my nurse and my loyal servant for years. She is who I’d trust to ease my distress.”

“I’ll send her to you shortly. She will keep you company until the wedding, you may be sure.”

“You don’t mean to confine me here against my will until then!”

“My dear, I wouldn’t describe it as such. I am concerned for you. That’s why you’ll be watched over by my best guards, and why I’ll stay by your side all through supper tonight.”

“There’s no reason to do so.”

“I think there is. And I am the master of this castle, after all.” He leaned forward to kiss her on the mouth, emphasizing his privilege. “I know you’ll do what’s best for you and yours. You’re a true lady, Cecily. You won’t let anything happen to your servant, will you? Provide an example for her.”

She didn’t need Pierce to spell it out for her. If Cecily made any attempt to escape or talk with Alric or her men, Agnes would be punished for it.

“Please send Agnes to me,” she whispered.

“Naturally.” He ran a finger over her cheek, smiling at her with what looked like affection. “I’ll return to escort you to supper. Our wedding can’t come soon enough, Cecily.”

When he left, Cecily sat down on the bed and cried.

* * * *

Pierce kept his word, arriving just before supper. She was splendidly gowned by Agnes, but Pierce, by chance, was just as well-dressed. He looked at her with equal parts pleasure and possessiveness. 

“You are a vision, my lady,” he said as he offered an arm. He leaned close, adding, “Every man in the hall will envy me.”

Cecily didn’t respond, thinking only of Alric. Would he understand something was terribly wrong? Could she get a message to him even in a noisy, crowded hall where her greatest enemy was seated right beside her?

The preparations for Lammas Night were well underway, and summer flowers adorned the tables, while silk banners in Pierce’s colors hung from the rafters, billowing softly in the updraft created by the fire and heat of the revelers.

Cecily was seated at the high table. She looked for Alric, and saw him at the same table as the previous night. Rafe sat on one side of him, and on the other…

“Octavian!” she burst out.

Pierce looked over at her. “What did you say?”

“Sir Octavian de Levant is here,” she said in explanation. “Have you not met him yet? He must have arrived today. Why did no one tell me?”

Before Pierce could stop her, Cecily hailed the knight, who approached and bowed to her.

“My lady Cecily,” he said, upon rising.

“Sir Octavian,” she returned, perhaps with a shade more excitement than necessary. “Glad I am to see you. I thought you had left us earlier.”

“Only on Sir Alric’s orders, my lady, and only until I could return. And so I have, in time for your wedding!” His smile was as broad and easy-going as ever. If he knew something was amiss, he did not reveal it.

Cecily’s eyes flickered to Alric, who still sat at his table, his eyes locked on her.

Octavian, however, seemed to notice nothing, and went on, “Alric wanted to tell you of my arrival immediately, of course, but we understand your need to rest. After all, a wedding is a most important event. Alric himself will give you away, in place of your uncle.”