Hostage Bride (23 page)

Rosamunde gasped in horror as the man laughed evilly. Then she lifted her head proudly. ‘I am but a woman and cannot defend myself—but Raphael will avenge me. If I am harmed, you will wish you had never been born.’

‘Bind and gag her,’ Sir Ian commanded his men. ‘Save your breath, lady. Baron Sigmund finds you of interest and therefore I shall not give you the beating you deserve. If I bring you to him he will give me service, and soon I shall be wealthy enough to purchase my own lands. I’ve sickened of bending the knee to more powerful lords. You will buy me the freedom I need.’

His henchmen had bound her wrists behind her back
and there was a gag over her mouth. She could not answer him but continued to hold her head high, her eyes showing the contempt she felt.

‘We must go quickly. The longer we stay in these confounded woods, the deeper the mist will be and we shall never find our way out,’ Sir Ian said urgently.

Rosamunde suffered the indignity of being thrown into a wagon. She lay with her eyes closed, blocking the fear that threatened to overtake her. She must not weep or give way to fear. Instead, she must remain alert and, when the opportunity came, try to escape.

Her only chance lay in Raphael’s return before it was too late. Did anyone yet know that she’d been kidnapped, or would Raphael be told that she had simply disappeared?

* * *

‘My lady was kidnapped!’ Janquil gasped. ‘They mean to take her to Baron Sigmund’s stronghold. Her captor spoke of her being the baron’s prisoner but I do not know if she is to be held for ransom or…’

‘Used for his evil purposes,’ Sir Jonathan finished, feeling a sick horror. He stared at Janquil hard, a glint of anger in his eyes. ‘Why did you not rescue your lady? If you saw what happened, you might have alerted us sooner.’

‘I am not a fighting man,’ Janquil answered. ‘If I had rushed in on them they would have killed me, as they killed one of the guards who were supposed to guard her, and then you would never have known what had become of my lady. The other guard is sorely wounded
and, had it not been for the woman Elspeth, he would have died of his wounds.’

‘Why was Lady Rosamunde allowed to wander off like that?’ Jonathan snapped.

‘The mist came down suddenly. She was in full view of her guards and then she was gone. I alone could see her and I crept closer, following the men who took her so that I could discover what they meant to do with her. There were six of them and I had only a dagger. I knew I could not stop them taking her, so I came here to tell you what I knew,’ Janquil said.

‘We should take a force and attack Sigmund’s castle!’ one of the other men cried. ‘Lord Mornay will never forgive us if we allow her to become that devil’s prisoner.’

‘We are not strong enough,’ Jonathan responded in angry frustration. ‘Raphael took thirty men with him and we must maintain the security of the castle. This could be a ploy to draw us out, leaving the castle vulnerable.’

‘What are we to do?’

He paced the room, then turned to look at Janquil. ‘You will take a force of twenty-five men, which is all I can spare for the moment. And you will find Raphael—tell him the situation here. He has friends of influence who may aid him. Baron Sigmund has terrorised his neighbours for too long. He must be stopped for good.’

‘Yes, lord. I shall do as you ask,’ Janquil said. ‘I have failed my lord and must pay the price he demands.’

‘Raphael has need of us all,’ Sir Jonathan said. ‘Step
forward those who are prepared to fight and die in his service.’

As one, all seventy of the men present stepped forward. Jonathan smiled and shook his head. ‘I thank you for your loyalty, but I can spare only twenty-five.’

He walked along the line of men and tapped several on the shoulder.

‘You will go with Janquil. The others remain here to hold the castle with me. Tell my lord that if we are attacked we shall not surrender, no matter the odds. We shall fight to the last man until he sends reinforcements.’

There was a murmur of agreement and then the men split into two. Those who were to go in search of Raphael left to mount their horses. Twenty of them would ride swiftly to find their lord without provisions or weapons of war, but these would be made ready, and the other five men would proceed towards the baron’s castle. They would remain hidden in the woods until Raphael brought his forces to attack the baron’s castle.

* * *

‘The people have risen for Richard now that he is back in England. They flock to him from all over the country,’ Raphael said, looking in satisfaction at the Earl of Loxley. ‘This is a happy day for England. Prince John’s tyranny is finally at an end.’

‘He has not yet come to surrender his power as regent and make his peace with his brother,’ the earl warned.

‘It is surely only a matter of time. I have offered my support to the King, and he accepted my promise if he
should need it, but he has released me to return home. He is to make a progress throughout the kingdom so that the people see him and know he is returned. I have invited him to Mornay and he has promised to visit in the next few weeks. Therefore I shall return home and await his coming,’ Raphael said.

‘My men and I have received a royal pardon,’ the earl told him with a smile. ‘Some of them have already returned to their homes, but those who wish to serve with me when my manor and lands are returned to me will stay with His Majesty, as I shall for the moment.’ He offered his hand. ‘You may see me sooner than you imagine, my friend.’

‘You have yet to wrest your manor back from those who stole it from you,’ Raphael said. ‘I have a lady I care for waiting for me at home and must return to wed her—but should you need my help, you have only to send word.’

‘I thank you, but Richard has promised to attend to this matter personally. Know that I would come to your aid should you…’ Loxley broke off as he saw something. ‘Is that not your servant?’

Raphael looked in the direction he indicated and frowned. ‘Something must be wrong. Janquil would not come in search of me if he had not good reason. Excuse me, I must speak with him.’

‘I shall come with you,’ the earl said. ‘My promise holds true. If you need me, I shall bring as many men as I can muster to your aid.’

‘I thank you,’ Raphael said and moved his horse
through the press of knights, men-at-arms and squires who had gathered to show their support for the King. ‘For the moment your duty is to Richard, but if I need help I shall send word.’

Loxley inclined his head and they parted.

Raphael felt ice at his nape as he rode towards his servant, and saw there were more of his men here than there should be, mingling with the crowd. From the expressions on their faces, they were searching for him.

Rosamunde! He was gripped by a terrible fear. He knew that only if something had happened to her would Sir Jonathan send so many men in search of him. Something terrible must have happened. He cursed the crowd that prevented him from reaching Janquil more quickly, but held the urge to thrust his way though. The worst thing he could do now was to lose his head.

At last Janquil had seen him and pointed away from the press of the crowds milling about the King and his knights. Raphael turned his horse and saw that others of his men were now following him. It took a few minutes but at last they came together at the edge of the meadow where the King had set up his standard.

‘Janquil—why have you come? Is the castle under attack? Is my lady ill?’ he asked anxiously.

‘Forgive me, my lord,’ Janquil replied, his eyes cast down. ‘Sir Ian has abducted the lady Rosamunde. He has taken her to Baron Sigmund’s stronghold. Sir Jonathan bid us find you. There are twenty-one of us, and another five have taken the engines of war to meet with you outside the baron’s castle. Sir Jonathan remains to
guard Mornay. It may be a part of the baron’s plan to split our forces and make us vulnerable to an attack.’

‘Sir Jonathan swore that they would hold Mornay until the last, my lord,’ interjected another of his men.

Raphael inclined his head. ‘Yes, that is like him. I know that he will keep his word.’

‘What are your orders, my lord?’ Janquil asked.

‘We ride for the Dark Towers immediately. Gather the men and give the word to move out,’ Raphael ordered.

He was frowning as he spoke. For the moment he had work to do, plans to make, but he knew that soon the torture of his imagination would begin. Rosamunde was at the mercy of men steeped in evil. He could hardly bear to think what might happen to her.

God protect her until he could reach her side.

* * *

Rosamunde was hauled from the wagon and thrust to her knees. She struggled to stand, but with her ankles and hands bound it was impossible. Her angry words of protest were lost beneath the gag they had tied so tightly that she felt she would choke. During the journey here she had swooned and been mercifully unconscious for a time, but now she was aware of the perilous situation in which she stood, and her heart was beating madly.

‘What is this? Why are you treating the lady so in my castle?’

The voice was loud and booming. Looking up, Rosamunde saw the flowing red locks and beard of the man she’d glimpsed briefly at Mornay. He was a large man
with coarse features and eyes that looked more green than blue. As he bent down to help her rise, she noticed his hands were large and powerful, and looked capable of breaking a man’s neck with ease. Taking a long, thin dagger from his belt, he sliced the bonds that held her hands and then bent to slash those binding her ankles. Rosamunde was already busy untying the gag that had almost choked her.

‘How dare you have me brought here like this?’ she demanded. ‘My lord will surely come in anger against you for this outrage.’

‘It was not done by my order,’ Sigmund protested. ‘I admit that I have a score to settle with Raphael de Mornay, but I do not hide behind a woman’s skirts. I was told that you would come willingly to me!’

‘Why should I leave the protection of my betrothed?’ Rosamunde demanded proudly. Inside she was trembling, but instinctively she felt that this man would respect her only if she showed courage. ‘My lord went to meet the King but when he returns we are to be married.’

The baron’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. ‘Was this by your consent, lady?’

‘Yes. I gave my promise willingly. I love him and wish to be his wife.’

‘Indeed? Then it seems that I’ve been lied to!’ he roared and turned on Sir Ian. ‘You are a liar and a cowardly knave—what else have you lied about, sirrah?’

‘Nothing. She was a prisoner. I heard she had quarrelled with Mornay and…’

‘He stole me from my lord!’ Rosamunde cried. ‘He and Sir Edmund planned to rob my lord and to abduct me.’

‘Hold him,’ the baron barked at his men.

‘No. You wanted her—I brought her to you,’ Sir Ian cried. ‘You owe me…’

‘Silence!’ the baron roared again, turning to him for a moment, eyes glittering with anger. ‘Take him to the dungeons. I shall discover the extent of his lies later.’

As Sir Ian was dragged away screaming and struggling, Baron Sigmund turned back to Rosamunde. His face gave no indication of his thoughts as he studied her in silence for a moment.

‘Your beauty makes you a prize most men would value highly,’ he said greasily. ‘Forgive me for allowing that fool to treat you so ill. Sir Edmund was a kinsman and I am pledged to avenge his death. However, I would not have had you harmed, lady. You will allow me to show you the hospitality of my home. You shall have food, clothes and anything else you desire while you stay here.’

‘I demand that you give me an escort and return me to Lord Mornay at once,’ she said, not trusting him or his supposedly pleasant words an inch.

‘Forgive me, lady, but that I cannot do. Whatever my kinsman was, he should have been given a fair trial and accorded the honourable death a knight deserves,’ the baron replied.

‘Sir Edmund tied me up and then basely tried to kill
Lord Mornay. He also planned to abduct me. How can you defend him?’ Rosamunde accused.

The baron looked taken aback by her directness. ‘It seems as if he had behaved in a manner I should not tolerate amongst my own men, yet Sir Edmund was my blood, and a man has no choice but to defend his blood kin. Lord Mornay must answer to me. We shall settle this man to man in the old way. In the meantime, you will remain as my honoured guest.’

‘Your guest or your hostage?’ Rosamunde asked bitterly. ‘Why is it that men always fight and women are used as bargaining tools? I do not deny you the right to settle your blood feud, if that is what you must do, but why may I not return to my home?’

‘And where is your home, lady?’

‘My father is Sir Randolph Meldreth and I am Rosamunde, his only child.’

‘Sir Randolph?’ the baron said and frowned fiercely. ‘I know him of old. Long ago we were friends. Hmm; this alters things somewhat, lady.’

‘You will let me go after all?’ she asked hopefully.

‘Forgive me. In other circumstances I should escort you to your home, but I fear I must tell you that your father is dead. Prince John’s tax collectors were angry when they could find nothing of value. They ransacked the house, dragged your father from the house and beat his servants half to death.’

‘My father is
dead
?’ Rosamunde’s eyes filled with grief-stricken tears. ‘How wicked these men are. My father was ill; he gave all he had to help others and
now he has been foully murdered. How did he die?’ she choked out.

‘He was alive when the rogues left, but I have heard that he died soon after in his bed. The shock was too much for him,’ the baron replied. ‘I am sorry to give you this news, but it means that for an old friend’s sake I cannot let you go home. There is nothing for you there. Fear not, lady; I shall protect you. In time, when your grief is done, we shall speak of the future.’ He did a poor job of hiding his satisfaction; she could see it gleaming in his eyes.

‘Lord Mornay is my betrothed. If I cannot return to my home, let me return to him. I beg you, sir. Do not force me to remain here as your hostage,’ she pleaded.

‘Your lord must answer for my kinsman’s death,’ the baron insisted stubbornly. ‘It will be a fight to the death, single combat. If Mornay wins he may claim you, but if I win you will become my property.’