Mystique (39 page)

Alice struggled fiercely in his grasp. She flailed blindly, seeking a target, any target, as her assailant hoisted her off her feet. Then she heard muffled footfalls on the road and knew that the man who held her prisoner was not alone.

“Don’t let her yell, Fulton, whatever ye do,” the other man snarled. “We’re not far from the village. Someone will surely hear her if she gets to screeching.”

Alice redoubled her efforts to yell for help. She managed to sink her teeth into Fulton’s palm.

“Damnation.” Fulton gasped. ‘The vixen bit me.”

“Stop her mouth with some cloth.”

Alice fought back in wild panic as a length of foul cloth was drawn taut across her mouth and tied behind her head.

“Be quick about it, Fulton. We must get off this road. If Sir Hugh and his men blunder into us in this fog, we’ll be dead before we know what happened.”

“Sir Hugh would not dare touch us so long as we hold his wife prisoner,” Fulton protested. But there was an anxious ring of uncertainty in his voice.

“I would not count on surviving such a meeting, if I were you,” the other man muttered.

“But Sir Eduard says that Hugh the Relentless is uncommonly fond of his new bride.”

Sir Eduard
. Alice was so startled that she went still for a moment. Were these men speaking of Eduard of Lockton? Impossible. Eduard would not risk Hugh’s wrath in this fashion. Hugh himself had been arrogantly certain of his own dominance over the unpleasant Eduard.

“Sir Hugh may be fond of the wench,” the other man said, “but Erasmus of Thornewood did not cause the words
Bringer of Storms
to be inscribed on the dark knight’s sword for naught. Hurry. We must move quickly or all is lost.”

Alice knew that she had walked straight into a trap.

A
lice blinked several times when the hood was finally pulled back from her face. She saw at once that she was inside one of the caves of Scarcliffe. Torch light cast unnerving shadows on the damp stone walls. Water dripped somewhere in the distance.

Fulton untied the cloth that had stopped her mouth. Alice grimaced and wiped her lips with the sleeve of her cloak.

Katherine walked slowly out of the darkness to stand in front of her. The healer’s face was lined with a timeless melancholy. Her eyes were somber shrouds on her soul.

“You will not believe this, but I regret all that has happened, Lady Alice. Twas inevitable, I suppose. I warned you once that the sins of the past produced bitter herbs.”

“‘Tis not the past that produced the poison, Katherine. It was you. Your latest effort failed, you know. You will not get another opportunity. Even now Sir Hugh is searching these lands. Sooner or later he will find you.”

Eduard of Lockton loomed in the passageway. In the light of the torch, his features were akin to those of an evil troll. His small, cunning eyes gleamed with malevolence. “He has already searched the outer cavern. Little good it did him. But, then, he did not know where to look, did he, Katherine?”

Katherine did not turn her head toward him. Her gaze remained fixed on Alice as if she willed her to understand. “Eduard is my cousin, Lady Alice.”

“Your cousin?” Alice stared at Eduard. “I do not comprehend this.”

“That much is obvious.” Eduard’s yellow teeth flashed in his beard. “But you will, madam. Rest assured, you soon will comprehend all. And so will that bastard husband of yours just before I cut him down with my blade.”

Alice was sickened by the sour anger that seemed to radiate from Eduard. “Why do you hate my husband so?”

“Because his birth ruined everything.
Everything”
Eduard motioned irritably to Fulton and the other man. They both stepped back into the shadows of a dark passageway. Eduard moved closer to Alice. “Katherine was supposed to marry Matthew of Rivenhall, you see. I myself negotiated the betrothal.”

“My parents died when I was but thirteen years,” Katherine whispered. “Eduard was my only male relative. My fate was in his hands.”

“She had a large dowry bequeathed to her from her mother’s people and I had plans for her,” Eduard growled. “Matthew of Rivenhall was heir to several manors. His family wanted Katherine’s dowry. They were willing to trade one of their manors for her. It was a fine match.”

“You hoped to profit from your cousin’s marriage,” Alice accused.

“Of course.” Eduard lifted one burly shoulder in a mocking shrug. “Marriage is a business. Women are good for only two purposes, bedding and wedding. Any tavern wench can be used to satisfy the first purpose. Only an heiress can satisfy the second.”

“So you set out to get your hands on lands of your own,” Alice said angrily.

Katherine’s mouth curved with great bitterness. “He wanted much more than a manor of his own.”

Eduard scowled. “My plan was to get rid of Sir Matthew after the wedding. As his widow, Katherine would have been an even more valuable prize. I could have demanded even more land and a fine fortune in exchange for her hand.”

“What did you intend to do?” Alice demanded. “Did you think to go on poisoning her future husbands so that you could continue to sell her in marriage over and over again?”

“I swear to you that I did not know what he intended,” Katherine said forlornly. “I was only an innocent girl. I knew nothing of the plots of men.”

“Bah.” Eduard regarded her with vicious scorn. “It all came to naught. Matthew returned from France determined to wed that whore, Margaret. He knew his family would object so he thought to do the deed in secret. But I learned of his plans on the eve of the wedding.”

“So you murdered both Matthew and Margaret?”

“Sir Matthew was not supposed to die,” Eduard raged. “He was to marry Katherine, as I had planned. But the fool drank from the same cup as Margaret. He probably thought to offer up a lover’s toast. And it killed him.”

Alice stared at him. “Where did you learn so much of poison?”

Eduard’s face contorted briefly into an expression of fierce satisfaction. “I learned to make the brew years ago when I lived for a time in Toledo. I have used it more than once over the years. ‘Tis an excellent weapon because even if it is discovered, everyone assumes that the murderess is a woman.”

“just as they did thirty years ago,” Alice said.

Eduard’s smile was horrible to behold. “Aye. They all assumed that Margaret had poisoned her lover and then taken her own life. No one thought to look for the true murderer.”

“Men are always so certain that poison is a woman’s weapon,” Katherine muttered.

Alice clutched her cloak more tightly about her to ward off the dreadful chill that permeated the cavern. “Why have you kidnapped me? What do you intend?”

“‘Tis simple, madam,” Eduard said softly. “I intend to hold you for ransom.”

Alice frowned. “What do you expect Sir Hugh to do? Hand over a chest of spices in exchange for me?”

“Nay, madam. I want something far more satisfying than a chest of ginger or saffron.”

Alice gazed at him in dread. “What, then?”

“Revenge,” Eduard whispered.

“But why?”

“Hugh the Relentless got what was to have been mine even though he was born a bastard.” Eduard’s voice was choked with fury. “He got lands of his own. Lands where a rare treasure is hidden.”

“But no one knows where the Stones of Scarcliffe are hidden,” Alice said desperately. “Indeed, Lord Hugh considers them merely a legend.”

“They are far more than a legend,” Eduard assured her. “Calvert of Oxwick knew that. He learned the secret from an aged knight who took holy vows after he grew too old to wield a sword. The knight had once served a lord of Scarcliffe. That lord had discovered an old letter that contained part of the truth.”

Alice took a step back. “What is this great truth?”

“That the green crystal is the key.” Eduard’s eyes glinted. “Why do you think I have killed twice for it already, madam?”

“The peddler and the poor monk?”

“Aye. ‘Twas very nearly necessary to kill that fool of a troubadour, Gilbert, also. But then you helped Sir Hugh recover the stone and everything changed. I vow, this entire affair has been like a game of dice.”

“Murderer.”

“Murdering is a pleasant enough sport,” Eduard conceded. “And this time ‘twill be a particular pleasure. Hugh the Relentless cost me everything by his birth.”

“It was not his fault that his father chose to break his vow of betrothal to Katherine.”

“Ah, but it was, you see.” Eduard’s mouth tightened. “I’m certain that the reason Sir Matthew was so determined to wed his Lady Margaret was because the wench had borne him a son. He wanted to claim a lusty heir. I cannot conceive of any other reason why he would have wanted to marry a woman he had already bedded.”

“Mayhap he truly loved her,” Alice snapped.

“Bah. Love is for poets and ladies, not knights of Sir Matthew’s reputation.” Eduard’s hand closed into a meaty fist. “I lost much thirty years ago but I shall have my due now. I shall finally gain great wealth and have my revenge while I am about it.”

Alice drew a deep breath to steady herself. “What are you going to do?”

“‘Tis simple enough. I shall send a message to Sir Hugh instructing him that if he wants you safely returned to him, he must give me the green stone.”

Alice tried to keep her voice even. “‘Tis well known that Lord Hugh trusts very few. Sir Eduard. But he is rather fond of me.”

“I am well aware of that, madam. Indeed, that is the basis of my scheme.”

“If you would convince him to pay the ransom, you must first make him believe that I am still alive. If he thinks me dead, he will pay nothing. He is too much the man of business to get himself fleeced in such a fashion.”

Eduard glowered at her. “Why would he doubt my message? Soon he will know that you have disappeared.”

Alice shrugged. “He may believe that I have merely lost my way in the fog and that some outlaw, having learned of my disappearance, has taken advantage of the fact to pretend that I am being held captive.”

Eduard contemplated that closely for a time. Then his
expression turned crafty. “I shall send him something of yours to prove that I hold you.”

“An excellent notion, Sir Eduard.”

W
hen this is finished, Elbert,” Hugh vowed, “you will be banished from this hall forever.”

“Aye, m’lord.” Elbert hung his head. “I can only say once more that I am most desperately sorry. But in truth Lady Alice walks into the village every day. I saw no reason to send a guard with her today.”

“Damn.” Elbert was right and Hugh knew it. He stopped pacing and came to a halt in front of the hearth in the great hall. Berating the steward was pointless. No one knew better than Hugh that what had happened was not the young man’s fault. If anyone was to blame, Hugh thought, it was himself. He had failed to protect his wife.

“Blood of the devil.” Hugh stared down at the volume in his hand. It was the book of herbal lore that Alice had dropped on the road. He had found it on the way home from his fruitless search for Katherine.

“Mayhap she is merely lost in the fog,” Benedict suggested in a worried tone.

Hugh tightened his jaw. “Unlikely. The fog is thick, but ‘tis not so dense as to conceal familiar landmarks to one who knows the road. Nay, she has been taken by force.”

Benedict’s eyes widened. “You believe that she was kidnapped?”

“Aye.” He had known the truth in that first terrible instant when he had seen the book lying on the road.

Hugh shut his eyes briefly. He willed himself to stay calm. He had to think clearly and logically. He had to master the storm of rage and fear that threatened to sweep aside his control or all was lost.

“But who would kidnap Lady Alice?” Elbert looked utterly bewildered. “Everyone loves her.”

Alarm filled Benedict’s eyes. “We must ride out again at once. We must search for her.”

“Nay,” Hugh said. “We could not even find the poisoner
in this fog. We have no chance of discovering Alice until the kidnapper sends a message.”

“But what if he does not do so?” Benedict asked angrily. “What will you do if there is no word?”

“There will be a message.” Hugh moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. He wrapped his fingers around the worn black leather grip. “The only point of a kidnapping is ransom.”

T
he message was brought to the gate just as the cloak of night settled on the mist-shrouded lands of Scarcliffe. A worried-looking guard carried the demands directly to Hugh.

“A man came to the gate, m’lord. He said to tell you that if you would have Lady Alice returned, you must bring the green crystal to the north end of the old village ditch. You must leave it there and come back to this keep to wait. In the morning the stone will be gone and Lady Alice will be sent home.”

“The green stone?” Hugh, seated in his massive ebony chair, leaned forward. He rested one elbow on his thigh and contemplated the guard. “That is the ransom?”

“Aye, m’lord.” The guard swallowed uneasily. “I pray you will remember that I merely convey the message, sir.”

“Who sent this message?”

“The man says that his master is Eduard of Lockton.”

“Eduard.” Hugh gazed into the flames on the central hearth. “So he would challenge me, after all. Did the messenger say anything else? Anything at all? Think, Garan.”

Garan nodded quickly. “He said that his master bid him give you a special message from Lady Alice to prove to you that he truly held her captive.”

“What is it?”

Garan took a step back although Hugh had not risen from the chair. He held out his hand and opened his fingers to reveal a familiar ring set with a stone of black onyx. “Lady Alice sends you her betrothal ring and begs that you will remember well the words you spoke the day you gave it to her.”

Hugh gazed at the ring. He was no poet. He had not spoken words of love to Alice that day.

He forced himself to recall every word that he had said to her.

You are not to go into these caves alone
.

“Of course,” Hugh whispered.

Benedict moved into the light. “What is it, sir?”