Sanctuary of Roses (31 page)

Henry swung toward her, a glower on his face
that faded a bit as he recognized the concern in her eyes. “Of
course that is possible. Did you think that possibility had not
also occurred to me? Mal Verne…when did you receive the necklet,
and was there a time where it may have been tampered with?”

Gavin glanced at Madelyne, then responded.
“My lord…I cannot think of a moment when it could have happened, in
truth. I should like to say otherwise, but I cannot. It was
delivered from the town to my trusted man. And since that moment,
’twas safely hidden in my chamber until this morrow, when I took it
to the queen.”

The king swiveled to look at Madelyne, who
felt her heart swelling in her throat, her stomach pitching with
nausea. “’Tis enough for me to hold him, Lady Mal Verne, at least
at this time.” There was a trace of sympathy in his eyes before he
returned to her husband. “Gavin, I do regret it, but you must be
incarcerated until this is resolved.”

One of the guards came forward at the king’s
gesture. Madelyne focused her attention on Gavin, though she stayed
at the king’s side. “Gavin,” she said, her voice ringing clearly.
“I will do whatever need be done to find out the truth.”

He paused, forcing the men-at-arms to wait
as he spoke. “Madelyne, have a care for yourself. I trust this will
be resolved soon.”

She watched after them, pushing back the
despair that built within her. She turned to Henry and was
surprised to see true regret in his eyes. “He is not a murderer,”
she told him boldly.

“We know that,” was the king’s response.
“And I well hope that you can prove it, my lady.”

* * *

Madelyne was given permission to visit with
her husband while he was under house arrest. She reached through
the iron bars to hold one of his hands.

“’Tis not so dirty as I’d feared,” she told
him, looking behind him into the dark cell.

“No rats,” he replied, his eyes never
leaving her face. “And a stool to sit upon…plus a small pallet on
which to sleep. One cannot say that Henry is neglectful in his
hospitality.”

Despite his light words, she saw the
weariness and concern in his eyes. Shadows flickered about them,
cast by a torch slung on the wall behind her. “Do they feed you
well? I will send Tricky down with some food and an extra covering
for your pallet.”

Gavin grimaced. “Madelyne, I have slept in
much worse conditions. For now, I am most concerned about your
safety. Please, remember to go
nowhere
alone. Not for one
moment must you be unwatched. Keep Clem or Jube with you. I am sure
this will be resolved quickly—Henry can’t believe I’ve done
this—and then we will go to Mal Verne, away from this place.”

She touched his face, which was sticky with
sweat and streaked with grime. “And a cloth and water I will send
too, so that you can refresh yourself.” She dropped her hand to
hold his again. “Gavin, someone must have taken the necklet—before
the metalworker delivered it to you, or mayhap after ’twas brought
to you.”

He pulled his hand away to grip the bars
between them. “I removed the necklet from its box myself—if it had
been tampered with before coming to me, I would have been pricked
myself.”

“Then someone has been in our chamber and
has taken it, and made you to look like a murderer.”

His head drooped. “Your head is much clearer
than mine at this time—aye, Maddie. Have you talked to Jube or
Rohan?”

She nodded. “Aye. They all have said that no
one could have entered our chamber—as do all of your men: Clem,
James, Antoine, and Peter. And they have seen no one about who
should not have been there.” She took a deep breath. “Could my
father have done this? He hates you so.”

He pressed his forehead against the bars,
looking deep into her eyes. Her heart jolted out of rhythm at the
soft, desperate expression there. “’Tis the most likely
explanation. Your father is mad enough to do such a thing…all in
the name of his work.”

“My father. They say he has long believed
that God speaks to him, tells him what to do—orders him so that he
can finish his work.” She lifted her eyes to stare into his, sorrow
lining her insides. “Is it not a great irony that a man should use
the love of our God, and his belief in Him, to justify evil? Whilst
there are people—as Mother Bertilde, and others—who find only good
in their love for God?”

A hand reached between and grasped hers.
“Madelyne, you must take extra care now…He knows this accusation
won’t long stand, that I will soon be freed. It must be only a
distraction, a way to detain me while he finds a way to take you.
In his mind, you belong to him, you’re still his possession. And,
as with Nicola, he will take what he believes is his. I will not
lose you as I did her. I couldn’t bear it, Madelyne.”

She swallowed, pushing away the fear that
hovered beneath her calm exterior. “Aye, Gavin, you can be sure I
will take care. And I will speak with every man and woman that I
can to find out what they might know about these events.” She
thrust a hand between the bars, stroking the side of his face and
tracing a finger over his lips. “Know that I love you, and that I
will find a way to have the king release you.”

“Maddie…” his voice was low and strained in
the silence. He reached to clutch her fingers, bringing them to his
lips for a soft kiss on their tips. “What good have I done to
deserve you? I, who have lived in a violent, black world for so
long…I do not deserve you. But I thank the Lord that you have been
given to me.”

* * *

Madelyne took care, as she’d promised
Gavin—going nowhere without Clem or Jube at her side. Even when she
was with Judith, one of Gavin’s trusted men accompanied her.

In the mean while, she, Judith, Clem and
Jube questioned as many people as they could who may have seen
Gavin or Therese on that night.

Apprehension and worry hung in a heavy
mantle over Madelyne. She startled at any large noise or shadowy
movement, and tossed and turned in her empty bed at night. She knew
that her father could wait around any corner, and the thought
brought back nightmares that she hadn’t had since leaving the
abbey.

Gavin exuded frustration and anger when she
visited him. He fumed over his helplessness, cursing everyone from
the king to Fantin. They’d learned naught from any of the people
with which they spoke, and time was moving on. Sooner, rather than
later, Henry must bring Gavin to trial among a group of peers and,
while not conclusive, the evidence was damaging.

“’Tis that or I will be imprisoned until I
am too old to walk,” he said angrily, snatching his hands back
through the bars to pace in his cell. “’Sblood, Henry knows I did
not do this! Why does he not release me to allow me the opportunity
to bring your father to justice?”

“But can we be so certain ’tis my father who
is behind this?” Madelyne asked. “You’ve seen nary a hair of him
since you nearly strangled him out side of the king’s court when he
accosted me…could it not be that he has left Whitehall? Mayhap
there is another who wishes you ill!”

“I should have killed him when I had the
opportunity!” Gavin snapped, continuing to pace. “I do not know why
I allowed you to sway me from my purpose that day. Had I listened
to my instincts, we would not be in such a predicament and I would
not be imprisoned thus!”

“Gavin, you could not have killed him in
cold blood! You may be a soldier of war, but to kill a man in cold
blood—mad or no mad—nay, I would not believe you capable of it.”
She reached through the bars, but he did not come back to her.

“’Tis a problem, then, Madelyne, if you do
not believe me capable of such an action—for had it not been for
you, I would have ended your father’s life with little thought. If
you believe otherwise, than mayhap the man you love is naught but
one in your imagination.” He slammed his hands against the brick
wall with a dull thud and rested his head against the stones.
“Please, go. I am weary of talking.” He turned and walked back into
the shadows of the cell where she could not see him.

Madelyne watched his figure dissolve into a
mere silhouette, her insides twisting as her heart sank. Mayhap she
did not know the man that he truly was, but she loved him
nevertheless.

Silently, she blew a kiss to him—to wherever
he sat and brooded in the darkness—and turned to leave.

“Clem, I am ready to leave,” she said,
stepping back around the corner of the passageway. Clem or
Jube—whoever accompanied her—stayed away so that she and Gavin
would have some privacy when she came to visit.

“Clem was called to assist Jube and Thomas
with Rule.” Rohan rose from the stool on which he’d been sitting.
“I delivered the message and told him that I would make certain you
returned safely to your chamber.”

“Thank you, Rohan.” Madelyne smiled at the
young man. “What is wrong with Rule?” She knew how much Gavin
valued his destrier, and even though she would not go near the
horse, she appreciated its value as well.

“He’s not been ridden since Lord Mal Verne
was imprisoned,” Rohan explained as he strode rapidly through the
passageway. “Am I walking too quickly, my lady? This way, my lady.
Thomas told me of a shorter route back to the hall.”

Madelyne lifted her skirts as she hurried
after him. He was walking very quickly, but she could keep pace.
They rounded a corner and suddenly, something dark and soft
descended upon her.

Her shriek was muffled as some heavy cloth
enveloped her, stifling her cries and tangling her arms. Madelyne
kicked and fought, but it was no use. Strong arms imprisoned her,
and the dark wool smothered her nose and mouth. The air under it
became hot and close and she felt herself slip into
nothingness.

Twenty-Six

The hours crawled by for Gavin as he paced
in his cell. He’d been incarcerated for six days…and Madelyne had
not been to visit him since the morning before, when he’d vented
his anxiety and fear in such a venomous manner. Not that he blamed
her for not wanting to interact with him when he acted in such an
infantile way…but did she not know now much he longed to see her?
How much he looked forward to her morning and evening visits?

He’d been a fool to speak so sharply, so
spitefully to her when she’d done naught but treat him with warmth
and understanding. Could he do nothing but drive women away?

He cursed himself and, holding to the bars,
he pushed his face as close up against them as he could, trying to
peer toward the right side, from which Madelyne would come. He
missed the clean cloths and bowls of water she sent him every morn
and night, and the bits of bread, meat, and cheese she wrapped up
from her meals. Though he wasn’t being starved, the fare served him
was little better than peasant bread and watered-down ale.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion from that
direction, and he pushed harder against the bars. Mayhap she’d
come….

But it was Clem and Jube who burst around
the corner, with the guard rushing after them. “Wait! Halt!”

“My lord, she is gone! She is
taken!
”
Jube burst out as he and his mate came up against the gate. “My
lady is gone!”

Gavin’s world stopped. Everything went
black.

“What do you mean she is gone?” he repeated,
slowly, carefully…knowing that if he’d heard what he believed he’d
heard he would surely go mad. Still, he kept his voice calm, low,
slow. “How can she be gone when she is to go nowhere but with one
of you?”

He gripped the bars, his breath increasing
in speed, and saw the answer in their faces before Clem was able to
respond. “She is gone? She is gone?” His voice rose and he shook
the bars. “Get me the king! I must see him! Get him to me now!”

Sickness pitched his stomach and he felt the
sweat springing to life all over his body, trickling down his back
and face. “Take me to the king!” he commanded, staring at the
guard, and reaching through the bars to grasp the man’s tunic. “I
must see him!” He pulled, slamming the man up against the bars with
a clank. “Get me to the king.”

He released the guard, who, with a terrified
backward glance, rushed off. Gavin turned his attention to Clem and
Jube, trying desperately to control the panic that screamed through
his veins. “Tell me what happened, you fools! Where is she? How
long has she been gone?”

Clem stepped forward, disease patterned on
his face. “When last I saw her, ’twas yesterday morn when I brought
her to visit you. I waited for her and whilst she visited with you,
Rohan came to me with the message that Jube and Thomas required my
assistance at the stables with Rule. He assured me he would return
Lady Madelyne to her chamber.”

Jube glanced at Clem and picked up the
story. “I received a message from Rohan that Madelyne would stay
with Lady Judith last night, so I did not think to find her until
after the midday meal, when she did not come to eat.”

“No one has seen Rohan and Madelyne since
yesterday morn, my lord.”

“Rohan. He is the one.” Gavin spat the
words, even as his mouth dried in fear. As he did in battle, he
fought to collect his mind, to clear it from the dread that
threatened to paralyze him. Calm and clear. He would remain calm
and clear, for this was the most important battle of his life.

“Fantin has taken her to Tricourten, I would
stake my life on it. You must go there, go after her…if the king
does not release me….” His voice trailed off. He could not conceive
of that possibility…Henry must let him go. “You must go! Go
now!”

Gavin paced blindly after they left. Would
Henry come to him? Would he understand the urgency? He stopped and
grasped the bars when he thought he heard the sound of someone
approaching, but no one came.

He paced more, feeling the rising tension in
his chest. His heart thumped crazily, his breath came faster, in
short, sharp pants as he tried to keep from imagining what was
happening to Madelyne…what her mad father was doing to her.