Susan Spencer Paul (28 page)

In moments Alexander found himself tugged back into a sitting position. He struggled but couldn’t move against the combination of the ropes and the now strong arms that held him. John knelt before him again and uncorked a small bottle that had been handed to him by one of his men.

“Damn, you, John—!”

A rough hand grasped a fistful of his hair and painfully jerked his head back.

John leaned closer and smiled as he swirled the contents of the bottle, mixing them. “This poison will work within a few minutes, Alex, and you shouldn’t experience any pain from it. You will fall asleep, you see, and perhaps, when you awake, if you’ve been very good all your life, you shall be with Lillis and Willem again. That is something to pray for, is it not? Now, please don’t be foolish and fight me, for I need get only a few drops down your throat to kill you, and surely you realize how perfectly helpless you are by now. You are going to die, Cousin, and so you must spend your last few minutes praying to God for mercy.”

Alexander stared into John’s smiling face and realized that he was right. He was going to die, there was nothing left for him to do but make one last plea. For Lillis he would do anything. He would beg. “Don’t harm Lillis,” he whispered. “I’m begging you, John, don’t harm her.”

John grinned and patted Alexander’s cheek. “Begging, are you? What a sweet sound that is, Alex. Now, open wide and take this like a good boy.”

Alexander turned his head sharply to avoid the bottle that John set to his lips. The hands that held him jerked him back.

“Oh, dear, you’ve decided to be difficult, have you? Well, it won’t do you any good. Just a few drops will do the trick.” John’s fingers bit into Alexander’s lips and he managed to wedge the bottle up against his cousin’s clenched teeth. “There,” he said, relieved as the fluid poured into Alexander’s mouth, spilling equally on his neck and face and clothes. He patted Alexander’s face again. “Goodbye, Alexander Baldwin,” he said.

Alexander was so quickly and suddenly released that he fell facedown again. He turned his head and watched John as he corked the bottle again. Strangely, he felt almost calm.

“Don’t kill Lillis,” he said.

John ignored him and conferred with his men. “You know what to do. He should be dead in no more than five minutes. When he is, untie the ropes and place the bottle next to his body. Make certain to wipe the blood from his wrists, else people might wonder. Take the ropes with you and burn them right away. They’re the only evidence that could be used against us.”

“Do not kill Lillis!” Alexander shouted as loudly as he could.

“You needn’t worry if he decides to shout until he goes,” John told his men. “No one could possibly hear him up here. Make certain no one sees you leaving. Very well, then, I’m off.” He picked up his gloves and his cloak and turned back to look at Alexander as he put them on.

“Goodbye, dear Cousin. Pleasant dreams.” He turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Alexander alone with the two silent guardians.

Alexander closed his eyes and gave in to a feeling of complete helplessness. He was going to die and John was going to kill Lillis. It was too horrible to think of.

“God in heaven,” he whispered, “save my wife and my family. Let me see my brother Willem when I next open my eyes, but don’t let my wife be dead, as well. I loved her—love her. Please—”

He yawned and knew, with detachment, that he was dying. He was beginning to feel light-headed and weak, and his whole body started relaxing. As he fell asleep he held on to only one thought, one name, and then, when he could no longer hold on to her, he slipped into peaceful darkness.

“B
arbara, sweet, just try to remember exactly what it was that you put in the bottle. Was it water? Or wine, or ale?”

“I am trying to remember, Jason, but I wish you would be a little more patient! I have had a
most
trying day, and you cannot be so mean as to expect me to remember everything that I did two days ago.”

An impatient sigh, then, “Yes, my darling, I know you’ve been through a great deal these past few days, but if you will only try to think a
little
bit harder. Can you not remember what you put in the bottle? Try to rethink your steps on that day. You went into your brother’s room and then—?”

“Oh, God! This is madness! If you don’t remember what it was that you put into that bottle, Barbara, I’ll strangle you!”

A loud bout of high-pitched tears and wailing followed this rather pointed statement.

“If all you’re going to do is shout at her, Baldwin, then you can damned well go away! We don’t need you bleeding all over the place, anyway, and I’ll not allow Barbara to be upset after all she’s suffered. And you might remember that you’d not now be alive were it not for Barbara.” The harsh voice grew softer after that. “There, now, my love, don’t cry. He didn’t mean to shout at you.”

“But he—he did!”

More wailing. Alexander groaned and made a useless effort to move.

“God’s feet, Barbara! This is no time for such childishness! I only want you to remember whatever it was that you put into that damned bottle!”

“I think, Sir Willem,” came an icy retort, “that it might be best if you kept your mouth shut. I’ll take care of Barbara. Now, darling, you must calm yourself and try to remember exactly what it was that you put into that damned bottle—I mean, into that bottle. Think hard now.”

“Well,” said Barbara, sniffling delicately, “I went into John’s chamber and got the box out of its hiding place. It’s a locking box, you know, that he bought from a very interesting man in London some years back. It has the most clever device for opening and closing, and is made of the prettiest rosewood from Italy. Or is it Greece? Well, I do know that it is made of rosewood. Or is it cherry wood? It is red colored and very pretty—”

A patient voice interrupted her. “Yes, darling, I’m certain it is very pretty, but what did you do after you took it from its hiding place?”

“I opened it. Yes, that’s just what I did. I put it on a table and I opened it and then I...hmm.”

“What did you do after that, Barbara?”

“I took the bottle out—yes, that’s right. There were several bottles in the box but I knew which one it was because the poison was the same color as—well, of course! That’s what I put into the bottle!”

“What?”

“Why, Jason, how foolish of me. I don’t know how I ever forgot. The poison was the color of ink, so I poured it out and then filled the bottle with ink.”

“With—ink?”

“Yes.” Barbara giggled. “Was that not clever of me?”

“You mean to say that my brother had
ink
poured down his throat?”

“Barbara must be right, Baldwin. That would explain why his mouth and tongue are black, and why there are so many dark stains on his clothes. We should have thought of it ourselves.”

“But if it was only ink, why is he so still?”

“He’s breathing, is he not?” came the terse reply. “It’s the residue of the poison left in the bottle that’s affected him, most like. Barbara didn’t have time to wash the bottle out, after all, did you, my darling?”

Alexander felt a large, callused hand strike his face none too gently.

“Wake up, Lord Gyer! Wake up!”

Alexander tried to groan again and hoped that they could hear him. Happy as he was to know that he was alive, he wasn’t in the mood to be slapped around.

“He moved! He made a sound.”

“Willem’s right, Jason! I think Cousin Alex
is
trying to move.”

“Is he? I believe you’re right, my love. Let’s see if we can’t wake him a little better.” Three more rapid slaps did just that. If Alexander could have moved he would have gladly strangled the fiend who was hitting him.

“Give way, de Burgh. You don’t want to knock him out all over again, do you?” A more gentle hand gripped one of his. “Alex? Alex, can you hear me? It’s Willem. Open your eyes and let me know you’re all right.”

Alexander felt as though he’d drunk tree sap rather than ink, for his mouth was strangely gummy, but he groaned again and tried to move his tongue.

“Wil-lem,” he breathed.

“Yes, that’s right, Alex. It’s Willem. Thank God! Thank God you’re alive.”

“Willem,” Alexander repeated, and cracked his eyes open.

“He’s waking now,” stated Jason de Burgh, whose unwelcome face Alexander saw first as that man was leaning directly over him. De Burgh turned away and addressed someone behind him. “Fetch the leech and have someone go tell everyone below that the Lord of Gyer is alive and well. They can cease their mourning and wailing.”

Barbara’s bright face came into view, peering over the Lord of Dunsted’s shoulder. She tilted her head and her gaze was uncertain as she looked at him.

“Cousin Alex doesn’t look very well, does he?”

De Burgh smiled at her lovingly. “He’ll be fine, dearest. He only needs a moment to gain his senses. You saved his life, as well as Willem’s, do you know that? If you’d not switched the poison he would be long dead now.”

Barbara blushed and lowered her lashes. “Are you very pleased with me, Jason?”

“Very,” Jason replied, and kissed her.

This most affecting scene made Alexander groan again. He rolled his eyes around until he caught sight of Willem, who was gazing at him with tears rolling freely down his face. Alexander grinned and weakly pressed his brother’s hand.

“Willem,” he whispered, “you’re alive.”

Willem nodded mutely and continued to cry.

“Thank God. John told me he had killed you. He had proof. I believed him. I thought you were dead.”

Willem wiped his face and beamed at Alexander. “Proof like this?” he asked, gingerly pointing to his left shoulder, which was open and torn and bloody.

“God’s mercy! Willem!”

“It looks worse than it is,” Willem assured him quickly. “He shot me through the shoulder and was certain I would die shortly. I should have thought so, too, had I shot a man in such a way. But, other than hurting like Hades, I don’t think too much trouble was done. I can still move my arm, and de Burgh was able to pull the arrow out without too much agony, so I’m content. The bastard stole my seal, though.”

Alexander smiled at him. “I will replace it if you like. I’ll give you a hundred seals if you like. Dear God, Willem, I thought you were dead.” He gripped Willem’s hand more tightly. “Help me to sit, brother.”

“Slowly, Alex, slowly. You’re very weak.”

“And you,” Alexander said as he struggled into a sitting position, “look as pale as very death.” He eyed Willem’s still-bleeding wound. “You should be abed, Willem. You’re lucky to be alive.”

“I know, Alex. I know. I wouldn’t be alive at all if it hadn’t been for Barbara.” He glanced toward where Barbara was being held in the arms of Jason de Burgh. “John left several of his men to make certain I didn’t live long. They were going to run me through with a sword and finish me off, but before they could, de Burgh showed up with all of his men. Barbara was with them. She knew what John’s plans were and tried to intervene.”

“We did our best to reach Willem before John did,” de Burgh added, “but our timing was off. When we did reach him, John had already left to try and murder you. As I said, it’s a good thing Barbara took the precaution of switching the poison out of that bottle, else you’d be a dead man now, Alexander of Gyer.”

Alexander met Barbara’s timid gaze and shook his head. “I don’t know why you finally turned on your brother, Barbara Baldwin, for I know now that you’ve been at his side throughout these past many years. You have deceived my family and me and have dealt with us falsely. I can only thank God I didn’t marry you after all, but for all that I thank you for saving my brother’s life and my own. If you have only done something about saving my wife, I will indeed be grateful.”

Barbara reddened and turned her face against Jason’s shoulder. “I did it for Jason,” she whispered.

“Did you?” Alexander gained his feet with Willem’s help. “And you love her, do you not, Lord Dunsted? You want her for your wife?”

“You know full well I do.”

Alexander’s strength was returning rapidly, and he pushed from Willem and stood on his own two feet. He gazed levelly at Jason de Burgh. “Ride to Wellewyn with me now and lend me aid against John Baldwin and I shall place Barbara’s hand in yours five days from now. You shall have a wedding feast such as this side of Britain has never before known. Her dowry will be rich and I shall give you, as a wedding gift, that strip of land your people have so long disputed. What say you, de Burgh?”

Jason hugged the breath out of Barbara with one hand and extended his other to Alexander. “I say yes, Lord Gyer. My men and I are ready to ride even now.”

* * *

Lillis leaned farther over the rooftop ledge and strained to see better the flames in the distance.

“I cannot imagine how that fire started,” she murmured, drawing her cloak more firmly about her shoulders. It was a cold night, and heavily damp, as well; it seemed strange that a fire should have started on a night like this.

It had started four hours earlier, shortly after Aunt Leta and Edyth and the children had left for Gyer, and it had grown quite large now, consuming several of the barns and two nearby fields and threatening to destroy several of the tenant homes, as well. Lillis couldn’t help but be reminded of the terrible fire that had occurred at Gyer when she’d been there, and she wished that Alexander were with her now to take charge of the situation. Every man under her roof had been called out to fight the flames save one, whom she had sent full speed to Gyer to request her husband’s immediate aid. She hoped Alexander would arrive soon. All would be well once he arrived.

If Willem and the twins had been there, Lillis might have been more confident, but Willem was at Gyer with Alexander and the twins had disappeared. She hadn’t seen them since they had finished their morning meal. They hadn’t even made an appearance to see Aunt Leta and Edyth and the children, whom they’d known very well were coming for a visit. The unmannerly wretches!

She shivered again and sighed aloud, the warmth of her breath fogging in the cold air. “I only hope no one will be harmed,” she said aloud.

Footsteps on the roof caused her to turn her head, and though she could not see who approached her in the darkness she immediately recognized the voice that hailed her.

“Here you are, my lady,” John greeted, strolling toward her with ease. “I’ve been looking everywhere in the castle for you and had begun to worry that you’d somehow slipped away. How fortunate that you should come to the very place where I meant to bring you myself.”

Lillis was so surprised to find John Baldwin on her rooftop that for a moment she neither moved nor spoke. He walked right to her, took her hand in a grand gesture and lifted it to his lips, kissing it lightly. The warmth of his mouth on her cold skin brought her back to reality. She jerked her hand from his grasp and gaped at him.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, still disbelieving that she was actually looking at him.

John smiled at her charmingly. “Come to see you, of course, my dear Lady Gyer. Why else should I come? Certainly not to see the twins.” He laughed and moved closer. “But, come, Lillis, it’s has been so long since we last saw each other, and you are even more beautiful than I have remembered. Come and let me kiss you.”

Lillis’s arms reflexively shot out to ward him off and she backed away. “You are not going to kiss me, John Baldwin,” she stated firmly, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. “Why have you come here? What do you want?”

He sighed and fell still. “I wish you would not be so cruel to me, my darling, for you must know how very much I want you. But, if you insist that I speak plainly, I shall. I have already told you that I am here because I came to see you. What I want is to make love to you.”

Lillis’s eyes grew wide. “You’ve gone mad,” she said.

He smiled. “That’s not very complimentary to you, my darling.”

“Stop this foolishness, John, else I’ll scream at the top of my lungs and bring—hundreds—hundreds and hundreds of men running.”

He gave a loud, unhappy groan. “Oh, you are not going to be difficult, are you, love? I had hoped you would be more reasonable than this. You’d best accept the fact that I am going to have you, Lillis, one way or another. You can relax and enjoy yourself or you can fight and force me to be unpleasant. I should prefer it that you choose to relax, but either way I will have my own pleasure. And you may scream if you wish. It will do you no good, as you very well know. Every man, woman and child in Wellewyn is busy fighting that fire over there—” he nodded in the direction of the luminous flames “—which my men started to provide a suitable distraction for my plans. No one will hear you, sweeting, and no one will come to rescue you.” He began very slowly to approach her again, holding one hand out. “Come to me now, Lillis, and don’t fight me. I’ve no wish to hurt you, and I can promise to give you much greater pleasure than you have ever known before if only you will let me.”

Backing away, Lillis cast a glance over one shoulder, looking to the place on the roof where the stairs would lead her into the castle.

“You will never make it, darling,” John warned. “You are welcome to try, of course, but you will not make it.”

“Listen to me, John,” Lillis said reasonably, inching her way toward the stairs, “this is madness. You know I’ll not willingly let you rape me, and you also know that Alexander will kill you should he hear that you even approached me in such a lewd manner.”

John laughed with disconcerting delight. “You cannot threaten me with your husband’s punishments, love. I’ve no fear of him whatsoever.”

“If you leave now, I will forget that you ever came,” Lillis went on calmly. “I’ll say nothing to Alexander, or to anyone. But you must leave now, John, and you must never, never try such a thing again. You must promise me you will not.”