The Faithful Heart (18 page)

“What is Ethan’s camp like?” she asked Tom in
the early hours of the morning as she paced back and forth across
the front of the castle’s chapel.

“It’s a camp,” Tom shrugged. He hadn’t been
able to sleep either and was loathe to leave her alone. “Close to
fifty men and women have joined him. They were living in the forest
already, thieves, beggars and worse. Ethan promised to feed them.
They came for that. Some stay because he continues to feed them.
Others stay because they can strike harder in numbers.”

“And those are the ones waylaying travelers
on the road?”

“Yes.”

“But Ethan is in charge.”

Tom shrugged. “It’s hard to say. He’s more
interested in land and in what Huntingdon is doing than what the
men in his camp are doing.”

Madeline nodded, biting her lip, arms crossed
in her restless pacing. “Is Ethan paying attention to Jack? Has he
questioned him for any reason or told him why he’s being held?”

“I don’t know. He ordered Jack and his man to
be held, but it was Roderick who the men looked to for orders.”

“And who is Roderick? I mean, I know he’s
Simon’s son….”

Tom swallowed. “You’ve met him. He’s … he’s
that young murderer who we freed when we captured your caravan,
when we met.”

She stopped and stared at him. “Jack is in
the hands of a murderer?”

“He is.” Tom stopped, blinking as the
realization hit him. “Roderick murdered his lord. He’s Simon’s son.
That means he murdered the previous lord of Kedleridge.”

The color drained from Madeline’s face. “Why
did he kill the previous lord?”

Tom shook his head. “I have no idea.”

The remaining hours of the night crawled by.
Madeline managed a few hours of sleep curled in a chair in the
chapel, Tom watching out for her. By the time the first rays of
dawn crept into Derby she was up again, dressed and waiting in the
courtyard with Joanna and Tom as horses were brought to them. Most
of Derby was still sound asleep as they made their way out of the
city and along the road towards the Derbywood. A fine mist hung
over the hills near the edge of the forest but the morning sun
slanting through the trees gave them enough light to see their
way.

“Be careful,” Tom warned the women as they
rode off of the path and into the undergrowth. “There’s likely to
be sentinels and they’ll be armed.”

They walked on in relative silence, the
crunch of their horses’ hooves and the song of early birds and wind
around them. Madeline took comfort in the sounds of nature, but
Joanna’s face was pale and drawn and she kept searching the tops of
the trees as she hunkered low over her horse.

The snap of twigs a few yards away startled
them. Madeline twisted in her saddle to see figures moving close
by. “Who’s that?” she whispered to Tom.

“Who’s there?” Ethan’s commanding voice
carried back through the trees.

“Ethan!” Tom breathed out in relief,
dismounting and rushing to meet Ethan and Toby as they brushed
through the undergrowth and rounded a bush to face them.

“Tom? Why aren’t you back at the camp?” Ethan
blinked then saw the others. “Madeline? And Joanna?” His face lit
into a warm grin at the sight of Joanna. “How nice to see you
again.”

Joanna narrowed her eyes at him as Toby
stumbled forward to help her off her horse. “What are you doing
here?” he echoed his master’s question.

“Where’s Jack?” Madeline demanded from her
horse’s back, above them all. “Tom says you’ve taken him prisoner.
Where is he?”

Ethan’s grin faltered to a cautious smile.
“He trespassed on our land, Madeline,” he explained, walking closer
to her. “Why don’t you come down and we’ll talk about it.”

“I’m only interested in taking him home.”

“Ah. Yeah.” Ethan winced and ran a hand
through his hair. “The thing is, I don’t think he’s learned his
lesson yet.” His voice grew colder with each word. “We’ve had a bit
of a falling out.”

“I’ve heard all about it,” she nodded, back
straight atop her mount. “From Jack.”

Ethan’s smile dropped completely. “I doubt
his version of the story is a fair one.”

“And Aubrey.”

The friendliness in his eyes went out. “I’m
not releasing him.”

Madeline pressed her lips together, taking a
deep breath and looking up to a bird that had landed on a branch
nearby for support. She couldn’t let anyone see she was in over her
head. She stared at Ethan. “Look, we’ve always been friends. I have
no issue with you personally. But you know what I’ve gone through.
You know I love Jack. I escaped from the convent and walked and
begged my way back to Derby to be with him. You know I’m not going
to take no for an answer.”

Ethan sighed and dropped his head, rubbing
the back of his neck. He ground his toe into the dirt and growled
in frustration before glancing back to her. “I can’t let him go,
Madeline, not just yet.”

“Why not?”

He stretched his back as though caught in a
trap. “I need him out of the way for a while. Maybe … later we can
talk about this.”

“Unacceptable.” His eyes snapped up to meet
hers. “I want to see him now. Joanna says her brother told her you
don’t have as much control over the outlaws in the forest as you
think.” Tom’s glance flew to her in alarm. Ethan scowled. It was
Toby’s look of fearful misery that confirmed her statement. He
didn’t try to defend himself. “I don’t trust the man who murdered
the previous lord of Kedleridge with my Jack.”

A thick silence fell over them. Toby had gone
pale and Joanna was rubbing his back to keep him from breaking
down. He turned a desperate glance to his master, but Ethan only
stared at the forest floor, expression angry and uncertain.

“My lord. Ethan,” Tom stepped forward and
spoke softly. “It’s early still. We could return to camp, let Jack
and Simon go, and make it look like an escape. You wouldn’t have to
lose face amongst the-”

“No!” Ethan glared up at him. “I’ll not let
him go. Not until he’s learned his lesson. And that’s final.”

“And when do you suppose he will have learned
his lesson?” Madeline’s voice and heart quivered. “When he’s dead?
When that boy or his cronies have murdered him?”

Ethan met her eyes, but only for a moment. “I
have better things to do than argue with you.” He marched past
them, hand on the handle of his sword, gesturing for Toby. Toby
wavered, clutching Joanna’s hands, before breaking away with a moan
and following his master.

“Where are you going?” Madeline demanded,
nudging her horse to keep up with him.

“It’s none of your business, my lady,” Ethan
replied with mock formality.

“If you don’t free Jack I’ll … I’ll ….” She
had no idea what she would do.

Ethan stopped and sighed, turning to face
her. “We’ll discuss this when I get back.”

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know,” he brushed her off and
continued on. “I’ll send a letter to Derby to let you know. Now get
out of the forest before ….”

“Before what?” she snapped.

“Before you meet the same fate as Jack.”

Her eyes snapped wide and she pulled on the
reins so hard that her horse danced. Ethan didn’t turn around. He
marched on through the trees and blended into the forest. Her heart
pounded so hard she thought she would be sick. She turned her horse
and started back in the direction they’d been traveling in.

“Where are you going?” Tom dashed forward to
stop her horse.

“Get out of my way,” she seethed. “I’m going
to find Jack.”

Tom let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s too
dangerous! How many times do I have to-”

An arrow shot out of nowhere, whizzing past
Madeline’s shoulder and sticking hard in a tree feet away from her.
She yelped as her horse reared. Another arrow split through the
space where she’d just been standing.

“See what I mean!” Tom hissed, rushing for
Joanna and shoving her towards her horse. “Get out of here!”

Joanna scrambled to mount her skittish horse.
Tom smacked her mount’s rump to make him run.

“What about you?” Madeline called out as he
searched the woods and moved away from them.

“You might not be able to help Jack,” he
edged around a tree, “but maybe I still can.”

Lydia straightened from her spot in the
bushes, lowering her bow as Madeline and Joanna galloped off.

“Breathe your last, Tom Tanner,” Roderick
muttered at her side, training his bow on Tom as he scrambled
through the undergrowth.

“No,” she stopped him with a sharp whisper,
putting a hand on his shoulder until he lowered his bow. He scowled
at her, lower lip sticking out in a reminder that he was still
hardly more than a child. “No, don’t kill him yet. He’s the one who
connects all the pieces of the puzzle. He might be useful.”

Roderick snorted. “He’s a pussy. I’ve spent
the last year listening to him whine about doing the right
thing.”

“Yes, and it’s the do-gooders who do all the
work and lead you to the prize in the end.”

She watched until Tom melted into the
undergrowth. Roderick huffed and jerked his head around, watching
for danger. It was too early for danger to be up. It was too early
for her to be up when it came to it, but she had to know what Ethan
was doing.

“Where is he going?” she nodded the way Ethan
and Toby had gone. “It wasn’t the direction of Derby. I thought you
said he would go pester the countess.”

“I thought he would,” Roderick shrugged then
broke into a toothy smirk. “Jealous?”

“Over him?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“Please! Not when a real prize is in the offing.” She gestured for
him to follow her back towards the camp.

“What, Lord John?” he sneered.

“Getting warmer,” she chuckled, picking her
way around a thorn-bush.

“My father?” His sneer was so low it sent a
shiver down her spine.

She didn’t answer. It was none of her
nephew’s business. He hadn’t been born back then and wouldn’t have
been born at all if she’d had her way.

They’d reached the edge of one of the camp’s
outlying paths. Two hulking men with short swords were on course to
intercept them. They stopped when Lydia and Roderick stepped out of
the trees.

“What’re you doin’ here?” one of them asked,
his voice nasal through a squashed nose.

“We came to find you,” she smiled. Luck had
been on her side so far. With Ethan gone on some mystery errand
there was no reason it wouldn’t hold. There was no reason she
couldn’t take what she’d wanted all those years ago and what she
wanted right now. She lowered her lashes and swayed her hips as she
approached the men. “Connor, isn’t it?” she glanced up at the
squashed-nose man.

“Yeah? What’d’ya want?”

“I want you.”

Connor’s friend sniggered.

“What’d’ya want me for, lassie?” Connor’s
eyes shone hot with possibility. He hooked a hand in his belt and
adjusted his chausses as if he knew exactly what she was looking
for.

Lydia laughed low in her throat. “You’re a
powerful man in these woods, Connor,” she sauntered towards him,
stealing a glance towards Roderick, showing him how it was done.
“You’re a leader among men.”

“Well, yeah,” he sniffed.

“You’re the sort other men look to, other men
listen to. If you do something the others will follow your
example.”

“I ‘spect that’s so,” he bared his rotting
teeth at her.

“So,” Lydia slid a hand along his shoulder,
“I want you,” she stepped in closer, “to do everything I tell you
to do and convince everyone else to do the same.”

He laughed, his breath making it hard for her
to keep a smooth face. “An’ why should I do that, lassie? I heard
you with Lord Ethan. I heard the way you squawk. I’m thinkin’ it’s
about time I got me a piece of that.”

“No,” she hummed, fixing him with a predatory
stare. “I think you’re going to do what I want. I think you’re
going to rally all the beautiful outlaw men in this forest to
follow my orders.”

“An’ why should I do that?”

She raised a hand. Roderick’s bow twanged and
with a sharp zing an arrow shot straight into the eye of Connor’s
friend. The man’s scream was cut short as a second arrow plunged
into his throat. He crumbled to the ground, writhing in agony and
clawing at his face as death seized him.

Lydia smiled at Connor. “You’ll do as I say
because if you don’t I’ll kill you.”

Connor stammered, watching his friend shudder
and jerk until he went still. Roderick lowered his bow, a third
arrow already nocked, and walked up to the dead man, nudging him
with his toe, a hungry snarl on his face. A dark wet patch grew
around Connor’s crotch.

“Time to get serious, Connor,” Roderick
grinned at him.

Lydia crossed her arms and stared straight
into Connor’s eyes. “Now, Connor, let’s talk about what you’re
going to do.” He gaped at her, jaw quivering. “You’re going to
dispose of your friend here. Then you’re going to spread the word
that the men are taking orders from me now. After that you’re going
to set a perimeter around the camp to keep Ethan from returning.
Tell people to kill him if they have to, I don’t care.”

“Y-yes, m-my lady,” he stammered.

A smile lit Lydia’s face. “I like the sound
of that!” Roderick snickered and came to stand by Lydia’s side,
imitating her stance. “Alright, you can go,” she cooed to Connor as
though telling a child to go play.

The trembling man jumped into action,
scooping his friend’s body up and dragging it into the
undergrowth.

“Well that was easy,” Lydia wiped her hands
and continued on the path towards the camp. “And it’s hardly
breakfast yet.”

“What next?” Roderick licked his lips.

“Next we go after the big prize,” she patted
his back. “Money, land, and title. We go after the lord of
Kedleridge.”

Chapter Ten