There Your Heart Will Be Also (29 page)

****

Sir Henry spotted Cedric across the room staring in through
an opposite
window
and shot
him an angry scowl.
Lying back against the
cottage
, Cedric pu
sh
ed off the wall and headed back to the group of waiting men.
When Sir Henry returned
,
he glowered at Cedric but said nothing of his disobedience.

“Sarra is inside.
She is tied up and sitting along the back wall.
We need a
way to get Wilt out of the house and away from
Sarra
to keep her from further danger.”

“A distraction?” asked one of the Scots.

“Aye.
A distraction.
Cedric
,
you and your men set up a distraction while we surround the cabin.”

Cedric was on the verge of refusing, but Sir Henry's look changed his mind.
“Aye.
Men
,
this is what we will do.”

Cedric paced outside the loop of huddled knights.
Duncan, Filib, Boyd and the others were in place and ready to
begin
the commotion.
Cedric had ensured they were prepared
,
then
returned
to Sir Henry.
Probably the old knight thought Cedric was
com
ing to tell h
i
m his group was ready, but he was wrong.
Cedric was there because he was going to be the one going in
to
the cabin
to pull
Sarra out.
At this point
,
he dared Sir Henry to stop him.
Nothing would deter him from sav
ing
the maid.

As he reviewed the reasons in his mind for why he wanted to help
Sarra
, Cedric kept coming back to
the fact that
Charism had ordered it so.
But
he knew
that wasn't
the reason
.
In his heart
he
knew the true reason he wanted to rescue Sarra
was love
.

He loved her.

The leather strap had loosened
and he raked
a hand through his hair
while
star
ing
at Sir Henry.
The intense heat from Sir Henry's gaze threatened to sear his flesh.
“Why are you back here?”

“I'm going in with ye.”

“Nay, you are not.
You will go back with the Scots and help with the distraction.”

“Sir Henry, ye must understand—
”

“
I m
ust understand your only goal is to swoop in and take someone else's land.
Land you didn't work for.
Land you didn't bleed for.
Land
that
means nothing to you.
Is
this
what you want to say?”

Cedric furrowed his brow.
So
Sir Henry's anger
was all about the land?
He'd seen how Sir Henry
watched
Charism.
Perhaps he had feelings for the mistress as well and this was also clouding his judgment.

“Do ye love her?”

“Love her?
Sarra?
Of course I do.
Everyone in the keep loves her.
She is like the daughter I never had.”

“Nay, not Sarra.
Do ye love Charism?”

A
blush crept over
Sir Henry's face as he stammered out a reply
.
“We have to save Sarra.
Nothing else matters.”

“Ye do love her.
Well
,
this
does change things.”

“Does it?”

“Aye, it does.
Ye see
,
I didn't want to say anything but I love someone other than Charism.”

“I see.
So you are going to marry her for the land alone.
You understand this
is why I don't like you.
You are only after what you can get.”

“Nay.
I'm not going to marry Charism.”

Sir Henry
twirl
ed back
around
to face
Cedric
.
“What?”

“I'm not going to marry Charism.
I told ye, I love another.”

“But what about the land?”

“There'll be other land.”

Sir Henry
appeared
as if set to ask more questions but Duncan gave a shrill whistle.

“We need to move now.
Duncan would only give a signal if something wasn't as planned.”

Sir Henry nodded and the two of them headed through the trees and toward the cabin.
Stopping
just
short of revealing their position, the two of them crouched down behind a low creeping bush.

“What is he doing?”
whispered
Sir
Henry.

“I don't know.
I can't see.”

As the words left Cedric's lips, the sound of a scream rent the air.

“Let go of me!” Sarra screamed.
Every tiny follicle of hair felt like it was being pulled loose at the roots, as Wilt carted her around the yard by the head.

“You are in no position to make demands.”

Perhaps she needed to try a different tactic.
Adding a small hint of honey to her
voice,
Sarra
said, “This is not the best way to start a relationship, Wilt.
Maybe you should be nicer to me.”

Wilt's lips drew up in a sneer as he placed her on his horse.
Taking the reins in his hands, he walk
ed
beside the animal.
Where were they going now?

Sarra was silent as her body swayed on the beast.
With hands tied in front of her, Sarra had to use all her strength just to keep her body
upright
.

Secretly
,
she
searched. Cedric and the others had been
right outside the cabin
. Surely they were following even now.
What was taking them so long to rescue her?

The woods around Sarra
g
rew
thicker as they walked along a familiar route.
Was Wilt foolish enough to take her back to the same exact spot as before?
If she wasn't seeing it with her own eyes
,
she would
never
have believed it.

Within a few hours, Sarra was staring at the same
stone
chapel as she
had
just a few
days
before.
Taking a deep breath, Sarra hoped the priest would remember
the incident
and decline to wed
them
.

W
ilt reached his hands up toward
Sarra, taking her down from the saddle and placing her on the ground.
Dizziness assaulted her and she
wobbled back and forth
.
The world spun.

Wilt left
her
there leaning against the horse
'
s flank.
While he was detained,
she
studied the line of trees. If Cedric waited nearby
,
she couldn't see him.

Without warning the horse whin
ni
ed and shifted. Sarra twisted her head to search for the cause of the disturbance. The
zig-zagged
tail of
an animal
was slithering under a bush. A tremble of fear sent her heart to racing. She backed away huddling closer to the horse right as Wilt
returned
.
H
e
was
more frustrated than ever.

“Where is he?”

“Where's who?”

“The priest.
He's gone.”
Eyes narrowed, he scratched
his head.
“
Now we'll have to
go back to London and marry.
We can make it a grand affair.
We will be the talk of the town.
Can you imagine the rumors
?
The scandal!
They will think I was your pick all along.
But that's all right with me.”

The strange glint in Wilt's eyes scared Sarra and she started to back away from him.
Wilt didn't follow.
Rather
,
he continued to pace the yard in front of the church.
So absorbed in his pontificating about his marriage he failed to see the danger before him.
Sarra's mouth opened to shout the warning but it was too late. The adder which had spooked the horse
moments before
had
come out from
beneath the bush
.
Wilt stepped on the snake
,
it struck.

He
looked down at his leg, watching the snake
dangle there by its teeth.
Shock filled his eyes.
As the snake let go and slithered back into the woods, he
glanc
ed up at Sarra.
Shaking her head,
she
backed away.

Wilt collapsed to the ground.
With an outstretched hand,
he
cried, “Help me.
My leg
, it hurts.
I can't see.
Everything is blurry.”

A hand appeared
on her
shoulder, causing her to jump and scream at the same time.

“Sarra?”

She
swiveled around only to come face
-
to
-
face with
a concerned Cedric.
Weeping
,
she fell into his open arms.
His fingers worked quickly to remove the ropes
which
held her.

“What's happening to him?”

She
peered
behind Cedric.
It appeared he wasn't alone.
Duncan leaned
casually
against a tree and used a dagger to pick his teeth.
Looking at no one in particular he said, “That was quick.
Must
have
got a good hold on ‘im.”

Wilt lay on one side and retched.
He tried to push himself up
off the ground but
was apparently too weak.
“What is this
stabbing pain
in my
leg
?
Please, tell me what has befallen me?”

Duncan shrugged.
“I guess he might deserve to know what has killed him this day.
Boyd, why don't ye explain?”

Boyd walked over and leaned in close.
Wilt's
lips were blue
as he struggled to breathe
.
He
held fast to
his groin and
rolled
from side to side.
Sarra cringed as Boyd put his foot on the snake bite, holding Wilt in place.
He ground the toe of his boot into the fresh wound
,
causing Wilt to writhe and moan in agony.
“This death is no more than ye deserve, ye low life, bottom
-
feed
in'
, scum
-
suckin
'
…”

Duncan interrupted Boyd's tirade.
“Ye will have to forgive Boyd.
He tends to get worked up and carry on.”

Boyd removed his foot and stepped back from
Wilt's
prostrate form while Duncan began to explain to
a
bout his situation.
“Ye see
,
ye just stepped on an adder.”

“An adder?” struggled
Wilt to respond
.

“Aye, an adder.
It is the only deadly snake in all of Scotland, and it seems it has traveled into England just to pay ye a little visit.
The way I see it, ye just have a couple of minutes left to live.
Now let me think this through
. Y
e have already had the pain in ye
r
privates
, and then
y
e did the retching, right Boyd?”

“Right,” responded Boyd.

“And ye
are
struggling to breathe.
Those are all good signs ye are not long for this world.”

“Help me
,
”
Wilt choked out.

Laughing loudly
,
Duncan answered, “And what would ye have
us
do?
Suck out the poison
which
has been in ye
r
veins since birth but has just now decided to kill ye
?
Last I checked
,
I wasn't God.”

“Take me to
London
.
S
omeone there can
help me.”

“Ye are truly an amusing man.
Do ye not think so Boyd?”

“Aye, truly amusing.”

“Downright hilarious is what I say. He thinks he can live long enough to make it to
London
.
Sorry boy
,
but ye are already done for.”

Cedric took Sarra
's hand and led her back toward
the horses.
She
could hear
Wilt's
agoniz
ed
screams all the way back to the road.

Tears poured down her cheeks.
How could she leave anyone in this condition?

“Cedric?”

He shook his head.

“Is there nothing we can do?
I can't just—
”

“There is nothing to be done.
He is dead.”

“But—
”

“
Ye
get on
the
horse and I'll go back to check on him.
All right?”

“Aye.”

Sarra sat astride Cedric's horse
,
her gaze focused on
the chapel.
Through the thick leaves nothing was visible.
After a few moments, Duncan and the others led by Cedric came through the trees without Wilt.
Cedric's frown said everything she needed to know.
Wilt was already gone.

Lifting her head heavenward, Sarra prayed.
Thank you Lord for your protection.
Be with Wilt's family.
Amen.

When she
gazed
back down, Cedric was staring at her.
“Are ye all right lass?”

“Aye.
I am.”

“Scoot forward.”
Cedric
gave time to comply before s
w
inging himself up into the saddle.
With
her
back
settled
against his chest,
a
sigh
of
contentment
escaped
.

Sarra had almost forgotten Cedric was marrying Charism.
For a moment
she
even
allow
ed
herself to forget Cedric didn't know the truth.

But when she saw Sir Henry and his brooding face
,
all
the
lies rushed back.
Sarra couldn't let
Cedric
marry Charism.
What was she going to do?
Tell the truth and risk him marrying her for the land.
Or even worse
,
what if she told him the truth and he left forever?