By Queen's Grace. Shari Anton

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      He grabbed hold of her hand and tugged her toward the path. His hand was warm, large and encompassing. The strength of it didn’t surprise her, but the tingling sensation that snaked up her arm at his touch set her mind to spinning and her knees to shaking. An unwelcome and unwise reaction to a man she needed to guard against.

      “I go nowhere with you,” she declared, and jerked her hand from his grasp. “I care not why you wish to join the rebels. I swear to you, Corwin, if you join them, I will ensure you are punished in suitable fashion.”

      The man had the gall to smile. “Chopped to bits and then hanged, or was it the other way around?”

      She forced away a vision of Corwin hanging from a rope, not wanting to imagine the rest. How could she save him from that dreadful fate when he wouldn’t listen?

      “‘Tis a gruesome punishment you risk, no matter the way of it.”

      Judith flinched when he put his hands on her shoulders.

      He frowned and released her. “To my mind, the best way to thwart this rebellion is to join it. I need to learn everything I can-in particular the camp location, their numbers and the leader’s name-before going to King Henry. I could use your help, Judith. The more quickly done, the more quickly over.”

      Corwin pretended to join the rebellion? Judith wanted so badly to believe him her heart ached. Except last night he’d made very convincing arguments to the contrary. She could have sworn he truly intended to join the rebels. Did he lie to her now?

      “Help in what way?”

      “I ask you to do no more than make this journey easier by not trying to escape. I cannot do what needs be done if I must chase after you each time you take it into your head to flee.”

      She’d been seized by strange men, bounced around on the back of a horse until her backside bore bruises, been forced to sleep on the ground-known fear and anger such as she’d never known before. Corwin now asked her to allow further indignities willingly. Of course, if the villains need not worry over her, the journey would go faster. But to what end?

      “You want me to assist these knaves?”

      “Only until I obtain the information I need.”

      “And how long might that take?”

      “Depends upon how soon I can get them to trust me.”

      Judith voiced her greatest fear. “What if that never happens? What if you learn nothing of import until we ride into the rebel’s stronghold?”

      Corwin took a deeper than normal breath. “I am hoping that will not happen. I have no more wish to ride into their stronghold than you do.”

      “You only hope. There is no certainty,” she said. “Last eve, Thurkill vowed to tell me no more of his lord or the rebels’ plans until after we arrived at wherever we are going. I doubt he. will reveal more to you, either. Then what, Corwin? After we are in the rebels’ camp, we may both be trapped.”

      Corwin shook his head. “I will not let that happen.”

      Judith scoffed. “So you say.”

      “So I give you my oath.”

      Last eve, he’d vowed to serve the rebels’ leader in exchange for the reward of Wilmont. Which oath did Corwin truly mean to keep?

      “Please, let us go now. We know enough to set the king’s men on their trail. Let the soldiers find the camp and stop the rebellion.”

      This time, when he put his hands on her shoulders, Judith didn’t flinch, merely accepted the comfort offered in his massaging fingers.

      “I know you are frightened,” he said softly. “I would take you away from here now, if I could. But Judith, if we flee, Thurkill will hunt us down to the ends of the kingdom if need be. And what would we tell the king if we managed to get to London? That we know of three men whosay there will be a rebellion, whomay have a large army gathered somewhere, with a leader whomight be capable of leadership? I promise you, as soon as I know more of this rebellion, we will escape.”

      He sounded so sure of himself, so reasonable. Yet.

      “So we wait to make our escape until there is an entire army at hand and eager to hunt us down.”

      “We wait until I have a solid plan and we both have horses. Try not to worry, and think on this. This Saxon noble they follow. Very likely he is, or was, connected with the court of the Scots. Have you any idea who the man might be?”

      “Nay, I.”Oh, dear. Shocked, Judith realized Corwin might have the right of it. She might very well know this person who’d ordered her abduction. She might have stood next to him in the palace hall, talked to him in the gardens, shared a jest during one festivity or another.

      She’d been but a young girl when her parents sent her to the abbey, but she remembered most of the nobles, their names and faces. Which of them might have turned traitor?

      “If it helps,” Corwin said, “I believe we are headed for the far north, mayhap nearly to the border. The man may have a holding there. He may truly be Saxon or mayhap an exiled Scot. I know this is hard.” Corwin went very still, save for a brief, nearly imperceptible glance left. “Thurkill comes. I will turn you around and give you a push, toward the cave. We will talk more later.”

      Even though forewarned, Judith stumbled and cried out at the force of his shove.

      She began walking, becoming angry all over again. “Was that necessary?” she said, tossing the words over her shoulder.

      “It looked good to Thurkill. He needs to believe you and I are at odds.”

      “What makes you think we are not?”

      

      Judith sat against the cold cave wall, trying to ignore Thurkill’s loud, echoing voice, trying not to feel guilty for getting Oswuld into trouble with his father. She shouldn’t care if Thurkill punished his son severely, as he threatened, for allowing her brief escape.

      Corwin busied himself with the tack on his destrier, apparently also trying to disregard Thurkill’s shouting. He didn’t quite succeed. At times, he would glance at Oswuld with a puzzled look on his face, as if wondering how much more Oswuld could bear without fighting back.

      Duncan hadn’t yet returned. When he did, they would leave. She wished he would hurry. Then she wouldn’t have to listen to Thurkill’s ranting, and wouldn’t wonder if his wrath would turn on her. He-hadn’t said a word to her since her capture, only thanked Corwin for his quick thinking and speedy action.

      Thanks to Corwin’s suggestion, names of Saxon nobles whirled around in her head, but she couldn’t think of one she knew who had reason-and the means-to lead a rebellion against England’s king.

      Judith pulled Ardith’s note from the folds of her tattered nun’s robe. As always, the sight of her friend’s lovely script proved soothing. Over the years, Ardith had written of her everyday life at Wilmont, of the trials and joys that came with the duties as chatelaine to so large an estate, as well as being a wife and mother. No matter how much she complained at the price СКАЧАТЬ