Mystique

  Eduard was driven to his knees by the force of Hugh’s blows. Hugh raised his blade again and again, beating against Eduard’s steel.

  When Hugh raised his sword for the death stroke, his eyes burned the same color as the flames that flared in the torches.

  Alice turned away quickly, unable to witness what she knew must occur next. She saw Katherine staring past her, transfixed by the dreadful scene. On the other side of the cavern Dunstan and Aleyn held Eduard’s two men at swords’ points. Benedict watched it all from the shadowed passageway.

  Alice held her breath but there was no death scream behind her.

  Seconds ticked past, two, three, four, five. She looked up and saw that everyone was still staring at the spot where Hugh had driven Eduard to his knees.

  Slowly she turned back to see what had happened.

  Eduard lay on his back, still very much alive. He stared mutely up along the length of the blade that rested on his throat.

  “Why do you hesitate?” Dunstan asked. “Have done with it. This night has been long enough for all of us.”

  “There are some questions I want answered,” Hugh said. “Bind him and take him back to the keep, Aleyn. Put him in the dungeon. I shall speak with him on the morrow.”

  “Aye, m’lord.” Aleyn hurried forward to take charge of the prisoner.

  Hugh finally turned his attention to Alice. His eyes still burned but otherwise he appeared as calm as though he had just risen from his bath. “Well, madam, you do have a way of livening up my evenings.”

  “And you, my lord, have a way with legends.” Alice looked at the brilliant gems that lay scattered on the stone floor. “You are certainly never at a loss when it comes to adding to your own.”

  “Alice?”

  “Oh, Hugh.” She felt tears of joyous relief clog her throat. “I knew you would save me. Indeed, you always do, my lord.”

  She ran to him. He crushed her close against his chest. The folds of his great black cloak swirled around her.

  A long time later, Alice sat with Hugh in front of the hall fire and tried to get warm. She could not seem to ward off the cold. Whenever she thought of the hours spent in the cavern, a chill went through her. Mayhap she should take a dose of the medicine she had sent to Erasmus of Thornewood, she thought.

  She pestered Hugh with yet another question. It was one of a multitude she had asked since their return to the keep two hours earlier.

  “When did you discover that the Stones of Scarcliffe were inside the green crystal?” she asked.

  “When it shattered against the wall of the cave.” Hugh stretched out his legs and contemplated the flames with a brooding gaze.

  Startled, Alice glanced at his hard profile. “You mean you did not suspect before that the crystal was merely a casket designed to hold the gems?”

  “Nay. I have never particularly cared about the Stones of Scarcliffe, so I never took a close look at the green crystal. So long as I had it in my possession, I was content.”

  “I see.” Alice fell silent again for a moment. “I think there is something wrong with me, Hugh.”

  He looked at her in sharp concern. “What’s this? Are you ill?”

  “Nay, at least not with a fever. But I cannot seem to calm myself. My nerves are unsettled.”

  “Ah. I see. ‘Tis the natural aftermath of a violent event, my sweet. The feeling will fade with time.” He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

  “You do not appear to be affected by it,” she muttered as she snuggled into his warmth.

  “Rest assured, my nerves were badly unsettled when I learned that you had been kidnapped. Twas all I could do not to take to my bed in a swoon.”

  “Hah. I do not believe that you ever suffer from unsettled nerves, sir.”

  “Every man suffers from unsettled nerves at one time or another, Alice,” he said with startling seriousness.

  She was not certain what to say to that, so she changed the subject. “Thank you for not killing Eduard in front of Katherine tonight. She does not care for him, but he is her cousin, after all.”

  “‘Tis not seemly to execute a man in front of women, especially healers, if it can be avoided. In any event, there are some questions I want answered.”

  “Katherine answered one for me while we whiled away the hours waiting for you to make your grand appearance.”

  “Which question was that?”

  “I wondered who had actually placed the poison in your cup. Katherine said Eduard told her how it was done. He sent one of his men into the bailey disguised as a farmer the day all the villagers showed up to assist with repairs to the keep.”

  Hugh studied the flames. “That was the same day that Vincent of Rivenhall came to dine. There was much confusion in the household that afternoon. It would have been a simple matter for someone to sneak into the kitchens.”

  “And equally simple to identify your cup after the midday meal. ‘Tis the most grand of all the drinking vessels in this household.”

  “Aye.”

  “Hugh?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What questions do you intend to ask Eduard?”

  Hugh stared into the flames. “I’m not yet certain. I’ll think of some.”

  But Alice understood. Hugh wanted to know exactly what had happened that night some thirty years ago when Eduard had poisoned another cup of wine.

  Hugh wanted to hear Eduard tell him with his own lips that Sir Matthew had intended to wed Margaret and claim his infant son.

  Hugh’s soft black boots made no sound as he strode swiftly along the shadowed stone corridor but his ebony cloak snapped in the air. He was furious. “Damn it to the pit. Are you certain he is dead?”

  “Aye, m’lord.” Dunstan angled his torch as he turned a corner in the passageway. “One of the guards found him so a short while ago.”

  “Why was he not searched?” Hugh followed Dunstan around the bend in the corridor.

  The underground passages of Scarcliffe Keep were not very different from the tunnels and caverns of the hillside caves. They were dark, cramped, and forbidding. No natural light reached this section of the keep where spices, grains, goods, and the occasional prisoner were stored.

  “He was searched,” Dunstan said. “But the guards looked for blades and other such weapons.” He came to a halt in front of a dank chamber sealed with an iron grate.

  Hugh looked at the contorted body of Eduard of Lockton, which lay sprawled on the floor of the chamber. Frustration rose like bile within him. There had been so many questions he had intended to put to Eduard, so much he had wanted to say to this man who had murdered his parents.

  Most of all there had been the prospect of savoring both justice and revenge. Hugh had anticipated the satisfaction of those rich spices for so long that it took him some time to accept that they had been yanked from his grasp.

  “No one found the poison he had secreted on his person, I see,” Hugh muttered.

  “Nay, m’lord. Mayhap ‘tis just as well.” Dunstan looked at Hugh. “‘Tis truly over now.”

  Hugh climbed the stone steps that led upward out of the bowels of the keep. He did not pause to think about where he was headed. He crossed the great hall, where preparations for the midday meal were under way. When he reached the tower stairs, he went up two more long flights of stone steps.

  He reached the upper level of the tower, turned, and went down the corridor to Alice’s study chamber. He opened the door without bothering to knock.

  Alice looked up in surprise when he entered the chamber. She frowned in concern when she saw the expression on his face. “My lord.” She closed the book that had been open on the desk. “What is it?”

  “Eduard of Lockton took poison sometime during the night. He is dead.”

  Alice got up from her stool and came out from behind her desk. Without a word she went to Hugh and wrapped her arms around him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and said nothing.

  Alice always
comprehended him so well, Hugh thought. He did not have to put things into words for her.

  He held her very tightly for a long time. After a while the bleak frustration that had seized him when he had learned that Eduard had escaped into death began to retreat.

  A few more minutes passed in silence. Alice felt very soft and warm and good in his arms.

  Eventually a sense of quiet peace stole over Hugh. The door to the past through which the cold storm winds had so often blown had finally been closed.

  One month later on a crisp, fall morning, the watchtower guard cupped a hand around his mouth and shouted his news down into the busy bailey.

  “Riders approach, m’lord. A knight and five men-at-arms. Also servants and a baggage wagon.”

  Hugh silenced the clamor of weapons practice with a swift signal. He looked up at the guard. “What colors does the knight carry?”

  “Green and yellow, m’lord.”

  Hugh glanced at Dunstan. “Those are the colors of Erasmus of Thornewood.”

  “Aye.” Dunstan frowned. “‘Twill likely be one of his men come to inform us of his lord’s death.”

  Sadness washed through Hugh. He had been expecting the news; nevertheless, it still came as an unwelcome surprise. He knew then that he had dared to hope that Alice’s recipe would help Erasmus.

  Hugh shaded his eyes against the morning sun and looked up at the guard again. “Are you certain of the knight’s colors?”

  “Aye, m’lord.” The guard studied the road. “A very rich lord, from the looks of his party. And well armed. There is a lady with them.”

  “A lady?” Hugh wondered if Erasmus’s widow, Eleanor, had come in person to bring the news of her lord’s death. He motioned to Benedict. “Fetch Alice. Quickly. Tell her we will have several guests, including a lady, for the midday meal.”

  “Aye, my lord.” Benedict handed to Dunstan the bow with which he had been practicing, grabbed his staff, and hurried toward the hall steps.

  A few minutes later the party of riders halted in front of the gates of Scarcliffe Keep and politely requested permission to enter. The guard waved them into the bailey.

  Alice appeared in the doorway of the keep. She glanced inquiringly at Hugh.

  “Who comes, my lord?”

  “Someone who no doubt brings word of the death of my liege lord,” Hugh said quietly.

  “What makes you think he has died?” She scowled at him. “Did you forget to give him that recipe for a soothing potion that I sent with you to London?”

  “Nay.”

  “You did tell his wife to make certain the doctors did not continue to bleed him, did you not?”

  “Aye, Alice, I gave her your instructions, but everyone, including Erasmus, felt that the end was near. A man can often feel his own impending death.”

  “Ridiculous. From what you told me, he suffered only from extreme excitement of the nerves.”

  The visitors rode through the gate before Alice could continue her lecture. Hugh looked at the knight who led the small company. He stared first in disbelief and then in growing wonder at the familiar face.

  “My lord,” Hugh whispered.

  “Well?” Alice asked impatiently. “Who is he?”

  “Erasmus of Thornewood.”

  “Eyes of the Saints,” Alice muttered. “I was afraid of this. Julian arrived only this morning. Why did he not bring us word that Sir Erasmus intended a visit? What good is a messenger who does not bring important messages?”

  Hugh started to grin. “Do not be too hard on Julian. He has his uses.” He went forward to greet his liege lord.

  Erasmus brought his muscled stallion to a halt in the center of the bailey. Sunlight sparkled on rich robes and polished steel.

  “Welcome, my lord.” Hugh reached out to catch hold of the horse’s bridle. “From the look of you, I would wager that you are no longer amusing yourself with arrangements for your own funeral.”

  “I have discovered that funerals are not nearly so entertaining as christenings.” Erasmus smiled at Eleanor, who had halted her palfrey beside him. “And I am pleased to tell you that we intend to plan one or two new ones for the future.”

  Eleanor’s face glowed with happiness as she looked down at Hugh. “I have come to thank your lady wife for making it possible.”

  “Alice will be delighted to know that her potion worked so well.” Hugh could not seem to stop grinning. “As am I. I have always said that my liege lord has a talent for rearing children. Allow me to introduce you to my lady wife.”

  Alice came down the steps with a welcoming smile. “I am pleased to see that someone followed my instructions.”

  Later that evening when Erasmus looked up from the chessboard, his perceptive gray eyes were alight with appreciation. “Your move, I believe, madam.”

  “Aye.”

  “Hugh was correct. You are a very clever opponent.”

  “Thank you, my lord.” Alice picked up a heavy black onyx bishop. She frowned intently as she concentrated on shifting it into position on the large board. “I enjoy the game.”

  “That much is obvious. I believe I may actually be in danger of losing this skirmish.”

  “Do not take offense, sir. My lord husband is the only person who can win against me. He has a great talent for stratagems.”

  “I am well aware of that.”

  Eleanor’s laughter made Erasmus turn his head. He smiled at the sight of his wife seated next to Hugh. The two were sharing a bowl of honeyed figs as they conversed together in front of the hearth. Nearby, Julian strummed a tune on a harp.

  “Your move, my lord,” Alice prompted.

  “Aye.” Erasmus brought his attention back to the board. He touched a rook and then hesitated. “I congratulate you, madam. Not many women could have quieted the storms that seethed within my friend Hugh.”

  “Me?” Alice looked up, astonished. She glanced at Hugh. He met her eyes and smiled before he turned back to his conversation with Eleanor.

  “You have brought him contentment,” Erasmus said. “It could not have been an easy or a simple task.”

  “Sir Hugh enjoys being lord of his own manor,” Alice said. “I have often observed that a person is most content when he finds pleasure in his work. My husband is very good at managing these lands. But then, you, of all people, are well aware of his skill in business matters.”

  “Hugh’s intelligence was evident from the first day he came to live in my household.”

  “It was good of you to educate him well and to allow him the opportunity to develop his spice business.” Alice gave Erasmus a direct look. “Many lords in your position would have taken advantage of his natural talent for knightly skills and ignored his keen wits.”

  “‘Tis just as well that I did not ignore those wits,” Erasmus said dryly. “I have needed both Hugh’s clever stratagems and his skill with a sword many times over the years.”

  “You have rewarded him well.”

  “I did not give him Scarcliffe because of his intelligence or his knightly skills,” Erasmus said. “I gave him these lands because he gave me something infinitely more valuable. Something I could not purchase at any price.”

  “What was that, sir?”

  “His unswerving loyalty.”

  Alice smiled. “I understand.”

  “There have been many times when I have wished that I could give Hugh a gift as fine as the one he gave me.”

  “Rest assured, he is satisfied with his own manor.”

  “I do not believe that it is the lands of Scarcliffe alone that have brought him satisfaction, madam.” Erasmus regarded her with shrewd consideration. “You are the true healer in this matter.”

  Alice was acutely embarrassed. “I doubt that, sir.”

  “He told me much about you when he came to see me in London. He said that you had great courage and daring. He claimed you approached him with a bold bargain.”

  “Aye.” Alice contemplated her next move with knitted brows.
“We have forged an excellent partnership.”

  “‘Tis more than a business arrangement, surely.”

  Alice blushed. “Well, as to that, we are married, after all, my lord.”

  “And you love him with all your heart, do you not?”

  Alice clutched one of the chess pieces very tightly. “How do you know such things, sir?”

  “I myself am not without some wits. When one spends as many weeks as I did believing that one is on the brink of death, one becomes more aware of certain things. More perceptive, shall we say?”

  “Only a very intelligent man becomes more aware and more perceptive under such circumstances.” Alice sighed. “You are quite right, as it happens. I am very fond of my husband. Even though he can be amazingly stubborn at times.”

  “Aye, well, he is a man. Some things are immutable. Speaking of my recent brush with death, madam, I wish to thank you for your potion.”

  “No thanks are necessary. ‘Twas my mother’s recipe. She bequeathed to me a book in which she wrote descriptions of many types of illnesses. I merely applied the remedy she prescribed for your particular symptoms. I am pleased that you tried it and found it effective.”

  “Most effective.” Erasmus smiled. “You have my deepest gratitude. I owe you more than I can ever repay, madam.”

  “Nonsense, my lord. I assure you, the scales are evenly balanced.”

  “How is that?”

  “You saved my husband’s life when he was but a young boy of eight.”

  Erasmus furrowed his brow. “I do not recall that Hugh was ever in danger of dying at the age of eight. He did take one or two nasty falls while practicing at the quintain and there was an unfortunate incident involving a bridge and a rather deep stream one day, but other than that he was quite healthy.”

  “Now that is where you are wrong, sir.” Alice smiled gently. “He may have been in fine health as regards his bodily humors, but there are things that can die within a boy even though he continues to live.”

  “Ah. I see what you mean.” Erasmus regarded her with knowing eyes. “You are alarmingly perceptive yourself, madam.”

  “Nay, my lord, I merely make an observation,” Alice said matter-of-factly. “It is clear to me that had it not been for you, Hugh would most assuredly have been torn asunder by the storms that threatened his heart and his soul.”