Tate’s nostrils flared as he looked at his wife. Toby nodded emphatically. “The queen’s arrival interrupted his plans, thank God. But he seemed to know that you had sent her.”
“How did he know that?”
“I do not know. But when he was told the queen was approaching, he looked at me and said ‘Dragonblade’”.
Tate fell silent a moment, his arms around his wife, his cheek against the top of her head. It felt so good just to hold her again even though he knew they were not out of danger yet. He could not relax. After a pensive moment, he sighed heavily.
“It was Isabella’s idea to disguise me as one of her own guard to gain access to the castle,” he said softly. “Stephen and Wallace are here also.”
“I know,” Kenneth replied. “I saw them both. Where is the king?”
Tate lifted an eyebrow. “Safe,” he replied vaguely. “More importantly, there is a ten-thousand-man army a mile to the south, awaiting my command to unleash on Wigmore.”
Toby looked at him with shock. “Ten thousand men?” she repeated. “Why are they here?”
Tate rubbed her arms affectionately. “When I received Mortimer’s message, my first thought was to raise an army bigger than anything England has ever seen. I was prepared to raze Wigmore and destroy everything, and everyone, in my path in order to gain you back.” He sighed, watching the fear in her eyes. “But when my fury cooled, I knew that the one person who had the best chance of securing your release was Isabella. She holds much power over Mortimer. So I went to see her in London.”
“That is why you did not come for me right away?” Toby was beginning to understand.
“Exactly. As much as I wanted to rush to Wigmore, I knew I had to lay my plans well against Mortimer. The man is no fool.”
She gazed up at him, feeling foolish for ever doubting him. “So what now?”
He shrugged. “Isabella will order him to let you go.”
“It is that simple?”
“If he wants to retain his life it is.”
“What if he does not?”
“Then I raze Wigmore and him with it. I will destroy him.”
His voice had taken on a deadly tone. Toby held him tightly, not wanting to let him go. “Take me from here now,” she begged. “Why can you not take me out this moment?”
In truth, Tate hadn’t anticipated seeing her the moment they arrived and he surely did not anticipate having her in his arms in the privacy of the stables. Now that he had her, he had absolutely no intention of letting her out of his sight. He had what he came for.
“Perhaps I can,” he smiled warmly at her. “Perhaps it is as easy as that.”
“If you are going to do it, you had better do it now,” Kenneth told him seriously. “Mortimer is quite fond of your wife. Queen or no, he will be looking for her eventually. You will need time to get clear of this place before he realizes she is gone.”
Tate’s smoky eyes glittered. “I will take her back to the army but then I plan to return,” he said. “I intend to have a serious discussion with Mortimer about his abduction of my wife.”
Toby tugged on him. “It does not matter.” She didn’t want Tate engaging Mortimer in any manner of conflict; not now when they were so close to freedom. “You do not need to confront him. I am whole and sound and he has not touched me. Please, Tate, let us leave this place and never look back.”
As he gazed into her frightened face, he realized that his vengeance, at the moment, was the most important thing on his mind. He realized that it had always been the most important thing on his mind save his wife’s reclamation. He wanted to punish Mortimer for taking Toby. He very much wanted to make the man pay for his sins. It wasn’t even about king or crown any longer; Mortimer had attacked him personally and Tate would not stand for it. His pride, his family, was at stake.
But as he held Toby in his arms, he realized that vengeance was futile. It was a waste of his strength and attention. He had his wife and that was all that truly mattered, but it was difficult to fight off the lingering need for justice. He struggled to refocus on the task of getting her out of Wigmore; his mind raced through the queen’s escort in the ward, the strength of the men he saw upon the battlements and the state of the main gates the last time he saw them. If they were closed, it would make his escape far more difficult. But the last he saw, they were open. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a horse blanket that was laying over one of the stall partitions.
Tate swung the blanket around Toby’s shoulders for both protection and a disguise. She stood out brilliantly in her pale gown and he needed to make her less conspicuous. He smiled at her when she looked puzzled by the action.
“Kenneth,” he said as he secured the blanket around her shoulders. “Return to the hall and locate Stephen and Wallace. Have them meet us in the bailey. We are taking Elizabetha home.”
Kenneth nodded shortly, feeling a tremendous sense of relief. He turned on his heel and quit the stable, his mind focused on finding Stephen and Wallace. But just as he exited the door, heading into the stable yard, a body was waiting for him. And that body drove a broadsword into Kenneth’s torso.
Kenneth fell to his knees as de Roche removed the blade, bringing it up for Tate, who was just emerging from the stable. Toby screamed as she saw the flash of the blade a split second before Tate pushed her out of the way. Tate jumped back as well but not far enough; the tip of the broadsword sliced him across the collarbone and down his chest. It was a nasty gash but not deadly. Giving Toby a shove back into the stables, Tate unsheathed the broadsword at his side and launched into a full offensive against de Roche.
“So you think…,” de Roche dodged a heavy blow and answered with one of his own, “to take your wife away unseen? I will give you credit for a clever disguise, Dragonblade. I would not have guessed you to come as the queen’s own guard.”
