Caius almost told the boy to turn back, but he thought better of it. If he needed to send a message, William could do the job. Besides… it was time the lad learned that not all duties were accomplished on the field of battle.
If William truly wanted to become a great knight, Caius would help teach him.
“Hurry, then,” he said. “Get your cloak and come with me.”
William was fast. He grabbed his heavy leather cloak, and his gloves, and donned everything about the time Caius opened the door and grabbed the rope that was attached to the keep.
William was right behind him.
They trudged their way across the bailey to the keep, which fortunately wasn’t too far away. They made their way up the wooden steps, which were slippery and frozen over, and William slipped halfway up but was able to catch himself. Together, they made their way into the foyer of the keep, shoving the door shut behind them to block out the howling winds. Caius pulled off a glove and wiped the snow from his face.
“We have spent this entire winter without serious snowfall, and now this,” he muttered, wiping his face one last time.
Then, he looked at William, who wasn’t fussing or wiping at his face. He was simply standing there, looking at Caius and waiting for instructions while his lower lip trembled with the cold. Caius pulled off his other glove and handed it over to William before removing his cloak. He shook it off near the door, slinging it over William’s arm.
“Now,” he said quietly. “What I say will not leave your lips. Is that clear?”
William nodded firmly. “It is, my lord.”
“Good,” Caius said. “Everything I say to you from this point on is in confidence unless I tell you otherwise. The first thing you need to learn is the value of keeping silent. Someday, it may save your life.”
“Aye, my lord.”
Caius glanced around the entry, with Covington’s solar door nearby. He eyed it for a moment before returning his focus to William.
“You have heard us speaking of de Wrenville’s insatiable greed when it comes to Hawkstone,” he said softly. “He has Lady Emelisse here and, at some point, it is quite possible that we will remove her from this place without de Wrenville’s permission. While I am speaking with her, I want you to nose around this keep and find another exit than the entry door. Learn this keep as much as you can, for I will have questions when I return.”
William nodded sharply and Caius turned for the stairwell that led to the upper floors. Leaving the squire to investigate the layout of the keep, Caius headed up the stairs, assuming they hadn’t moved Lady Emelisse from the last place he saw her. He found himself wondering where Hallam had gone because the keep seemed empty. He didn’t even see a servant as he made hisway to the top floor. He was just nearing the top of the stairwell when he heard Hallam’s quiet voice.
What he heard from that moment on changed the course of the evening.
And his mission.
CHAPTER NINE
“He will behere any moment,” Hallam was saying softly. “I believe he wants to do what is right. He does not seem to be siding with your husband.”
“But what does that mean?” a woman replied. “You know I have not involved myself in my husband’s military plans but, in this case, I must. I fear what he plans for Lady Emelisse. Do you know?”
It took Caius all of two seconds to realize it was Lady de Wrenville. He paused as he reached the top, listening to their conversation with curiosity.
“I do,” Hallam said softly. “He plans to marry her to Marius.”
Lady de Wrenville gasped. “Him?” she said, evidently horrified. “Hallam, that will be a horrible fate for the lady, especially after everything that has gone on over the years. Does she know?”
“I do not believe so.”
Lady de Wrenville began to pace because Caius could see her shadow on the wall.
“Then you must speak with Sir Caius,” she said decisively. “He is the one in command of my uncle’s army, is he not? Youmust convince him not to support my husband and you must convince him to remove Lady Emelisse. Mayhap I am caring too deeply about things that do not concern me, but I have been here long enough to see the situation for what it is. He married me to gain an army and he will have Marius marry Lady Emelisse to gain a fortress. I do not wish my fate upon her, not in the least.”
Hallam didn’t say anything for a long moment. “If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else,” he murmured. “He needed military support that a marriage could give and he discovered you. But it could have been anyone else who could provide him with a big army.”
Lady de Wrenville sighed heavily. “It just happened to be me,” she said. “I have always wondered how he found me.”
Hallam drifted closer to her; Caius could see his shadow as well. “I suspect it came through the king,” he said. “In fact, my suspicion is that this entire situation came through the king. Marius has his ear and, undoubtedly, John knew about the conflict with Hawkstone. It is my suspicion that John suggested the marriage with you to gain William Marshal’s military support. If the king is controlling Marius, then he is controlling Covington. And if Covington calls for aid from The Marshal, that means the king controls The Marshal to a certain extent.”
Lady de Wrenville shook her head in awe, her shadow moving on the wall. “I see that now,” she said. “But my parents did not. They were so happy with a marital offer that they did not look beyond the offer itself, or the implications. At thirty years and four, my time for finding a husband was over ten years ago. They knew another offer would not come along so they took it.”
