Anger filled her, so much so that she stood up. She was not going to hide from this affront. The only way off the gallery was the stairs she had just mounted, so there was nowhere for Jezebel to go. She began to walk towards her maid.
“Jez,” she said in a normal speaking tone. “What are you doing up here?”
The little maid turned to her, startled. From her angle, she’d never seen her mistress mount the stairs. Her wide brown eyes were huge with shock and she leapt to her feet.
“M’lady,” she stammered. “I… I was looking for ye. I haven’t seen ye this morn and I thought.…”
Alixandrea walked right up on her. It was an effort not to reach out and strangle her. “So you look for me, hiding up here in the gallery?”
“I did not want to bother the lords, m’lady. I thought you might come in to join them.”
“Then if that’s true, you already saw me in here a few minutes ago. Why did not you announce yourself?”
Jezebel’s face turned red. By this time, the men below had heard the voices and had turned to see where they were coming from. Matthew was actually on his feet. Alixandrea caught his movement out of the corner of her eye and when she turned to look at him, Jezebel suddenly pushed past her.
In her panic, the maid misjudged her own strength; an intended brush against the lady pitched Alixandrea right over the thigh-high railing. Only the quick reflex of grabbing the banister as she went over the side saved her from falling twenty feet to the cold, hard floor below.
Alixandrea shrieked with terror as she dangled high above the floor. Matthew bolted faster than he had ever moved in his life, running for the gallery stairs like a madman. Luke followed him while Mark and John rushed over and positioned themselves underneath the lady, hoping to break her fall if she lost her grip. They held out their arms, waiting, hoping to God that no one would be killed.
Jezebel ran right into Matthew as she tried to escape down the stairs, screaming as he grabbed her and practically tossed her onto Luke. Luke roughly took the maid as Matthew raced onto the gallery. It wasn’t a long gallery, but Matthew swore it was the longest run of his life. It seemed to take forever, knowing he was running as fast as he could yet hardly appearing to make any ground.
He could see Alixandrea’s fingers around the top of the railing and he aimed for them, reaching out, finally coming upon her and grabbing her wrists.
“I have got you.” He almost pitched forward himself in his haste but managed to hold his balance. “It is all right, I have got you.”
He effortlessly pulled her up, straight into his arms. Alixandrea grabbed hold of him, panic in every breath, every movement. When she finally realized that she was safe, the tears came. Matthew held her tightly.
“Is she all right?” Mark called up.
Matthew took her face between his two hands, looking into her wet eyes. “Are you well?” his voice was shaking.
She nodded. He pulled her back into his powerful arms. “She is well enough,” Matthew said to his brothers. “Simply scared.”
By this time, Luke had Jezebel down on the floor. The maid was weeping uncontrollably. Over the top of Alixandrea’s head, Matthew caught sight of the woman.
“Take her in the solar,” he growled. “Do not let her out of your sight. I shall join you shortly.”
Luke nodded, yanking the woman out of the hall and listening to her cries echoing against the walls. Luke wasn’t hurting her in the least; she simply knew she was in a great deal of trouble. Matthew listened to her cries fade as he rocked Alixandrea in his arms gently. The woman was shaking terribly.
“Are you truly all right?” he asked into her hair. “You did not hurt anything?”
She sniffled, struggling for calm. “Nay,” she said, her nose stuffy with crying. “I am well enough.”
He pulled back just long enough to look her in the face, just to make sure she wasn’t lying. When their eyes met, he smiled bravely at her. “Then why don’t we get down from here?”
She wholeheartedly agreed, clinging to him even as they descended the stairs. She was unsteady and Matthew directed her to the nearest bench. Mark and John crowded around them.
“Did she shove you, my lady?” John asked anxiously. “Did she do it a-purpose?”
Alixandrea shook her head as Mark shoved a chalice of ale at her. She took a long drink even though she did not much like ale.
“She was trying to escape me,” she gasped. “I don’t believe she purposely tried to shove me over the side.”
Matthew was sitting next to her, straddled across the bench. His blue eyes were soft with concern. He watched her hands shake as she took another drink of ale.
“As long as you are all right, that is my utmost concern.”
Alixandrea’s bronze eyes fixed on him. “But she knows that we suspect her now. Why else would she try to run?”
