The knight paused. “It is possible,” he said, “but I have no uncle to the north.”
“But you fit the description I was given. Clearly, someone knows of you.”
The knight eyed him. “Is that why you are here in Whitehill? Searching for me?”
“Indeed. I’d heard rumor of this blue roan and sought to locate you.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. In fact, it was very close to the truth. The knight opened his mouth to reply but he was interrupted when Mayne came charging into the livery in the company of several soldiers. One look at Val standing next to a knight with red hair and a red beard was all he needed to continue his chargewith heavily-armed men at this side, all of them rushing towards Val and the knight.
It was an ambush. Instantly, the red-haired knight went into defensive mode, grappling for the broadsword at his side. Val knew that he had to prevent the man from producing the weapon because he, personally, would be the first target. Therefore, Val’s sword came up as fast as he could possibly move it, the tip of it coming to bear on the face of the red-haired knight.
In that instant, everything seemed to come to a blinding halt.
“Move and I shall drive this blade through your eye,” Val hissed. “Drop your weapon. I will not tell you again.”
The red-haired knight looked at Val with a mixture of terror and fury but, to his credit, he did as he was told. He let go of the hilt of his sword and the weapon slid back into its sheath.
“Who are you?” the knight hissed. “What do you want of me?”
Val never took his eyes off of the knight’s face but he could see in his periphery as the blue roan was moved away and Mayne appeared, coming up behind the fugitive from justice. As Mayne and a pair of soldiers grabbed the knight and began to strip him of his weapons, Val stood back and watched.
“Lord Horsham has something to say to you,” he said, watching a look of disbelief ripple across the knight’s features. “You murdered his son. He wants his vengeance.”
The knight’s pale face turned red with anger. “Then all of that about a fortune….”
“Was a lie.”
“It was to keep me here until your men arrived!”
“Possibly.”
Mayne threw the knight onto his face, down into the muddy floor of the livery as he tied the knight’s hands behind his back with hemp rope. With the suspect subdued, Val turned awayfrom the scene and headed out of the livery to see what had become of the battle in front of the tavern. He was feeling smug in his accomplishment, pride in a job well done. He had his man. As soon as he emerged from the stable, he could see that the tavern battle had essentially come to a halt although there were still several men out front, including his own, who were talking and pushing each other about. But at least they were no longer fighting.
Relieved to see that the skirmish had died down, he looked off to the north to see if Calum and Kenan had been faced with similar obstacles when raiding the tavern they were charged with. He could see men milling around in the distance, out in the road, but he couldn’t really tell what was going on. Given that Val had accomplished his goal, he sent one of his soldiers to The Peacock and the Flame to call off Calum and Kenan. As he stood there and watched the man run off, he heard a quiet voice behind him.
“Wherever you go, trouble follows,” McCloud said quietly. “It has been a long time since I have seen the tempest that you bring about, Val. It reminded me of days of old.”
Val turned around to see McCloud and the young woman standing a few feet away. He’d completely forgotten about them. There was a smile on McCloud’s face, which caused Val to smile in return.
“This was nothing,” he said with feigned arrogance. “You should have been with me last week when we captured a gang of outlaws who had been robbing travelers on the road between Holybourne and Ropley. That was quite a fight, I must say. They were not very cooperative.”
McCloud laughed softly. “I remember now,” he said. “You are the law in this area. I had forgotten about that appointment until now.”
Val nodded. “Indeed, I am,” he said. Now, the arrogance was real. “I have been the Itinerant Justice of Hampshire ever since I returned from France. There is not much that goes on in my jurisdiction that I do not know about. I am proud to say that I have made it a safer place for all, now with the capture of this murderer.”
McCloud could see the pride in the man. That was the Val he knew, prideful and confident. “Is the invitation still open to sup?” he asked.
Val nodded. “I would be hurt if you did not accept,” he said. Then, his gaze moved to the cloaked woman at McCloud’s side. “Your companion is welcome also.”
McCloud looked at the woman standing next to him, reaching out a meaty hand to grasp her arm and pull her closer, as she seemed to be standing off on her own. “This is my daughter,” he said. “I have been rude not to introduce her to you but it did not seem quite proper in the middle of your fight.”
Val grinned. “Now is the perfect time,” he said, his gaze lingering on the woman well hidden by the hood of her cloak. All he could see was her chin and part of her mouth. “My lady, I am Sir Val de Nerra. I am honored.”
McCloud beamed at his child. “This is Lady Vesper d’Avignon,” he said. “I am returning her home from fostering, in fact. That is why we are on this road.”
“Oh?” Val said, increasingly interested in the woman who didn’t seem apt to show her face. “Where did you foster, my lady?”
Since he was addressing her directly, it would have been poor manners not to reveal herself and answer. A white hand with long fingers reached up to pull the hood away and Val found himself staring into the face of an exquisitely beautiful woman. Her dark hair was long and wavy, the front of it pulled away fromher face, and big hazel eyes sat above high chiseled cheekbones and a bow-shaped mouth.
