Val looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
Tevin began to take the steps down to the bailey, pulling Tevin with him. “I did not want him coming to arrest you for all to see,” he muttered. “I told him that I would bring you to Winchester but it seems that was not good enough. Henry must be angrier than I thought he was, so unless you wish for your men to see you placed in irons, I would suggest you ride out to meet d’Vant on the road. Will you do this?”
Val nodded without hesitation. “Of course,” he said, coming to a stop. “I must gather my things, including the missive that started this entire mess, but I am more than willing to meet them on the road.”
“Good,” Tevin said quickly. “For now, I shall ride out to stop them from coming any closer. You will bring my things along with yours, please. We shall not be returning to Selborne.”
Val nodded, feeling a sense of urgency from the earl and struggling against the apprehension it provoked. “I… I had hoped to marry Vesper this morning before I went,” he said, regret in his tone. “I suppose that is not possible now.”
Tevin looked at him. “Has your knight returned with the priest?”
“Not yet.”
“Then we cannot wait. Tell your lady that the marriage will have to wait until you are able to return home.”
There was a great seriousness in Val’s expression. “Be honest, my lord. Will I ever be able to return home?”
Tevin met his gaze. “I believe so. You have the missive you were given and you have witnesses. You said that your knight, Kenan, was there as well? Then bring him. And bring the men who accompanied you. We will hear all of their testimony to prove you were tricked into this. Go, now; hurry. Henry will not wait.”
Val didn’t waste any time. He rushed back into the keep, nearly plowing into Kenan who was still standing in the doorway. It reminded him how angry he was with the man for making the attempt to run to his mother with the news of Henry’s army.
“I will beat you within an inch of your life at a later time, but for now, you will ride with me to Winchester this morning,” he said. “Gather the men who also witnessed Canterbury’s murder and do it quickly. We are going to meet Henry’s army on the road and there is no time to waste, so fly as if you have wings, Kenan. I will meet you in the bailey in a few minutes.”
Kenan nodded, relieved that there would at least be some action in this situation. As he went to find the soldiers who had witnessed the assassination of the archbishop, Val raced up the stairs that led up to his chamber.
The keep was just awakening at this hour, perhaps spurred on by the shouts in the bailey of the approaching army. Servants were already in the small hall, filling it with fresh bread for his mother, but Val wasn’t paying any attention. He was concerned with retrieving his possessions, Tevin’s possession, and bidding farewell to Vesper. His heart ached that he could not marry her before departing to Winchester, but it could not be helped. He hoped she understood.
His chamber was right above his solar, on the same level as his mother’s chamber but his could only be reached by a small stairwell. He made it into his chamber, tossing aside the clutter to find his saddlebags and the missive contained therein.He already had on his mail and then a tunic over that, but he found his heavy fur-lined robe and tossed that on over the top to protect against the icy morning.
Grabbing his helm, he headed back down the stairs and rushed over to a larger stairwell that gave him access to most of the keep above, including his mother’s chamber and Vesper’s chamber. Tevin had been put on the very top floor so he pounded up the stairs to collect Tevin’s saddlebags.
Val was fairly certain that Tevin was putting rocks in his saddlebags with all of the weight in them. He slung them over his broad shoulder while collecting the man’s weaponry, which was against the wall. With all of these things in his arms, Val headed back down to the level below Tevin’s, the level with the women’s chambers. He was just coming off the stairs when one of the panels opened and Vesper was suddenly standing in the doorway.
Wrapped in a heavy woolen robe against the cold temperature, her long hair was splayed over her shoulders, giving her a rather ethereal and angelic appearance. Before Val could say a word, she spoke.
“What has happened?” she asked. “Why are you running up the stairs like a madman? Why are the men shouting outside?”
She seemed worried and he sought to ease her. “Good morn to you, my lady,” he said softly, avoiding her questions. “Did you sleep well?”
He was smiling at her so sweetly that the worry faded from Vesper’s face and she smiled, her cheeks flushing. “Very well, thank you. And you?”
“Hardly at all for dreams of you.”
The pink in her cheeks deepened. “I suppose I should be sorry to hear that but I am not,” she said. “I am glad you were dreaming of me.”
Val just stared at her, grinning like a fool. Simply looking at her made all of his troubles fade, for she had that effect on him. His heart seemed more at ease. But more shouting caught his attention; he could hear it coming in from her windows, which faced the bailey. It reminded him that time was of the essence. His expression sobered.
“I am afraid that I must go to Winchester sooner than we had planned,” he said quietly, not wanting to frighten her. “Henry’s army has been sighted approaching Selborne and I can only surmise that they are coming for me, so I must go with them to Winchester to explain to Henry what happened in Canterbury. Your father has already left Selborne and I would have you remain here with my mother while I am gone. I will send word to you when I can.”
“Why is the army coming for you, Valor?”
The question didn’t come from Vesper. It came from Margaretha as she emerged from her chamber down at the end of the short corridor. She, too, had just arisen and her hair, usually so tightly wimpled, was in a thick, gray braid that trailed down her back. She was wrapped heavily in a shawl, her gaze upon her son most piercing.
Val looked at the woman; she looked terrible. Her eyes were red-rimmed, something he’d never before seen on her, and his heart sank. He could see that she’d been crying. No matter that his relationship with his mother could be contentious at times and no matter that there were times he wanted to gag her, she was still his mother and he loved her. He was so very sorry to see how upset she was.
“As I was just telling Lady Vesper, I believe Henry is demanding my appearance and he does not want to take a chance that I will not come to Winchester sooner rather than later, so he is sending his army to escort me,” he said steadily. “Please do not worry, Mother. Lord du Reims is positive thatonce evidence is presented in my defense that I shall be absolved of any crimes against Thomas Becket.”
Margaretha came towards him, seemingly pensive, but her gaze moved to Vesper as she drew near. Now Vesper had her focus.
