Before any of the men could speak, Margery jumped off the horse and ran to him, hand outstretched.
William gripped the emerald ring tightly, the very ring he had given her when he asked for her hand in marriage.
“We found my lady’s ring in a small room off the chapel.” She was weeping openly as she told him how she couldn’t find Lucy, and then how they’d found the ring.
“She left it for us to find.”
The captain of Lucy’s guard, Thomas, went down on one knee in front of William, his sword held out in his hands, his head bowed.
“I failed, my lady,” he said, his voice full of emotion. “They took her from under my nose. I should not have let her go.”
At that, William snorted. “Keep Lucy from doing something she has set her mind to? Not bloody likely.”
William took the sword from Thomas and put a hand on the man’s arm to pull him to his feet. The men watched as Thomas turned the color of a full moon.
He told William what had transpired. “I failed. I am not fit to be the captain of her guard. I humbly offer my life.”
Fury filled William, not at Thomas, for no one could stop his wife when she decided to do something. Nay, ’twas for the men who kidnapped her. For William vowed he would see each one dead.
“Timothy and Margery have told me the same tale.” He put a hand on Thomas’ shoulder. “’Twas not your fault.” But knowing there had to be consequences, William said, “I will think upon your punishment for letting your lady out of your sight.”
Thomas sagged. “Aye, my lord.”
William met the gaze of each man. “Eat. In the morn we ride.”
His captain placed a hand on William’s shoulder.
“We will find her. She won’t have gone far. She has a terrible sense of direction.” He attempted a reassuring smile, though his eyes betrayed his concern.
Determination surged through William’s veins as he nodded in agreement. They couldn’t afford to lose hope now. He would stop at nothing to bring her home safe.
CHAPTER 18
Lucy and Callanstill hadn’t found William or her guard, but the closer they were to Blackford, the more Lucy held on to the belief that they would intercept them soon.
If she made it home safe and sound, and found William and the children unharmed, Lucy decided right then and there that she’d stay put at Blackford for the foreseeable future.
This entire fiasco had taught her a simple truth. If she was constantly looking back, she’d miss the wonder right in front of her.
It was time to let the past go, once and for all. To accept her aunts and sisters were in their own time doing well, to fully embrace this life and time. Four years had passed since Lucy made the choice to stay, to create a life with William. Memories were fine, but it was time to stop dwelling on her old life.
Traveling through time had simply been some kind of cosmic blip. It wasn’t something that would ever happen again, that much she knew from when she’d made her choice from within the storm.
While she knew the decision to let go of the past wasn’ta make the choice and be done with it kind of thing, Lucy hoped now that she’d reached the acceptance stage of what she’d been going through every year around Halloween since she’d arrived, hopefully her decision would make it a little easier to finally let go of the past.
“Ye seem far away with the faeries.” Callan looked like he belonged on a horse, his hair tied back, the muted colors of his plaid blending in with the painted hues of gold and green blanketing the landscape.
The sound of his voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
“I was thinking about my life before I met my husband.” Lucy hesitated as she guided the horse down the narrow dirt path. They’d been traveling since first light, traveling for what seemed like months, and her body ached from the long days on horseback, but still they rode on.
“Oh, aye?” Callan would have made a great poker player. He kept his emotions from his face, whereas she knew her face showed everything.
“My life before was very different.” Not wanting to conjure the ghosts of her aunts and sisters, she simply said, “Someday I’ll tell you all about it.”
Grateful he didn’t press her, they rode in companionable silence.
Worn out from so much riding and the stress of being pursued, Lucy convinced Callan to risk staying at an inn tonight. Yesterday, Lucy had been talking about Blackford when they’d passed a messenger on the road who had claimed to have seen her husband with a group of men heading in their direction. He remembered William because he had watched him take part in a tournament at court last summer and had won a wager when he’d bet on William.
