His heart leapt that she would so touch him, that she would make such a vow for the welfare of her maid, then he shivered that she still was so cold. He yet might lose her this day and that realization prompted him to action.
“Ride, my lady, straight onward with all speed.” He gave her directions crisply, relieved in his confidence that she would follow them. “When you cross the river, you will find a narrow trail. Follow it and you will come to a broader path in some moments. Follow it to the right to a sheltered hollow on the left. There is a bent birch tree that you cannot miss and several steps beyond it, you will find a path to the hollow.”
“A birch tree,” Evangeline repeated, nodding.
“Foudre is there, the dapple destrier.”
“Foudre?” she echoed. “You call him Lightning?”
“He is that quick but less volatile to be sure. I will meet you there as soon as I am able.” He raised a hand before she could argue. “With Anna, I vow it, my lady.” To his relief, she made no protest to his plan. He eyed the water running from the hem of her kirtle. “Truly, it would be kinder to the horse to abandon the weight.”
Evangeline gave him a stern look and gathered the reins. “Gealaich will bear it and willingly.” She was undoubtedly right about that. Ramsay could readily believe that any soul in this lady’s life would do whatever was necessary to please her—with the exception of her betrothed. “Find Anna, I entreat you,” she said, a real urgency in her tone. “She is in peril in that household, I am certain.”
“You have my pledge, my lady.” He bowed and kissed the back of her hand. She lingered but a moment, studying him, then turned the horse adroitly to leave.
He stood and watched her vanish into the forest with the horse. She barely glanced back before giving the beast her heels and he breathed a sigh of relief when she disappeared from view. He heard her sneeze once after the horse had vanished into the shadows of the forest, but then there was no hint of her passing.
Ramsay had time to offer a prayer for her safety, then he heard the sound of the hunting party grow louder behind him.
First Anna,thenhe would ensure the well-being of his lady.
Chapter 5
Ramsay stepped back into the shadows, lifting his hood so that he would vanish from view of whoever approached. He hid the crossbow in a tree since he could no longer disguise it beneath his cloak, but ensured it was within reach.
A young woman burst suddenly from the scrub, riding a young palfrey. “My lady?” she cried, her fear evident. She slipped from the saddle and stumbled to a halt at the edge of the water, staring at the stream’s sparkling surface in dismay. She had curly red hair and a multitude of freckles on her face, was shorter and younger than Evangeline, and dressed more simply.
This had to be Anna the maid.
“My lady?” she cried again, her expression stricken as she looked up and down the river. She raised her voice. “My lady!”
There was no reply.
She was wringing her hands and unaware of Ramsay’s presence. The horse heard him, though, flicking its ears as it watched his approach.
“Nay, my lady,” Anna whispered, surveying the surface of the merry stream.
“The lady drowned,” Ramsay confided quietly, stepping up behind the young woman.
The maid gasped in shock as she spun to face him, and nigh jumped from her skin. “Sir!” She retreated a step, clearly thinking him responsible for that deed. The horse nickered with interest.
“You saw her body taken by the river,” Ramsay said. He was so accustomed to granting a plausible tale to his squire or to Talbot, that he did not immediately realize the maid did not understand his intention.
The maid bristled. “I did not!”
“I was. You arrived here and found her struggling against the current. You watched her vanish beneath the surface, far beyond your reach, and she failed to rise again.”
The maid huffed. “I will not believe my lady dead until I look upon her corpse, sir. I am not so readily deceived as that.”
Ramsay belatedly understood her confusion. “Tellthemyou saw her body taken by the river.” He fixed her with an intent look and saw understanding dawn in her expression. “It is the sole way to ensure her escape.”
She pointed a finger at him. “You were one of the beaters.”
“I have aided her thus far and will continue to do as much. You must help by saying you saw her swept away.”
The maid stared at him, her uncertainty palpable. “Where is she?” she whispered.
“She is safe. I give you my word.”
