The party of horses was led into the bailey, where the baron stood with his lady wife. The other knight was there, leading a horse with a woman in the saddle. Her face was veiled and a maid rode a palfrey behind her.
Percy frowned. There had been no women in the party when he and Anna had robbed them. Had they come to Haynesdale to retrieve the women? He had expected Anna to be with them, but there was only the noblewoman and the maid. The maid wasn’t Anna. There were few souls living in Haynesdale keep who Percy did not know, but he did not recognize the maid at all. He peered at the lady, for he had never seen another noblewoman in Royce’s holding. Who was she?
It was sufficiently curious that he wished to ask a question. The Scotsman seemed to guess as much, for he gave Percy a stern look.
Percy held his tongue.
Many compliments were exchanged between the knights and the baron, and Percy wished they would just move toward the gates. It all seemed to be taking so very long.
A knight came from the hall to join them, bowing low to all the knights in the party. Percy caught his breath and stared. It was Gaultier, the Captain of the Guard, the most evil of all the men in the baron’s employ. Percy hated him more than any other soul alive.
Even more than the baron.
He wished he had a knife so that he might strike Gaultier down and repay him for all the ill he had done their family. He would kill the villain for Anna in a heartbeat.
The Scotsman gave him another look, this one even more quelling than the last.
Gaultier surveyed the party. “Do you not have an extra squire on this morning?” he asked with suspicion.
“Do they?” Royce asked, then visibly counted the number of the party.
The Scotsman’s horse moved then, sidling through the group as if impatient to be gone. Percy guessed that he meant to confuse the baron’s count.
The Scottish knight laughed. “An extra boy? I have ridden to Outremer and back with two squires, my dear sir, and scarce have need of another.”
“But I was certain…” Gaultier began.
“Who counts boys?” the Scotsman scoffed. “Save when it is time to feed them?”
The knights laughed, but not the Templars. They looked so grim that the baron appeared to find support in their view. Royce stepped toward one Templar. “I beg of you, sir, tell me how many squires your comrade had yesterday.”
The Templar looked so discomfited that Percy wanted to roll his eyes. All he had to do was declare that there were two squires. It was not that big of a falsehood.
Though Percy supposed they were sworn to tell the truth.
The Scotsman made a sound of disgust and glared at the Templar.
“Two, of course, sir,” the Templar said, but his delay had fed Royce’s doubts.
“Look at the height of the sun!” the knight with the lady exclaimed. “It will be midday before we are away, and night will have fallen long before we reach shelter. My lord, we must depart!” He swung into his saddle and reached to offer a hand to his lady that she might climb to the saddle behind him. She seized his hand and he made to pull her bodily up behind him.
“Let me be of aid,” Gaultier offered. The Captain of the Guard linked his gloved hands together and created a step for the lady.
She hesitated, as if she knew him to be the lecher he was.
“I thank you, sir,” she said, and put her foot onto his hands.
Anna? She sounded almost like his sister.
But Anna could not be so close to Gaultier! Percy made a sound of consternation which drew the Scotsman’s eye.
It also drew Royce’s attention. “That boy,” he said with resolve and pointed at Percy. “Thatboy was not with you yesterday. Step down, boy, and show me your face.”
“We will be late, sir,” the Scottish knight protested, but had no chance to say more.
“We must reach Carlisle with all speed,” the Scotsman insisted.
Anna had just put her weight upon Gaultier’s linked hands, when a chance gust lifted her veil. Gaultier had been looking up at her, undoubtedly hoping to peer up her kirtle. He gasped aloud.
