Why would Arnaud come to the perimeter of Sayerne and gaze upon it?He must know that she had wed Quinn, but still.
Was he truly wedded to Marie de Perricault?
If so, it made no sense that he should be so far from Perricault.
If not, his presence made even less sense.
Then Melissande recalled something that had not seemed right, though she could not have said why at the time.Quinn had said that Gaultier had come from Perricault, that he had courted his aunt, Marie, until she wed another.Quinn believed that man to be Arnaud, but he did not know what Gaultier had told her when Quinn had ridden out to the mill.Indeed, Melissande had nigh forgotten the words of her former Captain of the Guard herself.
“Tulley told me that he had a plan, and that my tenure at Annossy would not be a long one.”
But Gaultier had not been sent to Annossy by Tulley.Had someone else told him that his time at Annossy would be short?
Who had sent him?
Melissande bit her lip as she recalled more of Gaultier’s words, from the morning he had warned her against Quinn.
“If you died, my lady, Annossy would remain your husband’s holding and he would be free to wed whosoever he chose.Perhaps a man held so high in Tulley’s favor might even wed Tulley’s niece.”
And upon Tulley’s demise, she had realized then, the entire valley would fall to that man’s hand.
Melissande had to wonder how Gaultier had concocted such a scheme to explain Quinn’s choices.What if Gaultier had heard the plan from another and twisted it, attributing the motives of that other man to Quinn?After all, she had been the one assaulted by Gaultier.
What if she had not been Gaultier’s target in truth?What if he had intended to abduct her, not to kill her?For then, Quinn would follow to defend her, of that no man could have any doubt.
Perhaps it had been a scheme to ensureQuinn’sdemise.
For if Quinn were to die—especially if she carried Quinn’s child—Sayerne might fall to Melissande as well as Annossy.She would be a widow and might be commanded to take a spouse again.Arnaud might see the old betrothal upheld, claim Annossy, Sayerne and perhaps Privas.If he had wed Marie, he might put her aside and annul their agreement.If he had not wed her, then there would be no obstacle.
Would Melissande meet her own end, if she protested?That would leave Arnaud available to court Heloise and her inheritance.
Gaultier had not invented the scheme himself.She was certain of it.He had heard it from another and the presence of a knight wearing Privas’ colors gave credence to the notion.
If Arnaud had wed Marie, then he was the man who had wed Gaultier’s rich widowed aunt and they would thus have been known to each other.
What if Gaultier had been sent to Annossy by Arnaud?
And now this rider, wearing the colors of Privas, lurked in the forest where Quinn hunted.
It could not be coincidence.
She must be right.
Melissande heard the hunting horn in the distance.She realized that Quinn would pass near to the place where the rider was hidden.Was he still with Niall or had they parted ways?She recalled with a chill that he had said he would send the boys in search of eggs.
If he perceived the presence of Arnaud and guessed the scheme, Quinn would send the others to safety and face his opponent alone.Melissande knew his protective nature well.But if he did not realize the threat, he might ride into a trap unawares.
If she was right, she could lose all of import this day.
Though she prayed she had leapt to conclusions, Melissande had to know for certain.
“My horse!”she cried, knowing she had to intervene.
Lothair considered her with alarm as she hastened from the vantage point, but she wanted him to remain at Sayerne.
“I hear the horns,” she said with a smile.“I would ride out to see how the hunt has fared.”
Lothair frowned, but Melissande hurried past him, urging the squires to hasten.The knight followed, protesting, but she reminded him of his responsibilities and climbed into the saddle with confidence.
