Kevin didn’t ask any more questions. It was all he could do to keep the panic off his face as he made haste for the Cock and Bull.
*
He could hearher weeping as he entered the inn.
The Cock and Bull was crowded with people, including the local sheriff, Lord Lily, and Kevin had to shove his way through men in order to get to the stairs. Annavieve was at the top of the steps. He could see her slumped over and terror such as he had never known grabbed at him. He actually thought she was the one who was injured until he reached the top of the stairs and saw that she was weeping over her old nurse.
The old woman was lying, quite obviously dead, in Annavieve’s arms and Kevin took a moment to draw in a deep breath and regain his composure. Annavieve didn’t look injured from the way she was holding the old woman and his heart was greatly relieved. However, there were many men about and he didn’t want to appear like a panicked lover. He needed to put on his professional front. Turning to the nearest man, who happened to be a knight bearing Salisbury colors, he spoke calmly.
“What happened to the duchess?” he asked the knight. “Is she injured?”
The knight, a shorter, powerfully built man with nearly black eyes and dark hair, shook his head. “It does not seem so,” he said. “Evidently, someone broke into her chamber and the old woman was killed trying to defend the duchess.”
“Where is the assailant?”
The knight shook his head. “He jumped out the back window of the chamber and ran off into the town,” he said. “My men are out trying to track him down now.”
Kevin’s gaze moved to Annavieve as she wept on the floor. “Did the duchess give you a description of the man?”
The knight nodded. “He only spoke French,” he said. “Dark, tall and lanky, with a scar by his nose. That is all she could tell us.”
A scar by his nose.Somehow, that description sounded vaguely familiar to him although he couldn’t seem to put his finger on it. He turned to look at Adonis and Thomas, standing behind him, to see if they had heard what Gorsedd had mentioned, but they evidently hadn’t. They gave no indication that they knew anything at all. Unwilling to waste time to try and figure out why a man with a scar near his nose sounded familiar, Kevin returned his focus to Annavieve.
“She must be moved,” he said, his heart naturally aching for Annavieve’s pain. “It is unseemly for the duchess to be grieving in public like this. I will take the duchess if you will remove the body of her nurse. Take the woman to the nearest barber-surgeon where she can be prepared for burial. We have no means to do it ourselves.”
The knight nodded. “Aye, my lord,” he said, eyeing the duchess sobbing on the ground. “She has been weeping like that since I arrived. This will not be an easy separation.”
Kevin could only nod his head. “I would expect not,” he replied. Then, he glanced at Salisbury’s knight. “What is your name? We have not met. I am Kevin Hage.”
The knight with the dark eyes blinked as if surprised by the introduction. Faintly, he smiled. “I am Gorsedd de Bretagne,” he said. “So you are the one.”
“The onewhat?”
Gorsedd’s smile grew. “Dorset’s man,” he said. “We have been hearing rumors of you since yesterday.”
Kevin cocked an eyebrow. “What have you heard?”
Gorsedd laughed softly. “That you are not a man to be trifled with,” he said. “That is all I am going to say.”
It was Kevin’s turn to grin. “A wise man,” he said. “How long have you served Salisbury?”
“Eleven years,” Gorsedd replied. “My eldest son is a squire serving under Salisbury as well. If you do not have a squire for the mass competition, then you may use him.”
Kevin shook his head. “I do not,” he said. “That is generous of you. I should like to borrow him, if I may.”
Gorsedd’s dark eyes were twinkling. “I will send him to you,” he said. “He is a very big and strong lad. Serving a legendary crusader will be good for him. He is a fast learner.”
Kevin was appreciative. “What is his name?”
“Cortez.”
“Cortez,” Kevin repeated. “I will expect him. Tell him to seek me in camp, at the armory, in a half hour. First, however, I must tend to the duchess.”
The men turned back to Annavieve, the smiles fading from their faces. The situation was quite sobering and Kevin, his eyes on Annavieve’s lowered head, sighed faintly.
“I will take her now,” Kevin said softly. “You take the old woman.”
Gorsedd nodded, moving around him so he would be in a better position to take hold of the body. He motioned to Adonis and Thomas, standing behind Kevin, and the three of them prepared to strike when Kevin removed the duchess. He watched Kevin approach the duchess from behind, bending over her as she sat on the landing.
