There wasn’t one of them that didn’t want to know the details of that message.
The mystery deepened.
*
Maxton recognized themessenger.
It was the son of the tavern keeper at The King’s Gout, a tall and pale young man who was half the size of his blobish father. Maxton remembered the young man because he was evidently somewhat of a loaf and when Maxton had been at the tavern earlier, the father had been yelling at the lad because he hadn’t moved fast enough for his liking. There was also a swat with a shovel involved.
But the young man appeared healthy enough, with no imprints of shovels on him. Unless he’d been hit in the head, of course, which was a possibility because he had crossed eyes, making it difficult to know where, exactly, the young man was looking. Maxton had the gate guards usher him into the shadowed courtyard.
“Well?” Maxton demanded. “Why has your father sent you?”
The young man looked at him; or, at least,oneof his eyes looked at him. “Are ye Loxbeare, m’lord?”
Maxton nodded sharply. “Do you have a message for me?”
The young man looked him up and down. “I do, m’lord,” he said. “From a lady. She wants to know if ye’ll see her.”
“What lady?”
“She gives her name as Andra… Andra…”
“Andressa?”
“Aye, m’lord.”
The mere mention of the name seemed to set Maxton on fire. He reached out, grasping the young man by the arm. “Is she at the tavern?” he demanded forcefully. But just as swiftly, he let go of the young man’s arm. “I shall go with you. Let me collect my things.”
But the young man put his hands up to slow Maxton down. “She’s not at the tavern, m’lord,” he said. “Wait here. I’ll bring her.”
Maxton’s eyebrows drew together. “Bring herhere?” he said. “Where is she?”
The young man kept his hands up as if to beg patience from the enormous knight who seemed quite fired up by the mention of the lady. He dashed away, heading for the fortified door where the guards were and, at Maxton’s urging, the guards opened the door and the young man ran through it.
Puzzled, Maxton was heading for the door himself to see what was going on when the young man suddenly reappeared with a figure in tow. It took Maxton less than a brief second to realize it was Andressa.
She looked frightened and a little dazed, wrapped up in her dirty woolens like a shield from the world at large. The young man had her by the arm, urging her forward, but when she saw Maxton, she needed no urging. Their eyes met and she scurried through the open door.
“My lady?” Shocked, Maxton moved quickly to her. “Are you well?”
Andressa gazed up at him with an expression that told him all he needed to know. No, she wasn’t well. Something was very wrong, and he immediately noticed that she was trembling. As she struggled for an answer to his question, he dug into the purse at his belt and gave the young man a coin. When the youngman dashed off, Maxton took Andressa by the arm and gently pulling her into the courtyard.
“I… I am sorry to have come uninvited,” Andressa finally said. “You said that I could leave word for you at The King’s Gout, but… it could not wait for you to receive it. I asked the tavern keeper if he would tell me where you lived and he had his son bring me here. I am very sorry to be such trouble, but…”
Maxton interrupted her. “It is no trouble at all,” he said. “I am glad you found me. How may I be of service?”
Andressa looked around; they were in the interior courtyard of a very big manor house and there were people all around, people she didn’t know. People who could tell the Mother Abbess that she’d come to this place. Suddenly, her fear had the better of her and she began to back away.
“I should not have come,” she whispered tightly, tears filling her eyes as she tried to pull her arm from his grip. “I should go. Forgive me, please.”
There was something desperate and almost incoherent about her manner, concerning Maxton a great deal. As much as she tried to pull away from him, he would not let her.
“Do not be troubled,” he assured her calmly. “No one will hurt you, I promise. What is so important that you had to come and find me?”
Andressa was coming to realize he wasn’t about to let her go so she stopped pulling. But she didn’t want to speak in front of all of these people even though they appeared not to be paying any attention to her. She couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t overhear what she had to say. She was trying very hard not to cry.
“May we… may we speak privately, please?” she whispered. “I do not have much time, my lord. Quickly, please.”
