“So no matter if we understand everything at hand or if we simply carry out the orders the king gave you, his safety is part of this?” Roger clarified.
“Aye,” he said, nodding at them.
Roger stood and dusted off his legs. “Then we have no choice but to carry out his orders and find out the heart of the matter. My mother’s mother used to tell stories about the old gods, but I know not whether they exist. It matters not. The king’s safety is the only thing.”
When he said it that way, William’s path became clear—meet Hugh, seek out his plans, and report back to the king. William stood and shook hands with both of them. A huge weight seemed to disappear from his body and soul now that he knew his friends would guard his back and be by his side in whatever happened.
“When do we go?” Gautier asked as he stood.
“I think midday. Four of us with the others at the ready.”
“Will he invite us in?” Roger asked.
“I come from the king. Not offering us hospitality would be an insult. So, aye, I think he will. If for nothing else than to discover our reasons for being here.”
“Do you think he knows we are here?”
William thought on the sight of Lord Hugh below in the valley, staring up at him and laughing. “Aye, he knows. Any man who controls his lands as Hugh does knows every time a stranger steps across the lines of his property. He knows.”
“I will post extra guards,” Gautier said as they walked to their tent. “And I think it should be Armand who comes with us.”
Armand was the best fighter after William, even better in battle than Roger, Gautier, or Herve. He was better at seeing patterns in dangerous situations than Roger and able to use his head as well as his sword. “Very well. Tell him on the morrow.”
The camp settled down for the night and a chill wind ripped through the tents, making some of the men shiver aloud. William felt it, and he needed no priest of the old gods or the one true God to tell him what his battle-ready gut could explain quite simply from experience— it was a harbinger of danger.
Even with so many unknown people and possibilities facing them, William slept well that night, as he always did before going into battle. His dreams did not show him battle plans though. Instead visions of a lass with black hair and amber eyes teased him through the long night. And the taste of her mouth, the feel of her soft flesh in his hands and against his body felt so real, he woke with his own flesh hard and ready to pleasure her.
Unfortunately, she was not to be his. And never could be.
As he rose and began to prepare to ride into Yester, he prayed that she was safe in the village and would stay out of his dealings with her lord. And he hoped that Gavin would keep her safe.
ChapterEleven
Brienne walked back from the well and along the path and never noticed the man standing in front of their cottage. But others had. She heard the murmurs growing as she got closer and looked up. But no one would meet her gaze, and everyone appeared to be interested in something else.
The man, the warrior, standing at her door stared only at her. She’d seen him before, at Lord Hugh’s side, both as they went about their business in Yester and whenever the lord rode out. Eudes was his name, and he bore a long scar on one cheek and down his neck, which added to his frightening appearance.
“You, girl,” he called out as he pointed at her. “You are to come with me now.”
Her heart pounded in fear. A summons to the castle was never good and usually deadly. Had Lord Hugh discovered she’d been with the strangers? Had someone reported her actions to him? Glancing around, she saw no one willing to help her.
“Why?” she asked, trying to delay in hopes that someone would scurry off and find her parents. “Where are you taking me?”
The words were not enough to stop him. He walked over to her and grabbed her arm in his meaty hand. His expression showed his surprise that any person here would question his order.
“You will find out when we get there.” Then, with a nod to others she’d not noticed, he pulled her along with him, his long legs covering the ground at a much faster pace than she could keep. Soon she was running, and when she could no longer do that, he dragged her as if he had not realized. Through the village, to the gates, and then over the bridge into the castle yard, they went at a relentless pace.
“Sir. Please.” She tried to pry his fingers loose so she could slow down and catch her breath. “A bit slower, I pray you.”
“My lord does not brook delays when he gives orders,” he barked out at her. “He wants to see you now, and I will not answer to his anger if I take too long getting there.”
She gave up then and found another soldier at her side, clutching her other arm and forcing her to keep up with them. None of the villagers even glanced at her as they passed by. Those living inside the walls of the castle and keep went about their tasks, taking no notice of the young woman being dragged within. As they passed the walls, doors, corridors, and stairs, Brienne knew she would never find her way out if she could escape. Then they reached what she thought was the third story in the farthest of the two sections of the keep and came to a stop.
When they released her, she crumpled to her knees, unable to breathe from both exertion and from the fear that was taking hold of her now. She’d been inside the keep a few times, coming with Gavin to deliver work to the steward in the great hall. But this chamber, on a high floor, was a place to which no one from the village was invited.
A few minutes passed, and no one attempted to help her to her feet or assist her in any way. The soldiers who’d escorted her stood in silence near the doorway, and Eudes stared out a window in the one wall. Pushing herself to her feet, she decided it was better to meet her fate standing than groveling on the floor. Brienne brushed the dirt from her gown and pushed the now-loosened tendrils of hair back out of her sweating face. The chamber was small, but the rushes on the floor were clean and fresh. A large chair sat at one end of the room, opposite the doorway. No other furniture was present. She glanced around to see if anyone waited outside in the corridor. Now each passing moment added to her fear. What did Lord Hugh want with her? Why bring her to what looked to be the family’s section of the keep? Eudes frowned at her when she moved.
Then, without warning, he was there, in the doorway. Larger than she remembered him to be and younger, as well. He entered with the vigor of youth and not the age she knew he must be. How had he changed?
