“How—?” she began, bewildered. “Raine, please, you’re not making sense. He’s a man alone and I don’t want to see him killed. He wants his sister. Do you know where she is?”
“Now you ask me to betray my brother for this filth. Has he told you of Mary’s last moments alive?” He looked at Roger, a snarl curling his lip. “Did you enjoy the sound of her body breaking on the stones?”
Alyx could feel herself becoming ill at the images Raine conjured, and she almost wanted to turn Roger over to him. But the King would only have another excuse to keep Raine’s lands. He’d never pardon Raine if an earl were killed by him.
“You have to release him,” she said quietly. “You cannot kill him in cold blood. Come, Roger. I will walk with you to your horse.”
Without a word, Roger Chatworth walked before her back into the fair where his horse waited. Neither Raine nor his guards followed.
“He will never forgive you,” Roger said.
“I didn’t do it for you. If Raine killed you, the King would never forgive him. Go now and remember that a Montgomery was good to you when you didn’t deserve it. I want no harm to come to Miles or Elizabeth and I will do what I can to see that she is returned to you.”
With a look of disbelief, awe and gratefulness, he turned his horse and rode away from the Montgomery estates.
Alyx stood still a moment, her heart beating wildly as she thought about facing Raine again. Of course he’d be angry, but when she explained why she’d helped his enemy, he’d understand. Slowly, dreading the coming argument, she walked back toward the trees where the guard stood.
It took only seconds to see that Raine wasn’t there. “Where is he?” she asked, sure he had gone to some private place for their coming battle.
“My lady,” one of the guards began. “Lord Raine has returned to the forest.”
“Yes, I know,” she said. “Where we can be alone. But which direction did he take?”
For a moment Alyx only looked at the man, and after a long while she came to realize what the man meant. “The forest? You mean the camp of the outlaws?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Fetch my horse! I’ll go after him. We can catch him.”
“No, my lady. We have orders to return you to Lord Gavin. You are not to follow Lord Raine.”
“I must go,” she said, looking up at the men pleadingly. “Don’t you see that I had to keep Raine from killing Chatworth? The King would put Raine on the block if he killed an earl. I must explain this to my husband. Take me to him at once!”
“We cannot.” The guard hardened his jaw against the look of sympathy in his eyes. “Our orders come from Lord Raine.”
“Perhaps if my lady were to speak to Lord Gavin,” another guard suggested.
“Yes,” she said eagerly. “Let’s return to the castle. Gavin will know what to do.”
Once mounted, Alyx set a pace that the knights had difficulty keeping up with. As soon as the horse’s hooves touched the pavement of the courtyard, Alyx was off and running into the house.
She slammed into one empty room and started for another, then stood still and bellowed, “Gavin!”
In seconds, running down the stairs came Gavin, his face a mask of incredulousness. Judith was close behind him.
“Was that you calling?” Gavin asked, awed. “Raine said you had a strong voice but—”
Alyx cut him off. “Raine has returned to the outlaw camp. I must go to him. He hates me. He doesn’t understand why I did it. I must explain.”
“Slow down,” Gavin said. “Tell me what’s happened from the beginning.”
Alyx tried to breathe deeply. “Roger Chatworth—”
The name was enough to make Gavin explode. “Chatworth! Has he harmed you? Has Raine gone after him? Fetch my men,” he said to one of his men standing behind Alyx. “Full armor.”
“No!” Alyx shouted, then put her face in her hands. The tears were finally starting.
Judith put her arm around Alyx. “Gavin, talk to the men while I take care of Alyx.” She led Alyx to a cushioned niche under a window, took her hands in her own. “Now tell me what has happened.”
