As they passed by the cells, the men reacted and by the time they reached the end of the first hallway, howls had erupted from the cells. Some called out curses and others yelled, “They’re coming.” William could not get this business done with fastenough. Fin looked like he was about to lose his guts and his wits.
“Steady,” William said to him. “We will get her out of here. I will stay out of sight. You go to her and tell her the king bids her back.”
“Aye, my lord.”
It would be all over soon.
Chapter Seventeen
Watching him carefullyas he read her note, Agnes prayed he would take the bait. His brows drew in tight as he read her words, flipped the parchment to see if there was any writing on the back and then read it again. Iron bars separated them in this cell which was used for questioning. The guards had removed him from his normal cell which had a wooden door and one slot to view a prisoner by sliding the metal closure. They’d placed a stool opposite the entry for her to sit advising her to keep her distance.
Once they turned their backs, she slipped him the note and waited. The stench of the place was such that she wouldn’t be able to stay too long lest she lose her guts all over herself. In her note she recounted some of the phrases he’d used and referred to some of the stories to illustrate her loyalty. She signed the letter withLoyalty is Everything, Agnes.
After what seemed like an age, he looked at her and smiled with his brows raised. She nodded and forced a smile in return. She slipped quill, ink, and parchment beneath the iron door meant for food and pointed to it.
He took it and immediately sat and began his reply. He scribbled quickly, often looking up to see if the guards watched him.
“How are you being treated?” she asked him. He looked a state. His clothes were dirty and he was unkempt, which was in stark contrast to how he’d been before.
“They’re feeding me well,” he said. “But the lodgings are much to be desired. My requests for a daily bath have gone unanswered. Maybe you could put in a word for me?”
“Aye, Uncle, I will see what I can do.”
“Tell me why you have come as you know of the accusations against me.”
“I have come to plead and reason with you to cease this business and hand over the other rebels of this senseless cause.”
Of course, their talk was only for show to convince him she lied for the guards’ sake. Her letter had told him that much as well.
“You do not think me foolish enough to cease now we have come so far. I may be captured, but they will never find the rest for we are spread far and wide.”
“My husband has been injured, and they will not stop until I am as well, or worse. Do you not have any sense of loyalty to me and to our family?”
“It is to honor our family that I will not back away from this cause. Not for you nor anyone else. I will see this through ’til the end.”
John’s eyes narrowed as he lifted the folded parchment to hand it to her. A moment of hesitation and he withdrew his hand. “You are not being false with me, are you, niece?” he asked in a low voice.
“Whatever do you mean? I am come to plead with you to withdraw. There is nothing false in that.”
He took out the letter she’d given him again and read it once more. Then looked her up and down. “You do not look like you’ve been mistreated,” he murmured.
Agnes could see her plot unraveling before her. She had to think of something and quickly for she could hear footfalls approaching. This might be her only chance. She had to get the letter he’d written as she was convinced it contained vital information.
Rushing to the bars she held on to them and whispered, “Someone is coming. I am out of time and need your help. Please, Uncle. That information is vital to my safety. I won’t live without it.”
He hesitated and then passed her his note. Agnes took it and tucked it into the pocket in her skirt and then retreated to the stool.
“I take it you will not bend, then, Uncle? You will not order your rebel friends to cease their traitorous activity?”
“I will not.”
“My lady,” Fin said. “The king orders you away from the prisoner now.”
She had to keep up the act for just a few more minutes. “Very well, Fin. I will go with you. But I insist my uncle be treated better than he has. He has requested fresh water to bathe, and he should be permitted that much as he is my relative.” Then to John she said, “Farewell, Uncle. I am disappointed I could not make you see reason. Your fate is now out of my hands.”
With that she walked past Fin, past the guards, and onward toward the end of the hall to make the turn. When she did, she ran straight into William’s chest. The stench of the prison was swiftly replaced with his scent of leather and the outdoors. A loud “Oh!” escaped her lips to which William put his finger to his lips.
“What is happening?” John called from the cell. “What are you doing to my niece?”
