“How long has it been since they took her?”
“By our estimation, at least an hour. It appears they only poisoned you both enough so they could make their escape.”
“William, I am so sorry,” his mother said from the table. Her eyes were red and puffy. “I should have seen to her more after your father passed. Should have guided her more.”
William placed his hand on her shoulder. “I don’t believe anything could have been done for her part. There’s always been something off about Elspeth; you know that. And now we know all those years she blamed the boys for her doing, a seed of evil had firmly rooted within her heart. It appears that root has found firm soil in which to thrive. She will be stripped of any funding from this day forward and will never be permitted entry to these lands again. Does everyone hear me?”
He turned to Neville, whose face was flushed. William wouldn’t take his annoyance out on anyone in particular, but he had considered safety and security at great length and even he’d been blindsided by his sister’s involvement. Aye, it was true a stranger would have never gotten through the gates, but a family member who’d never been suspected was a sideways betrayal he could have never anticipated. Brilliant. But completely unpredictable.
“The right or left passage?”
“Left,” Neville said. “So you know where that leads.”
“Aye, I do. Have you sent men to intercept?”
“I have.”
“Chances?”
Neville shook his head.
“Neville, I must know what you think as I do not have all the pieces to do so myself.”
Neville shuffled on his feet and cast his gaze downward. Reaching around to scratch the back of his neck, he said, “I don’t think the chances are good that we will find her this night.”
William placed his hands on the table. How he longed to place his head in his hands and give in to the ache in his heart like his mother. But he didn’t have that luxury.
Standing, he motioned for the guards by the door to come closer. “You four will ride hard to Stirling Castle and inform the king of what has transpired here including the fires at the village and the abduction of my wife. The king will secure his own household, but you can tell him, I will accept nothing less than a complete and thorough search of every dwelling between here and Munroe lands. They are now considered enemies of the crown in my eyes, and I suspect will be through the king’s as well.”
When the men left, he turned back to Neville. “My mother and brothers are to be confined to their chambers until I return. See to it food and drink are brought up at the appropriate mealtimes and that they are placed in the adjoining chambers with guards posted outside the doors.”
Thankfully his mother didn’t protest, though he suspected his younger brothers would. Hopefully it wouldn’t be for long and though they’d clearly got what they came for, he couldn’t be sure if there was a further agenda against his family now considering the source. At least he could do one small thing by cutting off her money. He’d thought it strange at the time when she asked for her dowry in increments rather than upfront as was customed. He now realized that his father would think the first large sum was it, so they could then use the remaining increments to fund this rebellion. Well, no more.
The only piece of comfort was that maybe, just maybe the Munroe chief was not involved. Though his comments for the king’s ears would suggest otherwise, the king would compare his own intelligence to the happenings here and come to the appropriate conclusion. Even if the chief was not involved, he would have to take responsibility for the actions of his clansmen. Arson and abduction of a countess were both punishable by death. He shook his head. Was his sister truly prepared for the consequences of her actions? Was the cause truly that important?
“Does that mean I am not to accompany you, my lord?”
Neville was his most trusted friend. They’d been through much together since his father’s passing, but these two attacks had weakened the man somehow, and William needed time for his faith in him to return. For now, and with such heavy security about, here was the best place for him.
“Aye, you will remain here and ensure the continued security of my family.”
The man bent his head low which tugged on William’s affection, but he could not and would not take further chances with this business. If the man’s feelings were hurt, William couldn’t help that. Did he blame him? No. But at the moment, he was compromised.
William then turned to his mother. “You will accompany Neville to your chamber now, Mother. See to it you stay there and keep the boys in the room adjoining yours.”
Used as a nursery many years ago, there was still one bed and another that could be brought over from one of the other rooms so both boys could sleep in comfort. They’d be bored, aye, and his mother would be contrary about being restricted from the garden, but he would not bend in this regard until all of this business was over once and for all.
William spoke then with the guards he selected to accompany him on his own search. There were only a few places they could get to in the dark from that passageway, so he wanted to waste no more time before the path grew cold.
With six guards, they mounted their horses and moved around to the back of the castle to where the pathway led to a small opening in the brush. These passageways had been built early in the castle’s history as a way for the family to escape should they come under siege. They’d not been used in years, by William’s estimation, certainly not since the curtain wall and guard tower had been put in place. He hadn’t considered them at all when ensuring the security of the perimeter initially. Why would he? Save for Neville, the family were the only ones who knew they were there. When this was all over, he’d see to it they were sealed shut for good.
Christ’s teeth, how had his world become so turned upside down? One minute he was reveling in the newfound joy he’d discovered with Agnes. Now he was tracking in the dark to hopefully find some clue as to which direction they might have traveled once they hit the road. At that point, he’d have to make a leap of faith, and he prayed to God to steer him in the right direction.
Chapter Twenty
When Agnes woke,all was dark around her save for a soft glow from a fire across from where she lay. She tried not to make much motion to alert anyone that she was awake so she could glean as much information as possible. She couldn’t be sure if they would drug her again, or worse, so she’d keep quiet and see what she could learn.
Long moments passed with no sound until muffled voices sounded from outside. Boots shuffled near her and a person she’d not realized sat right beside her stood and moved to the door. When it opened, a deep male voice said, “It’s about time.”
