It was a clear night above, icy, with a scattering of stars across the night sky. Caria was cold, so she pressed against Mattie to keep warm as they watched the army trickle out. What they didn’t know was that William had been recalled to the keep by his wife and, even now, was arguing with her about riding out with the men. Jordan wanted him to remain and help her should the need arise and he wanted to do his duty. That was where the rub was because Jordan was convinced that he’d alreadydonehis duty—many times over and for many years—and didn’t needto ride out in a skirmish. He thought she was wrong and she thought she was right.
It was an argument they’d had before.
But Mattie and Caria weren’t aware of it. They were simply watching the spectacle below. The night was dark and spooky and the distant fires in the village had phantoms rising out of the smoke. Even if Mattie had never seen her husband or brother ride to battle, the impact of the moment wasn’t lost on her. It was a night of ghosts.
She was frightened.
“What do you suppose will happen?” Caria asked, shivering against Mattie. “Will they return soon?”
Mattie had her arms around the girl, mostly for warmth. “I hope so,” she said. “It is a cold night and they must all get back to their beds.”
Caria lifted her head to look at Mattie. “Will everything be well, do you think?”
Mattie nodded, her focus still on the gatehouse. “I think so,” she said. “They are all very brave and strong. They will chase the Scots away in no time. I think—”
She was cut off by an abrupt action at the gatehouse. The last of the army had just trickled out and the portcullis was still up, but suddenly, men were running through it. There were soldiers in the bailey, on the inside of the wall, and the men running through were attacking the soldiers. Abruptly, there was a fight going on, but some of the men running in through the gatehouse were heading for the keep.
And they were armed.
Seized with panic, because she truly didn’t know what was happening, Mattie released Caria and ran for the stairwell that led to the lower floors. It was a spiral staircase and she took it far too fast, slipping somewhere between the second and third floors and sliding all the way to the bottom. It did, however, gether to the floor where the hall was located quite fast, and she managed to get her feet underneath her and run like mad for the great hall.
She burst into the hall about the time soldiers were running in to inform William that the gatehouse had been breached. That had William drawing his sword and ordering the women to the upper floors where they would barricade themselves in their chambers. Rhoswyn took hold of Jordan while Avrielle, spying Mattie running into the hall, shouted at her to return to her chamber immediately and bolt the door. Caria, who had come down after Mattie, ran to Jordan and helped Rhoswyn move the old woman more quickly. As William and the soldiers headed down the main stairs to the keep entry, the women rushed upstairs.
Everything was chaos.
Avrielle ran with Mattie into the master’s chambers on the floor above. She didn’t have time to safely retreat to the chamber she and Scott shared, so she sought refuge in Mattie and Gar’s, throwing the gate at the top of the stairwell and then bolting the heavy oak door once she and Mattie entered. There was another door, however, in the smaller servants’ alcove that led to a very narrow, and very steep, set of stairs that went between the kitchen and all the floors. Mattie rushed to that door and threw both of the big bolts on it, making sure the chamber was secure from any incursion. Once that was done, she ran into the main chamber again, eyes wide with fear.
“What else shall we do?” she asked, breathless.
Avrielle was over at the narrow window that faced the western part of the bailey and the gatehouse. She could see a great deal of fighting down below because the army, realizing the gatehouse was rushed by Scots once they’d gone through, had returned and now there was fighting all over the place. It waseven up on the wall walk—some Scots had managed to make it up there.
“We’ll be safe here,” Avrielle said calmly, watching the turmoil unfold. “Even if they try to burn the doors down, they are reinforced with an iron cage. They will not be able to make it into the chamber.”
On the bed, Winchester awoke at the sound of voices and rolled over, spying his mistress and another woman in the chamber. He yawned and climbed off, coming over to Mattie for a pat, but she couldn’t seem to manage it. She was terrified. Timidly, she went to stand next to Avrielle and together, they watched the madness below.
“I’ve never seen a battle before,” she said, voice trembling. “I’ve lived my entire life in castles that never saw any fighting. This is new to me.”
Avrielle looked at her, smiling faintly. “You are married to Gar now,” she said. “I do not mean to be a doomsayer, but this will not be your last battle.”
“You’ve seen many?”
Avrielle nodded. “Many,” she said softly. “That is what it means to be married to a de Wolfe. They are the last line of defense between England and anarchy. Between peace and war. Without them, the north would be overrun, or worse. You have assumed a noble calling, my dear. The wife of a de Wolfe knight is not something to be taken lightly. It is something to be honored.”
Mattie let those words sink in a little. “Have you been married to your husband for a long time?”
Avrielle put her arm around Mattie’s shoulders. “Long enough,” she said. “Before that, I was married to another knight, a warlord, whom I lost in battle.”
Mattie looked at her sharply. “I’m so very sorry,” she said. “How awful for you.”
Avrielle shrugged. “It was at the time, of course,” she said. “And it is not easy to watch Scott go to battle time and time again. There is always a chance he will not return. But we must be brave.Youmust be brave. That is the best gift you can give Gar—your bravery in moments like this. When he returns, do not greet him in a flood of tears. Greet him with a smile and welcome him home. Let him see your strength.”
Mattie sighed heavily. “I do not know if I have any,” she said. “I’ve never had to show it.”
Avrielle gave her a quick squeeze. “You will,” she said. “It is there. You simply have to find it within you. Look—the battle is dwindling already. See?”
She was pointing from the narrow window and Mattie could, indeed, see that men were running from the gatehouse and the English were giving chase. What had started quickly was now just as quickly over. They could see men lying around on the ground and still other able-bodied men helping the wounded.
“Should we go down into the hall?” Mattie asked. “It looks as if there are wounded to be helped.”
