Adelaide’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before turning away. As quickly as the storm had arisen, it had passed. That was usual with Adelaide. It was a trait, just as she had the trait to seem rather mad but harmless to the world. But that wasn’t Adelaide at all; she was anything but harmless and those who fell victim to her only discovered that too late.
Evil didn’t even begin to encompass what she was capable of.
Which was why Hilde had warned Thomas. While Edmund de Vauden was alive, there was nothing Hilde could do because Edmund was complicit in his daughter’s behavior. She created the chaos and he cleaned up the mess. She had killed twounsuspecting young knights from good families, and Edmund buried the bodies in secret and made excuses to the families. So long as Edmund had been alive to clean up his daughter’s wickedness, Hilde had feared for her life should she speak out. Adelaide would kill her and Edmund would make her disappear. But with Edmund gone, there was no one to fill that void. What Adelaide did would be laid open for the world to see.
And Thomas had to know.
“I want you to see what is taking the priest from Kelso so long,” Adelaide broke into Hilde’s panic-driven thoughts. “Go find de Ryes and find out what is taking so long. Mayhap he will know.”
Quickly, Hilde got up off the floor and straightened her wimple. “Aye, my lady.”
She nearly ran from the chamber, leaving her sewing kit scattered on the floor. She waited until she was at the keep entry before allowing the tears to come, tears of pain and fear, tears she kept bottled up so Adelaide wouldn’t see them. Adelaide fed off of fear and the torment of others, so Hilde was very careful not to show anything other than obedience around her. But now that she knew what Adelaide’s intentions were, or at least suspected what they were, she wasn’t going to allow herself to fall victim to a madwoman. She had to plan her escape or die.
And she wasn’t ready to die yet.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kelso
“’Tis him?”
“’Tis.”
The Bold Hobelar could hardly believe his luck. The youngest de Wolfe cub, the commander of Wark Castle, was in Kelso on this day evidently without his army, which was shocking. Hobelar could hardly believe it until his men confirmed it.
“’Tis shockin’, I say,” Hobelar said. “I thought I recognized the man when we came intae town from the north, when he was in the crowd with those children. Do ye suppose the children are his own?”
The man who had confirmed the identity of Thomas de Wolfe was the same man who was always scouting for Hobelar, always breathless and quick of movement. He lifted his slender shoulders.
“He’s with a woman,” he said. “I saw him kiss her. It could be his wife.”
Hobelar’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “The man has come tae town with his wife and children, and no army?” he said in disbelief. “It is possible this is tae be too easy for us.”
“What do you intend to do?”
Hobelar turned towards the tournament field where the mass competition was currently taking place. He could hear the crowds cheering in the distance. He was huddled with a small group of his men in the cold shadows of Kelso’s big abbey while the rest of the group was wandering the crowd at the fair, stealing what they could.
Even the reivers had heard of the great fair today and they’d made a point of coming to steal, pickpocket, and otherwise wreak havoc on an unsuspecting crowd. But what he hadn’t counted on was seeing the man he’d sworn revenge against after the disaster in Coldstream. He’d managed to ambush one party from Wark, resulting in several deaths, but now to find the youngest de Wolfe cub within his sights, with no protection of soldiers, in fact, was almost too good to be true.
“I’m not certain,” he said. “Where is he now?”
The breathless man threw a finger in the direction of the tournament field. “He’s joined with other knights,” he said. “He’s fighting in the mass competition.”
That brought Hobelar pause. “Other knights,” he muttered. “Friends?”
“They fly the standard of Northwood Castle.”
That brought recognition to Hobelar. It also brought pause. “Northwood and de Wolfe are brothers tae the bone,” he said. “We thought the man was alone with his wife and bairns, but he’s not. He’ll stick with Northwood’s men.”
“Then what do you want to do about it?”
It was the second time the same question had been asked and Hobelar wasn’t entirely certain now, but the news that de Wolfe was with the Northwood knights had him thinking. He wouldgo after one knight alone, even a de Wolfe, but he wasn’t about to go after several heavily-armed Northwood knights, too. Still, he was an opportunist and knew he had to take his chances, for another one might not come. Revenge, if not taken when presented, often slipped away into oblivion.
His heart was pounding with the possibilities.
“Clearly, the man has come tae enjoy the fair and the competition,” Hobelar said. “He’s not come prepared tae do battle. But I’ll not let him slip away. We’ve found him in a moment of weakness and I’ll not let this go.”
“Then what do we do?” the breathless man demanded.
