Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

L ockwood was a big place with a big moat.

That might be a problem.

It was raining, but not too terribly, as Donnel, Gaubert, and Styx stood on the road about a quarter of a mile from the manse. Styx had already done some scouting and come back to announce that there was one way in and one way out unless they were keen on swimming the moat.

No one was.

It presented a bit of a logistical problem. The manse, for the most part, wasn't a large structure, but the moat made it one of the most fortified homes in the area.

The moat changed everything.

It hadn't been difficult to find Lockwood. All they'd had to do was ask someone in London, who thought it might have been near Rochester. So they crossed the river and asked for directions from the first tavern they came to, and that tavernkeep knew exactly where it was. On the south side of the Thames, there weren't many homes, as most of them tended to be to the west and on the north side of the river. But Lockwood was on the south side of the river, to the east, and it sat amongst heavy trees and swampy fields. It did, however, have a commanding view of the river from the east, and even though it wasn't particularly imposing, it did present a problem.

A problem that they had to solve.

Something in their favor was the fact that there were no soldiers that anybody could see. The manse looked vacant except that when the sun went down and the storm rolled in, they could see points of light moving on the upper floors. Tapers, held by the occupants, were staving off the storm and the darkness inside the old stone walls.

That meant someone was there.

Perhaps even a certain niece and nephew.

Bolstering that opinion was the fact that just after sunset, while they were watching tapers in windows, a man departed the manse on a small palfrey. As they watched through dripping leaves, they could see that it was a priest because he was dressed in the robes of the cloister. If that wasn't strange enough, the royal messenger finally arrived. How on earth they beat the messenger to Lockwood was a mystery, but they had. Styx suggested that the messenger must have stopped somewhere for food and drink. Perhaps he had even visited friends. Whatever the case, the man had delayed his arrival to Lockwood, so that they saw him go in and they clearly saw him come out.

That was when Gaubert came up with an idea.

"Listen to me," he hissed from his hiding place behind a birch tree. "We will ambush the man, steal his clothing, and then go back and ask for admittance. Of course they will open the gate because they will think it is the messenger returned."

"Get in?" Donnel whispered loudly. "But we cannot see who is inside. We must have more time to determine what we are facing."

Gaubert waved him off. "We must kill whoever opens the gate to silence them," he said. "Then we find Ashford's children and depart."

Donnel, with rain dripping off his eyelashes, was watching the messenger draw closer as he plodded down the road. "I think it is reckless to gain entry so soon," he said. "We do not know who is inside. We do not even know who is at the gate. Mayhap only a servant, because we certainly have not seen any soldiers. I have difficulty believing the place is so poorly guarded."

"Look at it," Gaubert said, gesturing. "With that moat, they do not need soldiers. No one can get across that moat, so this may be our only opportunity, Donnel. We are foolish if we do not take it."

Donnel was still hesitant. "I am not certain," he said. "Just because we have not seen soldiers does not mean there are not any."

"Do you want your niece and nephew or don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then how else do you propose to get in?"

Donnel didn't have an answer, but that also made him defensive. "Do I have to think of everything?" he said. " I discovered where my niece and nephew were taken. I paid the man back in Southwark to tell us where this place was. I am even the one who will gain you entrance to Westminster so you can seek Henry when the time is right. I have done everything so far and you have done nothing. We are in this together, Gaubert. I suggest you start thinking of ways to contribute to the success of our plan."

Gaubert eyed the man unhappily. This entire venture was Donnel's idea. Well, for the most part, he didn't appreciate being scolded like he was so much baggage while Donnel was the brains. That was hardly the truth. As the messenger drew closer, Gaubert leaned in Styx's direction.

"Take the messenger," he muttered, indicating the rider. "We want his horse and his clothing."

Styx took off, using the heavy foliage as a shield. He remained on the very edge of the road, hidden in the bramble, as the messenger passed by. Then Styx launched himself at the messenger and the horse, plowing into the messenger and sending the man crashing off the other side of the horse. As Gaubert went after the startled animal, Styx descended on the messenger and smashed the man into the wet road, holding his face down into a dirty puddle of water.

It didn't take long for the messenger to stop moving.

Styx hauled the body over to the side of the road and began to strip him as Gaubert returned with the horse. Donnel bolted across the road where Styx was pulling the clothes from the messenger, and the three of them quickly realized that Gaubert was the only one who could possibly fit into the clothing. He was tall and thinner than either Styx or Donnel, so he began pulling off his clothing in haste.

"I will ride to the gate," he said, peering off into the distance even as he donned the scarlet and gold royal tunic. "But you two must remain concealed. I will dispatch whoever answers the gate and then you must come in a hurry. Do not delay once I summon you."

Donnel was helping Styx with the messenger. "This will work provided there are not a hundred soldiers inside that yard we cannot see," he said. "I still say that we must be cautious."

Gaubert put a big dagger in the belt of the tunic before pulling on the messenger's helm. "We have been watching that place for a few hours now and it is dead," he said flatly. "There are no soldiers inside."

"The walls are tall. They could be concealing them."

"I will ask you again—do you want your niece and nephew or not?"

Donnel did. He just didn't like that they couldn't see much of the manse in the distance. The night was dark and the rain, though light, hindered the view even more.

But they had to take the chance.

"I do," he said in resignation. "Styx and I will stay just inside the trees until you gain admittance. We will ride swiftly once you give us a signal and join you."

As Donnel darted back across the road for the mounts, Gaubert made sure the messenger's too-small helm fit well enough to cover his facial features. At least until he gained admittance. He mounted the man's skittish horse and began to trot down the road as Styx went to help Donnel collect all of the horses.

As agreed, the pair remained in the trees, watching Gaubert approach the gatehouse. The rain was beginning to let up a bit and the clouds were moving out, revealing a silver moon in the sky when they parted. It was much easier to see that way. And they saw, clearly, when Gaubert approached the gatehouse and shouted to whoever was inside.

With great anticipation, they waited.