Chapter Twenty-Three

R ichard pulled back on the reins of his horse whilst watching Stephen and Bishop Henry flee Wilton Abbey with a close guard surrounding them. The cowards ! ’Twas clear that Stephen cared little for his lieutenants and their men whom he had left behind to be captured or killed, sacrificing them to ensure his own escape from Earl Robert’s cavalry. Blake and Kingsley pulled their horses next to Richard’s even as several knights drove their own horses forward in pursuit.

Richard gave his steed a pat on his neck to calm the horse down. His steed reared its front legs as if telling him to ride on. “Easy now, Noble,” he whispered to settle him down. “There are more days ahead of us to chase after errant fools.”

Blake pulled at the neck of his tabard whilst adjusting his position in his saddle. “You do not wish to pursue them?”

Richard shook his head. “Let the others give chase,” he replied turning his horse back toward the camp where the battle continued to rage. “We shall return to the fighting and capture as many of Stephen’s high-ranking officers as we can. If he is foolish enough to leave them behind, then he can pay the ransom to have them returned if they live after the battle.”

Kingsley pulled his sword forward. “I am more than ready to fight these bastards.”

Blake peered over to Richard. “Do you suppose she is among those fighting?”

Richard almost winced thinking of Annora taking her life in her hands. “’Twould make sense if she yet lives. Be on the lookout for her if you are able.”

Kingsley lifted a brow even as a soft chuckle left his lips. “You are not planning on taking her hostage again, are you?”

That is exactly what Richard had in mind, but he did not voice his thoughts aloud. If he did espy Annora among those fighting, he would do all he could to ensure he kept her safe even if that meant he would fight by her side. He shook his head wondering how that would all work considering she would be fighting the earl’s men. If he aided her, he would then be considered a traitor to the earl and Empress. He needed a clear head and thinking of the lady was not going to help him accomplish such an outcome.

“Just watch out for her,” Richard snapped in frustration knowing he needed to keep himself alive so that he, too, would live another day.

The three friends returned to the battle scene. Richard rode Noble through the men on the ground using a mace to take down the enemy. He had the advantage of fighting from the height of his horse… that is until the enemy came at him from his own steed, causing Richard to fall to the ground. He would have returned to his faithful steed but the knight who unseated him swatted Noble on his rump, sending the steed off.

A sound behind him alerted Richard of an enemy, and he swiftly turned just in time to raise his shield to deflect a battle ax aimed at his body. The jarring force sent him momentarily to one knee, but he recovered quickly. He swung his weapon at the knight’s legs and heard a howl of pain when it made contact. The knight fell and Richard moved on to the next man who came at him bent on taking his life.

There was always another enemy to take the place of one he had felled. Richard lost his mace and drew his sword, hacking his way through his enemies all in the name of Empress Matilda and Earl Robert. Time ticked by until he briefly caught sight of a helmet flying from the head of a knight, revealing tawny hair in a long braid. He had found her.

Richard began fighting his way to Annora, stepping over bodies of the dead in his haste to reach her. “Annora!”

A grunt left him when someone elbowed him in his belly, and it took a minute for him to recapture his breath and search out the lady again. She gave him a wide-eyed expression of disbelief before plunging herself back into the battle. She was so driven with what was going on in front of her, that she did not realize there was a threat from behind.

“Annora! Behind you,” Richard called, trying to run in her direction. But the ground was slick from the battle and between the mud and blood that soaked the ground, his footing was precarious.

Annora whirled around in time to deflect the blade that had been aimed at her back. With a few more swings of her weapon, she felled the knight trying to kill her whilst Richard at last reached her side.

“What the devil are you doing, Richard?” she bellowed with a scowl.

“I found you,” Richard exclaimed but he was in a quandary because now he had no idea whom he should fight. If he were to protect Annora, he would be attacking the very men who served under his command. But joining those men in their attacks would mean turning his sword against Annora. Whilst that thought ran amuck in his head, he did the only thing possible. He took hold of her arm and began pulling her from the battlefield.

“Let go of me,” she ordered, struggling to escape from his hold without any success.

“I need to get you out of here,” Richard replied as he continued to pull her along.

“The hell you do,” she snapped. “I have a duty to fulfill, or have you forgotten my purpose?”

Richard frowned as she continued to thrash against the grip of his fingers from her arm. “I have forgotten nothing. I, too, have a purpose that I cannot accomplish with you in my way. I need to save you.”

“No one told you to do so and I can save myself,” she hotly retorted. She kicked his shin that only stunned him briefly.

“If that is the best you can do to defend yourself, then ’tis good that I came when I did. Or did you forget that you would have had a sword buried into your back had I not called out a warning?” he retorted as he pulled her near a tree and let go of her arm. He looked around to ensure they were safe. For the moment, they were—but ’twas not a safety that would last for long.

“My thanks for that but I still do not need you to fight my battles,” Annora declared sharply taking several steps backward away from him. “Now, if you will excuse me, I need to return to the fighting.”

“Your fighting is over for the day. If you but cared to take a second to look about you, you would see that Stephen and the Bishop have fled, leaving you and their men to fight a losing battle. ’Tis only a matter of time before all is lost for Stephen’s cause in this place.”

She lifted her chin in defiance. “Then I will continue on and surrender when the rest of Stephen’s army concedes.”

“Foolish woman,” he yelled before taking both of her arms and giving her a shake. “Do you want to die for a worthless cause?”

“You know I have my reasons for fighting for Stephen,” she countered.

“And you know I cannot allow you to continue,” Richard replied. The fighting was drawing closer, and he knew he would need to make a quick decision regarding Annora.

“You do not own me, nor do you have any say on what I do,” she said, holding firm to her resolve.

“I do now,” he said making his decision. He came to stand before her, yanking her sword from her hand after a brief tug-of-war between them. He quickly tucked her weapon in his belt. Bending down, he hoisted the protesting woman over his shoulder and began to carry her away from the battle.

“Put me down this instant, Grancourt, or I shall scream,” she warned whilst pounding on his back with her fists.

“Go ahead. No one will hear you above the sounds of war,” Richard answered as he continued to carry her away.

“I hate you!”

“Nay, you do not.”

She began to curse him to hell whilst he completely ignored her outrage and the foul names she called him. As he continued carrying her away, Richard could only begin to wonder if the accord they had formed during their previous time together would ever be renewed. From the ire in her tone now, ’twas as if their kisses at Oxford never happened. Richard wished he could change their present situation. He was going to need to start all over again trying to tame this hellcat of a woman.