Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

A LYX FEELING SO smug because she thought she'd guessed that this man wanted her to use her influence on her husband, suddenly felt very frightened. Clumsily, her fear showing on her face, she started to stand.

"Please," he said softly. "I don't mean to harm you. I only want to talk to you for a moment." He sat down on the end of the bench, feet away from her, his head down, hands clasped. "Leave. I won't stop you."

Alyx was already past him when she turned back. "If my husband sees you, he will kill you."

Roger didn't answer and Alyx, frowning, telling herself she was a fool, went back to the bench. "Why have you risked coming here?" she asked.

"I would risk anything to find my sister."

"Elizabeth?"

Perhaps it was the way she said the name, but Roger's head came up sharply. "You know her? What do you know?" His hands made fists.

"Pagnell, the earl of Waldenham's son—"

"I know the piece of slime."

Quickly, Alyx told the story of how Elizabeth had helped her and how Pagnell had punished Elizabeth.

"Miles!" Roger said, standing. He was richly dressed in dark blue velvet, a satin brocade doublet, his long, muscular legs tightly encased in dark hose. This was not the man Alyx would have imagined as anyone's enemy.

"And what has Miles done with my innocent sister?" Roger demanded, his eyes flashing.

"Not what you did with the Lady Mary," Alyx shot back.

"The woman's death is on my soul, and I have paid for it with the loss of my brother. I do not plan to lose my sister as well."

Alyx had no idea what he was talking about. What did Roger's brother have to do with Mary's death? "I don't know where Miles and Elizabeth are. I have not been well. Perhaps while I was resting Raine found out about Miles, but I know nothing."

"What of the Lady Judith? I don't think much is done that she doesn't know about. Did she tell you something?"

"No, nothing. Why are you free when my husband has to hide, yet it was you who killed Mary?"

"I did not kill her!" he said vehemently. "I—no! I don't want to discuss it, and as for being free, the King has taken all my rents for the next three years. Most of my men have left me because I cannot pay them. I have only one small estate to house what is left of my family, which now consists of one vicious sister-in-law. My brother hates me and has vanished from the earth, and now my lovely, sweet sister is held prisoner by a boy who is notorious for his deflowering of women. I have not been punished? Your husband still retains his lands, his own steward runs them while a King's man runs mine. Do you know what will be left in three years' time? Your husband has all of his family. He even has the leisure to fall in love and marry while I have no one left—one brother killed, one turned against me, my sister a prisoner. And you say I am not punished? That I am free?"

He stopped after this speech and looked away, unseeing, into the distance.

"I don't know what has happened to Elizabeth. Gavin went after Miles, but he came back right away. I didn't speak to him when he returned."

"I will kill him if he harms her."

"And what will that gain?" Alyx shouted, hurting her sore throat, but at least her voice made him blink. "Will any of you rest until all of you are killed? Miles did not take Elizabeth; she was given to him. He is innocent. Pagnell is the one who should bear your wrath, But you are too used to hating the Montgomerys and blaming them for all your problems."

"What could I expect from a Montgomery?" he asked sullenly. "Already you believe them to be gods on this earth."

"Stupid man!" she spat. "I only want this war of yours to end. Raine has to live in a forest surrounded by criminals and all because of you."

"Gavin started this by playing with my sister-in-law. One woman wasn't enough for him. He also wanted Alice."

Alyx put her hands to her head. "I don't know any of this. You must go now. Raine will be looking for me."

"Do you mean to protect me?"

"I plan to protect my husband from a fight and me from his wrath."

"I cannot leave until I find out about Elizabeth."

Alyx gritted her teeth. "I don't know where Elizabeth is."

"Will you find out and tell me?"

"Absolutely not!" She was astonished that he'd ask this. "Miles is with her, and I'll not do anything to endanger him."

Roger's mouth made a grim line. "You are a fool to come out here with me. I could take you now and demand Elizabeth's release while I hold you."

Swallowing once, Alyx knew she must brave this out and not let him see her fear. "You have no guards near you. Will you strike a pregnant woman? How far will you get alone with me? Elizabeth still believes you are a good man. Would she still if you took yet another Montgomery prisoner?" Alyx could tell by his face that she was striking a nerve. "How did you explain Mary's death to her?"

Alyx paused a moment, watching him. "You must go."

Before either of them could react, through the trees burst Raine and his guards. Instantly, four swords were at Roger Chatworth's throat.

Raine grabbed Alyx, held her with one arm, his sword drawn in the other. "The bastard has not harmed you?" Raine growled. "Kill him," he said in the next breath.

"No!" Alyx screamed at the top of her lungs and successfully made the men halt. Instantly, she placed herself before Roger. "He has done me no harm. All he wants to know is where his sister is."

"In the grave beside mine," Raine said, eyes narrowed.

"She's not dead," Alyx said. "Raine, please, let's end this feud now. Swear that you'll see that Elizabeth is returned to Roger."

"Roger, is it?" Raine breathed in through his teeth, glaring at her until she took a step backward, closer to Roger. "How long have you known him?"

"How—?" she began, bewildered. "Raine, please, you're not making sense. He's a man alone and I don't want to see him killed. He wants his sister. Do you know where she is?"

"Now you ask me to betray my brother for this filth. Has he told you of Mary's last moments alive?" He looked at Roger, a snarl curling his lip. "Did you enjoy the sound of her body breaking on the stones?"

Alyx could feel herself becoming ill at the images Raine conjured, and she almost wanted to turn Roger over to him. But the King would only have another excuse to keep Raine's lands. He'd never pardon Raine if an earl were killed by him.

"You have to release him," she said quietly. "You cannot kill him in cold blood. Come, Roger. I will walk with you to your horse."

Without a word, Roger Chatworth walked before her back into the fair where his horse waited. Neither Raine nor his guards followed.

"He will never forgive you," Roger said.

"I didn't do it for you. If Raine killed you, the King would never forgive him. Go now and remember that a Montgomery was good to you when you didn't deserve it. I want no harm to come to Miles or Elizabeth and I will do what I can to see that she is returned to you."

With a look of disbelief, awe and gratefulness, he turned his horse and rode away from the Montgomery estates.

Alyx stood still a moment, her heart beating wildly as she thought about facing Raine again. Of course he'd be angry, but when she explained why she'd helped his enemy, he'd understand. Slowly, dreading the coming argument, she walked back toward the trees where the guard stood.

It took only seconds to see that Raine wasn't there. "Where is he?" she asked, sure he had gone to some private place for their coming battle.

"My lady," one of the guards began. "Lord Raine has returned to the forest."

"Yes, I know," she said. "Where we can be alone. But which direction did he take?"

For a moment Alyx only looked at the man, and after a long while she came to realize what the man meant. "The forest? You mean the camp of the outlaws?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Fetch my horse! I'll go after him. We can catch him."

"No, my lady. We have orders to return you to Lord Gavin. You are not to follow Lord Raine."

"I must go," she said, looking up at the men pleadingly. "Don't you see that I had to keep Raine from killing Chatworth? The King would put Raine on the block if he killed an earl. I must explain this to my husband. Take me to him at once!"

"We cannot." The guard hardened his jaw against the look of sympathy in his eyes. "Our orders come from Lord Raine."

"Perhaps if my lady were to speak to Lord Gavin," another guard suggested.

"Yes," she said eagerly. "Let's return to the castle. Gavin will know what to do."

Once mounted, Alyx set a pace that the knights had difficulty keeping up with. As soon as the horse's hooves touched the pavement of the courtyard, Alyx was off and running into the house.

She slammed into one empty room and started for another, then stood still and bellowed, "Gavin!"

In seconds, running down the stairs came Gavin, his face a mask of incredulousness. Judith was close behind him.

"Was that you calling?" Gavin asked, awed. "Raine said you had a strong voice but—"

Alyx cut him off. "Raine has returned to the outlaw camp. I must go to him. He hates me. He doesn't understand why I did it. I must explain."

"Slow down," Gavin said. "Tell me what's happened from the beginning."

Alyx tried to breathe deeply. "Roger Chatworth—"

The name was enough to make Gavin explode. "Chatworth! Has he harmed you? Has Raine gone after him? Fetch my men," he said to one of his men standing behind Alyx. "Full armor."

"No!" Alyx shouted, then put her face in her hands. The tears were finally starting.

Judith put her arm around Alyx. "Gavin, talk to the men while I take care of Alyx." She led Alyx to a cushioned niche under a window, took her hands in her own. "Now tell me what has happened."

Alyx's tears and her sense of urgency made her nearly incoherent. It was only by careful questioning that Judith was able to piece the story together.

"I didn't understand," Alyx sobbed. "Roger kept talking about things I didn't understand. Who is Alice? Who was his brother? What did he have to do with Mary's death? Raine was so angry. He ordered Roger killed and I had to stop him. I had to!"

"It's a good thing you did. Now I want you to sit here quietly while I go find Gavin. I'll tell him your story and Gavin will be able to reason with Raine."

Judith found her husband and twenty knights in the courtyard, looking as if they were preparing for war. "Gavin! What are you doing?"

"We're going after Chatworth."

"Chatworth? But what about Raine? He believes Alyx sided with Chatworth. You have to go to Raine and make him understand. Alyx was protecting Raine—not Chatworth."

"Judith, I don't have time to solve a lovers' quarrel now. I have to find Miles and warn him about Chatworth or else find Chatworth and see that he can't gather an army and go after my brother."

"Get Miles to release Elizabeth. That's what Chatworth wants," Judith said. "Give him back his sister."

"Like he returned mine? Across a horse, face down?"

"Gavin, please," Judith pleaded.

He stopped a moment and pulled her to him. "Raine is safer in the forest. No doubt Chatworth will let the King know of Raine's threats and that will renew the King's wrath. And Alyx was to stay here anyway, so it's worked out well. Now Miles is of more concern to me. I don't believe he's harmed the girl, but I'd hoped we'd have time before Chatworth found out where she was. I have to warn my brother and give him protection if he needs it."

"And what of Alyx? Raine believes she betrayed him."

"I don't know," Gavin said, dismissing the subject. "Write him and send a messenger. Raine is safe—angry perhaps, but anger won't harm him. Now I must go. Look after Alyx while I'm gone and feed my son."

She smiled up at him and he kissed her lingeringly. "Take care," she called after him as he and his men rode out.

Judith's smile didn't last long as she reentered the house and saw Alyx sitting alone on the window seat.

"Is Gavin going to Raine?" Alyx whispered, hope in her voice.

"Not now. Perhaps later he will go. Now he has to warn Miles that Roger Chatworth knows a Montgomery holds Elizabeth."

Alyx leaned back against the stone casing. "How could Raine believe I'd betray him? Chatworth asked me to find out where Elizabeth was, but I refused. I only wanted to help Raine, to help the whole family. Now I have worsened all of it."

"Alyx," Judith said, taking her sister-in-law's cold hands. "There are things you don't know, things that happened before you were part of our family."

"I know about Mary's death. I was with Raine when he found out."

"Before that there were events—"

"Having to do with this Alice Roger mentioned and his brother?"

"Yes. Alice Chatworth started it all."

Alyx was amazed at the coldness in Judith's eyes, at the way her lovely features changed. "Who is Alice?" Alyx whispered.

"Gavin was in love with Alice Valence," Judith said in a small voice. "But the woman would not marry him. Instead she caught herself a rich earl, Edmund Chatworth."

"Edmund Chatworth," she said. The man Jocelin had killed.

"Edmund was killed one night by a singer who was never caught," Judith continued, not knowing Alyx's knowledge.

"I always believed Alice Chatworth knew more about what happened than she told. As a widow she decided she could afford to marry Gavin, but Gavin refused to put me aside and marry her. Alice did not take losing very well." Judith's voice was heavy with sarcasm. "She took me prisoner and threatened to pour boiling oil on my face. There was a scuffle and the oil scarred Alice."

"Roger said his household consisted of one vicious sister-in-law. Surely he cannot have harmed Mary because of the scarring?"

"No, later Roger was in Scotland and met the woman King Henry had promised Stephen for a bride. Bronwyn is rich and well worth a fight. Roger claimed her for his and he and Stephen fought. Roger is a proud man and a renowned knight, but Stephen bested him and in a rage, Roger attacked Stephen's back."

"Stephen was not hurt, was he?"

"No, but Roger's reputation was destroyed. All over England people laughed at him and began calling a back stabbing a ‘Chatworth.'?"

"And so Roger retaliated by taking Mary. He must have seen the Montgomerys as the cause of all his humiliations," Alyx said.

"He did. He begged Stephen to kill him on the battlefield, but Stephen wouldn't and Roger felt further insulted. So Roger held Mary and Bronwyn prisoners for a while. I don't believe he'd have harmed Mary if it weren't for Brian."

"And who is Brian?"

"Roger's young brother, a crippled, shy boy who fell in love with Mary. When Brian told Roger he planned to marry Mary, Roger got drunk and climbed in bed with Mary. You know what Mary did. Brian brought her body back to us."

"And now Miles has Elizabeth," Alyx said. "Raine is outlawed. Roger has lost his family and his wealth and now Miles's life may be in danger. Is there no way to stop this hatred? What if Roger kills Miles? What will happen then? Who will be next? Will any of us ever be safe again? Will our children grow up to hate Chatworths? Will my child fight Roger's?"

"Quiet, Alyx," Judith said softly, pulling Alyx into her arms. "Gavin has gone to warn Miles and he will be safe. Besides, Bronwyn is there with her men, and even if Chatworth were to raise an army, he won't be able to fight the MacArrans."

"I hope you're right. And Raine will be safe in the forest."

"Let's go and write letters to Raine now. We'll send a messenger tonight."

"Yes," Alyx said, sitting up, brushing tears away. "As soon as Raine knows the truth I'm sure he'll forgive me."