Noble Hearts 03 - The Courageous Heart (4 page)

As the group passed people stood straighter, switching to
tip-toe
to catch a glimpse of those who had just
brushed them
. Joanna did the same. Her heart caught in her throat at the sight of a handsome man in his middle years with a crown of gold and jewels on his head. King Richard.

The king swept to the front of the room and mounted the stairs to the dais that held his throne. He turned and glanced across his people with an assessing stare. Those who had marched in with him took up spots around the throne. Joanna recognized Prince John from his visit to Derbyshire years ago. He hadn’t aged much but his expression was drawn and penitent. An older woman stood near him with enough gold and jewels on her headdress to mark her as Eleanor, the Queen Mother.

Joanna’s heart thundered in her ears. She’d never dreamed of being in the presence of such greatness. Her knees threatened to give out. Her arms were numb as they held the children. Meg was wailing still. The room had gone silent but for her ear-splitting cries.

King Richard spoke something in a foreign language. Joanna had no idea what he’d sa
id
but his tone did not bode well
. He frowned
and searched in her direction. She tried to pat Meg’s back, do anything to keep her quiet, but with Wulfric squirming in her other arm there was little she could do.

“Silence that child!” a voice boomed in English.

The crowd of nobles inched away from Joanna, singling her out. Madeline broke away from Jack and crossed to pluck her daughter from Joanna’s arms. Joanna would have been grateful but for the
panic in Madeline’s eyes. Madeline cradled Meg close as Jack rushed to hover by her side.
The king spoke again.

“It’s L
ord John of Kedleridge, your majesty
,” Matlock
answered
. “The peasant who your rebellious brother made into a lord.” He repeated his words in the same language the king had spoken, but they had already had their effect on the r
est of the nobles in the room.

The buzz that followed was too much like angry bees. The nobles around them parted further
,
glancing between them and Prince John
.
The prince kept his eyes downcast.

“My liege.
”
Crispin stepped into the opening, dropping to one knee and addressing the king with more humility than Joanna
thought
he
possessed. “Lord John was raised to his title for acts of valor in the service of the crown. He has continued to earn his position through untiring service to you and to England.”

Jack caught on a few beats too late and dropped to his knee in imitation of his friend.
They both stole glances to Prince John, silent pleas for help.

There was a long silence.
Prince John shook his head.

The king spoke in the foreign language again. A minister standing near him translated. “King Richard demands to know who you are.”

“I am Sir Crispin of Huntingdon, Earl of Derby, your majesty.”

“Another appoint
ment of your brother’s, your majesty
,” Matlock added
, repeating his words once again in the king’s language
. He slid close
r
to the throne,
to where
Pennington
had positioned himself next to the king
.

King Richard
frowned at a stoic Prince John then spoke to
Pennington
.

Pennington
turned a
mock startled look
on Crispin and Jack. “
Why no,
I don’t believe they have swor
n fealty to you as yet, your majesty
.”

Madeline gripped Aubrey’s arm, her eyes as wide and white as moons. Aubrey didn’t look much better. All Joanna could do was hold Wulfric and pray.

King Richard spoke directly to Crispin and Jack. The two of them exchanged apprehensive glances. “Aubrey,” Crispin spoke over his shoulder without taking his eyes off the king, “take Madeline and get out.”

“No. I’m not leaving without you.”

The king spoke again. The tension in the room doubled.

“Why doesn’t he speak in English?” Jack hissed.

“He doesn’t know
how,” Crispin whispered back.

“He’s the bloody king of England and he doesn’t speak English?”
Jack swallowed.

“What he’s saying, peasant,” Matlock took a step towards them, giddy with delight, “is that he doesn’t think it’s particularly wise for the appointments of
his
usurp
ing brother
to
go unchallenged. Or
perhaps his words would be better translated as
unpunished
.”

The king spoke to Matlock again. Matlock
spun
towards him, dropping to his knee.
Pennington stepped forward to say something, gesturing to Matlock and then to Crispin and Jack.
Joanna couldn’t understand his words but she knew the tone all too well.
The heads on the Tower walls flashed to her mind
.
She understood
those heads
had gotten there.

“Why doesn’t Prince John say something?” Jack muttered to Crispin, flushed with panic.

“He can’t.” Crispin motioned for him to be quiet. “Not unless he wants to be
hanged
for a traitor.”

“
Hanged
?
No!” Madeline gasped.

“Nothing’s happened yet.
”
Aubrey tried to comfort her but didn’t sound convinced.

King Richard sighed and answered whatever
Pennington
had said to him. He put a question to Pennington. Pennington
bowed low and
sent a swift glance in Jack’s direction
as he spoke to the king
.
His words were in the king’s language, but his
sneer
revealed everything.
He
finished his speech with a
n
obsequious
grin and melted back into the rest of the nobles.

The king stood. The sea of nobles sank to bows.
He
made a pronouncement in a loud voice. A murmur filled the room before his translator could say, “The king has declared that Sir Crispin and L
ord John should be detained in t
he T
ower until such a time as the appointments made by his brother can be investigated.
”

Before Madeline could shout “No!” four armed guards sprung forward from the sides of the room. The assembly of nobles
moved
out of their way, thrilled at the prospect of two men being arrested. The guards wrenched Crispin and Jack to their feet before they could rise on their own and had their hands
in shackles
behind their backs in seconds.

“Your majesty, I can assure you that we are true and faithful subjects,” Crispin argued. His plea was not translated for the king.

“You can’t do this!” Aubrey stepped forward, eyes blazing with anger and panic. “You can’t lock them up after everything they’ve done in Derbyshire!”

“Please!” Madeline rushed forward. “They have done nothing but serve you, your majesty!” To Joanna’s surprise she
continued
her plea in the king’s language. Crispin, Aubrey, and Jack
stopped their struggles,
watch
ing
her in shock.

The king spoke and Madeline bowed
low
, Meg still fussing in her arms.

“This is my daughter, your majesty, the peasant lord’s wife.” Matlock glared at her then re
peated his words for the king
. “She should be remanded into my custody while her husband is held prisoner, your majesty. Let me deal with her.”

“No!” Jack shouted, straining against his captors. “No, your majesty, he’ll kill her!”

The guard holding Jack jerked him back. Jack let out a cry
of pain and protest. He
jammed his elbow into the man’s gut. The second guard holding him
reached around to strangle him.
Jack’s eyes bulged.

Crispin shouted and
rushed to defend his friend as best he could. He
kicked at
the guard strangling Jack
.
The guard let go
, but the one holding Crispin
joined the fray
. He clamped Crispin’s arms to immobilize him while
his mate
punched
Crispin
in the gut.
Crispin
doubled over.

Aubrey shrieked. She pushed the guard nearest to
her
then drew
the man’s sword from its scabbard.

With a collective gasp the nobles watching the scene backed up.
Joanna’s heart pounded to her throat as the rest of her went numb. She knew what her mistre
ss was capable of.

Aubrey
slashed a
t
the guard who had punched Crispin. He
jumped away
. His fellow
let go of Crispin. O
ff-balance
, Crispin
spilled to the side
, knocking into the man holding Jack
. More guards rushed in
to
the room. Aubrey spun and swung at them when they tried to get close.
She gave one
a nasty gash across his face
. The
watching nobles
fell
into a panic. They began to push towards the exit.

“Arrest them!” a voice demanded above the growing din of the crowd. “Arrest that woman as well!”

Joanna
screamed
as a guard barreled into Aubrey from behind. The force of the impact knocked the sword out of her hands
and sent her careening off-balance
.
The guard swiped her around the waist and lifted her off her feet.
Crispin
roared
but three m
en were on him in a heartbeat.

Jack
struggled ag
ainst
his
guards. “Madeline!” he shouted. “Get out of here!” Jack’s eyes flashed to find Joanna. “Get them out of here!”

Joanna burst into action. She lunged for Madeline, who stood frozen in horror, watching the scene. Joanna grabbed her arm and pulled. Madeline stumbled but moved with her. Joanna
yanked
her into the scrum of people
shoving
towards the door.
The king shouted for order but the situation was already out of hand.

“Stop them!” Matlock shouted from the front of the room.

“Move, move!” Joanna cried in sheer panic. She clutched a screaming Wulfric to her chest and held onto Madeline’s wrist with a grip of iron, pulling her through the crowd. Whether from shock or
to avoid the wailing children
,
the
flustered
nobles let them pass
.

The crowd thinned as they shot through the
front hall
and ran towards the door. The people in the
grand hall
were more concerned with
getting a glimpse of
the melee than
stopping
the people fleeing it. Joanna was able to yank Madeline on and out the
door into the gloomy morning.

“No
!
We have to go back!
” Madeline panted
as they shot down the stairs
. “We have to
save
them.”
Her energy and color were fading fast.

Joanna had no answer for her. She whipped around,
searching
for their carriages. They were
gone. They hadn’t been in the T
ower for more than half an hour
but
their carriages were gone.

“Looking for something?”

She spun to find the hooded man who
m
she’d taken to be a stable hand earlier. “Where are our carriages?”

“What carriages?” His grin widened. He pushed the hood back from his head.

Madeline
screamed
. “Roderick!”

Joanna stumbled back.
There was no mistaking the murder
er
’s sharp nose and narrow eyes
.

“Lady Madeline.” Roderick nodded to her as if they were meeting at a faire. He pulled a knife out of his belt
, his expression shifting to sick triumph
. “Your father wants a word with you.” He grabbed her around the waist.