Snow in July (40 page)

Prisoners who’d survived yesterday’s action fit to work today had been pressed into service to erect a gallows in front of the hall. He grimaced at the irony.

Had the battle occurred only yesterday?

He felt as if he’d aged a hundred years overnight.

Feigning cheerfulness, he returned the guards’ greetings. Many of these men, each one chosen by the king, Alain had fought beside at Hastings and during William’s earlier campaigns.

Perhaps he might find a place among them if he and Kendra couldn’t—

He clamped off that line of thought. No battle was ever won on pessimism.

But questions still battered his brain.

What had become of the rebel Saxon army? How William had discovered it, Alain could guess: a conquering monarch who failed to monitor his new realm would soon become a deposed one, as evidenced by the events of the past several days. But how had the king arrived so quickly?

The summons prevented him from lingering with his friends to learn these answers, although his mounting apprehension made the idea sorely tempting. Alain expected William to demand a full report, but his gut warned him that something else might have prompted this commanded appearance before the Crown.

On a more personal level, Alain longed to learn how Lofwin and Waldron’s other men had fared. Ruaud had seemed well enough last night—he’d demonstrated little difficulty in carrying Kendra up the stairs—but the summons had left no time to search the infirmary for the fyrd members.

And Kendra—how was she feeling? How fast would she recover from her harrowing experiences? What did she remember of them?

Would she ever forgive him?

For now she could add the death of her kinsman to her list of grievances against him.

“Alain, wait!”

He spun about to see Ruaud striding toward him from the manor house. His friend’s mouth was set in a grim expression that didn’t ease when he reached Alain and took his tunic sleeve to draw him away from the guards.

“What is it?” Alain asked. “Quickly, if you please, for the king has summoned me.”

“I know.” Ruaud’s expression became grimmer. “And I know why: Lady Kendra has been accused of treason.”

“
What!
” Several guards looked at them curiously. “Why?”

“One of the prisoners implicated her in Ulfric’s scheme,” Ruaud said quietly but no less urgently.

Alain grunted. “I can guess who that was.”

Seething, he tried to jerk away, but Ruaud held him fast. “Have a care, Alain. If the king is in a foul humor, he may decide you’re a traitor too, who only wants to protect his ladylove.”

“I am no traitor. The king ought to know that well.”

Too bad he had no time to search the cottage’s charred ruins for a certain object that might appease his liege.

He stalked up the stairs and on into the hall, hearing Ruaud’s heavy tread behind him. More soldiers, bristling with weapons, crowded the hall, where William had ensconced himself on the dais at the far end. His Majesty had traveled lightly, Alain reasoned. The royal banner, twin gold lions prowling across a crimson field, had been nailed to the wall timbers behind William’s seat, but the chair was not ornate enough to be his field throne.

Having no wagons or pack animals to hinder progress explained how William’s unit had made such excellent time.

Alain studied the other Norman warriors as he strode among them. To a man, they bore evidence of recent action: a blood-splotched hauberk here, a bandaged arm there. Though the king’s surcoat looked pristine, his mail, to Alain’s surprise, bore a smattering of dark red flecks.

Neither King William nor Regent Odo, also arrayed for battle and sitting beside the king, looked pleased as Alain approached them. He dropped to one knee, lowering his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ruaud strike the same pose.

“Rise, Sir Robert, Sir Ruaud,” intoned the king. “And report.”

They obeyed. Alain bowed to the king before regarding Regent Odo. “Please accept my apologies for not reporting to you sooner, Your Grace. I have been quite thoroughly occupied.”

He began with Kendra’s kidnapping and proceeded to her rescue, the discovery of the outlaws’ plunder, Ulfric’s attempts to kill him and why, infiltrating the rebel camp, the ensuing battle, his duel with Ulfric, and its lethal result.

Of his original disguise, and of his rescuing Kendra from the burning cottage and the overnight events, he said nothing.

“Most impressive, Sir Robert,” Regent Odo said. The king gazed at Alain intently. “Sir Ruaud, do you avow that Sir Robert has spoken the truth?”

“Your Grace, I witnessed everything he spoke of, save the plunder and Sir Robert’s final fight with Thane Ulfric. I have no reason to doubt his word about the rest of his report.”

Alain shot Ruaud a grateful glance.

William cleared his throat. “Where was Lady Kendra yesterday while you fought the other traitors, Sir Robert?”

He couldn’t fail to notice the king’s choice of words. “Lady Kendra fled from the hall before the fighting began. I engaged Thane Ulfric, but he escaped. I suspected that he had followed her. I broke free of the battle and tracked him to a cottage on the far side of the hill. Lady Kendra and Thane Ulfric were both inside, Your Majesty, though Lady Kendra was unconscious when I arrived.”

“There were others inside the cottage too, were there not?” asked Regent Odo.

“Yes, my lord. I saw an old female servant, also unconscious, and one—no, two male corpses. Three, counting the man who had been murdered outside. Two men I didn’t recognize.” Alain drew a deep breath, unsure of the reaction he would get. “The other corpse was Harold Godwinson.”

The soldiers began to whisper among themselves.

King and regent exchanged a glance. “Have you proof of your claim?” William demanded.

Alain shrugged. “He was wearing a mask that covered one eye and half his face, presumably to hide the arrow wound many of us saw him take at Hastings. That mask—along with the rest of his body—may have been destroyed in the fire, but I expect that his sword did not burn.”

The regent dispatched a unit to secure the site of the immolated cottage and to search it once the rubble cooled.

Odo returned his attention to Alain. “But you have no idea what Lady Kendra was doing prior to your arrival at the cottage?”

“No, Your Grace.” Alain didn’t like the direction this line of questioning had taken. “As I said, she was unconscious—near death, in fact, when I found her.”

The king nodded at Regent Odo, who in turn summoned the accused.

To Alain’s surprise, not one but two prisoners were marched in by a cluster of guards. One prisoner he loved with his entire being; the other he should have gutted when he’d had the chance.

The guards forced both prisoners onto their knees.

“You!” Kendra hurled the word at Dragon, who leered back at her. With her cheeks blazing scarlet, she dropped her gaze.

“You know this man, Lady Kendra?” asked the regent.

“Aye, my lord. He was the leader of the outlaw band that abducted me.” She appeared to be on the verge of saying more but remained silent.

“And he was in command of the Saxon rebel encampment,” Alain added.

“Do either of you know his name?”

Curious as to what Kendra knew, Alain waited for her to speak.

“Dragon, my lord,” she told the regent, “though I daresay that’s not his Christian name.”

“That is the same name I heard in the camp, Your Grace,” Alain confirmed, “in addition to his given name of Eosa. Many items in the hoard match the lists you showed me and prove that his outlaw band plundered Saxons and Normans alike.”

Regent Odo faced the Saxon who called himself Dragon. “Sir Eosa Thorgudson, for the crime of banditry, you are hereby stripped of title and lands. For the crime of treason against the Crown, you shall hang.” Odo paused to give his scribe time to record the sentence. “Unless, perchance, you would care to repeat your earlier statement for all assembled here.”

Hope lessened Eosa’s permanent scowl. “It is true, Your Majesty, that Thane Ulfric raised an army against you. As his second-in-command, I was privy to all his plans.” He waved his bandaged stump at Kendra, grinning slyly. “Including the role this woman agreed to play.”

Her head snapped up. “Your Majesty, I agreed only to heal someone, nothing more.”

“Silence, woman. No one gave you leave to speak,” said the regent. “And what was that role, Thorgudson?”

“To prolong Harold Godwinson’s life so that Thane Ulfric could take his place.”

“Is this true, Lady Kendra?” inquired Regent Odo.

“My lord, I—” She bowed her head. “I didn’t know at first. After Ulfric’s motives became clear, I resisted his orders.” When she lifted her face, her eyes glittered with resolve. “If attempting to heal a severely hurting soul is wrong, Your Majesty, then I am guilty.”

“All the more so when you use sorcery to accomplish it,” Eosa added.

With a gasp, Kendra blanched.

The regent jumped to his feet, fists knotted and eyebrows lowered, and the king canted forward in his chair. When Odo opened his mouth, William raised a hand. “Witchcraft is a grave charge to level in front of any man of the cloth, especially a highly ranked one,” said the king, referring to Regent Odo, who still served the Church as an ordained bishop. “Explain, Thorgudson.”

The Saxon appeared unruffled. “Harold Godwinson should have died months ago from wounds he received at Hastings. Lady Kendra’s efforts extended his life beyond anyone’s expectations.”

“But you do not know how she did it?” pressed Odo.

Eosa shook his head.

“I don’t even know!” she wailed. “It—it just happens.” One of the guards poked the iron-capped butt of his spear between her shoulder blades. She flinched and dropped her gaze, but not before Alain saw the welling tears.

He had had quite enough. Willing himself to resist clenching his fists, he took a pace forward.

“Your Majesty, Your Grace, if I may speak frankly?” Both men nodded. Alain inhaled, offering a silent prayer for wisdom. “With all due respect, my lords, I am astounded and dismayed that you seem so quick to believe a convicted traitor, and I appeal to your sound judgment. Eosa Thorgudson possesses no proof of his accusation and therefore cannot present a valid case. Lady Kendra healed me too, and she delivered me from the brink of death without resorting to witchcraft. She used an herb local to this shire, the Glastonbury thorn. I do not know how it is expected to behave when used by most physicians, but I have learned that it can effect great miracles when wielded by the pure of heart.”

Into the expectant silence, Alain forged ahead. “Lady Kendra possesses the purest heart of anyone I know. I believe she has been granted a special healing gift from God.”

He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but she wouldn’t look at anyone.

“This knight has been smitten by her charms,” Eosa declared. “That renders his testimony unreliable.”

“Hah. As if the word of a criminal is any more reliable.” After giving Eosa an annoyed glare, which the miscreant dared to parry, Alain gazed beseechingly at the king. “Your Majesty, Lady Kendra is no witch but is a faithful daughter of the Church. At worst, she assisted those whose purposes ran contrary to the Crown. But I am confident that she was motivated by compassion for the injured man, not for what she thought he might accomplish for England, either in his own person or through the devices of others. In my company, Lady Kendra has always demonstrated the strictest obedience to Your Majesty’s wishes.”

“That may all be true,” said the king, “but Thorgudson has raised a valid point. One would expect nothing less than for you to argue eloquently in defense of your bride.”

Alain sucked in a breath, held it, and released it slowly, expelling with it the host of sharp retorts that sprang to mind. “I argue on her behalf because I believe she stands wrongly accused before Your Majesty. If not for the fact that her life is in jeopardy, I would be begging from Your Majesty an entirely different boon.”

He heard Kendra’s soft gasp but couldn’t bring himself to look at her.

“What boon is this, Sir Robert?” William asked.

Sinking to his knees, Alain bowed his head. “I must confess to Your Majesty and all assembled here that I have not comported myself as a servant of the Crown ought. I willfully deceived Lady Kendra, Thane Waldron, and everyone else I met in the conduct of this mission by presenting myself as someone I was not.”

“Your Majesty, Sir Robert is being too harsh with himself.” Ruaud stepped closer to lay a hand upon Alain’s shoulder. Alain disagreed but did not voice it. Ruaud squeezed the shoulder before withdrawing his hand. “He chose the guise of a squire upon my suggestion as a means of learning more about the outlaws and their activities than he might otherwise have accomplished as a knight.”

“I appreciate your support, my friend.” Alain diverted his attention from Ruaud to William and Odo. “But Sir Ruaud relates only what he and I have discussed. He does not know my private motives.” This time Kendra did look at him, and he hoped she could sense his unspoken apology. “I needed some way to ascertain that Lady Kendra would not be like Ma—my previous fiancée, who was interested only in prestige and deserted me for a wealthier prospect.”

“You were betrothed before?” she asked, risking another jab from the guard.

He sighed. “Her name was Marie.”

“Did you love her?” she whispered.

“I thought I did, Kendra, until I met you.” He set his jaw to mask his breaking heart as he regarded the king. “If Your Majesty requires blood for Lady Kendra’s transgressions against the Crown, then please allow me to suffer her punishment. All I ask, if I may, is the assurance that she need never marry anyone—Norman or otherwise—against her will.” Closing his eyes, he let his head sink until his chin rested upon his chest.

“Alain, you—you would do this for me?”

“It is done,” he said, “if the king agrees.”

Moments felt like years as silence invaded the hall.

“The king shall do nothing of the kind,” William boomed. “Get up, both of you.” He made an impatient gesture with his hands, and Kendra and Alain scrambled to their feet. William ordered a guard to cut Kendra’s bonds and said to Ruaud, “You deserve a special commendation for enduring Sir Robert all the time so that I do not have to.”