The Princess Spy (31 page)

“I only have to wait for the sun to come up to figure out where I am,” she told herself.

They had slept next to the stream, as they always did, but she didn’t see or hear the water from here. The road was west of where they had camped, but which way was west? With the density of the trees around her, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to tell which way the sun was, even when it did come up. The leaves overhead were quite thick.

She had no idea which way to go.

She could call out, hoping Colin would hear her and come for her. But what if someone else heard her, someone not so friendly, like those robbers who had stolen their horses and everything they had of value?

“What would Mother tell me to do?” She bit her lip and closed her eyes to force herself to think.

Pray.
Mother would tell her to pray.

Margaretha began to ask God to help her find her way. “If I don’t get out of here, I’ll be lost away from Colin and Toby. They won’t know what happened to me. They might think something terrible happened to me. They might get lost themselves, looking for me.”

Margaretha was on the brink of tears. This was no good. Why was she saying such a fearful prayer?

“God, forgive me. You know the way back. Help me find my way.”

Opening her eyes, the glow in the sky seemed brighter to her right. That must be the east. Straight ahead was north, and according to what she remembered about last night and where they went to sleep, the road must be straight ahead. If she could find the road, she could find Colin and Toby.

She hurried through the trees. Her heart was still pounding incredibly fast. “God, please help me,” she whispered, hearing the desperation in her voice, so she deliberately infused her next words with faith. “God, I know you will help me. You will never leave me or forsake me. Help me find the road and get back to Colin and Toby and get to Marienberg before nightfall. Nothing is too hard for you.”

That last thought gave her strength, so she repeated it in her mind as she walked through the thick undergrowth, leaves, and bushes.
Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is too hard for God.

The trees began to thin and she could see glimpses of the bare road ahead through the leaves and tree trunks. The closer she got, the more she was convinced that she was near where they had veered off the road the night before. Once she was on the road again, she was certain she could find it.

She broke out of the trees and nearly laughed out loud in relief. To the east, the sun was just peeking over the horizon, as if it lay a few miles down the road. But she didn’t see the spot where they had turned off the road the night before.

She looked to her left, and her breath stilled in her throat.

A group of five men — Claybrook’s men — and their horses stood in the road looking at her.

When Toby awoke, Margaretha was nowhere in sight, so Colin took him by the hand so that he could help Colin collect their
game from the snares he had set the night before. Toby was very interested in the snares. Colin could only hope the little boy’s excited voice didn’t attract the attention of more robbers — or even Claybrook’s men, who were doubtless still searching for them.

They made their way back to where they had slept, but Margaretha had not returned. Immediately, he felt a sense of dread. Had something happened?

“Margaretha.” He called her name, but not too loudly.

Toby prattled on, but of course, Colin didn’t understand him.

Where was Margaretha?

Men’s voices came from the direction of the road.

Margaretha froze. Her head seemed to float, and her stomach sank to her toes. Was she about to faint?

Claybrook’s men sprang toward her, two on their horses, three on foot. She couldn’t hope to outrun them, and in a few moments, two of them were holding her by her arms.

“You have led us on a merry chase,” one of them growled. He appeared to be in charge, because the other men only stared and let him do the talking. “But we have you now. Tell us where your friend, Colin le Wyse, has wandered off to.”

“He isn’t here.” Margaretha’s voice was quiet, solemn, and strangely calm.
Thank you
,
God
,
for that.

“We saw your footprints — two sets of footprints — leading off this road. We know there were two of you, so where is he?”

She saw no way to escape from them. The only thing she could do was to lead them away from Colin. At least he could make it to Marienberg and get help. They would not kill Margaretha, especially if Lord Claybrook still intended to marry her. But they surely had orders to kill Colin on sight.

“Colin is dead.” Margaretha burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.

It was not difficult to cry. After all, she had come so close to reaching Marienberg, only to be found by these evil men. And her fear for Colin and Toby was great enough to add to her distress.

“Dead? You’re lying.”

“He caught a fever and died in the night.” She began to sob harder.

“Are you telling me the truth?”

Margaretha could only nod.

Another man said softly, “Let us go. It’s the girl Claybrook wants. Let him rot in the forest.”

A third added, “We’ve been chasing this wench for too long. I want to get back to the fighting, if there is to be any.”

The leader barked back, “If Claybrook finds out you called his future bride anything but Lady Margaretha, you may not be in any condition for fighting.”

He grunted and muttered something under his breath.

Margaretha had stopped crying to listen to them. She hoped they would hurry. At any moment, Colin might emerge from the forest and try to save her. If he did, he would be outnumbered and surely would be killed.

“You will take me back to my mother? Is she still safe?”

The leader looked at her for a moment. “Lord Claybrook had no plans to kill your mother.”

“Will you take me to her, then?”

“Of course.” The leader dismounted. “You may ride with me, Lady Margaretha. I am Sir Gisborne.”

Margaretha nodded.

He helped her onto the back of his horse, where a sort of extra saddle was attached behind his own. Then he and the rest of the men mounted their horses and they set off to the north, back the way Margaretha, Colin, and Toby had come.

O God
,
please keep them safe. Don’t let anything bad happen to Colin and Toby. Bring them to Marienberg
,
and bring help to Hagenheim.

Colin snatched his dagger out of his belt and glanced down at Toby. The little boy’s eyes widened. He took Colin’s offered hand and Colin crept toward the sound of the men’s voices. Before he reached the end of the forest, he heard horses’ hooves, the sound moving away from him to the north.

Colin ran. He made it to the road in time to see five horses and Claybrook’s men moving at a fast trot down the road. On the back of one of the horses was Margaretha.

“No. No, no, no.” He sank to his knees in the dirt, covering his face with his hands.

“
Was ist das
?” Toby asked, catching up to him.

Colin put his arm around Toby. He had to be calm and in control, for the child’s sake. But what could he tell him? They couldn’t even speak the same language.

“
Wo ist
Margaretha?” His eyes were wide and trusting as he patted Colin’s shoulder.

“Where is Margaretha? She’s gone away.” By now, he understood a little German, a few basic words and phrases, but it was much harder to speak it. He shook his head at the little boy, wishing he could explain to him. “We must go to Marienberg. Margaretha must go to Hagenheim. But we will go to Hagenheim too. Margaretha
muss nach
Hagenheim
gehen
.
Wir müssen nach
Hagenheim
auch gehen
.”

Toby tilted his head, understanding Colin’s German words, but clearly confused as to why Margaretha was no longer with them.

“Margaretha needs us to go get help. That is what we will do. Come.” And they set out again.

Claybrook’s men tied Margaretha’s hands and ankles together at night to keep her from escaping.

“I shall tell Lord Claybrook that you touched my ankles, that you used undue force, if you so much as
think
about making one wrong move,” Margaretha promised the men. She even stipulated which of the men was allowed to tie her up. “Not you! Him.”

Why not give them trouble? They didn’t deserve her courtesy.

She also made certain to talk without ceasing. She asked them, “Why did you dare to come to this country with Claybrook? Didn’t you understand his intentions? Didn’t you know he only wanted to take what did not belong to him?”

Finally, after many more such questions, the leader answered her, “Such is the nature of war. A man cannot win a fortune for himself without action, without warring with another.”

“I daresay you think these Germans deserve to have their lands and their towns taken from them by force. You have a right to make your fortune at their expense, you think?”

Margaretha gave them no rest. On the third day, Sir Gisborne threatened to tie a cloth around her mouth, gagging her. Margaretha fell silent.

She was overjoyed to finally see the towers of Hagenheim Castle come into view. The men’s veneer of manners was wearing thin after she had deliberately plagued them the entire time.

She could hardly wait to see her mother and sisters and brothers again and find out how they were all faring — especially if there was any news of Father and Valten.

As they entered the town gate, it was guarded not by her father’s men, but by Claybrook’s. Inside, few people were on the streets. The ones who were looked somber, or even afraid. Some looked up and recognized her, sitting on the back of Sir Gisborne’s horse, and they covered their mouths in horror, or even burst into tears. When they were passing through the most densely populated street of all, Margaretha called out, “Take courage, Hagenheim! Duke Wilhelm is coming! He will prevail!”

Several cheers rang out as many people raised a fist in the air.

Sir Gisborne hissed at her, “Be quiet! I’ll gag you yet.”

But Margaretha only smiled and waved at the people who were staring at her from their doors and from their second- and third-story windows. Some of them smiled, and they all waved back at her.