Page 5 of One Knight
Henry smiled at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady. Please, stay here, while my knights search the manor. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
CHAPTER 2
Elisande knew she was playing with fire. He might not be old and disfigured, but as a giant man covered in armor from head to toe with a lethal sword at his side, she knew she stood no chance against him in any way that mattered.
“Don’t try to escape. The door will be guarded.”
“I had my chance to escape, sir. Don’t you think I would’ve taken it had I truly wanted it?”
Every moment she could distract him, Alger could get Hilda farther away from Rosewyn in the cart. If Alger could get her all the way to the priory, then she would be safe from these Norman invaders.
This knight’s icy-blue gaze was intense enough to nearly pin her to the wall with just a glance. “You stayed only to give her time to get away. As beautiful as you are, Lady Elisande, your distraction will only work for so long. Was it worth it?”
Elisande knew that all the time she could giveHilda was worth it. “Wouldn’t you do the same if you were a weak, helpless, and defenseless woman?”
She swore she saw a hint of a smile flash across his shockingly pleasing face. She had expected a barbarian invader, burning, raping, and pillaging through her home. She had reconciled herself to meeting her maker today. But instead, this knight was not at all what she had been told to expect by the cowards who had fled.
“If you’re lying—” he started.
“I try never to do that, Sir Knight. It never seems to end well,” she interrupted, knowing that every word they shared gave Hilda precious moments.
Sir Henry shook his head ever so slightly before turning to leave the room. “Stay here. I’ll return myself.”
He left the room and shut the door behind him. As soon as it was closed, Elisande sank into a heap on the floor. Her courage had not deserted her, yet she was weak with relief.
Every way she had imagined this day ending had been horrific. And yet she had not heard a single scream or seen a single flame. They had not banged down the door and raped her either. Even when he realized she had surrendered simply to save her people and give Hilda time to get away, he made no move to harm her. If anything, he had seemed somewhat … impressed?
Elisande had done her best to give Hilda andAlger as much of a chance at success as possible. What came next was in God’s hands.
As soon as her brother and all his armed men had ridden out of the gates, she had grabbed Alger by the hand. It had long been his dream to marry her, and she was not ashamed to admit she had used his admiration to get him to take Hilda to safety. She told herself it wasn’t selfish or manipulative, but protective. She did it out of love for her niece, who was like her very own sister. She would have taken her away herself if she had thought two women on the road could make it as far as a man, but she was not naive. Alger may not be a warrior, but his devotion to her would make him a fierce protector to Hilda. At least, so she hoped.
They had many hours’ head start, but she knew that a mounted knight could cover the distance with far greater speed than a cart with a single nag.
But still, the longer they took to search the manor, the more distance Hilda and Alger could cover.
The nuns would care for Hilda if they made it to the priory. And then, if Elisande had the chance, she would make her own escape. Taking vows seemed like the wisest course of action for an unprotected woman in these days following the Conqueror’s victory, even if it was never something Elisande had considered before.
But changing circumstances changed everything. Once Hilda was safe, she would make her plans. Until then, she would take her chances with the Normans and pray she had not made a horrible mistake.
CHAPTER 3
From the manor to the stables and the grain barns and garden, every inch of the baron’s holding was searched for a female fitting the description of the missing Lady Hilda. Woman after woman was brought before Baldwin to be identified. Each was a servant or peasant. Given the rougher appearance of their hands and the man’s desire to stay breathing, Henry believed him. While Henry was well aware that subterfuge was possible, the differences between a lady’s hands and those of servants or peasant women were marked.
“Is there anywhere else we haven’t checked?”
Sayer shook his head. “Unless she is beneath the privy or in a bale of straw or some hidden bolthole, she is not here, and the lady was truthful.”
“They said she couldn’t ride.”
“There are other means of conveyance, Sir Henry,” Sayer replied.
Henry turned to Baldwin. “I will ask you onemore time. Do you know how the Lady Hilda traveled?”
“No, sir. I swear it. I thought she was in the solarium with Lady Elisande. I did not know she had left.”
The solarium.The only room they had not searched. Sir Rolf was standing guard outside.
“She said she did not lie,” Henry said under his breath as he took the stairs two at a time, ready to shake her if she had deceived him so easily.
