Page 60 of The Mercenary

“Very well.”

De Chabannes squared his shoulders, and Guy knew in that moment that they had lost. Aceline would not do it. And with Bande de Valeur behind John, the barons who were still undecided would be much less likely to give their support.

“We stay.”

He did not give his former master the satisfaction of a response. He’d fought with him for many years and knew no words would sway him.

They’d discovered the one thing more valuable to Aceline de Chabannes than coin.

The king’s favor.

A king he did not even call his own. One whose ancestors his people had fought against.

But de Chabannes’s own words came back to him.

To be a mercenary is to be loyal to one person. Yourself. Remember it well.

And he did.

Sheathing his sword and taking Sabine’s arm, he prepared to walk away. But he did have one question for the man. He had to ask, if only for his wife.

“What will you do with this knowledge?”

He did not have to elaborate.

De Chabannes looked him in the eye. “Ensure there are no repercussions for my choice.”

He nodded, their understanding mutual.

None but the order would know Bande de Valeur had been given an opportunity to join the rebellion by leaving England’s shores. Sabine would be safe.

Guy would leave Noreham with his head.

But nothing else.

Chapter 29

Surely the innkeeper thought it odd that a married couple who’d stayed in the same chamber for many days should suddenly secure a separate chamber. Sabine had made the suggestion three days ago, and for the past few nights, she’d been alone in their original chamber while Guy slumbered in the room next to hers. The only other one in this wing of the inn.

He’d balked at the suggestion at first, but Sabine had reminded him she would soon be completely alone. It would be better, she’d argued, to get used to that fact now.

She’d decided to stay with Roger.

He’d offered her—and Guy—his former apprentice’s room above the shop. They’d built it many, many years ago, he and his wife, with the hope it would one day be used by children. But they’d never had any. After his wife’s passing, he’d given the room to his apprentice.

When she realized it was loneliness, not obligation, that had prompted him to offer the room, Sabine had decided to accept the offer. But she’d put off sharing her decision with Roger. Once she told him, she wouldn’t be able to change her mind without devastating the man, and she still wasn’t totally certain about Guy.

Roger had asked her about their background, of course. She’d not wanted to lie to him, so she had offered partial truths. That her family had been killed, her inheritance forfeited. That Guy was a knight without lands of his own.

True enough.

Rather than wait for Guy to escort her, Sabine left her room and walked down to the hall to break her fast. She’d done the same yesterday. He’d reacted with anger, of course, and she’d been quick to remind him that he was the one who wanted them to part. She would have to learn to do things alone. He hadn’t accompanied her to the shop after that, nor had she seen him walk past the shop during the day, something he’d done in the past. He had come at sunset to escort her back to the inn, and if Roger had noticed the chill between them, he’d said nothing about it.

“So this is how it will be?”

Sabine spun around at the sound of his voice, hating how the anger reverberated through her body. The thought of never hearing his voice again brought tears to her eyes.

Oh, she wouldn’t let herself cry over him. She simply wouldn’t. There was no point. She’d asked. He answered. Her husband would soon be leaving, and she refused to beg him to do otherwise.