Promised to the Crusader (6 page)

Elaine smiled, but made no answer. How could she accept such gifts unless he meant to wed her? She could not ask. The time for questions was not now, but so many buzzed in her head that she hardly knew how to shut them out.

‘I pray that we shall find all well with my people,’ she said. ‘I do not think they would easily yield to the earl and may have suffered for it.’

‘Your mother’s house is not as stout as Stornway,
yet it would withstand a short siege. We must pray that we are in time.’

So saying, he increased his speed. Elaine touched her heels lightly to the palfrey’s flanks and felt her leap forwards. Excitement raced through her and as, for a while, they raced side by side over the flat terrain, her heart lightened. It was almost as if she were a girl again and Zander had never gone away.

When they approached the Manor of Sweetbriars, the gates stood open and Elaine’s mother’s standard still flew over the stone walls that guarded the house. They were hewn of mellow yellow stone and seemed to dream peacefully in the evening sun. Even so, Zander held up his hand to bring his men to a halt.

‘It may be a trap,’ he warned. ‘Newark imagined you alone, Elaine. He may have left the gates open so that you walk into his web like the cunning devil he is.’

‘What shall we do?’ she asked. ‘If I go forward alone—’

‘No! I shall not risk your safety. You remain here under guard while I send an advance party to see how the land lies.’

As they deliberated, a woman suddenly darted forwards from the side of the road and
flung herself at Elaine’s horse. She had appeared to be picking herbs and no one had looked at her, but Elaine saw at once that she was her serving woman Marion.

‘Marion,’ she cried gladly. ‘I am so glad to see you. I feared that something might have happened to you. Where is Bertrand?’

Marion looked distressed. ‘The earl’s men took Bertrand. He told me to run and hide while he rode off. They gave chase and I was unnoticed in the bushes as they followed. Later, I saw them return and he was their prisoner. He had been bound, his hands behind his back, and lay over the back of a horse.’ A little sob came from her lips. ‘They brought him here and I followed. I dared not go into the courtyard, though the bridge is always left up. I do not know if he lives…or even if he is still here, for they say some prisoners were taken away to the earl’s stronghold.’

‘I am so sorry,’ Elaine said. ‘Forgive me. I should never have let you sacrifice yourselves for me.’

‘Bertrand would die for you, as should I, lady.’

‘How many men?’ Zander barked suddenly. ‘Is the earl there himself? How many men does he have here?’

‘How can Marion know these things?’

‘I have not wasted my time, sir,’ Marion told him proudly. ‘The opinion of those who go in and out regularly with provisions is that there is no more than twenty men-at-arms at the most.’

‘Thank you, lady.’ Zander nodded to her. He looked thoughtfully at one of his men. ‘Sir Robert. Will you ride ahead with the King’s Marshal’s flag, please? Demand the surrender of the manor in the king’s name. If they throw down their weapons and surrender, we shall follow with the women.’

‘Yes, my lord. You will wait here with the others?’

Zander shook his head. He looked at a man driving a cart loaded with fruit and vegetables. ‘Have the driver come here to me. He looks much my size. I shall buy his cloak, hood and boots. It will be as well to have someone on the inside in case they try some kind of treachery.’

‘What if they refuse and bring down the gate?’

‘Exactly.’ Zander smiled. ‘It is for that reason that we need someone on the inside.’

‘Let me go in your place, lord,’ Janvier said. ‘You are not strong enough to fight your way out.’

Zander hesitated, then, ‘You may come with me, hidden in the cart.’

‘I pray you, do not leave me,’ Elaine cried. ‘If you were caught or killed…’

‘Then my men will escort you to Stornway.’ The flicker of a smile was on his lips. ‘I am not that easy to kill, Elaine. Wait here if you care for me. I should be more at risk if the earl took you.’

‘We’ll go into the village and hide,’ Elaine said. ‘Even if Newark’s men are in the house, my people will not betray me.’

‘Go with her and guard her well,’ Zander instructed his men.

The driver of the cart had proved only too willing to exchange his clothes for the lord’s gold, but when he saw Elaine he would have given them for nothing.

‘Let me come with you for my lady’s sake,’ he cried. ‘Alone we could do nothing for the earl came under guise of friendship and tricked us into thinking our lady was his wife.’

‘At Howarth, he also played a trick to take the castle,’ Marion said. ‘He is an evil coward.’

‘Yes, come with us,’ Zander said to the villager, ‘but your money will be paid—to your family if need be.’

The man nodded, remounting his cart and
telling Janvier to hide beneath the sacks of food, which were piled high. Zander rode beside him in borrowed clothes, a villager’s hood over his head.

‘Come to the village, my lady,’ a woman urged. ‘Come quickly and we shall hide you should the earl’s men come looking. We have a place to hide food that Prince John’s taxmen would otherwise take from us. Always, they take everything we have, though they are entitled to no more than three-tenths.’

‘Such iniquitous taxes shall cease when I am your lady here,’ Elaine promised. She gave her precious palfrey to one of the soldiers, choosing to walk with Marion and the others into the village. ‘Wait here for your lord—but go to him if he needs you. I shall be safe enough in the village.’

Zander’s second-in-command looked at her uneasily. ‘My lord bid us guard you, lady.’

‘I am with my people now,’ Elaine said. ‘My lord may need your services and I shall be safe in the village.’

‘None shall find her until her lord comes,’ the woman said, clutching Elaine’s arm. ‘Come now before the earl returns. He took a hunting party out early this morning and has not yet returned, but may do so at any time.’

Elaine hurried away with the woman. Zander’s men looked uneasily at each other, knowing that he would be displeased if his orders were disobeyed, but even as they debated whether to go after her they heard shouts from the manor and the sound of steel against steel.

‘We should join them…’

‘My lord said to wait here and protect the lady…’

‘She hath gone to the village. We protect Zander…’

As they argued, one of them turned and saw a party of some eight or nine men approaching. They wore Newark’s colours of black and yellow, and the runners and dogs clustered about the horses told them it was the earl’s hunting party returned.

‘We stay here and prevent them reaching the manor,’ Sir Robert said. ‘If they come up on his back, Zander will be vulnerable. They do not pass us.’

A murmur of agreement issued from every throat. Their duty was now clear and as one they turned to face the earl’s men. It was obvious that the oncoming party had sensed something was wrong; they were few in number, for there were only six mounted knights. The others were servants and armed for hunting rather
than fighting. They had the carcasses of a deer and also a wild boar strapped to a packhorse at the rear.

It was easy to pick out the earl. His men were looking to him for judgement. He deliberated for a while, then sent a man forwards.

‘The Earl of Newark demands to know who you are and why you dare to block his way?’

‘We are here in the name of the King’s Marshal, Lord Stornway,’ Sir Robert said. ‘We bear his standard and a warrant for the surrender of the lands you have unlawfully taken from the Lady Elaine.’

His voice had carried the short distance to the earl’s men. Some shouted their defiance and would have drawn their swords, but their master gave the order to wait. He looked towards the manor house and saw that a new pennant had been raised—it was the King’s Marshal’s standard, placing Sweetbriars under his protection. Now any man that lifted a hand against the manor would be guilty of treason and outlawed on the king’s return to his kingdom.

Some of the earl’s men were still arguing for attack, but the earl ordered them to stop. Then he turned his own horse and raced off, his mounted men following after, though one
or two looked back in anguish as though they retreated against their will.

The packhorse, most of the dogs and the huntsmen had been left behind. They debated for a moment, then walked towards Stornway’s mounted men-at-arms, and one of the huntsmen looked up at Sir Robert.

‘We served the earl because he forced us, lord—but we are the Lady Elaine’s men and would serve her if she will have us.’

‘Take the meat into the manor,’ Sir Robert said. ‘If The earl returns and lays siege, we shall need all the food we can store.’

‘Yes, lord.’ The huntsman signalled to the others and they began to run or walk towards the manor house, the dogs barking wildly as they followed.

Sir Robert decided to lead his men into the manor, but as he approached Zander came riding towards him. He rode up to them, looking pleased, for there had been but token resistance and the Earl of Newark’s men had soon surrendered once they saw the King’s Marshal’s standard. Ten of them, led by a man called Stronmar, had asked for permission to leave and been given it under a white flag, but fifteen had fallen to their knees, begged pardon and asked to be given service by Zander. It seemed
they hated the earl, but had been forced to serve him. Now they were free they had chosen to remain at Sweetbriars to serve a new master. The outcome had pleased Zander very much, but now, when he saw that Elaine was not with his men, his smile vanished.

‘Where is my lady?’

‘The villagers took her and her woman into the village to hide her.’

‘And you allowed it?’ Zander’s face darkened. ‘If she is harmed or has fallen into Newark’s hands…by God, you’ll wish you’d followed my orders.’

Sir Robert did not answer. He had allowed the lady to have her way. Had they not held true, the earl might have attacked from the rear. The men in the castle would not then have surrendered so tamely and more blood would have been shed. Yet he made no attempt to defend himself, for the order to protect the lady had been given.

Unaware of the injustice of his harsh words, Zander galloped on towards the village, his horse bursting upon the startled villagers in a cloud of dust as he skidded to a halt. He leaped down from its back, sword in hand, bristling with rage as he demanded to know where Elaine was. His anger succeeded in convincing
the men of the village, who thought him a stranger bent on evil and formed ranks, their stout cudgels at the ready to defend their lady. Sir Robert and some of the men came upon a scene fraught with tension. Had Elaine not rushed into the small circle of men, murder might have been done at any moment.

‘Put down your weapons,’ she cried. ‘This is Sir Zander de Bricasse. He comes to defend me, but I need no defence here.’ Turning to Zander, she smiled and held out her hand. ‘My lord, come and meet my people. You have no need of your sword here.’

Zander stared at her for a moment, then inclined his head and sheathed his sword. ‘My men should have been here to protect you.’

‘I needed none—and they guarded you, Zander. The earl’s hunting party returned, but the way was barred against them and they were forced to turn back. Had they come up on you from behind, you might not have taken the manor so easily. I thank them for saving the shedding of blood. I would have as little blood spilled in my cause as possible.’

‘I feared you might have been led into a trap.’ Zander’s eyes were hard, dark with anger. ‘I am accustomed to being obeyed—if men disobey their captain it leads to disorder in the ranks
and disobedience must be punished.’ There was something dark in his eyes then, something that made her feel icy cold.

‘It was I who disobeyed you, not your men,’ Elaine said, her eyes sparking as she looked at him defiantly. ‘Will you punish me, my lord?’

Zander glared at her a moment longer and then gave a reluctant laugh. ‘I see I need to teach you to obey your lord, my lady,’ he said, but there was a smile on his lips. ‘Methinks you need Lady Anne to set an example. ’Tis a pity that you did not invite her to stay.’

Elaine smiled, relieved that his white-hot anger had suddenly evaporated. ‘I think even Anne would have acted as I did, my lord—but correct me if I am wrong.’

‘You are wrong,’ he said and threw his reins to one of the villagers; the man caught them and led the horse to a drinking trough. Zander walked to greet Elaine, offering her his hand. ‘Lady Anne is far too careful to confront any man; she would bow her head, agree with everything—and then do exactly as she pleased. She hides her emotions well, but sometimes they show through despite her.’

Elaine’s eyes sparkled with merriment for she sensed that he was teasing her, as he’d so often teased her in the past. In that moment she
saw the young squire she’d loved before he left to become a knight. He was still there somewhere, though changed by the years.

‘I see you know her well,’ she said and smiled.

‘I knew her as a child—and we met again before I left to join the king. At that time she was much admired at court and it was thought that she would marry well.’

Elaine nodded. She wondered if he had admired the young woman then, but thought her far above him, then she quashed the maggot of jealousy before it could become embedded in her flesh. Zander had truly loved Elaine when he had left to join the crusade. It was not another love she had to fight—but the pain of disillusionment and the loss of faith. When he’d gone to join the cause he’d spent night after night in vigil, praying for his soul…praying to become worthy enough to fight for the Cross. He had been honourable, earnest and devout. What had happened to this man? What terrible deeds haunted him? She could see the scars on his face, but she believed other scars ran deep and it was those not visible to the eye that festered and corrupted inside him.

‘Anne of Stornway is a lovely lady, sir.’

‘Indeed she is, but…’ Elaine thought he meant to say more, perhaps to compliment
her, but instead he shook his head. ‘Come, lady. Thank your people for their care of you. Tell them there will be a feast in the hall tomorrow night and all those who are loyal will be welcome to join us. We must go to the house, for there is much to do before I can think of leaving.’