Chapter Twenty-three

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Luke 10:19

“Why did you bring her here? Why could you not stay with the plan? Now we will have to deal with Darrin de Longue. What will King John do when he finds out?”

The fog cleared from Faith’s mind and her vision took focus. She lay on a soft featherbed, near a warm hearth. The chamber was lavishly draped with intricate tapestries and fine gold chairs. A large, ornate trunk gilded with gold graced one corner. If she had not known better, she would think she was in the palace of King Philip of France. But the deep baritone voice was one she was familiar with, Lord Edmund de Tosny, Rollin’s father.

“We would have to deal with both of them eventually. The only difference is that instead of breaking de Longue’s back through utter incompetence, we will have to fight him,” Sir Rollin answered his father.

Oh, she had been such a fool. She should have been more prudent. But the events of the day had frazzled her nerves, and when Sir Rollin had knocked on her chamber door earlier, she answered.

“My lady, come quickly. Sir Darrin has discovered something of great importance.” Sir Rollin had sounded so sincere, she grabbed her cloak and followed him past the sleeping inhabitants of the dark great hall. When they reached the bailey, she realized her folly. One of his fellow knights held Sir Rollin’s saddled horse. He grabbed her by the upper arm. “We are going to take a little ride, my lady.”

The fiendish look in his eye spoke volumes. “Where is Sir Darrin?” she asked.

“I suspect he is sleeping off the wine he drank.” His jaw clenched and he bared his teeth. “Now get on the horse.”

In a rush of panic, Faith slammed the top of his foot, digging her heel deep near the ankle. Giving out a loud howl, he let her go. Speedily, she raced up the battlement steps with Sir Rollin in pursuit. Relief filled her when Sir Theodore jumped out of the shadows with his sword in hand.

“My lady, behind me.” Theo took a warrior stance as Sir Rollin approached. “What is this, Blossom? Did I speak the truth earlier? Must have or you would not be kidnapping Lady Faith.”

Sir Rollin did not answer but charged forward with his sword poised to give a lethal strike. With fast reflexes, Sir Theodore blocked the onslaught with the flat of his sword. Equaling the vigor, Sir Theodore began to take the upper hand, laying blow upon blow on Sir Rollin’s blade. The younger knight’s face turned purple with rage and he aimed his sword recklessly at Sir Theodore’s stomach. But swiftly, the seasoned knight twisted away and sliced Sir Rollin’s tunic.

A small spot of blood shone on the young knight’s sleeve and Sir Theodore’s victory was at hand when one of Sir Rollin’s knights came up the stairs behind Faith and grabbed her around the waist. Her cry distracted Sir Theodore. He stumbled back. Sir Rollin rushed forward and, with all his might, pushed Sir Theodore over the battlement wall.

Faith squeezed her eyes shut at Sir Theodore’s scream, as if the action could change the memory and outcome. A foul-smelling rag had been jammed into her mouth, and when she struggled against the knight’s bonds, Sir Rollin struck her in the face, sending her into a deep sleep. Now here she lay, the horror fresh in her mind.

Sir Rollin must have seen her fidget, for he walked over to the bed. “Ah, I see you have awakened, my dear.”

Lord de Tosny followed his son. “I am sorry for the abrupt change in residence, my lady. I can assure you it will only be temporary. You will be allowed to return to Château du Vent Doux once this mess has been resolved. In the meantime, enjoy my late wife’s chamber.”

Faith put a hand to her aching temple. “Return me now. I do not wish to stay here at all.”

Lord de Tosny gave his son an anxious look but remained silent.

Very calmly, Sir Rollin edged closer to the bed, letting his fingers glide along the coverlet. “Don’t you see we are trying to help you? Your marriage was forced upon you. It is quite obvious you are not happy. You don’t have to live out your life with a man that you do not love.”

Though his words were smooth and even meant to be kind, an edge of viciousness clung to each word, making Faith all the warier. “I know not what you mean. I am married and there is nothing that can be done to change that situation.”

Sir Rollin sat next to her and smiled. “I know your marriage has not been consummated. You were smart to deny him, my lady. An annulment will be easy to obtain…or may not be necessary if your husband does something rash.”

Faith edged to the other side of the bed. “I do not know how you came by such knowledge, but I have every intention of becoming a true wife to Sir Darrin. I do not want an annulment, nor do I understand what you mean, doing something rash.”

Lord de Tosny muttered something under his breath and waved off and headed to the chamber door. “Such a mess. I will see to our other guest.” He bowed toward her at the entry and left.

“You abducted someone else?” Faith asked, a spiral of fear twisting up her spine. Could Darrin or Nun be here too?

A dark, lecherous shadow settled in Sir Rollin’s eyes. “Come, Faith, let us be honest. We were always close friends and my heart has always been yours. I left to join King Richard’s army in hopes to earn a sizable fortune to persuade Sir Adrien into allowing me to marry you. I didn’t understand why he always rejected my offer.” He reached across the bed and wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. “But he may have suspected your importance,” he said softly.

Either Sir Rollin was mad or his heart would not let him see the truth. Could he truly love her? Yet she had never seen his eyes glow with adoration for her. “I know not what you talk about. Aye, we have always been friends, but that is all we will ever be. I’ll not leave my husband to become your wife. I am sorry.”

He released the curl and gave a heavy sigh before standing. “It seems Sir Darrin has worked his way into your heart.”

Faith let one foot drop on the opposite side of the bed as she gauged the distance to the chamber door. “He did not have to do any work. I gave my heart to him years ago.” She had barely finished her words before she jumped out of the bed and sprinted toward the door.

But Sir Rollin’s hand snaked out and grabbed her around the waist. “My lady, are you in a hurry to see us wed?”

“Don’t be foolish. I’ll never marry you. Sir Darrin will have your hide for this,” she spat, struggling against his grip. With force, she tried to kick him, but this time her foot struck nothing but air.

He laughed and dragged her to the great hall. There, Lord de Tosny stood with a frazzled Father Chabot. “How wonderful. I am glad you have recovered from your journey, Father Chabot.”

“Recovered? I was taken from my bed by force. I will recover when I return to my own pallet in Château du Vent Doux. What is the meaning of this?”

“Has not my father told you?” Sir Rollin pulled out a stool and forced Faith to sit. He then placed his hands on her shoulders. “Lady Faith and I wish to undo a wrong and make a right. Her marriage to Lord de Longue has not been consummated. She loves me and wishes to marry me.”

“I wish no such thing!” Faith said, struggling against the pressure on her shoulders.

Sir Rollin leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Lady, marry me now or I will have to kill Sir Darrin and your other faithful champion, Nun.”

A vision from the past sent a wintery chill through Faith’s body. Sir Adrien had said almost the same the night Sir Jean was killed—betray Darrin to save Nun’s life. Only this time, Sir Rollin threatened to kill Darrin too. She had spent ten paralyzing years with the threat of Nun being sent away or killed. When would this end? God, give me the answer. What should I do?

The hall door drifted open, but no one entered. A soft breeze floated through the room and blew out a lone candle that rested on a trestle table. The answer came as clear as the sun’s morning rays shining through the entry.

Faith turned a determined look on Sir Rollin. “Kill who you must. I will not marry you.” Nun would be proud of her and she suspected Darrin would also.

“Well, there you have it,” Father Chabot said. “I cannot wed a person against their will and one whose marriage has not been annulled. You have gone mad.”

Sir Rollin hauled Faith up off the stool and handed her to his father, then he strolled over to Father Chabot, rapidly pulled out a dagger and held it to the priest’s throat. “Do you wish to have a priest’s blood on your hands as well?”

The tables had turned. It was one thing forfeiting the lives of those who were not present but another thing to forfeit the life of an innocent man. “You would not kill a priest,” she said, searching for calm in a mass of shredded nerves.

“Oh, I would. I do not believe in things you cannot touch and cannot feel. God is a myth, my lady, to keep the rest of us in line.”

“My lord, my lord.” A guardsman stumbled into the hall. “An army is approaching. They carry Lord de Longue’s colors.”

Faith lifted her brows. “It looks like that myth has just answered my prayers.”

“Now what shall we do?” Lord de Tosny said. “We are not prepared to fight his forces. Nor could we survive a siege right now. I knew this would all come to no good. You should have stuck to our original plan. We could have taken control of Château du Vent Doux and none would have been the wiser.”

“Cease, Father.” Sir Rollin dropped the blade from the priest’s throat and tapped it against his lips. His gaze slid to her and then to the guard. “Let Sir Darrin in but no others. Tell him I wish to discuss the return of Lady Faith, but he must come alone.”

The guard left and Sir Rollin stepped to Faith’s side. “Now, my dear, we shall see who the better man is.”

* * *

Darrin rode into the bailey alone, dismounted and took the steps to the great hall two at a time. It might be foolhardy to enter the de Tosny keep without knights to watch his back, but he didn’t care. He had to know Faith was safe. After finding out about Rollin’s deception, Darrin amassed every knight and fighting man he could find. None protested. Lady Faith was greatly loved by all. Even though the journey was a little over a half day’s ride, it seemed like an eternity to him. The moment she was gone, the truth bloomed inside him—he had never stopped loving her. Through all her deceptions and betrayals, the truth radiated like an eternal light. He loved her. He loved her when he thought his heart was filled with hatred. He loved her when his mind was filled with distrust. He loved her when she offered none in return. His heart was forever hers and always had been, since the very first day she crossed the threshold of Château du Vent Doux with her lower lip trembling and her hand fisted. From a young age, he had loved no one more than her.

Whatever the outcome of today, he would not leave until she knew the full truth of her birth. He owed her that much. Inside the great hall, Darrin found a grim lot. A trembling Father Chabot, a wary Lord de Tosny, a malicious Sir Rollin and an angry Faith, his wife, her hand firmly fisted at her side.

Darrin gave a slight bow to Lord de Tosny, who held Faith about the arm. “May I ask, sir, why you have harmed one of my finest knights and abducted my wife? What ransom do you seek?”

Sir Rollin stepped forward, diverting Darrin’s attention as a line of guards filed in behind him. “We seek no ransom. Here are your choices. Renounce your claim on Lady Faith and Château du Vent Doux, then you can leave and slink back to the forest from which you came. If you do not, you can die here, right now.”

Ignoring Rollin, Darrin turned back to Lord de Tosny. “Are you as power hungry as your son? Is that why you killed Sir Adrien? You wanted the château?”

Lord de Tosny shook his head. “Sir Adrien’s death was regrettable. He came here after you threw him out. He wanted me to march on Château du Vent Doux immediately. It was easy to pay off his knights. He was not a well-liked man. He was a guest in my dungeon until Rollin killed him.”

Darrin’s gaze slid over to Rollin. “You killed my uncle but did not tell me. Why? Did you truly think you could take away what was rightfully mine?”

With ease, Rollin stepped forward with a hand on the hilt of his sword. “I could have had it all if Theo wouldn’t have been sniffing about. You trusted him. By killing Sir Adrien, I eroded that trust and gained some from you in return. But that meddlesome nun let him out of the dungeon during the fire and ruined everything. It is because of that wretched knight we are standing here now.”

A fusion of rage and contempt burned within Darrin, but he held his composure. Faith’s freedom depended on it. “Theo was a comrade. And now because of you he is near death.”

Faith gasped and a lone tear slipped down her cheek.

Rollin gave a cynical laugh. “You still don’t see it, do you? Take a good look at me.” He held a finger to his face.

What did he mean? Was he mad? Darrin looked to Lord de Tosny. “Your son is unbalanced. Please try to reason with him.”

Another maniacal laugh split the air. “Unbalanced? Nay. But you are blind. Your mother ran away. Do you know where?” Rollin asked.

The hair rose on Darrin’s neck as Faith gave out another surprising gasp. Nay, it could not be. Not once had Lord de Tosny come to the château. Unless he was a frequent visitor years ago. A memory rushed forward in Darrin’s mind; his father had done his knight’s training at the de Tosny keep. His father and Lord de Tosny were close in age. Could it be?

“Your mother’s trunk is upstairs.” Rollin opened up his arms. “Embrace me, for we are brothers.”

The pieces fell into place. Darrin lifted a sad eye to Lord de Tosny. “You were my mother’s lover.”

“I’m sorry. Our tryst was brief. She wanted to stop, claimed she loved your father too much. But by then she was pregnant and she refused to pass the child off as Sir Jean’s. He could have killed her and me, but he didn’t. He was a good man and used to be my friend. I betrayed him, but your mother was so magnificent in beauty and in the heart. Your father divorced her in private and created the illusion of her death so she could save face. The only thing he asked for was you.” Tears glistened de Tosny’s eyes. “She wanted to return, but I prevented it. She never stopped loving you.”

“Aye, and I got the scraps,” Rollin bellowed. “The half smiles, the distant stares—though her body was here, her mind was forever at Château du Vent Doux. Of course neither my father nor my mother did reveal the truth. For years I tried to please her and never knew why I couldn’t.”

Pain of loss sluiced through Darrin again. She had been so close all these years. “When did she die?”

“Nine years ago. She died of a broken heart after hearing about your father’s death. You see, in one of her depressed moods, she told me everything. I was twelve summers old and had learned I had a half brother who my mother loved desperately. I grabbed one of my father’s knight’s sword and rode to Château du Vent Doux. You can’t imagine my surprise when I noticed the gate was open. I took it as a sign. I snuck into a quiet hall and up the tower steps. There I encountered your father. He knew who I was and tried to soothe me. Imagine. I killed him. Though in truth, I wanted to kill you.”

“Oh, no! I didn’t know.” Lord de Tosny slumped and Faith helped him to a chair. “I am so sorry,” he said to Darrin.

“Sorry,” Rollin raged. “There is nothing to feel sorry about! It was like living in a tomb here. I put all my efforts into my knight’s training after that, always planning on taking over Château du Vent Doux. After all, you had run off and all knew your father planned to marry Lady Faith off to ensure the safety of the keep. But Sir Adrien denied me over and over and over again. Always claiming I was too young, not a proven knight. So I gave my service to King Richard. And I learned so much more.”

Grief flowed through Darrin. He had indeed been instrumental in his father’s death. He had left the gate open that night after he had fought with his father. Darrin’s shoulder began to throb as he looked to Faith. Rollin knew Faith’s paternity too. He must have been the knight King Richard had mentioned from his deathbed. Darrin didn’t want Faith to learn the truth this way. “Let us settle this like knights.” He tapped the hilt of his sword. “We will fight and whoever draws first blood can have the hand of Lady Faith and Château du Vent Doux.”

Faith came to his side. “I never heard of anything so foolish in my whole life. I am not a piece of meat or a bolt of cloth to be bartered for.”

Darrin didn’t need her interference. She could get hurt. He lifted a hand toward her without taking his eyes off of Rollin. “Take Lord de Tosny to his chamber. He is not well.”

She looked to the older man holding a hand to his chest, his breathing heavy. She turned her gaze back to Darrin. “Think of your arm.” Her eyes sparkled with fresh tears. “Don’t be foolish, please.”

Darrin touch her cheek with his free hand. “There is no other way. Go and pray.” He then directed his attention to Father Chabot. “Take Lady Faith and Lord de Tosny upstairs.”

“Nay,” she cried, but Father Chabot and a few of the guards took her in hand along with Lord de Tosny, leading them toward the stairs.

When they were gone, Darrin squared his shoulders and faced Rollin. “Well?”

“I will take the challenge.” Rollin drew his sword. “Only it shall be to the death. I’ll not have my bride dreaming of you and wondering what you are doing on cold winter nights, especially when we are ruling all of England and possibly France as well.”

Darrin winced as he pulled his own sword from his scabbard. He gripped the handle as hard as he could. “King Richard told you.”

Rollin laughed as he took his stance. “Aye, he told me of your possible reluctance to carry out his last desires. He told me to get rid of you if you did not marry Faith or did not fulfill all the parts of the decree. There is another document given to me that if you failed, I would get Lady Faith’s hand in marriage as long as you did not die by my hand.”

His arm shook as Darrin raised his sword, ready to strike. “Ah, so that is why I did not find your knife in my back when we arrived at the château. But why all the intrigue?”

“Your hatred for Lady Faith and her Christian demands on you gave me time. My father, who despises bloodshed, wanted a peaceful end, hoping you would return to England of your own accord.”

He stepped closer to Darrin and continued his earlier thoughts. “I feared King John would find out the truth and would kill Lady Faith. So when you thought I was tailing Sir Adrien, I went to King John and swore allegiance to him, promising to keep an eye on you. You were supposed to fail as Lord of Château du Vent Doux. I would have gained all that you lost—including Lady Faith.” Rollin stepped to his left and the pair started circling one another.

Darrin kept watch of his opponent. “Then with the French King’s help you would have amassed an army and marched on King John, claiming Faith the rightful heir.”

“Very good. Only now it will be said that you came to attack me, and therefore, I had to defend myself. King John will reward me and seal his own fate at the same time.”

Rollin lunged forward and Darrin quickly blocked his attack, but the onslaught did not stop. Whack after whack, Darrin fought off, first with the blade and then with the edge of his sword, each blow sending needles of pain up his arm. Rollin was a superior swordsman, and Darrin, if whole, could hold his own. But in this weakened condition, he would not last long.

Darrin ducked and swerved right as Rollin avoided another attack. Rollin pushed on, every strike bringing him closer to victory. Falling to one knee, Darrin braced himself for a swift end. Hopefully, the men at the gate would succeed where he had not. He had but one prayer as he watched the silver blade approaching his head.

Lord, protect Faith. Give her the love and life she deserves. Free her from all evil. Forgive me my sins and accept me into your kingdom.

Shouts filled the bailey and distracted Rollin for a moment, exposing his midsection. Darrin took the advantage and dug his blade deep into the soft skin of Rollin’s belly. A look of surprise spread across his face as his tunic turned bright red. He stumbled back. The great hall door flew open and there stood Darrin’s knights and peasants armed with sticks and pitchforks.

“We’ve come for Lord de Longue and his lady,” Gouch stated with ax in hand.

The de Tosny knights fled the room.

Darrin’s sword clattered to the floor and he limped toward Gouch. “You did not follow my orders.”

“Nay. They were foolishly given.”

Darrin raised a hand to Gouch’s shoulder. “You’re a smart man, Master Gouch. Methinks you should be knighted.”

Gouch gave a snort. “I’d rather not.”