A cold wind ripped through the courtyard. Alewyn tugged the edges of his cloak together and gazed about. Light and laughter spilled from a low building opposite him and the faint rush of the sea could be heard above the groan of the wind. He peered towards the castle’s gate; no guards could be seen protecting the small stronghold and there was no movement on the ramparts above. No wonder Lady Johanne was so keen for him to stay; she was in desperate need of more manpower.
He stepped further into the courtyard. Gravel crunched beneath his feet and he paused. Should he use this opportunity to search the grounds? That’s what his brother knights would do and so perhaps he should, although he wasn’t really sure for what he was looking. He turned to step towards the keep when a small boy with coppery hair appeared out of the shadows, almost as if he had been lying in wait. ‘Who are you? Are you the giant who has been healing his wounds at Brae?’
Alewyn cleared his throat. Children tended to avoid him because of his size, but this one was looking up at him with intense interest. ‘I’m Al.’
The little boy nodded as if this explained everything. ‘I’m the Baron of Brae but you can call me Cineas.’
‘Good eve, Cineas.’ Al had known Lady Johanne had a young son, the only child to survive from her marriage to the late baron. Seeing Cineas, so small and serious, made his heart twinge. If Alewyn found Lady Johanne guilty of her crimes, then this little boy would be motherless for she would undoubtedly hang.
‘Are you going to the Great Hall to eat?’
‘Yes.’
‘My mother said you were not able to wake up when she found you. What does that feel like?’
‘It felt like I was asleep.’
Cineas pulled a face, suggesting he was not impressed by that answer. ‘You’re very big. Do you think I’ll be as big as you one day?’
‘Absolutely.’
Cineas grinned, pleased once more. ‘Do you know how to use a sword?’
‘Um.’ Lying to a child was beyond the pale but what choice did he have? ‘I’m having some trouble with my memory. Listen,’ he cut in before the boy could continue with his questioning. ‘Where can I find the Great Hall?’
Cineas pointed to the low building on the opposite side of the courtyard. ‘Over there. You’d better hurry. They have already started eating.’
‘Thank you. Are you going to come with me?’
‘I’ve already had my food.’ Cineas began walking in that direction anyway, trotting to keep up with Alewyn’s long strides. ‘Will you teach me how to use a sword?’
‘Um...’ He wasn’t here to teach little boys sword skills but it could be a good way of gaining Lady Johanne’s trust. As soon as he thought it, Alewyn’s stomach twisted. Could he really do that? Use a child in this way. But then, what option did he really have? If Lady Johanne was guilty of what the King’s Knights suspected, then she was a traitor to the Crown. Alewyn’s mission was to use any means necessary to discover the truth.
The King’s Knights had been aware for a while now of a plan to bring Frenchmen into England. Once in sufficient numbers, these men planned on gathering together and mounting an attack on King Edward within his own country, preventing a war on French soil. An informant had told them the men were coming into the country on Brae’s coast. That had needed instant investigation.
‘Well, could you?’ prompted Cineas.
‘If I can remember what to do, I’d be happy to teach you. With a wooden sword, of course.’ He would do it but he wouldn’t question Cineas about his mother. He drew a line there. ‘Don’t you have a trainer already living at Brae?’
‘No. There are no squires here.’
Alewyn nodded to himself. It was no surprise. Squires would not want to train in a stronghold ruled by a woman. This was not a wealthy settlement. A quick glance around the courtyard had shown that Castle Brae needed urgent repair work. Lady Johanne needed funds; that was obvious even to the casual observer. Desperation could make people do all sorts of things they normally wouldn’t and perhaps it had led Lady Johanne to treason. Time would tell.
At least now, Lady Johanne had unwittingly given Alewyn a reason to stay at Brae while he recovered his memory. This good fortune meant he could perform his investigation from within her walls. He would work with her men and win their trust. He would do whatever she asked him to do and gain her confidence. If there was anything to be found, he would discover it. His mission need not be a failure after all.
‘There you are.’ A young woman raced towards Cineas. ‘You were supposed to wait for me.’ The woman cast a horrified glance at Al. The type of look he was used to. People thought he was a brute, which was fine. It was helpful even. ‘Come on,’ continued the woman, tugging on Cineas’s hand as if to try and get him away from a monster. ‘It is long since time you were abed.’
Cineas gave a resigned sigh. ‘Goodnight, Al.’
‘Goodnight, Lord Cineas. Thank you for the pleasure of your company.’ Alewyn’s polite words did little to quell the suspicious glances of the young woman but Cineas grinned up at him before turning and walking back the way they had just come.
Alewyn continued towards the Great Hall, taking care to hide any pain in his gait. It would not do for anyone to see him limping; he wanted Lady Johanne to be aware of the strength of his body so that she quickly found a use for him. The sooner she began to depend on him, the better.
Lively chatter dimmed as he stepped into the hall. Families were grouped along the long wooden tables; they stopped eating and openly stared at him, but none of the interest felt hostile. At the far end, Lady Johanne sat at the high table, if you could call it that. There was none of the finery Alewyn was used to from his time at Windsor or his parents’ stronghold, which almost resembled the King’s in terms of opulence. Everything in this hall had seen better days and yet there was a warmth in the atmosphere here. A warmth he had not encountered before in a Great Hall and which made the muscles in his back relax even though he was in the strangest of situations.
Lady Johanne smiled at him as he approached and his heart lurched uncomfortably. He was glad for the dim lighting in the room because he could feel his cheeks heating; he couldn’t remember the last time his heart had been moved by the sight of a woman. Perhaps when he’d been a young squire but definitely not since he had entered adulthood. Lady Johanne gestured for him to join her. He made his way around the edge of the hall, aware of the curious gazes aimed his way.
Lady Johanne’s smile deepened as he approached. He stumbled before righting himself. Her smile was like the sun coming out after a week of rain. He briefly stopped in his tracks, alarmed at his thought process. Now, he was practically spouting poetry. How humiliating. The blow to his head must have been more severe than he’d thought. He’d never thought about any woman in that way, never faltered when smiled at. Thank goodness no one knew what was in his mind. If she was a traitor, she could exploit his attraction, making him vulnerable. He would have to banish those thoughts. He could not afford to go around blushing and stumbling like a half-wit. Not now, when so much depended on him getting the next few days exactly right.
‘I am pleased to see you are up and about, Al. Please take a seat.’ Lady Johanne indicated a chair to her left.
Alewyn lowered himself into it, clenching his jaw as his body protested vigorously to the movement. The urge to crawl back to the straw mattress was almost overwhelming. If he laid his head on the table, he was sure he would sleep. The smell of roast meat hit him and his stomach growled, his hunger taking over from his exhaustion. How long had it been since he’d last had a proper meal? His hopes that Lady Johanne hadn’t heard his stomach were dashed when another smile crossed her face.
‘I would imagine it takes a lot of food to keep a man the size of you fed.’ She was smiling at him, her blue eyes full of amusement, and his heart stuttered. He frowned. What on God’s earth was happening to him? It must be because of the blow to his head. His heart was acting like a young squire’s with no connection to his mind. He needed to get it under his control. Until he proved otherwise, she was his enemy. He watched as her smile faded and the light in her eyes dimmed. ‘That was insensitive of me. I’m sorry. You probably don’t remember how much you normally eat.’
He experienced a twinge of guilt as she turned away from him, her happiness dimmed by his lack of response. He pushed his remorse to one side. He was not here to make Lady Johanne feel good. He was here to prove to himself and those around him that his place in the King’s Knights was justified. He was here to find out whether Lady Johanne was a traitor to the Crown and, if she was, it was his responsibility to ensure she was punished for such an awful crime. He could not afford to form any sort of attachment.
Lady Johanne turned to the person on her other side, an older, weathered man who glared at Alewyn from under bushy eyebrows.
Alewyn tore into the meat, pretending to focus all his attention on the food in front of him as he strained to hear what Lady Johanne was saying over the chatter in the hall. All he could make out was her concern about how the food stores were holding out in the face of the hard winter they were experiencing. There was no talk of France and the looming war with England but then she would hardly be so foolhardy as to talk about what she was purportedly doing in front of a stranger. He would have to be patient.
‘Tomorrow we will need some stores shifting. Will you be strong enough?’
Alewyn started; he hadn’t realised she’d turned to face him again. ‘Aye, Lady Johanne. I want to be useful. Tell me what needs lifting, and I will do it for you.’ Hopefully by tomorrow it wouldn’t hurt so much to move. The sooner he could get on with helping her, the better. He had to hope she would ask him to help her with her less than legal activities, although he wouldn’t rely on that happening. Being able to move freely around the castle would allow him to find out the truth some other way.
Lady Johanne picked up her goblet of wine and peered at him over the rim. ‘Still no memories?’
‘I’m sorry, my lady, but no.’ His gut twisted at the lie, even though he knew the untruth was necessary.
‘Gemel does not believe you. He thinks you are working with Morcant. Is that true?’
He admired her directness; he was so used to living among courtiers who did nothing but dissemble that her candour was refreshing. ‘I can assure you that the first time I heard Lord Morcant’s name was when you told me about him yesterday. I am not working for him.’ He wondered if she would question that. If he really had lost his memory surely he wouldn’t know if he was working for Morcant or not. He held his breath, waiting for Lady Johanne to point that out.
‘Gemel said you would say something along those lines.’ Lady Johanne nodded to the man on the other side of her. Gemel was still glaring at Alewyn but he said nothing, which Alewyn respected. Gemel let Johanne fight her own battles. Many men, regardless of their status, wouldn’t be able to resist taking over.
He let out his breath; neither of them had questioned his denial. ‘Your steward is right to be suspicious of me. I would be the same in his position. Perhaps you can explain why this Morcant wants to marry you and how my being employed by him would assist him, so I may reassure you I have had no dealings with the man.’ He paused, his spoon halfway to his mouth. ‘At least, I don’t think I do; obviously I don’t remember but perhaps if you talk about him, it will jolt my memory. I...’ He stopped. He was talking too much; even he could see he was acting suspiciously. Why had he drawn attention to the fact that he couldn’t remember anything moments after being pleased they hadn’t noticed?
Johanne took a sip of her wine. Her tongue darted out to catch an errant drip and unwanted desire curled in Alewyn’s stomach. He turned his gaze away. This wayward desire couldn’t happen to him, not now. Not with this woman. Not when so much hung in the balance. He was losing his mind. First the ridiculous attraction and now, for the first time in his life, his mouth seemed to be running away from him.
Johanne did not appear to notice. ‘As I mentioned yesterday, Morcant is one of my nearest neighbours. He has plans to make Brae his own because, although Brae is much smaller than his territory, acquiring the land will mean he has access to a large swathe of the coast. At the moment his plan is to coerce me into marriage, but I keep refusing and...’ She paused and then appeared to decide something. ‘And his patience is wearing thin. We believe he is behind a recent attempt on my life.’
Alewyn placed the joint he was holding back onto the trencher, his appetite suddenly gone. ‘An attempt on your life. Do you mean what happened to me two days ago or something different?’
Johanne took another sip of wine. ‘Something different. At least, I am sure an attempt was made on my life. I cannot prove it was Morcant but...’ She shrugged. ‘It was most likely him. He wants Brae. My son and I are in his way.’
‘Are you sure he was behind the trap on the path?’
Lady Johanne shrugged. ‘No, but... It was only a matter of time before he did something drastic. He will not care who or what gets hurt. He’s...’ A flash of something dark flitted across her eyes before she shook her head. ‘It is not something you need to worry about.’ She turned away from him then and began to talk to her steward once more.
Alewyn’s head pounded. He wished one of his brother knights were with him, preferably Theo Grenville, who was a master at reading people’s secrets in their body language and uncovering mysteries. He would have no problem working out whether Lady Johanne was a traitor or not and whether this Morcant was part of the problem or if this really was only a local territorial dispute.
But Theo had been sent to the north to deal with a different threat and Alewyn had volunteered to come to Brae in his stead. Benedictus had tried to hide it, but Alewyn had seen the scepticism on his brother’s face after his offer. Benedictus’s look had suggested he didn’t think Alewyn was up to the challenge of this mission. That moment had solidified everything for Alewyn. He swore to himself that he would find out what was happening and finally make his brother and the rest of his family proud of him.
He clenched his jaw to stop himself from groaning out loud.
All this speculation and thinking was too much when his body hurt so. He had to hold himself upright to avoid slumping in the chair. Weariness tugged at his limbs. There was so much to ponder and whatever happened to him before Lady Johanne had found him unconscious had stolen his energy. Even if he wasn’t covered in bruises, he wasn’t sure he was up to the task anyway. Give him some enemies to pummel and he was the right man for it but this level of subtlety was beyond him. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back to the straw mattress and sleep for several more days or to make his way back to Windsor and admit he didn’t know how to proceed. But that wasn’t an option. England’s safety was resting on him.
He picked up his joint again; he would do whatever it took to find out the truth.
The doors to the Great Hall banged open. Alewyn reached for his sword, cursing when he realised it wasn’t by his side.
All chatter ceased.
A stocky man stood, framed by the doorway.
Lady Johanne put her goblet down and slowly got to her feet. If Alewyn hadn’t been so close to her he wouldn’t have noticed her trembling fingers, but she stood tall and proud, as if men barging into her space did not daunt her.
‘Lord Morcant,’ she said calmly and everything in Alewyn froze. Here was the man who caused Lady Johanne to shudder with revulsion. If he hadn’t seen her do that only yesterday, then he would never have been able to tell from her stance and her words. ‘How good of you to join us. I’m afraid you are too late to join our celebratory feast but I will still accept your congratulations.’ Now what was she talking about? What celebrations?
The short, thickset man strode down the centre of the room as if it was his own Great Hall. Alewyn’s fists clenched at his audacity. If Lady Johanne wanted, Alewyn would crush this man like the flea he was, no matter the bruising on his own body or the fact that she might be a traitor.
Morcant kept coming and Alewyn forced himself to remain completely still when every fibre of his being wanted to jump up and drag the man away from this scene. Nobody moved to stop him but Alewyn noticed many of the women dropping their gaze to the food in front of them. This man was not welcome here and not just by Lady Johanne.
‘My congratulations? I do not understand.’ Morcant sounded amused, as if Lady Johanne had told a whimsical joke.
Lady Johanne appeared to ignore the patronising tone because she replied happily, ‘Oh, I thought you must have heard the news and come racing to see me, hence your interruption of our feast. But it’s of no matter. Please allow me to introduce my betrothed.’ She swept her hand towards Alewyn.
Alewyn blinked. What?
The other man stopped in his stride. ‘Your betrothed?’ Morcant sounded as shocked as Alewyn.
Alewyn held himself still, willing himself not to show any reaction. Until he knew what game was being played here, he would go along with this charade.
‘Yes, my betrothed.’ Johanne sounded supremely confident, as if her statement was nothing other than the complete truth.
Alewyn glanced at Gemel; if anything his fists were even tighter than Alewyn’s, suggesting that he knew nothing of this development. What game was Lady Johanne playing and, most importantly, how could Alewyn use it to his advantage?