The bright skies of the south turned grey and dull as Alewyn approached Windsor. The smell coming from the large settlement clogged his throat and made him long for the salty, fresh air of the coast.
The horse he had borrowed was close to giving up, but they had less than a league to go and then they could both rest. He urged the mount on; it trudged over the ground, its demeanour matching the state of Alewyn’s heart.
A rider was coming towards him, his stiff posture giving away his brother’s identity long before Alewyn could get a clear look at the man’s face.
Benedictus’s frown was so deep small children could get lost in it. There was not a hint of warmth in his brother’s eyes as they finally came into speaking distance. ‘I thought you were dead,’ Benedictus growled.
Unsure of what to say to that, Alewyn remained silent.
‘A week ago, your horse arrived with all your belongings. She looked like she had been in a battle.’
‘I see you rushed out to discover the truth.’ It shouldn’t hurt that his safety wasn’t his brother’s immediate concern, but it did.
Benedictus’s lips twisted. ‘Unfortunately, I am not in a position to abandon everything for personal matters. I had to wait for Theo to return before I could leave.’
For the first time, Alewyn noticed that his brother was indeed dressed for travel. Muscles in his back that he hadn’t realised were tense slowly relaxed. His brother was the most senior knight in the country. He could not leave his post, that much was true. Yet here he was. On the road to Brae to look for him.
‘Let us return to the castle. I have much to tell you.’
‘Did you find enough evidence to hang Lady Johanne?’
Alewyn’s fingers tightened on his reins. ‘I did not.’ Was it his imagination, or did his brother’s body sag with disappointment at his statement? If so, was that disappointment in Alewyn or in the lack of evidence to hang Johanne? Did Benedictus think he’d failed in his mission? Alewyn waited for the familiar feelings of inadequacy to hit. He was so used to feeling that way whenever presented with Benedictus’s disappointment. They didn’t come. Whether that was because he knew this time that he could prove to his brother that the mission had been a success or whether it was because of something else, Alewyn didn’t know. He only knew that it was a relief. Whatever shadow he had been living under for so long had gone.
‘Very well. We will return to the castle. You can tell me everything in the presence of Theo.’
Alewyn didn’t question that. Theo was their master questioner. He could get you to answer questions you did not even know you knew the answer to.
‘In what way was Ffleur hurt?’
‘There were cuts to her legs.’ Alewyn nodded. That was consistent with the rope Johanne had found. Alewyn’s heart twisted at the thought of Ffleur suffering without him there to help her. ‘There was no damage to her bulk, although her coat had become matted. It was nothing the stable master was not able to fix. As far as I can tell, your belongings were all there.’
‘And my sword?’
‘It was strapped to Ffleur.’ There was a pause. ‘That was what convinced me you must be dead. You never travel without it.’
For the first time, Alewyn heard some emotion in his brother’s voice. Perhaps the old devil did have a heart after all.
If Ffleur and he had not ridden into the trap, Johanne and Gemel would have fallen foul of it. Whatever the plan had been, to frighten them or worse, then Alewyn could only be glad it was he who had come across it first. He would rather be hurt a thousand times over than any harm befall her.
He and Benedictus did not speak for the rest of their journey. It reminded Alewyn of his childhood before he had left to do his knight’s training. Back then, it had been his parents who’d used silence as a weapon. People often thought shouting was the most effective punishment for a young child but his parents had used their quietness like a knife. Benedictus had been his comrade-in-arms in those days, had looked out for him when their parents had turned on him. Now, Alewyn doubted Benedictus was trying to punish him, but he could still hear his disapproval in the lack of any comment. Strangely, the silence didn’t bother Alewyn. Perhaps that was also because he knew he had all the answers this time. His mission had been a success and now all he had to do was impart his knowledge and he would prevent a war on English soil.
Or perhaps there was another reason for his new-found calm. He had tried hard not to think of Johanne as he had ridden towards Windsor. The two nights he had spent in her arms had been the best of his life but it was not only her body that he missed. Several times on the long ride, he had turned to her to ask her opinion or to pass the time of day and she had not been there. The loss had left him feeling winded. Johanne had not just been his friend; she had given him something precious. She had given him a belief in himself and his abilities and he would be grateful to her for ever for that.
He had mentioned marriage and she had brushed him off. It had hurt him more than he would have thought possible but the pain had been dulled by the pleasure of her body. He’d thought about mentioning it again, had tried to just before he had left Brae, but he’d been thwarted by the arrival of her steward. He could have pressed the issue but he hadn’t. She had seemed content to leave their relationship at what had passed between them and he hadn’t wanted to sully their last moments together with an argument or, worse, a kind rejection. Because he knew she would not agree to marry him no matter how much he might want to be joined with her for the rest of his life. He told himself to be glad. He did not want or need the commitment of marriage right now.
As the leagues had lengthened between her and Windsor, he pondered on what had passed between them and thought he might have made a mistake. He had mentioned marriage but he had not asked her. Perhaps he should have done. No, perhaps he should have begged her to come with him. But deep down he knew she did not want to be anywhere other than Brae. Besides, she refused to be beholden to a man and he respected that. He would never have treated her like her late husband, never try to bend her to his will, but there had been no point reiterating that. His place was here, hers was there. He would have to learn to live without her.
Theo’s double take when he saw him made Alewyn laugh out loud. His brother knight pulled him into a fierce hug. ‘We thought you were dead.’ Theo slapped him on the back and released him. ‘I am glad you are not.’
Alewyn grinned. ‘Me too.’
‘Don’t scare us like that again or I’ll be forced to hunt you down and kill you myself.’
Alewyn laughed as he followed the men deeper into Windsor Castle, towards Benedictus’s private chamber where he conducted all his business. This room was small and functional with the most uncomfortable benches known to man for everyone, apart from Benedictus, to sit on. Instead of subjecting himself to that torture, Alewyn made his way over to the fire and began to warm his body in the powerful heat.
Benedictus settled in his chair behind his desk. ‘Tell me everything.’
Alewyn stared at the flickering flames. He’d had plenty of time to get the story straight in his mind. He wanted it to be completely clear that there was no doubt that Johanne was innocent of any plot against the King. Yet, he didn’t want to reveal all he had done to help her prepare for the siege. He would downplay that part.
He turned and almost took a seat on the bench. He was tired after riding for nearly three days straight, only stopping to rest when his horse could go no further. Before he could lower himself, he remembered how the bench seemed to take delight in torturing him and he remained standing. Leaning against the wall, he gave a succinct retelling of everything that had happened to him from the moment he had left Windsor until his return, explaining that some of the events before Lady Johanne had picked him up were still patchy.
‘What do you think happened to make you unconscious on the path?’ asked Theo when he stopped.
‘I’ll never know for sure. My best guess is that Ffleur ran into a rope that was set to unseat someone else and threw me off. I was black and blue when I regained consciousness, although nothing was broken.’
‘A de-seating wouldn’t normally do you much damage.’ Benedictus’s gaze flicked over his body. ‘But there was that storm not long after you left, so perhaps you are right. It is unlikely that anyone would attack you, then leave you alive and not take any of your belongings.’ Benedictus leaned forward, Alewyn’s accident already dismissed from his mind. ‘Arresting Yonescu is a priority but first we must find these Frenchmen before they can do any harm. Do you know where they were headed?’
‘Towards Cranleigh.’ Alewyn named a settlement he knew to be south of Windsor.
‘We will assemble some men and hunt them down. Then we will focus on Yonescu and he will know the full displeasure of the King’s Knights. As for Lady Johanne, we will leave her in peace.’
Alewyn braced himself against the wall, glad to have the support as his knees turned to liquid. He’d thought his brother would believe him about Johanne but to have the confirmation that no one would go after her or anyone at Brae brought him bone-weakening relief.
Theo was watching him, a slight smirk on his lips. ‘Lady Johanne got mentioned rather a lot during that recitation.’
Alewyn glared at Theo. ‘I was staying at her castle and she was one of the main suspects in the treasonous plot. Of course her name was mentioned a lot.’
Theo’s smirk became a grin. ‘Was she pretty by any chance?’
Alewyn’s heart began to race. Was Theo about to bring down all the good Alewyn had done by implying Alewyn was attracted to Johanne? If Benedictus realised just how lovely Alewyn thought Johanne was, it could negate everything he’d done thus far. ‘Whether she is beautiful or not is neither here nor there.’
‘I didn’t use the word beautiful so...’
Never had Alewyn wanted to punch his friend so hard.
‘Stop mocking him, Theo,’ Benedictus growled. ‘Alewyn has done well.’ His brother turned to face him. ‘I am very pleased with how you have dealt with this mission. I shall mention it to the King. I am sure he will want to reward you in some way.’
Alewyn could only stare at Benedictus. Finally, after all these years, he was hearing approval from the leader of the King’s Knights. It validated his place in the elite group and it was all he had ever wanted. Recognition from the King would undoubtedly please his parents and add prestige to their already distinguished lineage. Why then, did he not feel elated?