A Stormy Knight (22 page)

The full gravity of her situation was now clear. He could do anything he wanted to her
,
and Nicholas would never know where she was. Maybe he was out looking for her now. If she kept Hugh talking it might stall him long enough so
he
would find her. Surely he would look here first after Matthew came back without her.

"
I want to know if your family told a
tale about the de Reymes
es
. That they were o
pposing Stephen by aiding Matilda,
"
Gemma said, in an effort to keep him talking.

Hugh
stared
straight at her without blinking.
"
And so what of it? Phillip would have been a good match for you, and I wanted your father
'
s coin in dowry.
'
Twas simple enough, asking for your hand and making a deal too good for your father to pass up. Funny thing, however, your father was not interested in fortune. He said you were free to do as you please. You must have been a ruined woman for your father to say such a thing.
"

"
You destroyed a family for your own gain,
"
she spit out, no longer trying to be docile and ignoring his barb
toward
her.

"
So what?
"
he snickered.
"
It means nothing now.
"

"
It means something to us,
"
she replied.
"
Nicholas may kill you after I tell him what you did.
"

"
He will not know, because you are not going home. Did you think you could safely face me after sending my son away to that
blackguard
,
Henry? Nay, you will not leave this place again. Let your
cur
of a husband come
,
and I shall see him dead. You will serve in my castle and I will take from you what Phillip failed to get. No one will miss you, nor would they know
where to find you if they did.
"

"
Nay,
"
she whimpered, now too terrified to form a retort.

"
Aye,
"
Hugh said
.
"
And you can meet my guests. You may have just made their lives a bit easier indeed.
"

She
had no idea what he meant, but she did not want to hear any more.
Fear drove her as she
frantically searched for a way to get away from Hugh and his men so she could be free. Lady was not close enough and there were just too many men around her.

"
Bring her in,
"
Bigod commanded.

Before she could mo
ve, she was surrounded by more
soldiers
. They did not look pleased at their task, but they di
d it with great discipline. The men
were moving in, and in a panic, she realized there was no way for her to break free. Lady was a fast horse, but that did her no good now, even if she could get to her.
As they drew swords
behind her, the men on the wall drew back arrows. She was beaten
,
and it was her own doing.

An arrow whizzed by and one of Bigod
'
s men tottered for a moment and then slammed to the ground with a resounding thud. Chaos ensued as every man moved to give chase. Another arrow whizzed by
,
and Gemma started to panic as it bounced off the mail of another of Bigod
'
s men. In the confusion, she managed to reach Lady and move into the trees to her left. She mounted her nervous horse and backed away from the bedlam, seeking c
over under the trees.

The noise sounded like thunder, but in reality, it was a group of twenty or thirty men on horseback. They were dressed in full battle gear, and had it not been for Nicholas
'
s destrier, she would not have known who
they were
. Hugh
'
s horse reared back as swords were drawn and combat began. Gemma had witnessed many things in her life, but she had never been this close to a battle, nor had she ever loved a man involved in it.

Her heart was beating rapidly, thumping against her chest as she sent up a prayer her foolishness did not get Nicholas killed. She screamed as her husband charged Hugh and missed. He
guided
his destrier around quickly and lunged in his direction again. This time, Hugh
'
s horse reared back enough that Hugh hit the ground. Nicholas was on top of him within seconds, his sword to his neck.

With a roar,
he
lifted his sword. It seemed everyone froze at the ungodly sound. Gemma glanced around. All eyes were on Hugh and Nicholas. Hugh
'
s men were outnumbered and they knew it, but they were almost in range of the arrow loops of the castle wall. If more of Hugh
'
s men came to his aid, they would be finished.

"
I got rid of you seven years ago!
"
Hugh declared as he glared up at Nicholas from the cracked dirt beneath h
im.

Gemma could not see his face, but she could almost feel him wincing as
the lord of Renoir Castle
sputtered beneath him.

"
You did not get rid of me. You only sealed your own fate, knave,
"
Nicholas spat.
She
cringed at the venom in his voice.
Her husband
lifted his free hand and removed his helmet. She could see the hatred in his eyes
,
and she almost felt sorry for High Bigod.

Gemma heard moaning
while Nicholas continued to stare Hugh down. Neither of them moved. She could see an arrow sticking out of the leg of one of Nicholas
'
s men. He was doing his best to stay atop his horse
, but he was losing the battle.

Nicholas heard the moan too, and he stabbed his sword
toward
Hug
h
, missing his face by mere inches. The sword drove into the earth. He stood back, his legs spread wide, eying those around him carefully.

"
The next time I will not miss.
"

Hug
h choked and was visibly shaken
. He stayed still, staring up at the knight who spared his life.

"
You will get up
,
and you will walk back into your castle as the coward you are. You will stay there and await what Henry may do to you. If I see you near
my wife
or our lands, I will kill you. If you do not heed me, you will learn I do not make idle threats. You have nothing for me
,
and the world would be at no loss without you in it.
"
He pulled his sword from the ground and stepped back so
the elder man
could rise.

Hugh did so, but slowly
,
without taking his eyes off of Nicholas. His men backed away
,
and he rose and lumbered slowly
toward
the castle. His horse was gone.
The soldiers
watched Nicholas but made no move
toward
him.
He
waved a hand
,
and they m
oved together
toward
the gate.

"
Gemma!
"
Nicholas demanded.
"
Move back with my men and do not do anything until I tell you to.
"

She did as she was told, scared of what he was going to do to punish her for what she had just done. The injured man was unconscious and lying over the lap of one of the other men. Nicholas mounted his horse and gave a command she did not understand. He rode over, grabbed her from her horse with one arm, and planted her i
n front of him on his. Tossing
Lady
'
s reins to another of his men
,
he took off with her.

As they galloped off over a small knoll and through a field,
he
did not look back. Gemma was shaking so hard she
feared
she would fall from his horse, but his strong arm held her tight against him, safe from harm. She could hear the h
orses of their men behind them.

"
You are a fool!
"
he said in her ear as they rod
e hard back
toward
Blackstone C
astle.
"
If you pull this again, I shall have you whipped!
"

She
did not know if he meant it, but she was sure she would never be so foolish as to put it to the test. They rode in silence
,
and she did not breathe easy again until they crossed the moat into safety. Bigod
'
s men had not followed them.

Nicholas did not yell at her as she feared. He deposited her in the outer bailey and rode off to the stable without another word. He did not tend to his own horse. Instead, he carefully took his injured man into his arms. He carried his limp body through the inner bailey
toward
the chapel.

"
Father Darius,
"
he bellowed as he kicked the door with his foot. Within minutes, the priest emerged with a candle to find
him
standing there with a soldier in his arms. Gemma could not hear what was said, but Nicholas entered. She had nothing to
do but go up to bed. F
acing
her husband
right now would be a disaster, so she shuffled slowly through the bailey to the stables. She tended to Lady and then was escorted back to the ke
ep.

Leda was waiting for her when she crossed the great hall to take the steps to the solar.
"
Milady,
"
she said
,
rushing
toward
her,
"
are you well?
"

"
Aye, Leda,
"
she
said,
"
though I am a fool.
"

"
Why did ye take off like that? Nicholas was all in a tizzy as he tried to get out of here after ye when he thought you gone. Were ye hurt? Where did ye go?
"

"
Come up with me
and I will explain
.
"
Her chamberma
id was waiting for her
,
and she
asked for a late bath. All she wanted to do was to let the water wash her mistake away. She had ridden hard without braiding her hair, which meant she would
have to untangle
it before she could sleep. She was willing to do it all night if it took her mind from how angry Nicholas was going to be with her when he came to bed, if he came to bed at all.

She waited for
the cook
, who brought her up some fruit and a skin of wine. When she came in, her eyes were bi
g
,
and Gemma sought words to calm
the poor woman down.

"
Is Isabel abed?
"
she
began, worried about her sister.

"
Aye, she be asleep for some time now,
"
Leda offered.
"
Please tell me what happened to ye. I be worried all night.
"

With a sigh, Gemma explained where she had gone and why she went. She described with great chagrin how she had tricked poor Matthew and what
befell her afterward.

As she was talking, her bath was brought in, along with buckets of hot water. Leda did not say much until as
she
finished her story.

"
Ye have always been a daring and stubborn girl, but this mista
ke could have seen ye killed!
"

"
I am fully aware of what I have done. I felt like a prisoner
,
and I wished for some solitude to think. I
assumed
I would be safe. Nicholas may never forgive me, especially if his man dies. I assure you I have learned a lesson.
"

"
Get yer bath and get some sleep,
"
Leda
said
,
"
and I am off to get mine. If ye need me, ye know where I be.
"